1972–73 Indiana Pacers season
The 1972–73 Indiana Pacers season was Indiana's sixth season in the ABA and sixth as a team. The Pacers finished second in the Western Division and won their third ABA title. In a rematch of the 1972 division semifinals, the Pacers eliminated the Denver Rockets. After defeating the Rockets in five games, the Pacers eliminated the Utah Stars in six games. The Eastern Division champion Kentucky Colonels appeared in the ABA Championships for the second time and were defeated by the Pacers in seven games.
| 1972–73 Indiana Pacers season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Bobby Leonard |
| Arena | Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum |
| Results | |
| Record | 51–33 (.607) |
| Place | Division: 2nd Conference: 2nd |
| Playoff finish | ABA Champions (Won 4–3) |
Offseason
ABA Draft
| Player | Position | Nationality | School/Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ed Ratleff | Long Beach State | ||
| Nate Stephens | Long Beach State | ||
| Oscar Evans | Butler | ||
| George Adams | Gardner-Webb | ||
| Rich Garner | Manhattan | ||
| Cavin Anderson | Valley City | ||
| Wardell Dyson | Shaw | ||
| Jolly Spight | Santa Clara | ||
| Bill Burton | Eastern Kentucky | ||
| Wally Rice | Penn Military | ||
| Lee Sims | Morehead State | ||
| Nate Williams | Utah State |
Regular season
Season standings
| Western Division | W | L | PCT. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utah Stars | 55 | 29 | .655 | – |
| Indiana Pacers | 51 | 33 | .607 | 4 |
| Denver Rockets | 47 | 37 | .560 | 8 |
| San Diego Conquistadors | 30 | 54 | .357 | 25 |
| Dallas Chaparrals | 28 | 56 | .333 | 27 |
Player stats
Note: GP= Games played; MIN= Minutes; REB= Rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Average
| Player | GP | MIN | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| George McGinnis | 82 | 3347 | 1022 | 205 | 160 | N/A | 2261 | |
| Mel Daniels | 81 | 3103 | 1247 | 177 | N/A | 157 | 1497 | |
| Bill Keller | 83 | 2251 | 204 | 361 | N/A | N/A | 1147 | |
| Donnie Freeman | 77 | 2170 | 219 | 195 | N/A | N/A | 1103 | |
| Freddie Lewis | 72 | 2217 | 228 | 288 | N/A | N/A | 1075 | |
| Roger Brown | 72 | 2177 | 348 | 204 | N/A | N/A | 909 | |
| Darnell Hillman | 84 | 2541 | 735 | 128 | N/A | N/A | 804 | |
Roster
| Number | Name | Position | Height | Experience | College |
| 22 | Bob Arnzen | Forward | 6–5 | 2 yrs. | Notre Dame |
| 35 | Roger Brown | Guard-Forward | 6–5 | 5 yrs. | Dayton |
| 10 | Don Buse | Guard | 6–4 | Rookie | Evansville |
| 34 | Mel Daniels | Center | 6–9 | 5 yrs. | New Mexico |
| 13 | Donnie Freeman | Guard | 6–3 | 5 yrs. | Illinois at Urbana-Champaign |
| 20 | Darnell Hillman | Forward-Center | 6–9 | 1 yr. | San Jose State |
| 25 | Gus Johnson | Forward-Center | 6–6 | 9 yrs. | Idaho |
| 11 | Bill Keller | Guard | 5–10 | 3 yrs. | Purdue |
| 14 | Freddie Lewis | Guard | 6–0 | 6 yrs. | Arizona State |
| 30 | George McGinnis | Forward-Center | 6–8 | 1 yr. | Indiana |
| 24 | Bill Newton | Center | 6–9 | Rookie | Louisiana State |
| 15 | George Peeples | Center-Forward | 6–7 | 5 yrs. | Iowa |
| 12 | Craig Raymond | Center | 6–11 | 4 yrs. | Brigham Young |
Playoffs
Western Division Semifinals[5]
| Game | Date | Location | Score | Record | Attendance |
| 1 | March 31 | Indiana | 114–91 | 1–0 | 7,051 |
| 2 | April 1 | Denver | 106–93 | 2–0 | 7,235 |
| 3 | April 3 | Denver | 94–105 | 2–1 | 5,335 |
| 4 | April 5 | Denver | 97–95 | 3–1 | 6,904 |
| 5 | April 7 | Indiana | 121–107 | 4–1 | 9,816 |
Western Division Finals
| Game | Date | Location | Score | Record | Attendance |
| 1 | April 12 | Utah | 107–124 | 0–1 | 7,712 |
| 2 | April 14 | Utah | 116–110 | 1–1 | 12,233 |
| 3 | April 16 | Indiana | 118–108 | 2–1 | 9,353 |
| 4 | April 18 | Indiana | 103–104 | 2–2 | 10,079 |
| 5 | April 19 | Utah | 104–102 | 3–2 | 12,453 |
| 6 | April 21 | Indiana | 107–98 | 4–2 | 9,529 |
ABA Finals
| Game | Date | Location | Score | Record | Attendance |
| 1 | April 28 | Kentucky | 111–107 (OT) | 1–0 | 12,119 |
| 2 | April 30 | Kentucky | 102–114 | 1–1 | 13,408 |
| 3 | May 3 | Indiana | 88–92 | 1–2 | 10,079 |
| 4 | May 5 | Indiana | 90–86 | 2–2 | 9,498 |
| 5 | May 8 | Kentucky | 89–86 | 3–2 | 16,779 |
| 6 | May 10 | Indiana | 93–109 | 3–3 | 10,079 |
| 7 | May 12 | Kentucky | 88–81 | 4–3 | 16,597 |
Awards, records, and honors
- George McGinnis, appeared in the 1973 ABA All-Star Game
- Mel Daniels, appeared in the 1973 ABA All-Star Game
References
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-01-17. Retrieved 2009-05-07.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- 1972–73 Indiana Pacers Games – Basketball-Reference.com
- https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/ABA_1973.html
- https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/INA/1973.html
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-11-29. Retrieved 2010-10-03.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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