1970–71 Kentucky Colonels season

The 1970–71 Kentucky Colonels season was the fourth season of the Colonels in the American Basketball Association. University of Kentucky star Dan Issel was signed by the Colonels. Issel was given a 10-year contract worth $1.4 million, while playing all but one game in the whole season, leading to him being named Rookie of the Year, alongside averaging 29.9 points and 13.2 rebounds per game during the season. Despite a 10–5 record, Rhodes was fired during the season. After having business manager Alex Groza coach the team for 2 games, Frank Ramsey was hired to coach the rest of the season. In the Semifinals, the Colonels beat The Floridians 4 games to 2. In the Eastern Division Finals, they beat the Virginia Squires 4 games to 2. In the ABA Finals, they lost to the Utah Stars in seven games.

1970–71 Kentucky Colonels season
Head coachGene Rhodes (10–5)
Alex Groza (2–0)
Frank Ramsey (32–35)
ArenaFreedom Hall
Results
Record44–40 (.524)
PlaceDivision: 2nd (Eastern)
Playoff finishLost in the ABA Finals
< 1969–70 1971–72 >

Roster

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Final standings

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Eastern Division

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Eastern Division W L PCT GB
Virginia Squires * 55 29 .655
Kentucky Colonels * 44 40 .524 11.0
New York Nets * 40 44 .476 15.0
The Floridians * 37 47 .440 18.0
Pittsburgh Condors 36 48 .429 19.0
Carolina Cougars 34 50 .405 21.0

Playoffs

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Eastern Division Semifinals[1]

Game Date Location Score Record Attendance
1 April 2 Kentucky 116–112 1–0 3,182
2 April 4 Kentucky 120–110 2–0 3,881
3 April 6 Florida 102–120 2–1 4,126
4 April 8 Florida 117–129 2–2 4,268
5 April 10 Kentucky 118–101 3–2 4,996
6 April 12 Florida 112–103 4–2 4,478

Colonels win series, 4–2

Eastern Division Finals

Game Date Location Score Record Attendance
1 April 15 Virginia 136–132 1–0 4,250
2 April 17 Virginia 122–142 1–1 5,000
3 April 19 Kentucky 137–150 1–2 4,777
4 April 21 Kentucky 128–110 2–2 5,221
5 April 23 Virginia 115–107 3–2 10,013
6 April 24 Kentucky 129–117 4–2 12,822

Colonels win series, 4–2

ABA Finals[1]

Game Date Location Score Record Attendance
1 May 3 Utah 117–136 0–1 12,051
2 May 5 Utah 125–138 0–2 13,208
3 May 7 Kentucky 116–110 1–2 12,337
4 May 8 Kentucky 129–125 (OT) 2–2 9,863
5 May 12 Utah 127–137 2–3 13,260
6 May 15 Kentucky 105–102 3–3 11,793
7 May 18 Utah 121–131 3–4 13,260

Colonels lose series, 4–3

Awards and honors

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1971 ABA All-Star Game selections (game played on January 23, 1971)

References

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  1. ^ a b "1970–71 ABA Regular Season Standings". Remembertheaba.com. Archived from the original on June 11, 2015. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
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