1971–72 New York Nets season

The 1971–72 New York Nets season was the fifth season of the franchise and 4th in New York. They finished 3rd among the six team division, qualifying for the playoffs by nine games for the third straight year.[1]

1971–72 New York Nets season
Head coachLou Carnesecca
ArenaNassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Results
Record44–40 (.524)
PlaceDivision: 3rd (Eastern (ABA))
Playoff finishABA Finals
(lost to Pacers 2–4)

Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
< 1970–71 1972–73 >

The Nets advanced to the ABA Finals, where they lost to the Indiana Pacers.

Rick Barry averaged 31.5 points per game in what would be his final season in the ABA. Barry was forced to return to his former NBA team, the Golden State Warriors, due to an injunction issued by the U.S. District Court prohibiting him from playing for any professional team other than the Warriors after his Nets contract ended.

Roster

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1971–72 New York Nets roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From
C 12 Ard, Jim 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1948-09-19 Cincinnati
SF 24 Barry, Rick 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1944-03-28 Miami (FL)
SF 20 Baum, Johnny 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1946-06-17 Temple
SG 21 DePre, Joe 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1947-12-19 St. John's
PF 11 Dove, Sonny 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 198 lb (90 kg) 1945-08-16 St. John's
F 23 Durham, Jarrett 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 188 lb (85 kg) 1949-08-22 Duquesne
SF 14 Greacen, Bob 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 206 lb (93 kg) 1947-09-15 Rutgers
C 3 Leaks, Manny 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1945-11-27 Niagara
PG 25 Melchionni, Bill 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 1944-10-19 Villanova
C 10 Moore, Gene 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1945-07-29 Saint Louis
C 5 Paultz, Billy 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1948-07-30 St. John's
SG 13 Roche, John 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1949-09-26 South Carolina
SG 22 Taylor, Ollie 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 1947-03-07 Houston
PF 32 Washington, Trooper 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1944-04-21 Cheyney
F 4 Webster, Elnardo 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1948-03-06 Saint Peter's
SG 14 Zeller, Gary 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1947-11-20 Drake
Head coach

Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  •   Injured

Roster

Final standings

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1972-73 ABA Western Standings
Eastern Division W L PCT. GB
Kentucky Colonels 68 16 .810 -
Virginia Squires 45 39 .536 23
New York Nets 44 40 .524 24
The Floridians 36 48 .429 32
Carolina Cougars 35 49 .417 33
Pittsburgh Condors 25 59 .405 43

Playoffs

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Eastern Division semifinals vs. Kentucky Colonels[2]

Game Date Location Score Record Attendance
1 April 1 Kentucky 122–108 1–0 4,772
2 April 4 Kentucky 105–90 2–0 8,212
3 April 5 New York 99–105 2–1 14,056
4 April 7 New York 100–92 3–1 14,896
5 April 8 Kentucky 103–109 3–2 7,949
6 April 10 New York 101–96 4–2 11,533

Nets win series, 4–2

Eastern Division finals vs. Virginia Squires

Game Date Location Score Record Attendance
1 April 13 Richmond (Virginia) 91–138 0–1 5,526
2 April 15 Norfolk (Virginia) 106–115 0–2 10,410
3 April 24 New York 119–117 1–2 11,893
4 April 26 New York 118–107 2–2 11,164
5 April 29 Hampton (Virginia) 107–116 2–3 6,309
6 May 1 New York 146–136 3–3 11,152
7 May 4 Norfolk (Virginia) 94–88 4–3 10,410

Nets win series, 4–3

ABA Finals vs. Indiana Pacers

Game Date Location Result Record Attendance
1 May 6 Indiana 103–124 0–1 7,483
2 May 9 Indiana 117–115 1–1 10,079
3 May 12 New York 108–114 1–2 15,241
4 May 15 New York 110–105 2–2 15,890
5 May 18 Indiana 99–100 2–3 10,079
6 May 20 New York 105–108 2–4 10,434

Nets lose series, 4–2

References

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  1. ^ "1971-72 New York Nets Roster and Stats".
  2. ^ "1971-72 ABA Regular Season Standings". Remembertheaba.com. Archived from the original on October 28, 2014. Retrieved July 25, 2016.