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.

1971–72 New York Nets season
Head coach	Lou Carnesecca
Arena	Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Results
Record	44–40 (.524)
Place	Division: 3rd (Eastern (ABA))
Playoff finish	ABA Finals (lost to Pacers 2–4)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

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

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 Lou Carnesecca Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster

Final standings

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

Eastern Division semifinals vs. Kentucky Colonels

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