Eastern Division
Virginia Squires (ex-Oakland Oaks, ex-Washington Caps) 55-29
Kentucky Colonels 44-40
New York Nets (ex-New Jersey Americans) 40-44
The Floridians (ex-Miami Floridians) 37-47
Pittsburgh Condors (ex-Pittsburgh Pipers) 36-48
Carolina Cougars (ex-Houston Mavericks) 34-50
Western Division
Indiana Pacers 58-26
Utah Stars (ex-Anaheim Amigos, ex-Los Angeles Stars) 57-27
Memphis Pros (ex-New Orleans Buccaneers) 41-43
Texas Chaparrals (future San Antonio Spurs) 30-54
Denver Rockets 30-54So, the playoffs started, and the Chaparrals beat the Rockets in a one-game playoff to eliminate the West's fifth entry. Then the Stars and Pacers swept the Chaparrals and Pros, respectively, and, in the east, the Squires and the Colonels beat the Nets and the Floridians, respectively, both by four games to two. Both division-final series were upsets: Stars over Pacers, 4-3, and Colonels over Squires, 4-2.
In the ABA finals, Utah won games 1 and 2 at home, and then Kentucky won games 3 and 4 at home. And then Utah won Game 5 at home, and then Kentucky won Game 6 at home. Game 7 is tonight, Tuesday, May 18, 1971, at Utah.
Spoiler alert ...
This movie, We're No. 1, is right up there with any of the team-highlight films of any sport ever. Narrated by Bill Howard, "voice of the Utah Stars," takes us through the 1970-71, culminating with Utah's 131-121 Game 7 victory over the Kentucky Colonels. "Athletically, it was Utah's finest hour. It was really Game Number One Hundred Two in a rugged professional-basketball season that began back on June 10, 1970, when Owner Bill Daniels would become the Los Angeles Stars would become the Utah Stars. He also made a promise--he made a pledge--that Salt Lake City would become the Green Bay of professional basketball."
ReplyDelete"The Stars' boosters include the young, the old, the professional man, the blue-collar worker, the housewife--all of whom dig the action, the emotion of professional basketball.
ReplyDeleteI love the shots of the secretaries on the phones in the president/general manager's office.
ReplyDelete"It brought together the BYU backer, the University of Utah supporter, as well as Utah State and Weber State fans, into one huge cheering section. Toss into the bands, the pretty girls, the solid promotions, the three-point play and that dazzling red, white and blue ball, and you have the best show in town."
ReplyDeleteThat is so, so good!
"A ticket to a Stars game affords the enthusiastic fan the opportunity to relate to violent action at a safe distance."
ReplyDelete"When the Stars weren't playing at home in the Salt Palace, they were on the road. The schedule included 84 regular-season games and 18 playoff games--over 100,000 air miles flown, following a schedule that would kill a traveling salesman."
ReplyDeleteGreat stuff of the players on a plane, placing drink orders with the flight attendants, reading in-flight TIME magazine and sharing folded-over newspapers.
Here's the welcoming part at the Salt Lake International Airport after the Stars turned back the Indiana Pacers, four games to three, in the Western Division finals. The Pacers had finished ahead of the Stars in the regular season, so Indianapolis hosted Game 7. (Bill Howard had noted shrewdly in the early going of this movie that the teams had split their 12 regular-season head-to-head meetings.)
ReplyDeleteThe playoff series "was like the Battle of the Bulge, Wake Island and Guadalcanal all rolled into one," Howard says. "General George Patton would've loved it."
Patton won Best Picture back on April 15, a fact that, of course, would not've been lost on the marketing writer who penned Bill Howard's script for We're No. 1. By the way, there's no way you could've gotten away with that line today--too frivolous and flip.
Now here's President and General Manager Vince Boryla for a deadly serious, looking-dead-on-at-the-camera wrapup and season-ticket pitch: "The film you have just watched represents only a small part of the excitement generated by the sport of the '70s--professional basketball, Utah Stars style. You no doubt have heard and read about the merger of the two professional-basketball leagues, which means that, in the future, the action promises to be even better ... Those who buy now will have the priority for the same excellent seats year after year. Don't be shut out by the sell-out crowds. Call the Utah Stars' office, 355-2891, and a member of our staff will be most happy to assist you."
ReplyDeleteHere's an excellent memorial to the Utah Stars from Aaron Falk in The Salt Lake Tribune last year--including some very funny stuff on Moses Malone's raiding the team's equipment when the operation folded. Rest in peace, Utah Stars (1970-1975).
ReplyDeleteI wondered why that great Utah Stars video didn't mention their coach. Turns out Bill Sharman in June 1971 is a leading candidate to become next coach of the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers. The Stars are reportedly suing Sharman for $5 million.
ReplyDelete