The 1971–72 The Floridians season was the fourth and final season of American Basketball Association in Florida. For this season, 34 games were played in Miami, with the other home games being played in either Tampa or St. Petersberg. The Floridians edged out the Carolina Cougars for the final playoff spot by one game, with their 116–115 overtime victory proving key to clinching the spot, as their record was 35–45 and the Cougars record was at 33–49, with the Floridians not only having two more games to play than the Cougars but only needing to win once more to officially clinch, which they did four days later versus the Memphis Pros, 118–107. The team's biggest winning streak all season was 4, with their first half record being 19–23. They went 17–25 in the second half of the season, with a season high six game losing streak in that half. They finished 8th in points scored, at 112.8 per game and 8th in points allowed at 114.3 per game. In the Semifinals, they were swept by the Virginia Squires. After the season, the team was disbanded, due to attendance not improving despite trying to appeal to the region. Pro basketball would not return to the area until 1988 with the Miami Heat, who have worn throwback jerseys of the team on occasion as part of "Hardwood Classics Nights", doing so for the first time during the 2005–06 season.[1]
| 1971–72 The Floridians season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Bob Bass |
| Owner(s) | James Edwin Doyle |
| Arena | Miami Beach Convention Center Curtis Hixon Hall Bayfront Arena Jacksonville Coliseum West Palm Beach Auditorium |
| Results | |
| Record | 36–48 (.429) |
| Place | Division: 4th (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | Lost in Division Semifinals |
Roster
edit- -- Will Allen - Power forward
- 21 Mack Calvin - Point guard
- -- Rick Fisher - Power forward
- 11 Ronald Franz - Small forward
- 51 Carl Fuller - Center
- 41 Ira Harge - Center
- 15 Warren Jabali - Shooting guard
- 32 Larry Jones - Shooting guard
- 43 Manny Leaks - Center
- 30 Willie Long - Power forward
- 43 Walt Piatkowski - Power forward
- 51 Craig Raymond - Center
- 31 Sam Robinson - Small forward
- 44 George Tinsley - Small forward
- 12 Al Tucker - Power forward
- 20 Lonnie Wright - Point guard
Final standings
editEastern Division
edit| Team | W | L | % | 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 | .298 | 43 |
Playoffs
editEastern Division Semifinals[2]
| Game | Date | Location | Score | Record | Attendance |
| 1 | April 2 | Norfolk (Virginia) | 107–114 (OT) | 0–1 | 3,770 |
| 2 | April 4 | Hampton (Virginia) | 100–125 | 0–2 | 2,921 |
| 3 | April 6 | Florida | 113–118 | 0–3 | 2,965 |
| 4 | April 8 | Florida | 106–115 | 0–4 | 3,117 |
The Floridians lose series, 4–0
Awards and honors
edit1972 ABA All-Star Game selections (game played on January 29, 1972)
References
edit- ^ "1971-72 the Floridians Schedule and Results".
- ^ "1971-72 ABA Regular Season Standings". Remembertheaba.com. Archived from the original on October 28, 2014. Retrieved July 25, 2016.