1969–70 Los Angeles Stars season
| 1969–70 Los Angeles Stars season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Bill Sharman |
| Arena | Los Angeles Sports Arena |
| Results | |
| Record | 43–41 (.512) |
| Place | Division: 4th (ABA) |
| Playoff finish | Lost in ABA Finals |
The 1969–70 Los Angeles Stars season was the second and final season of the franchise in Los Angeles in the American Basketball Association (ABA). It was also technically their third season of play when including their inaugural season as the Anaheim Amigos in nearby Anaheim despite the new owners of the team stating the Stars franchise were a completely separate franchise from the old Amigos franchise. Originally, expectations for the Stars during the season were considered low for them to do anything at all since they had mostly retained the roster they had from the previous season into this season of theirs as well. In fact, by late February, being close to the ending point of the regular season, the team was 25-34 (9 games under .500) and felt likely to continue their miserable woes from their first two seasons of play. However, by April 1, thanks in part to the stunning play of All-Stars Warren Davis and Mervin Jackson alongside All-Rookie Team members Mack Calvin and undrafted player Willie Wise, they ended up with a 40–38 record, later stunning the New Orleans Buccaneers out of the playoff race altogether, with two 6 game winning streaks during that span. The Stars qualified for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Western Division by one game, with the last-place Buccaneers missing out on the 1970 ABA Playoffs in the Western Division despite them having an average 42-42 that season. The Stars soon went on a miracle Cinderella run, beating the Dallas Chaparrals and Denver Rockets in 6 and 5 games in the division semifinals and division finals respectively, in order to surprisingly advance themselves to the 1970 ABA Finals. However, their dreams of surprising everyone for the ABA championship ultimately ended there, as the Indiana Pacers would start their ABA dynasty this season (winning three ABA championships in four years) by beating them in 6 games. The Stars ended up playing some of their playoff games in both Anaheim and Long Beach due to no one expecting (or even booking days for them to play) the team to go as far as they did in the Playoffs. Originally, following the season's conclusion, owner Jim Kirst planned on moving the team to Albuquerque, New Mexico since he didn't expect them to continue their season for much longer than they already had done so. However, once the Stars had their near-upset Finals run, owner Jim Kirst had decided to cut his losses and sell the team to Colorado businessman Bill Daniels on March 5, 1970 (over a month before the playoffs) for $850,000, who moved the team to Salt Lake City, Utah over having a potential return to Anaheim, California (potentially with the Anaheim Amigos name returning as well), on June 11 to become the Utah Stars for the rest of their existence. In their next season, the Stars won the ABA Finals while completing their move out to the state of Utah.
Roster
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Head coach
Legend
Roster |
Final standings
Western Division
| Western Division | W | L | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Rockets * | 51 | 33 | .607 | - |
| Dallas Chaparrals * | 45 | 39 | .536 | 6.0 |
| Washington Caps * | 44 | 40 | .524 | 7.0 |
| Los Angeles Stars * | 43 | 41 | .512 | 8.0 |
| New Orleans Buccaneers | 42 | 42 | .500 | 9.0 |
Asterisk Denotes playoff berth
Playoffs
Western Division Semifinals[1]
| Game | Date | Location | Score | Record | Attendance |
| 1 | April 17 | Dallas | 103–115 | 0–1 | 4,513 |
| 2 | April 18 | Dallas | 129-121 | 1–1 | 4,764 |
| 3 | April 20 | Los Angeles | 104–116 | 1–2 | 971 |
| 4 | April 22 | Los Angeles | 144–138 | 2–2 | 2,921 |
| 5 | April 24 | Dallas | 146–139 | 3–2 | 5,128 |
| 6 | April 26 | Los Angeles | 124–123 | 4–2 | 2,083 |
Division Finals
| Game | Date | Location | Score | Record | Attendance |
| 1 | April 30 | Denver | 113–123 (OT) | 0–1 | 7,071 |
| 2 | May 1 | Denver | 114–105 | 1–1 | 7,187 |
| 3 | May 4 | Los Angeles | 119–113 | 2–1 | 4,468 |
| 4 | May 5 | Los Angeles | 114–110 | 3–1 | 3,432 |
| 5 | May 9 | Denver | 109–107 | 4–1 | 6,401 |
ABA Finals
| Game | Date | Location | Result | Record | Attendance |
| 1 | May 15 | Indiana | 93–109 | 0–1 | 7,881 |
| 2 | May 17 | Indiana | 111–114 | 0–2 | 9,014 |
| 3 | May 18 | Los Angeles | 109–106 | 1–2 | 5,780 |
| 4 | May 19 | Los Angeles | 120–142 | 1–3 | 7,027 |
| 5 | May 23 | Indiana | 117–113 | 2–3 | 10,548 |
| 6 | May 25 | Los Angeles | 107–111 | 2–4 | 8,233 |