1969–70 Milwaukee Bucks season
| 1969–70 Milwaukee Bucks season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Larry Costello |
| General manager | John E. Erickson |
| Owners | Milwaukee Professional Sports and Services, Inc. (Milwaukee Pro) |
| Arena | Milwaukee Arena |
| Results | |
| Record | 56–26 (.683) |
| Place | Division: 2nd (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | Division finals (lost to Knicks 1–4) |
Stats at Basketball Reference | |
The 1969–70 Milwaukee Bucks season was the second season for the Milwaukee Bucks. Led by the heralded rookie center Lew Alcindor, they finished with a 56–26 record, enough for second place in the Eastern Division. After beating the Philadelphia 76ers 4–1 in the Eastern semifinals, they lost to the eventual champions New York Knicks in five games.
Draft picks
After a 27–55 record in their inaugural NBA season, the Bucks won a coin toss over the Phoenix Suns to give them the right to select first overall in the 1969 NBA draft.[1] Their designated selection had long been a foregone conclusion: UCLA Bruins center Lew Alcindor. However, Alcindor was also selected first overall by the New York Nets in the competing American Basketball Association's entry draft, which triggered a bidding war for Alcindor's services. He eventually opted for the Bucks' five-year $1.4 million offer over a much more lucrative $3.2 million offer from the Nets,[2] preferring the established NBA over a new and struggling ABA.
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Lew Alcindor | C | United States | UCLA |
| 2 | 17 | Bob Greacen | F | United States | Rutgers |
| 3 | 31 | Skeeter Swift | G | United States | East Tennessee State |
| 4 | 45 | Bob Dandridge | F | United States | Norfolk State |
| 6 | 73 | John Arthurs | G | United States | Tulane |
Roster
| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
|
Regular season
Season standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| x-New York Knicks | 60 | 22 | .732 | – |
| x-Milwaukee Bucks | 56 | 26 | .683 | 4 |
| x-Baltimore Bullets | 50 | 32 | .610 | 10 |
| x-Philadelphia 76ers | 42 | 40 | .512 | 18 |
| Cincinnati Royals | 36 | 46 | .439 | 24 |
| Boston Celtics | 34 | 48 | .415 | 26 |
| Detroit Pistons | 31 | 51 | .378 | 29 |
Game log
| 1969–70 game log Total: 56–26 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0; neutral: 0–0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
October: 6–3 (home: 2–1; road: 4–2)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
November: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
December: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
January: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
February: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
March: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1969–70 schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playoffs
Player statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
Season
| Player | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PF | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 82 | 43.1 | .518 | .653 | 14.5 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 28.8 |
| Jon McGlocklin | 82 | 36.2 | .530 | .854 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 2.0 | 17.6 |
| Flynn Robinson | 81 | 34.1 | .477 | .898 | 3.2 | 5.5 | 3.1 | 21.8 |
| Bob Dandridge | 81 | 30.4 | .485 | .754 | 7.7 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 13.2 |
| Greg Smith | 82 | 28.9 | .511 | .718 | 8.7 | 1.9 | 3.7 | 9.8 |
| Zaid Abdul-Aziz | 80 | 20.5 | .434 | .643 | 7.5 | 0.8 | 2.1 | 7.4 |
| Freddie Crawford | 77 | 17.3 | .480 | .682 | 2.4 | 2.9 | 2.4 | 7.6 |
| Len Chappell | 75 | 15.1 | .465 | .640 | 3.7 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 8.3 |
| Guy Rodgers | 64 | 11.7 | .356 | .744 | 1.2 | 3.3 | 1.1 | 3.2 |
| John Arthurs | 11 | 7.8 | .343 | .733 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 3.2 |
| Bob Greacen | 41 | 7.1 | .404 | .643 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 2.6 |
| Dick Cunningham | 60 | 6.9 | .369 | .667 | 2.7 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 2.1 |
| Sam Williams | 11 | 4.0 | .458 | .455 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 2.5 |
Playoffs
| Player | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PF | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 10 | 43.5 | .567 | .733 | 16.8 | 4.1 | 2.5 | 35.2 |
| Bob Dandridge | 10 | 39.9 | .507 | .655 | 8.7 | 5.7 | 3.9 | 16.3 |
| Jon McGlocklin | 10 | 37.7 | .431 | .806 | 3.6 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 14.9 |
| Greg Smith | 10 | 32.9 | .500 | .591 | 8.5 | 2.2 | 3.4 | 10.7 |
| Flynn Robinson | 10 | 30.0 | .326 | .880 | 2.3 | 5.0 | 2.2 | 12.8 |
| Freddie Crawford | 10 | 20.8 | .386 | .833 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 2.7 | 8.8 |
| Len Chappell | 9 | 14.8 | .560 | .684 | 2.9 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 7.7 |
| Zaid Abdul-Aziz | 7 | 11.7 | .579 | .800 | 3.7 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 4.3 |
| Guy Rodgers | 7 | 9.7 | .286 | .750 | 0.6 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 2.4 |
| Bob Greacen | 1 | 8.0 | .250 | .000 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 |
| Sam Williams | 2 | 8.0 | .571 | .000 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 4.0 |
| Dick Cunningham | 8 | 5.6 | .556 | .500 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 2.6 |
Awards and honors
- Lew Alcindor, NBA Rookie of the Year
- Lew Alcindor, NBA All-Rookie Team
- Lew Alcindor, NBA All-Star Game Appearance