1970–71 Milwaukee Bucks season

1970–71 Milwaukee Bucks season
NBA champions
Conference champions
Division champions
Head coachLarry Costello
ArenaMilwaukee Arena
Results
Record66–16 (.805)
PlaceDivision: 1st (Midwest)
Conference: 1st (Western)
Playoff finishNBA champions
(Defeated Bullets 4–0)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
RadioWTMJ
< 1969–70 1971–72 >

The 1970–71 Milwaukee Bucks season was the third season for the Bucks. Milwaukee posted a 66–16 record in only its third year of existence, and its second since drafting Lew Alcindor (later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar).[1] A key part of this championship season was the acquisition of Oscar Robertson. Other role players on the Bucks included players such as Bob Dandridge (18.4 ppg), Jon McGlocklin (15.8 ppg), power forward Greg Smith & key reserves such as Lucius Allen, Bob Boozer and Dick Cunningham completing the nucleus. This season included a 20-game winning streak, the NBA's longest at the time, and still ranked fifth all-time. The Bucks became the first team from the Midwest Division to win the NBA title; it would be 23 years before the Houston Rockets would do the same.

In the 1971 NBA Playoffs, the Bucks defeated the 4th-seeded Warriors in 5 games. In the Western Conference Finals, the team dispatched the Lakers in 5 games. The Bucks made their way into the Finals for the first time in NBA history in just their third year of existence. They faced off against the Baltimore Bullets and swept them in four games. The Bucks had won their first title in franchise history. Lew Alcindor won MVP and Finals MVP honors. HoopsHype would later rank this squad as the team with the sixth-easiest path to an NBA Finals championship due to the records that the San Francisco Warriors and Baltimore Bullets had this season.[2]

Draft picks

Main article: 1970 NBA draft

The Milwaukee Bucks made ten selections in the 1970 NBA draft.[3]

Round Pick Player College/Club team
1 16 Gary Freeman Oregon State
2 33 Bill Zopf Duquesne
3 50 Marv Winkler SW Louisiana
4 67 Virgle Fredricks Drury
5 84 Mike Grosso Louisville
6 101 Willy Watson Oklahoma City
7 118 John Rinka Kenyon
8 135 Jim Samo Northwestern
9 152 Joe Hamilton North Texas State
10 169 Bob Seemer Georgia Tech

[4]

Roster

1970–71 Milwaukee Bucks roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From
C 33 Alcindor, Lew 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1947–04–16 UCLA
PG 7 Allen, Lucius 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1947–09–26 UCLA
PF 20 Boozer, Bob 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1937–04–26 Kansas State
C 19 Cunningham, Dick 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1946–07–11 Murray State
SF 10 Dandridge, Bob 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1947–11–15 Norfolk State
F 18 Greacen, Bob 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 206 lb (93 kg) 1947–09–15 Rutgers
G 14 McGlocklin, Jon 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1943–06–10 Indiana
SF 35 McLemore, McCoy 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1942–04–03 Drake
PG 1 Robertson, Oscar 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1938–11–24 Cincinnati
F 4 Smith, Greg 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1947–01–28 Western Kentucky
PG 8 Webb, Jeff 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1948–07–06 Kansas State
G 5 Winkler, Marv 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1948–02–18 Louisiana
G 6 Zopf, Bill 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1948–06–07 Duquesne
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Regular season

In only his second professional season, Lew Alcindor led the league in scoring at 31.7 ppg, ranked second in field goal percentage at .577 and fourth in rebounding at 16.0 rpg.[1] Newly arrived Oscar Robertson turned 32 early in the 1970–71 season, and was past his prime when he came to Milwaukee, but his versatile skills and experience provided a leadership role for the Bucks. Robertson had never won a championship and his desire to win seemed to inspire Alcindor and unite the rest of the Bucks. Robertson ranked third in the league in assists at 8.3 apg and was the Bucks' No. 2 scorer at 19.4 ppg.[1]

Standings

Midwest Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Neutral Div
y-Milwaukee Bucks 66 16 .805 – 34–2 28–13 4–1 14–4
x-Chicago Bulls 51 31 .622 15 30–11 17–19 4–1 7–11
Phoenix Suns 48 34 .585 18 27–14 19–20 2–0 9–9
Detroit Pistons 45 37 .549 21 24–17 20–19 1–1 6–12
#
Western Conference
Team W L PCT
1 z-Milwaukee Bucks 66 16 .805
2 y-Los Angeles Lakers 48 34 .585
3 x-Chicago Bulls 51 31 .622
4 x-San Francisco Warriors 41 41 .500
5 Phoenix Suns 48 34 .585
6 Detroit Pistons 45 37 .549
7 San Diego Rockets 40 42 .488
8 Seattle SuperSonics 38 44 .463
9 Portland Trail Blazers 29 53 .354

Record vs. opponents

1970–71 NBA Records
Team ATL BAL BOS BUF CHI CIN CLE DET LAL MIL NYK PHI PHO POR SDR SFW SEA
Atlanta — 3–3 2–4 3–1 1–4 2–4 4–0 0–5 3–2 1–4 3–3 4–2 1–4 2–2 2–3 2–3 3–2
Baltimore 3–3 — 3–3 3–1 2–3 3–3 4–0 2–3 2–3 1–4 2–4 3–3 3–2 2–2 4–1 2–3 3–2
Boston 4–2 3–3 — 4–0 4–1 4–2 3–1 2–3 3–2 0–5 0–6 4–2 2–3 2–2 3–2 3–2 3–2
Buffalo 1–3 1–3 0–4 — 0–4 0–4 5–7 1–5 2–2 0–4 2–2 0–4 1–3 6–6 1–3 1–3 1–3
Chicago 4–1 3–2 1–4 4–0 — 4–0 4–0 3–3 2–4 1–5 3–2 3–2 3–3 3–1 6–0 4–2 3–2
Cincinnati 4–2 3–3 2–4 4–0 0–4 — 5–1 1–4 1–4 1–4 2–4 1–5 1–4 4–0 1–3 2–3 1–4
Cleveland 0–4 0–4 1–3 7–5 0–4 1–5 — 2–2 0–4 0–4 0–4 1–3 0–4 2–10 0–4 1–3 0–4
Detroit 5–0 3–2 3–2 5–1 3–3 4–1 2–2 — 2–3 1–5 2–3 2–3 2–4 3–1 4–2 1–4 3–1
Los Angeles 2–3 3–2 2–3 2–2 4–2 4–1 4–0 3–2 — 1–4 3–2 3–2 2–4 4–0 3–3 4–2 4–2
Milwaukee 4–1 4–1 5–0 4–0 5–1 4–1 4–0 5–1 4–1 — 1–4 4–1 4–2 3–1 4–1 6–0 5–1
New York 3–3 4–2 6–0 2–2 2–3 4–2 4–0 3–2 2–3 4–1 — 2–4 4–1 3–1 4–1 3–2 2–3
Philadelphia 2–4 3–3 2–4 4–0 2–3 5–1 3–1 3–2 2–3 1–4 4–2 — 3–2 4–0 3–2 3–2 3–2
Phoenix 4–1 2–3 3–2 3–1 3–3 4–1 4–0 4–2 4–2 2–4 1–4 2–3 — 4–0 2–4 3–2 3–2
Portland 2–2 2–2 2–2 6–6 1–3 0–4 10–2 1–3 0–4 1–3 1–3 0–4 0–4 — 0–4 1–3 2–4
San Diego 3–2 1–4 2–3 3–1 0–6 3–1 4–0 2–4 3–3 1–4 1–4 2–3 4–2 4–0 — 2–4 5–1
San Francisco 3–2 3–2 2–3 3–1 2–4 3–2 3–1 4–1 2–4 0–6 2–3 2–3 2–3 3–1 4–2 — 3–3
Seattle 2–3 2–3 2–3 3–1 2–3 4–1 4–0 1–3 2–4 1–5 3–2 2–3 2–3 4–2 1–5 3–3 —

Game log

1970–71 game log
Total: 66–16 (Home: 34–2; Road: 28–14)
October: 5–1 (home: 3–0; road: 2–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
1 October 17, 1970 @ Atlanta W 107–98 Lew Alcindor[a] (32) Lew Alcindor (17) Oscar Robertson (4) Alexander Memorial Coliseum 1–0
2 October 20, 1970 @ Detroit L 114–115 Lew Alcindor (38) Lew Alcindor (16) Oscar Robertson (11) Cobo Center 1-1
3 October 24, 1970 Baltimore W 122–120 2OT Lew Alcindor (39) Lew Alcindor (17) Milwaukee Arena 2–1
4 October 25, 1970 Seattle W 126–107 Lew Alcindor (37) Lew Alcindor (14) Oscar Robertson (13) Milwaukee Arena 3–1
5 October 27, 1970 San Diego W 126–113 Bob Dandridge (39) Lew Alcindor & Dick Cunningham (10) Oscar Robertson (8) Milwaukee Arena 4–1
6 October 31, 1970 @ Cincinnati W 121–100 Lew Alcindor (28) Lew Alcindor (22) Bob Dandridge (9) Cincinnati Gardens 5–1
November: 13–2 (home: 5–1; road: 8–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
7 November 4, 1970 @ Cleveland W 110–108 Lew Alcindor (53) Lew Alcindor (11) Bob Dandridge & Jon McGlocklin (9) Cleveland Arena 6–1
8 November 8, 1970 Phoenix W 125–105 Bob Dandridge (32) Bob Dandridge (14) Oscar Robertson & Jon McGlocklin (9) Milwaukee Arena 7–1
9 November 11, 1970 @ Boston W 123–113 Lew Alcindor (44) Lew Alcindor (15) Oscar Robertson (10) Boston Garden 8–1
10 November 14, 1970 @ Buffalo W 116–107 Lew Alcindor (27) Lew Alcindor (20) Lew Alcindor (7) Buffalo Memorial Auditorium 9–1
11 November 15, 1970 Baltimore W 105–90 Lew Alcindor & Oscar Robertson (27) Lew Alcindor (21) Oscar Robertson (12) Milwaukee Arena 10–1
12 November 16, 1970 San Francisco W 119–100 Lew Alcindor (30) Bob Dandridge (14) Oscar Robertson (10) Milwaukee Arena 11–1
13 November 18, 1970 @ San Diego W 117–111 Lew Alcindor (25) Lew Alcindor (16) Oscar Robertson (6) San Diego Sports Arena 12–1
14 November 20, 1970 @ Los Angeles W 117–100 Lew Alcindor (29) Lew Alcindor (13) Lucius Allen (5) The Forum 13–1
15 November 21, 1970 @ San Francisco W 127–102 Lew Alcindor (28) Lew Alcindor (15) Oscar Robertson (9) Cow Palace 14–1
16 November 22, 1970 @ Portland W 126–104 Lew Alcindor (30) Lew Alcindor (26) Oscar Robertson (9) Memorial Coliseum 15–1
17 November 24, 1970 @ Chicago W 117–108 Lew Alcindor (37) Lew Alcindor (15) Oscar Robertson (12) Chicago Stadium 16–1
18 November 25, 1970 Detroit W 113–87 Lew Alcindor (31) Lew Alcindor & Greg Smith (17) Oscar Robertson (9) Milwaukee Arena 17–1
19 November 27, 1970 New York L 94–103 Lew Alcindor (33) Lew Alcindor (16) Oscar Robertson (7) Milwaukee Arena 17–2
20 November 28, 1970 @ New York L 99-100 Lew Alcindor (35) Lew Alcindor (24) Oscar Robertson (5) Madison Square Garden 17–3
21 November 29, 1970 Portland W 124-111 Lew Alcindor (33) Greg Smith (14) Oscar Robertson (13) Milwaukee Arena 18–3
December: 10–4 (home: 7–0; road: 3–4)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
22 December 3, 1970 Chicago W 107–100 Lew Alcindor & Oscar Robertson (22) Lew Alcindor (10) Lew Alcindor (7) Milwaukee Arena 19–3
23 December 4, 1970 Philadelphia W 128–122 (OT) Lew Alcindor (35) Lew Alcindor (18) Jon McGlocklin (9) Milwaukee Arena 20–3
24 December 8, 1970 Atlanta W 125–104 Lew Alcindor (24) Lew Alcindor (13) Oscar Robertson (13) Milwaukee Arena 21–3
25 December 9, 1970 @ Baltimore L 97–127 Lew Alcindor (24) Lew Alcindor (15) Lew Alcindor (4) Baltimore Civic Center 21–4
26 December 11, 1970 Cleveland W 134–92 Lew Alcindor (34) Lew Alcindor (17) Oscar Robertson (13) Milwaukee Arena 22–4
27 December 12, 1970 @ Phoenix L 111–113 Lew Alcindor (36) Lew Alcindor (17) Oscar Robertson (12) Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 22–5
28 December 13, 1970 @ Seattle W 124–107 Lew Alcindor (40) Lew Alcindor (22) Oscar Robertson (5) Seattle Center Coliseum 23–5
29 December 18, 1970 Boston W 124–114 Lew Alcindor (40) Lew Alcindor (15) Greg Smith (10) Milwaukee Arena 24–5
30 December 19, 1970 @ Cincinnati L 110-119 Lew Alcindor (35) Lew Alcindor (20) Jon McGlocklin (6) Cincinnati Gardens 24–6
31 December 20, 1970 Buffalo W 131–101 Lew Alcindor (27) Lew Alcindor (13) Oscar Robertson (11) Milwaukee Arena 25–6
32 December 21, 1970 Los Angeles W 113-88 Lew Alcindor (37) Lew Alcindor (16) Oscar Robertson (10) Milwaukee Arena 26–6
33 December 26, 1970 San Francisco W 131-111 Lew Alcindor (34) Lew Alcindor (15) Oscar Robertson (7) Milwaukee Arena 27–6
34 December 28, 1970 @ Cincinnati W 137-114 Lew Alcindor (29) Lew Alcindor (15) Greg Smith (8) UW Field House 28–6
35 December 29, 1970 @ Cleveland W 119-97 Lew Alcindor & Bob Dandridge (23) Lew Alcindor (15) Oscar Robertson (13) Cleveland Arena 29–6
36 December 30, 1970 @ Philadelphia L 107-119 Lew Alcindor (30) Lew Alcindor (18) Oscar Robertson (8) The Spectrum 29–7
January: 13–2 (home: 6–1; road: 7–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
37 January 2, 1971 Cleveland W 118-73 Lew Alcindor (27) Bob Boozer (14) Oscar Robertson (8) Milwaukee Arena 30–7
38 January 4, 1971 Seattle W 124-110 Lew Alcindor (38) Lew Alcindor (14) Oscar Robertson (7) Milwaukee Arena 31–7
39 January 6, 1971 @ Chicago W 119-106 Lew Alcindor (24) Lew Alcindor & Bob Boozer (9) Oscar Robertson (10) UW Field House 32–7
40 January 7, 1971 New York W 116-106 Oscar Robertson (35) Lew Alcindor (13) Oscar Robertson (13) Milwaukee Arena 33–7
41 January 9, 1971 Detroit W 118-100 Lew Alcindor (27) Lew Alcindor (14) Lew Alcindor (10) Milwaukee Arena 34–7
42 January 10, 1971 Baltimore W 151-99 Bob Dandridge (34) Lew Alcindor (17) Oscar Robertson (9) Milwaukee Arena 35–7
43 January 15, 1971 Cincinnati W 135-116 Lew Alcindor (35) Lew Alcindor (16) Lew Alcindor & Oscar Robertson (5) Milwaukee Arena 36–7
44 January 16, 1971 @ Chicago W 110-90 Lew Alcindor (25) Lew Alcindor (19) Lew Alcindor & Oscar Robertson (8) Chicago Stadium 37–7
45 January 17, 1971 Boston W 120–113 Lew Alcindor (44) Lew Alcindor (20) Lew Alcindor, Jon McGlocklin, Bob Dandridge, & Oscar Robertson (5) Milwaukee Arena 38–7
46 January 20, 1971 @ Baltimore W 120-116 Lew Alcindor (39) Lew Alcindor (20) Bob Dandridge (5) Baltimore Civic Center 39–7
47 January 22, 1971 Atlanta L 110–117 Bob Dandridge (22) Lew Alcindor (20) Oscar Robertson (8) Milwaukee Arena 39–8
48 January 23, 1971 Portland W 142–117 Lew Alcindor (44) Lew Alcindor (17) Lew Alcindor (7) Milwaukee Arena 40–8
49 January 24, 1971 @ Atlanta W 142-120 Bob Dandridge (33) Lew Alcindor (17) Oscar Robertson (15) Alexander Memorial Coliseum 41–8
50 January 26, 1971 @ New York L 98-107 Lew Alcindor (29) Lew Alcindor (25) Lew Alcindor (4) Madison Square Garden 41–9
51 January 27, 1971 @ Boston W 132-129 Lew Alcindor (53) Lew Alcindor (14) Lew Alcindor & Oscar Robertson (7) Boston Garden 42–9
52 January 29, 1971 @ Philadelphia W 142-118 Lew Alcindor (31) Lew Alcindor (13) Lew Alcindor & Oscar Robertson (6) The Spectrum 43–9
53 January 31, 1971 @ Detroit W 131-104 Lew Alcindor (28) Bob Dandridge (15) Oscar Robertson (7) Wisconsin Field House 44–9
February: 15–2 (home: 6–0; road: 9–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
54 February 2, 1971 @ Portland L 111-123 Lew Alcindor (38) Lew Alcindor & Bob Boozer (9) Oscar Robertson (9) Memorial Coliseum 44–10
55 February 3, 1971 @ San Diego W 108-101 Lew Alcindor (25) Lew Alcindor (12) Oscar Robertson (10) San Diego Sports Arena 45–10
56 February 5, 1971 @ Los Angeles L 93–116 Lew Alcindor (27) Lew Alcindor (10) Oscar Robertson (7) The Forum 45–11
57 February 6, 1971 @ San Francisco W 111-85 Bob Dandridge & Jon McGlocklin (20) Lew Alcindor (11) Oscar Robertson (11) Cow Palace 46–11
58 February 8, 1971 Phoenix W 118-94 Lew Alcindor (39) Lew Alcindor (23) Oscar Robertson (12) Milwaukee Arena 47–11
59 February 9, 1971 @ Detroit W 107-106 Lew Alcindor (38) Lew Alcindor (16) Oscar Robertson (14) Cobo Center 48–11
60 February 11, 1971 Los Angeles W 122-88 Lew Alcindor (31) Lew Alcindor (21) Oscar Robertson (9) Milwaukee Arena 49–11
61 February 13, 1971 Chicago W 103–96 Lew Alcindor (35) Lew Alcindor (20) Oscar Robertson (9) Milwaukee Arena 50–11
62 February 14, 1971 @ Atlanta W 124-88 Lew Alcindor (23) Lew Alcindor (19) John McGlocklin (11) Alexander Memorial Coliseum 51–11
63 February 16, 1971 @ Buffalo W 135-103 Lew Alcindor (38) Lew Alcindor (20) Bob Dandridge (8) Buffalo Memorial Auditorium 52–11
64 February 17, 1971 Philadelphia W 119-114 Lew Alcindor (41) Lew Alcindor (13) Oscar Robertson (9) Wisconsin Field House 53–11
65 February 19, 1971 @ Seattle W 128-112 Lew Alcindor (42) Lew Alcindor (29) Oscar Robertson (8) Seattle Center Coliseum 54–11
66 February 20, 1971 @ San Francisco W 104-96 Jon McGlocklin (28) Lew Alcindor (19) Oscar Robertson (11) Cow Palace 55–11
67 February 21, 1971 @ Phoenix W 125–97 Lew Alcindor (36) Lew Alcindor (21) Oscar Robertson (10) Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 56–11
68 February 23, 1971 San Francisco W 118–107 Oscar Robertson (26) Lew Alcindor (16) Oscar Robertson (6) Milwaukee Arena 57–11
69 February 24, 1971 San Diego W 139–104 Bob Dandridge (33) Lew Alcindor & Greg Smith (13) Oscar Robertson (8) Milwaukee Arena 58–11
70 February 26, 1971 Cincinnati W 135–111 Lew Alcindor, Jon McGlocklin, & Bob Dandridge (24) Lew Alcindor (22) Oscar Robertson (9) Milwaukee Arena 59–11
71 February 28, 1971 @ Boston W 111–99 Lew Alcindor (26) Lew Alcindor (30) Oscar Robertson (5) Boston Garden 60–11
March: 6–5 (home: 4–1; road: 2–4)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
72 March 1, 1971 Philadelphia W 127–103 Lew Alcindor & Oscar Robertson (29) Oscar Robertson (12) Oscar Robertson (10) Milwaukee Arena 61–11
73 March 3, 1971 Los Angeles W 112–97 Oscar Robertson (24) Bob Dandridge (8) Greg Smith (7) Milwaukee Arena 62–11
74 March 4, 1971 Buffalo W 113–116 Oscar Robertson (32) Lew Alcindor (17) Oscar Robertson (9) Milwaukee Arena 63–11
75 March 5, 1971 @ Detroit W 108–95 Lew Alcindor (34) Lew Alcindor (11) Oscar Robertson (16) Cobo Arena 64–11
76 March 8, 1971 Seattle W 99–104 Lew Alcindor (32) Lew Alcindor (16) Jon McGlocklin & Oscar Robertson (7) Milwaukee Arena 65–11
77 March 9, 1971 @ Chicago L 103–110 (OT) Lew Alcindor (39) Lew Alcindor (17) Oscar Robertson (8) Chicago Stadium 65–12
78 March 13, 1971 @ New York L 103–108 Lew Alcindor (34) Lew Alcindor (16) Jon McGlocklin (5) Madison Square Garden 65–13
79 March 14, 1971 Phoenix L 125–113 Lew Alcindor (38) Lew Alcindor (15) Greg Smith (6) Wisconsin Field House 65–14
80 March 16, 1971 @ Phoenix W 119–111 Lew Alcindor (48) Lew Alcindor (14) Oscar Robertson (13) Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 66–14
81 March 18, 1971 @ Seattle L 121–122 Lew Alcindor (39) Lew Alcindor (13) Greg Smith (7) Seattle Center Coliseum 66–15
82 March 19, 1971 @ San Diego L 99–111 Lew Alcindor (22) Dick Cunningham (12) Bob Greacen (8) San Diego Sports Arena 66–16
1970–71 schedule

Playoffs

1971 playoff game log
Conference Semifinals: 4–1 (home: 3–0; road: 1–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Series
1 March 27 @ San Francisco W 107–96 Oscar Robertson (31) Alcindor, Smith (10) Oscar Robertson (9) Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena
11,216 		1–0
2 March 29 San Francisco W 104–90 Lew Alcindor (26) Lew Alcindor (18) Oscar Robertson (7) University of Wisconsin Field House
12,868 		2–0
3 March 30 San Francisco W 114–102 Lew Alcindor (33) Lew Alcindor (12) Lucius Allen (8) University of Wisconsin Field House
12,868 		3–0
4 April 1 @ San Francisco L 104–106 Lew Alcindor (32) Lew Alcindor (21) Lucius Allen (6) Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena
7,615 		3–1
5 April 4 San Francisco W 136–86 Jon McGlocklin (28) Lew Alcindor (17) Lucius Allen (7) University of Wisconsin Field House
12,868 		4–1
Conference Finals: 4–1 (home: 3–0; road: 1–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Series
1 April 9 Los Angeles W 106–85 Lew Alcindor (32) Lew Alcindor (22) Oscar Robertson (10) Milwaukee Arena
10,746 		1–0
2 April 11 Los Angeles W 91–73 Lew Alcindor (22) Bob Dandridge (11) Oscar Robertson (7) Milwaukee Arena
10,746 		2–0
3 April 14 @ Los Angeles L 107–118 Bob Dandridge (25) Lew Alcindor (19) Oscar Robertson (9) The Forum
17,334 		2–1
4 April 16 @ Los Angeles W 117–94 Lew Alcindor (31) Lew Alcindor (20) Oscar Robertson (6) The Forum
17,505 		3–1
5 April 18 Los Angeles W 116–98 Greg Smith (22) Alcindor, Dandridge (15) Oscar Robertson (12) Milwaukee Arena
10,746 		4–1
NBA Finals: 4–0 (home: 2–0; road: 2–0)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Series
1 April 21 Baltimore W 98–88 Lew Alcindor (31) Lew Alcindor (17) Oscar Robertson (7) Milwaukee Arena
10,746 		1–0
2 April 25 @ Baltimore W 102–83 Lew Alcindor (27) Lew Alcindor (24) Oscar Robertson (10) Baltimore Civic Center
12,289 		2–0
3 April 28 Baltimore W 107–99 Bob Dandridge (29) Lew Alcindor (21) Oscar Robertson (12) Milwaukee Arena
10,746 		3–0
4 April 30 @ Baltimore W 118–106 Oscar Robertson (30) Alcindor, Dandridge (12) Oscar Robertson (9) Baltimore Civic Center
11,842 		4–0
1971 schedule

Player statistics

Legend
  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

Regular season statistics[5]
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Lew Alcindor 82 40.1 57.7 69.0 16.0 3.3 31.7
Oscar Robertson 81 39.4 49.6 85.0 5.7 8.2 19.4
Bob Dandridge 79 36.2 50.9 70.2 8.0 3.5 18.4
Jon McGlocklin 82 35.3 53.5 86.2 2.7 3.7 15.8
Greg Smith 82 29.6 51.2 66.2 7.2 2.8 11.7
Bob Boozer 80 22.2 45.0 81.8 5.4 1.6 9.1
Lucius Allen 61 19.0 44.7 70.0 2.5 2.6 7.1
McCoy McLemore 28 14.8 36.8 82.9 3.8 1.1 4.7
Gary Freeman 41 8.2 50.8 73.7 2.4 0.8 3.7
Marv Winkler 3 4.7 30.0 100.0 1.3 0.7 2.7
Dick Cunningham 76 8.9 41.5 66.1 3.4 0.6 2.6
Bob Greacen 2 21.5 8.3 42.9 3.0 6.5 2.5
Jeff Webb 29 10.3 34.6 73.3 0.8 0.7 2.2
Bill Zopf 53 7.5 36.3 55.6 0.9 1.4 2.2

Playoffs

Playoff statistics[5]
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Lew Alcindor 14 41.2 51.5 67.3 17.0 2.5 26.6
Bob Dandridge 14 38.2 46.3 78.2 9.6 3.4 19.2
Oscar Robertson 14 37.1 48.6 75.4 5.0 8.9 18.3
Jon McGlocklin 14 35.1 53.6 84.8 2.2 2.4 14.9
Greg Smith 14 32.4 54.7 55.0 8.6 2.6 11.6
Bob Boozer 14 20.2 48.2 75.9 5.3 1.2 7.4
Lucius Allen 14 22.3 50.6 71.4 2.9 3.7 7.3
Dick Cunningham 14 6.4 42.9 66.7 1.7 0.1 1.7
Bob Greacen 7 2.3 36.4 100.0 0.7 0.0 1.7
Jeff Webb 9 2.6 57.1 100.0 0.1 0.2 1.2
McCoy McLemore 10 5.2 25.0 50.0 1.6 0.8 0.7
Marv Winkler 5 1.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.0

Awards and records

  • Lew Alcindor, NBA scoring champion
  • Lew Alcindor, NBA MVP
  • Lew Alcindor, NBA Finals MVP

Transactions

On April 21, 1970, the Bucks traded two young players, Flynn Robinson and Charlie Paulk, to the Cincinnati Royals for 10-year veteran guard Oscar Robertson.[1]

Trades

April 21, 1970 To Milwaukee Bucks---- To Cincinnati Royals----
September 17, 1970 To Milwaukee Bucks---- To Seattle SuperSonics----
February 1, 1971 To Milwaukee Bucks---- To Cleveland Cavaliers----

Free agents

Subtractions
Player Date signed New team
Len Chappell Expansion Draft May 11, 1970 Cleveland Cavaliers
Freddie Crawford Expansion Draft May 11, 1970 Buffalo Braves

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar before the 1971–72 season.

References

  1. ^ a b c d NBA.com: All-Time Finals Challenge: 1971 Bucks
  2. ^ "Ranking the easiest paths to an NBA title ever". June 18, 2024.
  3. ^ "1970 NBA Draft". Basketball Reference. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  4. ^ Milwaukee Bucks (1968 – ) 1970 Stats, History, Awards and More Archived 2008-03-16 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ a b "1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 5, 2021.