1972–73 Indiana Pacers season

1972–73 Indiana Pacers season
ABA Champions
Head coach	Bobby Leonard
Arena	Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum
Results
Record	51–33 (.607)
Place	Division: 2nd Conference: 2nd
Playoff finish	ABA Champions (Won 4-3)

The 1972-73 Indiana Pacers season was Indiana's 6th season in the ABA and 6th as a team. The Pacers finished second in the Western Division and won their third ABA title. In a rematch of the 1972 division semifinals, the Pacers eliminated the Denver Rockets. After defeating the Rockets in five games, the Pacers eliminated the Utah Stars in six games. The Eastern Division champion Kentucky Colonels appeared in the ABA Championships for the second time and were defeated by the Pacers in seven games.

Offseason

ABA Draft

Main article: 1972 ABA Draft

Player	Position	Nationality	School/Club Team
Ed Ratleff			Long Beach State
Nate Stephens			Long Beach State
Oscar Evans			Butler
George Adams			Gardner-Webb
Rich Garner			Manhattan
Cavin Anderson			Valley City
Wardell Dyson			Shaw
Jolly Spight			Santa Clara
Bill Burton			Eastern Kentucky
Wally Rice			Penn Military
Lee Sims			Morehead State
Nate Williams			Utah State

Regular season

Schedule

Game	Date	Opponent	Result	Pacers points	Opponents	Record
1
2

Season standings

1972-73 ABA Western Standings

Western Division	W	L	PCT.	GB
Utah Stars	55	29	.655	-
Indiana Pacers	51	33	.607	4
Denver Rockets	47	37	.560	8
San Diego Conquistadors	30	54	.357	25
Dallas Chaparrals	28	56	.333	27

Player stats

Note: GP= Games played; MIN= Minutes; REB= Rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Average

Player	GP	MIN	REB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS	AVG
George McGinnis	82	3347	1022	205	160	N/A	2261
Mel Daniels	81	3103	1247	177	N/A	157	1497
Bill Keller	83	2251	204	361	N/A	N/A	1147
Donnie Freeman	77	2170	219	195	N/A	N/A	1103
Freddie Lewis	72	2217	228	288	N/A	N/A	1075
Roger Brown	72	2177	348	204	N/A	N/A	909
Darnell Hillman	84	2541	735	128	N/A	N/A	804

Roster

Number	Name	Position	Height	Experience	College
22	Bob Arnzen	Forward	6-5	2 yrs.	Notre Dame
35	Roger Brown	Guard-Forward	6-5	5 yrs.	Dayton
10	Don Buse	Guard	6-4	Rookie	Evansville
34	Mel Daniels	Center	6-9	5 yrs.	New Mexico
13	Donnie Freeman	Guard	6-3	5 yrs.	Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
20	Darnell Hillman	Forward-Center	6-9	1 yr.	San Jose State
25	Gus Johnson	Forward-Center	6-6	9 yrs.	Idaho
11	Bill Keller	Guard	5-10	3 yrs.	Purdue
14	Freddie Lewis	Guard	6-0	6 yrs.	Arizona State
30	George McGinnis	Forward-Center	6-8	1 yr.	Indiana
24	Bill Newton	Center	6-9	Rookie	Louisiana State
15	George Peeples	Center-Forward	6-7	5 yrs.	Iowa
12	Craig Raymond	Center	6-11	4 yrs.	Brigham Young

Playoffs

• Pacers vs. Denver Rockets

Game	Date	Result	Pacers points	Rockets points	Record
1	March 31	Win	114	91	1-0
2	April 1	Win	106	93	2-0
3	April 3	Loss	94	105	2-1
4	April 5	Win	97	95	3-1
5	April 7	Win	121	107	4-1

• Pacers vs. Utah Stars

Game	Date	Result	Pacers points	Stars points	Record
1	April 12	Loss	107	124	0-1
2	April 14	Win	116	110	1-1
3	April 16	Win	118	108	2-1
4	April 18	Loss	103	104	2-2
5	April 19	Win	104	102	3-2
6	April 21	Win	107	98	4-2

• Pacers vs. Kentucky Colonels

Game	Date	Result	Pacers points	Colonels points	Record
1	April 28	Win (OT)	111	107	1-0
2	April 30	Loss	112	114	1-1
3	May 3	Loss	88	92	1-2
4	May 5	Win	90	86	2-2
5	May 8	Win	89	86	3-2
6	May 10	Loss	93	109	3-3
7	May 12	Win	88	81	4-3

Awards, records, and honors

• George McGinnis, appeared in the 1973 ABA All-Star Game
• Mel Daniels, appeared in the 1973 ABA All-Star Game

References

• Pacers on Basketball Reference

External links

• RememberTheABA.com 1972-73 regular season and playoff results