1972–73 Indiana Pacers season
The 1972–73 Indiana Pacers season was Indiana's sixth season in the ABA and sixth 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
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
Season standings
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
Playoffs
Western Division Semifinals
Game | Date | Location | Score | Record | Attendance |
1 | March 31 | Indiana | 114–91 | 1–0 | 7,051 |
2 | April 1 | Denver | 106–93 | 2–0 | 7,235 |
3 | April 3 | Denver | 94–105 | 2–1 | 5,335 |
4 | April 5 | Denver | 97–95 | 3–1 | 6,904 |
5 | April 7 | Indiana | 121–107 | 4–1 | 9,816 |
Western Division Finals
Game | Date | Location | Score | Record | Attendance |
1 | April 12 | Utah | 107–124 | 0–1 | 7,712 |
2 | April 14 | Utah | 116–110 | 1–1 | 12,233 |
3 | April 16 | Indiana | 118–108 | 2–1 | 9,353 |
4 | April 18 | Indiana | 103–104 | 2–2 | 10,079 |
5 | April 19 | Utah | 104–102 | 3–2 | 12,453 |
6 | April 21 | Indiana | 107–98 | 4–2 | 9,529 |
ABA Finals
Game | Date | Location | Score | Record | Attendance |
1 | April 28 | Kentucky | 111–107 | 1–0 | 12,119 |
2 | April 30 | Kentucky | 102–114 | 1–1 | 13,408 |
3 | May 3 | Indiana | 88–92 | 1–2 | 10,079 |
4 | May 5 | Indiana | 90–86 | 2–2 | 9,498 |
5 | May 8 | Kentucky | 89–86 | 3–2 | 16,779 |
6 | May 10 | Indiana | 93–109 | 3–3 | 10,079 |
7 | May 12 | Kentucky | 88–81 | 4–3 | 16,597 |
Awards, records, and honors