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The 1969 ABA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the American Basketball Association's 1968–69 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Division champion Oakland Oaks defeating the Eastern Division champion Indiana Pacers, four games to one in the ABA Finals. Warren Jabali of the Oaks was named the Playoff MVP.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | April 5 – May 7, 1969 |
| Season | 1968–69 |
| Teams | 8 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Oakland Oaks (1st title) |
| Runner-up | New Orleans Buccaneers |
| Semifinalists | |
Notable events
The Oakland Oaks won the ABA championship after finishing with the league's best record during the regular season (60–18, .769). The Pittsburgh Pipers had accomplished the same feat the year prior.
Rick Barry, now eligible to play for the Oaks after being forced to sit out the previous season, averaged 34.0 points during the regular season. However, Barry only played 35 regular season games before injuring a knee and missing the playoffs.
The Oaks, like the Pittsburgh Pipers before them, did not play in the following season as the same team. The Oakland Oaks became the Washington Caps for the 1969–1970 ABA season; the Pittsburgh Pipers had become the Minnesota Pipers after winning the ABA championship the prior season.
The Oaks' 60–18 (.769) record in this season was the best in ABA history until the Kentucky Colonels finished the 1971–1972 season with a record of 68–16 (.810), a record that was never surpassed.
Warren Jabali of Oakland was the Most Valuable Player of the ABA playoffs.
Bracket
| Division Semifinals | Division Finals | ABA Finals | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Oakland Oaks | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Denver Rockets | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Oakland Oaks | 4 | ||||||||||||
| Western Division | ||||||||||||||
| 2 | New Orleans Bucs | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Dallas Chaparrals | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | New Orleans Buccaneers | 4 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Oakland Oaks | 4 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Indiana Pacers | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Indiana Pacers | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Kentucky Colonels | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Indiana Pacers | 4 | ||||||||||||
| Eastern Division | ||||||||||||||
| 2 | Miami Floridians | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Minnesota Pipers | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Miami Floridians | 4 | ||||||||||||
Western Division
Champion: Oakland Oaks
Division Semifinals
(1) Oakland Oaks vs. (3) Denver Rockets: Oaks win series 4-3
- Game 1 @ Oakland: Oakland 129, Denver 99
- Game 2 @ Oakland: Denver 122, Oakland 119
- Game 3 @ Denver: Oakland 121, Denver 99
- Game 4 @ Denver: Denver 109, Oakland 108
- Game 5 @ Oakland: Oakland 128, Denver 118
- Game 6 @ Denver: Denver 126, Oakland 115
- Game 7 @ Oakland: Oakland 115, Denver 102
(2) New Orleans Buccaneers vs. (4) Dallas Chaparrals: Bucs win series 4-3
- Game 1 @ New Orleans: New Orleans 129, Dallas 106
- Game 2 @ New Orleans: New Orleans 122, Dallas 108
- Game 3 @ Dallas: Dallas 130, New Orleans 106
- Game 4 @ Dallas: New Orleans 114, Dallas 107
- Game 5 @ New Orleans: Dallas 123, New Orleans 112
- Game 6 @ Dallas: Dallas 136, New Orleans 118
- Game 7 @ New Orleans: New Orleans 101, Dallas 95
Division Finals
(1) Oakland Oaks vs. (2) New Orleans Buccaneers: Oaks win series 4-0
- Game 1 @ Oakland: Oakland 128, New Orleans 118
- Game 2 @ Oakland: Oakland 135, New Orleans 124
- Game 3 @ New Orleans: Oakland 113, New Orleans 107
- Game 4 @ New Orleans: Oakland 128, New Orleans 114
Eastern Division
Champion: Indiana Pacers
Division Semifinals
(1) Indiana Pacers vs. (3) Kentucky Colonels: Pacers win series 4-3
- Game 1 @ Indiana: Kentucky 128, Indiana 118
- Game 2 @ Indiana: Indiana 120, Kentucky 115
- Game 3 @ Kentucky: Kentucky 130, Indiana 111
- Game 4 @ Kentucky: Kentucky 105, Indiana 104 (OT)
- Game 5 @ Indiana: Indiana 116, Kentucky 97
- Game 6 @ Kentucky: Indiana 107, Kentucky 89
- Game 7 @ Indiana: Indiana 120, Kentucky 111
(2) Miami Floridians vs. (4) Minnesota Pipers: Floridians win series 4-3
- Game 1 @ Miami: Miami 119, Minnesota 110
- Game 2 @ Miami: Minnesota 106, Miami 99
- Game 3 @ Minnesota: Minnesota 109, Miami 93
- Game 4 @ Minnesota: Miami 116, Minnesota 109
- Game 5 @ Miami: Miami 122, Minnesota 107
- Game 6 @ Minnesota: Minnesota 105, Miami 100
- Game 7 @ Miami: Miami 137, Minnesota 128
Division Finals
(1) Indiana Pacers vs. (2) Miami Floridians: Pacers win series 4-1
- Game 1 @ Indiana: Indiana 126, Miami 110
- Game 2 @ Indiana: Indiana 131, Miami 116
- Game 3 @ Miami: Indiana 119, Miami 105
- Game 4 @ Miami: Miami 114, Indiana 110
- Game 5 @ Indiana: Indiana 127, Miami 105
ABA Finals: (1) Oakland Oaks vs. (1) Indiana Pacers
April 30 |
| Indiana Pacers 85, Oakland Oaks 89 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–36, 28–28, 20–28, 34–31 | ||
| Pts: Bob Netolicky 33 Rebs: Mel Daniels 18 Asts: Tom Thacker 4 |
Pts: Gary Bradds 40 Rebs: Gary Bradds 17 Asts: Larry Brown 9 | |
| Oakland leads series, 1–0 | ||
May 2 |
| Indiana Pacers 150, Oakland Oaks 122 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 133–32, 40–18, 36–35, 41–37 | ||
| Pts: Roger Brown 39 Rebs: Bob Netolicky 15 Asts: Bobby Hooper 7 |
Pts: Warren Jabali 31 Rebs: Warren Jabali 15 Asts: Larry Brown 5 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
May 3 |
| Oakland Oaks 134, Indiana Pacers 126 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–30, 33–27, 33–31, 26–30, Overtime: 16–8 | ||
| Pts: Warren Jabali 37 Rebs: Ira Harge 22 Asts: Larry Brown 8 |
Pts: Brown, Daniels each Rebs: Bob Netolicky 19 Asts: Freddie Lewis 9 | |
| Oakland leads series, 2–1 | ||
May 5 |
| Oakland Oaks 144, Indiana Pacers 117 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 33–22, 36–37, 41–21, 34–37 | ||
| Pts: Warren Jabali 30 Rebs: Gary Bradds 19 Asts: Larry Brown 7 |
Pts: John Fairchild 18 Rebs: Netolicky, Daniels 9 each Asts: Bobby Hooper 11 | |
| Oakland leads series, 3–1 | ||
May 7 |
| Indiana Pacers 131, Oakland Oaks 135 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–31, 30–33, 30–31, 34–27, Overtime: 9–13 | ||
| Pts: Freddie Lewis 33 Rebs: Mel Daniels 25 Asts: Freddie Lewis 7 |
Pts: Warren Jabali 39 Rebs: Ira Harge 14 Asts: Larry Brown 7 | |
| Oakland wins series, 4–1 | ||
Statistical leaders
| Category | Total | Average | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | Total | Player | Team | Avg. | Games played | |
| Points | Warren Jabali | Oakland Oaks | 460 | Jimmy Jones | New Orleans Buccaneers | 30.2 | 11 |
| Rebounds | Mel Daniels | Indiana Pacers | 237 | Red Robbins | New Orleans Buccaneers | 15.9 | 15 |
| Assists | Larry Brown | Oakland Oaks | 87 | Larry Brown | Oakland Oaks | 5.4 | 11 |
External links
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