1970–71 The Floridians season

1970–71 The Floridians season
Head coach	Harold Blitman (18–30) Bob Bass (19–17)
Owner(s)	James Edwin Doyle
Arena	Miami Beach Convention Center Curtis Hixon Hall Bayfront Arena Jacksonville Coliseum West Palm Beach Auditorium
Results
Record	37–47 (.440)
Place	Division: 4th (Eastern)
Playoff finish	Lost in Division Semifinals

The 1970–71 The Floridians season was the third season of American Basketball Association in Florida and first as The Floridians, after two seasons as the Miami Floridians. In an attempt to appeal to the entire regional, game were played in five cities: Miami, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Florida, Jacksonville, and West Palm Beach. New head owner Ned Doyle decided to get rid of the entire team, except the coach. The Floridians finished 9th in points scored at 114.0 per game, but 5th in points allowed at 115.6 per game. The team's biggest losing streak was 6, which happened less than a month after the season began, though a 5-game winning streak followed that. But by the first half of the season, they were 17–25, and Blitman was fired after they had lost their fifth straight game on January 14 to make them 18–30. One day later, Bob Bass was hired by the team after resigning from Texas Tech. The next day, he won his first game, versus the Utah Stars. A seven-game winning streak near the end of the season helped clinch a playoff spot for the team, with the key win being versus the Pittsburgh Condors on March 28, the penultimate game of the season played in Jacksonville, beating them 130–117 to eliminate Pittsburgh. In the Semifinals, they overcame a 2–0 hole to tie the series up, but the Kentucky Colonels won the next two games to win the series.

Roster

1970–71 The Floridians roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From SG 24 Charlie Beasley 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) September 23, 1945 SMU F 12 Clarence Brookins 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1946 Temple PG 21 Mack Calvin 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 165 lb (75 kg) July 27, 1947 USC PF 21, 44 Warren Davis 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 212 lb (96 kg) June 30, 1943 North Carolina A&T SF 15 Ron Franz 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) October 20, 1945 Kansas C 51 Carl Fuller 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) January 10, 1946 Bethune–Cookman C 41 Ira Harge 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) March 14, 1941 New Mexico C 12 Rich Johnson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) December 18, 1946 Grambling State SG 32 Larry Jones 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) September 22, 1942 Toledo SG 11 Ron Nelson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) October 7, 1946 New Mexico C 52 Rich Niemann 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 245 lb (111 kg) July 2, 1946 Saint Louis G 10 Fran O'Hanlon 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) August 24, 1948 Villanova SF 31 Sam Robinson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 190 lb (86 kg) January 1, 1948 Long Beach State F 22 Dennis Stewart 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) April 11, 1947 Michigan PF 12 Al Tucker 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 190 lb (86 kg) February 24, 1943 Oklahoma Baptist PF 14 Trooper Washington 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) April 21, 1944 Cheyney PF 22 Greg Wittman 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) May 10, 1947 Western Carolina SG 20 Lonnie Wright 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) January 23, 1945 Colorado State

Head coach Harold Blitman / Bob Bass Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster

Final standings

Eastern Division

Team	W	L	PCT.	GB
Virginia Squires	55	29	.655	-
Kentucky Colonels	44	40	.524	11.0
New York Nets	40	44	.476	15.0
The Floridians	37	47	.440	18.0
Pittsburgh Condors	36	48	.429	19.0
Carolina Cougars	34	50	.405	21.0

Playoffs

Eastern Division Semifinals

Game	Date	Location	Score	Record	Attendance
1	April 2	Kentucky	112–116	0–1	3,182
2	April 4	Kentucky	110–120	0–2	3,881
3	April 6	Florida	120–102	1–2	4,126
4	April 8	Florida	129–117	2–2	4,268
5	April 10	Kentucky	101–118	2–3	4,996
6	April 12	Florida	103–112	2–4	4,478

The Floridians lose series, 4–2

Awards and honors

1971 ABA All-Star Game selections (game played on January 23, 1971)

• Mack Calvin
• Larry Jones

References

• Floridians on Basketball Reference

External links

• RememberTheABA.com 1970-71 regular season and playoff results
• The Floridians page