Index
ABA Finals
| 1972 |
||
| BOXSCORE | Indiana Pacers | New York Nets |
| GAME1 | 4 | 2 |
| GAME2 | ||
| GAME3 | ABA FINALS STATS | ABA FINALS STATS |
| GAME4 | ||
| GAME5 | ||
| GAME6 | ||
| GAME7 | ||
Game #1 @5/6/72 Indiana
The Nets & the Pacers battle back & forth in the 1st half. N.Y. was led by John Roche’s 21 points & Rick Barry’s 16. Billy Paultz had 11 points in the 3rd period, including 2 free throws that tied the game at 74. There would be no more ties as the Pacers went on a 23-7 run to lead 97-81 with 10 minutes left in the 4th period. The run was stared by a Freddie Lewis 3-pointer & a Mel Daniels jumper. From 74-74, Indiana would outscore NY 50-29 to close the game. In the 2nd half, Indiana outrebounded the Nets 31-10.
| NEW YORK | MN FG-FGA FT-FTA OR RB RB AS TO PF PTS |
| Barry | 46 13-25 7-7 2 4 6 4 5 3 34 |
| Washington | 28 1-2 0-0 3 2 5 2 2 3 2 |
| Paultz | 41 7-18 1-4 4 9 13 1 6 3 15 |
| Roche | 41 11-20 6-8 0 1 1 5 3 2 28 |
| O. Taylor | 30 4-7 2-2 2 1 3 1 4 4 10 |
| Melchionni | 33 3-7 0-1 1 2 3 5 2 4 6 |
| Ard | 11 2-3 0-0 0 2 2 0 0 0 4 |
| Moore | 7 1-1 0-0 0 2 2 0 0 3 2 |
| Baum | 2 1-1 0-0 0 1 1 0 1 0 2 |
| DePre | 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| TOTALS 240 43-84 16-22 12 24 36 18 23 22 103 | |
| 3-PT: Barry 1-5, Roche 0-1 | |
| INDIANA | MN FG-FGA FT-FTA OR RB RB AS TO PF PTS |
| McGinnis | 38 4-16 8-10 10 12 22 1 6 3 16 |
| Brown | 48 10-18 2-4 7 1 8 3 3 2 23 |
| Daniels | 43 10-21 3-4 7 6 13 1 6 2 23 |
| Mount | 21 4-8 1-1 0 1 1 2 1 3 9 |
| Lewis | 43 14-25 3-3 1 1 2 3 4 4 33 |
| Keller | 32 5-8 6-6 3 2 5 4 0 2 17 |
| Hillman | 10 1-2 0-0 0 3 3 0 2 2 2 |
| Netolicky | 5 0-0 1-1 0 1 1 0 0 2 1 |
| TOTALS 240 48-98 24-29 28 27 55 14 22 20 124 | |
| 3-PT: Lewis 2-3, Keller 1-2, Brown 1-1, Daniels 0-3, McGinnis 0-1, Mount 0-1 | |
| New York | 25 31 22 25 103 |
| Indiana | 31 22 35 36 124 |
| A- 7,483 | |
Game #2 5/9/72 @Indiana
N.Y. played this game without perennial Finals participant Tom Washington who missed the game with an eye injury & blurred vision. The Nets seemed to have the game in hand when they led 114-99 with 4:50 left in the game. That almost matched their largest lead of 16 (93-77) that they held late in the 3rd period. The Pacers then shocked them with a 16-0 run sparked by Roger Brown’s 8 points. His 3-point play put Indiana up 115-114 with 1:40 left in the game. After both teams missed opportunities, Barry hit a 12-footer to give NY the lead following an offensive foul on Darnell Hillman. Lewis missed a chance to retake the lead & Barry was fouled. Amazingly, Barry made only 1 of 3 attempts. Trailing by 2, Daniels’ jumper at the buzzer went off the back rim.
| NEW YORK | MN FG-FGA FT-FTA OR RB RB AS TO PF PTS |
| Barry | 33 10-21 7-10 3 5 8 4 5 5 29 |
| Baum | 38 7-11 0-0 4 7 11 3 3 4 14 |
| Paultz | 48 8-15 2-3 6 9 15 3 4 3 18 |
| Taylor | 25 3-6 2-3 3 1 4 2 2 4 8 |
| Roche | 41 8-15 1-1 0 3 3 3 5 1 18 |
| Melchionni | 37 10-18 6-8 1 1 2 7 5 4 26 |
| Ard | 12 1-2 0-1 1 3 4 0 0 3 2 |
| Moore | 6 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 2 1 2 |
| TOTALS 240 48-89 18-26 18 29 47 22 26 25 117 | |
| 3-PT: Barry 2-3, Roche 1-1, Melchionni 0-1 | |
| INDIANA | MN FG-FGA FT-FTA OR RB RB AS TO PF PTS |
| McGinnis | 33 9-17 4-8 7 4 11 3 3 5 22 |
| Brown | 41 9-15 3-4 4 4 8 3 3 5 22 |
| Daniels | 37 5-10 1-3 2 8 10 5 5 4 11 |
| Keller | 25 4-12 1-1 0 0 0 6 1 5 9 |
| Lewis | 48 7-15 6-6 2 1 3 4 5 2 21 |
| Mount | 23 6-14 1-2 2 1 3 2 4 3 14 |
| Hillman | 17 3-4 2-2 1 5 6 0 1 2 8 |
| Netolicky | 16 4-8 0-2 3 1 4 0 0 0 8 |
| TOTALS 240 47-95 18-28 21 24 45 18 22 26 115 | |
| 3-PT: Mount 1-3, Lewis 1-2, Brown 1-2, Keller 0-2 | |
| New York | 27 32 34 24 117 |
| Indiana | 27 28 28 32 115 |
| A- 10,079 | |
Game #3 5/12/72 @New York
N.Y. started quick behind Rick Barry’s 10 points as they jumped to a 15-8 with 6:30 left in the opening period. Barry would have 24 points in the 1st half. George McGinnis had 16 points and 12 boards in the 1st half for the Pacers as John Baum was too small to stop him. The Nets lost it in the 3rd when Tom Washington picked up 3 quick fouls and had sit with 5 personals. John Roche then missed 5 straight free throws in the 3rd as Billy Keller & Roger Brown led Indiana to the lead. Keller finished with 16 2nd half points & Brown with 12. The Nets could not catch Indiana in the final period as the Pacers maintained at least a 6-point lead through most of the period.
| INDIANA | MN FG-FGA FT-FTA OR RB RB AS TO PF PTS |
| McGinnis | 40 11-17 8-12 8 12 20 1 6 3 30 |
| Brown | 48 7-13 6-6 1 6 7 5 2 3 20 |
| Daniels | 33 3-9 1-1 2 10 12 2 8 4 7 |
| Mount | 25 4-10 3-3 1 2 3 3 3 1 12 |
| Lewis | 46 9-20 3-4 1 1 2 7 1 3 22 |
| Keller | 25 6-10 3-3 1 2 3 3 1 4 15 |
| Hillman | 18 4-5 0-1 4 5 9 0 4 4 8 |
| Netolicky | 5 0-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 |
| TOTALS 240 44-86 24-30 18 38 56 21 22 22 114 | |
| 3-PT: Mount 1-3, Lewis 1-2, Brown 0-1, Keller 0-1 | |
| NEW YORK | MN FG-FGA FT-FTA OR RB RB AS TO PF PTS |
| Barry | 47 18-35 8-13 4 6 10 5 4 3 44 |
| Washington | 26 6-12 2-3 10 5 15 2 0 5 14 |
| Paultz | 32 7-13 3-4 3 8 11 0 2 6 17 |
| Roche | 37 6-13 1-7 0 1 1 4 2 2 13 |
| Taylor | 23 1-4 1-2 1 1 2 1 2 2 3 |
| Baum | 22 5-9 0-0 3 2 5 2 0 1 10 |
| Melchionni | 36 3-13 1-1 1 1 2 7 0 2 7 |
| Moore | 13 0-3 0-0 2 0 2 0 1 1 0 |
| Ard | 3 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 |
| DePre | 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 |
| TOTALS 240 46-103 16-30 24 24 48 21 12 24 108 | |
| 3-PT: Barry 0-4, Roche 0-1 | |
| Indiana | 29 25 36 24 114 |
| New York | 29 23 32 24 108 |
| A- 15,241 | |
Game #4 5/15/72 @New York
Billy Paultz had a big 1st half with 19 points and 9 rebounds, but John Baum could not find the range and was only 1-5 from the floor. Indiana built a lead and was ahead by 6 entering the final quarter. However, foul trouble would sink them. Baum came back this game with a great defensive effort, holding Mel Daniels to 1 point in the 2nd half. McGinnis picked up his 5th personal with 6:30 to play and N.Y. already surging. Daniels had to sit down at the 9 minute mark after he fouled Baum on a finger roll. The free throw cut Indiana’s lead to 90-88 and sparked a 12-4 run. Ollie Taylor’s drive gave the Nets the lead for good at 92-90.
| INDIANA | MN FG-FGA FT-FTA OR RB RB AS TO PF PTS |
| McGinnis | 29 3-12 7-12 6 10 16 3 6 5 14 |
| Brown | 46 9-17 1-1 3 2 5 5 1 2 19 |
| Daniels | 35 7-13 1-2 4 8 12 0 3 5 15 |
| Mount | 25 6-11 2-3 0 0 0 2 0 3 14 |
| Lewis | 48 7-20 8-8 1 2 3 7 2 3 22 |
| Keller | 23 3-7 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 2 6 |
| Hillman | 15 3-5 1-1 2 5 7 1 1 1 7 |
| Netolicky | 19 4-5 0-2 1 7 8 1 3 1 8 |
| TOTALS 240 42-90 20-29 17 34 51 19 16 22 105 | |
| 3-PT: McGinnis 1-1, Lewis 0-4, Keller 0-2, Mount 0-1 | |
| NEW YORK | MN FG-FGA FT-FTA OR RB RB AS TO PF PTS |
| Barry | 40 12-22 2-2 1 4 5 9 2 4 26 |
| Washington | 18 2-4 0-0 0 3 3 0 0 5 4 |
| Paultz | 46 12-15 6-7 4 14 18 1 5 4 30 |
| Roche | 43 7-18 3-4 0 0 0 4 1 2 17 |
| Taylor | 29 7-13 2-2 0 2 2 1 3 3 16 |
| Melchionni | 31 2-9 3-4 0 3 3 5 3 2 7 |
| Baum | 30 4-10 2-3 4 7 11 0 3 4 10 |
| Moore | 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 |
| DePre | 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
| TOTALS 240 46-91 18-22 9 33 42 20 17 26 110 | |
| 3-PT: Barry 0-1, Roche 0-1 | |
| Indiana | 24 35 25 21 105 |
| New York | 31 23 24 32 110 |
| A- 15,870 | |
Game #5 5/18/72 @Indiana
The Nets shot a sizzling 60% from the floor in the 1st quarter as they built an 18-point lead. They led by 20 with 8 minutes left in the 1st half. George McGinnis was held to 3 1st half points, but would come up big with 11 points in the 4th period. The Pacers rallied in the 3rd period with the rally sparked by Billy Keller’s trio of trifectas in the 3rd period. The Nets did not fold and retook the lead. They led by 6 in the 4th when McGinnis began to rally the Pacers. With 3:37 left, NY suffered a blow when Roche had to leave the game with an injured ankle. Rick Barry gave the Nets a seemingly safe cushion when his 2 free throws put them up 99-95 with 0:27 to play. Keller answered with another 3-pointer with 0:17 left to make it 99-98. Freddie Lewis came up with a steal with 0:15 left and drew a foul with 0:09 on the clock. He missed the 1st attempt, but made the next 2 to give Indiana a 100-99 lead. The Nets could not get a shot off in the waning seconds.
| NEW YORK | MN FG-FGA FT-FTA OR RB RB AS TO PF PTS |
| Barry | 45 12-29 8-10 1 4 5 4 5 3 33 |
| Washington | 34 4-5 2-2 2 11 13 2 2 4 10 |
| Paultz | 44 8-14 0-2 4 11 15 3 3 2 16 |
| Roche | 38 10-20 2-3 1 2 3 5 3 3 22 |
| Taylor | 29 1-5 3-3 1 4 5 1 3 3 5 |
| Melchionni | 28 0-5 4-5 0 2 2 4 2 5 4 |
| Baum | 15 3-3 1-3 1 3 4 0 2 2 7 |
| Moore | 4 1-3 0-0 2 0 2 0 0 0 2 |
| Zeller | 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 |
| TOTALS 240 39-84 20-28 12 37 49 19 20 24 99 | |
| 3-PT: Barry 1-3 | |
| INDIANA | MN FG-FGA FT-FTA OR RB RB AS TO PF PTS |
| McGinnis | 29 6-10 4-8 1 13 14 2 5 5 17 |
| Brown | 46 5-16 2-4 3 2 5 1 2 4 12 |
| Daniels | 36 7-15 3-3 5 7 12 2 3 5 17 |
| Mount | 15 1-7 2-2 0 0 0 0 3 1 4 |
| Lewis | 47 9-19 3-5 2 4 6 5 3 3 22 |
| Keller | 36 8-15 2-2 2 2 4 8 0 3 22 |
| Hillman | 21 2-6 0-1 5 4 9 0 1 4 4 |
| Netolicky | 10 1-4 0-5 1 3 4 0 0 1 2 |
| TOTALS 240 39-92 16-30 19 35 54 18 17 26 100 | |
| 3-PT: Keller 4-8, Lewis 1-2, McGinnis 1-1 | |
| New York | 33 19 20 27 99 |
| Indiana | 15 22 34 29 100 |
| A- 10,079 | |
Game #6 5/20/72 @New York
Everybody seemed to be banged up for this game; Roche missed the game with an injured ankle, Daniels & Barry each came in hurt & then NY’s Ollie Taylor sprained his ankle in the 3rd period. Daniels badly spranied his ankle late in game 5, but gave a gritty performance. Barry jammed his shoulder in practice and had to leave the court in the 1st period to get 2 shots in his shoulder. He returned to action, but seldom ventured inside again. Roger Brown was the main man for Indiana as he had 18 1st half points. The game was tied in the 3rd when Brown’s 7 points helped push Indiana on a run to take an 81-70 lead. Late in the game, with Indiana clinging to a 105-101 lead, Brown hit a drive, drew Paultz’s 6th foul & hit the free throw. NY would get back within 3, but Bill Melchionni missed a hurried 3-pointer as time ran out.
| INDIANA | MN FG-FGA FT-FTA OR RB RB AS TO PF PTS |
| McGinnis | 42 3-11 5-7 1 9 10 2 5 5 11 |
| Brown | 48 13-20 3-6 1 3 4 5 2 3 32 |
| Daniels | 31 7-10 4-4 3 9 12 1 5 5 18 |
| Keller | 33 4-8 4-4 0 3 3 7 3 3 14 |
| Lewis | 41 6-13 5-6 0 2 2 6 5 4 17 |
| Mount | 21 3-7 1-2 0 0 0 0 0 2 7 |
| Netolicky | 17 3-7 1-1 4 3 7 0 0 1 7 |
| Hillman | 7 0-1 2-2 1 4 5 0 2 1 2 |
| TOTALS 240 39-77 25-32 10 33 43 21 22 24 108 | |
| 3-PT: Brown 3-3, Keller 2-3, McGinnis 0-1, Lewis 0-1 | |
| NEW YORK | MN FG-FGA FT-FTA OR RB RB AS TO PF PTS |
| Barry | 40 6-14 8-9 0 2 2 7 4 5 23 |
| Washington | 27 2-4 3-3 5 2 7 2 1 3 7 |
| Paultz | 42 8-12 4-4 4 10 14 2 3 6 20 |
| Taylor | 44 7-16 2-5 1 3 4 3 2 4 16 |
| Melchionni | 46 9-22 5-5 1 2 3 7 4 2 23 |
| Baum | 23 3-9 2-2 3 1 4 0 1 3 8 |
| Ard | 12 3-5 0-1 2 1 3 0 0 0 6 |
| Zeller | 5 1-1 0-1 0 0 0 0 1 3 2 |
| DePre | 1 0-1 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 |
| TOTALS 240 39-84 24-30 16 22 38 21 16 26 105 | |
| 3-PT: Barry 3-7, Melchionni 0-1, Ard 0-1 | |
| Indiana | 28 28 32 20 108 |
| New York | 28 28 24 25 105 |
| A- 10,434 | |
| COMPOSITE BOXSCORE | |
| INDIANA | G MN FG-FGA 3P-3PA FT-FTA OR DR RB AS PF TO PTS |
| Brown | 6 277 53-99 5-7 17-25 19 18 37 37 19 22 128 |
| Lewis | 6 273 52-112 5-14 28-32 7 11 18 32 19 20 137 |
| Daniels | 6 220 39-78 0-3 13-17 23 48 71 11 25 30 91 |
| McGinnis | 6 211 36-83 2-4 36-57 33 60 93 12 26 31 110 |
| Keller | 6 174 33-60 7-18 16-16 6 9 15 29 19 5 89 |
| Mount | 6 130 24-57 2-8 10-13 3 4 7 9 13 11 56 |
| Hillman | 6 88 13-23 0-0 5-7 13 26 39 1 14 11 31 |
| Netolicky | 6 72 12-26 0-0 2-11 9 15 24 1 5 4 26 |
| TOTALS | 6 262-538 21-54 127-178 113 191 304 132 140 134 672 |
| NEW YORK | G MN FG-FGA 3P-3PA FT-FTA OR DR RB AS PF TO PTS |
| Paultz | 6 253 51-87 0-0 16-24 25 61 86 10 24 23 118 |
| Barry | 6 251 71-146 7-23 40-51 11 25 36 33 23 25 189 |
| Melchionni | 6 211 27-74 0-2 19-24 4 11 15 35 19 16 73 |
| Roche | 5 200 42-86 1-4 13-23 1 7 8 21 10 14 97 |
| Taylor | 6 180 23-51 0-0 12-17 8 12 20 9 21 16 58 |
| Washington | 5 133 15-27 0-0 7-8 20 23 43 8 20 5 37 |
| Baum | 6 120 23-43 0-0 5-8 15 21 36 5 15 10 51 |
| Ard | 4 38 6-11 0-1 0-2 3 6 9 0 4 1 6 |
| Moore | 5 32 3-8 0-0 0-0 4 2 6 0 7 3 6 |
| Zeller | 2 8 1-1 0-0 0-1 0 0 0 0 5 1 2 |
| DuPre | 4 4 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 |
| TOTALS | 6 262-535 8-30 112-158 91 169 260 121 149 114 644 |