The 1969–70 NBA season was the 24th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the New York Knicks winning the NBA Championship, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals.
| 1969–70 NBA season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Basketball Association |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | October 14, 1969 – March 22, 1970 March 25 – April 20, 1970 (Playoffs) April 24 – May 8, 1970 (Finals) |
| Number of games | 82 |
| Number of teams | 14 |
| TV partner(s) | ABC |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Lew Alcindor[a] |
| Picked by | Milwaukee Bucks |
| Regular season | |
| Top seed | New York Knicks |
| Season MVP | Willis Reed (New York) |
| Top scorer | Jerry West (L.A. Lakers) |
| Playoffs | |
| Eastern champions | New York Knicks |
| Eastern runners-up | Milwaukee Bucks |
| Western champions | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Western runners-up | Atlanta Hawks |
| Finals | |
| Champions | New York Knicks |
| Runners-up | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Finals MVP | Willis Reed (New York) |
Regular season
The 1969–70 season saw the NBA into a new decade as well as a new era. The retirement of Bill Russell from the Boston Celtics at the end of the 1968–69 season effectively signaled the end of the Celtics dynasty that had dominated the NBA for the past decade.
The New York Knicks were the top club in the league. They had a solid team of players led by star center Willis Reed and rising star guard Walt Frazier. Dave DeBusschere, who had been acquired from the Detroit Pistons the previous year, combined with Frazier and Reed to anchor the league's best defense. Coach Red Holzman led the club to wins in 60 of its 82 regular season games to pace the league.[citation needed]
In just their second season in the league, the Milwaukee Bucks totaled 56 wins helped by rookie superstar Lew Alcindor. Alcindor averaged 29 points per game on 52% shooting. He was also third in rebounds, seventh in shooting accuracy, and second in minutes played. Coach Larry Costello's team also had a strong backcourt of Jon McGlocklin and Flynn Robinson, and two ex-Cincinnati Royals, but Alcindor's arrival on the team nearly doubled their win total from the previous season, earning him rookie of the year honors.[citation needed]
The Baltimore Bullets also reached the 50-win plateau. Coach Gene Shue led a squad looking to improve after their early playoff exit the previous year. Guards Earl Monroe and Kevin Loughery were the team's main scoring threats, while center Wes Unseld and forward Gus Johnson excelled at rebounding, giving the Bullets more field goals than any other NBA team that year.
The Atlanta Hawks won the NBA's West Division title with 48 wins. Under coach Richie Guerin, they fielded a solid starting five, led again by scorer Lou Hudson. An early-season trade with Detroit netted star center Walt Bellamy.[citation needed]
Division standings
Eastern Division
| W | L | PCT | GB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| x-New York Knicks | 60 | 22 | .732 | – |
| x-Milwaukee Bucks | 56 | 26 | .683 | 4 |
| x-Baltimore Bullets | 50 | 32 | .610 | 10 |
| x-Philadelphia 76ers | 42 | 40 | .512 | 18 |
| Cincinnati Royals | 36 | 46 | .439 | 24 |
| Boston Celtics | 34 | 48 | .415 | 26 |
| Detroit Pistons | 31 | 51 | .378 | 29 |
Western Division
| W | L | PCT | GB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| x-Atlanta Hawks | 48 | 34 | .585 | – |
| x-Los Angeles Lakers | 46 | 36 | .561 | 2 |
| x-Chicago Bulls | 39 | 43 | .476 | 9 |
| x-Phoenix Suns | 39 | 43 | .476 | 9 |
| Seattle SuperSonics | 36 | 46 | .439 | 12 |
| San Francisco Warriors | 30 | 52 | .366 | 18 |
| San Diego Rockets | 27 | 55 | .329 | 21 |
x – clinched playoff spot
Playoffs
| Division Semifinals | Division Finals | NBA Finals | ||||||||||||
| E1 | New York* | 4 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | Baltimore | 3 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | New York* | 4 | ||||||||||||
| Eastern Division | ||||||||||||||
| E2 | Milwaukee | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Philadelphia | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Milwaukee | 4 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | New York* | 4 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Los Angeles | 3 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Atlanta* | 4 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Chicago | 1 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Atlanta* | 0 | ||||||||||||
| Western Division | ||||||||||||||
| W2 | Los Angeles | 4 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | Phoenix | 3 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Los Angeles | 4 | ||||||||||||
- * Division winner
- Bold Series winner
- Italic Team with home-court advantage in NBA Finals
Statistics leaders
| Category | Player | Team | Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points per game | Jerry West | Los Angeles Lakers | 31.2 |
| Rebounds per game | Elvin Hayes | San Diego Rockets | 16.9 |
| Assists per game | Lenny Wilkens | Seattle SuperSonics | 9.1 |
| FG% | Johnny Green | Cincinnati Royals | .559 |
| FT% | Flynn Robinson | Milwaukee Bucks | .898 |
NBA awards
- Most Valuable Player: Willis Reed, New York Knicks
- Rookie of the Year: Lew Alcindor, Milwaukee Bucks
- Coach of the Year: Red Holzman, New York Knicks
- All-NBA First Team:
- F – Billy Cunningham, Philadelphia 76ers
- F – Connie Hawkins, Phoenix Suns
- C – Willis Reed, New York Knicks
- G – Walt Frazier, New York Knicks
- G – Jerry West, Los Angeles Lakers
- All-NBA Second Team:
- F – Lou Hudson, Atlanta Hawks
- F – Gus Johnson, Baltimore Bullets
- C – Lew Alcindor, Milwaukee Bucks
- G – John Havlicek, Boston Celtics
- G – Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati Royals
- All-NBA Rookie Team:
- Dick Garrett, Los Angeles Lakers
- Mike Davis, Baltimore Bullets
- Jo Jo White, Boston Celtics
- Lew Alcindor, Milwaukee Bucks
- Bob Dandridge, Milwaukee Bucks
- NBA All-Defensive First Team:
- Dave DeBusschere, New York Knicks
- Gus Johnson, Baltimore Bullets
- Willis Reed, New York Knicks
- Walt Frazier, New York Knicks
- Jerry West, Los Angeles Lakers
- NBA All-Defensive Second Team:
- John Havlicek, Boston Celtics
- Bill Bridges, Atlanta Hawks
- Lew Alcindor, Milwaukee Bucks
- Joe Caldwell, Atlanta Hawks
- Jerry Sloan, Chicago Bulls