1977 ABA Finals vs Kentucky Colonels
The Indiana Pacers won their third ABA championship in 1973, defeating the Kentucky Colonels.
The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded in 1967 as an original member of the American Basketball Association (ABA) and became a member of the NBA in 1976 as a result of the ABA–NBA merger. They play their home games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The team is named after the state of Indiana's history with the Indianapolis 500's pace cars and with the harness racing industry.
Quick Facts
- Result
- Pacers won the series 4-2
- Finals mvp
- George McGinnis (Indiana Pacers)
- Opponent
- Kentucky Colonels
- Significance
- Final ABA championship before the ABA-NBA merger
- Pacers key contributors
- George McGinnis
- Scott May
- Mike D'Antoni
- Billy Knight
- Colonels key contributors
- Artis Gilmore
- Louie Dampier
- George Johnson
Lore & Background
The Pacers have won three championships, in 1970, 1972, and 1973, all in the ABA. They also reached the ABA Finals in 1969 and 1975, and have also appeared in the NBA Finals in 2000 and 2025. The team has also won nine division titles.
Reader's Guide
The 1973 ABA Finals pitted the Pacers against the Kentucky Colonels. The Pacers won the series, securing their third ABA championship. Key contributors for the Pacers in that series included Mel Daniels, George McGinnis, Bob Netolicky, Rick Mount, Freddie Lewis, and Roger Brown. The 1973 ABA Finals was not the last ABA championship; the final ABA championship was in 1976 (New York Nets).
Did You Know?
- The Pacers appeared in the ABA Finals five times in the league's nine-year history, an ABA record.
- The Pacers were one of four ABA teams that joined the NBA in the ABA–NBA merger in the 1976–77 season.
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