1970–71 Virginia Squires season

The 1970–71 Virginia Squires season was the first season of the Virginia Squires in the American Basketball Association. After one season each in Oakland and Washington, owner Earl Foreman was convinced by the league to move his team to Virginia. Like the Carolina Cougars and The Floridians, the Squires played as a regional franchise, primarily playing games in Norfolk, Hampton and Richmond, with Salem and Roanoke having occasional games. The Squires started play on October 17, 1970, in Norfolk, winning 133–116 over the Pittsburgh Condors. They proceeded to win their next five games, while having a 30–12 first half of the season, highlighted by a seven-game winning streak. They went 25–17 in the second half, though they never lost more than two games in a row. They finished 1st in points scored at 123.3 per game, but 7th in points allowed at 119.7 per game. In the playoffs, they beat the Kentucky Colonels in six games to advance to the Division Finals, but they were beaten in six games themselves by the New York Nets.

1970–71 Virginia Squires season
Head coachAl Bianchi
ArenaOld Dominion University Fieldhouse
Hampton Coliseum
Richmond Coliseum
Richmond Arena
Norfolk Scope
Salem Civic Center
Roanoke Civic Center
Results
Record55–29 (.655)
PlaceDivision: 1st (Eastern)
Playoff finishLost in Division Finals

Prior to the season on September 1, the Squires traded an unhappy Rick Barry to the New York Nets for $200,000 cash. Offsetting this loss was rookie Charlie Scott from the University of North Carolina. Scott averaged 27.1 points per game and was named ABA Rookie of the Year.

Roster

Final standings

Eastern Division
Eastern Division W L PCT GB
Virginia Squires *5529.655 -
Kentucky Colonels *4440.52411.0
New York Nets *4044.47615.0
The Floridians *3747.44018.0
Pittsburgh Condors3648.42919.0
Carolina Cougars3450.40521.0

Playoffs

Eastern Division Semifinals vs. New York Nets

GameDateLocationScoreRecordAttendance
1April 2Hampton (Virginia)113–1051–06,149
2April 4Hampton (Virginia)114–1082–07,143
3April 6New York131–1352–13,504
4April 7New York127–1302–24,134
5April 9Richmond (Virginia)127–1243–24,250
6April 10New York118–1144–23,016

Squires win series, 4–2

Eastern Division Finals vs. Kentucky Colonels

GameDateLocationScoreRecordAttendance
1April 15Richmond (Virginia)132–1360–14,250
2April 17Norfolk (Virginia)142–1221–15,000
3April 19Kentucky150–1372–14,777
4April 21Kentucky110–1282–25,221
5April 23Hampton (Virginia)107–1152–310,013
6April 24Kentucky117–1292–412,822

Squires lose series, 4–2

Awards and honors

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

Bianchi was selected to coach the Eastern Division.

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References
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