1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks QUARTERFINALS: Defeated by 1985-86 BOSTON CELTICS | RESULTS Round 1: Defeated 1949-50 Minneapolis Lakers | Results
HEAD COACH: Larry Costello TEAM STATISTICS FG% FT% REB AST PPG OFFENSIVE .509 .742 4344 2249 118.4 DEFENSIVE .424 .744 4004 1923 106.2 NOTABLE INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS NO. PLAYER G MIN FG% REB AST PPG 33 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 82 3288 .577 1311 272 31.7 1 Oscar Robertson 81 3194 .496 462 668 19.4 10 Bob Dandridge 79 2862 .509 632 277 18.4 14 Jon McGlocklin 82 2891 .535 223 305 15.8 4 Greg Smith 82 2428 .512 589 227 11.7 20 Bob Boozer 80 1775 .450 435 128 9.1 7 Lucius Allen 61 1162 .447 152 161 7.1		1970-71 SEASON RESULTS RECORD (PCT.) 66-16 (.805) CONFERENCE SEMIS Bucks 4, Warriors 1 CONFERENCE FINALS Bucks 4, Lakers 1 NBA FINALS Bucks 4, Bullets 0 VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS 1970-71 Bucks: Play
In only his second pro season, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then called Lew Alcindor) was already established as the game's premier center. He would lead the league in scoring at 31.7 ppg, rank second in field goal percentage at .577 and fourth in rebounding at 16.0 rpg. But to become a championship team the Milwaukee Bucks needed more than a dominating center, and they got exactly what they needed on April 21, 1970 when they traded two young players, Flynn Robinson and Charlie Paulk, to the Cincinnati Royals for 10-year veteran guard Oscar Robertson. Robertson, an All-American at Cincinnati and star of the great 1960 U.S. Olympic team that also included Jerry West, Walt Bellamy and Jerry Lucas, was the game's most complete player when he was in his prime. There was nothing he couldn't do-shoot, drive, pass, dribble, rebound, defend. At 6-5 and 220 pounds, he was a big guard whose trademark was a soft, one-handed push shot that came after he backed his opponent into shooting range. Long before the term triple-double was invented during the Magic Johnson-Larry Bird era, "The Big O" became the only player in NBA history to average a triple-double for an entire season, getting 30.8 ppg, 12.5 rpg and 11.4 apg in 1961-62. Robertson, who turned 32 early in the 1970-71 season, was past his prime when he came to Milwaukee, but his versatile skills and experience were enough to help the Bucks realize their potential. He burned for the championship he had never won, his Cincinnati teams usually having played third fiddle in the East behind Boston and Philadelphia, and his intensity seemed to inspire Abdul-Jabbar and unite the rest of the Bucks. Robertson ranked third in the league in assists at 8.3 apg and was the Bucks' No. 2 scorer at 19.4 ppg. With Bob Dandridge (18.4 ppg) and Jon McGlocklin (15.8 ppg), power forward Greg Smith and key reserves Lucius Allen, Bob Boozer and Dick Cunningham completing the nucleus, Milwaukee posted a 66-16 record in only its third year of existence, and its second since getting Abdul-Jabbar. Coached by Larry Costello, who had been a fine NBA guard during the 1950s and `60s, the Bucks developed a machine-like efficiency that no other team could match. The Bucks lost just one game apiece in playoff series against San Francisco and Los Angeles, then blitzed the Baltimore Bullets 4-0 in the NBA Finals. Robertson finally had his championship, and Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA Finals MVP, had the first of his six crowns.