1967–68 Minnesota Muskies season

1967–68 Minnesota Muskies season
Head coach Jim Pollard
Arena Met Center
Results
Record 50–28 (.641)
Place Division: 2nd (Eastern)
Playoff finish Lost in the Eastern Division Finals

The 1967–68 Minnesota Muskies season was the first and only season of the Muskies in the newly created American Basketball Association. The team was created on February 2, 1967 for the price of $30,000 to L.P. Shields and Fred Jefferson. The team was named after a nickname for the Muskellunge, which is a fish found in Minnesota. The team did well on the court, finishing 2nd to the Pipers in the Eastern Division. In the playoffs, they made it to the Division Finals, but the Muskies lost in 5 games to the Pipers. However, this proved to be the only season for the Muskies due to losing money (reportedly $400,000) with middling attendance with minimal season tickets purchased (In the five playoff games played in Minnesota, they averaged 3,511 in attendance, with the highest being 8,357 for Game 3 of the Division Finals and the lowest being 661 for Game 1 of the Semifinals). A plan to play 9 games of next season in places around Minnesota and a television contract were curtailed, and the Muskies moved to Miami on May 24, 1968. However, basketball in Minnesota would not be curtailed for long, as the Pittsburgh Pipers moved to play in the same location

Roster

Final standings

Eastern Division

Team W L PCT. GB
Pittsburgh Pipers C 54 24 .692 –
Minnesota Muskies 50 28 .641 4
Indiana Pacers 38 40 .487 16
Kentucky Colonels 36 42 .462 18
New Jersey Americans 36 42 .462 18

Playoffs

Eastern Division Semifinals[1]

Game Date Location Score Record Attendance
1 March 24 Minnesota 115–102 1–0 661
2 March 26 Minnesota 95–100 1–1 3,874
3 March 27 Kentucky 116–107 2–1 1,458
4 March 29 Kentucky 86–94 2–2 4,472
5 March 30 Minnesota 114–108 3–2 879

Muskies win series 3–2

Division Finals[1]

Game Date Location Score Record Attendance
1 April 4 Pittsburgh 117–125 0–1 3,159
2 April 6 Pittsburgh 137–123 1–1 2,123
3 April 10 Minnesota 99–107 1–2 8,357
4 April 13 Minnesota 108–117 1–3 3,787
5 April 14 Pittsburgh 105–114 1–4 3,350

Muskies lose series, 4–1

Awards and honors

1968 ABA All-Star Game selections (game played on January 9, 1968)

Jim Pollard was selected to coach the Eastern squad.

References

  1. 1 2 "1967-68 ABA Regular Season Standings". Remembertheaba.com. Retrieved 2015-06-18.

External links

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