1973–74 Carolina Cougars season

1973–74 Carolina Cougars season
Head coach Larry Brown
Arena Greensboro Coliseum
Charlotte Coliseum
Dorton Arena
Results
Record 47–37 (.560)
Place Division: 3rd (Eastern)
Playoff finish Lost in the Eastern Division Semifinals

The 1973–74 Carolina Cougars season was the 5th and final season of the Cougars in the American Basketball Association. Billy Cunningham (who had been named the MVP the previous season), Dennis Wuycik, and Mike Lewis were hobbled by injuries through the season, which meant the team struggled to gain much ground in the Division, though they finished consistently enough to qualify for a playoff spot for the 2nd straight season. The Cougars finished 2nd in points scored, with 110.5 per game, but 6th in points allowed with 107.0 per game. The team was 26–16 by the midpoint of the season (with a seven-game winning streak in the middle of it), while going 21–21 for the second half of the season. The biggest losing streak by the team was 6, done near the end of the season, but by that point they had clinched the third spot in the playoffs, finishing 19 games above Virginia, who they beat in their final regular season game at home, 99–91. Once again, the Cougars faced the Kentucky Colonels in the playoffs, but once again the Colonels prevailed, this time in a First Round sweep. This turned out to be the final game the Cougars played. Owner Tedd Munchak sold the team after the season ended to a group of New York businessmen, which included Harry Weltman, Donald Schupak, Ozzie Silna and Daniel Silna for $1.5 million. The team subsequently moved to St. Louis to become the Spirits of St. Louis, playing for two seasons.[1]

Roster

Final standings

Eastern Division

Team W L % GB
New York Nets 55 29 .655 -
Kentucky Colonels 53 31 .631 2
Carolina Cougars 47 37 .560 8
Virginia Squires 28 56 .333 27
Memphis Tams 21 63 .250 34

Playoffs

Eastern Division Semifinals[2]

Game Date Location Score Record Attendance
1 April 1 Kentucky 102–118 0–1 6,749
2 April 5 Greensboro (Carolina) 96–99 0–2 8,638
3 April 6 Charlotte (Carolina) 110–120 0–3 3,724
4 April 8 Kentucky 119–128 0–4 5,243

Cougars lose series, 4–0

Awards and honors

1974 ABA All-Star Game selections (game played on January 30, 1974)

References

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 8/3/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.