Surging PopularityFrom 1966 to 1976, the NBA grew from nine franchises to 22. The Portland Trail Blazers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Buffalo Braves (now the Los Angeles Clippers), the New Orleans Jazz (now in Utah) came aboard in 1974, making it 18. Following the 1976 season, the leagues reached a settlement that provided for the addition of four ABA franchises to the NBA, raising the number of franchises in the league at that time to 22. The franchises added were the San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, and New York Nets (now the Brooklyn Nets).
The best stars of the era were Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lakers), Rick Barry (Warriors), Dave Cowens (Boston Celtics), Julius Erving (76ers) , Elvin Hayes (Rockets), Walt Frazier (Knicks), Moses Malone (76ers), Artis Gilmore (Bulls), George Gervin (Spurs), and Pete Maravich (Hawks). This era, no team really dominated the league. It was even, and a lot of teams were competing. This is a list of the winners of the Larry O' Brien Trophy (NBA Champions): 1969-70 - New York Knicks 1970-71 - Milwaukee Bucks 1971-72 - Los Angeles Lakers 1972-73 - New York Knicks 1973-74 - Boston Celtics 1974-75 - Golden State Warriors 1978-79 - Seattle SuperSonics 1975-76 - Boston Celtics 1976-77 - Portland Trail Blazers 1977-78 - Washington Bullets |
Highlights from the Best during the 70s |