1969–70 Milwaukee Bucks season
The 1969–70 Milwaukee Bucks season was the second season for the Milwaukee Bucks. Led by the heralded rookie center Lew Alcindor, they finished with a 56–26 record, enough for second place in the Eastern Division. After beating the Philadelphia 76ers 4–1 in the Eastern semifinals, they lost to the eventual champions New York Knicks in five games.
| 1969–70 Milwaukee Bucks season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Larry Costello |
| Arena | Milwaukee Arena |
| Results | |
| Record | 56–26 (.683) |
| Place | Division: 2nd (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | Division Finals (Lost to Knicks 1–4) |
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com | |
Draft picks
After a 27–55 record in their inaugural NBA season, the Bucks won a coin toss over the Phoenix Suns to give them the right to select first overall in the 1969 NBA Draft.[1] Their designated selection had long been a foregone conclusion: UCLA Bruins center Lew Alcindor. However, Alcindor was also selected first overall by the New York Nets in the competing American Basketball Association's entry draft, which triggered a bidding war for Alcindor's services. He eventually opted for the Bucks' five-year $1.4 million offer over a much more lucrative $3.2 million offer from the Nets,[2] preferring the established NBA over a new and struggling ABA.
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Lew Alcindor | C | UCLA | |
| 2 | 17 | Bob Greacen | F | Rutgers | |
| 3 | 31 | Skeeter Swift | G | East Tennessee State | |
| 4 | 45 | Bob Dandridge | F | Norfolk State | |
| 6 | 73 | John Arthurs | G | Tulane |
Roster
Milwaukee Bucks roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Regular season
Season standings
| Eastern Division | W | L | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| x-New York Knicks | 60 | 22 | .732 | – |
| x-Milwaukee Bucks | 56 | 26 | .683 | 4 |
| x-Baltimore Bullets | 50 | 32 | .610 | 10 |
| x-Philadelphia 76ers | 42 | 40 | .512 | 18 |
| Cincinnati Royals | 36 | 46 | .439 | 24 |
| Boston Celtics | 34 | 48 | .415 | 26 |
| Detroit Pistons | 31 | 51 | .378 | 29 |
Record vs. opponents
| 1969–70 NBA Records | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | ATL | BAL | BOS | CHI | CIN | DET | LAL | MIL | NYK | PHI | PHO | SDR | SFW | SEA |
| Atlanta | — | 2–4 | 6–0 | 5–2 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 4–3 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 4–2 | 5–2 | 4–2 |
| Baltimore | 4–2 | — | 5–2 | 5–1 | 4–3 | 5–2 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 1–5 | 3–4 | 3–3 | 6–0 | 2–4 | 5–1 |
| Boston | 0–6 | 2–5 | — | 3–3 | 3–3 | 4–3 | 2–4 | 1–6 | 4–3 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 4–2 | 5–1 | 2–4 |
| Chicago | 2–5 | 1–5 | 3–3 | — | 3–3 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 0–6 | 3–3 | 5–2 | 3–4 | 4–2 | 4–3 |
| Cincinnati | 3–3 | 3–4 | 3–3 | 3–3 | — | 4–2 | 2–4 | 2–5 | 2–5 | 4–3 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 2–4 | 1–5 |
| Detroit | 3–3 | 2–5 | 3–4 | 3–3 | 2–4 | — | 3–3 | 1–6 | 1–6 | 1–5 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 3–3 |
| Los Angeles | 3–4 | 2–4 | 4–2 | 2–4 | 4–2 | 3–3 | — | 3–3 | 2–4 | 4–2 | 3–4 | 5–2 | 5–2 | 6–0 |
| Milwaukee | 3–3 | 3–3 | 6–1 | 2–4 | 5–2 | 6–1 | 3–3 | — | 2–4 | 5–2 | 6–0 | 6–0 | 4–2 | 5–1 |
| New York | 2–4 | 5–1 | 3–4 | 6–0 | 5–2 | 6–1 | 4–2 | 4–2 | — | 5–2 | 6–0 | 5–1 | 5–1 | 4–2 |
| Philadelphia | 3–3 | 4–3 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 3–4 | 5–1 | 2–4 | 2–5 | 2–5 | — | 4–2 | 4–2 | 6–0 | 0–6 |
| Phoenix | 4–2 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 2–5 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 4–3 | 0–6 | 0–6 | 2–4 | — | 7–0 | 3–3 | 4–3 |
| San Diego | 2–4 | 0–6 | 2–4 | 4–3 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 2–5 | 0–6 | 1–5 | 2–4 | 0–7 | — | 5–2 | 4–2 |
| San Francisco | 2–5 | 4–2 | 1–5 | 2–4 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 2–5 | 2–4 | 1–5 | 0–6 | 3–3 | 2–5 | — | 3–4 |
| Seattle | 2–4 | 1–5 | 4–2 | 3–4 | 5–1 | 3–3 | 0–6 | 1–5 | 2–4 | 6–0 | 3–4 | 2–4 | 4–3 | — |
Game log
| 1969–70 game log Total: 56–26 (Home: 7–1; Road: 2–1) | |
|---|---|
October: 4–2 (Home: 2–1; Road: 2–1)
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November: 1–0 (Home: 1–0; Road: 0–0)
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December: 0–0 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–0)
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January: 4–0 (Home: 4–0; Road: 0–0)
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February: 1–0 (Home: 1–0; Road: 0–0)
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March: 0–0 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–0)
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| 1969–70 schedule | |
Playoffs
East Division Semifinals
(2) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (4) Philadelphia 76ers: Bucks win series 4–1
- Game 1 @ Milwaukee: Milwaukee 125, Philadelphia 118
- Game 2 @ Milwaukee: Philadelphia 112, Milwaukee 105
- Game 3 @ Philadelphia: Milwaukee 156, Philadelphia 120
- Game 4 @ Philadelphia: Milwaukee 118, Philadelphia 111
- Game 5 @ Milwaukee: Milwaukee 115, Philadelphia 106
East Division Finals
(1) New York Knicks vs. (2) Milwaukee Bucks: Knicks win series 4–1
- Game 1 @ New York: New York 110, Milwaukee 102
- Game 2 @ New York: New York 112, Milwaukee 111
- Game 3 @ Milwaukee: Milwaukee 101, New York 96
- Game 4 @ Milwaukee: New York 117, Milwaukee 105
- Game 5 @ New York: New York 132, Milwaukee 96
Player statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
Season
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zaid Abdul-Aziz | 80 | 7.4 | |||||||||
| Lew Alcindor | 82 | 28.8 | |||||||||
| John Arthurs | 11 | 3.2 | |||||||||
| Len Chappell | 75 | 8.3 | |||||||||
| Freddie Crawford | 77 | 7.6 | |||||||||
| Dick Cunningham | 60 | 2.1 | |||||||||
| Bob Dandridge | 81 | 13.2 | |||||||||
| Bob Greacen | 41 | 2.6 | |||||||||
| Jon McGlocklin | 82 | 17.6 | |||||||||
| Flynn Robinson | 81 | 21.8 | |||||||||
| Guy Rodgers | 64 | 3.2 | |||||||||
| Greg Smith | 82 | 9.8 | |||||||||
| Sam Williams | 11 | 2.5 |
Playoffs
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zaid Abdul-Aziz | 10 | 4.3 | |||||||||
| Lew Alcindor | 10 | 35.2 | |||||||||
| Len Chappell | 9 | 7.7 | |||||||||
| Freddie Crawford | 10 | 8.8 | |||||||||
| Dick Cunningham | 8 | 2.6 | |||||||||
| Bob Dandridge | 10 | 16.3 | |||||||||
| Bob Greacen | 1 | 2.0 | |||||||||
| Jon McGlocklin | 10 | 14.9 | |||||||||
| Flynn Robinson | 10 | 12.8 | |||||||||
| Guy Rodgers | 7 | 2.4 | |||||||||
| Greg Smith | 10 | 10.7 | |||||||||
| Sam Williams | 2 | 4.0 |
Awards and honors
- Lew Alcindor, NBA Rookie of the Year
- Lew Alcindor, NBA All-Rookie Team
- Lew Alcindor, NBA All-Star Game Appearance