The 1974–75 Memphis Sounds season was the fifth and final season of basketball in Memphis in the American Basketball Association (ABA). Charles O. Finley had failed in running the Tams, and he let the league take the team from his reigns after two years. In July 1974, a group led by Isaac Hayes, Avron Fogelman, Kemmonis Wilson, and former ABA Commissioner Mike Storen (who resigned on July 17, 1974) took the team over. The team was renamed to Sounds, and players were soon dealt to and away from Memphis. The March 28, 1975 game saw 8,417 see a victory over the New York Nets 111–106, the largest crowd to see the Sounds in years. The team improved by six games, and in part due to a weak division took the final playoff spot by 12 games over Virginia, the first time Memphis had made a playoff series since 1971.[1] In the Semifinals, they lost to Kentucky in 5 games. Wilson and Hayes had to share their shares after the season ended due to losing money on the team. Afterwards, the league gave Memphis until June 1, 1975, to sell 4,000 season tickets, find new investors, and secure a more favorable lease at the Mid-South Coliseum, but the deadline passed with failure. On August 27, 1975, a group headed by David Cohan purchased the team and the franchise moved to Baltimore, to become the Baltimore Claws. However, the team never played a regular season game.
| 1974–75 Memphis Sounds season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Joe Mullaney |
| Arena | Mid-South Coliseum |
| Results | |
| Record | 27–57 (.321) |
| Place | Division: 4th (ABA) |
| Playoff finish | Lost in ABA Semifinals |
| Radio | WREC |
Roster
edit- 19 Roger Brown - Small forward
- 7 George Carter - Small forward
- 9 Mel Daniels - Center
- 21 Larry Finch - Shooting guard
- 11 Stew Johnson - Power forward
- 13 Collis Jones - Small forward
- 11 Julius Keye - Power forward
- 6 Freddie Lewis - Shooting guard
- 2 Rick Mount - Shooting guard
- 15 Jim O'Brien - Small forward
- 25 Tom Owens - Center
- 31 Ronnie Robinson - Power forward
- 6 Billy Shepherd - Point guard
- 4 Chuck Williams - Point guard
Final standings
editEastern Division
edit| Team | W | L | PCT. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky Colonels* C | 58 | 26 | .690 | - |
| New York Nets* | 58 | 26 | .690 | - |
| Spirits of St. Louis* | 32 | 52 | .381 | 26 |
| Memphis Sounds* | 27 | 57 | .321 | 31 |
| Virginia Squires | 15 | 69 | .179 | 43 |
Asterisk denotes playoff berth
Playoffs
editEastern Division Semifinals
| Game | Date | Location | Score | Record | Attendance |
| 1 | April 6 | Kentucky | Kentucky 98, Memphis 91 | Kentucky leads series, 1 game to 0 | 4,107 |
| 2 | April 8 | Kentucky | Kentucky 119, Memphis 105 | Kentucky leads series, 2 games to 0 | 4,787 |
| 3 | April 10 | Memphis | Kentucky 101, Memphis 80 | Kentucky leads series, 3 games to 0 | 5,414 |
| 4 | April 11 | Memphis | Memphis 107, Kentucky 93 | Kentucky leads series, 3 games to 1 | 4,771 |
| 5 | April 13 | Kentucky | Kentucky 111, Memphis 99 | Kentucky wins series, 4 games to 1 | 3,543 |
References
edit- ^ "1974-75 Memphis Sounds Roster and Stats | Basketball-Reference.com". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 12, 2016.