<< 1969-70 Los Angeles Lakers | 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers >>
The 1970-71 season was a huge one for the NBA, as they continued to expand and add more teams. Due to the significant influx heading into this season, the league decided to make a change. The NBA made it the Western and Eastern Conference, with each conference having two divisions within them. This led to a total of 17 teams.
Despite Elgin Baylor playing in just two games, the Los Angeles Lakers managed to be the leaders of the Pacific Division at 48-34. However, no one in the West was a match for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the Milwaukee Bucks. They went 66-16 and were by far the best team in basketball.
The Lakers wound up losing to the Bucks in the Western Conference Finals, and the Bucks would go on to sweep the NBA Finals. In total, the Bucks went 12-2 in the postseason en route to a championship.
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