The 1967–68 Pittsburgh Pipers season was the 1st season of the ABA. The Pipers finished first in the Eastern Division and won their first and only ABA title.[1]
In the Eastern Division semifinals, the Pipers swept the Indiana Pacers in three games. In the Eastern Division Finals, the Pipers eliminated the Minnesota Muskies, in five games. The Western Division champion New Orleans Buccaneers appeared in the ABA Championships for the first time and were defeated by the Pipers in seven games. The Pipers would soon move to Minnesota for the next season, only to return a year later. Plaguing injuries nagged the team for the rest of their brief tenure in Pittsburgh, as they would disband in 1972, only four years after winning the title. The Pipers hold a legacy as the first ABA champion along with Pittsburgh's only professional basketball champion.
Bold indicates player was on final roster when team won championship.
| Pittsburgh Pipers | 54 | 24 | .692 | – | |
| 45 | 39 | .641 | 4 | ||
| 38 | 40 | .487 | 16 | ||
| 36 | 46 | .462 | 18 | ||
| 36 | 46 | .462 | 18 |
| 1967-68 ABA Records | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| width=100 | Team | ANA | DAL | DEN | HOU | IND | KEN | MIN | NJA | NOB | OAK | PIT |
| — | 2–8 | 3–7 | 6–3 | 2–4 | 0–6 | 1–5 | 2–4 | 2–7 | 6–4 | 1–5 | ||
| 8–2 | — | 4–5 | 8–2 | 3–3 | 5–1 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 4–6 | 7–2 | 2–4 | ||
| 7–3 | 5–4 | — | 6–3 | 4–2 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 5–1 | 5–5 | 7–3 | 2–4 | ||
| 3–6 | 2–8 | 3–6 | — | 3–3 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 0–10 | 7–3 | 2–4 | ||
| 4–2 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 3–3 | — | 6–5 | 3–8 | 6–4 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 4–6 | ||
| 6–0 | 1–5 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 5–6 | — | 5–5 | 4–7 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 3–7 | ||
| 5–1 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 8–3 | 5–5 | — | 7–3 | 5–1 | 5–1 | 4–7 | ||
| 4–2 | 3–3 | 1–5 | 3–3 | 4–6 | 7–4 | 3–7 | — | 3–3 | 5–1 | 3–8 | ||
| 7–2 | 6–4 | 5–5 | 10–0 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 1–5 | 3–3 | — | 6–3 | 3–3 | ||
| 4–6 | 2–7 | 3–7 | 3–7 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 1–5 | 1–5 | 3–6 | — | 0–6 | ||
| Pittsburgh | 5–1 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 6–4 | 7–3 | 7–4 | 8–3 | 3–3 | 6–0 | — | |
Eastern Division Semifinals[3]
| Game | Date | Location | Score | Record | Attendance | |
| 1 | March 25 | Pittsburgh | 146–127 | 1–0 | 2,189 | |
| 2 | March 26 | Pittsburgh | 121–108 | 2–0 | 3,684 | |
| 3 | March 27 | Indiana | 133–114 | 3–0 | 3,141 |
Division Finals[3]
| Game | Date | Location | Score | Record | Attendance | |
| 1 | April 4 | Pittsburgh | 125–117 | 1–0 | 3,159 | |
| 2 | April 6 | Pittsburgh | 123–137 | 1–1 | 2,123 | |
| 3 | April 10 | Minnesota | 107–99 | 2–1 | 8,357 | |
| 4 | April 13 | Minnesota | 117–108 | 3–1 | 3,787 | |
| 5 | April 14 | Pittsburgh | 114–105 | 4–1 | 3,350 |
ABA Finals[3]
| Game | Date | Location | Score | Record | Attendance | |
| 1 | April 18 | Pittsburgh | 120–112 | 1–0 | 2,665 | |
| 2 | April 20 | Pittsburgh | 100–109 | 1–1 | 3,877 | |
| 3 | April 24 | New Orleans | 101–109 | 1–2 | 6,300 | |
| 4 | April 25 | New Orleans | 106–105 (OT) | 2–2 | 7,000 | |
| 5 | April 27 | Pittsburgh | 108–111 | 2–3 | 3,347 | |
| 6 | May 1 | New Orleans | 118–112 | 3–3 | 7,200 | |
| 7 | May 4 | Pittsburgh | 122–113 | 4–3 | 11,457 |
In six out of the 15 playoff games he played, Hawkins was the lead scorer. As such, he was named Playoffs MVP. Hawkins would be elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992. As it turned out, this would be his only championship.