Introduction – Dominance at the Top
All three tiers of the ABF saw dominance at the top. Unlike last year that brought some drama in the Premier with a one game playoff for the championship, the league started to settle in with the cream rising to the top. The season also brought seismic shifts in the pyramid again with former titans relegated to the Championship and Founder’s Cup. All of this promises to bring even more action in wthe 1978 season.
Premier League
The Questions: The Phoenix Suns were dominant, coasting to a 14 game cushion and easily running off with the second ever ABF championship. Can they reclaim that form and repeat? 11 other teams will be gunning for the champs. Boston, runners up in 1976 shocked the league by drafting Larry Bird’s rights even though the team can’t sign him until next year. The bold move cost the Celtics future draft picks, but many agree the move was the right one. The question: What does this next season bring to bridge the gap? Chicago, runners up last season, added Artis Gilmore. This provides them a defensive anchor, but are the truly contenders now?
The Frontcourt: Denver, champions in 1976 and a 4th place last year, refuse to stand pat. After a trade for Moses Malone, they now have Malone, Thompson, and Issel. Is this the greatest frontcourt ever assembled in basketball and do any other teams have a hope next year?
The Heartbreaks: After a hugely successful first season in the Championship and a promotion, Buffalo proved that they aren’t quite ready for prime time. After a 19-47 season and an immediate relegation, the Braves need to prove that they aren’t just one hit wonders. Meanwhile, Los Angeles came up in last with only 14 wins. This wasn’t enough and the Lakers fired their coach to bring in Paul Westhead. They are eying Magic next year and an immediate promotion back into the Premier makes them a worthy target for the young man.
Championship
The Questions: Oklahoma and Baltimore both secured back to back promotions and now bring their rivalry to the Premier League. Do they both belong in the top tier or will they suffer the same fate as Buffalo and Houston? The Spurs, Colonels, and Cavs all found themselves in the promotion tournament and all fell short. The Spurs fell to sub .500 Kentucky and the loss will sting all offseason. The Cavs have now bowed out of the tournament in both ABF seasons. Can either team overcome the loss this year for either automatic promotion or another shot in the tournament? Salt Lake and Mid Atlantic find themselves promoted to the Championship this year. Can either team survive the 66 game grind in the second tier?
The Rebounds: Pardon our pun there, but all three relegated teams this year will also be fighting for promotion again back to the Premier. Houston hired Tex Winter and his potentially powerful offensive scheme. We already mentioned Westhead in Los Angeles. And the Braves want to show that they belong back in the Premier after their quick exit.
Founder’s Cup
After four original FC team find themselves promoted, the bottom tier of the league has only two of the original six in the league. Replacing the promoted teams are The Spirits of St. Louis, Atlanta, and Portland. The Blazers brought back Bill Walton in an attempt to push back into the Championship and, perhaps, even the Premier some day. Hubie Brown and the Spirits also look to get back into the Championship after what will be a second season in the Founder’s Cup. The other relegated team this year, Atlanta faces some stiff competition and may just find themselves in the FC for a couple of more years. Because Tampa Bay and Memphis also both hope to prove themselves after they lost out in a promotion tournament brought about by a three way tie in the league. That leaves Detroit. The Pistons went 0-20 and find themselves in a massive uphill battle to reverse their fortunes.