Editing Minnesota Muskies

{{Infobox basketball club 
| color1 = #D4AF37
| color2 = #1034A6  
| name = Minnesota Muskies
| logo = File:Minnesota_Muskies.jpg
| division = Eastern Division 
| founded = 1967
| history = {{unbulleted list|'''Minnesota Muskies'''<br />1967–1968|'''[[Miami Floridians|Miami Floridians/The Floridians]]'''<br />1968–1972}}
| arena = [[Met Center|Metropolitan Sports Center]]
| city = [[Bloomington, Minnesota]]
| colors = [[Blue]] and [[Gold (color)|Gold]]<br />{{color box|#1034A6}} {{color box|#D4AF37}}
| coach = [[Jim Pollard]]
| manager = [[Dennis Murphy (sports entrepreneur)|Dennis Murphy]]
| owner = {{unbulleted list|L.P. Shields & Fred Jefferson<br />1968–1969 |[[James Edwin Doyle|Ned Doyle]]<br />1970}}
}}
The '''Minnesota Muskies''' were a member of the [[American Basketball Association]], born with the league's creation on February 2, 1967. L.P. Shields and Fred Jefferson were the owners after paying a franchise fee of $30,000. The team then played one season in Minnesota before moving to [[Miami]], [[Florida]] to become [[The Floridians]]. The team colors were blue and gold and games were played in the [[Met Center|Metropolitan Sports Center]] in [[Bloomington, Minnesota]], which they shared with the [[Minnesota North Stars]]. <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.startribune.com/sports/wolves/138368709.html|title = Rand: Minnesota Muskies anyone?|website = [[Star Tribune]]}}</ref>

==History==
The ABA first located its league office in [[Minneapolis]] and the future looked bright for the Muskies (named after the [[Muskellunge]]; also known as the muskie, one of the regions the fish is found in Minnesota), who shared the same offices as the league itself. Their first draft pick was talented center [[Mel Daniels]], who would go on to become one of the ABA's most celebrated players. Daniels was also a first round draft pick of the [[National Basketball Association|NBA]]'s [[Cincinnati Royals]], but he decided to cast his lot with the upstart league. The selection of Daniels paid off for the team as he led the league in field goal attempts, field goals made, offensive and defensive rebounds and was named the league's Rookie of the Year.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/PTP/1968.html|title = 1967-68 Pittsburgh Pipers Roster and Stats}}</ref> Daniels, [[Donnie Freeman (basketball, born 1944)|Donnie Freeman]] and [[Les Hunter (basketball)|Les Hunter]] all represented the Muskies in the first ABA All Star Game and shooting guard Ron Perry finished fifth in the league in three-point field goals made and attempted and fourth in three-point field goal percentage. The head coach was [[Jim Pollard]], a former teammate of ABA Commissioner [[George Mikan]] from their days with the NBA's [[Minneapolis Lakers]]. The Muskies would win 50 games in their [[1967–68 Minnesota Muskies season|lone season]] under that franchise name.

Early in the league's first season, the Muskies and the [[Indiana Pacers]] dueled for first place in the Eastern Division. Although the Muskies pulled away from the Pacers, the [[Pittsburgh Pipers]] rallied to eventually win the Eastern Division title by four games instead.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/ABA_1968.html|title = 1967-68 ABA Season Summary}}</ref> The Muskies would finish the season with a record of 50 wins and 28 losses.

In the [[1968 ABA Playoffs|Eastern Division playoff]] semifinals, the Muskies split the first four of five games with the [[Kentucky Colonels]] and then won the decisive Game Five, 114–108, at home. The Muskies then met the Pipers for the Eastern Division Championship and lost 4 games to 1 to the eventual champion.

=== 1967–68 ABA season ===
{{see also|1967–68 Minnesota Muskies season}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" 
|+
Eastern Division Standings
! Team !! W !! L !! PCT. !! GB
|-
| align="left" | [[Pittsburgh Pipers]] || 54 || 24 || .692 || –
|-
| align="left" | '''Minnesota Muskies''' || 50 || 28 || .641 || 4
|-
| align="left" | [[Indiana Pacers]] || 38 || 40 || .487 ||16
|-
| align="left" | [[Kentucky Colonels]] || 36 || 42 || .462 || 18
|-
| align="left" | [[New Jersey Americans]] || 36 || 42 || .462 || 18
|}

For their success on the court, the Muskies were a complete bust off the court. They lost an estimated $400,000 in their [[1967–68 ABA season|first and only season]]. They only averaged 2,800 people per game, but it might have been far less, given that they only sold 100 season tickets at the time.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.startribune.com/sports/wolves/138368709.html|title = Rand: Minnesota Muskies anyone?|website = [[Star Tribune]]}}</ref> The Muskies' management sought to make changes for the upcoming 1968–69 season with the team planning to play nine of their home games at other locations in Minnesota and signed a favorable television contract. In spite of this, the owners decided to relocate the franchise to [[Miami]], [[Florida]] on May 24, 1968, for the 1968–69 ABA season. Prior to the start of that season, the team was forced to sell off Daniels to the Indiana Pacers in a trade for cash in order to pay off accumulated debts from the previous season.

However, Minnesota was not left without an ABA team for long, as the league champion Pipers ironically relocated to Minneapolis to play as the [[Minnesota Pipers]] for the 1968–69 ABA season.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/PTC/|title = Pittsburgh Condors Franchise Index}}</ref> The franchise would move back to Pittsburgh after their own sole season in Minnesota, with the ABA not bothering to return to Minnesota again following [[George Mikan]]'s resignation as commissioner of the ABA and subsequently moving the ABA's headquarters to [[New York City|New York]] (who would also be home to the [[Brooklyn Nets|New York Nets]] for the rest of the ABA's tenure) instead.

The [[Minnesota Timberwolves]] wore Muskies uniforms for six games during the [[2011–12 NBA season]] as part of the NBA's "Hardwood Classics".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.startribune.com/sports/wolves/138368709.html|title = Rand: Minnesota Muskies anyone?|website = [[Star Tribune]]}}</ref>

==Basketball Hall of Famers==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="5" style="background:#1034A6; color:#D4AF37;"|Minnesota Muskies Hall of Famers
|-
! colspan="5" style="text-align:center; background:#D4AF37; color:#1034A6;"|Players
|-
! No. || Name || Position || Tenure || Inducted
|-
| 34 || [[Mel Daniels]] || [[Center (basketball)|C]] || 1967–1968 || 2012
|-
! colspan="5" style="text-align:center; background:#D4AF37; color:#1034A6;"|Coaches
|-
! colspan=2|Name || Position || Tenure || Inducted
|-
| colspan=2|[[Jim Pollard]] <sup>1</sup> || Head Coach || 1967–1968 || 1978
|}
'''Notes:'''
* <sup>1</sup> Inducted as a player.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.remembertheaba.com/Minnesota-Muskies.html Remember The ABA]

{{ABAteams}}

[[Category:Minnesota Muskies| ]]
[[Category:American Basketball Association teams]]
[[Category:Defunct basketball teams in the United States]]
[[Category:Sports in Minneapolis–Saint Paul]]
[[Category:Basketball teams in Minnesota]]
[[Category:Basketball teams established in 1967]]
[[Category:Basketball teams disestablished in 1968]]
[[Category:1967 establishments in Minnesota]]
[[Category:1968 disestablishments in Minnesota]]