1977–78 Washington Bullets season
The 1977–78 NBA season was the team's 17th season in the NBA and their 5th season in the city of Washington, D.C..[1] It would prove to be their most successful season, as they would win their first and only NBA championship as of 2021. In the NBA Finals, they defeated the Seattle SuperSonics in seven games.
1977–78 Washington Bullets season | |
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NBA champions | |
Conference champions | |
Head coach | Dick Motta |
Arena | Capital Centre |
Results | |
Record | 44–38 (.537) |
Place | Division: 2nd (Central) Conference: 3rd (Eastern) |
Playoff finish | NBA Champions (Defeated SuperSonics 4–3) |
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com | |
Local media | |
Television | WDCA–TV 20 (Jim Karvellas, Gus Johnson) |
Radio | WTOP–AM 1500 (Frank Herzog) |
The Bullets got off to a slow start in the regular season, losing 6 of their first 10 games. On January 13, the Bullets beat the defending Champion Portland Trail Blazers to improve to 24–15, capping an 18–5 run over 23 games.[2] Injuries would begin to have an effect on the team as the Bullets struggled, as they would lose 13 of their next 18 games. Hovering a few games above .500 for the rest of the season, the Bullets managed to make the playoffs with a 44–38 record.[2] This would be considered the worst team in NBA history to win a championship with its record of 44–38. The 1968–69 Boston Celtics, 1974–75 Golden State Warriors, 1976–77 Portland Trail Blazers, and 1994–95 Houston Rockets are the only other NBA championship teams to have won below 50 games in non-lockout seasons since 1958; all of them won more than 44 games.
Offseason
NBA Draft
Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | College/HS/Club Team |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | Greg Ballard (SF) (from Atlanta) | ![]() |
Oregon |
1 | 11 | Bo Ellis (F) | ![]() |
Marquette |
1 | 1 | Phil Walker (G) | ![]() |
Millersville |
3 | 57 | Steve Puidokas (from Chicago) | ![]() |
Washington State |
3 | 61 | Jerry Schellenberg | ![]() |
Wake Forest |
4 | 83 | David Reavis | ![]() |
Georgia |
5 | 105 | Bruce Parkinson | ![]() |
Purdue |
6 | 127 | Ernie Wansley | ![]() |
Virginia Tech |
7 | 147 | Calvin Brown | ![]() |
American |
8 | 166 | Pat McKinley | ![]() |
Towson State |
Roster
Washington Bullets roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Season standings
Central Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
y-San Antonio Spurs | 52 | 30 | .634 | – | 32–9 | 20–21 | 15–5 |
x-Washington Bullets | 44 | 38 | .537 | 8 | 29–12 | 15–26 | 14–6 |
x-Cleveland Cavaliers | 43 | 39 | .524 | 9 | 27–14 | 16–25 | 9–11 |
x-Atlanta Hawks | 41 | 41 | .500 | 11 | 29–12 | 12–29 | 8–12 |
New Orleans Jazz | 39 | 43 | .476 | 13 | 27–14 | 12–29 | 8–12 |
Houston Rockets | 28 | 54 | .341 | 24 | 21-20 | 7-34 | 6–14 |
# | Eastern Conference | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
1 | z-Philadelphia 76ers | 55 | 27 | .671 | – |
2 | y-San Antonio Spurs | 52 | 30 | .634 | 3 |
3 | x-Washington Bullets | 44 | 38 | .537 | 11 |
4 | x-Cleveland Cavaliers | 43 | 39 | .524 | 12 |
5 | x-New York Knicks | 43 | 39 | .524 | 12 |
6 | x-Atlanta Hawks | 41 | 41 | .500 | 14 |
7 | New Orleans Jazz | 39 | 43 | .476 | 16 |
8 | Boston Celtics | 32 | 50 | .390 | 23 |
9 | Houston Rockets | 28 | 54 | .341 | 27 |
10 | Buffalo Braves | 27 | 55 | .329 | 28 |
11 | New Jersey Nets | 24 | 58 | .293 | 31 |
Regular season
Record vs. opponents
1977–78 NBA records | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Team | ATL | BOS | BUF | CHI | CLE | DEN | DET | GSW | HOU | IND | KCK | LAL | MIL | NJN | NOJ | NYK | PHI | PHO | POR | SAS | SEA | WAS |
Atlanta | — | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 1–3 |
Boston | 2–2 | — | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 1–3 |
Buffalo | 1–3 | 1–3 | — | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 0–3 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 |
Chicago | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–3 | — | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–1 |
Cleveland | 3–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–3 | — | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 3–1 | 2–2 |
Denver | 3–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–3 | — | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 3–1 |
Detroit | 2–2 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | — | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 |
Golden State | 3–1 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | — | 2–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 |
Houston | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 0–3 | 1–3 | 1–2 | — | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 1–3 |
Indiana | 1–3 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | — | 2–2 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 3–1 |
Kansas City | 1–2 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–2 | — | 2–2 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 2–2 |
Los Angeles | 1–3 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | — | 3–1 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 |
Milwaukee | 2–2 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 4–0 | 1–3 | — | 3–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 3–1 |
New Jersey | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 1–3 | — | 0–4 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 0–3 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 2–2 |
New Orleans | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 4–0 | — | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 0–4 |
New York | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 3–1 | — | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–2 |
Philadelphia | 2–2 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 3–1 | — | 2–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 |
Phoenix | 1–3 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–2 | — | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 |
Portland | 3–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 3–1 | — | 2–2 | 3–1 | 2–1 |
San Antonio | 3–1 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–2 | — | 2–2 | 2–2 |
Seattle | 1–2 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 | — | 1–3 |
Washington | 3–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | — |
Game log
Key: Win Loss
1977–78 Regular Season Game Log (44–38) (Home: 29–12; Road: 15–26) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Notes:
Player stats
Note: GP= Games played; REB= Rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Average
Player | GP | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | AVG |
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Elvin Hayes | 81 | 1075 | 149 | 96 | 159 | 1598 | 19.7 |
Bob Dandridge | 75 | 442 | 287 | 101 | 44 | 1450 | 19.3 |
Mitch Kupchak | 67 | 460 | 71 | 28 | 42 | 1066 | 15.9 |
Kevin Grevey | 81 | 290 | 155 | 61 | 17 | 1253 | 15.5 |
Phil Chenier | 36 | 102 | 73 | 36 | 9 | 509 | 14.1 |
Tom Henderson | 75 | 193 | 406 | 93 | 15 | 857 | 11.4 |
Larry Wright | 70 | 102 | 260 | 68 | 15 | 642 | 9.2 |
Charles Johnson | 39 | 93 | 82 | 31 | 1 | 324 | 8.3 |
Wes Unseld | 80 | 955 | 326 | 98 | 45 | 607 | 7.6 |
Greg Ballard | 76 | 266 | 62 | 30 | 13 | 372 | 4.9 |
Phil Walker | 40 | 52 | 54 | 14 | 5 | 178 | 4.5 |
Joe Pace | 49 | 134 | 23 | 12 | 24 | 191 | 3.9 |
Total | 82 | 4164 | 1948 | 668 | 386 | 9047 | 110.3 |
Playoffs
East First Round
As the playoffs began, the Bullets began to get healthy. They started to play solid basketball at the right time as they swept the Atlanta Hawks in the first round.
(3) Washington Bullets vs. (6) Atlanta Hawks: Bullets win series 2–0
- Game 1 @ Washington: Washington 103, Atlanta 94
- Game 2 @ Atlanta: Washington 107, Atlanta 103 (OT)
East Conference Semifinals
In the second round, the Bullets stunned the Central Division champion San Antonio Spurs in 6 games.[2] Game 6 started out oddly as Spurs guard Mike Gale was forced to a wear an inside out Bullets uniform after losing his uniform at the airport.[2] In the 3rd period the Spurs would make a run and take a 62–61 lead when the lights went out at the Cap Centre. When the lights came back on the Bullets would come out shooting on the way to a 103–100 win.[2]
(2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (3) Washington Bullets: Bullets win series 4–2
- Game 1 @ San Antonio: San Antonio 114, Washington 103
- Game 2 @ San Antonio: Washington 121, San Antonio 117
- Game 3 @ Washington: Washington 118, San Antonio 105
- Game 4 @ Washington: Washington 98, San Antonio 95
- Game 5 @ San Antonio: San Antonio 116, Washington 105
- Game 6 @ Washington: Washington 103, San Antonio 100
East Conference Finals
In the Eastern Finals, the Bullets took a 3–1 series lead against the defending Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers. The Bullets lost Game 5 on the road and returned home to play Game 6. In the closing seconds, Wes Unseld would rebound a shot of his own miss to give the Bullets a dramatic 101–99 victory.
(1) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (3) Washington Bullets: Bullets win series 4–2
- Game 1 @ Philadelphia: Washington 122, Philadelphia 117 (OT)
- Game 2 @ Philadelphia: Philadelphia 110, Washington 104
- Game 3 @ Washington: Washington 123, Philadelphia 108
- Game 4 @ Washington: Washington 121, Philadelphia 105
- Game 5 @ Philadelphia: Philadelphia 107, Washington 94
- Game 6 @ Washington: Washington 101, Philadelphia 99
NBA Finals
After being swept in their previous two trips to the NBA Finals (by Milwaukee in 1971 and Golden State in 1975), the Bullets lost Game 1 on the road against the Seattle SuperSonics, and a 19-point lead vanished in the process.[2] In Game 4, the Bullets rose to the occasion beating the Sonics 120–116 to even the series at 2 games apiece. After losing Game 5 in Seattle, the Bullets kept their hopes alive with a dominating 117–82 win at the Capital Centre.[2] Game 7 returned to Seattle and the Bullets were a heavy underdog. Kevin Grevey suffered a sprained wrist above his shooting hand, and Bob Dandridge was forced to see some action at guard. Dandridge would play strongly and scored 19 points to tie with Charles Johnson, who hit a half court shot at the end of the 3rd quarter, for the team high. Wes Unseld scored 15 points while pulling down 9 rebounds as the Bullets emerged with a 105–99 victory to win their first NBA Championship.[2]
(E3) Washington Bullets vs. (W4) Seattle SuperSonics: Bullets win series 4–3
- Game 1 @ Seattle: Seattle 106, Washington 102
- Game 2 @ Washington: Washington 106, Seattle 98
- Game 3 @ Washington: Seattle 93, Washington 92
- Game 4 @ Seattle: Washington 120, Seattle 116 (OT)
- Game 5 @ Seattle: Seattle 98, Washington 94
- Game 6 @ Washington: Washington 117, Seattle 82
- Game 7 @ Seattle: Washington 105, Seattle 99
Game log
Key: Win Loss
1977–78 NBA Playoffs Game Log | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Notes:
Playoffs player stats
Note: GP= Games played; REB= Rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Average
Player | GP | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | AVG |
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Elvin Hayes | 21 | 279 | 43 | 32 | 52 | 457 | 21.8 |
Bob Dandridge | 19 | 123 | 74 | 30 | 14 | 402 | 21.1 |
Kevin Grevey | 21 | 61 | 42 | 11 | 3 | 325 | 15.5 |
Charles Johnson | 21 | 53 | 48 | 30 | 0 | 215 | 10.2 |
Mitch Kupchak | 21 | 127 | 22 | 4 | 3 | 213 | 10.1 |
Tom Henderson | 21 | 47 | 106 | 27 | 5 | 202 | 9.6 |
Wes Unseld | 18 | 216 | 79 | 17 | 7 | 169 | 9.4 |
Larry Wright | 21 | 31 | 67 | 17 | 2 | 171 | 8.1 |
Greg Ballard | 19 | 79 | 18 | 9 | 3 | 74 | 3.9 |
Joe Pace | 9 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 25 | 2.8 |
Phil Walker | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1.5 |
Total | 21 | 1038 | 502 | 178 | 95 | 2259 | 114.1 |