This article relies largely or entirely on a
single source. (February 2024) |
1976β77 NBA season | |
---|---|
League | National Basketball Association |
Sport | Basketball |
Duration | October 21, 1976 β April 10, 1977 April 12 β May 17, 1977 (Playoffs) May 22 β June 5, 1977 (Finals) |
Number of games | 82 |
Number of teams | 22 |
TV partner(s) | CBS |
Draft | |
Top draft pick | John Lucas |
Picked by | Houston Rockets |
Regular season | |
Top seed | Los Angeles Lakers |
Season MVP | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ( Los Angeles) |
Top scorer | Pete Maravich ( New Orleans) |
Playoffs | |
Eastern champions | Philadelphia 76ers |
Eastern runners-up | Houston Rockets |
Western champions | Portland Trail Blazers |
Western runners-up | Los Angeles Lakers |
Finals | |
Champions | Portland Trail Blazers |
Runners-up | Philadelphia 76ers |
Finals MVP | Bill Walton ( Portland) |
The 1976β77 NBA season was the 31st season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Portland Trail Blazers winning their first NBA Championship in franchise history, beating the Philadelphia 76ers in six games in the NBA Finals. [1]
Prior to the season, the NBA merged with its primary rival league, the American Basketball Association (ABA). Four ABA teams joined the NBA, all four of which are still in the league today: the San Antonio Spurs, Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets, and New York Nets. The Nets became the New Jersey Nets the following season, and now play as the Brooklyn Nets. With these additions, the NBA expanded from eighteen teams to twenty-two.
Offseason | ||
---|---|---|
Team | 1975β76 coach | 1976β77 coach |
Atlanta Hawks | Bumper Tormohlen | Hubie Brown |
Buffalo Braves | Jack Ramsay | Tates Locke |
Chicago Bulls | Dick Motta | Ed Badger |
Houston Rockets | Johnny Egan | Tom Nissalke |
Los Angeles Lakers | Bill Sharman | Jerry West |
Portland Trail Blazers | Lenny Wilkens | Jack Ramsay |
Washington Bullets | K. C. Jones | Dick Motta |
In-season | ||
Team | Outgoing coach | Incoming coach |
Buffalo Braves |
Tates Locke Bob MacKinnon (interim) |
Joe Mullaney (interim) |
Milwaukee Bucks | Larry Costello | Don Nelson |
New Orleans Jazz | Butch Van Breda Kolff | Elgin Baylor |
W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
y- Philadelphia 76ers | 50 | 32 | .610 | β | 32β9 | 18β23 | 11β5 |
x- Boston Celtics | 44 | 38 | .537 | 6 | 28β13 | 16β25 | 9β7 |
New York Knicks | 40 | 42 | .488 | 10 | 26β15 | 14β27 | 8β8 |
Buffalo Braves | 30 | 52 | .366 | 20 | 23β18 | 7β34 | 6β10 |
New York Nets | 22 | 60 | .268 | 28 | 10β31 | 12β29 | 6β10 |
W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
y- Houston Rockets | 49 | 33 | .598 | β | 34β7 | 15β26 | 13β7 |
x- Washington Bullets | 48 | 34 | .585 | 1 | 32β9 | 16β25 | 11β9 |
x- San Antonio Spurs | 44 | 38 | .537 | 5 | 31β10 | 13β28 | 9β11 |
x- Cleveland Cavaliers | 43 | 39 | .524 | 6 | 29β12 | 14β27 | 8β12 |
New Orleans Jazz | 35 | 47 | .427 | 14 | 26β15 | 9β32 | 10β10 |
Atlanta Hawks | 31 | 51 | .378 | 18 | 19β22 | 12β29 | 9β11 |
W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
y- Denver Nuggets | 50 | 32 | .610 | β | 36β5 | 14β27 | 15β5 |
x- Detroit Pistons | 44 | 38 | .537 | 6 | 30β11 | 14β27 | 12β8 |
x- Chicago Bulls | 44 | 38 | .537 | 6 | 31β10 | 13β28 | 10β10 |
Kansas City Kings | 40 | 42 | .488 | 10 | 28β13 | 12β29 | 7β13 |
Indiana Pacers | 36 | 46 | .439 | 14 | 25β16 | 11β30 | 9β11 |
Milwaukee Bucks | 30 | 52 | .366 | 20 | 24β17 | 6β35 | 7β13 |
W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
y- Los Angeles Lakers | 53 | 29 | .646 | β | 37β4 | 16β25 | 11β5 |
x- Portland Trail Blazers | 49 | 33 | .598 | 4 | 35β6 | 14β27 | 10β6 |
x- Golden State Warriors | 46 | 36 | .561 | 7 | 29β12 | 17β24 | 8β8 |
Seattle SuperSonics | 40 | 42 | .488 | 13 | 27β14 | 13β28 | 6β10 |
Phoenix Suns | 34 | 48 | .415 | 19 | 26β15 | 8β33 | 5β11 |
# | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
1 | z- Philadelphia 76ers | 50 | 32 | .610 | β |
2 | y- Houston Rockets | 49 | 33 | .598 | 1 |
3 | x- Washington Bullets | 48 | 34 | .585 | 2 |
4 | x- Boston Celtics | 44 | 38 | .537 | 6 |
5 | x- San Antonio Spurs | 44 | 38 | .537 | 6 |
6 | x- Cleveland Cavaliers | 43 | 39 | .524 | 7 |
7 | New York Knicks | 40 | 42 | .488 | 10 |
8 | New Orleans Jazz | 35 | 47 | .427 | 15 |
9 | Atlanta Hawks | 31 | 51 | .378 | 19 |
10 | Buffalo Braves | 30 | 52 | .366 | 20 |
11 | New York Nets | 22 | 60 | .268 | 28 |
# | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
1 | z- Los Angeles Lakers | 53 | 29 | .646 | β |
2 | y- Denver Nuggets | 50 | 32 | .610 | 3 |
3 | x- Portland Trail Blazers | 49 | 33 | .598 | 4 |
4 | x- Golden State Warriors | 46 | 36 | .561 | 7 |
5 | x- Detroit Pistons | 44 | 38 | .537 | 9 |
6 | x- Chicago Bulls | 44 | 38 | .537 | 9 |
7 | Kansas City Kings | 40 | 42 | .488 | 13 |
8 | Seattle SuperSonics | 40 | 42 | .488 | 13 |
9 | Indiana Pacers | 36 | 46 | .439 | 17 |
10 | Phoenix Suns | 34 | 48 | .415 | 19 |
11 | Milwaukee Bucks | 30 | 52 | .366 | 23 |
Notes
First Round | Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | NBA Finals | ||||||||||||||||
E1 | Philadelphia* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
E4 | Boston | 2 | E4 | Boston | 3 | ||||||||||||||
E5 | San Antonio | 0 | Eastern Conference | E1 | Philadelphia* | 4 | |||||||||||||
E2 | Houston* | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
E3 | Washington | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
E3 | Washington | 2 | E2 | Houston* | 4 | ||||||||||||||
E6 | Cleveland | 1 | E1 | Philadelphia* | 2 | ||||||||||||||
W3 | Portland | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W1 | Los Angeles* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W4 | Golden State | 2 | W4 | Golden State | 3 | ||||||||||||||
W5 | Detroit | 1 | Western Conference | W1 | Los Angeles* | 0 | |||||||||||||
W3 | Portland | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W3 | Portland | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W3 | Portland | 2 | W2 | Denver* | 2 | ||||||||||||||
W6 | Chicago | 1 |
Category | Player | Team | Stat |
---|---|---|---|
Points per game | Pete Maravich | New Orleans Jazz | 31.6 |
Rebounds per game | Bill Walton | Portland Trail Blazers | 14.4 |
Assists per game | Don Buse | Indiana Pacers | 8.5 |
Steals per game | Don Buse | Indiana Pacers | 3.47 |
Blocks per game | Bill Walton | Portland Trail Blazers | 3.25 |
FG% | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Los Angeles Lakers | .579 |
FT% | Ernie DiGregorio | Buffalo Braves | .945 |
|
|
|
This article relies largely or entirely on a
single source. (February 2024) |
1976β77 NBA season | |
---|---|
League | National Basketball Association |
Sport | Basketball |
Duration | October 21, 1976 β April 10, 1977 April 12 β May 17, 1977 (Playoffs) May 22 β June 5, 1977 (Finals) |
Number of games | 82 |
Number of teams | 22 |
TV partner(s) | CBS |
Draft | |
Top draft pick | John Lucas |
Picked by | Houston Rockets |
Regular season | |
Top seed | Los Angeles Lakers |
Season MVP | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ( Los Angeles) |
Top scorer | Pete Maravich ( New Orleans) |
Playoffs | |
Eastern champions | Philadelphia 76ers |
Eastern runners-up | Houston Rockets |
Western champions | Portland Trail Blazers |
Western runners-up | Los Angeles Lakers |
Finals | |
Champions | Portland Trail Blazers |
Runners-up | Philadelphia 76ers |
Finals MVP | Bill Walton ( Portland) |
The 1976β77 NBA season was the 31st season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Portland Trail Blazers winning their first NBA Championship in franchise history, beating the Philadelphia 76ers in six games in the NBA Finals. [1]
Prior to the season, the NBA merged with its primary rival league, the American Basketball Association (ABA). Four ABA teams joined the NBA, all four of which are still in the league today: the San Antonio Spurs, Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets, and New York Nets. The Nets became the New Jersey Nets the following season, and now play as the Brooklyn Nets. With these additions, the NBA expanded from eighteen teams to twenty-two.
Offseason | ||
---|---|---|
Team | 1975β76 coach | 1976β77 coach |
Atlanta Hawks | Bumper Tormohlen | Hubie Brown |
Buffalo Braves | Jack Ramsay | Tates Locke |
Chicago Bulls | Dick Motta | Ed Badger |
Houston Rockets | Johnny Egan | Tom Nissalke |
Los Angeles Lakers | Bill Sharman | Jerry West |
Portland Trail Blazers | Lenny Wilkens | Jack Ramsay |
Washington Bullets | K. C. Jones | Dick Motta |
In-season | ||
Team | Outgoing coach | Incoming coach |
Buffalo Braves |
Tates Locke Bob MacKinnon (interim) |
Joe Mullaney (interim) |
Milwaukee Bucks | Larry Costello | Don Nelson |
New Orleans Jazz | Butch Van Breda Kolff | Elgin Baylor |
W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
y- Philadelphia 76ers | 50 | 32 | .610 | β | 32β9 | 18β23 | 11β5 |
x- Boston Celtics | 44 | 38 | .537 | 6 | 28β13 | 16β25 | 9β7 |
New York Knicks | 40 | 42 | .488 | 10 | 26β15 | 14β27 | 8β8 |
Buffalo Braves | 30 | 52 | .366 | 20 | 23β18 | 7β34 | 6β10 |
New York Nets | 22 | 60 | .268 | 28 | 10β31 | 12β29 | 6β10 |
W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
y- Houston Rockets | 49 | 33 | .598 | β | 34β7 | 15β26 | 13β7 |
x- Washington Bullets | 48 | 34 | .585 | 1 | 32β9 | 16β25 | 11β9 |
x- San Antonio Spurs | 44 | 38 | .537 | 5 | 31β10 | 13β28 | 9β11 |
x- Cleveland Cavaliers | 43 | 39 | .524 | 6 | 29β12 | 14β27 | 8β12 |
New Orleans Jazz | 35 | 47 | .427 | 14 | 26β15 | 9β32 | 10β10 |
Atlanta Hawks | 31 | 51 | .378 | 18 | 19β22 | 12β29 | 9β11 |
W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
y- Denver Nuggets | 50 | 32 | .610 | β | 36β5 | 14β27 | 15β5 |
x- Detroit Pistons | 44 | 38 | .537 | 6 | 30β11 | 14β27 | 12β8 |
x- Chicago Bulls | 44 | 38 | .537 | 6 | 31β10 | 13β28 | 10β10 |
Kansas City Kings | 40 | 42 | .488 | 10 | 28β13 | 12β29 | 7β13 |
Indiana Pacers | 36 | 46 | .439 | 14 | 25β16 | 11β30 | 9β11 |
Milwaukee Bucks | 30 | 52 | .366 | 20 | 24β17 | 6β35 | 7β13 |
W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
y- Los Angeles Lakers | 53 | 29 | .646 | β | 37β4 | 16β25 | 11β5 |
x- Portland Trail Blazers | 49 | 33 | .598 | 4 | 35β6 | 14β27 | 10β6 |
x- Golden State Warriors | 46 | 36 | .561 | 7 | 29β12 | 17β24 | 8β8 |
Seattle SuperSonics | 40 | 42 | .488 | 13 | 27β14 | 13β28 | 6β10 |
Phoenix Suns | 34 | 48 | .415 | 19 | 26β15 | 8β33 | 5β11 |
# | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
1 | z- Philadelphia 76ers | 50 | 32 | .610 | β |
2 | y- Houston Rockets | 49 | 33 | .598 | 1 |
3 | x- Washington Bullets | 48 | 34 | .585 | 2 |
4 | x- Boston Celtics | 44 | 38 | .537 | 6 |
5 | x- San Antonio Spurs | 44 | 38 | .537 | 6 |
6 | x- Cleveland Cavaliers | 43 | 39 | .524 | 7 |
7 | New York Knicks | 40 | 42 | .488 | 10 |
8 | New Orleans Jazz | 35 | 47 | .427 | 15 |
9 | Atlanta Hawks | 31 | 51 | .378 | 19 |
10 | Buffalo Braves | 30 | 52 | .366 | 20 |
11 | New York Nets | 22 | 60 | .268 | 28 |
# | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
1 | z- Los Angeles Lakers | 53 | 29 | .646 | β |
2 | y- Denver Nuggets | 50 | 32 | .610 | 3 |
3 | x- Portland Trail Blazers | 49 | 33 | .598 | 4 |
4 | x- Golden State Warriors | 46 | 36 | .561 | 7 |
5 | x- Detroit Pistons | 44 | 38 | .537 | 9 |
6 | x- Chicago Bulls | 44 | 38 | .537 | 9 |
7 | Kansas City Kings | 40 | 42 | .488 | 13 |
8 | Seattle SuperSonics | 40 | 42 | .488 | 13 |
9 | Indiana Pacers | 36 | 46 | .439 | 17 |
10 | Phoenix Suns | 34 | 48 | .415 | 19 |
11 | Milwaukee Bucks | 30 | 52 | .366 | 23 |
Notes
First Round | Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | NBA Finals | ||||||||||||||||
E1 | Philadelphia* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
E4 | Boston | 2 | E4 | Boston | 3 | ||||||||||||||
E5 | San Antonio | 0 | Eastern Conference | E1 | Philadelphia* | 4 | |||||||||||||
E2 | Houston* | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
E3 | Washington | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
E3 | Washington | 2 | E2 | Houston* | 4 | ||||||||||||||
E6 | Cleveland | 1 | E1 | Philadelphia* | 2 | ||||||||||||||
W3 | Portland | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W1 | Los Angeles* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W4 | Golden State | 2 | W4 | Golden State | 3 | ||||||||||||||
W5 | Detroit | 1 | Western Conference | W1 | Los Angeles* | 0 | |||||||||||||
W3 | Portland | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W3 | Portland | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W3 | Portland | 2 | W2 | Denver* | 2 | ||||||||||||||
W6 | Chicago | 1 |
Category | Player | Team | Stat |
---|---|---|---|
Points per game | Pete Maravich | New Orleans Jazz | 31.6 |
Rebounds per game | Bill Walton | Portland Trail Blazers | 14.4 |
Assists per game | Don Buse | Indiana Pacers | 8.5 |
Steals per game | Don Buse | Indiana Pacers | 3.47 |
Blocks per game | Bill Walton | Portland Trail Blazers | 3.25 |
FG% | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Los Angeles Lakers | .579 |
FT% | Ernie DiGregorio | Buffalo Braves | .945 |
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