1977β78 Washington Bullets season | |
---|---|
NBA champions | |
Conference champions | |
Head coach | Dick Motta |
General manager | Bob Ferry |
Owner(s) | Abe Pollin |
Arena | Capital Centre |
Results | |
Record | 44–38 (.537) |
Place | Division: 2nd (
Central) Conference: 3rd ( Eastern) |
Playoff finish |
NBA Champions (Defeated SuperSonics 4β3) |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Local media | |
Television |
WDCAβTV 20 ( Jim Karvellas, Gus Johnson) |
Radio |
WTOPβAM 1500 ( Frank Herzog) |
The 1977β78 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 2024 [update]. In the NBA Finals, they defeated the Seattle SuperSonics in seven games.
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 24β15, capping an 18β5 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 44β38 record. [2] They hold the record for the lowest win total of any NBA Championship winning team. The 1968β69 Boston Celtics, 1974β75 Golden State Warriors, 1976β77 Portland Trail Blazers, and 1994β95 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.
Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College/HS/Club Team | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 4 | Greg Ballard | F | United States | Oregon | from Atlanta |
17 | Bo Ellis | F | United States | Marquette | ||
2 | 39 | Phil Walker | G | United States | Millersville | |
3 | 57 | Steve Puidokas | C | United States | Washington State | from Chicago |
61 | Jerry Schellenberg | F | United States | Wake Forest | ||
4 | 83 | David Reavis | F | United States | Georgia | |
5 | 105 | Bruce Parkinson | G | United States | Purdue | |
6 | 127 | Ernie Wansley | C | United States | Virginia Tech | |
7 | 147 | Calvin Brown | G | United States | American | |
8 | 166 | Pat McKinley | F | United States | Towson State |
1977β78 Washington Bullets roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
y- San Antonio Spurs | 52 | 30 | .634 | β | 32β9 | 20β21 | 15β5 |
x- Washington Bullets | 44 | 38 | .537 | 8 | 29β12 | 15β26 | 14β6 |
x- Cleveland Cavaliers | 43 | 39 | .524 | 9 | 27β14 | 16β25 | 9β11 |
x- Atlanta Hawks | 41 | 41 | .500 | 11 | 29β12 | 12β29 | 8β12 |
New Orleans Jazz | 39 | 43 | .476 | 13 | 27β14 | 12β29 | 8β12 |
Houston Rockets | 28 | 54 | .341 | 24 | 21-20 | 7-34 | 6β14 |
# | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
1 | z- Philadelphia 76ers | 55 | 27 | .671 | β |
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 |
1977β78 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 | β | 2β2 | 3β1 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 2β1 | 3β1 | 2β2 | 3β1 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 3β1 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 2β1 | 1β3 |
Boston | 2β2 | β | 3β1 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 2β1 | 2β2 | 1β2 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 0β4 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 0β4 | 0β4 | 1β3 |
Buffalo | 1β3 | 1β3 | β | 3β1 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 0β3 | 3β1 | 1β3 | 1β2 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 3β1 | 1β3 | 0β4 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 1β3 |
Chicago | 3β1 | 3β1 | 1β3 | β | 3β1 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 0β4 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 1β2 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 3β0 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 2β1 |
Cleveland | 3β1 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 1β3 | β | 3β1 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 2β1 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 2β2 | 3β1 | 1β3 | 1β2 | 0β4 | 0β4 | 3β1 | 2β2 |
Denver | 3β1 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 2β2 | 1β3 | β | 2β2 | 2β2 | 3β0 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 3β1 | 2β1 | 1β3 | 3β1 |
Detroit | 2β2 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 2β2 | β | 2β2 | 3β1 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 3β1 | 3β0 | 0β4 | 0β4 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 2β2 |
Golden State | 3β1 | 2β2 | 3β0 | 3β1 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 2β2 | β | 2β1 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 0β4 | 2β2 | 3β1 | 0β4 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 3β1 | 2β2 | 2β2 |
Houston | 1β3 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 0β3 | 1β3 | 1β2 | β | 3β1 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 0β4 | 1β3 |
Indiana | 1β3 | 1β2 | 3β1 | 1β3 | 1β2 | 2β2 | 3β1 | 1β3 | 1β3 | β | 2β2 | 1β3 | 0β4 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 3β1 |
Kansas City | 1β2 | 2β2 | 2β1 | 4β0 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 3β1 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 2β2 | β | 2β2 | 0β4 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 0β4 | 1β3 | 0β4 | 0β4 | 0β4 | 1β3 | 2β2 |
Los Angeles | 1β3 | 2β1 | 3β1 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 4β0 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 2β2 | β | 3β1 | 4β0 | 2β1 | 3β1 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 0β4 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 2β2 |
Milwaukee | 2β2 | 1β3 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 3β1 | 4β0 | 4β0 | 1β3 | β | 3β1 | 2β1 | 3β1 | 1β2 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 3β1 |
New Jersey | 1β3 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 2β1 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 0β4 | 1β3 | β | 0β4 | 1β3 | 0β4 | 2β2 | 0β3 | 0β4 | 2β2 | 2β2 |
New Orleans | 2β2 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 4β0 | 3β1 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 1β2 | 1β2 | 4β0 | β | 1β3 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 3β1 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 0β4 |
New York | 2β2 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 3β1 | 1β3 | 3β1 | 3β0 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 3β1 | 4β0 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 3β1 | 3β1 | β | 1β3 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 2β1 | 2β2 |
Philadelphia | 2β2 | 4β0 | 3β1 | 1β3 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 4β0 | 3β1 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 3β1 | 2β2 | 2β1 | 4β0 | 2β2 | 3β1 | β | 2β1 | 2β2 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 2β2 |
Phoenix | 1β3 | 2β2 | 4β0 | 2β2 | 2β1 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 4β0 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 2β2 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 1β2 | β | 1β3 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 2β2 |
Portland | 3β1 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 4β0 | 1β3 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 2β2 | 3β1 | 4β0 | 4β0 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 1β3 | 3β0 | 2β2 | 3β1 | β | 2β2 | 3β1 | 2β1 |
San Antonio | 3β1 | 4β0 | 3β1 | 2β2 | 4β0 | 1β2 | 2β1 | 1β3 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 4β0 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 4β0 | 3β1 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 2β2 | β | 2β2 | 2β2 |
Seattle | 1β2 | 4β0 | 3β1 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 2β2 | 4β0 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 2β2 | 2β1 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 2β2 | β | 1β3 |
Washington | 3β1 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 1β2 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 3β1 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 4β0 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 1β2 | 2β2 | 3β1 | β |
1977β78 game log Total: 44β38 (home: 22β19; road: 21β20) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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October: 1β3 (home: 1β0; road: 0β3)
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November: 9β4 (home: 6β2; road: 3β2)
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December: 10β6 (home: 6β1; road: 4β5)
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January: 6β8 (home: 5β2; road: 1β6)
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February: 5β8 (home: 4β1; road: 1β7)
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March: 10β7 (home: 5β5; road: 5β2)
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April: 3β2 (home: 2β1; road: 1β1)
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1977β78 schedule |
1978 playoff game log Total: 14β7 (Home: 9β1; Road: 5β6) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Eastern Conference First Round: 2β0 (home: 1β0; road: 1β0)
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Eastern Conference Semifinals: 4β2 (home: 3β0; road: 1β2)
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Eastern Conference Finals: 4β2 (home: 3β0; road: 1β2)
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NBA Finals: 4β3 (home: 2β1; road: 2β2)
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1978 schedule |
Game | Date | Opponent | Officials |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 10β21β1977 | Detroit | N/A |
2 | 10β22β1977 | @ New York | N/A |
3 | 10β28β1977 | @ Indiana | No. 29 Mike Mathis and No. 15 Bob Rakel |
4 | 10β29β1977 | @ Kansas City | N/A |
5 | 11β4β1977 | Phoenix | N/A |
6 | 11β5β1977 | @ Houston | N/A |
7 | 11β6β1977 | @ New Orleans | N/A |
8 | 11β10β1977 | Milwaukee | N/A |
9 | 11β12β1977 | Philadelphia | No. 10 Darell Garretson and No. 43 Wally Rooney |
10 | 11β13β1977 | @ Detroit | N/A |
11 | 11β15β1977 | Seattle | N/A |
12 | 11β18β1977 | New York | N/A |
13 | 11β19β1977 | @ Kansas City | N/A |
14 | 11β21β1977 | @ Buffalo | No. 28 Tommy Nunez and No. 17 Ed Rush |
15 | 11β22β1977 | Denver | N/A |
16 | 11β26β1977 | Houston | N/A |
17 | 11β30β1977 | San Antonio | N/A |
18 | 12β2β1977 | @ Milwaukee | N/A |
19 | 12β3β1977 | Boston | N/A |
20 | 12β4β1977 | @ Cleveland | No. 18 Ed Middleton and No. 26 Richie Powers |
21 | 12β6β1977 | @ Chicago | No. 20 Jess Kersey and No. 14 Jack Madden |
22 | 12β7β1977 | Cleveland | No. 11 Jake O'Donnell and No. 21 Mel Whitworth |
23 | 12β9β1977 | New Orleans | N/A |
24 | 12β11β1977 | New Jersey | N/A |
25 | 12β13β1977 | Golden State | No. 28 Tommy Nunez and No. 17 Ed Rush |
26 | 12β16β1977 | @ Denver | N/A |
27 | 12β17β1977 | @ Portland | No. 7 Joe Gushue and No. 24 Bill Saar |
28 | 12β18β1977 | @ Seattle | No. 44 Bernie Fryer and No. 12 Earl Strom |
29 | 12β20β1977 | @ Los Angeles | N/A |
30 | 12β25β1977 | Atlanta | N/A |
31 | 12β26β1977 | @ Atlanta | N/A |
32 | 12β28β1977 | Buffalo | No. 18 Ed Middleton and No. 6 Don Murphy |
33 | 12β30β1977 | @ Philadelphia | No. 27 Dick Bavetta and No. 11 Jake O'Donnell |
34 | 1β3β1978 | Denver | N/A |
35 | 1β6β1978 | Indiana | No. 7 Joe Gushue and No. 42 Hue Hollins |
36 | 1β8β1978 | @ New Jersey | N/A |
37 | 1β10β1978 | Kansas City | N/A |
38 | 1β11β1978 | @ Atlanta | N/A |
39 | 1β13β1978 | Portland | No. 25 Hugh Evans and No. 12 Earl Strom |
40 | 1β14β1978 | @ Buffalo | No. 33 Joe Crawford and No. 10 Darell Garretson |
41 | 1β18β1978 | @ Golden State | No. 27 Dick Bavetta and No. 19 Jim Capers |
42 | 1β20β1978 | @ Los Angeles | N/A |
43 | 1β22β1978 | @ Phoenix | No. 18 Ed Middleton and No. 9 John Vanak |
44 | 1β24β1978 | Detroit | N/A |
45 | 1β26β1978 | Chicago | No. 18 Ed Middleton and No. 43 Wally Rooney |
46 | 1β29β1978 | Los Angeles | N/A |
47 | 1β31β1978 | @ San Antonio | N/A |
48 | 2β2β1978 | @ Cleveland | No. 11 Jake O'Donnell and No. 43 Wally Rooney |
49 | 2β3β1978 | @ Boston | N/A |
50 | 2β7β1978 | @ Golden State | No. 42 Hue Hollins and No. 15 Bob Rakel |
51 | 2β8β1978 | @ Seattle | No. 6 Don Murphy and No. 21 Mel Whitworth |
52 | 2β12β1978 | @ Phoenix | N/A |
53 | 2β14β1978 | @ Denver | N/A |
54 | 2β16β1978 | Buffalo | No. 20 Jess Kersey and No. 9 John Vanak |
55 | 2β17β1978 | @ Indiana | No. 44 Bernie Fryer and No. 17 Ed Rush |
56 | 2β19β1978 | New Orleans | N/A |
57 | 2β22β1978 | Portland | No. 14 Jack Madden and No. 28 Tommy Nunez |
58 | 2β24β1978 | Phoenix | N/A |
59 | 2β26β1978 | Golden State | N/A |
60 | 2β28β1978 | @ Milwaukee | N/A |
61 | 3β1β1978 | San Antonio | N/A |
62 | 3β3β1978 | @ Detroit | N/A |
63 | 3β5β1978 | Houston | N/A |
64 | 3β10β1978 | @ Houston | N/A |
65 | 3β11β1978 | @ San Antonio | N/A |
66 | 3β14β1978 | Seattle | N/A |
67 | 3β16β1978 | @ Chicago | No. 28 Tommy Nunez and No. 9 John Vanak |
68 | 3β17β1978 | Indiana | No. 19 Jim Capers and No. 30 Lee Jones |
69 | 3β19β1978 | Milwaukee | N/A |
70 | 3β21β1978 | Boston | N/A |
71 | 3β22β1978 | @ New Orleans | N/A |
72 | 3β24β1978 | @ New Jersey | N/A |
73 | 3β25β1978 | Atlanta | N/A |
74 | 3β26β1978 | New Jersey | N/A |
75 | 3β29β1978 | Kansas City | No. 27 Dick Bavetta and No. 15 Bob Rakel |
76 | 3β30β1978 | @ New York | N/A |
77 | 3β31β1978 | Cleveland | No. 19 Jim Capers and No. 12 Earl Strom |
78 | 4β2β1978 | New York | N/A |
79 | 4β5β1978 | Los Angeles | N/A |
80 | 4β6β1978 | @ Boston | N/A |
81 | 4β8β1978 | @ Philadelphia | No. 25 Hugh Evans and No. 6 Don Murphy |
82 | 4β9β1978 | Philadelphia | No. 27 Dick Bavetta and No. 22 Paul Mihalak |
Game | Round | Date | Opponent | Officials | Alternate |
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1 | Eastern Conference First Round | 4β12β1978 | Atlanta | ||
2 | Eastern Conference First Round | 4β14β1978 | @ Atlanta | ||
1 | Eastern Conference Semifinals | 4β16β1978 | @ San Antonio | No. 6 Don Murphy and No. 9 John Vanak | No. 20 Jess Kersey |
2 | Eastern Conference Semifinals | 4β18β1978 | @ San Antonio | ||
3 | Eastern Conference Semifinals | 4β21β1978 | San Antonio | ||
4 | Eastern Conference Semifinals | 4β23β1978 | San Antonio | No. 11 Jake O'Donnell and No. 18 Ed Middleton | No. 29 Mike Mathis |
5 | Eastern Conference Semifinals | 4β25β1978 | @ San Antonio | ||
6 | Eastern Conference Semifinals | 4β28β1978 | San Antonio | ||
1 | Eastern Conference Finals | 4β30β1978 | @ Philadelphia | No. 12 Earl Strom and No. 25 Hugh Evans | No. 30 Lee Jones |
2 | Eastern Conference Finals | 5β3β1978 | @ Philadelphia | No. 14 Jack Madden and No. 17 Ed Rush | |
3 | Eastern Conference Finals | 5β5β1978 | Philadelphia | No. 7 Joe Gushue and No. 22 Paul Mihalak | |
4 | Eastern Conference Finals | 5β7β1978 | Philadelphia | No. 11 Jake O'Donnell and No. 19 Jim Capers | |
5 | Eastern Conference Finals | 5β10β1978 | @ Philadelphia | No. 10 Darell Garretson and No. 6 Don Murphy | |
6 | Eastern Conference Finals | 5β12β1978 | Philadelphia | No. 12 Earl Strom and No. 9 John Vanak | |
1 | NBA Finals | 5β21β1978 | @ Seattle | No. 10 Darell Garretson and No. 17 Ed Rush | |
2 | NBA Finals | 5β25β1978 | Seattle | No. 7 Joe Gushue and No. 11 Jake O'Donnell | |
3 | NBA Finals | 5β28β1978 | Seattle | No. 12 Earl Strom and No. 9 John Vanak | |
4 | NBA Finals | 5β30β1978 | @ Seattle | No. 14 Jack Madden and No. 6 Don Murphy | |
5 | NBA Finals | 6β2β1978 | @ Seattle | No. 7 Joe Gushue and No. 11 Jake O'Donnell | |
6 | NBA Finals | 6β4β1978 | Seattle | No. 10 Darell Garretson and No. 6 Don Murphy | |
7 | NBA Finals | 6β7β1978 | @ Seattle | No. 14 Jack Madden and No. 12 Earl Strom |
Note: GP= Games played; GS= Games started; MP=Minutes played; FG=Field goals; FGA=Field goals attempted; FG%=Field goal percentage; FT=Free throws; FTA=Free throws attempted; FT%=Free throw percentage; ORB= Offensive rebounds; DRB= Defensive rebounds; TRB= Total rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Average
Player | GP | GS | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | FT | FTA | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | AVG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hayes | 81 | 3246 | 636 | 1409 | .451 | 326 | 514 | .635 | 335 | 740 | 1075 | 149 | 96 | 159 | 1598 | 19.7 | |
Dandridge | 75 | 2777 | 560 | 1190 | .471 | 330 | 419 | .788 | 137 | 305 | 442 | 287 | 101 | 44 | 1450 | 19.3 | |
Kupchak | 67 | 1759 | 393 | 768 | .512 | 280 | 402 | .697 | 162 | 298 | 460 | 71 | 28 | 42 | 1066 | 15.9 | |
Grevey | 81 | 2121 | 505 | 1128 | .448 | 243 | 308 | .789 | 124 | 166 | 290 | 155 | 61 | 17 | 1253 | 15.5 | |
Chenier | 36 | 937 | 200 | 451 | .443 | 109 | 138 | .790 | 15 | 87 | 102 | 73 | 36 | 9 | 509 | 14.1 | |
Henderson | 75 | 2315 | 339 | 784 | .432 | 179 | 240 | .746 | 66 | 127 | 193 | 406 | 93 | 15 | 857 | 11.4 | |
Wright | 70 | 1466 | 283 | 570 | .496 | 76 | 107 | .710 | 31 | 71 | 102 | 260 | 68 | 15 | 642 | 9.2 | |
Johnson | 39 | 807 | 141 | 346 | .408 | 42 | 51 | .824 | 20 | 73 | 93 | 82 | 31 | 1 | 324 | 8.3 | |
Unseld | 80 | 2644 | 257 | 491 | .523 | 93 | 173 | .538 | 286 | 669 | 955 | 326 | 98 | 45 | 607 | 7.6 | |
Ballard | 76 | 936 | 142 | 334 | .425 | 88 | 114 | .772 | 102 | 164 | 266 | 62 | 30 | 13 | 372 | 4.9 | |
Walker | 40 | 384 | 57 | 161 | .354 | 64 | 96 | .667 | 21 | 31 | 52 | 54 | 14 | 5 | 178 | 4.5 | |
Pace | 49 | 438 | 67 | 140 | .479 | 57 | 93 | .613 | 50 | 84 | 134 | 23 | 12 | 24 | 191 | 3.9 | |
Total | 82 | 19830 | 3580 | 7772 | .461 | 1887 | 2655 | .711 | 1349 | 2815 | 4164 | 1948 | 668 | 386 | 9047 | 110.3 |
Note: GP= Games played; GS= Games started; MP=Minutes played; FG=Field goals; FGA=Field goals attempted; FG%=Field goal percentage; FT=Free throws; FTA=Free throws attempted; FT%=Free throw percentage; ORB= Offensive rebounds; DRB= Defensive rebounds; TRB= Total rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Average
Player | GP | GS | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | FT | FTA | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | AVG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hayes | 21 | 868 | 189 | 385 | .491 | 79 | 133 | .594 | 103 | 176 | 279 | 43 | 32 | 52 | 457 | 21.8 | |
Dandridge | 19 | 746 | 172 | 359 | .479 | 58 | 84 | .690 | 35 | 88 | 123 | 74 | 30 | 14 | 402 | 21.1 | |
Grevey | 21 | 584 | 126 | 284 | .444 | 73 | 90 | .811 | 25 | 36 | 61 | 42 | 11 | 3 | 325 | 15.5 | |
Johnson | 21 | 425 | 93 | 229 | .406 | 29 | 37 | .784 | 20 | 33 | 53 | 48 | 30 | 0 | 215 | 10.2 | |
Kupchak | 21 | 504 | 84 | 199 | .422 | 45 | 69 | .652 | 49 | 78 | 127 | 22 | 4 | 3 | 213 | 10.1 | |
Henderson | 21 | 597 | 72 | 173 | .416 | 58 | 79 | .734 | 17 | 30 | 47 | 106 | 27 | 5 | 202 | 9.6 | |
Unseld | 18 | 677 | 71 | 134 | .530 | 27 | 46 | .587 | 72 | 144 | 216 | 79 | 17 | 7 | 169 | 9.4 | |
Wright | 21 | 402 | 76 | 163 | .466 | 19 | 25 | .760 | 7 | 24 | 31 | 67 | 17 | 2 | 171 | 8.1 | |
Ballard | 19 | 243 | 21 | 63 | .333 | 32 | 41 | .780 | 27 | 52 | 79 | 18 | 9 | 3 | 74 | 3.9 | |
Pace | 9 | 52 | 7 | 10 | .700 | 11 | 15 | .733 | 5 | 15 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 25 | 2.8 | |
Walker | 4 | 17 | 1 | 8 | .125 | 4 | 5 | .800 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1.5 | |
Total | 21 | 5115 | 912 | 2007 | 435 | 583 | 361 | 677 | 1038 | 502 | 178 | 95 | 2259 | 114.1 |
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 120β116 to even the series at 2 games apiece. After losing Game 5 in Seattle, the Bullets kept their hopes alive with a dominating 117β82 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 105β99 victory to win their first NBA Championship. [2]
1977β78 Washington Bullets season | |
---|---|
NBA champions | |
Conference champions | |
Head coach | Dick Motta |
General manager | Bob Ferry |
Owner(s) | Abe Pollin |
Arena | Capital Centre |
Results | |
Record | 44–38 (.537) |
Place | Division: 2nd (
Central) Conference: 3rd ( Eastern) |
Playoff finish |
NBA Champions (Defeated SuperSonics 4β3) |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Local media | |
Television |
WDCAβTV 20 ( Jim Karvellas, Gus Johnson) |
Radio |
WTOPβAM 1500 ( Frank Herzog) |
The 1977β78 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 2024 [update]. In the NBA Finals, they defeated the Seattle SuperSonics in seven games.
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 24β15, capping an 18β5 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 44β38 record. [2] They hold the record for the lowest win total of any NBA Championship winning team. The 1968β69 Boston Celtics, 1974β75 Golden State Warriors, 1976β77 Portland Trail Blazers, and 1994β95 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.
Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College/HS/Club Team | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 4 | Greg Ballard | F | United States | Oregon | from Atlanta |
17 | Bo Ellis | F | United States | Marquette | ||
2 | 39 | Phil Walker | G | United States | Millersville | |
3 | 57 | Steve Puidokas | C | United States | Washington State | from Chicago |
61 | Jerry Schellenberg | F | United States | Wake Forest | ||
4 | 83 | David Reavis | F | United States | Georgia | |
5 | 105 | Bruce Parkinson | G | United States | Purdue | |
6 | 127 | Ernie Wansley | C | United States | Virginia Tech | |
7 | 147 | Calvin Brown | G | United States | American | |
8 | 166 | Pat McKinley | F | United States | Towson State |
1977β78 Washington Bullets roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
y- San Antonio Spurs | 52 | 30 | .634 | β | 32β9 | 20β21 | 15β5 |
x- Washington Bullets | 44 | 38 | .537 | 8 | 29β12 | 15β26 | 14β6 |
x- Cleveland Cavaliers | 43 | 39 | .524 | 9 | 27β14 | 16β25 | 9β11 |
x- Atlanta Hawks | 41 | 41 | .500 | 11 | 29β12 | 12β29 | 8β12 |
New Orleans Jazz | 39 | 43 | .476 | 13 | 27β14 | 12β29 | 8β12 |
Houston Rockets | 28 | 54 | .341 | 24 | 21-20 | 7-34 | 6β14 |
# | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
1 | z- Philadelphia 76ers | 55 | 27 | .671 | β |
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 |
1977β78 NBA records | ||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | ATL | BOS | BUF | CHI | CLE | DEN | DET | GSW | HOU | IND | KCK | LAL | MIL | NJN | NOJ | NYK | PHI | PHO | POR | SAS | SEA | WAS |
Atlanta | β | 2β2 | 3β1 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 2β1 | 3β1 | 2β2 | 3β1 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 3β1 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 2β1 | 1β3 |
Boston | 2β2 | β | 3β1 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 2β1 | 2β2 | 1β2 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 0β4 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 0β4 | 0β4 | 1β3 |
Buffalo | 1β3 | 1β3 | β | 3β1 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 0β3 | 3β1 | 1β3 | 1β2 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 3β1 | 1β3 | 0β4 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 1β3 |
Chicago | 3β1 | 3β1 | 1β3 | β | 3β1 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 0β4 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 1β2 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 3β0 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 2β1 |
Cleveland | 3β1 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 1β3 | β | 3β1 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 2β1 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 2β2 | 3β1 | 1β3 | 1β2 | 0β4 | 0β4 | 3β1 | 2β2 |
Denver | 3β1 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 2β2 | 1β3 | β | 2β2 | 2β2 | 3β0 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 3β1 | 2β1 | 1β3 | 3β1 |
Detroit | 2β2 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 2β2 | β | 2β2 | 3β1 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 3β1 | 3β0 | 0β4 | 0β4 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 2β2 |
Golden State | 3β1 | 2β2 | 3β0 | 3β1 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 2β2 | β | 2β1 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 0β4 | 2β2 | 3β1 | 0β4 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 3β1 | 2β2 | 2β2 |
Houston | 1β3 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 0β3 | 1β3 | 1β2 | β | 3β1 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 0β4 | 1β3 |
Indiana | 1β3 | 1β2 | 3β1 | 1β3 | 1β2 | 2β2 | 3β1 | 1β3 | 1β3 | β | 2β2 | 1β3 | 0β4 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 3β1 |
Kansas City | 1β2 | 2β2 | 2β1 | 4β0 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 3β1 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 2β2 | β | 2β2 | 0β4 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 0β4 | 1β3 | 0β4 | 0β4 | 0β4 | 1β3 | 2β2 |
Los Angeles | 1β3 | 2β1 | 3β1 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 4β0 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 2β2 | β | 3β1 | 4β0 | 2β1 | 3β1 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 0β4 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 2β2 |
Milwaukee | 2β2 | 1β3 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 3β1 | 4β0 | 4β0 | 1β3 | β | 3β1 | 2β1 | 3β1 | 1β2 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 3β1 |
New Jersey | 1β3 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 2β1 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 0β4 | 1β3 | β | 0β4 | 1β3 | 0β4 | 2β2 | 0β3 | 0β4 | 2β2 | 2β2 |
New Orleans | 2β2 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 4β0 | 3β1 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 1β2 | 1β2 | 4β0 | β | 1β3 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 3β1 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 0β4 |
New York | 2β2 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 3β1 | 1β3 | 3β1 | 3β0 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 3β1 | 4β0 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 3β1 | 3β1 | β | 1β3 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 2β1 | 2β2 |
Philadelphia | 2β2 | 4β0 | 3β1 | 1β3 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 4β0 | 3β1 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 3β1 | 2β2 | 2β1 | 4β0 | 2β2 | 3β1 | β | 2β1 | 2β2 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 2β2 |
Phoenix | 1β3 | 2β2 | 4β0 | 2β2 | 2β1 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 4β0 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 2β2 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 1β2 | β | 1β3 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 2β2 |
Portland | 3β1 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 4β0 | 1β3 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 2β2 | 3β1 | 4β0 | 4β0 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 1β3 | 3β0 | 2β2 | 3β1 | β | 2β2 | 3β1 | 2β1 |
San Antonio | 3β1 | 4β0 | 3β1 | 2β2 | 4β0 | 1β2 | 2β1 | 1β3 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 4β0 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 4β0 | 3β1 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 2β2 | β | 2β2 | 2β2 |
Seattle | 1β2 | 4β0 | 3β1 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 2β2 | 4β0 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 2β2 | 2β1 | 1β3 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 2β2 | β | 1β3 |
Washington | 3β1 | 3β1 | 3β1 | 1β2 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 3β1 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 1β3 | 2β2 | 4β0 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 2β2 | 1β2 | 2β2 | 3β1 | β |
1977β78 game log Total: 44β38 (home: 22β19; road: 21β20) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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October: 1β3 (home: 1β0; road: 0β3)
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November: 9β4 (home: 6β2; road: 3β2)
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December: 10β6 (home: 6β1; road: 4β5)
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January: 6β8 (home: 5β2; road: 1β6)
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February: 5β8 (home: 4β1; road: 1β7)
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March: 10β7 (home: 5β5; road: 5β2)
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April: 3β2 (home: 2β1; road: 1β1)
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1977β78 schedule |
1978 playoff game log Total: 14β7 (Home: 9β1; Road: 5β6) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Eastern Conference First Round: 2β0 (home: 1β0; road: 1β0)
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Eastern Conference Semifinals: 4β2 (home: 3β0; road: 1β2)
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Eastern Conference Finals: 4β2 (home: 3β0; road: 1β2)
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NBA Finals: 4β3 (home: 2β1; road: 2β2)
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1978 schedule |
Game | Date | Opponent | Officials |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 10β21β1977 | Detroit | N/A |
2 | 10β22β1977 | @ New York | N/A |
3 | 10β28β1977 | @ Indiana | No. 29 Mike Mathis and No. 15 Bob Rakel |
4 | 10β29β1977 | @ Kansas City | N/A |
5 | 11β4β1977 | Phoenix | N/A |
6 | 11β5β1977 | @ Houston | N/A |
7 | 11β6β1977 | @ New Orleans | N/A |
8 | 11β10β1977 | Milwaukee | N/A |
9 | 11β12β1977 | Philadelphia | No. 10 Darell Garretson and No. 43 Wally Rooney |
10 | 11β13β1977 | @ Detroit | N/A |
11 | 11β15β1977 | Seattle | N/A |
12 | 11β18β1977 | New York | N/A |
13 | 11β19β1977 | @ Kansas City | N/A |
14 | 11β21β1977 | @ Buffalo | No. 28 Tommy Nunez and No. 17 Ed Rush |
15 | 11β22β1977 | Denver | N/A |
16 | 11β26β1977 | Houston | N/A |
17 | 11β30β1977 | San Antonio | N/A |
18 | 12β2β1977 | @ Milwaukee | N/A |
19 | 12β3β1977 | Boston | N/A |
20 | 12β4β1977 | @ Cleveland | No. 18 Ed Middleton and No. 26 Richie Powers |
21 | 12β6β1977 | @ Chicago | No. 20 Jess Kersey and No. 14 Jack Madden |
22 | 12β7β1977 | Cleveland | No. 11 Jake O'Donnell and No. 21 Mel Whitworth |
23 | 12β9β1977 | New Orleans | N/A |
24 | 12β11β1977 | New Jersey | N/A |
25 | 12β13β1977 | Golden State | No. 28 Tommy Nunez and No. 17 Ed Rush |
26 | 12β16β1977 | @ Denver | N/A |
27 | 12β17β1977 | @ Portland | No. 7 Joe Gushue and No. 24 Bill Saar |
28 | 12β18β1977 | @ Seattle | No. 44 Bernie Fryer and No. 12 Earl Strom |
29 | 12β20β1977 | @ Los Angeles | N/A |
30 | 12β25β1977 | Atlanta | N/A |
31 | 12β26β1977 | @ Atlanta | N/A |
32 | 12β28β1977 | Buffalo | No. 18 Ed Middleton and No. 6 Don Murphy |
33 | 12β30β1977 | @ Philadelphia | No. 27 Dick Bavetta and No. 11 Jake O'Donnell |
34 | 1β3β1978 | Denver | N/A |
35 | 1β6β1978 | Indiana | No. 7 Joe Gushue and No. 42 Hue Hollins |
36 | 1β8β1978 | @ New Jersey | N/A |
37 | 1β10β1978 | Kansas City | N/A |
38 | 1β11β1978 | @ Atlanta | N/A |
39 | 1β13β1978 | Portland | No. 25 Hugh Evans and No. 12 Earl Strom |
40 | 1β14β1978 | @ Buffalo | No. 33 Joe Crawford and No. 10 Darell Garretson |
41 | 1β18β1978 | @ Golden State | No. 27 Dick Bavetta and No. 19 Jim Capers |
42 | 1β20β1978 | @ Los Angeles | N/A |
43 | 1β22β1978 | @ Phoenix | No. 18 Ed Middleton and No. 9 John Vanak |
44 | 1β24β1978 | Detroit | N/A |
45 | 1β26β1978 | Chicago | No. 18 Ed Middleton and No. 43 Wally Rooney |
46 | 1β29β1978 | Los Angeles | N/A |
47 | 1β31β1978 | @ San Antonio | N/A |
48 | 2β2β1978 | @ Cleveland | No. 11 Jake O'Donnell and No. 43 Wally Rooney |
49 | 2β3β1978 | @ Boston | N/A |
50 | 2β7β1978 | @ Golden State | No. 42 Hue Hollins and No. 15 Bob Rakel |
51 | 2β8β1978 | @ Seattle | No. 6 Don Murphy and No. 21 Mel Whitworth |
52 | 2β12β1978 | @ Phoenix | N/A |
53 | 2β14β1978 | @ Denver | N/A |
54 | 2β16β1978 | Buffalo | No. 20 Jess Kersey and No. 9 John Vanak |
55 | 2β17β1978 | @ Indiana | No. 44 Bernie Fryer and No. 17 Ed Rush |
56 | 2β19β1978 | New Orleans | N/A |
57 | 2β22β1978 | Portland | No. 14 Jack Madden and No. 28 Tommy Nunez |
58 | 2β24β1978 | Phoenix | N/A |
59 | 2β26β1978 | Golden State | N/A |
60 | 2β28β1978 | @ Milwaukee | N/A |
61 | 3β1β1978 | San Antonio | N/A |
62 | 3β3β1978 | @ Detroit | N/A |
63 | 3β5β1978 | Houston | N/A |
64 | 3β10β1978 | @ Houston | N/A |
65 | 3β11β1978 | @ San Antonio | N/A |
66 | 3β14β1978 | Seattle | N/A |
67 | 3β16β1978 | @ Chicago | No. 28 Tommy Nunez and No. 9 John Vanak |
68 | 3β17β1978 | Indiana | No. 19 Jim Capers and No. 30 Lee Jones |
69 | 3β19β1978 | Milwaukee | N/A |
70 | 3β21β1978 | Boston | N/A |
71 | 3β22β1978 | @ New Orleans | N/A |
72 | 3β24β1978 | @ New Jersey | N/A |
73 | 3β25β1978 | Atlanta | N/A |
74 | 3β26β1978 | New Jersey | N/A |
75 | 3β29β1978 | Kansas City | No. 27 Dick Bavetta and No. 15 Bob Rakel |
76 | 3β30β1978 | @ New York | N/A |
77 | 3β31β1978 | Cleveland | No. 19 Jim Capers and No. 12 Earl Strom |
78 | 4β2β1978 | New York | N/A |
79 | 4β5β1978 | Los Angeles | N/A |
80 | 4β6β1978 | @ Boston | N/A |
81 | 4β8β1978 | @ Philadelphia | No. 25 Hugh Evans and No. 6 Don Murphy |
82 | 4β9β1978 | Philadelphia | No. 27 Dick Bavetta and No. 22 Paul Mihalak |
Game | Round | Date | Opponent | Officials | Alternate |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Eastern Conference First Round | 4β12β1978 | Atlanta | ||
2 | Eastern Conference First Round | 4β14β1978 | @ Atlanta | ||
1 | Eastern Conference Semifinals | 4β16β1978 | @ San Antonio | No. 6 Don Murphy and No. 9 John Vanak | No. 20 Jess Kersey |
2 | Eastern Conference Semifinals | 4β18β1978 | @ San Antonio | ||
3 | Eastern Conference Semifinals | 4β21β1978 | San Antonio | ||
4 | Eastern Conference Semifinals | 4β23β1978 | San Antonio | No. 11 Jake O'Donnell and No. 18 Ed Middleton | No. 29 Mike Mathis |
5 | Eastern Conference Semifinals | 4β25β1978 | @ San Antonio | ||
6 | Eastern Conference Semifinals | 4β28β1978 | San Antonio | ||
1 | Eastern Conference Finals | 4β30β1978 | @ Philadelphia | No. 12 Earl Strom and No. 25 Hugh Evans | No. 30 Lee Jones |
2 | Eastern Conference Finals | 5β3β1978 | @ Philadelphia | No. 14 Jack Madden and No. 17 Ed Rush | |
3 | Eastern Conference Finals | 5β5β1978 | Philadelphia | No. 7 Joe Gushue and No. 22 Paul Mihalak | |
4 | Eastern Conference Finals | 5β7β1978 | Philadelphia | No. 11 Jake O'Donnell and No. 19 Jim Capers | |
5 | Eastern Conference Finals | 5β10β1978 | @ Philadelphia | No. 10 Darell Garretson and No. 6 Don Murphy | |
6 | Eastern Conference Finals | 5β12β1978 | Philadelphia | No. 12 Earl Strom and No. 9 John Vanak | |
1 | NBA Finals | 5β21β1978 | @ Seattle | No. 10 Darell Garretson and No. 17 Ed Rush | |
2 | NBA Finals | 5β25β1978 | Seattle | No. 7 Joe Gushue and No. 11 Jake O'Donnell | |
3 | NBA Finals | 5β28β1978 | Seattle | No. 12 Earl Strom and No. 9 John Vanak | |
4 | NBA Finals | 5β30β1978 | @ Seattle | No. 14 Jack Madden and No. 6 Don Murphy | |
5 | NBA Finals | 6β2β1978 | @ Seattle | No. 7 Joe Gushue and No. 11 Jake O'Donnell | |
6 | NBA Finals | 6β4β1978 | Seattle | No. 10 Darell Garretson and No. 6 Don Murphy | |
7 | NBA Finals | 6β7β1978 | @ Seattle | No. 14 Jack Madden and No. 12 Earl Strom |
Note: GP= Games played; GS= Games started; MP=Minutes played; FG=Field goals; FGA=Field goals attempted; FG%=Field goal percentage; FT=Free throws; FTA=Free throws attempted; FT%=Free throw percentage; ORB= Offensive rebounds; DRB= Defensive rebounds; TRB= Total rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Average
Player | GP | GS | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | FT | FTA | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | AVG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hayes | 81 | 3246 | 636 | 1409 | .451 | 326 | 514 | .635 | 335 | 740 | 1075 | 149 | 96 | 159 | 1598 | 19.7 | |
Dandridge | 75 | 2777 | 560 | 1190 | .471 | 330 | 419 | .788 | 137 | 305 | 442 | 287 | 101 | 44 | 1450 | 19.3 | |
Kupchak | 67 | 1759 | 393 | 768 | .512 | 280 | 402 | .697 | 162 | 298 | 460 | 71 | 28 | 42 | 1066 | 15.9 | |
Grevey | 81 | 2121 | 505 | 1128 | .448 | 243 | 308 | .789 | 124 | 166 | 290 | 155 | 61 | 17 | 1253 | 15.5 | |
Chenier | 36 | 937 | 200 | 451 | .443 | 109 | 138 | .790 | 15 | 87 | 102 | 73 | 36 | 9 | 509 | 14.1 | |
Henderson | 75 | 2315 | 339 | 784 | .432 | 179 | 240 | .746 | 66 | 127 | 193 | 406 | 93 | 15 | 857 | 11.4 | |
Wright | 70 | 1466 | 283 | 570 | .496 | 76 | 107 | .710 | 31 | 71 | 102 | 260 | 68 | 15 | 642 | 9.2 | |
Johnson | 39 | 807 | 141 | 346 | .408 | 42 | 51 | .824 | 20 | 73 | 93 | 82 | 31 | 1 | 324 | 8.3 | |
Unseld | 80 | 2644 | 257 | 491 | .523 | 93 | 173 | .538 | 286 | 669 | 955 | 326 | 98 | 45 | 607 | 7.6 | |
Ballard | 76 | 936 | 142 | 334 | .425 | 88 | 114 | .772 | 102 | 164 | 266 | 62 | 30 | 13 | 372 | 4.9 | |
Walker | 40 | 384 | 57 | 161 | .354 | 64 | 96 | .667 | 21 | 31 | 52 | 54 | 14 | 5 | 178 | 4.5 | |
Pace | 49 | 438 | 67 | 140 | .479 | 57 | 93 | .613 | 50 | 84 | 134 | 23 | 12 | 24 | 191 | 3.9 | |
Total | 82 | 19830 | 3580 | 7772 | .461 | 1887 | 2655 | .711 | 1349 | 2815 | 4164 | 1948 | 668 | 386 | 9047 | 110.3 |
Note: GP= Games played; GS= Games started; MP=Minutes played; FG=Field goals; FGA=Field goals attempted; FG%=Field goal percentage; FT=Free throws; FTA=Free throws attempted; FT%=Free throw percentage; ORB= Offensive rebounds; DRB= Defensive rebounds; TRB= Total rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Average
Player | GP | GS | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | FT | FTA | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | AVG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hayes | 21 | 868 | 189 | 385 | .491 | 79 | 133 | .594 | 103 | 176 | 279 | 43 | 32 | 52 | 457 | 21.8 | |
Dandridge | 19 | 746 | 172 | 359 | .479 | 58 | 84 | .690 | 35 | 88 | 123 | 74 | 30 | 14 | 402 | 21.1 | |
Grevey | 21 | 584 | 126 | 284 | .444 | 73 | 90 | .811 | 25 | 36 | 61 | 42 | 11 | 3 | 325 | 15.5 | |
Johnson | 21 | 425 | 93 | 229 | .406 | 29 | 37 | .784 | 20 | 33 | 53 | 48 | 30 | 0 | 215 | 10.2 | |
Kupchak | 21 | 504 | 84 | 199 | .422 | 45 | 69 | .652 | 49 | 78 | 127 | 22 | 4 | 3 | 213 | 10.1 | |
Henderson | 21 | 597 | 72 | 173 | .416 | 58 | 79 | .734 | 17 | 30 | 47 | 106 | 27 | 5 | 202 | 9.6 | |
Unseld | 18 | 677 | 71 | 134 | .530 | 27 | 46 | .587 | 72 | 144 | 216 | 79 | 17 | 7 | 169 | 9.4 | |
Wright | 21 | 402 | 76 | 163 | .466 | 19 | 25 | .760 | 7 | 24 | 31 | 67 | 17 | 2 | 171 | 8.1 | |
Ballard | 19 | 243 | 21 | 63 | .333 | 32 | 41 | .780 | 27 | 52 | 79 | 18 | 9 | 3 | 74 | 3.9 | |
Pace | 9 | 52 | 7 | 10 | .700 | 11 | 15 | .733 | 5 | 15 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 25 | 2.8 | |
Walker | 4 | 17 | 1 | 8 | .125 | 4 | 5 | .800 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1.5 | |
Total | 21 | 5115 | 912 | 2007 | 435 | 583 | 361 | 677 | 1038 | 502 | 178 | 95 | 2259 | 114.1 |
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 120β116 to even the series at 2 games apiece. After losing Game 5 in Seattle, the Bullets kept their hopes alive with a dominating 117β82 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 105β99 victory to win their first NBA Championship. [2]