1978 NBA playoffs

Last updated

1978 NBA playoffs
Tournament details
DatesApril 11–June 7, 1978
Season 1977–78
Teams12
Final positions
Champions Washington Bullets (1st title)
Runner-up Seattle SuperSonics
Semifinalists
←  1977
1979  →

The 1978 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1977-78 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Washington Bullets defeating the Western Conference champion Seattle SuperSonics 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals. Wes Unseld was named NBA Finals MVP. To date, it remains the only NBA title that the Bullets (since renamed the Wizards) have won.

Contents

It was the third NBA Finals appearance and first title for the Bullets, founded in 1961. The Sonics made the Finals for the first time in their 11-year existence. This would be the first of two straight meetings in the Finals between the Bullets and Sonics, with Seattle winning the title the next year.

This was the first time since the expansion of the playoff field to 10 teams in 1975 that neither conference champion had the benefit of a first-round bye by being one of the top two teams in the conference during the regular season. The 1979 Finals rematch between the Sonics and Bullets took place with both teams as the #1 seed in their respective conference.

The Denver Nuggets, one of the four former American Basketball Association teams to join the NBA the previous season, became the first of them to win an NBA playoff series, defeating the Milwaukee Bucks in a 7-game conference semifinal.

Bracket

First Round Conference Semifinals Conference Finals NBA Finals
E1 Philadelphia * 4
E4 Cleveland 0 E5 New York 0
E5 New York 2 Eastern Conference E1 Philadelphia * 2
E3 Washington 4
E3 Washington 4
E3 Washington 2E2 San Antonio * 2
E6 Atlanta 0 E3 Washington 4
W4 Seattle 3
W1 Portland * 2
W4 Seattle 2W4 Seattle 4
W5 Los Angeles 1 Western Conference W4 Seattle 4
W2 Denver * 2
W6 Milwaukee 3
W3 Phoenix 0 W2 Denver * 4
W6 Milwaukee 2

First round

Eastern Conference first round

(3) Washington Bullets vs. (6) Atlanta Hawks

April 12
Atlanta Hawks 94, Washington Bullets 103
Scoring by quarter: 25–25, 23–31, 23–25, 23–22
Pts: John Drew 25
Rebs: Tom McMillen 14
Asts: Eddie Johnson 4		Pts: Bob Dandridge 20
Rebs: Wes Unseld 15
Asts: Wes Unseld 7
Washington leads series, 1–0
April 14
Washington Bullets 107, Atlanta Hawks 103 (OT)
Scoring by quarter: 25–26, 23–20, 30–24, 17–25,  Overtime:12–8
Pts: Kevin Grevey 41
Rebs: Wes Unseld 15
Asts: Tom Henderson 5		Pts: John Drew 27
Rebs: Drew, McMillen 8 each
Asts: Hill, Hawes 5 each
Washington wins series, 2–0
Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia
Attendance: 15,601

This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with both teams split the first two meetings while both teams were in Baltimore and St. Louis respectively.

(4) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (5) New York Knicks

April 12
New York Knicks 132, Cleveland Cavaliers 114
Scoring by quarter:32–31, 31–28, 36–31, 33–24
Pts: Bob McAdoo 41
Rebs: Spencer Haywood 8
Asts: Ray Williams 6		Pts: Campy Russell 23
Rebs: Elmore Smith 12
Asts: Foots Walker 6
New York leads series, 1–0
Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio
Attendance: 19,739
April 14
Cleveland Cavaliers 107, New York Knicks 109
Scoring by quarter:29–26, 27–20, 25–31, 26–32
Pts: Campy Russell 32
Rebs: Campy Russell 8
Asts: Campy Russell 6		Pts: McAdoo, Haywood 27 each
Rebs: Bob McAdoo 12
Asts: Ray Williams 10
New York wins series, 2–0

This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. [2]

Western Conference first round

(3) Phoenix Suns vs. (6) Milwaukee Bucks

April 11
Milwaukee Bucks 111, Phoenix Suns 103
Scoring by quarter: 24–31, 26–24, 29–28, 32–20
Pts: Brian Winters 31
Rebs: Marques Johnson 16
Asts: Quinn Buckner 8		Pts: Walter Davis 31
Rebs: Alvan Adams 9
Asts: Paul Westphal 9
Milwaukee leads series, 1–0
April 14
Phoenix Suns 90, Milwaukee Bucks 94
Scoring by quarter:36–25, 16–24, 17–22, 21–23
Pts: Paul Westphal 32
Rebs: Walter Davis 9
Asts: Paul Westphal 10		Pts: Marques Johnson 33
Rebs: Dave Meyers 14
Asts: Quinn Buckner 10
Milwaukee wins series, 2–0
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Attendance: 10,938

This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. [3]

(4) Seattle SuperSonics vs. (5) Los Angeles Lakers

April 12
Los Angeles Lakers 90, Seattle SuperSonics 102
Scoring by quarter:23–22, 24–25, 21–24, 22–31
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 26
Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 12
Asts: Nixon, Scott 6 each		Pts: Gus Williams 23
Rebs: Marvin Webster 14
Asts: Fred Brown 5
Seattle leads series, 1–0
April 14
Seattle SuperSonics 99, Los Angeles Lakers 105
Scoring by quarter:26–23, 27–26, 21–26, 25–30
Pts: Dennis Johnson 21
Rebs: Marvin Webster 10
Asts: Sikma, Williams 4 each		Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 24
Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 18
Asts: Adrian Dantley 6
Series tied, 1–1
The Forum, Inglewood, California
Attendance: 15,051
April 16
Los Angeles Lakers 102, Seattle SuperSonics 111
Scoring by quarter: 24–26, 26–33, 28–32, 24–20
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 31
Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 11
Asts: Norm Nixon 5		Pts: Jack Sikma 24
Rebs: Marvin Webster 18
Asts: Gus Williams 8
Seattle wins series, 2–1

This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. [4]

Conference semifinals

Eastern Conference semifinals

(1) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (5) New York Knicks

April 16
New York Knicks 90, Philadelphia 76ers 130
Scoring by quarter: 20–28, 26–33, 22–28, 22–41
Pts: Ray Williams 24
Rebs: Bob McAdoo 13
Asts: Bob McAdoo 6		Pts: Steve Mix 19
Rebs: Caldwell Jones 16
Asts: Steve Mix 7
Philadelphia leads series, 1–0
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 13,011
April 18
New York Knicks 100, Philadelphia 76ers 119
Scoring by quarter:28–26, 24–36, 18–26, 30–31
Pts: Ray Williams 24
Rebs:three players 6 each
Asts: Bob McAdoo 6		Pts: Julius Erving 22
Rebs: Caldwell Jones 11
Asts: Darryl Dawkins 6
Philadelphia leads series, 2–0
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 15,853
April 20
Philadelphia 76ers 137, New York Knicks 126
Scoring by quarter:37–30, 35–35, 31–28, 34–33
Pts: McGinnis, Free 29 each
Rebs: Julius Erving 10
Asts: Collins, Erving 7 each		Pts: Bob McAdoo 29
Rebs: Lonnie Shelton 14
Asts: Butch Beard 8
Philadelphia leads series, 3–0
April 23
Philadelphia 76ers 112, New York Knicks 107
Scoring by quarter: 25–30, 32–29, 26–24, 29–24
Pts: Doug Collins 24
Rebs: Caldwell Jones 14
Asts: Collins, Erving 4 each		Pts: Bob McAdoo 24
Rebs: Bob McAdoo 14
Asts: McAdoo, Williams 4 each
Philadelphia wins series, 4–0

This was the seventh playoff meeting between these two teams, with the 76ers winning four of the first six meetings.

(2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (3) Washington Bullets

April 16
Washington Bullets 103, San Antonio Spurs 114
Scoring by quarter:29–25, 20–23, 27–34, 27–32
Pts: Elvin Hayes 26
Rebs: Elvin Hayes 15
Asts: Elvin Hayes 6		Pts: George Gervin 35
Rebs: Larry Kenon 9
Asts: Gervin, Kenon 5 each
San Antonio leads series, 1–0
April 18
Washington Bullets 121, San Antonio Spurs 117
Scoring by quarter:33–27, 32–28, 35–28, 21–34
Pts: Kevin Grevey 31
Rebs: Wes Unseld 13
Asts: Larry Wright 8		Pts: George Gervin 46
Rebs: Larry Kenon 8
Asts: Larry Kenon 6
Series tied, 1–1
April 21
San Antonio Spurs 105, Washington Bullets 118
Scoring by quarter: 26–38, 24–25, 24–30, 31–25
Pts: George Gervin 33
Rebs: Larry Kenon 9
Asts: Larry Kenon 4		Pts: Bob Dandridge 28
Rebs: Elvin Hayes 12
Asts: Wes Unseld 8
Washington leads series, 2–1
Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland
Attendance: 17,417
April 23
San Antonio Spurs 95, Washington Bullets 98
Scoring by quarter:24–18, 23–25, 24–27, 24–28
Pts: George Gervin 35
Rebs: Billy Paultz 8
Asts: Mike Gale 7		Pts: Bob Dandridge 24
Rebs: Elvin Hayes 13
Asts: Bob Dandridge 8
Washington leads series, 3–1
Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland
Attendance: 13,459
April 25
Washington Bullets 105, San Antonio Spurs 116
Scoring by quarter: 27–33, 28–24, 19–26, 31–33
Pts: Charles Johnson 21
Rebs: Elvin Hayes 13
Asts: Wes Unseld 6		Pts: George Gervin 27
Rebs: Larry Kenon 14
Asts: Louie Dampier 6
Washington leads series, 3–2
April 28
San Antonio Spurs 100, Washington Bullets 103
Scoring by quarter:29–25, 23–33, 22–19, 26–26
Pts: Mark Olberding 24
Rebs: Green, Paultz 9 each
Asts: Mike Gale 9		Pts: Elvin Hayes 25
Rebs: Wes Unseld 16
Asts: Wes Unseld 5
Washington wins series, 4–2
Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland
Attendance: 19,035

This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. [6]

Western Conference semifinals

(1) Portland Trail Blazers vs. (4) Seattle SuperSonics

April 18
Seattle SuperSonics 104, Portland Trail Blazers 95
Scoring by quarter: 23–34, 23–19, 33–22, 25–20
Pts: Marvin Webster 24
Rebs: Jack Sikma 11
Asts: Dennis Johnson 4		Pts: Johnny Davis 20
Rebs: Bill Walton 16
Asts: Lionel Hollins 9
Seattle leads series, 1–0
Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon
Attendance: 12,666
April 21
Seattle SuperSonics 93, Portland Trail Blazers 96
Scoring by quarter:30–20, 19–20, 22–30, 22–26
Pts: Gus Williams 31
Rebs: Marvin Webster 15
Asts: Marvin Webster 7		Pts: Maurice Lucas 19
Rebs: Maurice Lucas 14
Asts: Lionel Hollins 5
Series tied, 1–1
Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon
Attendance: 12,666
  • Bill Walton's final game in a Portland Trail Blazer uniform.
April 23
Portland Trail Blazers 84, Seattle SuperSonics 99
Scoring by quarter:25–20, 18–24, 19–27, 22–28
Pts: Tom Owens 24
Rebs: Owens, Lucas 9 each
Asts: Dave Twardzik 5		Pts: J. Johnson, Brown 18 each
Rebs: Marvin Webster 23
Asts: Fred Brown 4
Seattle leads series, 2–1
April 26
Portland Trail Blazers 98, Seattle SuperSonics 100
Scoring by quarter: 28–28, 29–17, 24–28, 17–27
Pts: Lionel Hollins 35
Rebs: Maurice Lucas 16
Asts: Tom Owens 8		Pts: Jack Sikma 28
Rebs: Jack Sikma 10
Asts: Dennis Johnson 8
Seattle leads series, 3–1
April 30
Seattle SuperSonics 89, Portland Trail Blazers 113
Scoring by quarter: 13–25, 21–27, 23–27, 32–34
Pts: Marvin Webster 16
Rebs: Paul Silas 10
Asts: Gus Williams 4		Pts: Tom Owens 31
Rebs: Maurice Lucas 13
Asts: Davis, Owens 6 each
Seattle leads series, 3–2
Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon
Attendance: 12,666
May 1
Portland Trail Blazers 94, Seattle SuperSonics 105
Scoring by quarter: 22–26, 27–29, 20–20, 25–30
Pts: Johnny Davis 23
Rebs: Maurice Lucas 12
Asts: Lionel Hollins 9		Pts: Dennis Johnson 20
Rebs: Marvin Webster 11
Asts: Gus Williams 7
Seattle wins series, 4–2

This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. [7]

(2) Denver Nuggets vs. (6) Milwaukee Bucks

April 18
Milwaukee Bucks 103, Denver Nuggets 119
Scoring by quarter: 28–34, 34–29, 20–28, 21–28
Pts: Alex English 26
Rebs: Dave Meyers 15
Asts: Brian Winters 11		Pts: David Thompson 27
Rebs: Dan Issel 12
Asts: David Thompson 6
Denver leads series, 1–0
McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado
Attendance: 17,297
April 21
Milwaukee Bucks 111, Denver Nuggets 127
Scoring by quarter:35–32, 18–31, 23–39, 35–25
Pts: Marques Johnson 22
Rebs: Johnson, Meyers 5 each
Asts: Lloyd Walton 8		Pts: Dan Issel 22
Rebs: Dan Issel 14
Asts: Issel, Calvin 6 each
Denver leads series, 2–0
McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado
Attendance: 17,838
April 23
Denver Nuggets 112, Milwaukee Bucks 143
Scoring by quarter: 22–26, 28–30, 26–40, 36–47
Pts:three players 16 each
Rebs: Anthony Roberts 8
Asts: David Thompson 5		Pts: Marques Johnson 35
Rebs: Marques Johnson 10
Asts: Lloyd Walton 11
Denver leads series, 2–1
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Attendance: 10,938
April 25
Denver Nuggets 118, Milwaukee Bucks 104
Scoring by quarter:27–22, 30–17, 33–22, 28–43
Pts: David Thompson 34
Rebs: Dan Issel 14
Asts: Wilkerson, Sampson 5 each		Pts: Johnson, Winters 14 each
Rebs: Marques Johnson 7
Asts: Brian Winters 6
Denver leads series, 3–1
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Attendance: 10,938
April 28
Milwaukee Bucks 117, Denver Nuggets 112
Scoring by quarter:31–28, 19–26, 28–32, 39–26
Pts: Marques Johnson 34
Rebs: Marques Johnson 17
Asts: Winters, Buckner 9 each		Pts: Bobby Jones 25
Rebs: Dan Issel 15
Asts: Bob Wilkerson 8
Denver leads series, 3–2
McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado
Attendance: 17,838
April 30
Denver Nuggets 91, Milwaukee Bucks 119
Scoring by quarter: 26–33, 21–29, 20–30, 24–27
Pts: David Thompson 28
Rebs: Bobby Jones 10
Asts: Bob Wilkerson 6		Pts: Alex English 21
Rebs: Marques Johnson 17
Asts: Marques Johnson 9
Series tied, 3–3
MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Attendance: 10,938
May 3
Milwaukee Bucks 110, Denver Nuggets 116
Scoring by quarter: 26–34, 30–32, 25–29, 29–21
Pts: Brian Winters 27
Rebs: Marques Johnson 16
Asts: Quinn Buckner 10		Pts: David Thompson 37
Rebs: Bob Wilkerson 12
Asts: David Thompson 6
Denver wins series, 4–3
McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado
Attendance: 17,838

This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. [8]

Conference finals

Eastern Conference finals

(1) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (3) Washington Bullets

April 30
Washington Bullets 122, Philadelphia 76ers 117 (OT)
Scoring by quarter:26–19, 21–28, 30–34, 32–28,  Overtime:13–8
Pts: Elvin Hayes 28
Rebs: Elvin Hayes 18
Asts: Tom Henderson 9		Pts: Julius Erving 25
Rebs: George McGinnis 15
Asts:three players 5 each
Washington leads series, 1–0
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 13,708
  • After a jump ball with three seconds left, Doug Collins hits the game-tying shot at the buzzer to send it to OT.
May 3
Washington Bullets 104, Philadelphia 76ers 110
Scoring by quarter: 26–28, 28–24, 22–32, 28–26
Pts: Elvin Hayes 26
Rebs: Elvin Hayes 15
Asts: Wright, Henderson 8 each		Pts: Doug Collins 28
Rebs: Erving, Dawkins 11 each
Asts: Henry Bibby 9
Series tied, 1–1
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 18,276
May 5
Philadelphia 76ers 108, Washington Bullets 123
Scoring by quarter: 26–28, 19–34, 36–30, 27–31
Pts: George McGinnis 16
Rebs: Julius Erving 10
Asts: Henry Bibby 5		Pts: Bob Dandridge 30
Rebs: Elvin Hayes 12
Asts: Bob Dandridge 7
Washington leads series, 2–1
Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland
Attendance: 19,035
May 7
Philadelphia 76ers 105, Washington Bullets 121
Scoring by quarter:28–23, 20–31, 26–27, 31–40
Pts: Julius Erving 24
Rebs: Caldwell Jones 13
Asts: World B. Free 6		Pts: Elvin Hayes 35
Rebs: Elvin Hayes 19
Asts:four players 6 each
Washington leads series, 3–1
Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland
Attendance: 19,035
May 10
Washington Bullets 94, Philadelphia 76ers 107
Scoring by quarter: 12–23, 29–29, 21–30, 32–25
Pts: Larry Wright 18
Rebs: Hayes, Unseld 16 each
Asts: Wes Unseld 5		Pts: Collins, Erving 24 each
Rebs: Caldwell Jones 15
Asts: Henry Bibby 10
Washington leads series, 3–2
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 18,276
May 12
Philadelphia 76ers 99, Washington Bullets 101
Scoring by quarter:27–24, 23–27, 26–33, 23–17
Pts: Doug Collins 33
Rebs: Erving, McGinnis 8 each
Asts: Henry Bibby 5		Pts: Bob Dandridge 28
Rebs: Wes Unseld 15
Asts: Tom Henderson 6
Washington wins series, 4–2
Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland
Attendance: 19,035

This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Bullets winning the first meeting while in Baltimore.

Western Conference finals

(2) Denver Nuggets vs. (4) Seattle SuperSonics

May 5
Seattle SuperSonics 107, Denver Nuggets 116
Scoring by quarter: 27–30, 23–27, 27–23, 30–36
Pts: Marvin Webster 28
Rebs: Marvin Webster 16
Asts: Gus Williams 8		Pts: Dan Issel 25
Rebs: Issel, Hillman 11 each
Asts: Bob Wilkerson 10
Denver leads series, 1–0
McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado
Attendance: 17,387
May 7
Seattle SuperSonics 121, Denver Nuggets 111
Scoring by quarter: 30–38, 31–18, 22–25, 38–30
Pts: Fred Brown 26
Rebs: Paul Silas 12
Asts: Fred Brown 6		Pts: Dan Issel 29
Rebs: Dan Issel 14
Asts: Ralph Simpson 7
Series tied, 1–1
McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado
Attendance: 17,838
May 10
Denver Nuggets 91, Seattle SuperSonics 105
Scoring by quarter: 30–30, 20–31, 24–16, 17–28
Pts: David Thompson 21
Rebs: Anthony Roberts 8
Asts: Jones, Webster 3 each		Pts: John Johnson 20
Rebs: Marvin Webster 16
Asts: D. Johnson, Webster 3 each
Seattle leads series, 2–1
May 12
Denver Nuggets 94, Seattle SuperSonics 100
Scoring by quarter: 27–33, 31–17, 18–23, 18–27
Pts: Dan Issel 27
Rebs: Darnell Hillman 11
Asts: Bob Wilkerson 8		Pts: Dennis Johnson 31
Rebs: Paul Silas 14
Asts: John Johnson 7
Seattle leads series, 3–1
May 14
Seattle SuperSonics 114, Denver Nuggets 123
Scoring by quarter: 24–35, 20–26, 39–27, 31–35
Pts: Gus Williams 31
Rebs: Marvin Webster 12
Asts: Williams, J. Johnson 6 each		Pts: David Thompson 35
Rebs: Bobby Jones 11
Asts: Bob Wilkerson 10
Seattle leads series, 3–2
McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado
Attendance: 17,006
May 17
Denver Nuggets 108, Seattle SuperSonics 123
Scoring by quarter: 26–39, 28–23, 18–31, 36–30
Pts: David Thompson 21
Rebs: Anthony Roberts 16
Asts: Bob Wilkerson 8		Pts: Fred Brown 26
Rebs: Paul Silas 13
Asts: Dennis Johnson 7
Seattle wins series, 4–2

This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. [10]

NBA Finals: (W4) Seattle SuperSonics vs. (E3) Washington Bullets

May 21
Washington Bullets 102, Seattle SuperSonics 106
Scoring by quarter:31–25, 27–24, 26–24, 18–33
Pts: Kevin Grevey 27
Rebs: Elvin Hayes 9
Asts: Tom Henderson 7		Pts: Fred Brown 30
Rebs: Marvin Webster 14
Asts: Dennis Johnson 5
Seattle leads series, 1–0
Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington
Attendance: 14,098
Referees: Darell Garretson, Ed Rush
May 25
Seattle SuperSonics 98, Washington Bullets 106
Scoring by quarter: 16–29, 36–27, 19–24, 27–26
Pts: Gus Williams 24
Rebs: Marvin Webster 12
Asts:three players 4 each		Pts: Bob Dandridge 34
Rebs: Wes Unseld 15
Asts: Henderson, Unseld 5 each
Series tied, 1–1
Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland
Attendance: 19,035
Referees: Joe Gushue, Jake O'Donnell
May 28
Seattle SuperSonics 93, Washington Bullets 92
Scoring by quarter: 24–24, 25–23, 20–20, 24–25
Pts: Webster, Williams 20 each
Rebs: Paul Silas 14
Asts:five players 2 each		Pts: Elvin Hayes 29
Rebs: Elvin Hayes 20
Asts: Bob Dandridge 6
Seattle leads series, 2–1
Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland
Attendance: 19,035
Referees: Earl Strom, John Vanak
May 30
Washington Bullets 120, Seattle SuperSonics 116 (OT)
Scoring by quarter: 23–25, 25–31, 30–31, 28–19,  Overtime:14–10
Pts: Bob Dandridge 23
Rebs: Elvin Hayes 13
Asts: Tom Henderson 11		Pts: Dennis Johnson 33
Rebs: Marvin Webster 15
Asts: Paul Silas 6
Series tied, 2–2
Kingdome, Seattle, Washington
Attendance: 39,457
Referees: Jack Madden, Don Murphy
June 2
Washington Bullets 94, Seattle SuperSonics 98
Scoring by quarter:24–23, 17–29, 26–24, 27–22
Pts: Kevin Grevey 22
Rebs: Bob Dandridge 10
Asts: Tom Henderson 6		Pts: Fred Brown 26
Rebs: Marvin Webster 13
Asts: John Johnson 7
Seattle leads series, 3–2
Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington
Attendance: 14,098
Referees: Joe Gushue, Jake O'Donnell
June 4
Seattle SuperSonics 82, Washington Bullets 117
Scoring by quarter:21–19, 14–28, 26–37, 21–33
Pts: Fred Brown 17
Rebs: Marvin Webster 12
Asts: Gus Williams 6		Pts: Elvin Hayes 21
Rebs: Elvin Hayes 15
Asts: Greg Ballard 6
Series tied, 3–3
Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland
Attendance: 19,035
Referees: Darell Garretson, Don Murphy
June 7
Washington Bullets 105, Seattle SuperSonics 99
Scoring by quarter:31–28, 22–17, 26–21, 26–33
Pts: Dandridge, C. Johnson 19 each
Rebs: Wes Unseld 9
Asts: Wes Unseld 6		Pts: Marvin Webster 27
Rebs: Marvin Webster 19
Asts: Gus Williams 5
Washington wins series, 4–3
Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington
Attendance: 14,098
Referees: Jack Madden, Earl Strom
  • This was the last time until 2016 that a road team defeated the home team in Game 7 of the Finals.

This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. [11]

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">1988 NBA playoffs</span> Postseason tournament

The 1988 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1987–88 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals. James Worthy was named NBA Finals MVP. The Lakers became the first team since the Boston Celtics in 1969 to repeat as champions, a feat that coach Pat Riley guaranteed the previous offseason.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1989 NBA playoffs</span> Basketball tournament

The 1989 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1988–89 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons defeating the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 0 in the NBA Finals. Joe Dumars was named NBA Finals MVP. The Pistons had one of the most dominant playoff runs in NBA history, finishing 15–2 with their only losses to the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals. This NBA playoffs also holds the record for the most sweeps in an entire NBA playoffs with 9 out of 15 series being decided in just 3 or 4 games.

The 1980 NBA playoffs were the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1979–80 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. The Lakers earned their seventh NBA title, their second since moving from Minneapolis.

The 1979 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association’s 1978–79 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Seattle SuperSonics defeating the Eastern Conference champion Washington Bullets 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals. The Sonics earned their only NBA title. Dennis Johnson was named NBA Finals MVP.

The 1977 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1976–77 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Portland Trail Blazers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. It was Portland's first NBA title. Bill Walton was named NBA Finals MVP.

The 1975 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1974–75 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors defeating the Eastern Conference champion Washington Bullets 4 games to 0 in the NBA Finals. Rick Barry was named NBA Finals MVP. The Warriors won their third NBA title and first since 1956 as the Philadelphia Warriors.

The 1971 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1970–71 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Milwaukee Bucks defeating the Eastern Conference champion Baltimore Bullets four games to none in the NBA Finals.

The 1965 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1964–65 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Division champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Division champion Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals.

The 2018 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2017–18 season. The playoffs began on April 14, 2018, and ended on June 8 at the conclusion of the 2018 NBA Finals.

The 2019 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2018–19 season. The playoffs began on April 13 and ended on June 13 at the conclusion of the 2019 NBA Finals.

References

  1. ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Atlanta Hawks versus Washington Wizards (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Cleveland Cavaliers versus New York Knicks (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Milwaukee Bucks versus Phoenix Suns (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus Oklahoma City Thunder (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — New York Knicks versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — San Antonio Spurs versus Washington Wizards (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Oklahoma City Thunder versus Portland Trail Blazers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Denver Nuggets versus Milwaukee Bucks (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Philadelphia 76ers versus Washington Wizards (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Denver Nuggets versus Oklahoma City Thunder (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Team Rivalry Finder — Oklahoma City Thunder versus Washington Wizards (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
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