1977–78 Washington Bullets season

1977–78 Washington Bullets season
First NBA Championship
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 1977–78 Washington Bullets were the world champions of professional basketball, beating the Seattle SuperSonics in the NBA Finals, 4 games to 3.

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.^[1] 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.^[1]

Offseason

NBA Draft

Main article: 1977 NBA Draft

Round	Pick	Player	Nationality	College/HS/Club Team
1	4	Greg Ballard (SF) (from Atlanta)	United States	Oregon
1	17	Bo Ellis (F)	United States	Marquette
2	39	Phil Walker (G)	United States	Millersville
3	57	Steve Puidokas (from Chicago)	United States	Washington State
3	61	Jerry Schellenberg	United States	Wake Forest
4	83	David Reavis	United States	Georgia
5	105	Bruce Parkinson	United States	Purdue
6	127	Ernie Wansley	United States	VPI
7	147	Calvin Brown	United States	American
8	166	Pat McKinley	United States	Towson State

Roster

Depth chart

Pos.	Starter	Bench	Reserve
C	Wes Unseld		Joe Pace
PF	Elvin Hayes	Mitch Kupchak
SF	Bob Dandridge	Greg Ballard
SG	Kevin Grevey	Charles Johnson	Phil Walker
PG	Tom Henderson	Larry Wright	Phil Chenier

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
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: 12–29)

October (1–3) (Home: 1–0; Road: 0–3)
#	Date	Opponent	Score	Record	Lead Scorer	Lead Rebounder	Lead Assist	Lead Steals	Lead Blocks	OT	Location	Attendance	Time	Local TV	National TV	Local Radio
1	October 21	Detroit	117–109	1–0	Kupchak (29)						Capital Centre	13,276	8:05 p.m. EDT			WTOP–AM
2	October 22	@ New York	115–141	1–1	Hayes (26)						Madison Square Garden	15,261	8:05 p.m. EDT	WDCA		WTOP–AM
3	October 28	@ Indiana	127–136	1–2	Wright (43)						Market Square Arena	12,542	8:05 p.m. EDT			WTOP–AM
4	October 29	@ Kansas City	106–120	1–3	Wright (19)						Kemper Arena	9,220	8:35 p.m. EDT			WTOP–AM

November (9–4) (Home: 6–2; Road: 3–2)
#	Date	Opponent	Score	Record	Lead Scorer	Lead Rebounder	Lead Assist	Lead Steals	Lead Blocks	OT	Location	Attendance	Time	Local TV	National TV	Local Radio
5	November 4	Phoenix	113–96	2–3	Dandridge (24)						Capital Centre	8,742	8:05 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
6	November 5	@ Houston	105–116	2–4	Wright (20)						The Summit	9,449	9:05 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
7	November 6	@ New Orleans	108–97	3–4	Dandridge, Hayes (21)						Louisiana Superdome	26,474	8:35 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
8	November 10	Milwaukee	103–106	3–5	Dandridge (25)						Capital Centre	7,139	8:05 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
9	November 12	Philadelphia	116–98	4–5	Dandridge (28)						Capital Centre	18,355	8:05 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
10	November 13	@ Detroit	102–104	4–6	Hayes (29)						Cobo Arena	5,149	7:05 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
11	November 15	Seattle	111–109	5–6	Hayes (22)						Capital Centre	5,593	8:05 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
12	November 18	New York	123–103	6–6	Hayes (27)						Capital Centre	17,242	8:05 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
13	November 19	@ Kansas City	131–125	7–6	Kupchak (32)					OT	Kemper Arena	6,534	8:35 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
14	November 21	@ Buffalo	114–97	8–6	Kupchak (21)						Buffalo Memorial Auditorium	6,125	7:30 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
15	November 22	Denver	114–119	8–7	Dandridge (29)						Capital Centre	8,363	8:05 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
16	November 26	Houston	93–91	9–7	Hayes (24)						Capital Centre	18,387	8:05 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
17	November 30	San Antonio	116–105	10–7	Cupchak (26)						Capital Centre	7,092	8:05 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM

December (10–6) (Home: 6–1; Road: 4–5)
#	Date	Opponent	Score	Record	Lead Scorer	Lead Rebounder	Lead Assist	Lead Steals	Lead Blocks	OT	Location	Attendance	Time	Local TV	National TV	Local Radio
18	December 2	@ Milwaukee	108–95	11–7	Hayes (29)						MECCA Arena	10,938	9:05 p.m. EST	WDCA		WTOP–AM
19	December 3	Boston	103–93	12–7	Dandridge (21)						Capital Centre	18,424	8:05 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
20	December 4	@ Cleveland	100–94	13–7	Chenier (28)						Richfield Coliseum	9,765	7:30 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
21	December 6	@ Chicago	108–116	13–8	Chenier, Hayes (22)						Chicago Stadium	10,093	8:30 p.m. EST	WDCA		WTOP–AM
22	December 7	Cleveland	96–95	14–8	Dandridge (21)						Capital Centre	7,627	8:05 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
23	December 9	New Orleans	101–97	15–8	Henderson (22)						Capital Centre	10,292	8:05 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
24	December 11	New Jersey		15–9							Capital Centre					WTOP–AM
25	December 13	Golden State	102–96	16–9	Chenier (25)						Capital Centre	8,693	8:05 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
26	December 16	@ Denver	117–112	17–9	Hayes (33)					OT	McNichols Sports Arena	15,922	9:35 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
27	December 17	@ Portland		17–10							Memorial Coliseum					WTOP–AM
28	December 18	@ Seattle	109–111	17–11	Henderson (24)					OT	Seattle Center Coliseum	13,563	10:00 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
29	December 20	@ Los Angeles	115–120	17–12	Kupchak (23)						The Forum	13,475	11:00 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
30	December 25	Atlanta	100–93	18–12	Dandridge (24)						Capital Centre	8,358	7:35 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
31	December 26	@ Atlanta	113–106	19–12	Henderson (21)						The Omni	8,321	8:10 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
32	December 28	Buffalo	106–87	20–12	Hayes (18)						Capital Centre	11,394	8:05 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
33	December 30	@ Philadelphia	119–126	20–13	Kupchak (22)						The Spectrum	18,276	8:05 p.m. EST	WDCA		WTOP–AM

January (6–8) (Home: 5–2; Road: 1–6)
#	Date	Opponent	Score	Record	Lead Scorer	Lead Rebounder	Lead Assist	Lead Steals	Lead Blocks	OT	Location	Attendance	Time	Local TV	National TV	Local Radio
34	January 3	Denver	100–101	20–14	Chenier (23)						Capital Centre	9,457	8:05 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
35	January 6	Indiana	146–114	21–14	Dandridge (29)						Capital Centre	9,215	8:05 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
36	January 8	@ New Jersey		22–14							Rutgers Athletic Center				CBS	WTOP–AM
37	January 10	Kansas City	123–115	23–14	Hayes (27)						Capital Centre	7,700	8:05 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
38	January 11	@ Atlanta (at Charlotte, North Carolina)	95–100	23–15	Hayes (24)						Charlotte Coliseum	2,162	8:10 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
39	January 13	Portland		24–15							Capital Centre					WTOP–AM
40	January 14	@ Buffalo	93–130	24–16	Dandridge (22)						Buffalo Memorial Auditorium	5,036	7:30 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
41	January 18	@ Golden State	106–113	24–17	Dandridge (25)						Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	10,155	10:30 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
42	January 20	@ Los Angeles	99–121	24–18	Walker (23)						The Forum	13,064	11:00 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
43	January 22	@ Phoenix	101–114	24–19	Hayes (26)						Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum	12,660	6:45 p.m. EST		CBS	WTOP–AM
44	January 24	Detroit	101–104	24–20	Grevey (24)						Capital Centre	6,717	8:05 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
45	January 26	Chicago	135–107	25–20	Dandridge (37)						Capital Centre	7,442	8:05 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
46	January 29	Los Angeles	119–112	26–20	Dandridge (29)						Capital Centre	17,779	1:45 p.m. EST		CBS	WTOP–AM
47	January 31	@ San Antonio	109–129	26–21	Hayes (21)						HemisFair Arena	9,000	8:30 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM

February (5–8) (Home: 4–1; Road: 1–7)
#	Date	Opponent	Score	Record	Lead Scorer	Lead Rebounder	Lead Assist	Lead Steals	Lead Blocks	OT	Location	Attendance	Time	Local TV	National TV	Local Radio
48	February 2	@ Cleveland	93–110	26–22	Dandridge (25)						Richfield Coliseum	7,553	8:00 p.m. EST	WDCA		WTOP–AM
49	February 3	@ Boston	94–116	26–23	Grevey (25)						Boston Garden	12,206	7:30 p.m. EST	WDCA		WTOP–AM
50	February 7	@ Golden State	102–105	26–24	Hayes (25)						Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	9,935	10:30&p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
51	February 8	@ Seattle	106–100	27–24	Hayes (25)						Seattle Center Coliseum	12,126	11:00 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
52	February 12	@ Phoenix	109–121	27–25	Hayes (34)						Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum	12,467	6:45 p.m. EST		CBS	WTOP–AM
53	February 14	@ Denver	98–103	27–26	Grevey (24)						McNichols Sports Arena	15,636	9:35 p.m. EST	WDCA		WTOP–AM
54	February 16	Buffalo	123–109	28–26	Hayes (25)						Capital Centre	6,857	8:05 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
55	February 17	@ Indiana	111–123	28–27	Hayes (26)						Market Square Arena	10,637	8:05 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
56	February 19	New Orleans	130–111	29–27	Hayes (31)						Capital Centre	16,505	1:45 p.m. EST		CBS	WTOP–AM
57	February 22	Portland		29–28							Capital Centre					WTOP–AM
58	February 24	Phoenix	121–120	30–28	Hayes (23)					OT	Capital Centre	12,432	8:05 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
59	February 26	Golden State	121–110	31–28	Hayes (37)						Capital Centre	13,814	1:45 p.m.EST		CBS	WTOP–AM
60	February 28	@ Milwaukee	135–136	31–29	Johnson (25)					OT	MECCA Arena	10,938	9:05 p.m. EST	WDCA		WTOP–AM

March (10–7) (Home: 5–5; Road: 5–2)
#	Date	Opponent	Score	Record	Lead Scorer	Lead Rebounder	Lead Assist	Lead Steals	Lead Blocks	OT	Location	Attendance	Time	Local TV	National TV	Local Radio
61	March 1	San Antonio	125–110	32–29	Grevey (29)						Capital Centre	8,425	8:05 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
62	March 3	@ Detroit	124–108	33–29	Grevey (32)						Cobo Arena	5,033	8:05 p.m. EST	WDCA		WTOP–AM
63	March 5	Houston	106–88	34–29	Dandridge (26)						Capital Centre	14,344	1:45 p.m. EST		CBS	WTOP–AM
64	March 10	@ Houston	117–114	35–29	Grevey (43)						The Summit	7,506	9:05 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
65	March 11	@ San Antonio	101–116	35–30	Grevey (28)						HemisFair Arena	9,465	8:30 p.m. EST	WDCA		WTOP–AM
66	March 14	Seattle	120–115	36–30	Dandridge, Hayes, Kupchak (24)						Capital Centre	7,804	8:05 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
67	March 16	@ Chicago	107–111	36–31	Dandridge (23)						Chicago Stadium	11,972	8:30 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
68	March 17	Indiana	99–105	36–32	Kupchak (30)						Capital Centre	8,196	8:05 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
69	March 19	Milwaukee	106–117	36–33	Hayes (32)						Capital Centre	9,492	7:35 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
70	March 21	Boston	119–107	37–33	Hayes (34)						Capital Centre	17,252	8:05 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
71	March 22	@ New Orleans	124–109	38–33	Grevey (30)						Louisiana Superdome	13,143	8:35 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
72	March 24	@ New Jersey		39–33							Rutgers Athletic Center					WTOP–AM
73	March 25	Atlanta	98–95	40–33	Dandridge (18)						Capital Centre	8,190	8:05 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
74	March 26	New Jersey		40–34							Capital Centre				CBS	WTOP–AM
75	March 29	Kansas City	105–108	40–35	Grevey (30)					OT	Capital Centre	6,717	8:05 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
76	March 30	@ New York	123–108	41–35	Dandridge (28)						Madison Square Garden	12,702	8:35 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
77	March 31	Cleveland	101–102	41–36	Hayes (26)						Capital Centre	8,660	8:05 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM

April (3–2) (Home: 2–1; Road: 1–1)
#	Date	Opponent	Score	Record	Lead Scorer	Lead Rebounder	Lead Assist	Lead Steals	Lead Blocks	OT	Location	Attendance	Time	Local TV	National TV	Local Radio
78	April 2	New York	109–114	41–37	Kupchak (30)						Capital Centre	7,193	1:45 p.m. EST		CBS	WTOP–AM
79	April 5	Los Angeles	125–119	42–37	Unseld (25)						Capital Centre	14,761	8:05 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
80	April 6	@ Boston (at Providence, Rhode Island)	112–103	43–37	Hayes (21)						Providence Civic Center	10,755	7:30 p.m. EST	WDCA		WTOP–AM
81	April 8	@ Philadelphia	114–131	43–38	Kupchak (31)						The Spectrum	14,711	8:05 p.m. EST	WDCA		WTOP–AM
82	April 9	Philadelphia	123–113	44–38	Johnson (29)						Capital Centre	17,952	1:30 p.m. EST		CBS	WTOP–AM

Notes:

^a All times are EASTERN time. (UTC–4 and UTC–5 starting October 30)

Game Officials

Game	Opponent	Officials
1	Detroit
2	@ New York
3	@ Indiana
4	@ Kansas City
5	Phoenix
6	@ Houston
7	@ New Orleans
8	Milwaukee	Bernie Fryer and Jack Madden
9	Philadelphia
10	@ Detroit
11	Seattle	Ed Middleton and John Vanak
12	New York
13	@ Kansas City
14	@ Buffalo
15	Denver
16	Houston
17	San Antonio
18	@ Milwaukee	Jim Capers and Hue Hollins
19	Boston
20	@ Cleveland
21	@ Chicago
22	Cleveland
23	New Orleans
24	New Jersey
25	Golden State
26	@ Denver
27	@ Portland	Joe Gushue and Bill Saar
28	@ Seattle	Bernie Fryer and Earl Strom
29	@ Los Angeles
30	Atlanta
31	@ Atlanta
32	Buffalo
33	@ Philadelphia
34	Denver
35	Indiana
36	@ New Jersey
37	Kansas City
38	@ Atlanta
39	Portland	Hugh Evans and Earl Strom
40	@ Buffalo
41	@ Golden State
42	@ Los Angeles
43	@ Phoenix
44	Detroit
45	Chicago
46	Los Angeles
47	@ San Antonio
48	@ Cleveland
49	@ Boston
50	@ Golden State
51	@ Seattle	Don Murphy and Mel Whitworth
52	@ Phoenix
53	@ Denver
54	Buffalo
55	@ Indiana
56	New Orleans
57	Portland	Jack Madden and Tommy Nunez
58	Phoenix
59	Golden State
60	@ Milwaukee	Joe Gushue and Mike Mathis
61	San Antonio
62	@ Detroit
63	Houston
64	@ Houston
65	@ San Antonio
66	Seattle	Jim Capers and Joe Crawford
67	@ Chicago
68	Indiana
69	Milwaukee	Don Murphy and Bill Saar
70	Boston
71	@ New Orleans
72	@ New Jersey
73	Atlanta
74	New Jersey
75	Kansas City
76	@ New York
77	Cleveland
78	New York
79	Los Angeles
80	@ Boston
81	@ Philadelphia
82	Philadelphia

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
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

Opponents Note: G= Games; W= Wins; L= Losses; FG%= Field Goal Percentage; FT%= Free Throw Percentage; FTA%= Free Throw Attempts Percentage; AVG = Average

Opponent	G	W	L	FG%	FT%	FTA%	AVG	FG%	FT%	FTA%	AVG
Atlanta	4	3	1	36.0	29.5	41.8	101.5	39.8	19.0	24.3	98.5
Boston	4	3	1	42.8	21.5	31.5	107.0	43.8	17.3	24.3	104.8
Buffalo	4	3	1	44.8	19.5	30.5	109.0	43.0	19.8	24.5	105.8
Chicago	3	1	2	48.3	20.0	27.0	116.7	44.7	22.0	27.0	111.3
Cleveland	4	2	2	41.5	14.5	21.5	97.5	43.8	12.8	16.8	100.3
Denver	4	1	3	44.5	18.3	27.5	107.3	46.0	16.8	22.0	108.8
Detroit	4	2	2	44.5	22.0	29.0	111.0	45.5	15.3	20.8	106.3
Golden State	4	2	2	42.8	22.3	28.8	107.8	44.3	17.5	23.0	106.0
Houston	4	3	1	39.3	26.8	32.3	105.3	42.3	17.8	20.5	102.3
Indiana	4	1	3	47.3	26.3	36.0	120.8	46.8	26.0	34.5	119.5
Kansas City	4	2	2	42.3	31.8	42.8	116.3	50.3	16.5	21.8	117.0
Los Angeles	4	2	2	47.3	20.0	30.8	114.5	49.5	19.0	24.5	118.0
Milwaukee	4	1	3	44.8	23.5	35.0	113.0	48.5	16.5	24.0	113.5
New Jersey
New Orleans
New York
Philadelphia
Phoenix
Portland
San Antonio
Seattle
Total	51	26	25

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.^[1] 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.^[1] 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.^[1]

(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.^[1] 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.^[1] 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.^[1]

Main article: 1978 NBA Finals

(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

Eastern Conference First Round vs. (E6) Atlanta Hawks – Washington Bullets win series 2–0
#	Date	Opponent	Score	Series	Lead Scorer	Lead Rebounder	Lead Assist	Lead Steals	Lead Blocks	OT	Location	Attendance	Time	Local TV	National TV	Local Radio
1	April 12	Atlanta	103–94	1–0	Dandridge (20)						Capital Centre	9,326	8:05 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
2	April 14	@ Atlanta	107–103	2–0	Grevey (41)					OT	The Omni	15,601	8:10 p.m. EST	WDCA		WTOP–AM

Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. (E2) San Antonio Spurs – Washington Bullets win series 4–2
#	Date	Opponent	Score	Series	Lead Scorer	Lead Rebounder	Lead Assist	Lead Steals	Lead Blocks	OT	Location	Attendance	Time	Local TV	National TV	Local Radio
1	April 16	@ San Antonio	103–114	0–1	Hayes (26)						HemisFair Arena	9,669	1:30 p.m. EST		CBS	WTOP–AM
2	April 18	@ San Antonio	121–117	1–1	Grevey (31)						HemisFair Arena	9,871	8:30 p.m. EST	WDCA		WTOP–AM
3	April 21	San Antonio	118–105	2–1	Dandridge (28)						Capital Centre	17,417	8:05 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM
4	April 23	San Antonio	98–95	3–1	Dandridge (24)						Capital Centre	13,459	1:30 p.m. EST		CBS	WTOP–AM
5	April 25	@ San Antonio	105–116	3–2	Johnson (21)						HemisFair Arena	9,709	8:30 p.m. EST	WDCA		WTOP–AM
6	April 28	San Antonio	103–100	4–2	Hayes (25)						Capital Centre	19,035	8:05 p.m. EST			WTOP–AM

Eastern Conference Finals vs. (E1) Philadelphia 76ers – Washington Bullets win series 4–2
#	Date	Opponent	Score	Series	Lead Scorer	Lead Rebounder	Lead Assist	Lead Steals	Lead Blocks	OT	Location	Attendance	Time	Local TV	National TV	Local Radio
1	April 30	@ Philadelphia	122–117	1–0	Hayes (28)					OT	The Spectrum	13,708	1:30 p.m. EDT		CBS	WTOP–AM
2	May 3	@ Philadelphia	104–110	1–1	Hayes (26)						The Spectrum	18,276	8:05 p.m. EDT	WDCA		WTOP–AM
3	May 5	Philadelphia	123–108	2–1	Dandridge (30)						Capital Centre	19,035	8:05 p.m. EDT			WTOP–AM
4	May 7	Philadelphia	121–105	3–1	Hayes (35)						Capital Centre	19,035	1:30 p.m. EDT		CBS	WTOP–AM
5	May 10	@ Philadelphia	94–107	3–2	Wright (18)						The Spectrum	18,276	8:05 p.m. EDT	WDCA		WTOP–AM
6	May 12	Philadelphia	101–99	4–2	Dandridge (28)						Capital Centre	19,035	8:05 p.m. EDT			WTOP–AM

NBA Finals vs. (W4) Seattle SuperSonics – Washington Bullets win series 4–3
#	Date	Opponent	Score	Series	Lead Scorer	Lead Rebounder	Lead Assist	Lead Steals	Lead Blocks	OT	Location	Attendance	Time	National TV	Local Radio	National Radio
1	May 21	@ Seattle	102–106	0–1	Grevey (27)	Hayes (9)	Henderson (7)	Henderson (3)			Seattle Center Coliseum	14,098	3:00 p.m. EDT	CBS	WTOP–AM	Mutual
2	May 25	Seattle	106–98	1–1	Dandridge (34)	Unseld (15)	Henderson, Unseld (5)	Unseld (3)	Hayes (4)		Capital Centre	19,035	9:00 p.m. EDT	CBS	WTOP–AM	Mutual
3	May 28	Seattle	92–93	1–2	Hayes (29)	Hayes (20)	Dandridge (6)	Henderson (4)	Grevey (3)		Capital Centre	19,035	1:30 p.m. EDT	CBS	WTOP–AM	Mutual
4	May 30	@ Seattle	120–111	2–2	Dandridge (23)	Hayes (13)	Henderson (11)	Hayes (3)	Dandridge, Hayes (2)	OT	Kingdome	39,457	9:00 p.m. EDT	CBS	WTOP–AM	Mutual
5	June 2	@ Seattle	94–98	2–3	Grevey (22)	Dandridge (10)	Henderson (6)	Dandridge (2)	Dandridge (2)		Seattle Center Coliseum	14,098	9:00 p.m. EDT	CBS	WTOP–AM	Mutual
6	June 4	Seattle	117–82	3–3	Hayes (21)	Hayes (15)	Ballard (6)	Ballard, Dandridge, Johnson (3)	Hayes (5)		Capital Centre	19,035	1:30 p.m. EDT	CBS	WTOP–AM	Mutual
7	June 7	@ Seattle	105–99	4–3	Dandridge, Johnson (19)	Unseld (9)	Unseld (6)	Henderson (4)	Dandridge, Hayes (2)		Seattle Center Coliseum	14,098	9:00 p.m. EDT	CBS	WTOP–AM	Mutual

Notes:

^a All times are EASTERN time. (UTC–3 and UTC–4 starting April 30)

Game Officials

Game	Round	Opponent	Officials	Alternate
Game 1	1978 NBA Eastern Conference First Round	Atlanta
Game 2	1978 NBA Eastern Conference First Round	@ Atlanta
Game 1	1978 NBA Eastern Conference Semi-finals	@ San Antonio
Game 2	1978 NBA Eastern Conference Semi-finals	@ San Antonio
Game 3	1978 NBA Eastern Conference Semi-finals	San Antonio
Game 4	1978 NBA Eastern Conference Semi-finals	San Antonio	Jake O'Donnell and Ed Middleton	Mike Mathis
Game 5	1978 NBA Eastern Conference Semi-finals	@ San Antonio
Game 6	1978 NBA Eastern Conference Semi-finals	San Antonio	Don Murphy
Game 1	1978 NBA Eastern Conference Finals	@ Philadelphia	Earl Strom and Hugh Evans
Game 2	1978 NBA Eastern Conference Finals	@ Philadelphia
Game 3	1978 NBA Eastern Conference Finals	Philadelphia
Game 4	1978 NBA Eastern Conference Finals	Philadelphia
Game 5	1978 NBA Eastern Conference Finals	@ Philadelphia
Game 6	1978 NBA Eastern Conference Finals	Philadelphia	Earl Strom and John Vanak
Game 1	1978 NBA Finals	@ Seattle	Darell Garretson and Ed Rush
Game 2	1978 NBA Finals	Seattle	Joe Gushue and Jake O'Donnell
Game 3	1978 NBA Finals	Seattle	Earl Strom and John Vanak
Game 4	1978 NBA Finals	@ Seattle	Jack Madden and Don Murphy
Game 5	1978 NBA Finals	@ Seattle	Joe Gushue and Jake O'Donnell
Game 6	1978 NBA Finals	Seattle	Darell Garretson and Don Murphy
Game 7	1978 NBA Finals	@ Seattle	Jack Madden and Earl Strom

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
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

Opponents Note: G= Games; W= Wins; L= Losses; FG%= Field Goal Percentage; FT%= Free Throw Percentage; FTA%= Free Throw Attempts Percentage; AVG = Average

Round	Opponent	G	W	L	FG%	FT%	FTA%	AVG	FG%	FT%	FTA%	AVG
1978 NBA Eastern Conference First Round	Atlanta	2	2	0	40.0	25.0	35.0	105.0	41.0	16.5	25.0	98.5
	San Antonio
	Philadelphia
	Seattle
1978 NBA Playoffs	Total	2	2	0	40.0	25.0	35.0	105.0	41.0	16.5	25.0	98.5

Awards and honors

Wes Unseld, NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award

28th NBA All-Star Game

Main article: 1978 NBA All-Star Game

Player	Pos	Conference	Points	Field Goals Made	Field Goals Attempted	Free Throws Made	Free Throws Attempted	Rebounds	Assists	Steals	Blocks	Turnovers	Personal Fouls
Elvin Hayes	F	Eastern Conference All-Stars	2	1	7	0	0	4	0	1	0	1	4

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Washington Wizards (1963-Present)

Bullets on Basketball Reference

NBA champions

Washington Bullets 1977–78 NBA Champions

10 Bob Dandridge 11 Elvin Hayes 14 Tom Henderson 15 Charles Johnson 20 Phil Walker 25 Mitch Kupchak 32 Larry Wright 35 Kevin Grevey 41 Wes Unseld (Finals MVP) 42 Greg Ballard 44 Joe Pace 45 Phil Chenier Head coach Dick Motta Assistant coach Bernie Bickerstaff

Regular season Playoffs

Chicago Packers / Zephyrs–Baltimore / Capital / Washington Bullets–Washington Wizards seasons

1960s

1970s

1977–78

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

Bold indicates NBA Finals victory

Washington Wizards

Founded in 1961 Formerly the Chicago Packers (1961–1962), the Chicago Zephyrs (1962–1963), the Baltimore Bullets (1963–1973), the Capital Bullets (1973–1974), and the Washington Bullets (1974–1997) Based in Washington, D.C.

Franchise	Franchise Expansion Draft All-time roster Draft history Head coaches Seasons Current season

Arenas	International Amphitheatre Chicago Coliseum Baltimore Civic Center Cole Field House Capital Centre/US Airways Arena Verizon Center

General Managers	Ferry Nash Unseld Grunfeld

D-League affiliate	None

Administration	Ted Leonsis (Owner) Ernie Grunfeld (President & GM of Basketball Ops.) Scott Brooks (Head Coach)

Retired Numbers	10 11 25 41

NBA Championships (1)	1978

Eastern Conference Championships (4)	1971 1975 1978 1979

Culture and lore	Wes Unseld 1975 championship upset It ain't over till the fat lady sings The Big E Abe Pollin Earl the Pearl Agent Zero Robin Ficker

Media	TV WDCW Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic The Comcast Network Radio WJFK-FM Announcers Steve Buckhantz Phil Chenier Dave Johnson Glenn Consor

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