1978 NBA playoffs
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | April 11–June 7, 1978 |
| Season | Washington Bullets (1st title) |
| Runner-up | Seattle SuperSonics |
| Semifinalists | |
→ | |
The 1978 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the
Bullets (since renamed the Wizards)
have won.
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 | 2 | E2 | San Antonio* | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| E6 | Atlanta | 0 | E3 | Washington | 4 | ||||||||||||||
| W4 | Seattle | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Portland* | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| W4 | Seattle | 2 | W4 | 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 | |||||||||||||||||
- * Division winner
- Bold Series winner
- Italic Team with home-court advantage
First round
Eastern Conference first round
(3) Washington Bullets vs. (6) Atlanta Hawks
April 12
|
Washington Bullets 103
| ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–25, 23–31, 23–25, 23–22 | ||
| 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 | ||
| 5 | Pts: John Drew 27 Rebs: Drew, McMillen 8 each Asts: Hill, Hawes 5 each | |
| Washington wins series, 2–0 | ||
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.
| Tied 1–1 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(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 | ||
| 6 | Pts: Campy Russell 23 Rebs: Elmore Smith 12 Asts: Foots Walker 6 | |
| New York leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 14
|
| Cleveland Cavaliers 107, New York Knicks 109 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–26, 27–20, 25–31, 26–32 | ||
| 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 | ||
| 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 | ||
| 10 | Pts: Marques Johnson 33 Rebs: Dave Meyers 14 Asts: Quinn Buckner 10 | |
| Milwaukee wins series, 2–0 | ||
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 | ||
| 6 each | Pts: Gus Williams 23 Rebs: Marvin Webster 14 Asts: Fred Brown 5 | |
| Seattle leads series, 1–0 | ||
Seattle, Washington Attendance: 14,098 |
April 14
|
| Seattle SuperSonics 99, Los Angeles Lakers 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–23, 27–26, 21–26, 25–30 | ||
| 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 | ||
| 5 | Pts: Jack Sikma 24 Rebs: Marvin Webster 18 Asts: Gus Williams 8 | |
| Seattle wins series, 2–1 | ||
Seattle, Washington Attendance: 14,098 |
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 | ||
| 6 | Pts: Steve Mix 19 Rebs: Caldwell Jones 16 Asts: Steve Mix 7 | |
| Philadelphia leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 18
|
| New York Knicks 100, Philadelphia 76ers 119 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–26, 24–36, 18–26, 30–31 | ||
| 6 | Pts: Julius Erving 22 Rebs: Caldwell Jones 11 Asts: Darryl Dawkins 6 | |
| Philadelphia leads series, 2–0 | ||
April 20
|
| Philadelphia 76ers 137, New York Knicks 126 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 37–30, 35–35, 31–28, 34–33 | ||
| 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 | ||
| 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.
| Philadelphia leads 4–2 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(2) Washington Bullets
April 16
|
Washington Bullets 103, San Antonio Spurs 114
| ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–25, 20–23, 27–34, 27–32 | ||
| 6 | Pts: George Gervin 35 Rebs: Larry Kenon 9 Asts: Gervin, Kenon 5 each | |
| San Antonio leads series, 1–0 | ||
San Antonio, Texas Attendance: 9,669 |
April 18
|
Washington Bullets 121, San Antonio Spurs 117
| ||
| Scoring by quarter: 33–27, 32–28, 35–28, 21–34 | ||
| 8 | Pts: George Gervin 46 Rebs: Larry Kenon 8 Asts: Larry Kenon 6 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
San Antonio, Texas Attendance: 9,871 |
April 21
|
Washington Bullets 118
| ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–38, 24–25, 24–30, 31–25 | ||
| 4 | Pts: Bob Dandridge 28 Rebs: Elvin Hayes 12 Asts: Wes Unseld 8 | |
| Washington leads series, 2–1 | ||
April 23
|
Washington Bullets 98
| ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–18, 23–25, 24–27, 24–28 | ||
| 7 | Pts: Bob Dandridge 24 Rebs: Elvin Hayes 13 Asts: Bob Dandridge 8 | |
| Washington leads series, 3–1 | ||
April 25
|
Washington Bullets 105, San Antonio Spurs 116
| ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–33, 28–24, 19–26, 31–33 | ||
| 6 | Pts: George Gervin 27 Rebs: Larry Kenon 14 Asts: Louie Dampier 6 | |
| Washington leads series, 3–2 | ||
San Antonio, Texas Attendance: 9,709 |
April 28
|
Washington Bullets 103
| ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–25, 23–33, 22–19, 26–26 | ||
| 9 | Pts: Elvin Hayes 25 Rebs: Wes Unseld 16 Asts: Wes Unseld 5 | |
| Washington wins series, 4–2 | ||
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 | ||
| 4 | Pts: Johnny Davis 20 Rebs: Bill Walton 16 Asts: Lionel Hollins 9 | |
| Seattle leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 21
|
| Seattle SuperSonics 93, Portland Trail Blazers 96 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–20, 19–20, 22–30, 22–26 | ||
| 7 | Pts: Maurice Lucas 19 Rebs: Maurice Lucas 14 Asts: Lionel Hollins 5 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
- 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 | ||
| 5 | Pts: J. Johnson, Brown 18 each Rebs: Marvin Webster 23 Asts: Fred Brown 4 | |
| Seattle leads series, 2–1 | ||
Seattle, Washington Attendance: 14,098 |
April 26
|
| Portland Trail Blazers 98, Seattle SuperSonics 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–28, 29–17, 24–28, 17–27 | ||
| 8 | Pts: Jack Sikma 28 Rebs: Jack Sikma 10 Asts: Dennis Johnson 8 | |
| Seattle leads series, 3–1 | ||
Seattle, Washington Attendance: 14,098 |
April 30
|
| Seattle SuperSonics 89, Portland Trail Blazers 113 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 13–25, 21–27, 23–27, 32–34 | ||
| 4 | Pts: Tom Owens 31 Rebs: Maurice Lucas 13 Asts: Davis, Owens 6 each | |
| Seattle leads series, 3–2 | ||
May 1
|
| Portland Trail Blazers 94, Seattle SuperSonics 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–26, 27–29, 20–20, 25–30 | ||
| 9 | Pts: Dennis Johnson 20 Rebs: Marvin Webster 11 Asts: Gus Williams 7 | |
| Seattle wins series, 4–2 | ||
Seattle, Washington Attendance: 14,098 |
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 | ||
| 11 | Pts: David Thompson 27 Rebs: Dan Issel 12 Asts: David Thompson 6 | |
| Denver leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 21
|
| Milwaukee Bucks 111, Denver Nuggets 127 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 35–32, 18–31, 23–39, 35–25 | ||
| 8 | Pts: Dan Issel 22 Rebs: Dan Issel 14 Asts: Issel, Calvin 6 each | |
| Denver leads series, 2–0 | ||
April 23
|
| Denver Nuggets 112, Milwaukee Bucks 143 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–26, 28–30, 26–40, 36–47 | ||
| 5 | Pts: Marques Johnson 35 Rebs: Marques Johnson 10 Asts: Lloyd Walton 11 | |
| Denver leads series, 2–1 | ||
April 25
|
| Denver Nuggets 118, Milwaukee Bucks 104 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–22, 30–17, 33–22, 28–43 | ||
| 5 each | Pts: Johnson, Winters 14 each Rebs: Marques Johnson 7 Asts: Brian Winters 6 | |
| Denver leads series, 3–1 | ||
April 28
|
| Milwaukee Bucks 117, Denver Nuggets 112 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–28, 19–26, 28–32, 39–26 | ||
| 9 each | Pts: Bobby Jones 25 Rebs: Dan Issel 15 Asts: Bob Wilkerson 8 | |
| Denver leads series, 3–2 | ||
April 30
|
| Denver Nuggets 91, Milwaukee Bucks 119 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–33, 21–29, 20–30, 24–27 | ||
| 6 | Pts: Alex English 21 Rebs: Marques Johnson 17 Asts: Marques Johnson 9 | |
| Series tied, 3–3 | ||
May 3
|
| Milwaukee Bucks 110, Denver Nuggets 116 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–34, 30–32, 25–29, 29–21 | ||
| 10 | Pts: David Thompson 37 Rebs: Bob Wilkerson 12 Asts: David Thompson 6 | |
| Denver wins series, 4–3 | ||
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.[8]
Conference finals
Eastern Conference finals
(1) 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 | ||
| 9 | Pts: Julius Erving 25 Rebs: George McGinnis 15 Asts: three players 5 each | |
| Washington leads series, 1–0 | ||
- 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 | ||
| 8 each | Pts: Doug Collins 28 Rebs: Erving, Dawkins 11 each Asts: Henry Bibby 9 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
May 5
|
Washington Bullets 123
| ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–28, 19–34, 36–30, 27–31 | ||
| 5 | Pts: Bob Dandridge 30 Rebs: Elvin Hayes 12 Asts: Bob Dandridge 7 | |
| Washington leads series, 2–1 | ||
May 7
|
Washington Bullets 121
| ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–23, 20–31, 26–27, 31–40 | ||
| 6 | Pts: Elvin Hayes 35 Rebs: Elvin Hayes 19 Asts: four players 6 each | |
| Washington leads series, 3–1 | ||
May 10
|
Washington Bullets 94, Philadelphia 76ers 107
| ||
| Scoring by quarter: 12–23, 29–29, 21–30, 32–25 | ||
| 5 | Pts: Collins, Erving 24 each Rebs: Caldwell Jones 15 Asts: Henry Bibby 10 | |
| Washington leads series, 3–2 | ||
May 12
|
Washington Bullets 101
| ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–24, 23–27, 26–33, 23–17 | ||
| 5 | Pts: Bob Dandridge 28 Rebs: Wes Unseld 15 Asts: Tom Henderson 6 | |
| Washington wins series, 4–2 | ||
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Bullets winning the first meeting while in Baltimore.
| Baltimore/Washington leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
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 | ||
| 8 | Pts: Dan Issel 25 Rebs: Issel, Hillman 11 each Asts: Bob Wilkerson 10 | |
| Denver leads series, 1–0 | ||
May 7
|
| Seattle SuperSonics 121, Denver Nuggets 111 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–38, 31–18, 22–25, 38–30 | ||
| 6 | Pts: Dan Issel 29 Rebs: Dan Issel 14 Asts: Ralph Simpson 7 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
May 10
|
| Denver Nuggets 91, Seattle SuperSonics 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–30, 20–31, 24–16, 17–28 | ||
| 3 each | Pts: John Johnson 20 Rebs: Marvin Webster 16 Asts: D. Johnson, Webster 3 each | |
| Seattle leads series, 2–1 | ||
Seattle, Washington Attendance: 14,098 |
May 12
|
| Denver Nuggets 94, Seattle SuperSonics 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–33, 31–17, 18–23, 18–27 | ||
| 8 | Pts: Dennis Johnson 31 Rebs: Paul Silas 14 Asts: John Johnson 7 | |
| Seattle leads series, 3–1 | ||
Seattle, Washington Attendance: 14,098 |
May 14
|
| Seattle SuperSonics 114, Denver Nuggets 123 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–35, 20–26, 39–27, 31–35 | ||
| 6 each | Pts: David Thompson 35 Rebs: Bobby Jones 11 Asts: Bob Wilkerson 10 | |
| Seattle leads series, 3–2 | ||
May 17
|
| Denver Nuggets 108, Seattle SuperSonics 123 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–39, 28–23, 18–31, 36–30 | ||
| 8 | Pts: Fred Brown 26 Rebs: Paul Silas 13 Asts: Dennis Johnson 7 | |
| Seattle wins series, 4–2 | ||
Seattle, Washington Attendance: 14,098 |
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 | ||
| 7 | Pts: Fred Brown 30 Rebs: Marvin Webster 14 Asts: Dennis Johnson 5 | |
| Seattle leads series, 1–0 | ||
Seattle, Washington Attendance: 14,098 Referees: Darell Garretson, Ed Rush |
- "Downtown" Freddie Brown scores 16 of his points in the 4th quarter to lead the Sonics back from a 19-point deficit.
May 25
|
Washington Bullets 106
| ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–29, 36–27, 19–24, 27–26 | ||
| : three players 4 each | Pts: Bob Dandridge 34 Rebs: Wes Unseld 15 Asts: Henderson, Unseld 5 each | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
May 28
|
Washington Bullets 92
| ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–24, 25–23, 20–20, 24–25 | ||
| : five players 2 each | Pts: Elvin Hayes 29 Rebs: Elvin Hayes 20 Asts: Bob Dandridge 6 | |
| Seattle leads series, 2–1 | ||
May 30
|
Washington Bullets 120, Seattle SuperSonics 116 (OT)
| ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–25, 25–31, 30–31, 28–19, Overtime: 14–10 | ||
| 11 | Pts: Dennis Johnson 33 Rebs: Marvin Webster 15 Asts: Paul Silas 6 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
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 | ||
| 6 | Pts: Fred Brown 26 Rebs: Marvin Webster 13 Asts: John Johnson 7 | |
| Seattle leads series, 3–2 | ||
Seattle, Washington Attendance: 14,098 Referees: Joe Gushue, Jake O'Donnell |
June 4
|
Washington Bullets 117
| ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–19, 14–28, 26–37, 21–33 | ||
| 6 | Pts: Elvin Hayes 21 Rebs: Elvin Hayes 15 Asts: Greg Ballard 6 | |
| Series tied, 3–3 | ||
June 7
|
Washington Bullets 105, Seattle SuperSonics 99
| ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–28, 22–17, 26–21, 26–33 | ||
| 6 | Pts: Marvin Webster 27 Rebs: Marvin Webster 19 Asts: Gus Williams 5 | |
| Washington wins series, 4–3 | ||
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
- NBA records
References
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Atlanta Hawks versus Washington Wizards (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Cleveland Cavaliers versus New York Knicks (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Milwaukee Bucks versus Phoenix Suns (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus Oklahoma City Thunder (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — New York Knicks versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — San Antonio Spurs versus Washington Wizards (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Oklahoma City Thunder versus Portland Trail Blazers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Denver Nuggets versus Milwaukee Bucks (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Philadelphia 76ers versus Washington Wizards (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Denver Nuggets versus Oklahoma City Thunder (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ "Team Rivalry Finder — Oklahoma City Thunder versus Washington Wizards (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
External links
- https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/NBA_1978.html Basketball-Reference.com's 1978 NBA Playoffs page