1979 NBA Finals

The 1979 NBA World Championship Series was the championship series played at the conclusion of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1978–79 season. The Western Conference champion Seattle SuperSonics played the Eastern Conference champion Washington Bullets, with the Bullets holding home-court advantage, due to a better regular season record. The SuperSonics defeated the Bullets 4 games to 1. The series was a rematch of the 1978 NBA Finals, which the Washington Bullets had won 4–3.

1979 NBA Finals
TeamCoachWins
Seattle SuperSonics Lenny Wilkens 4
Washington Bullets Dick Motta 1
DatesMay 20–June 1
MVPDennis Johnson
(Seattle SuperSonics)
Hall of FamersSuperSonics:
Dennis Johnson (2010)
Jack Sikma (2019)
Bullets:
Elvin Hayes (1990)
Wes Unseld (1988)
Coaches:
Lenny Wilkens (1998)
Officials:
Darell Garretson (2016)
Eastern FinalsBullets defeat Spurs, 4–3
Western FinalsSuperSonics defeat Suns, 4–3

Dennis Johnson of the SuperSonics was named as the NBA Finals MVP, while Gus Williams of the SuperSonics was the top scorer, averaging 28.6 points per game.

This was Seattle's second men's professional sports championship, following the Seattle Metropolitans' Stanley Cup victory in the 1917 Stanley Cup Finals.

Coincidentally, this series (along with the 1978 NBA Finals) was informally known as the George Washington series, because both teams were playing in places named after the first President of the United States (the SuperSonics represented Seattle, the most populous city in the state of Washington, and the Bullets represented Washington, D.C., albeit playing in nearby Landover, Maryland).

This is the most recent time that a Western Conference team not based in Texas or California has won an NBA title, and the last of only two occasions alongside the 1976–77 Portland Trail Blazers when a team from the present-day Northwest Division has won the league title, which is by 27 years the longest league championship drought for any division of the four major North American sports leagues.(2006 Indianapolis Colts) [note 1] Since then, the following Western teams have gone on to win an NBA title: the Los Angeles Lakers (eleven times), the San Antonio Spurs (five times), the Golden State Warriors (three times), the Houston Rockets (twice), and the Dallas Mavericks (once). The remaining twenty titles since 1980 have been won by Eastern Conference teams.[note 2]

Background

This was a rematch of the 1978 NBA Finals, which the Bullets won 4–3. Seattle made a key offseason trade sending Marvin Webster to the New York Knicks for Lonnie Shelton. Other than that, both teams' rosters stayed virtually intact. Unlike the previous year, both teams finished 1-2 in the NBA, with the Bullets topping the league at 54 wins; the Sonics with 52 wins. In the playoffs, Seattle defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 4–1 and the Phoenix Suns 4–3, while Washington had a much tougher road, eliminating the Atlanta Hawks in an unexpectedly tough seven-game series and coming back from a 3-1 deficit to eliminate the San Antonio Spurs in seven. Both earned a first-round bye.

Road to the Finals
Main article: 1979 NBA Playoffs
Seattle SuperSonics (Western Conference champion)Washington Bullets (Eastern Conference champion)
# Western Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Seattle SuperSonics5230.634–
2 y-Kansas City Kings4834.5854
3 x-Phoenix Suns5032.6102
4 x-Denver Nuggets4735.5735
5 x-Los Angeles Lakers4735.5735
6 x-Portland Trail Blazers4537.5497
7 San Diego Clippers4339.5249
8 Indiana Pacers3844.46314
9 Milwaukee Bucks3844.46314
10 Golden State Warriors3844.46314
11 Chicago Bulls3151.37821

1st seed in the West, 2nd best league record

 Regular season
# Eastern Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Washington Bullets5428.659–
2 y-San Antonio Spurs4834.5856
3 x-Philadelphia 76ers4735.5737
4 x-Houston Rockets4735.5737
5 x-Atlanta Hawks4636.5618
6 x-New Jersey Nets3745.45117
7 New York Knicks3151.37823
8 Cleveland Cavaliers3052.36624
8 Detroit Pistons3052.36624
10 Boston Celtics2953.35425
11 New Orleans Jazz2656.31728

1st seed in the East, best league record

Earned first-round bye First Round Earned first-round bye
Defeated the (5) Los Angeles Lakers, 4–1 Conference Semifinals Defeated the (5) Atlanta Hawks, 4–3
Defeated the (3) Phoenix Suns, 4–3 Conference Finals Defeated the (2) San Antonio Spurs, 4–3

Regular season series

Both teams split the four-game series in the regular season:

Series summary
GameDateHome teamResultRoad team
Game 1Sunday, May 20Washington Bullets99–97 (1–0)Seattle SuperSonics
Game 2Thursday, May 24Washington Bullets82–92 (1–1)Seattle SuperSonics
Game 3Sunday, May 27Seattle SuperSonics105–95 (2–1)Washington Bullets
Game 4Tuesday, May 29Seattle SuperSonics114–112 (3–1)Washington Bullets
Game 5Friday, June 1Washington Bullets93–97 (1–4)Seattle SuperSonics

Game 1
May 20
Seattle SuperSonics 97, Washington Bullets 99
Scoring by quarter: 25–26, 25–33, 21–23, 26–17
Pts: Gus Williams 32
Rebs: John Johnson 11
Asts: Dennis Johnson 7		 Pts: Larry Wright 26
Rebs: Wes Unseld 12
Asts: Tom Henderson 6
Washington leads the series 1–0
Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland
Attendance: 19,035
Referees:
  • No. 10 Darell Garreson,
  • No. 4 Ed T. Rush
  • No. 18 Ed Middleton

[1]

The Bullets controlled the game and led by 18 in the fourth, but Seattle mounted a furious comeback to tie it at 97. Larry Wright, who had 26 points off the bench, drove to the basket as time ran down and had his shot blocked by Dennis Johnson, but the referees called a foul on Johnson. Wright went to the line with one second left and hit two of three foul shots (NBA rules at the time awarded an extra free throw attempt when a team was in the penalty foul situation) to win the game.[2]

Game 2
May 24
9 p.m. EDT
Seattle SuperSonics 92, Washington Bullets 82
Scoring by quarter: 28–23, 21–29, 19–14, 24–16
Pts: Gus Williams 23
Rebs: Jack Sikma 13
Asts: D. Johnson, J. Johnson 6 each		 Pts: Bob Dandridge 21
Rebs: Elvin Hayes 14
Asts: Bob Dandridge 5
Series tied 1–1
Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland
Attendance: 19,035
Referees:
  • No. 9 John Vanak
  • No. 14 Jack Madden
  • No. 19 Jim Capers

Elvin Hayes had 11 points in the first quarter, but only nine the rest of the way as Seattle turned its defense up a notch, holding the Bullets to 30 points in the second half.

Outside of the two metropolitan areas of the competing teams, as well as Baltimore and Portland, the game was shown on tape delay beginning at 11:35 Eastern and Pacific/10:35 p.m. Central and Mountain. This was the first of six championship series games shown by CBS on tape delay over a three-season span. Four of the six games in the championship series two years later were shown on tape delay outside of the markets of the competing clubs.

Game 3
May 27
Washington Bullets 95, Seattle SuperSonics 105
Scoring by quarter: 25–31, 19–24, 22–26, 29–24
Pts: Bob Dandridge 28
Rebs: Unseld, Hayes 14 each
Asts: Bob Dandridge 5		 Pts: Gus Williams 31
Rebs: Sikma 17
Asts: D. Johnson 9
Seattle leads the series 2–1
Kingdome, Seattle
Attendance: 35,928
Referees:
  • No. 11 Jake O'Donnell
  • No. 7 Joe Gushue
  • No. 25 Hugh Evans

Seattle dominated this game, which wasn't as close as the final margin indicated. Gus Williams scored 31 points, Jack Sikma had 21 and 17 rebounds, and Dennis Johnson had a fine all-around game with 17 points, 9 rebounds, and two blocked shots.

Game 4
May 29
Washington Bullets 112, Seattle SuperSonics 114 (OT)
Scoring by quarter: 16–24, 37–28, 28–32, 23–20, Overtime: 8–10
Pts: Three Players 18
Rebs: Unseld 16
Asts: Tom Henderson 8		 Pts: Gus Williams 36
Rebs: Sikma 17
Asts: John Johnson 13
Seattle leads the series 3–1
Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle
Attendance: 14,098
Referees:
  • No. 15 Bob Rakel
  • No. 8 Lee Jones
  • No. 10 Darell Garretson

[3] The Sonics won a close one in OT 114–112, staving off a late Bullets comeback behind 36 points by Gus Williams and 32 by Dennis Johnson. Williams and Johnson dominated the Bullets' guards all series, as they were plagued by poor shooting. Johnson also had four blocks in the game, the last on Kevin Grevey with 4 seconds left to ensure the Seattle victory.

Game 5
June 1
Seattle SuperSonics 97, Washington Bullets 93
Scoring by quarter: 19–30, 24–21, 23–18, 31–24
Pts: Gus Williams 23
Rebs: Sikma 17
Asts: John Johnson 6		 Pts: Elvin Hayes 29
Rebs: Elvin Hayes 14
Asts: Bob Dandridge 7
Seattle wins the series 4–1
Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland
Attendance: 19,035
Referees:
  • No 11 Jake O'Donnell
  • No. 7 Joe Gushue
  • No. 22 Paul Mihalak

[4] Back home, Elvin Hayes had a hot first half, scoring 20, but injuries to starting guards Tom Henderson, Kevin Grevey and prolonged poor shooting by their replacements took their toll. Hayes had only nine points in the second half as Seattle closed out the series.[5]

Player statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
Seattle SuperSonics
Seattle SuperSonics statistics
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Washington Bullets
Washington Wizards statistics
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG

Team rosters

Seattle SuperSonics
Roster listing
1978–79 Seattle SuperSonics roster
Players Coaches
Pos.No.NameHeightWeightDOB (YYYY-MM-DD)From
C 21 Awtrey, Dennis 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Santa Clara
SG 32 Brown, Fred 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 182 lb (83 kg) Iowa
SG 10 Hassett, Joe 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Providence
SG 24 Johnson, Dennis 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Pepperdine
SF 27 Johnson, John 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Iowa
C 23 LaGarde, Tom 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) North Carolina
SF 22 Robinson, Jackie 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) UNLV
PF 8 Shelton, Lonnie 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Oregon State
C 43 Sikma, Jack 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Illinois Wesleyan
PF 35 Silas, Paul 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Creighton
SG 11 Snyder, Dick 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 207 lb (94 kg) Davidson
SF 42 Walker, Wally 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Virginia
PG 1 Williams, Gus 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Southern California
Head coach
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

[6]

Washington Bullets
Roster listing
1978–79 Washington Bullets roster
Players Coaches
Pos.No.NameHeightWeightDOB (YYYY-MM-DD)From
SF 42 Ballard, Greg 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Oregon
SG 45 Chenier, Phil 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) California
C 40 Corzine, Dave 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (113 kg) DePaul
SF 10 Dandridge, Bob 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Norfolk State
SF 35 Grevey, Kevin 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Kentucky
PG 14 Henderson, Tom 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Hawaiʻi
PF 11 Hayes, Elvin 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Houston
PF 25 Kupchak, Mitch 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) North Carolina
SG 15 Johnson, Charles 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) California
SG 22 Phegley, Roger 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Bradley
C 41 Unseld, Wes 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Louisville
PG 32 Wright, Larry 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Grambling State
Head coach
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

See also

Notes
  1. By comparison, the longest divisional title drought in the National Football League is twelve seasons by the AFC South; in Major League Baseball nine seasons (as of 2017) by the National League East, and in the National Hockey League seven seasons by the Atlantic Division.
  2. Seven Eastern Conference teams from six different states and Canada have won NBA Championships since 1980: the Chicago Bulls (six times), the Boston Celtics (four times), the Detroit Pistons and Miami Heat (thrice each), and the Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers (once each) and Toronto Raptors

References
  1. https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197905200WSB.html
  2. "Bullets take Wright turn to victory". St Petersburg Times (page 21). 21 May 1979. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  3. https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197905290SEA.html
  4. https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197906010WSB.html
  5. "The 'fat lady sings' as Sonics lower final boom to rule the NBA". St Petersburg Times (page 23). 2 June 1979. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  6. "1978-79 Seattle SuperSonics Roster and Stats | Basketball-Reference.com". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-07-23.
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