1978–79 Washington Bullets season | |
---|---|
Eastern Conference Champions | |
Head coach | Dick Motta |
Arena | Capital Centre |
Results | |
Record | 54–28 (.659) |
Place |
Division: 1st (Atlantic) Conference: 1st (Eastern) |
Playoff finish |
NBA Finals (Eliminated 1–4) |
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com |
|
Local media | |
Television | WDCA |
Radio | WJMD |
The 1978–79 Washington Bullets won their 2nd consecutive Eastern Conference Championship, making it to the NBA Finals before losing to the Seattle SuperSonics. They finished the regular season with the best record in the NBA, at 54-28.
Coming off of their NBA Championship the previous season, the Bullets were transferred to the Atlantic Division. The Bullets would continue to remain one of the top teams in the league, as they captured the Atlantic Division championship with a league best record of 54–28. The Bullets ended the regular season losing 8 of their last 11 games, but rebounded in the playoffs with victories in both the Eastern Conference Semifinals and Eastern Conference Finals over the Atlanta Hawks and the San Antonio Spurs, respectively.
Round 1: Roger Phegley, Dave Corzine
Round 2: Terry Sykes (Never played in the NBA)
Round 4: Lawrence Boston
Note: GP= Games played; REB= Rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Average
The Bullets had a first round bye.
In the conference semifinal round of the playoffs, the Bullets needed 7 games to beat the Atlanta Hawks. The Bullets nearly lost the series as they had a 3–1 series lead.
(1) Washington Bullets vs. (5) Atlanta Hawks: Bullets win series 4–3
In the Eastern Finals, the Bullets would find themselves down 3 games to 1 facing the San Antonio Spurs. The Bullets would rally to win the next 2 games and force a 7th game at home. In Game 7 the Bullets would rally again. They overcame a fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Spurs 107–105.
(1) Washington Bullets vs. (2) San Antonio Spurs: Bullets win series 4–3
The triumph would set up a rematch with the Seattle SuperSonics in the NBA Finals. In the Finals, the Bullets would squeak out a close victory in Game 1 by a score of 99–97. However, the Sonics would rally to win the next 4 and take the series in 5 games.
SuperSonics win series 4–1