1977–78 Washington Bullets season

1977–78 Washington Bullets season
NBA champions
Conference champions
Head coach	Dick Motta
General manager	Bob Ferry
Owner(s)	Abe Pollin
Arena	Capital Centre
Results
Record	44–38 (.537)
Place	Division: 2nd (Central) Conference: 3rd (Eastern)
Playoff finish	NBA Champions (Defeated SuperSonics 4–3)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television	WDCA–TV 20 (Jim Karvellas, Gus Johnson)
Radio	WTOP–AM 1500 (Frank Herzog)

The 1977–78 NBA season was the team's 17th season in the NBA and their 5th season in the city of Washington, D.C.. It would prove to be their most successful season, as they would win their first and only NBA championship as of 2021. In the NBA Finals, they defeated the Seattle SuperSonics in seven games.

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. 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. This would be considered the worst team in NBA history to win a championship with its record of 44–38. The 1968–69 Boston Celtics, 1974–75 Golden State Warriors, 1976–77 Portland Trail Blazers, and 1994–95 Houston Rockets are the only other NBA championship teams to have won below 50 games in non-lockout seasons since 1958; all of them won more than 44 games.

Offseason

NBA Draft

Main article: 1977 NBA Draft

Round	Pick	Player	Nationality	College/HS/Club Team
1	1	Greg Ballard (SF) (from Atlanta)	United States	Oregon
1	11	Bo Ellis (F)	United States	Marquette
1	1	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	Virginia Tech
7	147	Calvin Brown	United States	American
8	166	Pat McKinley	United States	Towson State

Roster

Washington Bullets roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From F 42 Ballard, Greg 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Oregon G 45 Chenier, Phil 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) California SF 10 Dandridge, Bob 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Norfolk State F 35 Grevey, Kevin 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Kentucky G 14 Henderson, Tom 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Hawaiʻi C 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 G 15 Johnson, Charles 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) California C 44 Pace, Joe 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Coppin State F 41 Unseld, Wes 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Louisville G 32 Wright, Larry 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Grambling State

Head coach Dick Motta Assistant coach(es) Bernie Bickerstaff Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured

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: 15–26)
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)

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

Playoffs

1978 playoff game log
First Round: 2–0 (home: 1–0; road: 1–0) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 April 12 Atlanta W 103–94 Bob Dandridge (20) Wes Unseld (15) Wes Unseld (7) Capital Centre 9,326 1–0 2 April 14 @ Atlanta W 107–103 (OT) Kevin Grevey (41) Wes Unseld (15) Tom Henderson (5) Omni Coliseum 15,601 2–0
Conference Semifinals: 4–2 (home: 3–0; road: 1–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 April 16 @ San Antonio L 103–114 Elvin Hayes (26) Elvin Hayes (15) Elvin Hayes (6) HemisFair Arena 9,669 0–1 2 April 18 @ San Antonio W 121–117 Kevin Grevey (31) Wes Unseld (13) Larry Wright (8) HemisFair Arena 9,871 1–1 3 April 21 San Antonio W 118–105 Bob Dandridge (28) Elvin Hayes (12) Wes Unseld (8) Capital Centre 17,417 2–1 4 April 23 San Antonio W 98–95 Bob Dandridge (24) Elvin Hayes (13) Bob Dandridge (8) Capital Centre 13,459 3–1 5 April 25 @ San Antonio L 105–116 Charles Johnson (21) Elvin Hayes (13) Wes Unseld (6) HemisFair Arena 9,709 3–2 6 April 28 San Antonio W 103–100 Elvin Hayes (25) Wes Unseld (16) Wes Unseld (5) Capital Centre 19,035 4–2
Conference Finals: 4–2 (home: 3–0; road: 1–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 April 30 @ Philadelphia W 122–117 (OT) Elvin Hayes (28) Elvin Hayes (18) Tom Henderson (9) Spectrum 13,708 1–0 2 May 3 @ Philadelphia L 104–110 Elvin Hayes (26) Elvin Hayes (15) Wright, Henderson (8) Spectrum 18,276 1–1 3 May 5 Philadelphia W 123–108 Bob Dandridge (30) Elvin Hayes (12) Bob Dandridge (7) Capital Centre 19,035 2–1 4 May 7 Philadelphia W 121–105 Elvin Hayes (35) Elvin Hayes (19) four players tied (6) Capital Centre 19,035 3–1 5 May 10 @ Philadelphia L 94–107 Larry Wright (18) Hayes, Unseld (16) Wes Unseld (5) Spectrum 18,276 3–2 6 May 12 Philadelphia W 101–99 Bob Dandridge (28) Wes Unseld (15) Tom Henderson (6) Capital Centre 19,035 4–2
NBA Finals: 4–3 (home: 2–1; road: 2–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 May 21 @ Seattle L 102–106 Kevin Grevey (27) Elvin Hayes (9) Tom Henderson (7) Seattle Center Coliseum 14,098 0–1 2 May 25 Seattle W 106–98 Bob Dandridge (34) Wes Unseld (15) Henderson, Unseld (5) Capital Centre 19,035 1–1 3 May 28 Seattle L 92–93 Elvin Hayes (29) Elvin Hayes (20) Bob Dandridge (6) Capital Centre 19,035 1–2 4 May 30 @ Seattle W 120–116 (OT) Bob Dandridge (23) Elvin Hayes (13) Tom Henderson (11) Kingdome 39,457 2–2 5 June 2 @ Seattle L 94–98 Kevin Grevey (22) Bob Dandridge (10) Tom Henderson (6) Seattle Center Coliseum 14,098 2–3 6 June 4 Seattle W 117–82 Elvin Hayes (21) Elvin Hayes (15) Greg Ballard (6) Capital Centre 19,035 3–3 7 June 7 @ Seattle W 105–99 Dandridge, Johnson (19) Wes Unseld (9) Wes Unseld (6) Seattle Center Coliseum 14,098 4–3
1978 schedule

NBA Finals

Main article: 1978 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. 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. 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.

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

Awards and honors

• Wes Unseld, NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award

References

• Bullets on Basketball Reference