1977–78 Philadelphia 76ers season

NBA professional basketball team season August 2023 March 2026 Philadelphia 76ers 1978 yes 55 27 Atlantic 1 1 Gene Shue (fired) Billy Cunningham Pat Williams The Spectrum Conference finals(lost to Bullets 2–4) PHI WKBS-TVPRISM WCAU The 1977–78 Philadelphia 76ers season was the 76ers 29th season in the NBA and 15th season in Philadelphia. The team finished the regular season with a record of 55–27. Head coach Gene Shue was replaced only 6 games into the season, by former Sixers player Billy Cunningham, who was only 34 years old at the time he replaced Shue. In the playoffs, the Sixers would sweep the New York Knicks, but lose in the Eastern Conference finals to the Washington Bullets, a team with 11 fewer wins, 4 games to 2. Following the season, George McGinnis was traded to the Denver Nuggets for Bobby Jones and World B. Free was dealt to the San Diego Clippers for a 1984 first round draft pick which would become Charles Barkley. Offseason Draft picks 1977 NBA draft Round Pick Player Position Nationality College 1 20 Glenn Mosley PF Seton Hall 2 25 Wilson Washington PF/C Old Dominion 2 42 Bob Elliott C/PF Arizona 2 43 Herm Harris F Arizona 3 64 Arnold Dugger SG Oral Roberts 4 86 Jack Jones PG Utah 5 108 Teko Wynder Tulsa 6 129 George Gibson Winston-Salem State 7 149 Dennin Forest Omaha 8 168 John Olive SF Villanova Roster Philadelphia 76ers 14 Henry Bibby PG 6 1 185 UCLA 23 Joe Bryant PF 6 9 215 La Salle 42 Harvey Catchings C 6 10 218 Hardin-Simmons University 20 Doug Collins basketball SG 6 6 180 Illinois State 53 Darryl Dawkins C 6 11 251 6 Julius Erving SF 6 7 240 Massachusetts 21 World B. Free SG 6 2 185 Guilford College 11 Caldwell Jones C 6 11 217 Albany State 12 Ted McClain PG 6 2 190 Tennessee State 30 George McGinnis PF 6 8 235 Indiana 50 Steve Mix SF 6 7 215 Toledo 34 Glenn Mosley basketball PF 6 8 195 Seton Hall 52 Wilson Washington PF 6 9 227 Old Dominion Billy Cunningham Regular season Season standings PHI PHI z – clinched division title y – clinched division title x – clinched playoff spot Playoffs Philadelphia 76ers 1978 #0067B1 white yes Philadelphia 76ers Conference semifinals yes #ED174C white yes no 2 0 2 0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 1 | April 16 | New York | W 130–90 | Steve Mix (19) | Caldwell Jones (16) | Steve Mix (7) | Spectrum13,011 | 1–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 2 | April 18 | New York | W 119–100 | Julius Erving (22) | Caldwell Jones (11) | Darryl Dawkins (6) | Spectrum15,853 | 2–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 3 | April 20 | @ New York | W 137–126 | McGinnis, Free (29) | Julius Erving (10) | Collins, Erving (7) | Madison Square Garden18,697 | 3–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 4 | April 23 | @ New York | W 112–107 | Doug Collins (24) | Caldwell Jones (14) | Collins, Erving (4) | Madison Square Garden16,307 | 4–0 |- Philadelphia 76ers Conference finals #ED174C white yes no 2 1 0 3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 1 | April 30 | Washington | L 117–122 (OT) | Julius Erving (25) | George McGinnis (15) | three players tied (5) | Spectrum13,708 | 0–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 2 | May 3 | Washington | W 110–104 | Doug Collins (28) | Erving, Dawkins (11) | Henry Bibby (9) | Spectrum18,276 | 1–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 3 | May 5 | @ Washington | L 108–123 | George McGinnis (16) | Julius Erving (10) | Henry Bibby (5) | Capital Centre19,035 | 1–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 4 | May 7 | @ Washington | L 105–121 | Julius Erving (24) | Caldwell Jones (13) | World B. Free (6) | Capital Centre19,035 | 1–3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 5 | May 10 | Washington | W 107–94 | Collins, Erving (24) | Caldwell Jones (15) | Henry Bibby (10) | Spectrum18,276 | 2–3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 6 | May 12 | @ Washington | L 99–101 | Doug Collins (33) | Erving, McGinnis (8) | Henry Bibby (5) | Capital Centre19,035 | 2–4 |- PHI 1978 yes Awards and records Julius Erving, All-NBA First Team References Category:Philadelphia 76ers seasons Philadelphia Philadel Philadel Category:1977 in Philadelphia Category:1978 in Philadelphia