1977–78 Washington Bullets season

NBA professional basketball team season March 2026 August 2023 Washington Bullets 1978 yes yes 44 38 Central 2 3 Dick Motta Bob Ferry Abe Pollin Capital Centre NBA champions(Defeated SuperSonics 4–3) WSB WDCA–TV 20(Jim Karvellas, Mike Riordan) WTOP–AM 1500(Frank Herzog) The 1977–78 Washington Bullets season was the team's 17th season in the NBA and their 5th season in the city of Washington, D.C.1977-78 Washington Bullets Roster and Stats https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/WSB/1978.html 2025-03-19 Basketball-Reference.com en It would prove to be their most successful season, as they would win their first and only NBA championship 2026 y. 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.http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nba/dc/wizards.html Washington Wizards (1963–Present) April 23, 2008 December 8, 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20081208132443/http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nba/dc/wizards.html dead 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. They hold the record for the lowest winning percentage (44 38) of any NBA Championship winning team. 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 1977 NBA draft Round Pick Player Position Nationality College/HS/Club Team Notes 1 4 Greg Ballard F United States Oregon from Atlanta 17 Bo Ellis F United States Marquette 2 39 Phil Walker G United States Millersville 3 57 Steve Puidokas C United States Washington State from Chicago 61 Jerry Schellenberg F United States Wake Forest 4 83 David Reavis F United States Georgia 5 105 Bruce Parkinson G United States Purdue 6 127 Ernie Wansley C United States Virginia Tech 7 147 Calvin Brown G United States American 8 166 Pat McKinley F United States Towson State Roster Washington Bullets 1977–78 42 Greg Ballard basketball SF 6 7 215 1955-01-29 Oregon 45 Phil Chenier SG 6 3 180 1950-10-30 California 10 Bob Dandridge SF 6 6 195 1947-11-15 Norfolk State 35 Kevin Grevey SF 6 5 210 1953-05-12 Kentucky 11 Elvin Hayes PF 6 9 235 1945-11-17 Houston 14 Tom Henderson basketball PG 6 3 190 1952-01-26 Hawaii 15 Charles Johnson basketball, born 1949 SG 6 0 170 1949-03-31 California 25 Mitch Kupchak PF 6 9 230 1954-05-24 North Carolina 44 Joe Pace basketball C 6 10 220 1953-12-18 Coppin State 41 Wes Unseld C 6 7 245 1946-03-14 Louisville 20 Phil Walker basketball SG 6 3 180 1956-03-120 Millersville 32 Larry Wright basketball PG 6 1 160 1954-11-23 Grambling State Dick Motta Bernie Bickerstaff Season standings WSB WSB Record vs. opponents vs. Eastern Conference vs. Atlantic Division 1977–78 NBA recordsTeamBOSBUFNJNNYKPHITotal Atlanta 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 2–2 2–2 Cleveland 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 3–1 3–1 Houston 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 2–2 2–2 New Orleans 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 2–2 2–2 San Antonio 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 3–1 3–1 Washington 3–1 3–1 2–2 2–2 2–2 12–8 vs. Central Division 1977–78 NBA recordsTeamATLCLEHOUNOJSASWSBTotal Atlanta — 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 1–3 1–3 Cleveland 0–0 — 0–0 0–0 0–0 2–2 2–2 Houston 0–0 0–0 — 0–0 0–0 1–3 1–3 New Orleans 0–0 0–0 0–0 — 0–0 0–4 0–4 San Antonio 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 — 2–2 2–2 Washington 3–1 2–2 3–1 4–0 2–2 — 14–6 vs. Western Conference vs. Midwest Division 1977–78 NBA recordsTeamCHIDENDETINDKCKMILTotal Atlanta 0–0 3–1 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 3–1 Cleveland 0–0 1–3 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 1–3 Houston 0–0 3–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 3–0 New Orleans 0–0 3–1 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 3–1 San Antonio 0–0 2–1 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 2–1 Washington 1–2 1–3 2–2 1–3 2–2 1–3 8–15 vs. Pacific Division 1977–78 NBA recordsTeamGSWLALPHOPORSEATotal Atlanta 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 1–2 1–2 Cleveland 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 1–3 1–3 Houston 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 4–0 4–0 New Orleans 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 2–2 2–2 San Antonio 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 2–2 2–2 Washington 2–2 2–2 2–2 1–2 3–1 10–9 Game log Preseason Regular season Washington Bullets #DC143C #0000CD 1978 Total: 44–38 (home: 22–19; road: 21–20) Washington Bullets October yes no #0000CD #DC143C 1 0 0 3 |- | 1 | October 21, 19778:05p.m. EDT | Detroit | W 117–109 | Kupchak (29) | Dandridge,Unseld (9) | Henderson (12) | Capital Centre13,276 | 1–0 |- | 2 | October 22, 19778:05p.m. EDT | @ New York | L 115–141 | Hayes (26) | Hayes (14) | Henderson,Unseld,Wright (4) | Madison Square Garden15,261 | 1–1 |- | 3 | October 28, 19778:05p.m. EDT | @ Indiana | L 127–136 | Wright (43) | Unseld (15) | Henderson (9) | Market Square Arena12,542 | 1–2 |- | 4 | October 29, 19778:35p.m. EDT | @ Kansas City | L 106–120 | Wright (19) | Unseld (11) | Chenier,Henderson,Wright (5) | Kemper Arena9,220 | 1–3 Washington Bullets November no #0000CD #DC143C 6 2 3 2 |- | 5 | November 4, 19778:05p.m. EST | Phoenix | W 113–96 | Dandridge (24) | Hayes (14) | Henderson (10) | Capital Centre8,742 | 2–3 |- | 6 | November 5, 19779:05p.m. EST | @ Houston | L 105–116 | Wright (20) | Dandridge,Unseld (9) | Henderson,Unseld,Wright (3) | The Summit9,449 | 2–4 |- | 7 | November 6, 19778:35p.m. EST | @ New Orleans | W 108–97 | Dandridge,Hayes (21) | Hayes (20) | Wright (4) | Louisiana Superdome26,474 | 3–4 |- | 8 | November 10, 19778:05p.m. EST | Milwaukee | L 103–106 | Dandridge (25) | Hayes (13) | Unseld,Wright (6) | Capital Centre7,139 | 3–5 |- | 9 | November 12, 19778:05p.m. EST | Philadelphia | W 116–98 | Dandridge (28) | Hayes (16) | Wright (10) | Capital Centre18,355 | 4–5 |- | 10 | November 13, 19777:05p.m. EST | @ Detroit | L 102–104 | Hayes (29) | Hayes (16) | Henderson (8) | Cobo Arena5,149 | 4–6 |- | 11 | November 15, 19778:05p.m. EST | Seattle | W 111–109 | Hayes (22) | Hayes (14) | Unseld (6) | Capital Centre5,593 | 5–6 |- | 12 | November 18, 19778:05p.m. EST | New York | W 123–103 | Hayes (27) | Hayes (12) | Henderson (9) | Capital Centre17,242 | 6–6 |- | 13 | November 19, 19778:35p.m. EST | @ Kansas City(at Omaha, Nebraska) | W 131–125 (OT) | Kupchak (32) | Dandridge (12) | Henderson (7) | Omaha Civic Auditorium6,534 | 7–6 |- | 14 | November 21, 19777:30p.m. EST | @ Buffalo | W 114–97 | Kupchak (21) | Dandridge (14) | Henderson (7) | Buffalo Memorial Auditorium6,125 | 8–6 |- | 15 | November 22, 19778:05p.m. EST | Denver | L 114–119 | Dandridge (29) | Hayes (12) | Wright (7) | Capital Centre8,363 | 8–7 |- | 16 | November 26, 19778:05p.m. EST | Houston | W 93–91 | Hayes (24) | Pace (10) | Dandridge (7) | Capital Centre18,387 | 9–7 |- | 17 | November 30, 19778:05p.m. EST | San Antonio | W 116–105 | Kupchak (26) | Unseld (15) | Unseld (10) | Capital Centre7,092 | 10–7 Washington Bullets December no #0000CD #DC143C 6 1 4 5 |- | 18 | December 2, 19779:05p.m. EST | @ Milwaukee | W 108–95 | Hayes (29) | Hayes (19) | Henderson (11) | MECCA Arena10,938 | 11–7 |- | 19 | December 3, 19778:05p.m. EST | Boston | W 103–93 | Dandridge (21) | Kupchak (12) | Dandridge (8) | Capital Centre18,424 | 12–7 |- | 20 | December 4, 19777:30p.m. EST | @ Cleveland | W 100–94 | Chenier (28) | Hayes (16) | Henderson (6) | Richfield Coliseum9,765 | 13–7 |- | 21 | December 6, 19778:30p.m. EST | @ Chicago | L 108–116 | Chenier,Hayes (22) | Unseld (12) | Dandridge,Unseld (5) | Chicago Stadium10,093 | 13–8 |- | 22 | December 7, 19778:05p.m. EST | Cleveland | W 96–95 | Dandridge (21) | Unseld (20) | Henderson (5) | Capital Centre7,627 | 14–8 |- | 23 | December 9, 19778:05p.m. EST | New Orleans | W 101–97 | Henderson (22) | Unseld (16) | Henderson (9) | Capital Centre10,292 | 15–8 |- | 24 | December 11, 19777:35p.m. EST | New Jersey | L 95–106 | Hayes (27) | Hayes (20) | Dandridge,Henderson,Unseld,Wright (4) | Capital Centre5,774 | 15–9 |- | 25 | December 13, 19778:05p.m. EST | Golden State | W 102–96 | Chenier (25) | Hayes (17) | Henderson (6) | Capital Centre8,693 | 16–9 |- | 26 | December 16, 19779:35p.m. EST | @ Denver | W 117–112 (OT) | Hayes (33) | Hayes (20) | Dandridge (10) | McNichols Sports Arena15,922 | 17–9 |- | 27 | December 17, 197711:00p.m. EST | @ Portland | L 104–117 | Dandridge (17) | Hayes (10) | Wright (5) | Memorial Coliseum12,666 | 17–10 |- | 28 | December 18, 197710:00p.m. EST | @ Seattle | L 109–111 (OT) | Henderson (24) | Unseld (13) | Hayes (5) | Seattle Center Coliseum13,563 | 17–11 |- | 29 | December 20, 197711:00p.m. EST | @ Los Angeles | L 115–120 | Kupchak (23) | Kupchak (10) | Wright (9) | The Forum13,475 | 17–12 |- | 30 | December 25, 19777:35p.m. EST | Atlanta | W 100–93 | Dandridge (24) | Unseld (14) | Henderson (9) | Capital Centre8,358 | 18–12 |- | 31 | December 26, 19778:10p.m. EST | @ Atlanta | W 113–106 | Henderson (21) | Hayes (13) | Henderson (8) | The Omni8,321 | 19–12 |- | 32 | December 28, 19778:05p.m. EST | Buffalo | W 106–87 | Hayes (18) | Unseld (15) | Hayes,Unseld,Wright (4) | Capital Centre11,394 | 20–12 |- | 33 | December 30, 19778:05p.m. EST | @ Philadelphia | L 119–126 | Kupchak (22) | Unseld (14) | Dandridge (8) | The Spectrum18,276 | 20–13 Washington Bullets January no #0000CD #DC143C 5 2 1 6 |- | 34 | January 3, 19788:05p.m. EST | Denver | L 100–101 | Chenier (23) | Hayes (18) | Henderson (7) | Capital Centre9,457 | 20–14 |- | 35 | January 6, 19788:05p.m. EST | Indiana | W 146–114 | Dandridge (29) | Hayes,Unseld (10) | Dandridge (8) | Capital Centre9,215 | 21–14 |- | 36 | January 8, 19781:45p.m. EST | @ New Jersey | W 99–98 | Dandridge (20) | Hayes (16) | Henderson,Unseld (6) | Rutgers Athletic Center4,196 | 22–14 |- | 37 | January 10, 19788:05p.m. EST | Kansas City | W 123–115 | Hayes (27) | Ballard (13) | Henderson (11) | Capital Centre7,700 | 23–14 |- | 38 | January 11, 19788:10p.m. EST | @ Atlanta(at Charlotte, North Carolina) | L 95–100 | Hayes (24) | Ballard,Hayes (14) | Henderson (6) | Charlotte Coliseum2,162 | 23–15 |- | 39 | January 13, 19788:05p.m. EST | Portland | W 102–93 | Dandridge (22) | Hayes (13) | Henderson (6) | Capital Centre17,610 | 24–15 |- | 40 | January 14, 19787:30p.m. EST | @ Buffalo | L 93–130 | Dandridge (22) | Hayes,Unseld (9) | Unseld (4) | Buffalo Memorial Auditorium5,036 | 24–16 |- | 41 | January 18, 197810:30p.m. EST | @ Golden State | L 106–113 | Dandridge (25) | Unseld (14) | Wright (9) | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena | 24–17 |- | 42 | January 20, 197811:00p.m. EST | @ Los Angeles | L 99–121 | Walker (23) | Kupchak (9) | Wright (6) | The Forum13,064 | 24–18 |- | 43 | January 22, 19786:45p.m. EST | @ Phoenix | L 101–114 | Hayes (26) | Hayes (19) | Unseld (7) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum12,660 | 24–19 |- | 44 | January 24, 19788:05p.m. EST | Detroit | L 101–104 | Grevey (24) | Hayes (16) | Unseld,Wright (4) | Capital Centre6,717 | 24–20 |- | 45 | January 26, 19788:05p.m. EST | Chicago | W 135–107 | Dandridge (37) | Hayes (10) | Wright (11) | Capital Centre7,442 | 25–20 |- | 46 | January 29, 19781:45p.m. EST | Los Angeles | W 119–112 | Dandridge (29) | Hayes (19) | Wright (6) | Capital Centre17,779 | 26–20 |- | 47 | January 31, 19788:30p.m. EST | @ San Antonio | L 109–129 | Hayes (21) | Hayes (14) | Wright (6) | HemisFair Arena9,000 | 26–21 Washington Bullets February no #0000CD #DC143C 4 1 1 7 |- | 48 | February 2, 19788:00p.m. EST | @ Cleveland | L 93–110 | Dandridge (25) | Hayes (13) | Wright (6) | Richfield Coliseum7,553 | 26–22 |- | 49 | February 3, 19787:30p.m. EST | @ Boston | L 94–116 | Grevey (25) | Hayes (18) | Unseld (4) | Boston Garden12,206 | 26–23 |- align="center" |colspan="9" bgcolor="#bbcaff"|All-Star Break |- style="background:#cfc;" |- bgcolor="#bbffbb" |- | 50 | February 7, 197810:30p.m. EST | @ Golden State | L 102–105 | Hayes (25) | Unseld (18) | Henderson (8) | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena9,935 | 26–24 |- | 51 | February 8, 197811:00p.m. EST | @ Seattle | W 106–100 | Hayes (25) | Hayes (21) | Wright (6) | Seattle Center Coliseum12,126 | 27–24 |- | 52 | February 12, 19786:45p.m. EST | @ Phoenix | L 109–121 | Hayes (34) | Hayes (16) | Henderson (7) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum12,467 | 27–25 |- | 53 | February 14, 19789:35p.m. EST | @ Denver | L 98–103 | Grevey (24) | Unseld (18) | Dandridge,Henderson (6) | McNichols Sports Arena15,636 | 27–26 |- | 54 | February 16, 19788:05p.m. EST | Buffalo | W 123–109 | Hayes (25) | Unseld (17) | Dandridge (7) | Capital Centre6,857 | 28–26 |- | 55 | February 17, 19788:05p.m. EST | @ Indiana | L 111–123 | Hayes (26) | Unseld (21) | Henderson,Unseld (5) | Market Square Arena10,637 | 28–27 |- | 56 | February 19, 19781:45p.m. EST | New Orleans | W 130–111 | Hayes (31) | Unseld (17) | Unseld,Wright (8) | Capital Centre16,505 | 29–27 |- | 57 | February 22, 19788:05p.m. EST | Portland | L 97–105 | Hayes (26) | Unseld (12) | Henderson (9) | Capital Centre11,554 | 29–28 |- | 58 | February 24, 19788:05p.m. EST | Phoenix | W 121–120 (OT) | Hayes (23) | Unseld (24) | Henderson (10) | Capital Centre12,432 | 30–28 |- | 59 | February 26, 19781:45p.m. EST | Golden State | W 121–110 | Hayes (37) | Hayes (18) | Unseld (7) | Capital Centre13,814 | 31–28 |- | 60 | February 28, 19789:05p.m. EST | @ Milwaukee | L 135–136 (OT) | Johnson (25) | Unseld (27) | Henderson (7) | MECCA Arena10,938 | 31–29 Washington Bullets March no #0000CD #DC143C 5 5 5 2 |- | 61 | March 1, 19788:05p.m. EST | San Antonio | W 125–110 | Grevey (29) | Hayes (21) | Henderson (11) | Capital Centre8,425 | 32–29 |- | 62 | March 3, 19788:05p.m. EST | @ Detroit | W 124–108 | Grevey (32) | Hayes (27) | Henderson (7) | Cobo Arena5,033 | 33–29 |- | 63 | March 5, 19781:45p.m. EST | Houston | W 106–88 | Dandridge (26) | Hayes (15) | Henderson (7) | Capital Centre14,344 | 34–29 |- | 64 | March 10, 19789:05p.m. EST | @ Houston | W 117–114 | Grevey (43) | Unseld (18) | Henderson (8) | The Summit7,506 | 35–29 |- | 65 | March 11, 19788:30p.m. EST | @ San Antonio | L 101–116 | Grevey (28) | Hayes (13) | Henderson (7) | HemisFair Arena9,465 | 35–30 |- | 66 | March 14, 19788:05p.m. EST | Seattle | 120–115 | Dandridge,Hayes,Kupchak (24) | Hayes,Unseld (10) | Dandridge (7) | Capital Centre7,804 | 36–30 |- | 67 | March 16, 19788:30p.m. EST | @ Chicago | L 107–111 | Dandridge (23) | Hayes (8) | Grevey (7) | Chicago Stadium11,972 | 36–31 |- | 68 | March 17, 19788:05p.m. EST | Indiana | L 99–105 | Kupchak (30) | Hayes,Unseld (17) | Hayes (5) | Capital Centre8,196 | 36–32 |- | 69 | March 19, 19787:35p.m. EST | Milwaukee | L 106–117 | Hayes (32) | Hayes,Unseld (13) | Grevey (7) | Capital Centre9,492 | 36–33 |- | 70 | March 21, 19788:05p.m. EST | Boston | W 119–107 | Hayes (34) | Unseld (11) | Unseld (7) | Capital Centre17,252 | 37–33 |- | 71 | March 22, 19788:35p.m. EST | @ New Orleans | W 124–109 | Grevey (30) | Hayes (16) | Dandridge (7) | Louisiana Superdome13,143 | 38–33 |- | 72 | March 24, 19788:05p.m. EST | @ New Jersey | W 107–104 | Dandridge (30) | Hayes (16) | Hendersonn (9) | Rutgers Athletic Center5,833 | 39–33 |- | 73 | March 25, 19788:05p.m. EST | Atlanta | W 98–95 | Dandridge (18) | Hayes (15) | Henderson (5) | Capital Centre8,190 | 40–33 |- | 74 | March 26, 19781:45p.m. EST | New Jersey | L 104–118 | Grevey,Hayes,Kupchak (25) | Unseld (24) | Henderson (7) | Capital Centre5,750 | 40–34 |- | 75 | March 29, 19788:05p.m. EST | Kansas City | L 105–108 (OT) | Grevey (30) | Hayes (21) | Unseld (10) | Capital Centre6,717 | 40–35 |- | 76 | March 30, 19788:35p.m. EST | @ New York | W 123–108 | Dandridge (28) | Hayes (22) | Dandridge,Unseld,Wright (4) | Madison Square Garden12,702 | 41–35 |- | 77 | March 31, 19788:05p.m. EST | Cleveland | L 101–102 | Hayes (26) | Hayes (12) | Unseld (9) | Capital Centre8,660 | 41–36 Washington Bullets April no #0000CD #DC143C 2 1 1 1 |- | 78 | April 2, 19781:45p.m. EST | New York | L 109–114 | Kupchak (30) | Johnson (9) | Johnson (4) | Capital Centre7,193 | 41–37 |- | 79 | April 5, 19788:05p.m. EST | Los Angeles | W 125–119 | Unseld (25) | Hayes (17) | Henderson,Unseld (7) | Capital Centre14,671 | 42–37 |- | 80 | April 6, 19787:30p.m. EST | @ Boston(at Providence, Rhode Island) | W 112–103 | Hayes (21) | Ballard,Unseld (16) | Ballard,Wright (6) | Providence Civic Center10,755 | 43–37 |- | 81 | April 8, 19788:05p.m. EST | @ Philadelphia | L 114–131 | Kupchak (31) | Kupchak (14) | Grevey,Hayes,Johnson,Kupchak,Unseld (3) | The Spectrum14,711 | 43–38 |- | 82 | April 9, 19781:30p.m. EST | Philadelphia | W 123–113 | Johnson (29) | Unseld (16) | Walker (7) | Capital Centre17,952 | 44–38 WSB 1978 Playoffs 1978 NBA playoffs Washington Bullets #DC143C #0000CD 1978 yes Total: 14–7 (Home: 9–1; Road: 5–6) Washington Bullets Eastern Conference First Round yes yes no #0000CD #DC143C 1 0 1 0 |- | 1 | April 12, 19788:05p.m. EST | Atlanta | W 103–94 | Dandridge (20) | Unseld (15) | Unseld (7) | Capital Centre9,326 | 1–0 |- | 2 | April 14, 19788:10p.m. EST | @ Atlanta | W 107–103 (OT) | Grevey (41) | Unseld (15) | Henderson (5) | The Omni15,601 | 2–0 |- Washington Bullets Eastern Conference Semifinals yes no #0000CD #DC143C 3 0 1 2 |- | 1 | April 16, 19781:30p.m. EST | @ San Antonio | L 103–114 | Hayes (26) | Hayes (15) | Hayes (6) | HemisFair Arena9,669 | 0–1 |- | 2 | April 18, 19788:30p.m. EST | @ San Antonio | W 121–117 | Grevey (31) | Unseld (13) | Wright (8) | HemisFair Arena9,871 | 1–1 |- | 3 | April 21, 19788:05p.m. EST | San Antonio | W 118–105 | Dandridge (28) | Hayes (12) | Unseld (8) | Capital Centre17,417 | 2–1 |- | 4 | April 23, 19788:05p.m. EST | San Antonio | W 98–95 | Dandridge (24) | Hayes (13) | Dandridge (8) | Capital Centre13,459 | 3–1 |- | 5 | April 25, 19788:30p.m. EST | @ San Antonio | L 105–116 | Johnson (21) | Hayes (13) | Unseld (6) | HemisFair Arena9,709 | 3–2 |- | 6 | April 28, 19788:05p.m. EST | San Antonio | W 103–100 | Hayes (25) | Unseld (16) | Unsled (5) | Capital Centre19,035 | 4–2 |- Washington Bullets Eastern Conference Finals yes no #0000CD #DC143C 3 0 1 2 |- | 1 | April 30, 19781:30p.m. EDT | @ Philadelphia | W 122–117 (OT) | Hayes (28) | Hayes (18) | Henderson (9) | The Spectrum13,708 | 1–0 |- | 2 | May 3, 19788:05p.m. EDT | @ Philadelphia | L 104–110 | Hayes (26) | Hayes (15) | Henderson,Wright (8) | The Spectrum18,276 | 1–1 |- | 3 | May 5, 19788:05p.m. EDT | Philadelphia | W 123–108 | Dandridge (30) | Hayes (12) | Dandridge (7) | Capital Centre19,035 | 2–1 |- | 4 | May 7, 19781:30p.m. EDT | Philadelphia | W 121–105 | Hayes (35) | Hayes (19) | Dandridge,Kevin Grevey,Johnson,Wright (6) | Capital Centre19,035 | 3–1 |- | 5 | May 10, 19788:05p.m. EDT | @ Philadelphia | L 94–107 | Wright (18) | Hayes,Unseld (16) | Unseld (5) | The Spectrum18,276 | 3–2 |- | 6 | May 12, 19788:05p.m. EDT | Philadelphia | W 101–99 | Dandridge (28) | Unseld (15) | Henderson (6) | Capital Centre19,035 | 4–2 |- Washington Bullets NBA Finals yes no #0000CD #DC143C 2 1 2 2 |- | 1 | May 21, 19783:00p.m. EDT | @ Seattle | L 102–106 | Grevey (27) | Hayes (9) | Henderson (7) | Seattle Center Coliseum14,098 | 0–1 |- | 2 | May 25, 19789:00p.m. EDT | Seattle | W 106–98 | Dandridge (34) | Unseld (15) | Henderson,Unseld (5) | Capital Centre19,035 | 1–1 |- | 3 | May 28, 19781:30p.m. EDT | Seattle | L 92–93 | Hayes (29) | Hayes (20) | Dandridge (6) | Capital Centre19,035 | 1–2 |- | 4 | May 30, 19789:00p.m. EDT | @ Seattle | W 120–116 (OT) | Dandridge (23) | Hayes (13) | Henderson (11) | Kingdome39,457 | 2–2 |- | 5 | June 2, 19789:00p.m. EDT | @ Seattle | L 94–98 | Grevey (22) | Dandridge (10) | Henderson (6) | Seattle Center Coliseum14,098 | 2–3 |- | 6 | June 4, 19781:30p.m. EDT | Seattle | W 117–82 | Hayes (21) | Hayes (15) | Ballard (6) | Capital Centre19,035 | 3–3 |- | 7 | June 7, 19789:00p.m. EDT | @ Seattle | W 105–99 | Dandridge,Johnson (19) | Unseld (9) | Unseld (6) | Seattle Center Coliseum14,098 | 4–3 |- WSB 1978 yes Player stats Regular season Note: GP= Games played; GS= Games started; MP=Minutes played; FG=Field goals; FGA=Field goals attempted; FG%=Field goal percentage; FT=Free throws; FTA=Free throws attempted; FT%=Free throw percentage; ORB= Offensive rebounds; DRB= Defensive rebounds; TRB= Total rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Average Player GP GS MP FG FGA FG% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK PTS AVG Hayes 81 3246 636 1409 .451 326 514 .635 335 740 1075 149 96 159 1598 19.7 Dandridge 75 2777 560 1190 .471 330 419 .788 137 305 442 287 101 44 1450 19.3 Kupchak 67 1759 393 768 .512 280 402 .697 162 298 460 71 28 42 1066 15.9 Grevey 81 2121 505 1128 .448 243 308 .789 124 166 290 155 61 17 1253 15.5 Chenier 36 937 200 451 .443 109 138 .790 15 87 102 73 36 9 509 14.1 Henderson 75 2315 339 784 .432 179 240 .746 66 127 193 406 93 15 857 11.4 Wright 70 1466 283 570 .496 76 107 .710 31 71 102 260 68 15 642 9.2 Johnson 39 807 141 346 .408 42 51 .824 20 73 93 82 31 1 324 8.3 Unseld 80 2644 257 491 .523 93 173 .538 286 669 955 326 98 45 607 7.6 Ballard 76 936 142 334 .425 88 114 .772 102 164 266 62 30 13 372 4.9 Walker 40 384 57 161 .354 64 96 .667 21 31 52 54 14 5 178 4.5 Pace 49 438 67 140 .479 57 93 .613 50 84 134 23 12 24 191 3.9 Total 82 19830 3580 7772 .461 1887 2655 .711 1349 2815 4164 1948 668 386 9047 110.3 Playoffs Note: GP= Games played; GS= Games started; MP=Minutes played; FG=Field goals; FGA=Field goals attempted; FG%=Field goal percentage; FT=Free throws; FTA=Free throws attempted; FT%=Free throw percentage; ORB= Offensive rebounds; DRB= Defensive rebounds; TRB= Total rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Average Player GP GS MP FG FGA FG% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK PTS AVG Hayes 21 868 189 385 .491 79 133 .594 103 176 279 43 32 52 457 21.8 Dandridge 19 746 172 359 .479 58 84 .690 35 88 123 74 30 14 402 21.1 Grevey 21 584 126 284 .444 73 90 .811 25 36 61 42 11 3 325 15.5 Johnson 21 425 93 229 .406 29 37 .784 20 33 53 48 30 0 215 10.2 Kupchak 21 504 84 199 .422 45 69 .652 49 78 127 22 4 3 213 10.1 Henderson 21 597 72 173 .416 58 79 .734 17 30 47 106 27 5 202 9.6 Unseld 18 677 71 134 .530 27 46 .587 72 144 216 79 17 7 169 9.4 Wright 21 402 76 163 .466 19 25 .760 7 24 31 67 17 2 171 8.1 Ballard 19 243 21 63 .333 32 41 .780 27 52 79 18 9 3 74 3.9 Pace 9 52 7 10 .700 11 15 .733 5 15 20 1 1 6 25 2.8 Walker 4 17 1 8 .125 4 5 .800 1 1 2 2 0 0 6 1.5 Total 21 5115 912 2007 435 583 361 677 1038 502 178 95 2259 114.1 NBA Finals 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. Awards and honors Wes Unseld, NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award References Bullets on Basketball Reference Category:Eastern Conference (NBA) championship seasons Category:NBA championship seasons Category:Washington Wizards seasons Washington Wash Wash