1979 NBA Finals

1979 basketball championship series August 2023 NBA 1979 Washington Bullets Dick Motta 1 Seattle SuperSonics Lenny Wilkens 4 May 20–June 1 Dennis Johnson(Seattle SuperSonics) SuperSonics:Dennis Johnson (2010)Jack Sikma (2019)Bullets:Bob Dandridge (2021)Elvin Hayes (1990)Wes Unseld (1988)Coaches:Lenny Wilkens (1998)Officials:Hugh Evans (2022)Darell Garretson (2016) Bullets defeated Spurs, 4–3 SuperSonics defeated Suns, 4–3 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 in five quick games for their first championship in franchise history. The series was a rematch of the previous year’s NBA Finals, which the Bullets won in seven games. 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' victory in the 1917 Stanley Cup Final. The city's next title wouldn't be until 2014 when the Seattle Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVIII. This was the franchise's only championship until the 2025 NBA Finals, when they were the Oklahoma City Thunder. It is also, to date, the last time the Bullets/Wizards have appeared in the Finals. Both the 1978 and 1979 NBA Finals were informally dubbed the "George Washington series", because both teams were playing in places named after the first President of the United States (the SuperSonics represented Seattle, Washington while the Bullets represented Washington, D.C., albeit playing in nearby Landover, Maryland). Background This was a rematch of the 1978 NBA Finals, which the Bullets won 4–3. Seattle lost Marvin Webster to the New York Knicks but acquired Lonnie Shelton in exchange. 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. Television The Finals were carried by CBS television (the network's NBA on CBS aired league games from 1973 to 1990), with Brent Musburger as the lead announcer. The 1979 Finals has been preserved in full, unlike the previous year's, in which Games 2, 3 and 4 are missing. (Except for 1978, all NBA Finals since 1975 have been completely preserved.) Road to the Finals 1979 NBA playoffs Seattle SuperSonics (Western Conference champion) Washington Bullets (Eastern Conference champion)SEA1st seed in the West, 2nd best league recordRegular seasonWSB1st seed in the East, best league recordEarned first-round byeFirst roundEarned first-round byeDefeated the (5) Los Angeles Lakers, 4–1Conference semifinalsDefeated the (5) Atlanta Hawks, 4–3Defeated the (3) Phoenix Suns, 4–3Conference finalsDefeated the (2) San Antonio Spurs, 4–3 Regular season series The teams split the four-game series in the regular season: #fff October 25, 1978 Washington Bullets 92 Seattle SuperSonics |score2=121 Kingdome, Seattle January 23, 1979 Seattle SuperSonics |score1=103 Washington Bullets 100 Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland #fff February 18, 1979 Washington Bullets |score1=105 Seattle SuperSonics 94 Kingdome, Seattle February 23, 1979 Seattle SuperSonics 110 Washington Bullets |score2=132 Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland Series summary Game Date Home team Result Road team Game 1 May 20 Washington Bullets 99–97 (1–0) Seattle SuperSonics Game 2 May 24 Washington Bullets 82–92 (1–1) Seattle SuperSonics Game 3 May 27 Seattle SuperSonics 105–95 (2–1) Washington Bullets Game 4 May 29 Seattle SuperSonics 114–112 (3–1) Washington Bullets Game 5 June 1 Washington Bullets 93–97 (1–4) Seattle SuperSonics Game summaries Game 1 #eee May 20 Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland Seattle SuperSonics 97 Washington Bullets 99 25–26 25–33 21–23 26–17 Gus Williams 32 Larry Wright 26 John Johnson 11 Wes Unseld 12 Dennis Johnson 7 Tom Henderson 6 19,035 No. 10 Darell Garreson, No. 4 Ed T. Rush No. 18 Ed Middleton Washington leads the series, 1–0https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197905200WSB.html Seattle SuperSonics at Washington Bullets Box Score, May 20, 1979 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. https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=feST4K8J0scC&dat=19790521&printsec=frontpage&hl=en Bullets take Wright turn to victory 21 May 1979 St Petersburg Times (page 21) 28 January 2015 Game 2 #eee May 24 9 p.m. EDT Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland Seattle SuperSonics 92 Washington Bullets 82 28–23 21–29 19–14 24–16 Gus Williams 23 Bob Dandridge 21 Jack Sikma 13 Elvin Hayes 14 Dennis Johnson, John Johnson 6 each Bob Dandridge 5 19,035 No. 9 John Vanak No. 14 Jack Madden No. 19 Jim Capers Series tied, 1–1 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 #eee May 27 Kingdome, Seattle, Washington Washington Bullets 95 Seattle SuperSonics 105 25–31 19–24 22–26 29–24 Bob Dandridge 28 Gus Williams 31 Unseld, Hayes 14 each Jack Sikma 17 Bob Dandridge 5 Dennis Johnson 9 35,928 No. 11 Jake O'Donnell No. 7 Joe Gushue No. 25 Hugh Evans Seattle leads the series, 2–1 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 #eee May 29 Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington Washington Bullets 112 Seattle SuperSonics 114 16–24 37–28 28–32 23–20 8–10 Hayes, Grevey, Charles Johnson 18 each Gus Williams 36 Wes Unseld 16 Jack Sikma 17 Tom Henderson 8 John Johnson 13 14,098 No. 15 Bob Rakel No. 8 Lee Jones No. 10 Darell Garretson Seattle leads the series, 3–1 https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197905290SEA.html Washington Bullets at Seattle SuperSonics Box Score, May 29, 1979 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 #eee June 1 Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland Seattle SuperSonics 97 Washington Bullets 93 19–30 24–21 23–18 31–24 Gus Williams 23 Elvin Hayes 29 Jack Sikma 17 Elvin Hayes 14 John Johnson 6 Bob Dandridge 7 19,035 No. 11 Jake O'Donnell No. 7 Joe Gushue No. 22 Paul Mihalak Seattle wins the series, 4–1 https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197906010WSB.html Seattle SuperSonics at Washington Bullets Box Score, June 1, 1979 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.https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=feST4K8J0scC&dat=19790602&printsec=frontpage&hl=en The 'fat lady sings' as Sonics lower final boom to rule the NBA 2 June 1979 St Petersburg Times (page 23) 28 January 2015 Player statistics Seattle SuperSonics Seattle SuperSonics Washington Bullets Washington Bullets Team rosters Seattle SuperSonics Seattle SuperSonics 1978–79 21 Dennis Awtrey C 6 10 235 Santa Clara University 32 Fred Brown basketball SG 6 3 182 Iowa 10 Joe Hassett SG 6 5 180 Providence College 24 Dennis Johnson SG 6 4 185 Pepperdine 27 John Johnson basketball, born 1947 SF 6 7 200 Iowa 23 Tom LaGarde C 6 10 220 North Carolina 22 Jackie Robinson basketball, born 1955 SF 6 6 200 UNLV 8 Lonnie Shelton PF 6 8 240 Oregon State 43 Jack Sikma C 6 11 230 Illinois Wesleyan 35 Paul Silas PF 6 7 220 Creighton 11 Dick Snyder SG 6 5 207 Davidson College 42 Wally Walker SF 6 7 190 Virginia 1 Gus Williams basketball PG 6 2 175 Southern California USA Lenny Wilkenshttps://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/SEA/1979.html 1978-79 Seattle SuperSonics Roster and Stats Basketball-Reference.com Basketball-Reference.com en 2018-07-23 Washington Bullets Washington Bullets 1978–79 42 Greg Ballard basketball SF 6 7 215 Oregon 45 Phil Chenier SG 6 3 180 California 40 Dave Corzine C 6 11 250 DePaul 10 Bob Dandridge SF 6 6 195 Norfolk State 35 Kevin Grevey SF 6 5 210 Kentucky 14 Tom Henderson basketball PG 6 3 190 Hawaii 11 Elvin Hayes PF 6 9 235 Houston 25 Mitch Kupchak PF 6 9 230 North Carolina 15 Charles Johnson basketball, born 1949 SG 6 0 170 California 22 Roger Phegley SG 6 6 205 Bradley 41 Wes Unseld C 6 7 245 Louisville 32 Larry Wright basketball PG 6 1 160 Grambling State Dick Motta Aftermath Until 2023, this was the most recent time that a Western Conference team not based in Texas or California 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 won the league title. This is by 24 years the longest league championship drought for any division of the four major North American sports leagues.By comparison, the longest divisional title drought in the National Football League is nineteen seasons by the AFC South; every division has won at least one championship since 2015 in Major League Baseball; and in the National Hockey League the longest drought is seven seasons by the Pacific Division. Between 1980 and 2022, 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 (four times), the Houston Rockets (twice), and the Dallas Mavericks (once). The remaining twenty-one titles between 1980 and 2022 were won by Eastern Conference teams.Eight Eastern Conference teams from seven US states and Canada have won NBA Championships since 1980: Chicago Bulls (six times), Boston Celtics (four times), Detroit Pistons and Miami Heat (thrice each), and Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors (once each). 1979 represents the last year the Bullets/Wizards franchise won 50 games in a season, by far the longest drought in NBA history.Steinberg Dan The Wizards’s 50-win drought is absurd https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2015/04/01/the-wizardss-50-win-drought-is-absurd/ The Washington Post 20 June 2025 1 April 2015 It also remains their last NBA Finals, and last Conference Finals, appearance. The city of Seattle did not win another championship in one of the four big North American sports until the Seattle Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014. The SuperSonics did come close to another NBA championship before their move to Oklahoma City. They would return to the NBA Finals in 1996, but lost to the record-setting 72-win Chicago Bulls in six games, becoming the first victim of the Bulls’ second three-peat from 1996 to 1998. After their move to Oklahoma City, the Thunder made it back to the Finals in 2012 but lost to the Big Three-led Miami Heat in five games. They would eventually win the championship again in 2025 over the Indiana Pacers in seven games. Even though the NBA considered both the SuperSonics and Thunder as one continuous franchise pending the expansion of a future Seattle team, the Thunder have never acknowledged the SuperSonics' 1979 championship as part of their history, as seen on their media guides and on the gold jersey tab which only denoted their 2025 championship.Oklahoma City Thunder: Thunder will not recognize Sonics' title on jerseys https://www.oklahoman.com/story/sports/nba/thunder/2014/07/21/oklahoma-city-thunder-thunder-will-not-recognize-sonics-title-on-jerseys/60810701007/ The Oklahoman July 21, 2014 November 15, 2025 Additionally, as part of a relocation settlement between the Thunder and the city of Seattle, the SuperSonics' 1979 championship trophy and banner remain in Seattle's possession, and are currently stored in the Seattle Museum of History & Industry.Frozen in time: Hundreds of Sonics artifacts preserved for decades at Seattle museum https://komonews.com/news/local/seattle-supersonics-return-to-seattle-museum-history-industry-mohai-27-banners-championship-flags-oklahoma-city-nba-expansion-1979-trophy-okc-climate-pledge-arena KOMO News September 23, 2024 June 20, 2026 See also 1979 NBA playoffs Notes note References External links 1979 NBA Playoffs NBA.com Season Review: 1978-79 Category:NBA Finals Finals NBA Finals NBA Finals Category:May 1979 sports events in the United States Category:June 1979 sports events in the United States Category:Basketball competitions in Seattle Category:1970s in Seattle Category:1979 in sports in Washington, D.C. Category:1979 in sports in Washington (state)