1977–78 Washington Bullets season

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 2024. In the NBA Finals, they defeated the Seattle SuperSonics in seven games.

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 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. They hold the record for the lowest win total 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

Main article: 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

1977–78 Washington Bullets roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From SF 42 Ballard, Greg 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1955-01-29 Oregon SG 45 Chenier, Phil 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1950-10-30 California SF 10 Dandridge, Bob 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1947-11-15 Norfolk State SF 35 Grevey, Kevin 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1953-05-12 Kentucky PF 11 Hayes, Elvin 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1945-11-17 Houston PG 14 Henderson, Tom 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1952-01-26 Hawaiʻi SG 15 Johnson, Charles 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1949-03-31 California PF 25 Kupchak, Mitch 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1954-05-24 North Carolina C 44 Pace, Joe 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1953-12-18 Coppin State C 41 Unseld, Wes 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1946-03-14 Louisville SG 20 Walker, Phil 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1956-03-120 Millersville PG 32 Wright, Larry 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 160 lb (73 kg) 1954-11-23 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

Regular season

1977–78 game log Total: 44–38 (home: 22–19; road: 21–20)
October: 1–3 (home: 1–0; road: 0–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 1 October 21, 1977 8:05 p.m. EDT Detroit W 117–109 Kupchak (29) Dandridge, Unseld (9) Henderson (12) Capital Centre 13,276 1–0 2 October 22, 1977 8:05 p.m. EDT @ New York L 115–141 Hayes (26) Hayes (14) Henderson, Unseld, Wright (4) Madison Square Garden 15,261 1–1 3 October 28, 1977 8:05 p.m. EDT @ Indiana L 127–136 Wright (43) Unseld (15) Henderson (9) Market Square Arena 12,542 1–2 4 October 29, 1977 8:35 p.m. EDT @ Kansas City L 106–120 Wright (19) Unseld (11) Chenier, Henderson, Wright (5) Kemper Arena 9,220 1–3
November: 9–4 (home: 6–2; road: 3–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 5 November 4, 1977 8:05 p.m. EST Phoenix W 113–96 Dandridge (24) Hayes (14) Henderson (10) Capital Centre 8,742 2–3 6 November 5, 1977 9:05 p.m. EST @ Houston L 105–116 Wright (20) Dandridge, Unseld (9) Henderson, Unseld, Wright (3) The Summit 9,449 2–4 7 November 6, 1977 8:35 p.m. EST @ New Orleans W 108–97 Dandridge, Hayes (21) Hayes (20) Wright (4) Louisiana Superdome 26,474 3–4 8 November 10, 1977 8:05 p.m. EST Milwaukee L 103–106 Dandridge (25) Hayes (13) Unseld, Wright (6) Capital Centre 7,139 3–5 9 November 12, 1977 8:05 p.m. EST Philadelphia W 116–98 Dandridge (28) Hayes (16) Wright (10) Capital Centre 18,355 4–5 10 November 13, 1977 7:05 p.m. EST @ Detroit L 102–104 Hayes (29) Hayes (16) Henderson (8) Cobo Arena 5,149 4–6 11 November 15, 1977 8:05 p.m. EST Seattle W 111–109 Hayes (22) Hayes (14) Unseld (6) Capital Centre 5,593 5–6 12 November 18, 1977 8:05 p.m. EST New York W 123–103 Hayes (27) Hayes (12) Henderson (9) Capital Centre 17,242 6–6 13 November 19, 1977 8:35 p.m. EST @ Kansas City (at Omaha, Nebraska) W 131–125 (OT) Kupchak (32) Dandridge (12) Henderson (7) Omaha Civic Auditorium 6,534 7–6 14 November 21, 1977 7:30 p.m. EST @ Buffalo W 114–97 Kupchak (21) Dandridge (14) Henderson (7) Buffalo Memorial Auditorium 6,125 8–6 15 November 22, 1977 8:05 p.m. EST Denver L 114–119 Dandridge (29) Hayes (12) Wright (7) Capital Centre 8,363 8–7 16 November 26, 1977 8:05 p.m. EST Houston W 93–91 Hayes (24) Pace (10) Dandridge (7) Capital Centre 18,387 9–7 17 November 30, 1977 8:05 p.m. EST San Antonio W 116–105 Kupchak (26) Unseld (15) Unseld (10) Capital Centre 7,092 10–7
December: 10–6 (home: 6–1; road: 4–5) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 18 December 2, 1977 9:05 p.m. EST @ Milwaukee W 108–95 Hayes (29) Hayes (19) Henderson (11) MECCA Arena 10,938 11–7 19 December 3, 1977 8:05 p.m. EST Boston W 103–93 Dandridge (21) Kupchak (12) Dandridge (8) Capital Centre 18,424 12–7 20 December 4, 1977 7:30 p.m. EST @ Cleveland W 100–94 Chenier (28) Hayes (16) Henderson (6) Richfield Coliseum 9,765 13–7 21 December 6, 1977 8:30 p.m. EST @ Chicago L 108–116 Chenier, Hayes (22) Unseld (12) Dandridge, Unseld (5) Chicago Stadium 10,093 13–8 22 December 7, 1977 8:05 p.m. EST Cleveland W 96–95 Dandridge (21) Unseld (20) Henderson (5) Capital Centre 7,627 14–8 23 December 9, 1977 8:05 p.m. EST New Orleans W 101–97 Henderson (22) Unseld (16) Henderson (9) Capital Centre 10,292 15–8 24 December 11, 1977 7:35 p.m. EST New Jersey L 95–106 Hayes (27) Hayes (20) Dandridge, Henderson, Unseld, Wright (4) Capital Centre 5,774 15–9 25 December 13, 1977 8:05 p.m. EST Golden State W 102–96 Chenier (25) Hayes (17) Henderson (6) Capital Centre 8,693 16–9 26 December 16, 1977 9:35 p.m. EST @ Denver W 117–112 (OT) Hayes (33) Hayes (20) Dandridge (10) McNichols Sports Arena 15,922 17–9 27 December 17, 1977 11:00 p.m. EST @ Portland L 104–117 Dandridge (17) Hayes (10) Wright (5) Memorial Coliseum 12,666 17–10 28 December 18, 1977 10:00 p.m. EST @ Seattle L 109–111 (OT) Henderson (24) Unseld (13) Hayes (5) Seattle Center Coliseum 13,563 17–11 29 December 20, 1977 11:00 p.m. EST @ Los Angeles L 115–120 Kupchak (23) Kupchak (10) Wright (9) The Forum 13,475 17–12 30 December 25, 1977 7:35 p.m. EST Atlanta W 100–93 Dandridge (24) Unseld (14) Henderson (9) Capital Centre 8,358 18–12 31 December 26, 1977 8:10 p.m. EST @ Atlanta W 113–106 Henderson (21) Hayes (13) Henderson (8) The Omni 8,321 19–12 32 December 28, 1977 8:05 p.m. EST Buffalo W 106–87 Hayes (18) Unseld (15) Hayes, Unseld, Wright (4) Capital Centre 11,394 20–12 33 December 30, 1977 8:05 p.m. EST @ Philadelphia L 119–126 Kupchak (22) Unseld (14) Dandridge (8) The Spectrum 18,276 20–13
January: 6–8 (home: 5–2; road: 1–6) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 34 January 3, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST Denver L 100–101 Chenier (23) Hayes (18) Henderson (7) Capital Centre 9,457 20–14 35 January 6, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST Indiana W 146–114 Dandridge (29) Hayes, Unseld (10) Dandridge (8) Capital Centre 9,215 21–14 36 January 8, 1978 1:45 p.m. EST @ New Jersey W 99–98 Dandridge (20) Hayes (16) Henderson, Unseld (6) Rutgers Athletic Center 4,196 22–14 37 January 10, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST Kansas City W 123–115 Hayes (27) Ballard (13) Henderson (11) Capital Centre 7,700 23–14 38 January 11, 1978 8:10 p.m. EST @ Atlanta (at Charlotte, North Carolina) L 95–100 Hayes (24) Ballard, Hayes (14) Henderson (6) Charlotte Coliseum 2,162 23–15 39 January 13, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST Portland W 102–93 Dandridge (22) Hayes (13) Henderson (6) Capital Centre 17,610 24–15 40 January 14, 1978 7:30 p.m. EST @ Buffalo L 93–130 Dandridge (22) Hayes, Unseld (9) Unseld (4) Buffalo Memorial Auditorium 5,036 24–16 41 January 18, 1978 10:30 p.m. EST @ Golden State L 106–113 Dandridge (25) Unseld (14) Wright (9) Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena 24–17 42 January 20, 1978 11:00 p.m. EST @ Los Angeles L 99–121 Walker (23) Kupchak (9) Wright (6) The Forum 13,064 24–18 43 January 22, 1978 6:45 p.m. EST @ Phoenix L 101–114 Hayes (26) Hayes (19) Unseld (7) Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 12,660 24–19 44 January 24, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST Detroit L 101–104 Grevey (24) Hayes (16) Unseld, Wright (4) Capital Centre 6,717 24–20 45 January 26, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST Chicago W 135–107 Dandridge (37) Hayes (10) Wright (11) Capital Centre 7,442 25–20 46 January 29, 1978 1:45 p.m. EST Los Angeles W 119–112 Dandridge (29) Hayes (19) Wright (6) Capital Centre 17,779 26–20 47 January 31, 1978 8:30 p.m. EST @ San Antonio L 109–129 Hayes (21) Hayes (14) Wright (6) HemisFair Arena 9,000 26–21
February: 5–8 (home: 4–1; road: 1–7) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 48 February 2, 1978 8:00 p.m. EST @ Cleveland L 93–110 Dandridge (25) Hayes (13) Wright (6) Richfield Coliseum 7,553 26–22 49 February 3, 1978 7:30 p.m. EST @ Boston L 94–116 Grevey (25) Hayes (18) Unseld (4) Boston Garden 12,206 26–23 All-Star Break 50 February 7, 1978 10:30 p.m. EST @ Golden State L 102–105 Hayes (25) Unseld (18) Henderson (8) Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena 9,935 26–24 51 February 8, 1978 11:00 p.m. EST @ Seattle W 106–100 Hayes (25) Hayes (21) Wright (6) Seattle Center Coliseum 12,126 27–24 52 February 12, 1978 6:45 p.m. EST @ Phoenix L 109–121 Hayes (34) Hayes (16) Henderson (7) Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 12,467 27–25 53 February 14, 1978 9:35 p.m. EST @ Denver L 98–103 Grevey (24) Unseld (18) Dandridge, Henderson (6) McNichols Sports Arena 15,636 27–26 54 February 16, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST Buffalo W 123–109 Hayes (25) Unseld (17) Dandridge (7) Capital Centre 6,857 28–26 55 February 17, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST @ Indiana L 111–123 Hayes (26) Unseld (21) Henderson, Unseld (5) Market Square Arena 10,637 28–27 56 February 19, 1978 1:45 p.m. EST New Orleans W 130–111 Hayes (31) Unseld (17) Unseld, Wright (8) Capital Centre 16,505 29–27 57 February 22, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST Portland L 97–105 Hayes (26) Unseld (12) Henderson (9) Capital Centre 11,554 29–28 58 February 24, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST Phoenix W 121–120 (OT) Hayes (23) Unseld (24) Henderson (10) Capital Centre 12,432 30–28 59 February 26, 1978 1:45 p.m. EST Golden State W 121–110 Hayes (37) Hayes (18) Unseld (7) Capital Centre 13,814 31–28 60 February 28, 1978 9:05 p.m. EST @ Milwaukee L 135–136 (OT) Johnson (25) Unseld (27) Henderson (7) MECCA Arena 10,938 31–29
March: 10–7 (home: 5–5; road: 5–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 61 March 1, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST San Antonio W 125–110 Grevey (29) Hayes (21) Henderson (11) Capital Centre 8,425 32–29 62 March 3, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST @ Detroit W 124–108 Grevey (32) Hayes (27) Henderson (7) Cobo Arena 5,033 33–29 63 March 5, 1978 1:45 p.m. EST Houston W 106–88 Dandridge (26) Hayes (15) Henderson (7) Capital Centre 14,344 34–29 64 March 10, 1978 9:05 p.m. EST @ Houston W 117–114 Grevey (43) Unseld (18) Henderson (8) The Summit 7,506 35–29 65 March 11, 1978 8:30 p.m. EST @ San Antonio L 101–116 Grevey (28) Hayes (13) Henderson (7) HemisFair Arena 9,465 35–30 66 March 14, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST Seattle 120–115 Dandridge, Hayes, Kupchak (24) Hayes, Unseld (10) Dandridge (7) Capital Centre 7,804 36–30 67 March 16, 1978 8:30 p.m. EST @ Chicago L 107–111 Dandridge (23) Hayes (8) Grevey (7) Chicago Stadium 11,972 36–31 68 March 17, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST Indiana L 99–105 Kupchak (30) Hayes, Unseld (17) Hayes (5) Capital Centre 8,196 36–32 69 March 19, 1978 7:35 p.m. EST Milwaukee L 106–117 Hayes (32) Hayes, Unseld (13) Grevey (7) Capital Centre 9,492 36–33 70 March 21, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST Boston W 119–107 Hayes (34) Unseld (11) Unseld (7) Capital Centre 17,252 37–33 71 March 22, 1978 8:35 p.m. EST @ New Orleans W 124–109 Grevey (30) Hayes (16) Dandridge (7) Louisiana Superdome 13,143 38–33 72 March 24, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST @ New Jersey W 107–104 Dandridge (30) Hayes (16) Hendersonn (9) Rutgers Athletic Center 5,833 39–33 73 March 25, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST Atlanta W 98–95 Dandridge (18) Hayes (15) Henderson (5) Capital Centre 8,190 40–33 74 March 26, 1978 1:45 p.m. EST New Jersey L 104–118 Grevey, Hayes, Kupchak (25) Unseld (24) Henderson (7) Capital Centre 5,750 40–34 75 March 29, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST Kansas City L 105–108 (OT) Grevey (30) Hayes (21) Unseld (10) Capital Centre 6,717 40–35 76 March 30, 1978 8:35 p.m. EST @ New York W 123–108 Dandridge (28) Hayes (22) Dandridge, Unseld, Wright (4) Madison Square Garden 12,702 41–35 77 March 31, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST Cleveland L 101–102 Hayes (26) Hayes (12) Unseld (9) Capital Centre 8,660 41–36
April: 3–2 (home: 2–1; road: 1–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 78 April 2, 1978 1:45 p.m. EST New York L 109–114 Kupchak (30) Johnson (9) Johnson (4) Capital Centre 7,193 41–37 79 April 5, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST Los Angeles W 125–119 Unseld (25) Hayes (17) Henderson, Unseld (7) Capital Centre 14,671 42–37 80 April 6, 1978 7:30 p.m. EST @ Boston (at Providence, Rhode Island) W 112–103 Hayes (21) Ballard, Unseld (16) Ballard, Wright (6) Providence Civic Center 10,755 43–37 81 April 8, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST @ Philadelphia L 114–131 Kupchak (31) Kupchak (14) Grevey, Hayes, Johnson, Kupchak, Unseld (3) The Spectrum 14,711 43–38 82 April 9, 1978 1:30 p.m. EST Philadelphia W 123–113 Johnson (29) Unseld (16) Walker (7) Capital Centre 17,952 44–38
1977–78 schedule

Playoffs

See also: 1978 NBA playoffs

1978 playoff game log Total: 14–7 (Home: 9–1; Road: 5–6)
Eastern Conference 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, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST Atlanta W 103–94 Dandridge (20) Unseld (15) Unseld (7) Capital Centre 9,326 1–0 2 April 14, 1978 8:10 p.m. EST @ Atlanta W 107–103 (OT) Grevey (41) Unseld (15) Henderson (5) The Omni 15,601 2–0
Eastern 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, 1978 1:30 p.m. EST @ San Antonio L 103–114 Hayes (26) Hayes (15) Hayes (6) HemisFair Arena 9,669 0–1 2 April 18, 1978 8:30 p.m. EST @ San Antonio W 121–117 Grevey (31) Unseld (13) Wright (8) HemisFair Arena 9,871 1–1 3 April 21, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST San Antonio W 118–105 Dandridge (28) Hayes (12) Unseld (8) Capital Centre 17,417 2–1 4 April 23, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST San Antonio W 98–95 Dandridge (24) Hayes (13) Dandridge (8) Capital Centre 13,459 3–1 5 April 25, 1978 8:30 p.m. EST @ San Antonio L 105–116 Johnson (21) Hayes (13) Unseld (6) HemisFair Arena 9,709 3–2 6 April 28, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST San Antonio W 103–100 Hayes (25) Unseld (16) Unsled (5) Capital Centre 19,035 4–2
Eastern 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, 1978 1:30 p.m. EDT @ Philadelphia W 122–117 (OT) Hayes (28) Hayes (18) Henderson (9) The Spectrum 13,708 1–0 2 May 3, 1978 8:05 p.m. EDT @ Philadelphia L 104–110 Hayes (26) Hayes (15) Henderson, Wright (8) The Spectrum 18,276 1–1 3 May 5, 1978 8:05 p.m. EDT Philadelphia W 123–108 Dandridge (30) Hayes (12) Dandridge (7) Capital Centre 19,035 2–1 4 May 7, 1978 1:30 p.m. EDT Philadelphia W 121–105 Hayes (35) Hayes (19) Dandridge, Kevin Grevey, Johnson, Wright (6) Capital Centre 19,035 3–1 5 May 10, 1978 8:05 p.m. EDT @ Philadelphia L 94–107 Wright (18) Hayes, Unseld (16) Unseld (5) The Spectrum 18,276 3–2 6 May 12, 1978 8:05 p.m. EDT Philadelphia W 101–99 Dandridge (28) Unseld (15) 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, 1978 3:00 p.m. EDT @ Seattle L 102–106 Grevey (27) Hayes (9) Henderson (7) Seattle Center Coliseum 14,098 0–1 2 May 25, 1978 9:00 p.m. EDT Seattle W 106–98 Dandridge (34) Unseld (15) Henderson, Unseld (5) Capital Centre 19,035 1–1 3 May 28, 1978 1:30 p.m. EDT Seattle L 92–93 Hayes (29) Hayes (20) Dandridge (6) Capital Centre 19,035 1–2 4 May 30, 1978 9:00 p.m. EDT @ Seattle W 120–116 (OT) Dandridge (23) Hayes (13) Henderson (11) Kingdome 39,457 2–2 5 June 2, 1978 9:00 p.m. EDT @ Seattle L 94–98 Grevey (22) Dandridge (10) Henderson (6) Seattle Center Coliseum 14,098 2–3 6 June 4, 1978 1:30 p.m. EDT Seattle W 117–82 Hayes (21) Hayes (15) Ballard (6) Capital Centre 19,035 3–3 7 June 7, 1978 9:00 p.m. EDT @ Seattle W 105–99 Dandridge, Johnson (19) Unseld (9) Unseld (6) Seattle Center Coliseum 14,098 4–3
1978 schedule

Game officials

Regular season

Game	Date	Opponent	Officials
1	10–21–1977	Detroit	N/A
2	10–22–1977	@ New York	N/A
3	10–28–1977	@ Indiana	No. 29 Mike Mathis and No. 15 Bob Rakel
4	10–29–1977	@ Kansas City	N/A
5	11–4–1977	Phoenix	N/A
6	11–5–1977	@ Houston	N/A
7	11–6–1977	@ New Orleans	N/A
8	11–10–1977	Milwaukee	N/A
9	11–12–1977	Philadelphia	No. 10 Darell Garretson and No. 43 Wally Rooney
10	11–13–1977	@ Detroit	N/A
11	11–15–1977	Seattle	N/A
12	11–18–1977	New York	N/A
13	11–19–1977	@ Kansas City	N/A
14	11–21–1977	@ Buffalo	No. 28 Tommy Nunez and No. 17 Ed Rush
15	11–22–1977	Denver	N/A
16	11–26–1977	Houston	N/A
17	11–30–1977	San Antonio	N/A
18	12–2–1977	@ Milwaukee	N/A
19	12–3–1977	Boston	N/A
20	12–4–1977	@ Cleveland	No. 18 Ed Middleton and No. 26 Richie Powers
21	12–6–1977	@ Chicago	No. 20 Jess Kersey and No. 14 Jack Madden
22	12–7–1977	Cleveland	No. 11 Jake O'Donnell and No. 21 Mel Whitworth
23	12–9–1977	New Orleans	N/A
24	12–11–1977	New Jersey	N/A
25	12–13–1977	Golden State	No. 28 Tommy Nunez and No. 17 Ed Rush
26	12–16–1977	@ Denver	N/A
27	12–17–1977	@ Portland	No. 7 Joe Gushue and No. 24 Bill Saar
28	12–18–1977	@ Seattle	No. 44 Bernie Fryer and No. 12 Earl Strom
29	12–20–1977	@ Los Angeles	N/A
30	12–25–1977	Atlanta	N/A
31	12–26–1977	@ Atlanta	N/A
32	12–28–1977	Buffalo	No. 18 Ed Middleton and No. 6 Don Murphy
33	12–30–1977	@ Philadelphia	No. 27 Dick Bavetta and No. 11 Jake O'Donnell
34	1–3–1978	Denver	N/A
35	1–6–1978	Indiana	No. 7 Joe Gushue and No. 42 Hue Hollins
36	1–8–1978	@ New Jersey	N/A
37	1–10–1978	Kansas City	N/A
38	1–11–1978	@ Atlanta	N/A
39	1–13–1978	Portland	No. 25 Hugh Evans and No. 12 Earl Strom
40	1–14–1978	@ Buffalo	No. 33 Joe Crawford and No. 10 Darell Garretson
41	1–18–1978	@ Golden State	No. 27 Dick Bavetta and No. 19 Jim Capers
42	1–20–1978	@ Los Angeles	N/A
43	1–22–1978	@ Phoenix	No. 18 Ed Middleton and No. 9 John Vanak
44	1–24–1978	Detroit	N/A
45	1–26–1978	Chicago	No. 18 Ed Middleton and No. 43 Wally Rooney
46	1–29–1978	Los Angeles	N/A
47	1–31–1978	@ San Antonio	N/A
48	2–2–1978	@ Cleveland	No. 11 Jake O'Donnell and No. 43 Wally Rooney
49	2–3–1978	@ Boston	N/A
50	2–7–1978	@ Golden State	No. 42 Hue Hollins and No. 15 Bob Rakel
51	2–8–1978	@ Seattle	No. 6 Don Murphy and No. 21 Mel Whitworth
52	2–12–1978	@ Phoenix	N/A
53	2–14–1978	@ Denver	N/A
54	2–16–1978	Buffalo	No. 20 Jess Kersey and No. 9 John Vanak
55	2–17–1978	@ Indiana	No. 44 Bernie Fryer and No. 17 Ed Rush
56	2–19–1978	New Orleans	N/A
57	2–22–1978	Portland	No. 14 Jack Madden and No. 28 Tommy Nunez
58	2–24–1978	Phoenix	N/A
59	2–26–1978	Golden State	N/A
60	2–28–1978	@ Milwaukee	N/A
61	3–1–1978	San Antonio	N/A
62	3–3–1978	@ Detroit	N/A
63	3–5–1978	Houston	N/A
64	3–10–1978	@ Houston	N/A
65	3–11–1978	@ San Antonio	N/A
66	3–14–1978	Seattle	N/A
67	3–16–1978	@ Chicago	No. 28 Tommy Nunez and No. 9 John Vanak
68	3–17–1978	Indiana	No. 19 Jim Capers and No. 30 Lee Jones
69	3–19–1978	Milwaukee	N/A
70	3–21–1978	Boston	N/A
71	3–22–1978	@ New Orleans	N/A
72	3–24–1978	@ New Jersey	N/A
73	3–25–1978	Atlanta	N/A
74	3–26–1978	New Jersey	N/A
75	3–29–1978	Kansas City	No. 27 Dick Bavetta and No. 15 Bob Rakel
76	3–30–1978	@ New York	N/A
77	3–31–1978	Cleveland	No. 19 Jim Capers and No. 12 Earl Strom
78	4–2–1978	New York	N/A
79	4–5–1978	Los Angeles	N/A
80	4–6–1978	@ Boston	N/A
81	4–8–1978	@ Philadelphia	No. 25 Hugh Evans and No. 6 Don Murphy
82	4–9–1978	Philadelphia	No. 27 Dick Bavetta and No. 22 Paul Mihalak

Playoffs

Game	Round	Date	Opponent	Officials	Alternate
1	Eastern Conference First Round	4–12–1978	Atlanta
2	Eastern Conference First Round	4–14–1978	@ Atlanta
1	Eastern Conference Semifinals	4–16–1978	@ San Antonio	No. 6 Don Murphy and No. 9 John Vanak	No. 20 Jess Kersey
2	Eastern Conference Semifinals	4–18–1978	@ San Antonio
3	Eastern Conference Semifinals	4–21–1978	San Antonio
4	Eastern Conference Semifinals	4–23–1978	San Antonio	No. 11 Jake O'Donnell and No. 18 Ed Middleton	No. 29 Mike Mathis
5	Eastern Conference Semifinals	4–25–1978	@ San Antonio
6	Eastern Conference Semifinals	4–28–1978	San Antonio
1	Eastern Conference Finals	4–30–1978	@ Philadelphia	No. 12 Earl Strom and No. 25 Hugh Evans	No. 30 Lee Jones
2	Eastern Conference Finals	5–3–1978	@ Philadelphia	No. 14 Jack Madden and No. 17 Ed Rush
3	Eastern Conference Finals	5–5–1978	Philadelphia	No. 7 Joe Gushue and No. 22 Paul Mihalak
4	Eastern Conference Finals	5–7–1978	Philadelphia	No. 11 Jake O'Donnell and No. 19 Jim Capers
5	Eastern Conference Finals	5–10–1978	@ Philadelphia	No. 10 Darell Garretson and No. 6 Don Murphy
6	Eastern Conference Finals	5–12–1978	Philadelphia	No. 12 Earl Strom and No. 9 John Vanak
1	NBA Finals	5–21–1978	@ Seattle	No. 10 Darell Garretson and No. 17 Ed Rush
2	NBA Finals	5–25–1978	Seattle	No. 7 Joe Gushue and No. 11 Jake O'Donnell
3	NBA Finals	5–28–1978	Seattle	No. 12 Earl Strom and No. 9 John Vanak
4	NBA Finals	5–30–1978	@ Seattle	No. 14 Jack Madden and No. 6 Don Murphy
5	NBA Finals	6–2–1978	@ Seattle	No. 7 Joe Gushue and No. 11 Jake O'Donnell
6	NBA Finals	6–4–1978	Seattle	No. 10 Darell Garretson and No. 6 Don Murphy
7	NBA Finals	6–7–1978	@ Seattle	No. 14 Jack Madden and No. 12 Earl Strom

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

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.

Awards and honors

• Wes Unseld, NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award

References

• Bullets on Basketball Reference