1979 NBA Finals

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.

Source: Wikipedia

Article

1979 NBA Finals

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 Finals. The city's next title wouldn't be until (/wiki/2013–14NFLplayoffs) 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 (/wiki/1978NBAFinals) 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

1979 NBA Finals

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 (/wiki/1975NBAFinals) have been completely preserved.)

Road to the Finals

<table><thead><tr><th>Seattle SuperSonics (Western Conference champion)</th><th></th><th>Washington Bullets (Eastern Conference champion)</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>1st seed in the West, 2nd best league record</td><td>Regular season</td><td>1st seed in the East, best league record</td></tr><tr><td>#</td><td>Western Conference</td></tr><tr><td>Team</td><td>W</td><td>L</td><td>PCT</td><td>GB</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>z-Seattle SuperSonics</td><td>52</td><td>30</td><td>.634</td><td>–</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>y-Kansas City Kings</td><td>48</td><td>34</td><td>.585</td><td>4</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>x-Phoenix Suns</td><td>50</td><td>32</td><td>.610</td><td>2</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>x-Denver Nuggets</td><td>47</td><td>35</td><td>.573</td><td>5</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>x-Los Angeles Lakers</td><td>47</td><td>35</td><td>.573</td><td>5</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>x-Portland Trail Blazers</td><td>45</td><td>37</td><td>.549</td><td>7</td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td>San Diego Clippers</td><td>43</td><td>39</td><td>.524</td><td>9</td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td>Indiana Pacers</td><td>38</td><td>44</td><td>.463</td><td>14</td></tr><tr><td>9</td><td>Milwaukee Bucks</td><td>38</td><td>44</td><td>.463</td><td>14</td></tr><tr><td>10</td><td>Golden State Warriors</td><td>38</td><td>44</td><td>.463</td><td>14</td></tr><tr><td>11</td><td>Chicago Bulls</td><td>31</td><td>51</td><td>.378</td><td>21</td></tr><tr><td>#</td><td>Eastern Conference</td></tr><tr><td>Team</td><td>W</td><td>L</td><td>PCT</td><td>GB</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>z-Washington Bullets</td><td>54</td><td>28</td><td>.659</td><td>–</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>y-San Antonio Spurs</td><td>48</td><td>34</td><td>.585</td><td>6</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>x-Philadelphia 76ers</td><td>47</td><td>35</td><td>.573</td><td>7</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>x-Houston Rockets</td><td>47</td><td>35</td><td>.573</td><td>7</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>x-Atlanta Hawks</td><td>46</td><td>36</td><td>.561</td><td>8</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>x-New Jersey Nets</td><td>37</td><td>45</td><td>.451</td><td>17</td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td>New York Knicks</td><td>31</td><td>51</td><td>.378</td><td>23</td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td>Cleveland Cavaliers</td><td>30</td><td>52</td><td>.366</td><td>24</td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td>Detroit Pistons</td><td>30</td><td>52</td><td>.366</td><td>24</td></tr><tr><td>10</td><td>Boston Celtics</td><td>29</td><td>53</td><td>.354</td><td>25</td></tr><tr><td>11</td><td>New Orleans Jazz</td><td>26</td><td>56</td><td>.317</td><td>28</td></tr><tr><td>Earned first-round bye</td><td>First round</td><td>Earned first-round bye</td></tr><tr><td>Defeated the (5) Los Angeles Lakers, 4–1</td><td>Conference semifinals</td><td>Defeated the (5) Atlanta Hawks, 4–3</td></tr><tr><td>Defeated the (3) Phoenix Suns, 4–3</td><td>Conference finals</td><td>Defeated the (2) San Antonio Spurs, 4–3</td></tr></tbody></table>

Regular season series

The teams split the four-game series in the regular season:

Series summary

1979 NBA Finals

<table><thead><tr><th>Game</th><th>Date</th><th>Home team</th><th>Result</th><th>Road team</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Game 1</td><td>May 20</td><td>Washington Bullets</td><td>99–97 (1–0)</td><td>Seattle SuperSonics</td></tr><tr><td>Game 2</td><td>May 24</td><td>Washington Bullets</td><td>82–92 (1–1)</td><td>Seattle SuperSonics</td></tr><tr><td>Game 3</td><td>May 27</td><td>Seattle SuperSonics</td><td>105–95 (2–1)</td><td>Washington Bullets</td></tr><tr><td>Game 4</td><td>May 29</td><td>Seattle SuperSonics</td><td>114–112 (3–1)</td><td>Washington Bullets</td></tr><tr><td>Game 5</td><td>June 1</td><td>Washington Bullets</td><td>93–97 (1–4)</td><td>Seattle SuperSonics</td></tr></tbody></table>

Game summaries

Game 1

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.

Game 2

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

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

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

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.

Player statistics

1979 NBA Finals

<table><thead><tr><th> GP</th><th>Games played</th><th> GS </th><th>Games started</th><th> MPG </th><th>Minutes per game</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td> FG% </td><td>Field-goal percentage</td><td> 3P% </td><td>3-point field-goal percentage</td><td> FT% </td><td>Free-throw percentage</td></tr><tr><td> RPG </td><td>Rebounds per game</td><td> APG </td><td>Assists per game</td><td> SPG </td><td>Steals per game</td></tr><tr><td> BPG </td><td>Blocks per game</td><td> PPG </td><td>Points per game</td><td></td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

Team rosters

Seattle SuperSonics

<table><thead><tr><th>Players</th><th>Coaches</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td></td><td>Head coach Legend</td></tr><tr><td>Pos.</td><td>No.</td><td>Player</td><td>Height</td><td>Weight</td><td>DOB</td><td>From</td></tr><tr><td>C</td><td>21</td><td>Dennis Awtrey</td><td>6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)</td><td>235 lb (107 kg)</td><td></td><td>Santa Clara</td></tr><tr><td>SG</td><td>32</td><td>Fred Brown</td><td>6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)</td><td>182 lb (83 kg)</td><td></td><td>Iowa</td></tr><tr><td>SG</td><td>10</td><td>Joe Hassett</td><td>6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)</td><td>180 lb (82 kg)</td><td></td><td>Providence</td></tr><tr><td>SG</td><td>24</td><td>Dennis Johnson</td><td>6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)</td><td>185 lb (84 kg)</td><td></td><td>Pepperdine</td></tr><tr><td>SF</td><td>27</td><td>John Johnson</td><td>6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)</td><td>200 lb (91 kg)</td><td></td><td>Iowa</td></tr><tr><td>C</td><td>23</td><td>Tom LaGarde</td><td>6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)</td><td>220 lb (100 kg)</td><td></td><td>North Carolina</td></tr><tr><td>SF</td><td>22</td><td>Jackie Robinson</td><td>6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)</td><td>200 lb (91 kg)</td><td></td><td>UNLV</td></tr><tr><td>PF</td><td>8</td><td>Lonnie Shelton</td><td>6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)</td><td>240 lb (109 kg)</td><td></td><td>Oregon State</td></tr><tr><td>C</td><td>43</td><td>Jack Sikma</td><td>6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)</td><td>230 lb (104 kg)</td><td></td><td>Illinois Wesleyan</td></tr><tr><td>PF</td><td>35</td><td>Paul Silas</td><td>6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)</td><td>220 lb (100 kg)</td><td></td><td>Creighton</td></tr><tr><td>SG</td><td>11</td><td>Dick Snyder</td><td>6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)</td><td>207 lb (94 kg)</td><td></td><td>Davidson</td></tr><tr><td>SF</td><td>42</td><td>Wally Walker</td><td>6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)</td><td>190 lb (86 kg)</td><td></td><td>Virginia</td></tr><tr><td>PG</td><td>1</td><td>Gus Williams</td><td>6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)</td><td>175 lb (79 kg)</td><td></td><td>USC</td></tr></tbody></table>

Washington Bullets

<table><thead><tr><th>Players</th><th>Coaches</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td></td><td>Head coach Legend</td></tr><tr><td>Pos.</td><td>No.</td><td>Player</td><td>Height</td><td>Weight</td><td>DOB</td><td>From</td></tr><tr><td>SF</td><td>42</td><td>Greg Ballard</td><td>6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)</td><td>215 lb (98 kg)</td><td></td><td>Oregon</td></tr><tr><td>SG</td><td>45</td><td>Phil Chenier</td><td>6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)</td><td>180 lb (82 kg)</td><td></td><td>California</td></tr><tr><td>C</td><td>40</td><td>Dave Corzine</td><td>6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)</td><td>250 lb (113 kg)</td><td></td><td>DePaul</td></tr><tr><td>SF</td><td>10</td><td>Bob Dandridge</td><td>6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)</td><td>195 lb (88 kg)</td><td></td><td>Norfolk State</td></tr><tr><td>SF</td><td>35</td><td>Kevin Grevey</td><td>6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)</td><td>210 lb (95 kg)</td><td></td><td>Kentucky</td></tr><tr><td>PG</td><td>14</td><td>Tom Henderson</td><td>6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)</td><td>190 lb (86 kg)</td><td></td><td>Hawaiʻi</td></tr><tr><td>PF</td><td>11</td><td>Elvin Hayes</td><td>6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)</td><td>235 lb (107 kg)</td><td></td><td>Houston</td></tr><tr><td>PF</td><td>25</td><td>Mitch Kupchak</td><td>6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)</td><td>230 lb (104 kg)</td><td></td><td>North Carolina</td></tr><tr><td>SG</td><td>15</td><td>Charles Johnson</td><td>6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)</td><td>170 lb (77 kg)</td><td></td><td>California</td></tr><tr><td>SG</td><td>22</td><td>Roger Phegley</td><td>6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)</td><td>205 lb (93 kg)</td><td></td><td>Bradley</td></tr><tr><td>C</td><td>41</td><td>Wes Unseld</td><td>6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)</td><td>245 lb (111 kg)</td><td></td><td>Louisville</td></tr><tr><td>PG</td><td>32</td><td>Larry Wright</td><td>6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)</td><td>160 lb (73 kg)</td><td></td><td>Grambling State</td></tr></tbody></table>

Aftermath

1979 NBA Finals

Until (/wiki/2023NBAFinals), 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. 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.

1979 represents the last year the Bullets/Wizards franchise won 50 games in a season, by far the longest drought in NBA history. 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 (/wiki/1996NBAFinals), 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 (/wiki/1998NBAFinals). After their move to Oklahoma City, the Thunder made it back to the Finals in (/wiki/2012NBAFinals) but lost to the Big Three-led Miami Heat in five games. They would eventually win the championship again in (/wiki/2025NBAFinals) over the Indiana Pacers in seven games.