1979 NBA Finals
{{Short description|1979 basketball championship series}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{NBA Finals summary
| image =
| caption =
| league = NBA
| year = 1979
| runnerup = Washington Bullets
| runnerup_coach = Dick Motta
| runnerup_games = 1
| champion = Seattle SuperSonics
| champion_coach = Lenny Wilkens
| champion_games = 4
| date = May 20–June 1
| MVP = Dennis Johnson
(Seattle SuperSonics)
| HOFers = 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)
| ECF result = Bullets defeated Spurs, 4–3
| WCF result = 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 4 games to 1. The series was a rematch of the 1978 NBA Finals, which the Washington Bullets had won 4–3.
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 2014 when the Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVIII.
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).
Until 2023, this was the most recent time that a Western Conference team not based in Texas or California has 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 has won the league title, which is by 27 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 sixteen 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. Since then, 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 since 1980 have been won by Eastern Conference teams.Eight Eastern Conference teams from seven different 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).
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=
{{Main|1979 NBA Playoffs}}
| style="width:100%; font-size:90%" class="wikitable" |
| valign=top
! colspan="2" style="width:45%;"|Seattle SuperSonics (Western Conference champion) !! colspan="2" style="width:45%;"|Washington Bullets (Eastern Conference champion) |
| align=right|
{{1978–79 NBA West standings|team=SEA}}1st seed in the West, 2nd best league record !colspan=2|Regular season | {{1978–79 NBA East standings|team=WSB}}1st seed in the East, best league record |
| align=right|Earned first-round bye
!colspan=2|First Round |Earned first-round bye |
| align=right|Defeated the (5) Los Angeles Lakers, 4–1
!colspan=2|Conference Semifinals |Defeated the (5) Atlanta Hawks, 4–3 |
| align=right|Defeated the (3) Phoenix Suns, 4–3
!colspan=2|Conference Finals |Defeated the (2) San Antonio Spurs, 4–3 |
=Regular season series=
The teams split the four-game series in the regular season:
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = October 25, 1978
| team1 = Washington Bullets |score1=92
| team2 = Seattle SuperSonics |score2=121
}}
{{basketballbox
| date = January 23, 1979
| team1 = Seattle SuperSonics |score1=103
| team2 = Washington Bullets |score2=100
| place = Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland
}}
{{basketballbox
| bg=#fff
| date = February 18, 1979
| team1 = Washington Bullets |score1=105
| team2 = Seattle SuperSonics |score2=94
}}
{{basketballbox
| date = February 23, 1979
| team1 = Seattle SuperSonics |score1=110
| team2 = Washington Bullets |score2=132
| place = Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland
}}
Series summary
| class="wikitable" | ||||
| 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=
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 20 |time= |place=Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland |TV=
|team1=Seattle SuperSonics |score1=97
|team2=Washington Bullets |score2=99
|report=
|Q1=25–26 |Q2=25–33 |Q3=21–23 |Q4=26–17
|points1= Gus Williams 32 |points2=Larry Wright 26
|rebounds1=John Johnson 11 |rebounds2=Wes Unseld 12
|assist1=Dennis Johnson 7 |assist2=Tom Henderson 6
|attendance=19,035
|referee=
- No. 10 Darell Garreson,
- No. 4 Ed T. Rush
- No. 18 Ed Middleton
|series= Washington leads the series, 1–0
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.{{cite web|url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=feST4K8J0scC&dat=19790521&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|title=Bullets take Wright turn to victory|date=21 May 1979 |work=St Petersburg Times (page 21)|access-date=28 January 2015}}
=Game 2=
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 24 |time=9 p.m. EDT |place=Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland |TV=
|team1=Seattle SuperSonics |score1=92
|team2=Washington Bullets |score2=82
|report=
|Q1=28–23 |Q2=21–29 |Q3=19–14 |Q4=24–16
|points1= Gus Williams 23 |points2=Bob Dandridge 21
|rebounds1= Jack Sikma 13 |rebounds2=Elvin Hayes 14
|assist1= Dennis Johnson, John Johnson 6 each| assist2=Bob Dandridge 5
|attendance=19,035
|referee=
- No. 9 John Vanak
- No. 14 Jack Madden
- No. 19 Jim Capers
|series= 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=
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 27 |time= |place=Kingdome, Seattle, Washington |TV=
|team1=Washington Bullets |score1=95
|team2=Seattle SuperSonics |score2=105
|report=
|Q1=25–31 |Q2=19–24 |Q3=22–26 |Q4=29–24
|points1=Bob Dandridge 28 |points2=Gus Williams 31
|rebounds1= Unseld, Hayes 14 each|rebounds2 = Jack Sikma 17
|assist1=Bob Dandridge 5| assist2 = Dennis Johnson 9
|attendance=35,928
|referee=
- No. 11 Jake O'Donnell
- No. 7 Joe Gushue
- No. 25 Hugh Evans
|series= 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=
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=May 29 |time= |place=Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington |TV=
|team1=Washington Bullets |score1=112
|team2=Seattle SuperSonics |score2=114
|report=
|Q1=16–24 |Q2=37–28 |Q3=28–32 |Q4=23–20 |OT=8–10
|points1=Hayes, Grevey, Charles Johnson 18 each|points2=Gus Williams 36
|rebounds1=Wes Unseld 16|rebounds2= Jack Sikma 17
|assist1=Tom Henderson 8|assist2= John Johnson 13
|attendance=14,098
|referee=
- No. 15 Bob Rakel
- No. 8 Lee Jones
- No. 10 Darell Garretson
|series= Seattle leads the series, 3–1
}}
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=
{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee |date=June 1 |time= |place=Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland |TV=
|team1=Seattle SuperSonics |score1=97
|team2=Washington Bullets |score2=93
|report=
|Q1=19–30 |Q2=24–21 |Q3=23–18 |Q4=31–24
|points1=Gus Williams 23 |points2=Elvin Hayes 29
|rebounds1=Jack Sikma 17|rebounds2=Elvin Hayes 14
|assist1=John Johnson 6|assist2=Bob Dandridge 7
|attendance=19,035
|referee=
- No. 11 Jake O'Donnell
- No. 7 Joe Gushue
- No. 22 Paul Mihalak
|series= Seattle wins the series, 4–1
}}
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.{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=feST4K8J0scC&dat=19790602&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|title= The 'fat lady sings' as Sonics lower final boom to rule the NBA|date=2 June 1979|work=St Petersburg Times (page 23)|access-date=28 January 2015}}
Player statistics
{{NBA roster statistics legend}}
;Seattle SuperSonics
{{NBA roster statistics start|team=Seattle SuperSonics}}
{{s-end}}
;Washington Bullets
{{NBA roster statistics start|team=Washington Wizards}}
{{s-end}}
Team rosters
=Seattle SuperSonics=
{{NBA roster header|team=Seattle SuperSonics|season=1978–79}}
{{player2 | num = 21 | first = Dennis | last = Awtrey | pos = C | ft = 6 | in = 10 | lbs = 235 | college = Santa Clara University}}
{{player2 | num = 32 | first= Fred | last = Brown | dab = basketball | pos = SG | ft = 6 | in = 3 | lbs = 182 | college = Iowa}}
{{Player2 | num = 10 | first = Joe | last = Hassett | pos = SG | ft = 6| in = 5 | lbs=180 | college=Providence College}}
{{player2 | num = 24 | first = Dennis | last = Johnson | pos = SG | ft = 6 | in = 4 | lbs = 185 | college = Pepperdine}}
{{player2 | num = 27 | first = John | last = Johnson | dab = basketball, born 1947 | pos = SF | ft = 6 | in = 7 | lbs = 200 | college = Iowa}}
{{player2 | num = 23 | first = Tom | last = LaGarde | pos = C | ft = 6 | in = 10 | lbs = 220 | college = North Carolina}}
{{player2 | num = 22 | first = Jackie | last = Robinson| dab = basketball, born 1955 | pos = SF | ft = 6 | in = 6 | lbs = 200 | college = UNLV}}
{{player2 | num = 8 | first = Lonnie | last = Shelton | pos = PF | ft = 6 | in = 8 | lbs = 240 | college = Oregon State}}
{{player2 | num = 43 | first = Jack | last = Sikma | pos = C | ft = 6 | in = 11 | lbs = 230 | college = Illinois Wesleyan}}
{{player2 | num = 35 | first = Paul | last = Silas | pos = PF | ft = 6 | in = 7 | lbs = 220 | college = Creighton}}
{{player2 | num = 11 | first = Dick | last = Snyder | pos = SG | ft = 6 | in = 5 | lbs = 207 | college = Davidson College}}
{{player2 | num = 42 | first = Wally | last = Walker | pos = SF | ft = 6 | in = 7 | lbs = 190 | college = Virginia}}
{{player2 | num = 1 | first = Gus | last = Williams | dab = basketball | pos = PG | ft = 6 | in = 2 | lbs = 175 | college = Southern California }}
{{NBA roster footer
| head_coach =
- {{player||USA|Lenny Wilkens}}
=Washington Bullets=
{{NBA roster header|team=Washington Bullets|season=1978–79}}
{{player2 | num = 42 | first = Greg | last = Ballard | dab = basketball | pos = SF | ft = 6 | in = 7 | lbs = 215 | college = Oregon}}
{{player2 | num = 45 | first = Phil | last = Chenier | pos = SG | ft = 6 | in = 3 | lbs = 180 | college = California}}
{{player2 | num = 40 | first = Dave | last = Corzine | pos = C | ft = 6 | in = 11 | lbs = 250 | college = DePaul}}
{{player2 | num = 10 | first = Bob | last = Dandridge | pos = SF | ft = 6 | in = 6 | lbs = 195 | college = Norfolk State}}
{{player2 | num = 35 | first = Kevin | last = Grevey | pos = SF | ft = 6 | in = 5 | lbs = 210 | college = Kentucky}}
{{player2 | num = 14 | first = Tom | last = Henderson | dab = basketball | pos = PG | ft = 6 | in = 3 | lbs = 190 | college = Hawaii}}
{{player2 | num = 11 | first = Elvin | last = Hayes | pos = PF | ft = 6 | in = 9 | lbs = 235 | college = Houston}}
{{player2 | num = 25 | first = Mitch | last = Kupchak | pos = PF | ft = 6 | in = 9 | lbs = 230 | college = North Carolina}}
{{player2 | num = 15 | first = Charles | last = Johnson | dab = basketball, born 1949 | pos = SG | ft = 6 | in = 0 | lbs = 170 | college = California}}
{{player2 | num = 22 | first = Roger | last = Phegley | pos = SG | ft = 6 | in = 6 | lbs = 205 | college = Bradley}}
{{player2 | num = 41 | first = Wes | last = Unseld | pos = C | ft = 6 | in = 7 | lbs = 245 | college = Louisville}}
{{player2 | num = 32 | first = Larry | last = Wright | dab = basketball | pos = PG | ft = 6 | in = 1 | lbs = 160 | college = Grambling State}}
{{NBA roster footer
| head_coach =
| asst_coach =
}}
See also
Notes
{{reflist|group=note}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/NBA_1979.html 1979 NBA Playoffs]
- [http://www.nba.com/history/seasonreviews/1978-79/ NBA.com Season Review: 1978-79]
{{NBA Finals}}
{{Seattle SuperSonics 1978–79 NBA champions}}
{{Oklahoma City Thunder}}
{{Washington Wizards}}
{{1978–79 NBA season by team}}
{{NBA on CBS}}
{{NBA on Mutual}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:1979 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