The 1978 NBA Playoffs

NBA Playoffs

The National Basketball Association Playoffs is a best-of-seven elimination tournament among sixteen teams in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference , ultimately deciding the final four teams who will play in the NBA Conference Finals.-Format:Following the NBA regular season, eight teams in...

was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association

National Basketball Association

The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...

's 1977-1978 season

1977-78 NBA season

The 1977–78 NBA season was the 32nd season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Washington Bullets winning the NBA Championship, beating the Seattle SuperSonics 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals.-Notable occurrences:...

. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference

Eastern Conference (NBA)

The Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association is made up of fifteen teams, organized in three divisions of five teams each.The three division winners and the non-division winner with the best record are seeded 1 through 4 for the playoffs in order of their records, with all...

 champion Washington Bullets defeating the Western Conference

Western Conference (NBA)

Below is a list of current Western Conference NBA team rosters.-Western Conference:There are a total of 15 teams in the Western Conference. The current leading team of the Western conference are the Dallas Mavericks....

 champion Seattle SuperSonics

Seattle SuperSonics

The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as...

 four games to three in the Finals

1978 NBA Finals

-Series summary:Bullets win series 4-3-Game 1:The Bullets, behind Kevin Grevey's 27 and Elvin Hayes's 21 points, held a 19-point lead in the fourth quarter at the Seattle Center Coliseum. But, the Sonics staged a comeback in front of the home crowd, led by "instant offense" guard Fred Brown...

. Wes Unseld

Wes Unseld

Westley Sissel "Wes" Unseld is an American former basketball player. He spent his entire NBA career with the Baltimore/Capital/Washington Bullets, and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1988.-Early life and college career:Unseld starred on a Seneca High School team...

 of the Bullets was named NBA Finals MVP. To date, it remains the first and only NBA Championship that the Washington Bullets have ever won.

It was the third NBA Finals appearance and first championship for the Bullets, founded in 1961. The Sonics made the Finals for the first time in their 11-year existence. This would be the first of two consecutive meetings in the Finals between the Bullets and Sonics, with Seattle winning the championship the following year.

This was the first time since the expansion of the playoff field to ten teams in 1975

1975 NBA Playoffs

The 1975 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1974-1975 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors defeating the Eastern Conference champion Washington Bullets, four games to none in the NBA Finals...

 that neither conference champion had the benefit of a first-round bye by being one of the top two teams in the conference during the regular season. The 1979

1979 NBA Playoffs

The 1979 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1978-1979 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Seattle SuperSonics defeating the Eastern Conference champion Washington Bullets four games to one in the Finals. The Sonics...

 Finals rematch between the Sonics and Bullets took place with both teams as the #1 seed in their respective conference.

The Denver Nuggets

Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...

, one of the four former American Basketball Association

American Basketball Association

The American Basketball Association was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.-League history:...

 teams to join the NBA the previous season, became the first of them to win an NBA playoff series, defeating the Milwaukee Bucks

Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....

 in a seven-game conference semifinal.

Bracket

Western Conference

Champion: Seattle SuperSonics

Seattle SuperSonics

The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as...

1st Round

(1) Portland Trail Blazers and (2) Denver Nuggets have first-round byes.

(3) Phoenix Suns

Phoenix Suns

The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...

 vs. (6) Milwaukee Bucks

Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....

:
Bucks win series 2-0

• Game 1 @ Phoenix: Milwaukee 111, Phoenix 103
• Game 2 @ Milwaukee: Milwaukee 94, Phoenix 90

(4) Seattle SuperSonics

Seattle SuperSonics

The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as...

vs. (5) Los Angeles Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...

:
Sonics win series 2-1

• Game 1 @ Seattle: Seattle 102, Los Angeles 90
• Game 2 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 105, Seattle 99
• Game 3 @ Seattle: Seattle 111, Los Angeles 102

Conference Semifinals

(1) Portland Trail Blazers

Portland Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...

 vs. (4) Seattle SuperSonics

Seattle SuperSonics

The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as...

:
Sonics win series 4-2

• Game 1 @ Portland: Seattle 104, Portland 95
• Game 2 @ Portland: Portland 96, Seattle 93
• Game 3 @ Seattle: Seattle 99, Portland 84
• Game 4 @ Seattle: Seattle 100, Portland 98
• Game 5 @ Portland: Portland 113, Seattle 89
• Game 6 @ Seattle: Seattle 105, Portland 94

(2) Denver Nuggets

Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...

vs. (6) Milwaukee Bucks

Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....

:
Nuggets win series 4-3

• Game 1 @ Denver: Denver 119, Milwaukee 103
• Game 2 @ Denver: Denver 127, Milwaukee 111
• Game 3 @ Milwaukee: Milwaukee 143, Denver 112
• Game 4 @ Milwaukee: Denver 118, Milwaukee 114
• Game 5 @ Denver: Milwaukee 117, Denver 112
• Game 6 @ Milwaukee: Milwaukee 119, Denver 91
• Game 7 @ Denver: Denver 116, Milwaukee 110

Conference Finals

(2) Denver Nuggets

Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...

 vs. (4) Seattle SuperSonics

Seattle SuperSonics

The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as...

:
Sonics win series 4-2

• Game 1 @ Denver: Denver 116, Seattle 107
• Game 2 @ Denver: Seattle 121, Denver 111
• Game 3 @ Seattle: Seattle 105, Denver 91
• Game 4 @ Seattle: Seattle 100, Denver 94
• Game 5 @ Seattle: Denver 123, Seattle 114
• Game 6 @ Denver: Seattle 123, Denver 108

Eastern Conference

Champion: Washington Bullets

1st Round

(1) Philadelphia 76ers & (2) San Antonio Spurs have first round byes.

(3) Washington Bullets vs. (6) Atlanta Hawks

Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...

:
Bullets win series 2-0

• Game 1 @ Washington: Washington 103, Atlanta 94
• Game 2 @ Atlanta: Washington 107, Atlanta 103

(4) Cleveland Cavaliers

Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...

 vs. (5) New York Knicks

New York Knicks

The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...

:
Knicks win series 2-0

• Game 1 @ Cleveland: New York 132, Cleveland 114
• Game 2 @ New York: New York 109, Cleveland 107

Conference Semifinals

(1) Philadelphia 76ers

Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...

vs. (5) New York Knicks

New York Knicks

The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...

:
76ers win series 4-0

• Game 1 @ Philadelphia: Philadelphia 130, New York 90
• Game 2 @ Philadelphia: Philadelphia 119, New York 100
• Game 3 @ New York: Philadelphia 137, New York 126
• Game 4 @ New York: Philadelphia 112, New York 107

(2) San Antonio Spurs

San Antonio Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....

 vs. (3) Washington Bullets:
Bullets win series 4-2

• Game 1 @ San Antonio: San Antonio 114, Washington 103
• Game 2 @ San Antonio: Washington 121, San Antonio 117
• Game 3 @ Washington: Washington 118, San Antonio 105
• Game 4 @ Washington: Washington 98, San Antonio 95
• Game 5 @ San Antonio: San Antonio 116, Washington 105
• Game 6 @ Washington: Washington 103, San Antonio 100

Conference Finals

(1) Philadelphia 76ers

Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...

 vs. (3) Washington Bullets:
Bullets win series 4-2

• Game 1 @ Philadelphia: Washington 122, Philadelphia 117
• Game 2 @ Philadelphia: Philadelphia 110, Washington 104
• Game 3 @ Washington: Washington 123, Philadelphia 108
• Game 4 @ Washington: Washington 121, Philadelphia 105
• Game 5 @ Philadelphia: Philadelphia 107, Washington 94
• Game 6 @ Washington: Washington 101, Philadelphia 99

NBA finals

(3) Washington Bullets vs. (4) Seattle SuperSonics

Seattle SuperSonics

The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as...

:
Bullets win series 4-3

• Game 1 @ Seattle: Seattle 106, Washington 102
• Game 2 @ Washington: Washington 106, Seattle 98
• Game 3 @ Washington: Seattle 93, Washington 92
• Game 4 @ Seattle: Washington 120, Seattle 116
• Game 5 @ Seattle: Seattle 98, Washington 94
• Game 6 @ Washington: Washington 117, Seattle 82
• Game 7 @ Seattle: Washington 105, Seattle 99

External links

• http://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/NBA_1978.html Basketball-Reference.com's 1978 NBA Playoffs page