1979 NBA playoffs
The 1979 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association’s 1978–79 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Seattle SuperSonics defeating the Eastern Conference champion Washington Bullets 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals. The Sonics earned their only NBA title. Dennis Johnson was named NBA Finals MVP.
| Dates | April 10–June 1, 1979 |
|---|---|
| Season | 1978–79 |
| Teams | 12 |
| Champions | Seattle SuperSonics (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Washington Bullets (4th finals appearance) |
| Semifinalists | |
The Finals was a rematch of 1978, in which Washington defeated Seattle 4–3. As of the 2021–22 season, this remains the last time the Bullets (now the Wizards) have advanced as far as the Conference Finals. They have the longest conference finals drought of any team in the four major professional sports in North America.
The Spurs made their first visit to the Conference Finals in these playoffs.
This was the first time that three of the former ABA teams made the playoffs, as it was the NBA playoff debut of the New Jersey Nets.
This was the first time both conference finals went to a deciding Game 7 since 1963 and the last until 2018.
Bracket
| First Round | Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | NBA Finals | ||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Washington* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Houston | 0 | E5 | Atlanta | 3 | ||||||||||||||
| E5 | Atlanta | 2 | Eastern Conference | E1 | Washington* | 4 | |||||||||||||
| E2 | San Antonio* | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Philadelphia | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Philadelphia | 2 | E2 | San Antonio* | 4 | ||||||||||||||
| E6 | New Jersey | 0 | E1 | Washington* | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| W1 | Seattle* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Seattle* | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W4 | Denver | 1 | W5 | Los Angeles | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| W5 | Los Angeles | 2 | Western Conference | W1 | Seattle* | 4 | |||||||||||||
| W3 | Phoenix | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| W3 | Phoenix | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W3 | Phoenix | 2 | W2 | Kansas City* | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| W6 | Portland | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
- * Division winner
- Bold Series winner
- Italic Team with home-court advantage
First round
(3) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (6) New Jersey Nets
April 11 |
| New Jersey Nets 114, Philadelphia 76ers 122 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–33, 23–22, 28–30, 41–37 | ||
| Pts: John Williamson 38 Rebs: George Johnson 12 Asts: Eddie Jordan 9 |
Pts: Julius Erving 28 Rebs: Julius Erving 14 Asts: Henry Bibby 7 | |
| Philadelphia leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 13 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 111, New Jersey Nets 101 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–25, 29–20, 27–23, 33–33 | ||
| Pts: Caldwell Jones 24 Rebs: Caldwell Jones 21 Asts: three players 5 each |
Pts: Bernard King 27 Rebs: van Breda Kolff, Johnson 13 each Asts: Eddie Jordan 8 | |
| Philadelphia wins series, 2–0 | ||
Rutgers Athletic Center, Piscataway, New Jersey Attendance: 9,126 Referees: John Vanak, Ed Rush, Paul Mihalak |
Game two was the only NBA playoff game at the Rutgers Athletic Center.
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.[1]
(4) Houston Rockets vs. (5) Atlanta Hawks
April 11 |
| Atlanta Hawks 109, Houston Rockets 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–31, 23–26, 39–28, 20–21 | ||
| Pts: Dan Roundfield 23 Rebs: Dan Roundfield 18 Asts: Hawes, Criss 4 each |
Pts: Moses Malone 28 Rebs: Moses Malone 17 Asts: Slick Watts 7 | |
| Atlanta leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 13 |
| Houston Rockets 91, Atlanta Hawks 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–31, 31–21, 20–26, 13–22 | ||
| Pts: Moses Malone 21 Rebs: Moses Malone 24 Asts: Calvin Murphy 4 |
Pts: Drew, Johnson 25 each Rebs: John Drew 13 Asts: Eddie Johnson 8 | |
| Atlanta wins series, 2–0 | ||
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Hawks winning the only previous meeting.
| Atlanta/ St. Louis leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(3) Phoenix Suns vs. (6) Portland Trail Blazers
April 10 |
| Portland Trail Blazers 103, Phoenix Suns 107 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–23, 26–25, 27–31, 30–28 | ||
| Pts: Ron Brewer 26 Rebs: Thompson, Lucas 10 each Asts: Lucas, Brewer 5 each |
Pts: Paul Westphal 28 Rebs: Adams, Davis 5 each Asts: Alvan Adams 9 | |
| Phoenix leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 13 |
| Phoenix Suns 92, Portland Trail Blazers 96 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–25, 26–27, 26–21, 16–23 | ||
| Pts: Walter Davis 31 Rebs: Gar Heard 9 Asts: Paul Westphal 6 |
Pts: Ron Brewer 21 Rebs: Mychal Thompson 17 Asts: Maurice Lucas 4 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
April 15 |
| Portland Trail Blazers 91, Phoenix Suns 101 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–24, 28–23, 26–21, 15–33 | ||
| Pts: three players 16 each Rebs: Maurice Lucas 16 Asts: Maurice Lucas 9 |
Pts: Paul Westphal 26 Rebs: Gar Heard 12 Asts: Walter Davis 8 | |
| Phoenix wins series, 2–1 | ||
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.[3]
(4) Denver Nuggets vs. (5) Los Angeles Lakers
April 10 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 105, Denver Nuggets 119 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–29, 26–31, 28–31, 25–19 | ||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 23 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 12 Asts: Norm Nixon 11 |
Pts: Dan Issel 30 Rebs: Dan Issel 10 Asts: Bob Wilkerson 7 | |
| Denver leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 13 |
| Denver Nuggets 109, Los Angeles Lakers 121 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–29, 25–20, 28–32, 34–40 | ||
| Pts: David Thompson 29 Rebs: Tom Boswell 12 Asts: Tom Boswell 7 |
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 32 Rebs: Jamaal Wilkes 13 Asts: Norm Nixon 16 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
April 15 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 112, Denver Nuggets 111 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–28, 27–26, 27–32, 27–25 | ||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 29 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 16 Asts: Norm Nixon 12 |
Pts: David Thompson 28 Rebs: Dan Issel 10 Asts: David Thompson 7 | |
| Los Angeles wins series, 2–1 | ||
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.[4]
Conference semifinals
(1) Washington Bullets vs. (5) Atlanta Hawks
April 15 |
| Atlanta Hawks 89, Washington Bullets 103 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–30, 22–16, 30–25, 13–32 | ||
| Pts: Dan Roundfield 24 Rebs: Dan Roundfield 10 Asts: Armond Hill 7 |
Pts: Elvin Hayes 31 Rebs: Elvin Hayes 15 Asts: Larry Wright 6 | |
| Washington leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 17 |
| Atlanta Hawks 107, Washington Bullets 99 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–24, 27–26, 26–28, 30–21 | ||
| Pts: Roundfield, Johnson 17 each Rebs: Tree Rollins 8 Asts: Armond Hill 6 |
Pts: Bob Dandridge 36 Rebs: Wes Unseld 10 Asts: Tom Henderson 8 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
April 20 |
| Washington Bullets 89, Atlanta Hawks 77 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–17, 26–22, 19–22, 28–16 | ||
| Pts: Elvin Hayes 19 Rebs: Wes Unseld 16 Asts: Wes Unseld 8 |
Pts: John Drew 13 Rebs: Roundfield, Rollins 14 each Asts: Armond Hill 5 | |
| Washington leads series, 2–1 | ||
April 22 |
| Washington Bullets 120, Atlanta Hawks 118 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–30, 22–28, 27–23, 31–28, Overtime: 11–9 | ||
| Pts: Elvin Hayes 29 Rebs: Elvin Hayes 17 Asts: Bob Dandridge 5 |
Pts: Dan Roundfield 22 Rebs: Dan Roundfield 18 Asts: Dan Roundfield 7 | |
| Washington leads series, 3–1 | ||
April 24 |
| Atlanta Hawks 107, Washington Bullets 103 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–34, 29–21, 25–25, 26–23 | ||
| Pts: Terry Furlow 21 Rebs: Dan Roundfield 14 Asts: Armond Hill 5 |
Pts: Elvin Hayes 26 Rebs: Elvin Hayes 14 Asts: Tom Henderson 11 | |
| Washington leads series, 3–2 | ||
April 26 |
| Washington Bullets 86, Atlanta Hawks 104 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–29, 19–19, 24–30, 20–26 | ||
| Pts: Elvin Hayes 24 Rebs: Wes Unseld 12 Asts: Wes Unseld 6 |
Pts: Drew, Johnson 22 each Rebs: Steve Hawes 14 Asts: Armond Hill 9 | |
| Series tied, 3–3 | ||
April 29 |
| Atlanta Hawks 94, Washington Bullets 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–26, 24–26, 19–23, 25–25 | ||
| Pts: John Drew 24 Rebs: John Drew 8 Asts: Eddie Johnson 6 |
Pts: Elvin Hayes 39 Rebs: Elvin Hayes 15 Asts: Bob Dandridge 8 | |
| Washington wins series, 4–3 | ||
Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland Attendance: 19,035 Referees: Darell Garretson, Joe Gushue, Hugh Evans |
This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Wizards/Bullets winning two of the first three meetings.
| Washington/Baltimore leads 2–1 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (3) Philadelphia 76ers
April 15 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 106, San Antonio Spurs 119 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–31, 23–32, 25–25, 36–31 | ||
| Pts: Darryl Dawkins 25 Rebs: Caldwell Jones 15 Asts: Julius Erving 7 |
Pts: Larry Kenon 30 Rebs: Billy Paultz 9 Asts: Silas, Bristow 7 each | |
| San Antonio leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 17 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 120, San Antonio Spurs 121 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 33–28, 23–35, 34–28, 30–30 | ||
| Pts: Julius Erving 25 Rebs: Caldwell Jones 11 Asts: Henry Bibby 10 |
Pts: George Gervin 29 Rebs: Larry Kenon 7 Asts: Silas, Gale 8 each | |
| San Antonio leads series, 2–0 | ||
April 20 |
| San Antonio Spurs 115, Philadelphia 76ers 123 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–40, 25–23, 31–24, 27–36 | ||
| Pts: James Silas 32 Rebs: Larry Kenon 15 Asts: Kenon, Gervin 5 each |
Pts: Julius Erving 39 Rebs: Caldwell Jones 12 Asts: Maurice Cheeks 9 | |
| San Antonio leads series, 2–1 | ||
April 22 |
| San Antonio Spurs 115, Philadelphia 76ers 112 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–22, 20–30, 30–28, 33–32 | ||
| Pts: George Gervin 32 Rebs: Larry Kenon 9 Asts: Larry Kenon 6 |
Pts: Maurice Cheeks 33 Rebs: Steve Mix 9 Asts: Maurice Cheeks 9 | |
| San Antonio leads series, 3–1 | ||
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Attendance: 11,163 Referees: Ed Middleton, Darell Garretson, Hugh Evans |
April 26 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 120, San Antonio Spurs 97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–17, 21–21, 35–26, 35–33 | ||
| Pts: Julius Erving 32 Rebs: Caldwell Jones 14 Asts: Maurice Cheeks 12 |
Pts: James Silas 19 Rebs: Larry Kenon 9 Asts: Silas, Gale 5 each | |
| San Antonio leads series, 3–2 | ||
April 29 |
| San Antonio Spurs 90, Philadelphia 76ers 92 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–25, 26–23, 19–13, 18–31 | ||
| Pts: James Silas 27 Rebs: Larry Kenon 15 Asts: Mike Gale 6 |
Pts: Caldwell Jones 20 Rebs: Caldwell Jones 17 Asts: Maurice Cheeks 6 | |
| Series tied, 3–3 | ||
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Attendance: 18,276 Referees: John Vanak, Jake O'Donnell, Paul Mihalak |
- Maurice Cheeks hits game winning shot with 10 seconds remaining.
May 2 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 108, San Antonio Spurs 111 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–29, 27–27, 34–22, 27–33 | ||
| Pts: Julius Erving 34 Rebs: Caldwell Jones 14 Asts: Maurice Cheeks 13 |
Pts: George Gervin 33 Rebs: George Gervin 12 Asts: Mark Olberding 7 | |
| San Antonio wins series, 4–3 | ||
This was the first meeting between these two teams.[6]
(1) Seattle SuperSonics vs. (5) Los Angeles Lakers
April 17 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 101, Seattle SuperSonics 112 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–22, 25–27, 22–32, 25–31 | ||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 25 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 11 Asts: Norm Nixon 7 |
Pts: Gus Williams 27 Rebs: Lonnie Shelton 12 Asts: John Johnson 9 | |
| Seattle leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 18 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 103, Seattle SuperSonics 108 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–27, 32–21, 15–28, 27–19, Overtime: 8–13 | ||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 31 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 15 Asts: Norm Nixon 10 |
Pts: Gus Williams 38 Rebs: Jack Sikma 10 Asts: Jack Sikma 8 | |
| Seattle leads series, 2–0 | ||
April 20 |
| Seattle SuperSonics 112, Los Angeles Lakers 118 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–26, 28–32, 28–27, 22–22, Overtime: 5–11 | ||
| Pts: Gus Williams 29 Rebs: Paul Silas 13 Asts: Paul Silas 4 |
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 32 Rebs: Jamaal Wilkes 9 Asts: Norm Nixon 11 | |
| Seattle leads series, 2–1 | ||
April 22 |
| Seattle SuperSonics 117, Los Angeles Lakers 115 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–31, 33–29, 34–30, 22–25 | ||
| Pts: Gus Williams 30 Rebs: D. Johnson, Sikma 11 each Asts: Dennis Johnson 7 |
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 31 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 13 Asts: Norm Nixon 19 | |
| Seattle leads series, 3–1 | ||
April 25 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 100, Seattle SuperSonics 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–24, 31–29, 22–29, 19–24 | ||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 25 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 14 Asts: Abdul-Jabbar, Nixon 8 each |
Pts: Gus Williams 30 Rebs: Jack Sikma 10 Asts: Jack Sikma 6 | |
| Seattle wins series, 4–1 | ||
- This would be the last playoff series for Los Angeles without Magic Johnson until 1992.
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the SuperSonics winning the first meeting.
| Seattle leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(2) Kansas City Kings vs. (3) Phoenix Suns
April 17 |
| Kansas City Kings 99, Phoenix Suns 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–31, 28–18, 15–22, 26–31 | ||
| Pts: Otis Birdsong 20 Rebs: Sam Lacey 12 Asts: Phil Ford 7 |
Pts: Paul Westphal 25 Rebs: Truck Robinson 12 Asts: Don Buse 5 | |
| Phoenix leads series, 1–0 | ||
April 20 |
| Phoenix Suns 91, Kansas City Kings 111 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–35, 21–26, 28–26, 21–24 | ||
| Pts: Truck Robinson 17 Rebs: Truck Robinson 13 Asts: Walter Davis 5 |
Pts: Otis Birdsong 23 Rebs: Scott Wedman 10 Asts: Phil Ford 9 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
April 22 |
| Kansas City Kings 93, Phoenix Suns 108 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–27, 24–31, 21–32, 24–18 | ||
| Pts: Wedman, Birdsong 22 each Rebs: Bill Robinzine 10 Asts: three players 5 each |
Pts: Walter Davis 22 Rebs: Alvan Adams 9 Asts: Walter Davis 7 | |
| Phoenix leads series, 2–1 | ||
April 25 |
| Phoenix Suns 108, Kansas City Kings 94 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–25, 27–20, 26–29, 30–20 | ||
| Pts: Paul Westphal 26 Rebs: Gar Heard 14 Asts: Alvan Adams 8 |
Pts: Scott Wedman 21 Rebs: Sam Lacey 13 Asts: Lacey, Ford 5 each | |
| Phoenix leads series, 3–1 | ||
April 27 |
| Kansas City Kings 99, Phoenix Suns 120 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–30, 25–40, 23–25, 30–25 | ||
| Pts: Otis Birdsong 21 Rebs: Sam Lacey 10 Asts: Billy McKinney 7 |
Pts: Paul Westphal 32 Rebs: Joel Kramer 11 Asts: Bratz, Kramer 5 each | |
| Phoenix wins series, 4–1 | ||
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 12,660 Referees: Joe Gushue, Lee Jones, Jack Madden |
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.[8]
Conference finals
(1) Washington Bullets vs. (2) San Antonio Spurs
May 4 |
| San Antonio Spurs 118, Washington Bullets 97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–27, 25–25, 31–23, 32–22 | ||
| Pts: George Gervin 34 Rebs: Larry Kenon 21 Asts: James Silas 4 |
Pts: Bob Dandridge 25 Rebs: Elvin Hayes 20 Asts: Tom Henderson 5 | |
| San Antonio leads series, 1–0 | ||
May 6 |
| San Antonio Spurs 95, Washington Bullets 115 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–22, 26–27, 20–33, 22–33 | ||
| Pts: Larry Kenon 25 Rebs: Larry Kenon 8 Asts: Olberding, Dietrick 3 each |
Pts: Wes Unseld 26 Rebs: Wes Unseld 22 Asts: Tom Henderson 9 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
May 9 |
| Washington Bullets 114, San Antonio Spurs 116 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–32, 27–24, 26–33, 30–27 | ||
| Pts: Bob Dandridge 28 Rebs: Elvin Hayes 23 Asts: Wes Unseld 8 |
Pts: George Gervin 29 Rebs: Billy Paultz 12 Asts: Kenon, Gale 5 each | |
| San Antonio leads series, 2–1 | ||
May 11 |
| Washington Bullets 102, San Antonio Spurs 118 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–24, 30–26, 23–34, 30–34 | ||
| Pts: Elvin Hayes 23 Rebs: Wes Unseld 21 Asts: Bob Dandridge 9 |
Pts: George Gervin 42 Rebs: Larry Kenon 17 Asts: Silas, Gale 6 each | |
| San Antonio leads series, 3–1 | ||
May 13 |
| San Antonio Spurs 103, Washington Bullets 107 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–28, 18–25, 22–31, 33–23 | ||
| Pts: George Gervin 28 Rebs: Mark Olberding 13 Asts: James Silas 6 |
Pts: Elvin Hayes 24 Rebs: Elvin Hayes 22 Asts: Tom Henderson 9 | |
| San Antonio leads series, 3–2 | ||
May 16 |
| Washington Bullets 108, San Antonio Spurs 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–23, 24–26, 24–29, 30–22 | ||
| Pts: Elvin Hayes 25 Rebs: Elvin Hayes 14 Asts: Dandridge, Henderson 8 each |
Pts: George Gervin 20 Rebs: Larry Kenon 15 Asts: James Silas 7 | |
| Series tied, 3–3 | ||
May 18 |
| San Antonio Spurs 105, Washington Bullets 107 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–18, 28–32, 33–26, 23–31 | ||
| Pts: George Gervin 42 Rebs: Larry Kenon 11 Asts: James Silas 5 |
Pts: Bob Dandridge 37 Rebs: Elvin Hayes 15 Asts: Larry Wright 7 | |
| Washington wins series, 4–3 | ||
- Bob Dandridge hits series-winning shot with 8 seconds remaining; Washington becomes the 3rd team in NBA history to overcome a 3–1 series deficit.
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Bullets winning the first meeting.
| Washington leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
(1) Seattle SuperSonics vs. (3) Phoenix Suns
May 1 |
| Phoenix Suns 93, Seattle SuperSonics 108 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–28, 22–24, 22–29, 27–27 | ||
| Pts: Alvan Adams 18 Rebs: Alvan Adams 12 Asts: Adams, Davis 4 each |
Pts: Gus Williams 27 Rebs: Jack Sikma 11 Asts: John Johnson 9 | |
| Seattle leads series, 1–0 | ||
May 4 |
| Phoenix Suns 97, Seattle SuperSonics 103 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–21, 21–26, 26–30, 22–26 | ||
| Pts: Paul Westphal 29 Rebs: Truck Robinson 9 Asts: Buse, Davis 5 each |
Pts: John Johnson 21 Rebs: Lonnie Shelton 15 Asts: Gus Williams 6 | |
| Seattle leads series, 2–0 | ||
May 6 |
| Seattle SuperSonics 103, Phoenix Suns 113 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–31, 31–29, 14–22, 28–31 | ||
| Pts: Gus Williams 35 Rebs: J. Johnson, Sikma 9 each Asts: Gus Williams 6 |
Pts: Paul Westphal 25 Rebs: Walter Davis 10 Asts: Paul Westphal 6 | |
| Seattle leads series, 2–1 | ||
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona Attendance: 12,660 Referees: Darell Garretson, Bob Rakel, Dick Bavetta |
May 8 |
| Seattle SuperSonics 91, Phoenix Suns 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–31, 26–27, 27–23, 14–19 | ||
| Pts: Gus Williams 22 Rebs: Lonnie Shelton 10 Asts: three players 3 each |
Pts: Walter Davis 27 Rebs: Gar Heard 12 Asts: Paul Westphal 10 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
May 11 |
| Phoenix Suns 99, Seattle SuperSonics 93 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–24, 19–22, 25–22, 33–25 | ||
| Pts: Paul Westphal 27 Rebs: Truck Robinson 14 Asts: Paul Westphal 5 |
Pts: Dennis Johnson 24 Rebs: Jack Sikma 12 Asts: John Johnson 5 | |
| Phoenix leads series, 3–2 | ||
May 13 |
| Seattle SuperSonics 106, Phoenix Suns 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–33, 28–17, 22–35, 29–20 | ||
| Pts: Dennis Johnson 23 Rebs: Jack Sikma 10 Asts: Dennis Johnson 6 |
Pts: Paul Westphal 29 Rebs: Joel Kramer 8 Asts: Paul Westphal 8 | |
| Series tied, 3–3 | ||
In a Mother's Day Thriller, The Game went down to the wire in intense fashion. The Sonics had just came back from a 8 point deficit in the 4th quarter & the score was 106-105 in favor of the Sonics with 52 Seconds to go in Regulation as the suns had the ball, In that Possession, Walter Davis appeared to have scored, but committed a traveling violation at 41 seconds. On The Next Play, Sonics Player Gus Williams' shot came up short, Phoenix grabbed the rebound and called timeout at 16 seconds left, With a chance to clinch their 2nd NBA Finals berth, Walter Davis' high-arc shot also came up short, the ball went out-of-bounds last touched by a Sonics' Player with one second left. The Suns had one last chance, Gar Heard's Potential game winning shot was an airball, meaning the SuperSonics forced a 7th game in Seattle on Thursday.
May 17 |
| Phoenix Suns 110, Seattle SuperSonics 114 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–28, 24–29, 22–25, 35–32 | ||
| Pts: Walter Davis 26 Rebs: Truck Robinson 14 Asts: Paul Westphal 9 |
Pts: Jack Sikma 33 Rebs: Jack Sikma 11 Asts: Fred Brown 5 | |
| Seattle wins series, 4–3 | ||
With the score 112-104 in Favor of Seattle with just 20 seconds left, it appeared to be all over, but the Phoenix Suns would not quit easily. They immediately went on a 6-0 run in just 16 seconds, at the end of the run with 7 seconds to go, Paul Westphal stole an inbounds pass and then drove to the basket for a score, who was fouled by Wally Walker of the Sonics, making it just a 2 point game and sending Westphal to the line with just 4 seconds left, This allowed Suns Coach John MacLeod to call a timeout to decide what to do on the free throw attempt, The Suns elected to intentionally miss in hoping for an offensive rebound, but the rebound went to the Sonics' Jack Sikma, who then made both free throws to give the Sonics the Western Conference for the 2nd straight year.
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Suns winning the only meeting.
| Phoenix leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
NBA Finals: (E1) Washington Bullets vs. (W1) Seattle SuperSonics
May 20 |
| Seattle SuperSonics 97, Washington Bullets 99 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–26, 25–33, 21–23, 26–17 | ||
| Pts: Gus Williams 32 Rebs: John Johnson 11 Asts: Dennis Johnson 7 |
Pts: Larry Wright 26 Rebs: Wes Unseld 12 Asts: Tom Henderson 6 | |
| Washington leads series, 1–0 | ||
Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland Attendance: 19,035 Referees: Darell Garretson, Ed T. Rush, Ed Middleton |
- Larry Wright makes the game winning free throws with one second remaining.
May 24 |
| Seattle SuperSonics 92, Washington Bullets 82 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–23, 21–29, 19–14, 24–16 | ||
| Pts: Gus Williams 23 Rebs: Jack Sikma 13 Asts: D. Johnson, J. Johnson 6 each |
Pts: Bob Dandridge 21 Rebs: Elvin Hayes 14 Asts: Bob Dandridge 5 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
May 27 |
| Washington Bullets 95, Seattle SuperSonics 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–31, 19–24, 22–26, 29–24 | ||
| Pts: Bob Dandridge 28 Rebs: Unseld, Hayes 14 each Asts: Bob Dandridge 5 |
Pts: Gus Williams 31 Rebs: Jack Sikma 17 Asts: Dennis Johnson 9 | |
| Seattle leads series, 2–1 | ||
May 29 |
| Washington Bullets 112, Seattle SuperSonics 114 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–24, 37–28, 28–32, 23–20, Overtime: 8–10 | ||
| Pts: three players 18 Rebs: Wes Unseld 16 Asts: Tom Henderson 8 |
Pts: Gus Williams 36 Rebs: Jack Sikma 17 Asts: John Johnson 13 | |
| Seattle leads series, 3–1 | ||
Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington Attendance: 14,098 Referees: Bob Rakel, Lee Jones, Darell Garretson |
- Dennis Johnson blocks Kevin Grevey with 4 seconds left to seal it.
June 1 |
| Seattle SuperSonics 97, Washington Bullets 93 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–30, 24–21, 23–18, 31–24 | ||
| Pts: Gus Williams 23 Rebs: Jack Sikma 17 Asts: John Johnson 6 |
Pts: Elvin Hayes 29 Rebs: Elvin Hayes 14 Asts: Bob Dandridge 7 | |
| Seattle wins series, 4–1 | ||
Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland Attendance: 19,035 Referees: Jake O'Donnell, Joe Gushue, Paul Mihalak |
This was the second Finals meeting between these two teams, with the Bullets winning the first meeting.
| Washington leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series |
|---|
References
- "Team Rivalry Finder — Brooklyn Nets versus Philadelphia 76ers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- "Team Rivalry Finder — Atlanta Hawks versus Houston Rockets (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- "Team Rivalry Finder — Phoenix Suns versus Portland Trail Blazers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- "Team Rivalry Finder — Denver Nuggets versus Los Angeles Lakers (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- "Team Rivalry Finder — Atlanta Hawks versus Washington Wizards (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- "Team Rivalry Finder — Philadelphia 76ers versus San Antonio Spurs (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- "Team Rivalry Finder — Los Angeles Lakers versus Oklahoma City Thunder (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- "Team Rivalry Finder — Phoenix Suns versus Sacramento Kings (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- "Team Rivalry Finder — San Antonio Spurs versus Washington Wizards (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- "Team Rivalry Finder — Oklahoma City Thunder versus Phoenix Suns (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- "Team Rivalry Finder — Oklahoma City Thunder versus Washington Wizards (Playoffs)". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
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