1978–79 NBA season
The 1978–79 NBA season was the 33rd season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Seattle SuperSonics winning the NBA Championship, beating the Washington Bullets 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals, a rematch of the previous year's Finals, but with the opposite result.
| 1978–79 NBA season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Basketball Association |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | October 13, 1978 – April 8, 1979 April 10–May 18, 1979 (Playoffs) May 20–June 1, 1979 (Finals) |
| Number of games | 82 |
| Number of teams | 22 |
| TV partner(s) | CBS |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Mychal Thompson |
| Picked by | Portland Trail Blazers |
| Regular season | |
| Season MVP | Moses Malone (Houston) |
| Top scorer | George Gervin (San Antonio) |
| Playoffs | |
| Eastern champions | Washington Bullets |
| Eastern runners-up | San Antonio Spurs |
| Western champions | Seattle SuperSonics |
| Western runners-up | Phoenix Suns |
| Finals | |
| Champions | Seattle SuperSonics |
| Runners-up | Washington Bullets |
| Finals MVP | Dennis Johnson (Seattle) |
Notable occurrences
- The Buffalo Braves moved from Buffalo, New York to San Diego, California and became the San Diego Clippers, shifting from the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference to the Pacific Division of the Western Conference.
- The Detroit Pistons changed conferences, moving from the Midwest Division of the Western Conference to the Central Division of the Eastern Conference, where they remain today.
- The Washington Bullets shifted from the Central Division to the Atlantic Division. The franchise also won its last division title until the 2016-17 season.
- The NBA adopted a three-official system similar to the one used in college basketball (but not used in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament until 1979) on a one-year trial basis. The experiment was scrapped for the 1979–80 season, but returned permanently in 1988–89.
- The 1979 NBA All-Star Game was played at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan, with the West defeating the East 134–129 in overtime. David Thompson of the Denver Nuggets won the game's MVP award.
- The Jazz played their final season in New Orleans, Louisiana, before moving to Salt Lake City. It would be 23 years before New Orleans received another NBA franchise.
- The Los Angeles Lakers played their final season under the ownership of Jack Kent Cooke.
- For the last time until 2018, both conference finals went to a deciding Game 7.
| Offseason | ||
|---|---|---|
| Team | 1977–78 coach | 1978–79 coach |
| Chicago Bulls | Ed Badger | Larry Costello Scotty Robertson |
| Detroit Pistons | Bob Kauffman | Dick Vitale |
| Kansas City Kings | Larry Staverman | Cotton Fitzsimmons |
| In-season | ||
| Team | Outgoing coach | Incoming coach |
| Boston Celtics | Satch Sanders | Dave Cowens |
| Chicago Bulls | Larry Costello | Scotty Robertson |
| Denver Nuggets | Larry Brown | Donnie Walsh |
| New York Knicks | Willis Reed | Red Holzman |
Final standings
By division
| Atlantic Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y-Washington Bullets | 54 | 28 | .659 | – | 31–10 | 23–18 | 11–5 |
| x-Philadelphia 76ers | 47 | 35 | .573 | 7 | 31–10 | 16–25 | 9–7 |
| x-New Jersey Nets | 37 | 45 | .451 | 17 | 25–16 | 12–29 | 7–9 |
| New York Knicks | 31 | 51 | .378 | 23 | 23–18 | 8–33 | 7–9 |
| Boston Celtics | 29 | 53 | .354 | 25 | 21–20 | 8–33 | 6–10 |
| Central Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y-San Antonio Spurs | 48 | 34 | .585 | – | 29–12 | 19–22 | 11–9 |
| x-Houston Rockets | 47 | 35 | .573 | 1 | 30–11 | 17–24 | 12–8 |
| x-Atlanta Hawks | 46 | 36 | .561 | 2 | 34–7 | 12–29 | 14–6 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 30 | 52 | .366 | 18 | 20–21 | 10–31 | 6–14 |
| Detroit Pistons | 30 | 52 | .366 | 18 | 22–19 | 8–33 | 9–11 |
| New Orleans Jazz | 26 | 56 | .317 | 22 | 21–20 | 8–33 | 9–15 |
| Midwest Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y-Kansas City Kings | 48 | 34 | .585 | – | 32–9 | 16–25 | 12–4 |
| x-Denver Nuggets | 47 | 35 | .573 | 1 | 29–12 | 18–23 | 8–8 |
| Indiana Pacers | 38 | 44 | .463 | 10 | 25–16 | 13–28 | 6–10 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 38 | 44 | .463 | 10 | 28–13 | 10–31 | 9–7 |
| Chicago Bulls | 31 | 51 | .378 | 17 | 19–22 | 12–29 | 5–11 |
| Pacific Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y-Seattle SuperSonics | 52 | 30 | .634 | – | 31-10 | 21-20 | 11–9 |
| x-Phoenix Suns | 50 | 32 | .610 | 2 | 32–9 | 18–23 | 11–9 |
| x-Los Angeles Lakers | 47 | 35 | .573 | 5 | 31–10 | 16–25 | 11–9 |
| x-Portland Trail Blazers | 45 | 37 | .549 | 7 | 33–8 | 12–29 | 8–12 |
| San Diego Clippers | 43 | 39 | .524 | 9 | 29–12 | 14–27 | 11–9 |
| Golden State Warriors | 38 | 44 | .463 | 14 | 23–18 | 15–26 | 8–12 |
By conference
| # | Eastern Conference | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
| 1 | z-Washington Bullets | 54 | 28 | .659 | – |
| 2 | y-San Antonio Spurs | 48 | 34 | .585 | 6 |
| 3 | x-Philadelphia 76ers | 47 | 35 | .573 | 7 |
| 4 | x-Houston Rockets | 47 | 35 | .573 | 7 |
| 5 | x-Atlanta Hawks | 46 | 36 | .561 | 8 |
| 6 | x-New Jersey Nets | 37 | 45 | .451 | 17 |
| 7 | New York Knicks | 31 | 51 | .378 | 23 |
| 8 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 30 | 52 | .366 | 24 |
| 8 | Detroit Pistons | 30 | 52 | .366 | 24 |
| 10 | Boston Celtics | 29 | 53 | .354 | 25 |
| 11 | New Orleans Jazz | 26 | 56 | .317 | 28 |
| # | Western Conference | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
| 1 | z-Seattle SuperSonics | 52 | 30 | .634 | – |
| 2 | y-Kansas City Kings | 48 | 34 | .585 | 4 |
| 3 | x-Phoenix Suns | 50 | 32 | .610 | 2 |
| 4 | x-Denver Nuggets | 47 | 35 | .573 | 5 |
| 5 | x-Los Angeles Lakers | 47 | 35 | .573 | 5 |
| 6 | x-Portland Trail Blazers | 45 | 37 | .549 | 7 |
| 7 | San Diego Clippers | 43 | 39 | .524 | 9 |
| 8 | Indiana Pacers | 38 | 44 | .463 | 14 |
| 9 | Milwaukee Bucks | 38 | 44 | .463 | 14 |
| 10 | Golden State Warriors | 38 | 44 | .463 | 14 |
| 11 | Chicago Bulls | 31 | 51 | .378 | 21 |
Notes
- z, y – division champions
- x – clinched playoff spot
Statistics leaders
| Category | Player | Team | Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points per game | George Gervin | San Antonio Spurs | 29.6 |
| Rebounds per game | Moses Malone | Houston Rockets | 17.6 |
| Assists per game | Kevin Porter | Detroit Pistons | 13.4 |
| Steals per game | M.L. Carr | Detroit Pistons | 2.46 |
| Blocks per game | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Los Angeles Lakers | 3.95 |
| FG% | Cedric Maxwell | Boston Celtics | .584 |
| FT% | Rick Barry | Houston Rockets | .947 |
NBA awards
- Most Valuable Player: Moses Malone, Houston Rockets
- Rookie of the Year: Phil Ford, Kansas City Kings
- Coach of the Year: Cotton Fitzsimmons, Kansas City Kings
- All-NBA First Team:
- Paul Westphal, Phoenix Suns
- George Gervin, San Antonio Spurs
- Moses Malone, Houston Rockets
- Marques Johnson, Milwaukee Bucks
- Elvin Hayes, Washington Bullets
- All-NBA Second Team:
- Walter Davis, Phoenix Suns
- Bob Dandridge, Washington Bullets
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles Lakers
- Lloyd Free, San Diego Clippers
- Phil Ford, Kansas City Kings
- All-NBA Rookie Team:
- NBA All-Defensive First Team:
- Bobby Jones, Philadelphia 76ers
- Bobby Dandridge, Washington Bullets
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles Lakers
- Dennis Johnson, Seattle SuperSonics
- Don Buse, Phoenix Suns
- NBA All-Defensive Second Team:
Note: All information on this page were obtained on the History section on NBA.com
References
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