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.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | April 10–June 1, 1979 |
| Season | 1978–79 |
| Teams | 12 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Seattle SuperSonics (1st title) |
| Runner-up | Washington Bullets |
| Semifinalists |
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← 1978
1980 →
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The Finals was a rematch of 1978, in which Washington defeated Seattle 4–3. As of the 2021–22 season[update], 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.
| 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 | |||||||||||||||||
April 11 |
| New Jersey Nets 114, Philadelphia 76ers 122 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–33, 23–22, 28–30, 41–37 | ||
| Pts: John Williamson38 Rebs: George Johnson12 Asts: Eddie Jordan9 |
Pts: Julius Erving28 Rebs: Julius Erving14 Asts: Henry Bibby7 | |
| Philadelphia leads series, 1–0 | ||
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
April 13 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 111, New Jersey Nets 101 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–25, 29–20, 27–23, 33–33 | ||
| Pts: Caldwell Jones24 Rebs: Caldwell Jones21 Asts: three players 5 each |
Pts: Bernard King27 Rebs: van Breda Kolff, Johnson 13 each Asts: Eddie Jordan8 | |
| Philadelphia wins series, 2–0 | ||
Rutgers Athletic Center, Piscataway, New Jersey |
Game two was the only NBA playoff game at the Rutgers Athletic Center.
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.[1]
April 11 |
| Atlanta Hawks 109, Houston Rockets 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–31, 23–26, 39–28, 20–21 | ||
| Pts: Dan Roundfield23 Rebs: Dan Roundfield18 Asts: Hawes, Criss 4 each |
Pts: Moses Malone28 Rebs: Moses Malone17 Asts: Slick Watts7 | |
| Atlanta leads series, 1–0 | ||
The Summit, Houston, Texas |
April 13 |
| Houston Rockets 91, Atlanta Hawks 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–31, 31–21, 20–26, 13–22 | ||
| Pts: Moses Malone21 Rebs: Moses Malone24 Asts: Calvin Murphy4 |
Pts: Drew, Johnson 25 each Rebs: John Drew13 Asts: Eddie Johnson8 | |
| Atlanta wins series, 2–0 | ||
Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia |
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 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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April 10 |
| Portland Trail Blazers 103, Phoenix Suns 107 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–23, 26–25, 27–31, 30–28 | ||
| Pts: Ron Brewer26 Rebs: Thompson, Lucas 10 each Asts: Lucas, Brewer 5 each |
Pts: Paul Westphal28 Rebs: Adams, Davis 5 each Asts: Alvan Adams9 | |
| Phoenix leads series, 1–0 | ||
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona |
April 13 |
| Phoenix Suns 92, Portland Trail Blazers 96 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–25, 26–27, 26–21, 16–23 | ||
| Pts: Walter Davis31 Rebs: Gar Heard9 Asts: Paul Westphal6 |
Pts: Ron Brewer21 Rebs: Mychal Thompson17 Asts: Maurice Lucas4 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon |
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 Lucas16 Asts: Maurice Lucas9 |
Pts: Paul Westphal26 Rebs: Gar Heard12 Asts: Walter Davis8 | |
| Phoenix wins series, 2–1 | ||
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona |
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.[3]
April 10 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 105, Denver Nuggets 119 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–29, 26–31, 28–31, 25–19 | ||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar23 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar12 Asts: Norm Nixon11 |
Pts: Dan Issel30 Rebs: Dan Issel10 Asts: Bob Wilkerson7 | |
| Denver leads series, 1–0 | ||
McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado |
April 13 |
| Denver Nuggets 109, Los Angeles Lakers 121 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–29, 25–20, 28–32, 34–40 | ||
| Pts: David Thompson29 Rebs: Tom Boswell12 Asts: Tom Boswell7 |
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar32 Rebs: Jamaal Wilkes13 Asts: Norm Nixon16 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
April 15 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 112, Denver Nuggets 111 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–28, 27–26, 27–32, 27–25 | ||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar29 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar16 Asts: Norm Nixon12 |
Pts: David Thompson28 Rebs: Dan Issel10 Asts: David Thompson7 | |
| Los Angeles wins series, 2–1 | ||
McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado |
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.[4]
April 15 |
| Atlanta Hawks 89, Washington Bullets 103 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–30, 22–16, 30–25, 13–32 | ||
| Pts: Dan Roundfield24 Rebs: Dan Roundfield10 Asts: Armond Hill7 |
Pts: Elvin Hayes31 Rebs: Elvin Hayes15 Asts: Larry Wright6 | |
| Washington leads series, 1–0 | ||
Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland |
April 17 |
| Atlanta Hawks 107, Washington Bullets99 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–24, 27–26, 26–28, 30–21 | ||
| Pts: Roundfield, Johnson 17 each Rebs: Tree Rollins8 Asts: Armond Hill6 |
Pts: Bob Dandridge36 Rebs: Wes Unseld10 Asts: Tom Henderson8 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland |
April 20 |
| Washington Bullets 89, Atlanta Hawks77 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–17, 26–22, 19–22, 28–16 | ||
| Pts: Elvin Hayes19 Rebs: Wes Unseld16 Asts: Wes Unseld8 |
Pts: John Drew13 Rebs: Roundfield, Rollins 14 each Asts: Armond Hill5 | |
| Washington leads series, 2–1 | ||
Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia |
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 Hayes29 Rebs: Elvin Hayes17 Asts: Bob Dandridge5 |
Pts: Dan Roundfield22 Rebs: Dan Roundfield18 Asts: Dan Roundfield7 | |
| Washington leads series, 3–1 | ||
Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia |
April 24 |
| Atlanta Hawks 107, Washington Bullets 103 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–34, 29–21, 25–25, 26–23 | ||
| Pts: Terry Furlow21 Rebs: Dan Roundfield14 Asts: Armond Hill5 |
Pts: Elvin Hayes26 Rebs: Elvin Hayes14 Asts: Tom Henderson11 | |
| Washington leads series, 3–2 | ||
Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland |
April 26 |
| Washington Bullets 86, Atlanta Hawks 104 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 23–29, 19–19, 24–30, 20–26 | ||
| Pts: Elvin Hayes24 Rebs: Wes Unseld12 Asts: Wes Unseld6 |
Pts: Drew, Johnson 22 each Rebs: Steve Hawes14 Asts: Armond Hill9 | |
| Series tied, 3–3 | ||
Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia |
April 29 |
| Atlanta Hawks 94, Washington Bullets 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 26–26, 24–26, 19–23, 25–25 | ||
| Pts: John Drew24 Rebs: John Drew8 Asts: Eddie Johnson6 |
Pts: Elvin Hayes39 Rebs: Elvin Hayes15 Asts: Bob Dandridge8 | |
| Washington wins series, 4–3 | ||
Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland |
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 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||
April 15 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 106, San Antonio Spurs 119 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–31, 23–32, 25–25, 36–31 | ||
| Pts: Darryl Dawkins25 Rebs: Caldwell Jones15 Asts: Julius Erving7 |
Pts: Larry Kenon30 Rebs: Billy Paultz9 Asts: Silas, Bristow 7 each | |
| San Antonio leads series, 1–0 | ||
HemisFair Arena, San Antonio, Texas |
April 17 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 120, San Antonio Spurs 121 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 33–28, 23–35, 34–28, 30–30 | ||
| Pts: Julius Erving25 Rebs: Caldwell Jones11 Asts: Henry Bibby10 |
Pts: George Gervin29 Rebs: Larry Kenon7 Asts: Silas, Gale 8 each | |
| San Antonio leads series, 2–0 | ||
HemisFair Arena, San Antonio, Texas |
April 20 |
| San Antonio Spurs 115, Philadelphia 76ers 123 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–40, 25–23, 31–24, 27–36 | ||
| Pts: James Silas32 Rebs: Larry Kenon15 Asts: Kenon, Gervin 5 each |
Pts: Julius Erving39 Rebs: Caldwell Jones12 Asts: Maurice Cheeks9 | |
| San Antonio leads series, 2–1 | ||
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
April 22 |
| San Antonio Spurs 115, Philadelphia 76ers 112 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 32–22, 20–30, 30–28, 33–32 | ||
| Pts: George Gervin32 Rebs: Larry Kenon9 Asts: Larry Kenon6 |
Pts: Maurice Cheeks33 Rebs: Steve Mix9 Asts: Maurice Cheeks9 | |
| San Antonio leads series, 3–1 | ||
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
April 26 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 120, San Antonio Spurs97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–17, 21–21, 35–26, 35–33 | ||
| Pts: Julius Erving32 Rebs: Caldwell Jones14 Asts: Maurice Cheeks12 |
Pts: James Silas19 Rebs: Larry Kenon9 Asts: Silas, Gale 5 each | |
| San Antonio leads series, 3–2 | ||
HemisFair Arena, San Antonio, Texas |
April 29 |
| San Antonio Spurs 90, Philadelphia 76ers 92 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–25, 26–23, 19–13, 18–31 | ||
| Pts: James Silas27 Rebs: Larry Kenon15 Asts: Mike Gale6 |
Pts: Caldwell Jones20 Rebs: Caldwell Jones17 Asts: Maurice Cheeks6 | |
| Series tied, 3–3 | ||
Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
May 2 |
| Philadelphia 76ers 108, San Antonio Spurs 111 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 20–29, 27–27, 34–22, 27–33 | ||
| Pts: Julius Erving34 Rebs: Caldwell Jones14 Asts: Maurice Cheeks13 |
Pts: George Gervin33 Rebs: George Gervin12 Asts: Mark Olberding7 | |
| San Antonio wins series, 4–3 | ||
HemisFair Arena, San Antonio, Texas |
This was the first meeting between these two teams.[6]
April 17 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 101, Seattle SuperSonics 112 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 29–22, 25–27, 22–32, 25–31 | ||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar25 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar11 Asts: Norm Nixon7 |
Pts: Gus Williams27 Rebs: Lonnie Shelton12 Asts: John Johnson9 | |
| Seattle leads series, 1–0 | ||
Kingdome, Seattle, Washington |
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-Jabbar31 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar15 Asts: Norm Nixon10 |
Pts: Gus Williams38 Rebs: Jack Sikma10 Asts: Jack Sikma8 | |
| Seattle leads series, 2–0 | ||
Kingdome, Seattle, Washington |
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 Williams29 Rebs: Paul Silas13 Asts: Paul Silas4 |
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar32 Rebs: Jamaal Wilkes9 Asts: Norm Nixon11 | |
| Seattle leads series, 2–1 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
April 22 |
| Seattle SuperSonics 117, Los Angeles Lakers 115 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–31, 33–29, 34–30, 22–25 | ||
| Pts: Gus Williams30 Rebs: D. Johnson, Sikma 11 each Asts: Dennis Johnson7 |
Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar31 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar13 Asts: Norm Nixon19 | |
| Seattle leads series, 3–1 | ||
The Forum, Inglewood, California |
April 25 |
| Los Angeles Lakers 100, Seattle SuperSonics 106 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–24, 31–29, 22–29, 19–24 | ||
| Pts: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar25 Rebs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar14 Asts: Abdul-Jabbar, Nixon 8 each |
Pts: Gus Williams30 Rebs: Jack Sikma10 Asts: Jack Sikma6 | |
| Seattle wins series, 4–1 | ||
Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington |
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 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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April 17 |
| Kansas City Kings 99, Phoenix Suns 102 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–31, 28–18, 15–22, 26–31 | ||
| Pts: Otis Birdsong20 Rebs: Sam Lacey12 Asts: Phil Ford7 |
Pts: Paul Westphal25 Rebs: Truck Robinson12 Asts: Don Buse5 | |
| Phoenix leads series, 1–0 | ||
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona |
April 20 |
| Phoenix Suns 91, Kansas City Kings 111 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–35, 21–26, 28–26, 21–24 | ||
| Pts: Truck Robinson17 Rebs: Truck Robinson13 Asts: Walter Davis5 |
Pts: Otis Birdsong23 Rebs: Scott Wedman10 Asts: Phil Ford9 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri |
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 Robinzine10 Asts: three players 5 each |
Pts: Walter Davis22 Rebs: Alvan Adams9 Asts: Walter Davis7 | |
| Phoenix leads series, 2–1 | ||
Arizona State University Activity Center, Tempe, Arizona |
April 25 |
| Phoenix Suns 108, Kansas City Kings94 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–25, 27–20, 26–29, 30–20 | ||
| Pts: Paul Westphal26 Rebs: Gar Heard14 Asts: Alvan Adams8 |
Pts: Scott Wedman21 Rebs: Sam Lacey13 Asts: Lacey, Ford 5 each | |
| Phoenix leads series, 3–1 | ||
Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri |
April 27 |
| Kansas City Kings 99, Phoenix Suns 120 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–30, 25–40, 23–25, 30–25 | ||
| Pts: Otis Birdsong21 Rebs: Sam Lacey10 Asts: Billy McKinney7 |
Pts: Paul Westphal32 Rebs: Joel Kramer11 Asts: Bratz, Kramer 5 each | |
| Phoenix wins series, 4–1 | ||
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona |
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.[8]
May 4 |
| San Antonio Spurs 118, Washington Bullets97 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–27, 25–25, 31–23, 32–22 | ||
| Pts: George Gervin34 Rebs: Larry Kenon21 Asts: James Silas4 |
Pts: Bob Dandridge25 Rebs: Elvin Hayes20 Asts: Tom Henderson5 | |
| San Antonio leads series, 1–0 | ||
Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland |
May 6 |
| San Antonio Spurs 95, Washington Bullets 115 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–22, 26–27, 20–33, 22–33 | ||
| Pts: Larry Kenon25 Rebs: Larry Kenon8 Asts: Olberding, Dietrick 3 each |
Pts: Wes Unseld26 Rebs: Wes Unseld22 Asts: Tom Henderson9 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland |
May 9 |
| Washington Bullets 114, San Antonio Spurs 116 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 31–32, 27–24, 26–33, 30–27 | ||
| Pts: Bob Dandridge28 Rebs: Elvin Hayes23 Asts: Wes Unseld8 |
Pts: George Gervin29 Rebs: Billy Paultz12 Asts: Kenon, Gale 5 each | |
| San Antonio leads series, 2–1 | ||
HemisFair Arena, San Antonio, Texas |
May 11 |
| Washington Bullets 102, San Antonio Spurs 118 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–24, 30–26, 23–34, 30–34 | ||
| Pts: Elvin Hayes23 Rebs: Wes Unseld21 Asts: Bob Dandridge9 |
Pts: George Gervin42 Rebs: Larry Kenon17 Asts: Silas, Gale 6 each | |
| San Antonio leads series, 3–1 | ||
HemisFair Arena, San Antonio, Texas |
May 13 |
| San Antonio Spurs 103, Washington Bullets 107 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–28, 18–25, 22–31, 33–23 | ||
| Pts: George Gervin28 Rebs: Mark Olberding13 Asts: James Silas6 |
Pts: Elvin Hayes24 Rebs: Elvin Hayes22 Asts: Tom Henderson9 | |
| San Antonio leads series, 3–2 | ||
Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland |
May 16 |
| Washington Bullets 108, San Antonio Spurs 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–23, 24–26, 24–29, 30–22 | ||
| Pts: Elvin Hayes25 Rebs: Elvin Hayes14 Asts: Dandridge, Henderson 8 each |
Pts: George Gervin20 Rebs: Larry Kenon15 Asts: James Silas7 | |
| Series tied, 3–3 | ||
HemisFair Arena, San Antonio, Texas |
May 18 |
| San Antonio Spurs 105, Washington Bullets 107 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 21–18, 28–32, 33–26, 23–31 | ||
| Pts: George Gervin42 Rebs: Larry Kenon11 Asts: James Silas5 |
Pts: Bob Dandridge37 Rebs: Elvin Hayes15 Asts: Larry Wright7 | |
| Washington wins series, 4–3 | ||
Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland |
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 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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May 1 |
| Phoenix Suns 93, Seattle SuperSonics 108 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–28, 22–24, 22–29, 27–27 | ||
| Pts: Alvan Adams18 Rebs: Alvan Adams12 Asts: Adams, Davis 4 each |
Pts: Gus Williams27 Rebs: Jack Sikma11 Asts: John Johnson9 | |
| Seattle leads series, 1–0 | ||
Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington |
May 4 |
| Phoenix Suns 97, Seattle SuperSonics 103 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–21, 21–26, 26–30, 22–26 | ||
| Pts: Paul Westphal29 Rebs: Truck Robinson9 Asts: Buse, Davis 5 each |
Pts: John Johnson21 Rebs: Lonnie Shelton15 Asts: Gus Williams6 | |
| Seattle leads series, 2–0 | ||
Kingdome, Seattle, Washington |
May 6 |
| Seattle SuperSonics 103, Phoenix Suns 113 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–31, 31–29, 14–22, 28–31 | ||
| Pts: Gus Williams35 Rebs: J. Johnson, Sikma 9 each Asts: Gus Williams6 |
Pts: Paul Westphal25 Rebs: Walter Davis10 Asts: Paul Westphal6 | |
| Seattle leads series, 2–1 | ||
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona |
May 8 |
| Seattle SuperSonics 91, Phoenix Suns 100 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 24–31, 26–27, 27–23, 14–19 | ||
| Pts: Gus Williams22 Rebs: Lonnie Shelton10 Asts: three players 3 each |
Pts: Walter Davis27 Rebs: Gar Heard12 Asts: Paul Westphal10 | |
| Series tied, 2–2 | ||
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona |
May 11 |
| Phoenix Suns 99, Seattle SuperSonics93 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–24, 19–22, 25–22, 33–25 | ||
| Pts: Paul Westphal27 Rebs: Truck Robinson14 Asts: Paul Westphal5 |
Pts: Dennis Johnson24 Rebs: Jack Sikma12 Asts: John Johnson5 | |
| Phoenix leads series, 3–2 | ||
Kingdome, Seattle, Washington |
May 13 |
| Seattle SuperSonics 106, Phoenix Suns 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 27–33, 28–17, 22–35, 29–20 | ||
| Pts: Dennis Johnson23 Rebs: Jack Sikma10 Asts: Dennis Johnson6 |
Pts: Paul Westphal29 Rebs: Joel Kramer8 Asts: Paul Westphal8 | |
| Series tied, 3–3 | ||
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona |
In a Mother's Day thriller, the game went down to the wire in intense fashion. The Sonics had just come back from a 8 point deficit in the 4th quarter and were leading 106-105 with 52 seconds to go in regulation. In the Suns' possession, Walter Davis appeared to have scored, but committed a traveling violation with 41 seconds left. On the next play, Sonics player Gus Williams' shot came up short. Phoenix grabbed the rebound and called timeout with 16 seconds left, with a chance to clinch their 2nd NBA Finals berth. Walter Davis' high-arc shot also came up short, and the ball went out-of-bounds last touched by a Sonics' player with one second left. The Suns' 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 Davis26 Rebs: Truck Robinson14 Asts: Paul Westphal9 |
Pts: Jack Sikma33 Rebs: Jack Sikma11 Asts: Fred Brown5 | |
| Seattle wins series, 4–3 | ||
Kingdome, Seattle, Washington |
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. After the Suns scored 4 unanswered points, Paul Westphal stole an inbounds pass and drove to the basket for a score, getting fouled by Wally Walker. This made it a 2 point game and sent Westphal to the line with just 4 seconds left. Suns coach John MacLeod called a timeout to decide what to do on the free throw attempt. The Suns elected to intentionally miss and try to score off an offensive rebound, but the rebound went to the Sonics' Jack Sikma, who was intentionally fouled and 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 previous meeting.
| Phoenix leads 1–0 in all-time playoff series | ||||||
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May 20 |
| Seattle SuperSonics 97, Washington Bullets 99 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–26, 25–33, 21–23, 26–17 | ||
| Pts: Gus Williams32 Rebs: John Johnson11 Asts: Dennis Johnson7 |
Pts: Larry Wright26 Rebs: Wes Unseld12 Asts: Tom Henderson6 | |
| Washington leads series, 1–0 | ||
Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland |
May 24 |
| Seattle SuperSonics 92, Washington Bullets82 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 28–23, 21–29, 19–14, 24–16 | ||
| Pts: Gus Williams23 Rebs: Jack Sikma13 Asts: D. Johnson, J. Johnson 6 each |
Pts: Bob Dandridge21 Rebs: Elvin Hayes14 Asts: Bob Dandridge5 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland |
May 27 |
| Washington Bullets 95, Seattle SuperSonics 105 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 25–31, 19–24, 22–26, 29–24 | ||
| Pts: Bob Dandridge28 Rebs: Unseld, Hayes 14 each Asts: Bob Dandridge5 |
Pts: Gus Williams31 Rebs: Jack Sikma17 Asts: Dennis Johnson9 | |
| Seattle leads series, 2–1 | ||
Kingdome, Seattle, Washington |
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 players18 Rebs: Wes Unseld16 Asts: Tom Henderson8 |
Pts: Gus Williams36 Rebs: Jack Sikma17 Asts: John Johnson13 | |
| Seattle leads series, 3–1 | ||
Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington |
June 1 |
| Seattle SuperSonics 97, Washington Bullets93 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–30, 24–21, 23–18, 31–24 | ||
| Pts: Gus Williams23 Rebs: Jack Sikma17 Asts: John Johnson6 |
Pts: Elvin Hayes29 Rebs: Elvin Hayes14 Asts: Bob Dandridge7 | |
| Seattle wins series, 4–1 | ||
Capital Centre, Landover, Maryland |
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 | ||||||
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