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1978–79 NBA season

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
LeagueNational Basketball Association
SportBasketball
DurationOctober 13, 1978 – April 8, 1979
April 10–May 18, 1979 (Playoffs)
May 20–June 1, 1979 (Finals)
Number of games82
Number of teams22
TV partner(s)CBS
Draft
Top draft pickMychal Thompson
Picked byPortland Trail Blazers
Regular season
Season MVPMoses Malone (Houston)
Top scorerGeorge Gervin (San Antonio)
Playoffs
Eastern championsWashington Bullets
  Eastern runners-upSan Antonio Spurs
Western championsSeattle SuperSonics
  Western runners-upPhoenix Suns
Finals
ChampionsSeattle SuperSonics
  Runners-upWashington Bullets
Finals MVPDennis 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 on a one-year trial basis. The experiment is scrapped for the 1979–80 season, but returns 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 play their final season under the ownership of Jack Kent Cooke.

  • This was the last time both conference finals went to a deciding Game 7 until 2018.

Coaching changes
Offseason
Team1977–78 coach1978–79 coach
Chicago BullsEd BadgerLarry Costello
Scotty Robertson
Detroit PistonsBob KauffmanDick Vitale
Kansas City KingsLarry StavermanCotton Fitzsimmons
In-season
TeamOutgoing coachIncoming coach
Boston CelticsSatch SandersDave Cowens
Chicago BullsLarry CostelloScotty Robertson
Denver NuggetsLarry BrownDonnie Walsh
New York KnicksWillis ReedRed Holzman

Final standings

By division

Atlantic Division
    		WLPCTGBHomeRoadDiv
    y-Washington Bullets5428.659–31–1023–1811–5
    x-Philadelphia 76ers4735.573731–1016–259–7
    x-New Jersey Nets3745.4511725–1612–297–9
    New York Knicks3151.3782323–188–337–9
    Boston Celtics2953.3542521–208–336–10
    Central Division
      		WLPCTGBHomeRoadDiv
      y-San Antonio Spurs4834.585–29–1219–2211–9
      x-Houston Rockets4735.573130–1117–2412–8
      x-Atlanta Hawks4636.561234–712–2914–6
      Cleveland Cavaliers3052.3661820–2110–316–14
      Detroit Pistons3052.3661822–198–339–11
      New Orleans Jazz2656.3172221–208–339–15
      Midwest Division
        		WLPCTGBHomeRoadDiv
        y-Kansas City Kings4834.585–32–916–2512–4
        x-Denver Nuggets4735.573129–1218–238–8
        Indiana Pacers3844.4631025–1613–286–10
        Milwaukee Bucks3844.4631028–1310–319–7
        Chicago Bulls3151.3781719–2212–295–11
        Pacific Division
          		WLPCTGBHomeRoadDiv
          y-Seattle SuperSonics5230.634–31-1021-2011–9
          x-Phoenix Suns5032.610232–918–2311–9
          x-Los Angeles Lakers4735.573531–1016–2511–9
          x-Portland Trail Blazers4537.549733–812–298–12
          San Diego Clippers4339.524929–1214–2711–9
          Golden State Warriors3844.4631423–1815–268–12

          By conference

          		Eastern Conference
            TeamWLPCTGB
            1z-Washington Bullets5428.659–
            2y-San Antonio Spurs4834.5856
            3x-Philadelphia 76ers4735.5737
            4x-Houston Rockets4735.5737
            5x-Atlanta Hawks4636.5618
            6x-New Jersey Nets3745.45117
            7New York Knicks3151.37823
            8Cleveland Cavaliers3052.36624
            8Detroit Pistons3052.36624
            10Boston Celtics2953.35425
            11New Orleans Jazz2656.31728

            		Western Conference
              TeamWLPCTGB
              1z-Seattle SuperSonics5230.634–
              2y-Kansas City Kings4834.5854
              3x-Phoenix Suns5032.6102
              4x-Denver Nuggets4735.5735
              5x-Los Angeles Lakers4735.5735
              6x-Portland Trail Blazers4537.5497
              7San Diego Clippers4339.5249
              8Indiana Pacers3844.46314
              9Milwaukee Bucks3844.46314
              10Golden State Warriors3844.46314
              11Chicago Bulls3151.37821

              Notes

              • z, y – division champions

              • x – clinched playoff spot

              Statistics leaders

              CategoryPlayerTeamStat
              Points per gameGeorge GervinSan Antonio Spurs29.6
              Rebounds per gameMoses MaloneHouston Rockets17.6
              Assists per gameKevin PorterDetroit Pistons13.4
              Steals per gameM.L. CarrDetroit Pistons2.46
              Blocks per gameKareem Abdul-JabbarLos Angeles Lakers3.95
              FG%Cedric MaxwellBoston Celtics.584
              FT%Rick BarryHouston 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: Mychal Thompson, Portland Trail Blazers Terry Tyler, Detroit Pistons Ron Brewer, Portland Trail Blazers Reggie Theus, Chicago Bulls Phil Ford, Kansas City Kings

              • 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: Maurice Lucas, Portland Trail Blazers M. L. Carr, Detroit Pistons Moses Malone, Houston Rockets Lionel Hollins, Portland Trail Blazers Eddie Johnson, Atlanta Hawks

              *Note: All information on this page were obtained on the History section on NBA.com [1] *

              References

              [1]
              Citation Linkwww.nba.comNBA.com
              Sep 24, 2019, 8:19 PM
              [2]
              Citation Linken.wikipedia.orgThe original version of this page is from Wikipedia, you can edit the page right here on Everipedia.Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Additional terms may apply.See everipedia.org/everipedia-termsfor further details.Images/media credited individually (click the icon for details).
              Sep 24, 2019, 8:19 PM