1978–79 Washington Bullets season
NBA professional basketball team season
NBA professional basketball team season
The 1978–79 Washington Bullets won their second consecutive Eastern Conference Championship, making it to the NBA Finals before losing to the Seattle SuperSonics. They finished the regular season with the best record in the NBA, at 54-28.
Coming off of their NBA Championship the previous season, the Bullets were transferred to the Atlantic Division.[ 1] The Bullets would continue to remain one of the top teams in the league, as they captured the Atlantic Division championship with a league best record of 54–28. The Bullets ended the regular season losing 8 of their last 11 games, but rebounded in the playoffs with victories in both the Eastern Conference semifinals and Eastern Conference finals over the Atlanta Hawks and the San Antonio Spurs , respectively. The Bullets would proceed to have a 38-year drought without a division title until 2017 ; by then they had been renamed the Washington Wizards. This is the most recent appearance in the conference finals or NBA Finals for the franchise.
Offseason
NBA draft
Roster
Players
Coaches
Pos.
No.
Name
Height
Weight
DOB
From
F
42
Ballard, Greg
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
Oregon
C
40
Corzine, Dave
6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
250 lb (113 kg)
DePaul
G
45
Chenier, Phil
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
California
SF
10
Dandridge, Bob
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
Norfolk State
F
35
Grevey, Kevin
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
Kentucky
G
14
Henderson, Tom
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
Hawaiʻi
C
11
Hayes, Elvin
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
235 lb (107 kg)
Houston
PF
25
Kupchak, Mitch
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
230 lb (104 kg)
North Carolina
G
15
Johnson, Charles
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
170 lb (77 kg)
California
G
22
Phegley, Roger
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
205 lb (93 kg)
Bradley
F
41
Unseld, Wes
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
245 lb (111 kg)
Louisville
G
32
Wright, Larry
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
160 lb (73 kg)
Grambling State
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
(DP) Unsigned draft pick(FA) Free agent(S) Suspended Injured
Regular season
Season standings
Record vs. opponents
1978-79 NBA Records
Team
ATL
BOS
CHI
CLE
DEN
DET
GSW
HOU
IND
KCK
LAL
MIL
NJN
NOJ
NYK
PHI
PHO
POR
SAS
SDC
SEA
WAS
Atlanta
—
2–2
3–1
3–1
3–1
3–1
1–3
3–1
1–3
2–2
1–3
3–0
2–2
2–2
2–2
2–2
2–1
2–2
3–1
3–1
1–3
2–2
Boston
2–2
—
1–2
2–2
1–3
2–2
2–1
1–3
3–1
1–3
1–3
1–3
1–3
2–2
3–1
2–2
0–4
1–3
0–4
1–3
2–2
0–4
Chicago
1–3
2–1
—
1–3
2–2
2–2
3–1
2–2
2–2
0–4
1–3
1–3
2–2
2–2
3–1
1–3
1–3
4–0
0–3
0–4
0–4
1–3
Cleveland
1–3
2–2
3–1
—
1–2
1–3
2–1
2–2
1–3
1–3
2–2
1–3
3–1
2–2
2–2
2–2
0–4
0–4
0–4
2–2
2–2
0–4
Denver
1–3
3–1
2–2
2–1
—
2–2
4–0
1–3
3–1
1–3
3–1
2–2
4–0
3–1
3–1
0–3
3–1
1–3
3–1
2–2
3–1
1–3
Detroit
1–3
2–2
2–2
3–1
2–2
—
1–3
2–2
2–2
2–2
2–2
2–1
0–4
2–2
1–3
1–3
0–4
1–3
1–3
2–2
0–3
1–3
Golden State
3–1
1–2
1–3
1–2
0–4
3–1
—
2–2
2–2
2–2
1–3
2–2
1–3
3–1
3–1
3–1
1–3
2–2
1–3
1–3
3–1
2–2
Houston
1–3
3–1
2–2
2–2
3–1
2–2
2–2
—
0–4
3–1
2–1
2–2
3–1
4–0
4–0
0–4
2–2
3–1
3–1
2–1
2–2
2–2
Indiana
3–1
1–3
2–2
3–1
1–3
2–2
2–2
4–0
—
1–3
0–4
2–2
1–2
2–1
2–2
2–2
2–2
3–1
3–1
1–3
0–4
1–3
Kansas City
2–2
3–1
4–0
3–1
3–1
2–2
2–2
1–3
3–1
—
2–2
2–2
3–1
3–1
2–1
2–2
2–2
1–3
1–3
2–2
2–2
3–0
Los Angeles
3–1
3–1
3–1
2–2
1–3
2–2
3–1
1–2
4–0
2–2
—
3–1
2–2
2–2
3–0
1–3
2–2
2–2
2–2
2–2
2–2
2–2
Milwaukee
0–3
3–1
3–1
3–1
2–2
1–2
2–2
2–2
2–2
2–2
1–3
—
2–2
3–1
1–3
2–2
2–2
2–2
1–3
1–3
2–2
1–3
New Jersey
2–2
3–1
2–2
1–3
0–4
4–0
3–1
1–3
2–1
1–3
2–2
2–2
—
3–1
1–3
2–2
3–0
2–2
0–4
2–2
0–4
1–3
New Orleans
2–2
2–2
2–2
2–2
1–3
2–2
1–3
0–4
1–2
1–3
2–2
1–3
1–3
—
2–2
2–2
1–3
1–3
2–2
0–4
0–3
0–4
New York
2–2
1–3
1–3
2–2
1–3
3–1
1–3
0–4
2–2
1–2
0–3
3–1
3–1
2–2
—
2–2
0–4
1–3
1–3
2–2
2–2
1–3
Philadelphia
2–2
2–2
3–1
2–2
3–0
3–1
1–3
4–0
2–2
2–2
3–1
2–2
2–2
2–2
2–2
—
1–3
1–2
3–1
3–1
1–3
3–1
Phoenix
1–2
4–0
3–1
4–0
1–3
4–0
3–1
2–2
2–2
2–2
2–2
2–2
0–3
3–1
4–0
3–1
—
3–1
3–1
2–2
1–3
1–3
Portland
2–2
3–1
0–4
4–0
3–1
3–1
2–2
1–3
1–3
3–1
2–2
2–2
2–2
3–1
3–1
2–1
1–3
—
2–1
2–2
1–3
3–1
San Antonio
1–3
4–0
3–0
4–0
1–3
3–1
3–1
1–3
1–3
3–1
2–2
3–1
4–0
2–2
3–1
1–3
1–3
1–2
—
4–0
2–2
1–3
San Diego
1–3
3–1
4–0
2–2
2–2
2–2
3–1
1–2
3–1
2–2
2–2
3–1
2–2
4–0
2–2
1–3
2–2
2–2
0–4
—
2–2
0–3
Seattle
3–1
2–2
4–0
2–2
1–3
3–0
1–3
2–2
4–0
2–2
2–2
2–2
4–0
3–0
2–2
3–1
3–1
3–1
2–2
2–2
—
2–2
Washington
2–2
4–0
3–1
4–0
3–1
3–1
2–2
2–2
3–1
0–3
2–2
3–1
3–1
4–0
3–1
1–3
3–1
1–3
3–1
3–0
2–2
—
Game log
Regular season
1978–79 game log Total: 54–28 (home: 31–10; road: 23–18)
October: 4–5 (home: 3–1; road: 1–4)
November: 11–2 (home: 6–1; road: 5–1)
December: 9–5 (home: 5–2; road: 4–3)
January: 10–3 (home: 7–1; road: 3–2)
February: 8–4 (home: 3–1; road: 5–3)
March: 9–6 (home: 5–3; road: 4–3)
April: 3–3 (home: 2–1; road: 1–2)
1978–79 schedule
Playoffs
1979 playoff game log
Eastern Conference Semifinals: 4–3 (home: 2–2; road: 2–1)
Eastern Conference Finals: 4–3 (home: 3–1; road: 1–2)
NBA Finals: 1–4 (home: 1–2; road: 0–2)
1979 schedule
Awards and honors
References
1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s