1977–78 Washington Bullets season
The 1977–78 NBA season was the team's 17th season in the NBA and their 5th season in the city of Washington, D.C. It would prove to be their most successful season, as they would win their first and only NBA championship as of 2024. In the NBA Finals, they defeated the Seattle SuperSonics in seven games.
| 1977–78 Washington Bullets season | |
|---|---|
NBA champions | |
Conference champions | |
| Head coach | Dick Motta |
| General manager | Bob Ferry |
| Owner(s) | Abe Pollin |
| Arena | Capital Centre |
| Results | |
| Record | 44–38 (.537) |
| Place | Division: 2nd (Central) Conference: 3rd (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | NBA Champions (Defeated SuperSonics 4–3) |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Local media | |
| Television | WDCA–TV 20 (Jim Karvellas, Gus Johnson) |
| Radio | WTOP–AM 1500 (Frank Herzog) |
The Bullets got off to a slow start in the regular season, losing 6 of their first 10 games. On January 13, the Bullets beat the defending Champion Portland Trail Blazers to improve to 24–15, capping an 18–5 run over 23 games. Injuries would begin to have an effect on the team as the Bullets struggled, as they would lose 13 of their next 18 games. Hovering a few games above .500 for the rest of the season, the Bullets managed to make the playoffs with a 44–38 record. They hold the record for the lowest win total of any NBA Championship winning team. The 1968–69 Boston Celtics, 1974–75 Golden State Warriors, 1976–77 Portland Trail Blazers, and 1994–95 Houston Rockets are the only other NBA championship teams to have won below 50 games in non-lockout seasons since 1958; all of them won more than 44 games.