1978–79 Seattle SuperSonics season
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| 1978–79 Seattle SuperSonics season | |
|---|---|
| First NBA Championship | |
| Head coach | Lenny Wilkens |
| General manager | Zollie Volchok |
| Owner(s) | Sam Schulman |
| Arena | Kingdome |
| Results | |
| Record | 52–30 (.634) |
| Place | Division: 1st (Pacific) Conference: 1st (Western) |
| Playoff finish | NBA Champions |
|
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com |
|
| Local media | |
| Television | KIRO-TV |
| Radio | KIRO-AM and FM |
The 1978–79 Seattle SuperSonics season was the team's 12th since the franchise began, and their most successful, winning their only NBA title. This was Seattle's first professional sports championship since the Seattle Metropolitans victory in the Stanley Cup in 1917.
Contents
Draft picks
| Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | School/Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 39 | James Lee |  United States |
Kentucky |
| 2 | 42 | Kevin McDonald | United States |
Pennsylvania |
| 3 | 61 | Dave Baxter | United States |
Michigan |
| 4 | 83 | Billy Lewis | United States |
Illinois State University |
| 5 | 105 | Ralph Drollinger | United States |
UCLA |
Roster
| Seattle SuperSonics 1978–79 roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster • Transactions |
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InjuredDepth chart
| Pos. | Starter | Bench | Reserve | Inactive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Jack Sikma | Dennis Awtrey | Tom LaGarde | |
| PF | Lonnie Shelton | Paul Silas | ||
| SF | John Johnson | Wally Walker | Jackie Robinson | |
| SG | Dennis Johnson | Dick Snyder | Joe Hassett | |
| PG | Gus Williams | Fred Brown |
Regular season
Season standings
| 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 |
Game log
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Playoffs
West First Round
The SuperSonics had a first round bye.
West Conference Semifinals
(1) Seattle SuperSonics vs. (5) Los Angeles Lakers: Sonics win series 4-1
- Game 1 @ Seattle: Seattle 112, Los Angeles 101
- Game 2 @ Seattle: Seattle 108, Los Angeles 103 (OT)
- Game 3 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 118, Seattle 112 (OT)
- Game 4 @ Los Angeles: Seattle 117, Los Angeles 115
- Game 5 @ Seattle: Seattle 106, Los Angeles 100
West Conference Finals
(1) Seattle SuperSonics vs. (3) Phoenix Suns: Sonics win series 4-3
- Game 1 @ Seattle: Seattle 108, Phoenix 93
- Game 2 @ Seattle: Seattle 103, Phoenix 97
- Game 3 @ Phoenix: Phoenix 113, Seattle 103
- Game 4 @ Phoenix: Phoenix 100, Seattle 91
- Game 5 @ Seattle: Phoenix 99, Seattle 93
- Game 6 @ Phoenix: Seattle 106, Phoenix 105
- Game 7 @ Seattle: Seattle 114, Phoenix 110
NBA finals
Dennis Johnson of the SuperSonics was the Most Valuable Player of the Finals while Gus Williams of the SuperSonics was the top scorer, averaging 28.6 points per game.
| Game | Date | Home Team | Result | Road Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | May 20 | Washington | 99-97 | Seattle |
| Game 2 | May 24 | Washington | 82-92 | Seattle |
| Game 3 | May 27 | Seattle | 105-95 | Washington |
| Game 4 | May 29 | Seattle | 114-112 | Washington |
| Game 5 | June 1 | Washington | 93-97 | Seattle |
SuperSonics win series 4-1
Player statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | ||
Season
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dennis Awtrey | |||||||||||
| Fred Brown | |||||||||||
| Lars Hansen | |||||||||||
| Joe Hassett | |||||||||||
| Dennis Johnson | |||||||||||
| John Johnson | |||||||||||
| Tom LaGarde | |||||||||||
| Jackie Robinson | |||||||||||
| Lonnie Shelton | |||||||||||
| Jack Sikma | |||||||||||
| Paul Silas | |||||||||||
| Dick Snyder | |||||||||||
| Wally Walker | |||||||||||
| Gus Williams |
Playoffs
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dennis Awtrey | |||||||||||
| Fred Brown | |||||||||||
| Joe Hassett | |||||||||||
| Dennis Johnson | |||||||||||
| John Johnson | |||||||||||
| Lonnie Shelton | |||||||||||
| Jack Sikma | |||||||||||
| Paul Silas | |||||||||||
| Dick Snyder | |||||||||||
| Wally Walker | |||||||||||
| Gus Williams |
Awards and records
- Dennis Johnson, NBA All-Defensive First Team
- Dennis Johnson, NBA Finals Most Valuable Player
Transactions
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