# 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.
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.

## Offseason
### NBA draft

| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College/HS/Club Team | Notes |
| 1 | 4 | Greg Ballard | F | United States | Oregon | from Atlanta |
| 1 | 17 | Bo Ellis | F | United States | Marquette | |
| 2 | 39 | Phil Walker | G | United States | Millersville | |
| 3 | 57 | Steve Puidokas | C | United States | Washington State | from Chicago |
| 3 | 61 | Jerry Schellenberg | F | United States | Wake Forest | |
| 4 | 83 | David Reavis | F | United States | Georgia | |
| 5 | 105 | Bruce Parkinson | G | United States | Purdue | |
| 6 | 127 | Ernie Wansley | C | United States | Virginia Tech | |
| 7 | 147 | Calvin Brown | G | United States | American | |
| 8 | 166 | Pat McKinley | F | United States | Towson State | |

## Season standings

| Central Divisionvte | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div |
| y-San Antonio Spurs | 52 | 30 | .634 | – | 32–9 | 20–21 | 15–5 |
| x-Washington Bullets | 44 | 38 | .537 | 8 | 29–12 | 15–26 | 14–6 |
| x-Cleveland Cavaliers | 43 | 39 | .524 | 9 | 27–14 | 16–25 | 9–11 |
| x-Atlanta Hawks | 41 | 41 | .500 | 11 | 29–12 | 12–29 | 8–12 |
| New Orleans Jazz | 39 | 43 | .476 | 13 | 27–14 | 12–29 | 8–12 |
| Houston Rockets | 28 | 54 | .341 | 24 | 21-20 | 7-34 | 6–14 |
| # | Eastern Conferencevte | Eastern Conferencevte | Eastern Conferencevte | Eastern Conferencevte | Eastern Conferencevte |
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB |
| 1 | z-Philadelphia 76ers | 55 | 27 | .671 | – |
| 2 | y-San Antonio Spurs | 52 | 30 | .634 | 3 |
| 3 | x-Washington Bullets | 44 | 38 | .537 | 11 |
| 4 | x-Cleveland Cavaliers | 43 | 39 | .524 | 12 |
| 5 | x-New York Knicks | 43 | 39 | .524 | 12 |
| 6 | x-Atlanta Hawks | 41 | 41 | .500 | 14 |
| 7 | New Orleans Jazz | 39 | 43 | .476 | 16 |
| 8 | Boston Celtics | 32 | 50 | .390 | 23 |
| 9 | Houston Rockets | 28 | 54 | .341 | 27 |
| 10 | Buffalo Braves | 27 | 55 | .329 | 28 |
| 11 | New Jersey Nets | 24 | 58 | .293 | 31 |

## Regular season
### Record vs. opponents

1977–78 NBA records :
| Team | ATL | BOS | BUF | CHI | CLE | DEN | DET | GSW | HOU | IND | KCK | LAL | MIL | NJN | NOJ | NYK | PHI | PHO | POR | SAS | SEA | WAS |
| Atlanta | — | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 1–3 |
| Boston | 2–2 | — | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 1–3 |
| Buffalo | 1–3 | 1–3 | — | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 0–3 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 |
| Chicago | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–3 | — | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–1 |
| Cleveland | 3–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–3 | — | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 3–1 | 2–2 |
| Denver | 3–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–3 | — | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 3–1 |
| Detroit | 2–2 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | — | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 |
| Golden State | 3–1 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | — | 2–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 |
| Houston | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 0–3 | 1–3 | 1–2 | — | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 1–3 |
| Indiana | 1–3 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | — | 2–2 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 3–1 |
| Kansas City | 1–2 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–2 | — | 2–2 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 2–2 |
| Los Angeles | 1–3 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | — | 3–1 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 |
| Milwaukee | 2–2 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 4–0 | 1–3 | — | 3–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 3–1 |
| New Jersey | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 1–3 | — | 0–4 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 0–3 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 2–2 |
| New Orleans | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 4–0 | — | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 0–4 |
| New York | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 3–1 | — | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–2 |
| Philadelphia | 2–2 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 3–1 | — | 2–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 |
| Phoenix | 1–3 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–2 | — | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 |
| Portland | 3–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 3–1 | — | 2–2 | 3–1 | 2–1 |
| San Antonio | 3–1 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–2 | — | 2–2 | 2–2 |
| Seattle | 1–2 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 | — | 1–3 |
| Washington | 3–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | — |

## Game log
### Regular season

1977–78 game log Total: 44–38 (home: 22–19; road: 21–20) :
October: 1–3 (home: 1–0; road: 0–3)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
1
October 21, 1977 8:05 p.m. EDT
Detroit
W 117–109
Kupchak (29)
Dandridge, Unseld (9)
Henderson (12)
Capital Centre 13,276
1–0
2
October 22, 1977 8:05 p.m. EDT
@ New York
L 115–141
Hayes (26)
Hayes (14)
Henderson, Unseld, Wright (4)
Madison Square Garden 15,261
1–1
3
October 28, 1977 8:05 p.m. EDT
@ Indiana
L 127–136
Wright (43)
Unseld (15)
Henderson (9)
Market Square Arena 12,542
1–2
4
October 29, 1977 8:35 p.m. EDT
@ Kansas City
L 106–120
Wright (19)
Unseld (11)
Chenier, Henderson, Wright (5)
Kemper Arena 9,220
1–3 :
November: 9–4 (home: 6–2; road: 3–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
5
November 4, 1977 8:05 p.m. EST
Phoenix
W 113–96
Dandridge (24)
Hayes (14)
Henderson (10)
Capital Centre 8,742
2–3
6
November 5, 1977 9:05 p.m. EST
@ Houston
L 105–116
Wright (20)
Dandridge, Unseld (9)
Henderson, Unseld, Wright (3)
The Summit 9,449
2–4
7
November 6, 1977 8:35 p.m. EST
@ New Orleans
W 108–97
Dandridge, Hayes (21)
Hayes (20)
Wright (4)
Louisiana Superdome 26,474
3–4
8
November 10, 1977 8:05 p.m. EST
Milwaukee
L 103–106
Dandridge (25)
Hayes (13)
Unseld, Wright (6)
Capital Centre 7,139
3–5
9
November 12, 1977 8:05 p.m. EST
Philadelphia
W 116–98
Dandridge (28)
Hayes (16)
Wright (10)
Capital Centre 18,355
4–5
10
November 13, 1977 7:05 p.m. EST
@ Detroit
L 102–104
Hayes (29)
Hayes (16)
Henderson (8)
Cobo Arena 5,149
4–6
11
November 15, 1977 8:05 p.m. EST
Seattle
W 111–109
Hayes (22)
Hayes (14)
Unseld (6)
Capital Centre 5,593
5–6
12
November 18, 1977 8:05 p.m. EST
New York
W 123–103
Hayes (27)
Hayes (12)
Henderson (9)
Capital Centre 17,242
6–6
13
November 19, 1977 8:35 p.m. EST
@ Kansas City (at Omaha, Nebraska)
W 131–125 (OT)
Kupchak (32)
Dandridge (12)
Henderson (7)
Omaha Civic Auditorium 6,534
7–6
14
November 21, 1977 7:30 p.m. EST
@ Buffalo
W 114–97
Kupchak (21)
Dandridge (14)
Henderson (7)
Buffalo Memorial Auditorium 6,125
8–6
15
November 22, 1977 8:05 p.m. EST
Denver
L 114–119
Dandridge (29)
Hayes (12)
Wright (7)
Capital Centre 8,363
8–7
16
November 26, 1977 8:05 p.m. EST
Houston
W 93–91
Hayes (24)
Pace (10)
Dandridge (7)
Capital Centre 18,387
9–7
17
November 30, 1977 8:05 p.m. EST
San Antonio
W 116–105
Kupchak (26)
Unseld (15)
Unseld (10)
Capital Centre 7,092
10–7 :
December: 10–6 (home: 6–1; road: 4–5)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
18
December 2, 1977 9:05 p.m. EST
@ Milwaukee
W 108–95
Hayes (29)
Hayes (19)
Henderson (11)
MECCA Arena 10,938
11–7
19
December 3, 1977 8:05 p.m. EST
Boston
W 103–93
Dandridge (21)
Kupchak (12)
Dandridge (8)
Capital Centre 18,424
12–7
20
December 4, 1977 7:30 p.m. EST
@ Cleveland
W 100–94
Chenier (28)
Hayes (16)
Henderson (6)
Richfield Coliseum 9,765
13–7
21
December 6, 1977 8:30 p.m. EST
@ Chicago
L 108–116
Chenier, Hayes (22)
Unseld (12)
Dandridge, Unseld (5)
Chicago Stadium 10,093
13–8
22
December 7, 1977 8:05 p.m. EST
Cleveland
W 96–95
Dandridge (21)
Unseld (20)
Henderson (5)
Capital Centre 7,627
14–8
23
December 9, 1977 8:05 p.m. EST
New Orleans
W 101–97
Henderson (22)
Unseld (16)
Henderson (9)
Capital Centre 10,292
15–8
24
December 11, 1977 7:35 p.m. EST
New Jersey
L 95–106
Hayes (27)
Hayes (20)
Dandridge, Henderson, Unseld, Wright (4)
Capital Centre 5,774
15–9
25
December 13, 1977 8:05 p.m. EST
Golden State
W 102–96
Chenier (25)
Hayes (17)
Henderson (6)
Capital Centre 8,693
16–9
26
December 16, 1977 9:35 p.m. EST
@ Denver
W 117–112 (OT)
Hayes (33)
Hayes (20)
Dandridge (10)
McNichols Sports Arena 15,922
17–9
27
December 17, 1977 11:00 p.m. EST
@ Portland
L 104–117
Dandridge (17)
Hayes (10)
Wright (5)
Memorial Coliseum 12,666
17–10
28
December 18, 1977 10:00 p.m. EST
@ Seattle
L 109–111 (OT)
Henderson (24)
Unseld (13)
Hayes (5)
Seattle Center Coliseum 13,563
17–11
29
December 20, 1977 11:00 p.m. EST
@ Los Angeles
L 115–120
Kupchak (23)
Kupchak (10)
Wright (9)
The Forum 13,475
17–12
30
December 25, 1977 7:35 p.m. EST
Atlanta
W 100–93
Dandridge (24)
Unseld (14)
Henderson (9)
Capital Centre 8,358
18–12
31
December 26, 1977 8:10 p.m. EST
@ Atlanta
W 113–106
Henderson (21)
Hayes (13)
Henderson (8)
The Omni 8,321
19–12
32
December 28, 1977 8:05 p.m. EST
Buffalo
W 106–87
Hayes (18)
Unseld (15)
Hayes, Unseld, Wright (4)
Capital Centre 11,394
20–12
33
December 30, 1977 8:05 p.m. EST
@ Philadelphia
L 119–126
Kupchak (22)
Unseld (14)
Dandridge (8)
The Spectrum 18,276
20–13 :
January: 6–8 (home: 5–2; road: 1–6)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
34
January 3, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST
Denver
L 100–101
Chenier (23)
Hayes (18)
Henderson (7)
Capital Centre 9,457
20–14
35
January 6, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST
Indiana
W 146–114
Dandridge (29)
Hayes, Unseld (10)
Dandridge (8)
Capital Centre 9,215
21–14
36
January 8, 1978 1:45 p.m. EST
@ New Jersey
W 99–98
Dandridge (20)
Hayes (16)
Henderson, Unseld (6)
Rutgers Athletic Center 4,196
22–14
37
January 10, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST
Kansas City
W 123–115
Hayes (27)
Ballard (13)
Henderson (11)
Capital Centre 7,700
23–14
38
January 11, 1978 8:10 p.m. EST
@ Atlanta (at Charlotte, North Carolina)
L 95–100
Hayes (24)
Ballard, Hayes (14)
Henderson (6)
Charlotte Coliseum 2,162
23–15
39
January 13, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST
Portland
W 102–93
Dandridge (22)
Hayes (13)
Henderson (6)
Capital Centre 17,610
24–15
40
January 14, 1978 7:30 p.m. EST
@ Buffalo
L 93–130
Dandridge (22)
Hayes, Unseld (9)
Unseld (4)
Buffalo Memorial Auditorium 5,036
24–16
41
January 18, 1978 10:30 p.m. EST
@ Golden State
L 106–113
Dandridge (25)
Unseld (14)
Wright (9)
Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena
24–17
42
January 20, 1978 11:00 p.m. EST
@ Los Angeles
L 99–121
Walker (23)
Kupchak (9)
Wright (6)
The Forum 13,064
24–18
43
January 22, 1978 6:45 p.m. EST
@ Phoenix
L 101–114
Hayes (26)
Hayes (19)
Unseld (7)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 12,660
24–19
44
January 24, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST
Detroit
L 101–104
Grevey (24)
Hayes (16)
Unseld, Wright (4)
Capital Centre 6,717
24–20
45
January 26, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST
Chicago
W 135–107
Dandridge (37)
Hayes (10)
Wright (11)
Capital Centre 7,442
25–20
46
January 29, 1978 1:45 p.m. EST
Los Angeles
W 119–112
Dandridge (29)
Hayes (19)
Wright (6)
Capital Centre 17,779
26–20
47
January 31, 1978 8:30 p.m. EST
@ San Antonio
L 109–129
Hayes (21)
Hayes (14)
Wright (6)
HemisFair Arena 9,000
26–21 :
February: 5–8 (home: 4–1; road: 1–7)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
48
February 2, 1978 8:00 p.m. EST
@ Cleveland
L 93–110
Dandridge (25)
Hayes (13)
Wright (6)
Richfield Coliseum 7,553
26–22
49
February 3, 1978 7:30 p.m. EST
@ Boston
L 94–116
Grevey (25)
Hayes (18)
Unseld (4)
Boston Garden 12,206
26–23
All-Star Break
50
February 7, 1978 10:30 p.m. EST
@ Golden State
L 102–105
Hayes (25)
Unseld (18)
Henderson (8)
Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena 9,935
26–24
51
February 8, 1978 11:00 p.m. EST
@ Seattle
W 106–100
Hayes (25)
Hayes (21)
Wright (6)
Seattle Center Coliseum 12,126
27–24
52
February 12, 1978 6:45 p.m. EST
@ Phoenix
L 109–121
Hayes (34)
Hayes (16)
Henderson (7)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 12,467
27–25
53
February 14, 1978 9:35 p.m. EST
@ Denver
L 98–103
Grevey (24)
Unseld (18)
Dandridge, Henderson (6)
McNichols Sports Arena 15,636
27–26
54
February 16, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST
Buffalo
W 123–109
Hayes (25)
Unseld (17)
Dandridge (7)
Capital Centre 6,857
28–26
55
February 17, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST
@ Indiana
L 111–123
Hayes (26)
Unseld (21)
Henderson, Unseld (5)
Market Square Arena 10,637
28–27
56
February 19, 1978 1:45 p.m. EST
New Orleans
W 130–111
Hayes (31)
Unseld (17)
Unseld, Wright (8)
Capital Centre 16,505
29–27
57
February 22, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST
Portland
L 97–105
Hayes (26)
Unseld (12)
Henderson (9)
Capital Centre 11,554
29–28
58
February 24, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST
Phoenix
W 121–120 (OT)
Hayes (23)
Unseld (24)
Henderson (10)
Capital Centre 12,432
30–28
59
February 26, 1978 1:45 p.m. EST
Golden State
W 121–110
Hayes (37)
Hayes (18)
Unseld (7)
Capital Centre 13,814
31–28
60
February 28, 1978 9:05 p.m. EST
@ Milwaukee
L 135–136 (OT)
Johnson (25)
Unseld (27)
Henderson (7)
MECCA Arena 10,938
31–29 :
March: 10–7 (home: 5–5; road: 5–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
61
March 1, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST
San Antonio
W 125–110
Grevey (29)
Hayes (21)
Henderson (11)
Capital Centre 8,425
32–29
62
March 3, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST
@ Detroit
W 124–108
Grevey (32)
Hayes (27)
Henderson (7)
Cobo Arena 5,033
33–29
63
March 5, 1978 1:45 p.m. EST
Houston
W 106–88
Dandridge (26)
Hayes (15)
Henderson (7)
Capital Centre 14,344
34–29
64
March 10, 1978 9:05 p.m. EST
@ Houston
W 117–114
Grevey (43)
Unseld (18)
Henderson (8)
The Summit 7,506
35–29
65
March 11, 1978 8:30 p.m. EST
@ San Antonio
L 101–116
Grevey (28)
Hayes (13)
Henderson (7)
HemisFair Arena 9,465
35–30
66
March 14, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST
Seattle
120–115
Dandridge, Hayes, Kupchak (24)
Hayes, Unseld (10)
Dandridge (7)
Capital Centre 7,804
36–30
67
March 16, 1978 8:30 p.m. EST
@ Chicago
L 107–111
Dandridge (23)
Hayes (8)
Grevey (7)
Chicago Stadium 11,972
36–31
68
March 17, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST
Indiana
L 99–105
Kupchak (30)
Hayes, Unseld (17)
Hayes (5)
Capital Centre 8,196
36–32
69
March 19, 1978 7:35 p.m. EST
Milwaukee
L 106–117
Hayes (32)
Hayes, Unseld (13)
Grevey (7)
Capital Centre 9,492
36–33
70
March 21, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST
Boston
W 119–107
Hayes (34)
Unseld (11)
Unseld (7)
Capital Centre 17,252
37–33
71
March 22, 1978 8:35 p.m. EST
@ New Orleans
W 124–109
Grevey (30)
Hayes (16)
Dandridge (7)
Louisiana Superdome 13,143
38–33
72
March 24, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST
@ New Jersey
W 107–104
Dandridge (30)
Hayes (16)
Hendersonn (9)
Rutgers Athletic Center 5,833
39–33
73
March 25, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST
Atlanta
W 98–95
Dandridge (18)
Hayes (15)
Henderson (5)
Capital Centre 8,190
40–33
74
March 26, 1978 1:45 p.m. EST
New Jersey
L 104–118
Grevey, Hayes, Kupchak (25)
Unseld (24)
Henderson (7)
Capital Centre 5,750
40–34
75
March 29, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST
Kansas City
L 105–108 (OT)
Grevey (30)
Hayes (21)
Unseld (10)
Capital Centre 6,717
40–35
76
March 30, 1978 8:35 p.m. EST
@ New York
W 123–108
Dandridge (28)
Hayes (22)
Dandridge, Unseld, Wright (4)
Madison Square Garden 12,702
41–35
77
March 31, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST
Cleveland
L 101–102
Hayes (26)
Hayes (12)
Unseld (9)
Capital Centre 8,660
41–36 :
April: 3–2 (home: 2–1; road: 1–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
78
April 2, 1978 1:45 p.m. EST
New York
L 109–114
Kupchak (30)
Johnson (9)
Johnson (4)
Capital Centre 7,193
41–37
79
April 5, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST
Los Angeles
W 125–119
Unseld (25)
Hayes (17)
Henderson, Unseld (7)
Capital Centre 14,671
42–37
80
April 6, 1978 7:30 p.m. EST
@ Boston (at Providence, Rhode Island)
W 112–103
Hayes (21)
Ballard, Unseld (16)
Ballard, Wright (6)
Providence Civic Center 10,755
43–37
81
April 8, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST
@ Philadelphia
L 114–131
Kupchak (31)
Kupchak (14)
Grevey, Hayes, Johnson, Kupchak, Unseld (3)
The Spectrum 14,711
43–38
82
April 9, 1978 1:30 p.m. EST
Philadelphia
W 123–113
Johnson (29)
Unseld (16)
Walker (7)
Capital Centre 17,952
44–38 :
1977–78 schedule :

### Playoffs

1978 playoff game log Total: 14–7 (Home: 9–1; Road: 5–6) :
Eastern Conference First Round: 2–0 (home: 1–0; road: 1–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
1
April 12, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST
Atlanta
W 103–94
Dandridge (20)
Unseld (15)
Unseld (7)
Capital Centre 9,326
1–0
2
April 14, 1978 8:10 p.m. EST
@ Atlanta
W 107–103 (OT)
Grevey (41)
Unseld (15)
Henderson (5)
The Omni 15,601
2–0 :
Eastern Conference Semifinals: 4–2 (home: 3–0; road: 1–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
1
April 16, 1978 1:30 p.m. EST
@ San Antonio
L 103–114
Hayes (26)
Hayes (15)
Hayes (6)
HemisFair Arena 9,669
0–1
2
April 18, 1978 8:30 p.m. EST
@ San Antonio
W 121–117
Grevey (31)
Unseld (13)
Wright (8)
HemisFair Arena 9,871
1–1
3
April 21, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST
San Antonio
W 118–105
Dandridge (28)
Hayes (12)
Unseld (8)
Capital Centre 17,417
2–1
4
April 23, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST
San Antonio
W 98–95
Dandridge (24)
Hayes (13)
Dandridge (8)
Capital Centre 13,459
3–1
5
April 25, 1978 8:30 p.m. EST
@ San Antonio
L 105–116
Johnson (21)
Hayes (13)
Unseld (6)
HemisFair Arena 9,709
3–2
6
April 28, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST
San Antonio
W 103–100
Hayes (25)
Unseld (16)
Unsled (5)
Capital Centre 19,035
4–2 :
Eastern Conference Finals: 4–2 (home: 3–0; road: 1–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
1
April 30, 1978 1:30 p.m. EDT
@ Philadelphia
W 122–117 (OT)
Hayes (28)
Hayes (18)
Henderson (9)
The Spectrum 13,708
1–0
2
May 3, 1978 8:05 p.m. EDT
@ Philadelphia
L 104–110
Hayes (26)
Hayes (15)
Henderson, Wright (8)
The Spectrum 18,276
1–1
3
May 5, 1978 8:05 p.m. EDT
Philadelphia
W 123–108
Dandridge (30)
Hayes (12)
Dandridge (7)
Capital Centre 19,035
2–1
4
May 7, 1978 1:30 p.m. EDT
Philadelphia
W 121–105
Hayes (35)
Hayes (19)
Dandridge, Kevin Grevey, Johnson, Wright (6)
Capital Centre 19,035
3–1
5
May 10, 1978 8:05 p.m. EDT
@ Philadelphia
L 94–107
Wright (18)
Hayes, Unseld (16)
Unseld (5)
The Spectrum 18,276
3–2
6
May 12, 1978 8:05 p.m. EDT
Philadelphia
W 101–99
Dandridge (28)
Unseld (15)
Henderson (6)
Capital Centre 19,035
4–2 :
NBA Finals: 4–3 (home: 2–1; road: 2–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
1
May 21, 1978 3:00 p.m. EDT
@ Seattle
L 102–106
Grevey (27)
Hayes (9)
Henderson (7)
Seattle Center Coliseum 14,098
0–1
2
May 25, 1978 9:00 p.m. EDT
Seattle
W 106–98
Dandridge (34)
Unseld (15)
Henderson, Unseld (5)
Capital Centre 19,035
1–1
3
May 28, 1978 1:30 p.m. EDT
Seattle
L 92–93
Hayes (29)
Hayes (20)
Dandridge (6)
Capital Centre 19,035
1–2
4
May 30, 1978 9:00 p.m. EDT
@ Seattle
W 120–116 (OT)
Dandridge (23)
Hayes (13)
Henderson (11)
Kingdome 39,457
2–2
5
June 2, 1978 9:00 p.m. EDT
@ Seattle
L 94–98
Grevey (22)
Dandridge (10)
Henderson (6)
Seattle Center Coliseum 14,098
2–3
6
June 4, 1978 1:30 p.m. EDT
Seattle
W 117–82
Hayes (21)
Hayes (15)
Ballard (6)
Capital Centre 19,035
3–3
7
June 7, 1978 9:00 p.m. EDT
@ Seattle
W 105–99
Dandridge, Johnson (19)
Unseld (9)
Unseld (6)
Seattle Center Coliseum 14,098
4–3 :
1978 schedule :

## Game officials
### Regular season

| Game | Date | Opponent | Officials |
| 1 | 10–21–1977 | Detroit | N/A |
| 2 | 10–22–1977 | @ New York | N/A |
| 3 | 10–28–1977 | @ Indiana | No. 29 Mike Mathis and No. 15 Bob Rakel |
| 4 | 10–29–1977 | @ Kansas City | N/A |
| 5 | 11–4–1977 | Phoenix | N/A |
| 6 | 11–5–1977 | @ Houston | N/A |
| 7 | 11–6–1977 | @ New Orleans | N/A |
| 8 | 11–10–1977 | Milwaukee | N/A |
| 9 | 11–12–1977 | Philadelphia | No. 10 Darell Garretson and No. 43 Wally Rooney |
| 10 | 11–13–1977 | @ Detroit | N/A |
| 11 | 11–15–1977 | Seattle | N/A |
| 12 | 11–18–1977 | New York | N/A |
| 13 | 11–19–1977 | @ Kansas City | N/A |
| 14 | 11–21–1977 | @ Buffalo | No. 28 Tommy Nunez and No. 17 Ed Rush |
| 15 | 11–22–1977 | Denver | N/A |
| 16 | 11–26–1977 | Houston | N/A |
| 17 | 11–30–1977 | San Antonio | N/A |
| 18 | 12–2–1977 | @ Milwaukee | N/A |
| 19 | 12–3–1977 | Boston | N/A |
| 20 | 12–4–1977 | @ Cleveland | No. 18 Ed Middleton and No. 26 Richie Powers |
| 21 | 12–6–1977 | @ Chicago | No. 20 Jess Kersey and No. 14 Jack Madden |
| 22 | 12–7–1977 | Cleveland | No. 11 Jake O'Donnell and No. 21 Mel Whitworth |
| 23 | 12–9–1977 | New Orleans | N/A |
| 24 | 12–11–1977 | New Jersey | N/A |
| 25 | 12–13–1977 | Golden State | No. 28 Tommy Nunez and No. 17 Ed Rush |
| 26 | 12–16–1977 | @ Denver | N/A |
| 27 | 12–17–1977 | @ Portland | No. 7 Joe Gushue and No. 24 Bill Saar |
| 28 | 12–18–1977 | @ Seattle | No. 44 Bernie Fryer and No. 12 Earl Strom |
| 29 | 12–20–1977 | @ Los Angeles | N/A |
| 30 | 12–25–1977 | Atlanta | N/A |
| 31 | 12–26–1977 | @ Atlanta | N/A |
| 32 | 12–28–1977 | Buffalo | No. 18 Ed Middleton and No. 6 Don Murphy |
| 33 | 12–30–1977 | @ Philadelphia | No. 27 Dick Bavetta and No. 11 Jake O'Donnell |
| 34 | 1–3–1978 | Denver | N/A |
| 35 | 1–6–1978 | Indiana | No. 7 Joe Gushue and No. 42 Hue Hollins |
| 36 | 1–8–1978 | @ New Jersey | N/A |
| 37 | 1–10–1978 | Kansas City | N/A |
| 38 | 1–11–1978 | @ Atlanta | N/A |
| 39 | 1–13–1978 | Portland | No. 25 Hugh Evans and No. 12 Earl Strom |
| 40 | 1–14–1978 | @ Buffalo | No. 33 Joe Crawford and No. 10 Darell Garretson |
| 41 | 1–18–1978 | @ Golden State | No. 27 Dick Bavetta and No. 19 Jim Capers |
| 42 | 1–20–1978 | @ Los Angeles | N/A |
| 43 | 1–22–1978 | @ Phoenix | No. 18 Ed Middleton and No. 9 John Vanak |
| 44 | 1–24–1978 | Detroit | N/A |
| 45 | 1–26–1978 | Chicago | No. 18 Ed Middleton and No. 43 Wally Rooney |
| 46 | 1–29–1978 | Los Angeles | N/A |
| 47 | 1–31–1978 | @ San Antonio | N/A |
| 48 | 2–2–1978 | @ Cleveland | No. 11 Jake O'Donnell and No. 43 Wally Rooney |
| 49 | 2–3–1978 | @ Boston | N/A |
| 50 | 2–7–1978 | @ Golden State | No. 42 Hue Hollins and No. 15 Bob Rakel |
| 51 | 2–8–1978 | @ Seattle | No. 6 Don Murphy and No. 21 Mel Whitworth |
| 52 | 2–12–1978 | @ Phoenix | N/A |
| 53 | 2–14–1978 | @ Denver | N/A |
| 54 | 2–16–1978 | Buffalo | No. 20 Jess Kersey and No. 9 John Vanak |
| 55 | 2–17–1978 | @ Indiana | No. 44 Bernie Fryer and No. 17 Ed Rush |
| 56 | 2–19–1978 | New Orleans | N/A |
| 57 | 2–22–1978 | Portland | No. 14 Jack Madden and No. 28 Tommy Nunez |
| 58 | 2–24–1978 | Phoenix | N/A |
| 59 | 2–26–1978 | Golden State | N/A |
| 60 | 2–28–1978 | @ Milwaukee | N/A |
| 61 | 3–1–1978 | San Antonio | N/A |
| 62 | 3–3–1978 | @ Detroit | N/A |
| 63 | 3–5–1978 | Houston | N/A |
| 64 | 3–10–1978 | @ Houston | N/A |
| 65 | 3–11–1978 | @ San Antonio | N/A |
| 66 | 3–14–1978 | Seattle | N/A |
| 67 | 3–16–1978 | @ Chicago | No. 28 Tommy Nunez and No. 9 John Vanak |
| 68 | 3–17–1978 | Indiana | No. 19 Jim Capers and No. 30 Lee Jones |
| 69 | 3–19–1978 | Milwaukee | N/A |
| 70 | 3–21–1978 | Boston | N/A |
| 71 | 3–22–1978 | @ New Orleans | N/A |
| 72 | 3–24–1978 | @ New Jersey | N/A |
| 73 | 3–25–1978 | Atlanta | N/A |
| 74 | 3–26–1978 | New Jersey | N/A |
| 75 | 3–29–1978 | Kansas City | No. 27 Dick Bavetta and No. 15 Bob Rakel |
| 76 | 3–30–1978 | @ New York | N/A |
| 77 | 3–31–1978 | Cleveland | No. 19 Jim Capers and No. 12 Earl Strom |
| 78 | 4–2–1978 | New York | N/A |
| 79 | 4–5–1978 | Los Angeles | N/A |
| 80 | 4–6–1978 | @ Boston | N/A |
| 81 | 4–8–1978 | @ Philadelphia | No. 25 Hugh Evans and No. 6 Don Murphy |
| 82 | 4–9–1978 | Philadelphia | No. 27 Dick Bavetta and No. 22 Paul Mihalak |

### Playoffs

| Game | Round | Date | Opponent | Officials | Alternate |
| 1 | Eastern Conference First Round | 4–12–1978 | Atlanta | | |
| 2 | Eastern Conference First Round | 4–14–1978 | @ Atlanta | | |
| 1 | Eastern Conference Semifinals | 4–16–1978 | @ San Antonio | No. 6 Don Murphy and No. 9 John Vanak | No. 20 Jess Kersey |
| 2 | Eastern Conference Semifinals | 4–18–1978 | @ San Antonio | | |
| 3 | Eastern Conference Semifinals | 4–21–1978 | San Antonio | | |
| 4 | Eastern Conference Semifinals | 4–23–1978 | San Antonio | No. 11 Jake O'Donnell and No. 18 Ed Middleton | No. 29 Mike Mathis |
| 5 | Eastern Conference Semifinals | 4–25–1978 | @ San Antonio | | |
| 6 | Eastern Conference Semifinals | 4–28–1978 | San Antonio | | |
| 1 | Eastern Conference Finals | 4–30–1978 | @ Philadelphia | No. 12 Earl Strom and No. 25 Hugh Evans | No. 30 Lee Jones |
| 2 | Eastern Conference Finals | 5–3–1978 | @ Philadelphia | No. 14 Jack Madden and No. 17 Ed Rush | |
| 3 | Eastern Conference Finals | 5–5–1978 | Philadelphia | No. 7 Joe Gushue and No. 22 Paul Mihalak | |
| 4 | Eastern Conference Finals | 5–7–1978 | Philadelphia | No. 11 Jake O'Donnell and No. 19 Jim Capers | |
| 5 | Eastern Conference Finals | 5–10–1978 | @ Philadelphia | No. 10 Darell Garretson and No. 6 Don Murphy | |
| 6 | Eastern Conference Finals | 5–12–1978 | Philadelphia | No. 12 Earl Strom and No. 9 John Vanak | |
| 1 | NBA Finals | 5–21–1978 | @ Seattle | No. 10 Darell Garretson and No. 17 Ed Rush | |
| 2 | NBA Finals | 5–25–1978 | Seattle | No. 7 Joe Gushue and No. 11 Jake O'Donnell | |
| 3 | NBA Finals | 5–28–1978 | Seattle | No. 12 Earl Strom and No. 9 John Vanak | |
| 4 | NBA Finals | 5–30–1978 | @ Seattle | No. 14 Jack Madden and No. 6 Don Murphy | |
| 5 | NBA Finals | 6–2–1978 | @ Seattle | No. 7 Joe Gushue and No. 11 Jake O'Donnell | |
| 6 | NBA Finals | 6–4–1978 | Seattle | No. 10 Darell Garretson and No. 6 Don Murphy | |
| 7 | NBA Finals | 6–7–1978 | @ Seattle | No. 14 Jack Madden and No. 12 Earl Strom | |

## Player stats
### Regular season

Note: GP= Games played; GS= Games started; MP=Minutes played; FG=Field goals; FGA=Field goals attempted; FG%=Field goal percentage; FT=Free throws; FTA=Free throws attempted; FT%=Free throw percentage; ORB= Offensive rebounds; DRB= Defensive rebounds; TRB= Total rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Average
| Player | GP | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | FT | FTA | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | AVG |
| Hayes | 81 | 3246 | 636 | 1409 | .451 | 326 | 514 | .635 | 335 | 740 | 1075 | 149 | 96 | 159 | 1598 | 19.7 |
| Dandridge | 75 | 2777 | 560 | 1190 | .471 | 330 | 419 | .788 | 137 | 305 | 442 | 287 | 101 | 44 | 1450 | 19.3 |
| Kupchak | 67 | 1759 | 393 | 768 | .512 | 280 | 402 | .697 | 162 | 298 | 460 | 71 | 28 | 42 | 1066 | 15.9 |
| Grevey | 81 | 2121 | 505 | 1128 | .448 | 243 | 308 | .789 | 124 | 166 | 290 | 155 | 61 | 17 | 1253 | 15.5 |
| Chenier | 36 | 937 | 200 | 451 | .443 | 109 | 138 | .790 | 15 | 87 | 102 | 73 | 36 | 9 | 509 | 14.1 |
| Henderson | 75 | 2315 | 339 | 784 | .432 | 179 | 240 | .746 | 66 | 127 | 193 | 406 | 93 | 15 | 857 | 11.4 |
| Wright | 70 | 1466 | 283 | 570 | .496 | 76 | 107 | .710 | 31 | 71 | 102 | 260 | 68 | 15 | 642 | 9.2 |
| Johnson | 39 | 807 | 141 | 346 | .408 | 42 | 51 | .824 | 20 | 73 | 93 | 82 | 31 | 1 | 324 | 8.3 |
| Unseld | 80 | 2644 | 257 | 491 | .523 | 93 | 173 | .538 | 286 | 669 | 955 | 326 | 98 | 45 | 607 | 7.6 |
| Ballard | 76 | 936 | 142 | 334 | .425 | 88 | 114 | .772 | 102 | 164 | 266 | 62 | 30 | 13 | 372 | 4.9 |
| Walker | 40 | 384 | 57 | 161 | .354 | 64 | 96 | .667 | 21 | 31 | 52 | 54 | 14 | 5 | 178 | 4.5 |
| Pace | 49 | 438 | 67 | 140 | .479 | 57 | 93 | .613 | 50 | 84 | 134 | 23 | 12 | 24 | 191 | 3.9 |
| Total | 82 | 19830 | 3580 | 7772 | .461 | 1887 | 2655 | .711 | 1349 | 2815 | 4164 | 1948 | 668 | 386 | 9047 | 110.3 |

### Playoffs

Note: GP= Games played; GS= Games started; MP=Minutes played; FG=Field goals; FGA=Field goals attempted; FG%=Field goal percentage; FT=Free throws; FTA=Free throws attempted; FT%=Free throw percentage; ORB= Offensive rebounds; DRB= Defensive rebounds; TRB= Total rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Average
| Player | GP | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | FT | FTA | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | AVG |
| Hayes | 21 | 868 | 189 | 385 | .491 | 79 | 133 | .594 | 103 | 176 | 279 | 43 | 32 | 52 | 457 | 21.8 |
| Dandridge | 19 | 746 | 172 | 359 | .479 | 58 | 84 | .690 | 35 | 88 | 123 | 74 | 30 | 14 | 402 | 21.1 |
| Grevey | 21 | 584 | 126 | 284 | .444 | 73 | 90 | .811 | 25 | 36 | 61 | 42 | 11 | 3 | 325 | 15.5 |
| Johnson | 21 | 425 | 93 | 229 | .406 | 29 | 37 | .784 | 20 | 33 | 53 | 48 | 30 | 0 | 215 | 10.2 |
| Kupchak | 21 | 504 | 84 | 199 | .422 | 45 | 69 | .652 | 49 | 78 | 127 | 22 | 4 | 3 | 213 | 10.1 |
| Henderson | 21 | 597 | 72 | 173 | .416 | 58 | 79 | .734 | 17 | 30 | 47 | 106 | 27 | 5 | 202 | 9.6 |
| Unseld | 18 | 677 | 71 | 134 | .530 | 27 | 46 | .587 | 72 | 144 | 216 | 79 | 17 | 7 | 169 | 9.4 |
| Wright | 21 | 402 | 76 | 163 | .466 | 19 | 25 | .760 | 7 | 24 | 31 | 67 | 17 | 2 | 171 | 8.1 |
| Ballard | 19 | 243 | 21 | 63 | .333 | 32 | 41 | .780 | 27 | 52 | 79 | 18 | 9 | 3 | 74 | 3.9 |
| Pace | 9 | 52 | 7 | 10 | .700 | 11 | 15 | .733 | 5 | 15 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 25 | 2.8 |
| Walker | 4 | 17 | 1 | 8 | .125 | 4 | 5 | .800 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1.5 |
| Total | 21 | 5115 | 912 | 2007 | | 435 | 583 | | 361 | 677 | 1038 | 502 | 178 | 95 | 2259 | 114.1 |

## NBA Finals

After being swept in their previous two trips to the NBA Finals (by Milwaukee in 1971 and Golden State in 1975), the Bullets lost Game 1 on the road against the Seattle SuperSonics, and a 19-point lead vanished in the process. In Game 4, the Bullets rose to the occasion beating the Sonics 120–116 to even the series at 2 games apiece. After losing Game 5 in Seattle, the Bullets kept their hopes alive with a dominating 117–82 win at the Capital Centre. Game 7 returned to Seattle and the Bullets were a heavy underdog. Kevin Grevey suffered a sprained wrist above his shooting hand, and Bob Dandridge was forced to see some action at guard. Dandridge would play strongly and scored 19 points to tie with Charles Johnson, who hit a half court shot at the end of the 3rd quarter, for the team high. Wes Unseld scored 15 points while pulling down 9 rebounds as the Bullets emerged with a 105–99 victory to win their first NBA Championship.

## Awards and honors

* Wes Unseld, NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award