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 2019. 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. This would be considered the worst team in NBA history to win a championship with its record of 44–38. 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.
As the playoffs began, the Bullets began to get healthy. They started to play solid basketball at the right time as they swept the Atlanta Hawks in the first round. Washington Bullets vs. Atlanta Hawks: Bullets win series 2–0
Game 1 @ Washington: Washington 103, Atlanta 94
Game 2 @ Atlanta: Washington 107, Atlanta 103
East Conference Semifinals
In the second round, the Bullets stunned the Central Division champion San Antonio Spurs in 6 games. Game 6 started out oddly as Spurs guard Mike Gale was forced to a wear an inside out Bullets uniform after losing his uniform at the airport. In the 3rd period the Spurs would make a run and take a 62–61 lead when the lights went out at the Cap Centre. When the lights came back on the Bullets would come out shooting on the way to a 103–100 win. San Antonio Spurs vs. Washington Bullets: Bullets win series 4–2
Game 1 @ San Antonio: San Antonio 114, Washington 103
Game 2 @ San Antonio: Washington 121, San Antonio 117
Game 3 @ Washington: Washington 118, San Antonio 105
Game 4 @ Washington: Washington 98, San Antonio 95
Game 5 @ San Antonio: San Antonio 116, Washington 105
Game 6 @ Washington: Washington 103, San Antonio 100
In the Eastern Finals, the Bullets took a 3–1 series lead against the defending Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers. The Bullets lost Game 5 on the road and returned home to play Game 6. In the closing seconds, Wes Unseld would rebound a shot of his own miss to give the Bullets a dramatic 101–99 victory. Philadelphia 76ers vs. Washington Bullets: Bullets win series 4–2
Game 1 @ Philadelphia: Washington 122, Philadelphia 117
Game 2 @ Philadelphia: Philadelphia 110, Washington 104
Game 3 @ Washington: Washington 123, Philadelphia 108
Game 4 @ Washington: Washington 121, Philadelphia 105
Game 5 @ Philadelphia: Philadelphia 107, Washington 94
Game 6 @ Washington: Washington 101, Philadelphia 99
NBA Finals
After being swept in their previous two trips to the NBA Finals, 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. Washington Bullets vs. Seattle SuperSonics: Bullets win series 4–3
Game 1 @ Seattle: Seattle 106, Washington 102
Game 2 @ Washington: Washington 106, Seattle 98
Game 3 @ Washington: Seattle 93, Washington 92
Game 4 @ Seattle: Washington 120, Seattle 116
Game 5 @ Seattle: Seattle 98, Washington 94
Game 6 @ Washington: Washington 117, Seattle 82
Game 7 @ Seattle: Washington 105, Seattle 99
Game Log
Key: Win Loss Notes:
Playoffs player stats
Note: GP= Games played; REB= Rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Average
