Category: The NBA Time Machine

The NBA Time Machine: 1983

Posted on by in Sports, The NBA Time Machine

Published July 27, 2023

The NBA Time Machine:
1983

Trade Me Once, Shame On You

Good Days Are Mo-ver

Hardly acknowledged was the increasingly unstable nature of the Houston Rockets. The 1981 finalists didn’t quite achieve over the previous season, failing to improve their roster and only seeing forty-six wins. Superstar Moses Malone was so dominant that he could lug an underwhelming cast to a positive record, but the Texas magic faded by the playoffs as they bowed out in the first round.

With Malone now in free agency, the Houston’s hand was forced. They struggled to gauge the value of their franchise great, eventually settling for a yearly offer of 1.5 to 2 million. The Philadelphia 76ers subsequently joined the sweepstakes in shocking fashion, presenting a six-year contract that fell between eleven and fifteen million total. The Rockets opted to match the offer, but their two-time M.V.P. had already felt a warm appreciation from Philadelphia. With his sights now on Julius Erving-led club, Houston was forced to settle for a sign-and-trade to at least reap some benefits from their loss.

The return wasn’t exactly inspiring – all they could muster was a thirty-two-year-old Caldwell Jones and one first-round draft pick. They grabbed a franchise-worst fourteen matches and had no players reach the fifteen-point mark in scoring average.

On the flipside, Philadelphia surged with their new acquisition – their sixty-five wins was the second greatest in 76ers history, and Malone was awarded yet another M.V.P. This made him the first player to win in back-to-back seasons…on different teams.

Worthy of Success?

The Cleveland Cavaliers had asserted themselves as a directionless franchise by the early-80’s, with only three playoff appearances to their name. By mid-February of the 1979-80 season, owner Ted Stepien had playoff hopes – his club may have been 24-37, but optimism guided his decisions. There was a belief in the front office that the Cavaliers could surge in the latter half of the year and secure a playoff berth.

Stepien contacted the Los Angeles Lakers – who were a notably deep team with many unused rotational pieces – for potential trade talks. The seldom-utilized defensive specialist Don Ford was being eyed by Cleveland, and was ultimately traded for sophomore guard Butch Lee and a first-round pick. Lee was a top prospect in the 1978 draft, but injuries soured his value – the Cavaliers wanted somebody proven.

Considering the franchise was expected to be below-average at worst, the pick was not expected to be of significant value. This changed after Cleveland compiled a league-worst record, inflating its worth. Their former trade asset was now valued as the number-one pick, and they had lost it to Los Angeles. This cast a grim cloud on their future, as they could have obtained North Carolina college sensation James Worthy.

A coin flip between the Lakers and San Diego Clippers favored the bigger brother, adding a high-upside rookie to a defending championship team. This was a league-breaking move that helped further deepen their roster, and the Cavaliers were met with side eyes. An already budding dynasty was now boosted by an eventual All-Rookie talent, entirely thanks to Stepien’s hastiness.

We See You!

In accordance with the recent Comeback Player of the Year award, the NBA continued to diversify its regular season honors with two new trophies – the Defensive Player of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year.

The former was intended for the best defender of the season, initially awarded to Sidney Moncrief of the Milwaukee Bucks. The latter was designated for the best “sixth man” – a term synonymous with a bench player – eventually falling into the hands of Philadelphia’s Bobby Jones.

Standout Players

Moses Malone

Due to playing alongside better teammates, Malone’s statistics naturally regressed – however, his impact was greater than ever. He led the league in rebounding for the third consecutive season and helped Philadelphia win sixty-five games, resulting in his third M.V.P. award.

Larry Bird

Bird’s growth continued as he achieved career highs in points, rebounds, assists, and efficiency. The Celtics may not have clinched sixty games this time around, but it did not change Bird’s status as an M.V.P. runner-up for the third consecutive year.

Magic Johnson

Now a definitive superstar, the reigning Finals M.V.P. led the NBA in assists as Los Angeles saw fifty-eight victories. He became the seventh player to average ten assists in a season, and the second of the decade after Micheal Ray Richardson.

Buck Williams

The third overall pick showed out for his New Jersey club, anchoring a top-ranked defense and and the franchise’s best record since joining the NBA. Williams was also a part of the top rebounding and efficiency leaders.

Artis Gilmore

Gilmore fit perfectly with his new team, continuing his stretch of quality play and vaulting the Spurs to a fifty-win campaign again. He was one of two players to shoot over sixty-percent from the field and maintained his defensive dominance.

Sidney Moncrief

The young guard managed to develop further as a hyper-efficient two-way player. He averaged over twenty points per game for the first time and sustained his gritty persona, being awarded the inaugural Defensive Player of the Year award.

Around the League

Team Standings

Notes
An asterisk (*) indicates that the team qualified for the playoffs.

Eastern Conference
Atlantic DivisionWLCentral DivisionWL
Philadelphia 76ers*6517Milwaukee Bucks*5131
Boston Celtics*5626Atlanta Hawks*4339
New Jersey Nets*4933Detroit Pistons3745
New York Knicks*4438Chicago Bulls2854
Washington Bullets4240Cleveland Cavaliers2359
Indiana Pacers2062
Western Conference
Midwest DivisionWLPacific DivisionWL
San Antonio Spurs*5329Los Angeles Lakers*5824
Denver Nuggets*4537Phoenix Suns*5329
Kansas City Kings4537Seattle SuperSonics*4834
Dallas Mavericks3844Portland Trail Blazers*4636
Utah Jazz3052Golden State Warriors3052
Houston Rockets1468San Diego Clippers2557

Fun Facts

  • The Houston Rockets’ record of 14-68 became the second worst in NBA history.
  • This was the Boston Celtics’ first season below sixty wins since the debut of Larry Bird.
  • The San Antonio Spurs continued their hot streak of divisional titles, winning their third in a row.
  • For the first time since 1978, all members of a division finished with a winning record.
    • This was accomplished by the Atlantic Division, whose worst team was the forty-two-win Washington Bullets.
  • Although they did not clinch a playoff berth, the Dallas Mavericks improved in swift fashion for an expansion team – they were only three games under .500, and developed a distinct offense-oriented mentality.
  • The Denver Nuggets led the NBA in pace for the third straight season.
  • Under the watch of Moses Malone, the Philadelphia 76ers obtained their first divisional title since 1978.

Notable Movement

Key

The player stats listed are based on their last tenure, whether it be with their former team or the previous season.
Name(s) under the “Top Draft Picks” section with a plus (+) opted to play in another league instead of the NBA this season.
p – points
r – rebounds
a – assists
s – steals
b – blocks

Top Draft Picks

#TeamPlayer
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10		Los Angeles Lakers
San Diego Clippers
Utah Jazz
Dallas Mavericks
Kansas City Kings
New York Knicks
Chicago Bulls
Indiana Pacers
Detroit Pistons
Atlanta Hawks		James Worthy
Terry Cummings
Dominique Wilkins
Bill Garnett
LaSalle Thompson
Trent Tucker
Quintin Dailey
Clark Kellogg
Cliff Levingston
Keith Edmonson

Players

DatePlayerTeamActionDestinationStats
July 7, 1982Truck RobinsonPhoenix SunsTradedNew York Knicks(19.1p/9.7r/2.4a)
July 22, 1982Artis GilmoreChicago BullsTradedSan Antonio Spurs(18.5p/10.2r/2.7b)
September 15, 1982Moses MaloneHouston RocketsTradedPhiladelphia 76ers(31.1p/14.7r/1.5b)
October 22, 1982Bernard KingGolden State WarriorsTradedNew York Knicks(23.2p/5.9r/3.6a)
February 6, 1983Micheal Ray RichardsonGolden State WarriorsTradedNew Jersey Nets(12.5p/7.4a/3.1s)

Other Personnel

DatePersonTeamAction
June 23, 1982Coach Paul WestheadChicago BullsHired
October 21, 1982Coach Bill MusselmanCleveland CavaliersResigned
October 21, 1982Coach Tom NissalkeCleveland CavaliersHired
March 13, 1983Coach Al AttlesGolden State WarriorsReassigned
April 6, 1983Coach Larry BrownNew Jersey NetsResigned
April 8, 1983Coach Stan AlbeckNew Jersey NetsHired
April 18, 1983Coach Scotty RobertsonDetroit PistonsFired
April 20, 1983Coach Paul SilasSan Diego ClippersFired
April 22, 1983Coach Del HarrisHouston RocketsResigned
May 10, 1983Coach Paul WestheadChicago BullsFired
May 12, 1983Coach Johnny BachGolden State WarriorsHired
May 17, 1983Coach Chuck DalyDetroit PistonsHired
May 27, 1983Coach Bill FitchBoston CelticsFired

Retirements

PlayerTeam(s)Notable Accomplishments
Bob DandridgeMilwaukee Bucks
Washington Bullets		2x Champion
1x All-NBA
4x All-Star
1x All-Defensive
1970 All-Rookie Team
John JohnsonCleveland Cavaliers
Portland Trail Blazers
Houston Rockets
Seattle SuperSonics		1x Champion
2x All-Star
George McGinnisPhiladelphia 76ers
Denver Nuggets
Indiana Pacers		2x All-NBA
3x All-Star

League Leaders

Key

PPG – points per game
RPG – rebounds per game
APG – assists per game
SPG – steals per game
BPG – blocks per game
FG% – field goal percentage (percentage of shots that hit)
FT% – free throw percentage (percentage of foul shots that hit)
3P% – three-point field goal percentage (percentage of three-point shots that hit)

StatLeaders
PPGAlex English (28.4)
Kiki Vandeweghe (26.7)
Kelly Tripucka (26.5)
George Gervin (26.2)
Moses Malone (24.5)
RPGMoses Malone (15.3)
Buck Williams (12.5)
Bill Laimbeer (12.1)
Artis Gilmore (12)
Jack Sikma (11.4)
APGMagic Johnson (10.5)
Johnny Moore (9.8)
Rickey Green (8.9)
Larry Drew (8.1)
Frank Johnson (8.1)
SPGMicheal Ray Richardson (2.8)
Rickey Green (2.8)
Johnny Moore (2.5)
Isiah Thomas (2.5)
Darwin Cook (2.4)
BPGTree Rollins (4.3)
Bill Walton (3.6)
Mark Eaton (3.4)
Larry Nance (2.6)
Artis Gilmore (2.3)
FG%Artis Gilmore (62%)
Steve Johnson (62%)
Darryl Dawkins (59%)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (58%)
Buck Williams (58%)
FT%Calvin Murphy (92%)
Kiki Vandeweghe (87%)
Kyle Macy (87%)
George Gervin (85%)
Adrian Dantley (84%)
3P%Mike Dunleavy (34%)
Isiah Thomas (28%)
Darrell Griffith (28%)
Allen Leavell (24%)

Playoffs

First Round

East / Boston Celtics beat Atlanta Hawks, 2-1
These franchises had history, but their relations had been few and between for a decade now. 1973 was their last playoff matchup, and they were wildly different rosters at this point in time.

Boston warded off Dan Roundfield and Dominique Wilkins in Game 1, but fell short in the second outing due to a Larry Bird shooting slump. Game 3 was a physical and tense match, including a fight between Atlanta’s Tree Rollins and Boston’s Danny Ainge – the latter’s club emerged victorious, however, thanks to Bird’s thorough dominance.
East / New York Knicks beat New Jersey Nets, 2-0
For the first time in league history, the bordering rivals had been good enough to host a post-season round. Also an intriguing narrative was the battle of siblings Bernard and Albert King, who represented the Knicks and Nets respectively.

Bernard’s experience showed from the jump, scoring forty points to lift New York to their first playoff win in five years. Despite being outplayed by his brother in the subsequent Game 2, the Knicks’ offensive depth prompted a sweep – their bench outscored New Jersey’s 33-12.
West / Denver Nuggets beat Phoenix Suns, 2-1
Consecutive first round battles were on the plate for these western small markets, with Denver eager to avenge their previous disappointment. A Game 1 blowout loss was not exactly moving, but not all was lost.

Seventy-two combined points from Kiki Vandeweghe, Alex English, and Dan Issel lifted the Nuggets to a series tie, setting the stage for a road tiebreaker match. Affairs were competitive, going into overtime after a timely three-pointer from Mike Evans. Denver managed to claim victory as Alex English exploded for forty-two points, marking the franchise’s first series win since 1978.
West / Portland Trail Blazers beat Seattle SuperSonics, 2-0
The northwest’s favorite rivalry was back in action. Portland had never beaten Seattle in a series, but this was a better opportunity than ever – they had caught up to their contemporaries in overall roster quality, only worse by two wins and splitting the regular season series.

Despite the acrobatic production of Gus Williams, the Blazers stood their ground. Their supporting players were simply significantly better than Seattle’s, a claim further proven by sixth man Kenny Carr’s seventeen points in Game 2.

Semifinals

East / Milwaukee Bucks beat Boston Celtics, 4-0
Despite being among the Eastern Conference’s top contenders for years, the Bucks and Celtics had yet to meet in during the 80’s until now. Boston was rendered as the superior club due to their experience and personnel, but a down year for the 1981 Champions was a trait Milwaukee eyed closely.

The Bucks tore Boston apart in Game 1, shocking the Garden. A combination of the flu and a hand injury then kept Larry Bird out of the second match, resulting in consecutive home losses that spelt bad news for the Celtics. Not a single game favored them, with Marques Johnson eventually handling business in Game 4 with thirty-three points and nine rebounds.

Boston had now been swept, an occurrence considered pitiful for the storied franchise. Their last appearance on the wrong end of a playoff sweep was 1954, and this was their first in a seven-game format.
East / Philadelphia 76ers beat New York Knicks, 4-0
The 76ers were rested and immensely confident, with Moses Malone publicly betting on his club – “fo, fo, fo” was his prediction, claiming they would steamroll through the post-season lossless. This had yet to be done by an NBA team to date, but there was a first for everything…

Philadelphia got off to a proper start, dismantling the Knicks in a sweep. New York’s once-formidable defense collapsed, entirely incapable of guarding Malone and Maurice Cheeks. Out-gunning their adversaries was of no use, either – the only prolific scorer they had was Bernard King, who could not take down an army alone.
West / Los Angeles Lakers beat Portland Trail Blazers, 4-1
The last time Kareem Abdul-Jabbar stared down red jerseys of this hue, Los Angeles was in a darker place. Their supporting cast was a mess, they had no marketability, and were held to zero wins as Bill Walton’s Trail Blazers advanced to the Finals to win a championship.

Six years later, matters were different. The Lakers were now on pace to reach dynastic success, and Portland was devoid of a legitimate superstar. The Captain averaged thirty-three points through a few matches to jump to a 3-0 lead, sights locked on a Conference Finals appearance.

A hot start from the Blazers won them Game 4, but Norm Nixon’s fiery thirty-six-point bomb in the fifth contest ensured his club’s survival.
West / San Antonio Spurs beat Denver Nuggets, 4-1
Since migrating to the NBA, these former ABA franchises had yet to face off. They did via tiebreaker in their former league, but a meet in 1983 wasn’t quite the same as a Texas Chaparrals vs. Denver Rockets headline. In their modern form, fans were blessed with two offensive juggernauts speeding through the wonders of basketball.

San Antonio amply out-played Denver. Some highlights from the first few games included forty-two points from George Gervin in Game 1, twenty assists from Johnny Moore in Game 2, and a ludicrous 39/8/12 stat-line with five steals from the point guard a couple nights later.

The Nuggets finally managed a victory in Game 4 following an ugly shooting night from the Spurs. In response, San Antonio closed the series out with a forty-point victory – a profoundly disrespectful statement.

Conference Finals

East / Philadelphia 76ers beat Milwaukee Bucks, 4-1
Three years of 76ers-Bucks basketball. It was as inevitable as the Philadelphia-Boston rivalry at this point, but these teams could at least rejoice in the fall of their shared Massachusetts rival.

Milwaukee entered scrappy, even forcing overtime after a Junior Bridgeman game-tying shot. Their defense on Moses Malone was quality in Game 1, but the M.V.P. quickly broke through their schemes to win three straight matches.

The Bucks narrowly won the fourth game – therefore spoiling Malone’s playoff sweep hopes – but were shot down shortly after by the center’s twenty-eight points, seventeen rebounds and four blocks.
West / Los Angeles Lakers beat San Antonio Spurs, 4-2
A rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals was underway, albeit with a major difference – Artis Gilmore. The multiple-time All-Star was the perfect asset to slow down Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, which energized San Antonio. To emphasize the validity of their poise, they beat Los Angeles 4-1 in the regular season series – they statistically had the defending champions’ number.

Wins were split in The Forum, but the Lakers mustered two road wins to build a cushioned series lead. San Antonio fought for their lives in Game 5 to keep their aspirations afloat, but they lost in soul-crushing fashion immediately after. Despite twenty-four points and eighteen rebounds from Artis Gilmore, the Texan team slipped into the losers’ column by one point.

Finals

Philadelphia 76ers beat Los Angeles Lakers, 4-0
The Finals was now presenting a clear-cut rivalry – these franchises had met at this stage for the third time in four years, and the 76ers were hungry to finally dethrone Los Angeles for a title of their own.

Moses Malone proved his status as the world’s best player, looking unstoppable in Philadelphia’s two home wins to begin the series. The Lakers jumped to a large lead in Game 3, comfortable in the Californian air – however, the play of Sixth Man of the Year Bobby Jones provided the 76ers with enough energy to come back and win yet again.

The chances of a Los Angeles repeat seemed close to zero at this point, considering a 3-0 lead had never been reversed. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Malone had a battle for the ages, with the thirty-five-year-old collecting more points – however, the reigning M.V.P. out-rebounded his rival by sixteen. This, in tandem with good performances from Julius Erving and Maurice Cheeks, was the dealbreaker – the 76ers were champions again for the first time in sixteen years.
The Philadelphia 76ers win the 1983 NBA championship!
Moses Malone was named the Finals Most Valuable Player.

Awards

Notes
Name(s) under the “All-Stars” section with an asterisk (*) were listed as the MVP of the All-Star Game that year. Those with “(IR)” next to their name were chosen to replace an injured star.

Major Awards

Rookie of the YearMVPFinals MVPCoach of the Year
Terry CummingsMoses MaloneMoses MaloneDon Nelson
Comeback Player of the YearDefensive Player of the YearSixth Man of the Year
Paul WestphalSidney MoncriefBobby Jones

All-NBA

All-NBA First TeamAll-NBA Second Team
Magic Johnson
Sidney Moncrief
Julius Erving
Larry Bird
Moses Malone		Isiah Thomas
George Gervin
Alex English
Buck Williams
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

All-Defensive

All-Defensive First TeamAll-Defensive Second Team
Maurice Cheeks
Dennis Johnson
Sidney Moncrief
Dan Roundfield
Bobby Jones
Moses Malone		T.R. Dunn
Michael Cooper
Larry Bird
Kevin McHale
Tree Rollins

All-Stars

Eastern All-StarsWestern All-Stars
Larry Bird
Maurice Cheeks
Julius Erving*
Marques Johnson
Bill Laimbeer
Moses Malone
Sidney Moncrief
Robert Parish
Reggie Theus
Isiah Thomas
Andrew Toney
Buck Williams		Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Alex English
George Gervin
Artis Gilmore
Magic Johnson
Maurice Lucas
Jim Paxson
Jack Sikma
David Thompson
Kiki Vandeweghe
Jamaal Wilkes
Gus Williams
East beats West, 132-123

All-Rookie

All-Rookie Team
Terry Cummings
Quintin Dailey
Clark Kellogg
Dominique Wilkins
James Worthy

All-Time Championship Leaderboard

Notes
The Baltimore Bullets (1947-1954) won the championship in 1948, but are defunct. As a result, they are not listed.

TeamCountYears
Celtics141957, 1959
1960, 1961
1962, 1963
1964, 1965
1966, 1967
1969, 1974
1976, 1981
Lakers81949, 1950
1952, 1953
1954, 1972
1980, 1982
Warriors31947, 1956
1975
76ers31955, 1967
1983
Knicks21970, 1973
Kings11951
Hawks11958
Bucks11971
Trail Blazers11977
Bullets11978
SuperSonics11979
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The NBA Time Machine: 1982

Posted on by in Sports, The NBA Time Machine

Published July 15, 2023

The NBA Time Machine:
1982

Butting Heads

Poison in the Lake

Coming off a bitter end to the 1980-81 season, the air was a tad toxic in the Los Angeles Lakers’ locker room. This was a byproduct of disputes between coach Paul Westhead and star player Magic Johnson.

Affairs begun on a decent note, with the team going 7-3 through their first ten games. Following a narrow win against the Utah Jazz in early November, the basketball community was rushed with shocking news as Johnson requested a trade to another team. He was becoming increasingly frustrated with Westhead’s coaching philosophy.

The traditionalist coach preferred to run deliberate plays that involved a patient halfcourt offense designed to feed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Johnson did not necessarily have any ill will towards his teammate and mentor, but his offensive ideologies could not have been more different. His vision involved embracing the fast break and demolishing opponent morale with speed and energy.

Given that Johnson could not realize his potential in this system, he reached a breaking point. It was now up to the front office to choose between their star or coach, and history favored the former. This situation was not exempt, as Westhead was fired less than twenty-four hours after news of the request materialized.

Pat Riley, who was an assistant, was ultimately nominated to take the lead role. His willingness to consider Johnson’s approach ultimately led to a fifty-seven-win season and a near-triple-double statistical average for the guard.

Pay Your Guard

In an era of growing player independence, Gus Williams was yet another talent complacent with dismissing his playing duties. The one-time champion sat out the entirety of the previous year, stripping the Seattle SuperSonics of a primary scoring option. They did manage to acquire the multiple-time All-Star Paul Westphal in a trade, but injury woes rendered that move a failure.

Williams’ primary motive for holding out was financial. The guard claimed he had personal reasons intensifying his choice, but they were not detailed. Seattle ultimately gave in, upgrading from a proposed five-hundred-thousand-dollar deal to a monumental one of three-million.

Due to managing his condition in missed time, Williams was far from rusty. He averaged career highs in scoring and assists, therefore receiving his first All-Star Game selection and the Comeback Player of the Year award. The SuperSonics also improved by eighteen games under his lead.

K.C. Kollapse

During the 1981 off-season, the Cleveland Cavaliers forwarded an offer sheet to Kansas City Kings star Otis Birdsong. The expectation was that the shooting guard would side with Cleveland, who had proposed a five-million-dollar agreement – unless the Kings matched the price or traded him, of course.

The reigning Western Conference Finalists were now met with a harsh ultimatum – fork up some significant funds, or lose the franchise’s best player of the last five years. They ultimately chose the latter in an exchange with the New Jersey Nets – Birdsong and a second-round draft pick were swapped for the young and promising power forward Cliff Robinson.

In further conflicts with Cleveland they also lost former All-Star Scott Wedman. While Kansas City did receive a first-round draft pick as compensation, this ripped apart their timeline – they were now working with a severely inexperienced roster that was unlikely to make any serious noise.

After trading Robinson mid-way through the season – to yes, you guessed it, the Cavaliers – Kansas City ultimately embraced a rebuilding period. They finished the season on a 14-18 run and clinched a bottom-five record in the NBA.

Just a Few Buckets

On March 6, the Milwaukee Bucks and San Antonio Spurs went head-to-head in what was an inconspicuous matchup. Both teams were very good, ensuring a quality show, but there were no particular implications at play.

What instead transpired was a historic moment – a triple-overtime showdown that resulted in the highest-scoring game in NBA history. San Antonio bested their adversaries with a 171-166 finish, witnessing ninety-five combined points from George Gervin and Mike Mitchell. Johnny Moore also dished out sixteen assists while only recording one turnover.

On the other end, Brian Winters and Junior Bridgeman recorded a jointed seventy-three points off the bench, nine of which came from three-point shots. Regardless, Milwaukee was bested and spiraled into a five-game losing streak due to exhaustion.

Calming the Thunder

Due to the established popularity of explosive dunks, the NBA was forced to consider the safety of their resources. They chose to implement breakaway rims – which were better-equipped for strong forces – to avoid ramifications such as player injury or shattered backboards. World-class dunkers, including Darryl Dawkins and David Thompson, were protected most by this decision.

Standout Players

Moses Malone

For the third time in the past four seasons, Malone led the NBA in rebounding. The Rockets’ forty-six wins was the third-highest total in franchise history, and he was awarded his second M.V.P. award for dragging a rather bleak supporting cast to the playoffs.

Larry Bird

The superstar forward reached another stage of offensive excellence, averaging career highs in scoring and assists. He also shot over fifty-percent from the field for the first time. Boston’s sixty-three win total became the second-highest the team had ever seen.

Julius Erving

It was yet another business year for the Doctor, who scored on blistering efficiency to keep Philadelphia in firm contention. Despite the gap between him and the next-highest scorer being eight points, the 76ers were a top-five ranked offense – a clear indicator of his impact, if there ever was one.

Magic Johnson

Despite being the proprietor of tension in the locker room, the Los Angeles Lakers had effectively handed the keys to Johnson. He was their best performer, only being half a rebound and assist short of averaging a triple double for the season. The guard also led the league in steals once again.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

This was not Abdul-Jabbar’s prettiest statistical showing – he averaged career lows in all major statistics, and finished with a single-digit rebound average for the first time. This was all by design, though – the improvement of Magic Johnson allowed the Captain to take a backseat in responsibility.

George Gervin

The Iceman won his fourth scoring title amidst yet another Spurs divisional title. This was the club’s fourth in the past five years. They also finished with a top-three offense behind Gervin’s tricks, setting the stage for what could be a competitive playoff run.

Around the League

Team Standings

Notes
An asterisk (*) indicates that the team qualified for the playoffs.

Eastern Conference
Atlantic DivisionWLCentral DivisionWL
Boston Celtics*6319Milwaukee Bucks*5527
Philadelphia 76ers*5824Atlanta Hawks*4240
New Jersey Nets*4438Detroit Pistons3943
Washington Bullets*4339Indiana Pacers3547
New York Knicks3349Chicago Bulls3448
Cleveland Cavaliers1567
Western Conference
Midwest DivisionWLPacific DivisionWL
San Antonio Spurs*4834Los Angeles Lakers*5725
Denver Nuggets*4636Seattle SuperSonics*5230
Houston Rockets*4636Phoenix Suns*4636
Kansas City Kings3052Golden State Warriors4537
Dallas Mavericks2854Portland Trail Blazers4240
Utah Jazz2557San Diego Clippers1765

Fun Facts

  • The New Jersey Nets earned their first winning season since joining the NBA.
  • Despite finishing with winning records, the Golden State Warriors and Portland Trail Blazers could not secure a playoff berth in the uber-competitive Pacific Division.
  • The twenty-five game gap separating the Portland Trail Blazers and San Diego Clippers was the largest between two divisional rivals since the format was implemented.
  • This was the Phoenix Suns’ first finish below fifty wins since 1978.
  • With four rotational pieces at thirty years of age or higher, the Houston Rockets were the clear-cut oldest squad around.
    • This was finalized by the acquiring of multiple-time All-Star Elvin Hayes, who was the oldest player in the NBA.
  • Alex English’s breakout was the catalyst for a Denver Nuggets bounce-back campaign.
    • Behind him, they sported a generational scoring arsenal – their average of 126.5 points per game was more than enough to boast the league’s top-ranked offense.
      • This was neutralized by their horrific defensive tendencies, giving up 126 points per game as well.

Notable Movement

Key

The player stats listed are based on their last tenure, whether it be with their former team or the previous season.
Name(s) under the “Top Draft Picks” section with a plus (+) opted to play in another league instead of the NBA this season.
p – points
r – rebounds
a – assists
s – steals
b – blocks

Top Draft Picks

#TeamPlayer
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10		Dallas Mavericks
Detroit Pistons
New Jersey Nets
Atlanta Hawks
Seattle SuperSonics
Chicago Bulls
Kansas City Kings
San Diego Clippers
Dallas Mavericks
New Jersey Nets		Mark Aguirre
Isiah Thomas
Buck Williams
Al Wood
Danny Vranes
Orlando Woolridge
Steve Johnson
Tom Chambers
Rolando Blackman
Albert King

Players

DatePlayerTeamActionDestinationStats
June 8, 1981Scott WedmanKansas City KingsSignedCleveland Cavaliers(19p/5.3r/2.8a)
June 8, 1981Otis BirdsongKansas City KingsTradedNew Jersey Nets(24.6p/3.6r/3.3a)
June 18, 1981Gus WilliamsSeattle SuperSonicsSigned (from holdout)Seattle SuperSonics(22.1p/4.8a/2.2s)
December 23, 1981Mike MitchellCleveland CavaliersTradedSan Antonio Spurs(19.6p/5.2r/1s)
February 12, 1982Paul WestphalSeattle SuperSonicsSignedNew York Knicks(16.7p/4.1a/1.3s)

Other Personnel

DatePersonTeamActionStats
November 19, 1981Coach Paul WestheadLos Angeles LakersFiredRecord: 7-4
November 19, 1981Coach Pat RileyLos Angeles LakersHiredRecord: 50-21
December 3, 1981Coach Don DelaneyCleveland CavaliersFiredRecord: 4-11
December 3, 1981Coach Bob KloppenburgCleveland CavaliersAppointed (Interim)Record: 0-3
December 4, 1981Coach Chuck DalyCleveland CavaliersHiredRecord: n/a
December 10, 1981Coach Tom NissalkeUtah JazzFiredRecord: 8-12
December 10, 1981Coach Frank LaydenUtah JazzHiredRecord: 17-45
February 17, 1982Coach Jerry SloanChicago BullsFiredRecord: 19-32
February 17, 1982Coach Phil JohnsonChicago BullsAppointed (Interim)Record: 0-1
March 8, 1982Coach Chuck DalyCleveland CavaliersFiredRecord: 9-32
March 8, 1982Coach Bill MusselmanCleveland CavaliersAppointed (Interim)Record: 2-21
May 14, 1982Coach Red HolzmanNew York KnicksRetiredRecord: 33-49
May 20, 1982Coach Hubie BrownNew York KnicksHiredRecord: n/a

Retirements

PlayerTeam(s)Notable Accomplishments
Phil ChenierWashington Bullets
Indiana Pacers
Golden State Warriors		1x Champion
1x All-NBA
3x All-Star
1972 All-Rookie Team
Doug CollinsPhiladelphia 76ers4x All-Star
Rudy TomjanovichHouston Rockets5x All-Star
Wes UnseldWashington Bullets1x Champion
1x Finals MVP
1x MVP
1x All-NBA
5x All-Star
1969 Rookie of the Year
1969 All-Rookie Team
1x Rebounds Leader
Jo Jo WhiteBoston Celtics
Golden State Warriors
Kansas City Kings		2x Champion
1x Finals MVP
2x All-NBA
7x All-Star
1970 All-Rookie Team
Sidney WicksPortland Trail Blazers
Boston Celtics
San Diego Clippers		4x All-Star
1972 Rookie of the Year
1972 All-Rookie Team

League Leaders

Key

PPG – points per game
RPG – rebounds per game
APG – assists per game
SPG – steals per game
BPG – blocks per game
FG% – field goal percentage (percentage of shots that hit)
FT% – free throw percentage (percentage of foul shots that hit)
3P% – three-point field goal percentage (percentage of three-point shots that hit)

StatLeaders
PPGGeorge Gervin (32.3)
Moses Malone (31.1)
Adrian Dantley (30.3)
Alex English (25.4)
Julius Erving (24.4)
RPGMoses Malone (14.7)
Jack Sikma (12.7)
Buck Williams (12.3)
Mychal Thompson (11.7)
Maurice Lucas (11.3)
APGJohnny Moore (9.6)
Magic Johnson (9.5)
Maurice Cheeks (8.4)
Tiny Archibald (8)
Norm Nixon (8)
SPGMagic Johnson (2.7)
Maurice Cheeks (2.6)
Micheal Ray Richardson (2.6)
Quinn Buckner (2.5)
Ray Williams (2.4)
BPGGeorge Johnson (3.1)
Tree Rollins (2.8)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (2.7)
Artis Gilmore (2.7)
Robert Parish (2.4)
FG%Artis Gilmore (65%)
Steve Johnson (61%)
Buck Williams (58%)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (57%)
Calvin Natt (57%)
FT%Kyle Macy (89%)
Charlie Criss (88%)
John Long (86%)
George Gervin (86%)
Larry Bird (86%)
3P%Campy Russell (43%)
Andrew Toney (42%)
Kyle Macy (39%)
Brian Winters (38%)
Don Buse (38%)

Playoffs

First Round

East / Philadelphia 76ers beat Atlanta Hawks, 2-0
After a strange down year that involved a playoff absence, the Hawks returned to form and looked to upset the fiery 76ers. Chances were slim, but anything was possible for a team known to defy odds.

Atlanta entered flat, giving Philadelphia a free lane to win. The latter took Game 1 by a staggering thirty-five points, an effort that commenced after Darryl Dawkins set the tone. The center had twenty-seven points, nine rebounds, and eight blocks.

Dan Roundfield of the Hawks made the second match much more competitive, even going to overtime. However, the 76ers squeezed through by a narrow three-point margin to secure a playoff advance.
East / Washington Bullets beat New Jersey Nets, 2-0
Only separated by one game in the win column, either club could conceivably advance to the Semifinals. Both were known for their defensive aptitude, with New Jersey particularly standing out in that regard – however, their personnel situation was much less enticing. Otis Birdsong, their newest acquisition, was out to injury which damaged their depth.

Washington took both matches comfortably, with the former being powered by eighteen points and twenty rebounds from Jeff Ruland off the bench. The Nets simply failed to find an offensive rhythm, something the presence of Birdsong would have rectified.
West / Phoenix Suns beat Denver Nuggets, 2-1
These Western Conference representatives had never met in the post-season before, despite being mutual contenders for a number of years. Their philosophies were antithetical – the Suns won games with draining defense and depth, while Denver was a top-heavy roster that wanted to run-and-gun at all times.

Home games were split, causing an arrangement for Game 3. A strong third quarter from Phoenix – as well as thirty points from Walter Davis off the bench – was enough to get by and maintain the franchise’s four-year streak of Semifinals appearances.
West / Seattle SuperSonics beat Houston Rockets, 2-1
The Rockets may have been defending Conference Champions, but Seattle’s re-emergence as a powerhouse was concerning. The presence of Gus Williams was enough to change a team’s pace and effectiveness, something Houston was required to monitor.

Williams and Moses Malone swapped big performances in wins for their clubs, indicating a tiebreaker was imminent. Despite a decent outing from Malone, the Rockets’ putrid depth was a sight to see for the SuperSonics. Jack Sikma’s thirty points and seventeen rebounds led the team to a series win.

Semifinals

East / Boston Celtics beat Washington Bullets, 4-1
Boston and Washington had not met in the post-season since the 1975 Eastern Conference Finals. These were entirely different cores now, led by Larry Bird and Greg Ballard as opposed to Dave Cowens and Elvin Hayes.

Game 1 was a solid Celtics win, and the second match was looking to be the same – Frank Johnson of the Bullets thought otherwise, hitting a three-pointer to put his club up with three seconds left. Following this 1-1 series tie, Boston took a hefty lead behind big showings from Robert Parish.

The fifth game was down to the wire, with Jeff Ruland hitting a couple free throws at the end to force overtime. No progress was made as it eventually went to a second period, where the Celtics finally pulled away. Parish recorded thirty-three points, thirteen rebounds, three assists, and six blocks in the series-clinching victory.
East / Philadelphia 76ers beat Milwaukee Bucks, 4-2
Milwaukee and Philadelphia returned right where they left off last year – in the Semifinals. Both teams were still just about as even as possible, although the Bucks had a 4-2 advantage in the regular season series.

Cream City’s club struggled to effectively close out games – the 76ers jumped to a 3-1 lead in no time, and the singular loss stemmed from a Sidney Moncrief walk-off buzzer beater. Six double-digit Milwaukee scorers earned the ownership of Game 5, but the entire team – sans Mickey Johnson – shriveled in the must-win sixth match.
West / Los Angeles Lakers beat Phoenix Suns, 4-0
Historically speaking, the Lakers simply had Phoenix’s number. They just gentleman’s swept them a couple years prior, and their chances seemed even prettier this time around.

Consecutive Magic Johnson triple-doubles in blowout wins killed the Suns’ morale immediately. The superstar continued to thoroughly pick apart his opponent in the following outings, eventually leading Los Angeles to a full-power sweep.

Offense bolstered the Lakers – four of the series’ top-five scorers were on their side.
West / San Antonio Spurs beat Seattle SuperSonics, 4-1
A game winner from George Gervin was the first taste fans experienced in this duel, giving the Spurs a quick 1-0 lead. Gus Williams’ determination was enough to keep Seattle in the mix – his thirty-four points and nine assists tied up affairs.

Uninterested in losing their edge, San Antonio pulled off three straight wins behind balanced team performances to advance in five games. Williams was absolutely nuclear offensively but did not receive enough help from his supporting cast, sending the SuperSonics into an anticlimactic defeat.

Conference Finals

East / Philadelphia 76ers beat Boston Celtics, 4-3
For the third consecutive season, the Eastern Conference’s two best teams met in the Conference Finals. This series was perhaps the most important of these teams to date – not only would it break a 1-1 tie, but could open up the gates for a Celtics repeat or long-coveted 76ers title.

On what has been dubbed the “Mother’s Day Massacre”, Boston opened the series with a vicious forty-point blowout led by Larry Bird’s triple-double. Philadelphia responded maturely, securing the next three games behind Andrew Toney’s blistering twenty-eight-point scoring average. The young guard had begun to develop a reputation of being a Celtic killer, earning the nickname “The Boston Strangler”.

Now down 3-1, the green team was in a familiar position. They had overcome this sort of deficit just a season ago, and seemed prepared to replicate that after winning two matches to force Game 7. Thirty-four points from Toney prevented history from repeating, though – he helped Philadelphia enjoy a cushioned win that confirmed their third Finals appearance in the past six years.

Despite the series loss, Boston fans still had life in them – as they watched their players concede defeat, “Beat LA!” chants were heard across the Garden to motivate the lesser of two rivals.
West / Los Angeles Lakers beat San Antonio Spurs, 4-0
Now in the Conference Finals again for the first time since 1979, the Spurs had a large task awaiting them. Dismantling Los Angeles, who had just about all factors in their favor, would not be easy.

Simply put, San Antonio did not have the roster construction to outplay the Lakers. The latter ran too deep in their rotation while also giving minutes to multiple superstars. George Gervin averaged a strong thirty-two points per game for the series, but one man could not defeat an army.

Finals

Los Angeles Lakers beat Philadelphia 76ers, 4-2
After losing in six games to the Lakers in 1980, Philadelphia had redemption in their sights. They had still yet to win a title in the Julius Erving era, instead riding the coattails of the historic 1967 championship run.

Both teams won a game apiece to open up matters, enjoying the benefit of having multiple double-digit scorers. Despite motivating showings from Andrew Toney, the 76ers dropped both road matches and ended up down 3-1 on the plane ride home. They blew Los Angeles out in Game 5 behind Toney’s thirty-one points and eight assists, but had to enter the sixth contest with a different mentality than what was displayed a couple years ago.

Los Angeles thoroughly controlled the pace – offensive rebounds were not their ex-factor this time around, but instead ball movement. Magic Johnson compiled an absurd 13/13/13 stat-line with four steals – he only attempted three shots total, but managed to have an irreplaceable impact on the club’s success. Such manipulation on team morale was unheard of.

Also enormous in this match were Bob McAdoo and Michael Cooper, who combined for thirty-two points off the bench. Not even Toney and Julius Erving’s determination could nullify the makings of such a complete adversary – they had been sent home empty-handed once more, paving the way for the Lakers’ eighth NBA championship.
The Los Angeles Lakers win the 1982 NBA championship!
Magic Johnson was named the Finals Most Valuable Player.

Awards

Notes
Name(s) under the “All-Stars” section with an asterisk (*) were listed as the MVP of the All-Star Game that year. Those with “(IR)” next to their name were chosen to replace an injured star.

Major Awards

Rookie of the YearMVPFinals MVP
Buck WilliamsMoses MaloneMagic Johnson
Coach of the YearComeback Player of the Year
Gene ShueGus Williams

All-NBA

All-NBA First TeamAll-NBA Second Team
Gus Williams
George Gervin
Julius Erving
Larry Bird
Moses Malone		Magic Johnson
Sidney Moncrief
Bernard King
Alex English
Robert Parish

All-Defensive

All-Defensive First TeamAll-Defensive Second Team
Dennis Johnson
Michael Cooper
Dan Roundfield
Bobby Jones
Caldwell Jones		Quinn Buckner
Sidney Moncrief
Lonnie Shelton
Larry Bird
Jack Sikma

All-Stars

Eastern All-StarsWestern All-Stars
Tiny Archibald
Larry Bird*
Julius Erving
Artis Gilmore
Bobby Jones
Bob Lanier
Sidney Moncrief
Robert Parish
Micheal Ray Richardson
Dan Roundfield
Isiah Thomas
Kelly Tripucka (IR)
Buck Williams		Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Adrian Dantley
Alex English
George Gervin
Dennis Johnson
Magic Johnson
Bernard King
Moses Malone
Norm Nixon
Lonnie Shelton
Jack Sikma
Gus Williams
East beats West, 120-118

All-Rookie

All-Rookie Team
Jeff Ruland
Isiah Thomas
Kelly Tripucka
Jay Vincent
Buck Williams

All-Time Championship Leaderboard

Notes
The Baltimore Bullets (1947-1954) won the championship in 1948, but are defunct. As a result, they are not listed.

TeamCountYears
Celtics141957, 1959
1960, 1961
1962, 1963
1964, 1965
1966, 1967
1969, 1974
1976, 1981
Lakers81949, 1950
1952, 1953
1954, 1972
1980, 1982
Warriors31947, 1956
1975
76ers21955, 1967
Knicks21970, 1973
Kings11951
Hawks11958
Bucks11971
Trail Blazers11977
Bullets11978
SuperSonics11979
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The NBA Time Machine: 1981

Posted on by in Sports, The NBA Time Machine

Published July 1, 2023

The NBA Time Machine:
1981

Cowboy Season

Done Deal, Dallas

The NBA had hit a point of significant growth, welcoming thirteen teams in the past fifteen years. Yet another owner was interested in expanding the league’s horizon – businessman Don Carter pitched a request to establish a franchise in Dallas, Texas. The primary inspiration for this decision was his wife, who loved basketball and encouraged the idea.

Voters officially admitted the Dallas Mavericks during the 1980 All-Star Game, preparing for a debut in the 1980-81 season. The name derived from the 50’s television series Maverick, which starred the successful actor – and now ownership member of the team – James Garner.

Kiki Vandeweghe, who led the UCLA Bruins to the 1980 NCAA Division I Finals, was selected by Dallas with the eleventh pick. The rookie refused to play for the team, largely influenced by his father’s disapproval of joining an non-established organization. As a result, he was traded to the Denver Nuggets a month into the season in return for a couple first-round draft picks.

The team, as expected, was largely awful in its inaugural run. Frequent losing – including fifteen straight dropped games from January to February – characterized their identity. Their sixty-seven losses was tied for the second-most in league history, only behind the pitiful 1973 Philadelphia 76ers.

Realignment

Due to the introduction of the Mavericks, the NBA reconsidered the construction of both conferences. Ultimately, the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs joined their new inter-state rival in the Midwest Division of the Western Conference.

Conversely, the Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls joined nearby teams – such as the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers – in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference.

Not So Magic

After a strong start to the season – in which the Los Angeles Lakers went 15-5 – Magic Johnson tore the cartilage in his left knee and was sidelined for the majority of the season. This caused the sophomore to miss the All-Star Game and entirely stripped him of All-NBA eligibility, despite his all-around statistical improvements.

The guard returned in time for the last month of the season, in which his quality play continued. He managed to check into enough games to qualify for the steals title, which he won with a whopping 3.4 a game. However, Johnson’s reinstation frustrated some of his teammates – the spotlight was immediately on him again, and their labor over his three-month absence went unrecognized.

Regardless, the Lakers finished on an 11-6 run and clinched a playoff berth yet again.

Pacific Exchange

In surprising fashion, two inter-divisional rivals traded their franchise cornerstones for each other. The Seattle SuperSonics sent former Finals M.V.P. Dennis Johnson to the Phoenix Suns, receiving four-time All-Star Paul Westphal in return.

On paper, the deal was quality – Seattle would gain a premier scorer to bolster their offense, and Phoenix’s backcourt would see an immense improvement on defense. However, only the Suns truly benefited – Johnson helped them win a franchise record fifty-seven games, also seeing their first divisional championship.

On the contrary, Westphal missed forty-six matches to injuries and posted his worst production since joining the Suns five years ago. Seattle also missed the playoffs entirely, seemingly ending a brief reign that included three straight Conference Finals appearances and a championship.

Turn-Arounds

The NBA introduced the Comeback Player of the Year award, which was designated to a talent who showed out after a subpar season. It became the third seasonal award, and was inaugurally presented to Bernard King.

Trouble had accompanied the former first-round pick during his one-year stint with the Utah Jazz – he was arrested and suspended by the league for cocaine possession, missing sixty-three games. He was then followed by sexual assault charges off-the-court, entirely tearing apart his reputation. His combination of improvement in character and returning to quality play influenced his receival of the honor.

Standout Players

Julius Erving

While Erving’s statistical season wasn’t any different than usual, the 76ers broke the sixty-win barrier for the first time since the days of Wilt Chamberlain. The Doctor was there every step of the way, playing all eighty-two games in preparation for his first league M.V.P. award.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Despite Magic Johnson missing over half of the year, Abdul-Jabbar maintained his composure. The reigning M.V.P. snatched his highest scoring average since 1977, and the Lakers still won fifty-eight games.

Larry Bird

A sophomore slump was not part of Bird’s plans. The Celtics superstar increased his assists average, stole the ball twice a game, and manifested a sixty-two win run. He finished in a narrow second place for the M.V.P. award.

Micheal Ray Richardson

Now in the media’s eye, Richardson continued fixing the damaged nature of New York City. Alongside Bill Cartwright, he brought the Knicks their first fifty-win campaign since 1973. The guard also led all players in steals once more.

Moses Malone

While the Rockets were subpar, Malone had the best statistical output of his career. He reached highs in scoring and blocks while also earning the rebounds title. Regardless of his supporting cast, the big man was unstoppable.

Artis Gilmore

Gilmore’s production regressed, but in good faith – he adjusted his role to make way for the breakout of teammate Reggie Theus. Gilmore’s sixty-seven percent from the field was the highest in the NBA, and he was still a top-tier shot blocker to boot. This contributed to Chicago’s first winning season and playoff berth in four years.

Around the League

Team Standings

Notes
An asterisk (*) indicates that the team qualified for the playoffs.

Eastern Conference
Atlantic DivisionWLCentral DivisionWL
Boston Celtics*6220Milwaukee Bucks*6022
Philadelphia 76ers*6220Chicago Bulls*4537
New York Knicks*5032Indiana Pacers*4438
Washington Bullets3943Atlanta Hawks3151
New Jersey Nets2458Cleveland Cavaliers2854
Detroit Pistons2161
Western Conference
Midwest DivisionWLPacific DivisionWL
San Antonio Spurs*5230Phoenix Suns*5725
Kansas City Kings*4042Los Angeles Lakers*5428
Houston Rockets*4042Portland Trail Blazers*4537
Denver Nuggets3745Golden State Warriors3943
Utah Jazz2854San Diego Clippers3646
Dallas Mavericks1567Seattle SuperSonics3448

Fun Facts

  • The Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics tied for first place in the league, with sixty-two wins apiece.
    • Tiebreaker rules ultimately earned Boston leadership of the Atlantic Division.
  • Following the changes to the Midwest Division, it immediately became the weakest in the NBA.
    • Its only winning member was the San Antonio Spurs – no other team won over forty matches.
  • With Gus Williams holding out and injuries ravaging the roster, the Seattle SuperSonics worsened by twenty-two games and fell to the bottom of the Pacific Division.
  • The Milwaukee Bucks’ sixty wins was their most in eight years.
  • For the first time since joining the NBA, the Indiana Pacers achieved a winning record and became playoff eligible.
  • With David Thompson healthy, the Denver Nuggets posted the top-ranked offense in the league.
    • However, their defense was ranked at a pitiful twenty-second place, only above the expansion Dallas Mavericks team.

Notable Movement

Key

The player stats listed are based on their last tenure, whether it be with their former team or the previous season.
Name(s) under the “Top Draft Picks” section with a plus (+) opted to play in another league instead of the NBA this season.
p – points
r – rebounds
a – assists
s – steals
b – blocks

Top Draft Picks

#TeamPlayer
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10		Golden State Warriors
Utah Jazz
Boston Celtics
Chicago Bulls
Denver Nuggets
New Jersey Nets
New Jersey Nets
Philadelphia 76ers
San Diego Clippers
Portland Trail Blazers		Joe Barry Carroll
Darrell Griffith
Kevin McHale
Kelvin Ransey
James Ray
Mike O’Koren
Mike Gminski
Andrew Toney
Michael Brooks
Ronnie Lester

Players

DatePlayerTeamActionDestinationStats
June 4, 1980Paul WestphalPhoenix SunsTradedSeattle SuperSonics(21.9p/5.1a/1.5s)
June 4, 1980Dennis JohnsonSeattle SuperSonicsTradedPhoenix Suns(19p/5.1r/4.1a)
August 28, 1980Lloyd FreeSan Diego ClippersTradedGolden State Warriors(30.2p/3.5r/4.2a)

Other Personnel

DatePersonTeamActionStats
May 20, 1980Coach Paul WestheadLos Angeles LakersHiredRecord: n/a
May 21, 1980Coach Paul SilasSan Diego ClippersHiredRecord: n/a
May 27, 1980Coach Dick MottaWashington BulletsResignedRecord: 39-43
May 27, 1980Coach Gene ShueWashington BulletsHiredRecord: n/a
June 2, 1980Coach Jack McKinneyIndiana PacersHiredRecord: n/a
June 5, 1980Coach Scotty RobertsonDetroit PistonsHiredRecord: n/a
June 11, 1980Coach Bill MusselmanCleveland CavaliersHiredRecord: n/a
July 16, 1980Coach Dick MottaDallas MavericksHiredRecord: n/a
December 17, 1980Coach Donnie WalshDenver NuggetsFiredRecord: 11-20
December 17, 1980Coach Doug MoeDenver NuggetsAppointed (Interim)Record: 26-25
December 22, 1980Coach Kevin LougheryNew Jersey NetsResignedRecord: 12-23
December 22, 1980Coach Bob MacKinnonNew Jersey NetsAppointed (Interim)Record: 12-35
March 13, 1981Coach Bill MusselmanCleveland CavaliersReassignedRecord: 25-46
March 13, 1981Coach Don DelaneyCleveland CavaliersHiredRecord: 3-8
March 18, 1981Coach Larry BrownNew Jersey NetsHiredRecord: n/a
March 26, 1981Coach Hubie BrownAtlanta HawksFiredRecord: 31-48
March 26, 1981Coach Mike FratelloAtlanta HawksAppointed (Interim)Record: 0-3

Retirements

PlayerTeam(s)Notable Accomplishments
Rick BarryGolden State Warriors
Houston Rockets		1x Champion
1x Finals MVP
6x All-NBA
8x All-Star
1x All-Star Game MVP
1966 Rookie of the Year
1966 All-Rookie Team
1x Scoring Leader
1x Steals Leader
Walt FrazierNew York Knicks
Cleveland Cavaliers		2x Champion
6x All-NBA
7x All-Star
1x All-Star Game MVP
7x All-Defensive
1968 All-Rookie Team
Pete MaravichAtlanta Hawks
Utah Jazz
Boston Celtics		4x All-NBA
5x All-Star
1971 All-Rookie Team
1x Scoring Leader
Earl MonroeBaltimore Bullets
New York Knicks		1x Champion
1x All-NBA
4x All-Star
1968 Rookie of the Year
1968 All-Rookie Team
Charlie ScottPhoenix Suns
Boston Celtics
Los Angeles Lakers
Denver Nuggets		1x Champion
3x All-Star
Paul SilasAtlanta Hawks
Phoenix Suns
Boston Celtics
Denver Nuggets
Seattle SuperSonics		3x Champion
2x All-Star
5x All-Defensive

League Leaders

Key

PPG – points per game
RPG – rebounds per game
APG – assists per game
SPG – steals per game
BPG – blocks per game
FG% – field goal percentage (percentage of shots that hit)
FT% – free throw percentage (percentage of foul shots that hit)
3P% – three-point field goal percentage (percentage of three-point shots that hit)

StatLeaders
PPGAdrian Dantley (30.6)
Moses Malone (27.8)
George Gervin (27.1)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (26.2)
David Thompson (25.5)
RPGMoses Malone (14.8)
Swen Nater (12.4)
Larry Smith (12.1)
Larry Bird (10.9)
Jack Sikma (10.4)
APGKevin Porter (9.1)
Norm Nixon (8.8)
Phil Ford (8.8)
Micheal Ray Richardson (7.9)
Tiny Archibald (7.7)
SPGMagic Johnson (3.4)
Micheal Ray Richardson (2.9)
Quinn Buckner (2.4)
Maurice Cheeks (2.4)
Ray Williams (2.3)
BPGGeorge Johnson (3.4)
Tree Rollins (2.9)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (2.9)
Robert Parish (2.6)
Artis Gilmore (2.4)
FG%Artis Gilmore (67%)
Darryl Dawkins (60%)
Cedric Maxwell (58%)
Bernard King (58%)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (57%)
FT%Calvin Murphy (95%)
Ricky Sobers (93%)
Mike Newlin (88%)
Jim Spanarkel (88%)
Junior Bridgeman (88%)
3P%Brian Taylor (38%)
Freeman Williams (34%)
Joe Hassett (34%)
Mike Bratz (33%)
Henry Bibby (33%)

Playoffs

First Round

East / Chicago Bulls beat New York Knicks, 2-0
The guard-center tandem was predicted to be a significant selling point of this series. Reggie Theus vs. Micheal Ray Richardson, and Artis Gilmore vs. Bill Cartwright. This was also the first meeting between the two franchises, as Chicago was recently moved to the Eastern Conference.

An ugly scoring game was victorious for Chicago thanks to Ricky Sobers’ eighteen points off the bench. Cartwright seemed to be dealing with poor conditioning or a nagging injury, given his low minutes and usage. The New York center continued to struggle in Game 2, recording only nine points and five fouls in a one-point overtime loss. Conversely, Chicago’s Reggie Theus poured in thirty-seven points, eleven assists, and four steals to close out.
East / Philadelphia 76ers beat Indiana Pacers, 2-0
In Indiana’s first playoff appearance, they were faced with the tall ask of usurping the defending Eastern Conference Champions. It also proposed an interesting narrative of George McGinnis facing his former team for the first time in the playoffs.

The Pacers had no counter to Julius Erving’s bag of tricks, enabling him to average twenty-seven points in two blowout wins for the 76ers. Rookie Andrew Toney also had a phenomenal performance in Game 1, delivering fifteen points and eleven assists off the bench. Simply put, there was an unbreakable talent gap at play.
West / Houston Rockets beat Los Angeles Lakers, 2-1
On paper, this was easy pickings for Los Angeles. They were a deep, star-studded team that had outperformed Houston in the regular season. The Rockets may have had two great players in Moses Malone and Calvin Murphy, but that did not remotely compare to the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, and more.

Unfazed by predictions, Houston pulled off a shocking upset loss on the road in which Malone dropped thirty-eight points. His heavy lifting – alongside some productive Murphy minutes – was enough to ward off a Lakers team with six double digit scorers. Los Angeles fought back with a road win of their own despite a near-perfect Malone game, only to flatten in Game 3.

Abdul-Jabbar, despite his high scoring, was inefficient and turnover-prone – Magic Johnson also had a terrible night, scoring ten points on two-for-fourteen shooting. What makes matters even more absurd is that the Rockets were just as putrid offensively – their win was truly because of Los Angeles’ complacency.

This was the biggest upset the post-season had seen in quite some time, and immediately opened up the Western Conference race.
West / Kansas City Kings beat Portland Trail Blazers, 2-1
Competition was tense from the start, with Game 1 going to overtime and ending in a one-point Kansas City victory. Otis Birdsong’s twenty-nine points was the catalyst for success, giving the Kings a promising advantage.

The second match saw yet another overtime, in which the Blazers rode Mychal Thompson’s forty-point outing. Portland’s offense was much less explosive in the tiebreaker – it was only sophomore Billy Ray Bates with a performance to remember, while the Kings benefited from five double-digit scorers.

Semifinals

East / Boston Celtics beat Chicago Bulls, 4-0
During their Eastern Conference conquest, the Bulls were up against the juggernaut Celtics next. They were outmatched in terms of depth, but Reggie Theus and Artis Gilmore entered the post-season with the right mentality to win.

Unfortunately, that bode out poorly for them. The Celtics demolished Chicago entirely, winning every match comfortably. They were simply too talented, and Larry Bird was unreal – he delivered a gaudy 24/17/10 stat-line in Game 3, and thirty-five points in the closing fourth match.
East / Philadelphia 76ers beat Milwaukee Bucks, 4-3
Two sixty-win teams guaranteed a fierce matchup. The 76ers and Bucks immediately ran to a 2-2 series tie, largely led by franchise stars Julius Erving and Marques Johnson. The latter was particularly lethal, averaging twenty-eight points per game in this stretch.

Philadelphia dished out a convincing blowout win in Game 5, and things finally looked to be in their favor. However, Mickey Johnson and Bob Lanier rooted Milwaukee in further success to prolong their year.

Despite Marques, Lanier, and Sidney Moncrief combining for seventy-nine points in Game 7, they still fell short to the 76ers. Twenty-eight points from Erving and twenty-one from Bobby Jones solidified their fourth Conference Finals appearance in the last five seasons.
West / Houston Rockets beat San Antonio Spurs, 4-3
In back-to-back years, San Antonio had to face their inter-state rival to advance in the playoffs. They seemed much more advantaged this time, coming off a great regular season – however, this Rockets team was clearly resilient. They had just knocked out the defending champions in the first round, and had an intoxicating amount of control over games.

The first four games were split even, with Game 2 featuring an uncanny duel between Houston’s Calvin Murphy and the Spurs’ Mark Olberding. Moses Malone was the more inconsistent of superstars between him and George Gervin – however, his thirty-four points and thirteen rebounds gave the Rockets a 3-2 series lead. San Antonio fought back in spite of his heroics in Game 6, which set up a seventh match.

Murphy was the star of the show, dropping forty-two efficient points to uphold Houston. They had now pulled off consecutive upsets, and it was beginning to look like they could take on anybody.
West / Kansas City Kings beat Phoenix Suns, 4-3
Coming off the best season in franchise history, Phoenix seemed primed for an easy series win. Kansas City was a good defensive team with some solid pieces all-around, but lacked the personnel quality of their foes.

Phoenix won Game 1 convincingly, profiting from an injury to Otis Birdsong that immediately dampened the Kings’ chances. However, they proceeded to drop three straight matches in baffling fashion as they fell to a 3-1 deficit. It was now up to them to compile an improbable comeback, which they inched towards with back-to-back wins.

Game 7 was anybody’s to take – Kansas City had proven their ability to win, but were also playing on the road. They took advantage of the Suns’ lifeless offense, jumping to a twelve-point lead by the fourth quarter. Dennis Johnson attempted to will his teammates into a late-game comeback, but they had already tapped out. The Kings closed out the series without their best player, setting up an unpredictable Conference Finals featuring them and the Houston Rockets.

Conference Finals

East / Boston Celtics beat Philadelphia 76ers, 4-3
In a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference Finals, the historic rivals were both looking to exploit a potentially weak Finals matchup. Both of the Western teams were sturdy, but flawed – this could be their greatest shot at a championship.

After splitting the first two meetings, the 76ers jumped to a 3-1 lead in preparation for another Finals appearance. However, Larry Bird had other ideas – in the face of defeat, he scored fifty-seven points over the next two matches to force Game 7.

This was the fourth Game 7 of this year’s post-season, and was expected to be a rigid slugfest that would come down to the wire. Both teams’ superstars delivered, with Bird and Julius Erving dropping twenty-three points each. Boston rallied in the late stages of the game, fueled by Bird’s jump shooting and tough defense from him, Cedric Maxwell, and Robert Parish. After Maurice Cheeks missed a vital free throw, the 76ers failed to execute a late-game play and settled with a one-point loss.

In a fashion reminiscent of the 1968 Eastern Division Finals, the Celtics had overcome a 3-1 deficit to defeat Philadelphia and continue their search for a title.
West / Houston Rockets beat Kansas City Kings, 4-1
For the first time since 1957, two teams with losing records faced off in the final four. The outcome of this series was unforeseeable – the Rockets had upset two divisional champions, but Kansas City displayed the ability to win in spite of their biggest star’s absence.

The first two games were split, but Houston caught some much-needed victories to take a sizable lead. Moses Malone totaled forty-two points and twenty-three rebounds in Game 4, which was an offensive masterclass the Kings could not mirror. A healthy Birdsong was dearly missed, and it showed.

In Game 5, Malone served a thirty-six-point whooping to send Houston to their very first NBA Finals. The former M.V.P. was achieving the impossible, left with only one more adversary in his way.

Finals

Boston Celtics beat Houston Rockets, 4-2
The Celtics and Rockets had met in the past, but only in Semifinals rounds – as Houston was now a Western Conference team, this was the first Finals meet between the two. Boston was heavily favored, given their all-around better roster and interior presence. That could spell trouble for Moses Malone, who would have to fight especially hard to reach his typical production.

A near triple-double from Larry Bird opened up the series as Boston secured Game 1. Thirty-one Malone points tied the series, forcing the Celtics to respond on the road. Bird was quite awful offensively – only managing to score eight points – but a balanced team effort saved the green team. Houston refused to give up, backpacking off Mike Dunleavy’s twenty-eight points to establish a 2-2 tie.

Game 5 was all about Cedric Maxwell, who masked yet another mediocre exhibit from Bird with twenty-eight points and fifteen rebounds of his own. Houston could stay in the race with a win at home, which they failed to accomplish. Fifty combined points from Robert Reid and Malone was not enough to spoil Bird’s resurgence – the Celtics forward bounced back with twenty-seven points and thirteen rebounds, sealing the championship run in clutch fashion.

Maxwell was rendered as the Finals MVP favorite, stepping up big in moments where Bird failed to deliver. His scoring average of nineteen in Boston’s wins outshined Bird’s sixteen, which influenced voters.

Regardless of media awards, though, one thing was true – the Celtics’ historical dominance was unparalleled, managing their fourteenth championship in thirty-five years of existence.
The Boston Celtics win the 1981 NBA championship!
Cedric Maxwell was named the Finals Most Valuable Player.

Awards

Notes
Name(s) under the “All-Stars” section with an asterisk (*) were listed as the MVP of the All-Star Game that year. Those with “(IR)” next to their name were chosen to replace an injured star.

Major Awards

Rookie of the YearMVPFinals MVP
Darrell GriffithJulius ErvingCedric Maxwell
Coach of the YearComeback Player of the Year
Jack McKinneyBernard King

All-NBA

All-NBA First TeamAll-NBA Second Team
Dennis Johnson
George Gervin
Julius Erving
Larry Bird
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar		Tiny Archibald
Otis Birdsong
Adrian Dantley
Marques Johnson
Moses Malone

All-Defensive

All-Defensive First TeamAll-Defensive Second Team
Dennis Johnson
Micheal Ray Richardson
Bobby Jones
Caldwell Jones
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar		Quinn Buckner
Dudley Bradley
Michael Cooper
Dan Roundfield
Kermit Washington
George Johnson

All-Stars

Eastern All-StarsWestern All-Stars
Tiny Archibald*
Larry Bird
Julius Erving
Artis Gilmore
Eddie Johnson
Marques Johnson
Bobby Jones
Mike Mitchell (IR)
Robert Parish
Micheal Ray Richardson
Dan Roundfield
Reggie Theus		Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Otis Birdsong
Adrian Dantley
Walter Davis
George Gervin
Dennis Johnson
Moses Malone
Truck Robinson
Jack Sikma
Paul Westphal
Jamaal Wilkes
East beats West, 123-120

All-Rookie

All-Rookie Team
Joe Barry Carroll
Darrell Griffith
Kevin McHale
Kelvin Ransey
Larry Smith

All-Time Championship Leaderboard

Notes
The Baltimore Bullets (1947-1954) won the championship in 1948, but are defunct. As a result, they are not listed.

TeamCountYears
Celtics141957, 1959
1960, 1961
1962, 1963
1964, 1965
1966, 1967
1969, 1974
1976, 1981
Lakers71949, 1950
1952, 1953
1954, 1972
1980
Warriors31947, 1956
1975
76ers21955, 1967
Knicks21970, 1973
Kings11951
Hawks11958
Bucks11971
Trail Blazers11977
Bullets11978
SuperSonics11979

The NBA Time Machine: 1980

Posted on by in Sports, The NBA Time Machine

Published June 26, 2023

The NBA Time Machine:
1980

New Beginnings

Rookie Takeover

It had been years since the league received a duo of elite rookie prospects. The last time was perhaps in 1969, when Elvin Hayes and Wes Unseld – who ironically won a championship together years later – were drafted by the San Diego Rockets and Baltimore Bullets.

This new era of the NBA was now slated to watch the uprising of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, two great college players that had coincidentally clashed in the NCAA championship game. Johnson’s Michigan State Spartans defeated Bird’s Indiana State Sycamores, which set the tone for what could be a long-term superstar feud in the future. To make destiny feel even more clear, they were drafted to historic rivals in the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics, respectively.

Larry Bird

Bird’s impact stunned the basketball world, as the Celtics transformed from being a bottom feeder to possessing the league’s best overall record. His combination of scoring prowess, crafty playmaking and good defense revitalized the team, most notably former superstars Dave Cowens and Tiny Archibald.

He was a runaway favorite for the Rookie of the Year award, joining Cowens and Tom Heinsohn as the only Celtics recipients. He also finished fourth in M.V.P. voting.

Magic Johnson

Expectations for Johnson were a bit different – projections casted him as a possible future cornerstone, but not the Lakers’ surefire leader. They still had a five-time M.V.P. in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and providing the superstar with another great piece was the goal of the draft.

His integration to the roster was absurd, continuing to play as a guard despite media declaring him as a forward. A backcourt duo of Norm Nixon and Johnson was a playmaking delight, and helped Abdul-Jabbar achieve the highest field goal percentage of his career.

However, Johnson’s impact may have been larger than the stat sheet implied. The late-70’s Lakers were characterized by sluggish, deliberate halfcourt play that was over-reliant on Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring. This made them incredibly efficient, but also predictable in playoff situations.

The rookie’s affinity for fast-paced ball movement and abusing the fast break made the team play with greater energy overall, becoming the top-ranked offense league-wide. Such a style also established them as must-watch television, a reputation the charismatic Johnson only solidified more.

Up in Utah

While the New Orleans Jazz were beloved by Louisianan citizens, their existence in the southern state was unsustainable due to financial concerns. Not only was their facility situation awful – with the Louisiana Superdome charging absurd prices for home games – but they could not withstand the atrocious amusement tax in the state either.

Bad decisions also plagued the organization. After signing Gail Goodrich in 1976, they sent draft capital to the Los Angeles Lakers as compensation. Part of this was their highest pick in the 1979 draft – the Lakers used that pick this season to select Magic Johnson, who was already an All-Star as a rookie. The Jazz had also given up the rights to Moses Malone in exchange for one of those draft picks, leaving them with few valuable assets. Malone was voted as the league’s M.V.P. in 1979 and blossomed into a legitimate superstar.

The front office eventually opted for a hard reset, moving to Salt Lake City and becoming the Utah Jazz. They could at least bank on the idea that the small market had a dedicated fanbase, considering the presence of the ABA’s Utah Stars not too long ago.

At the very least, Lakers forward Adrian Dantley was traded to the franchise and surprisingly developed into a lethal scorer. He finished top three in points per game, scoring twenty-eight on excellent shooting splits.

From Way Downtown!

The concept of an extra-valuable, long-distance field goal had existed since the mid-40’s. Colleges experimented with it in spurts for a very long time, and other professional leagues – including the American Basketball League, Eastern Professional Basketball League, and American Basketball Association – had incorporated it into their rulebook.

After witnessing the popularity of the three-point shot in the ABA, the NBA was eager to give it a chance. They adopted it on a one-year trial, initially met with significant friction. Many viewed the mechanic as a cheap gimmick to garner fan interest, but there was not enough resistance to denounce the decision entirely.

Three-pointers were seldom used, only accounting for about three of a team’s ninety field goals on average. It was also considered inefficient, with the league finishing at about twenty-eight percent overall.

Regardless, there were a few specialists. Fred Brown of the Seattle SuperSonics led the league on a blistering hot forty-four percent a game, and Rick Barry of the Houston Rockets finished first in three-point attempts on above-average efficiency as well.

The best overall three-point shooting team was the Boston Celtics by a large margin – Chris Ford and Larry Bird were both great from outside. The former also delivered the first ever recorded three-point field goal on opening night, helping Boston secure a win against the Houston Rockets.

Big Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks had already secured a gem of a player in Marques Johnson, who was entering his third year. However, a mid-season trade brought Bob Lanier of the Detroit Pistons to the team, which had exciting implications.

Milwaukee had a 20-6 record after acquiring Lanier, which translated to a sixty-win pace. Their overall points per game increased by eight in this stretch, confirming the big man’s ability to impact any roster.

Cable

The Madison Square Garden Network had televised a handful of NBA events, including the 1969 playoffs and some New York Knicks games. The league signed a deal with the network – which rebranded as The USA Network in April of 1980 – to earn its first ever cable television partnership.

Standout Players

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

While averaging a career high in efficiency – at a whopping sixty percent from the floor – Abdul-Jabbar was selected for his sixth M.V.P. award. This broke Bill Russell’s previous record of M.V.P. selections at five. Los Angeles also had their first sixty win season since 1973, long before the Captain arrived in Los Angeles.

Larry Bird

The 1978 top ten draft pick finally arrived to play for the Boston Celtics, compiling one of the greatest rookie seasons of all-time. The team improved by a staggering thirty-two games, and he led them in scoring, rebounding, and steals.

Julius Erving

While Dr. J had always been a superstar in the late-70’s, his play this year resembled his ABA days more. He averaged NBA career highs in scoring, steals, blocks, and field goal percentage. Philadelphia’s final record of fifty-nine wins was also their highest since 1968.

Micheal Ray Richardson

The Knicks sophomore had an enormous breakout year after being elected as a starter. Richardson led all players in assists and steals, and the Knicks improved by eight games. They won enough to be playoff-eligible, but lost the record tiebreaker to the Washington Bullets.

Gus Williams

Averaging career highs in every major statistic besides blocks, the Seattle guard was entering his prime. He was firmly the best offensive talent on the SuperSonics, and their fifty-six win finish was the best in franchise history.

Moses Malone

While not quite an M.V.P. favorite this time around, Malone still had a great year. He finished top five in scoring and only second to Swen Nater in rebounding. The Rockets were unfortunately much less imposing this season, but still boasted an elite offense under his lead.

Around the League

Team Standings

Notes
An asterisk (*) indicates that the team qualified for the playoffs.

Eastern Conference
Atlantic DivisionWLCentral DivisionWL
Boston Celtics*6121Atlanta Hawks*5032
Philadelphia 76ers*5923Houston Rockets*4141
Washington Bullets*3943San Antonio Spurs*4141
New York Knicks3943Indiana Pacers3745
New Jersey Nets3448Cleveland Cavaliers3745
Detroit Pistons1666
Western Conference
Midwest DivisionWLPacific DivisionWL
Milwaukee Bucks*4933Los Angeles Lakers*6022
Kansas City Kings*4735Seattle SuperSonics*5626
Denver Nuggets3052Phoenix Suns*5527
Chicago Bulls3052Portland Trail Blazers*3844
Utah Jazz2458San Diego Clippers3547
Golden State Warriors2458

Fun Facts

  • The Boston Celtics executed the best single-season turnaround in NBA history, improving by thirty-two wins behind the play of Larry Bird.
  • The Detroit Pistons’ sixteen wins was among the lowest totals ever, and was the least by a team since the nine-win Philadelphia 76ers in 1973.
  • Swarmed by injuries and sudden roster changes, the Denver Nuggets managed their first losing season since joining the NBA.
  • This was the Atlanta Hawks’ first fifty-win campaign since leaving St. Louis.
  • This was the first time an NBA team reached sixty wins in a season since 1975.
    • Both the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers boasted this achievement.
  • Defense continued to be the motto of the young Kansas City Kings, who tied the Philadelphia 76ers for the top-ranked defense league-wide.
  • This was the Washington Bullets’ first losing season in the Wes Unseld-Elvin Hayes era.

Notable Movement

Key

The player stats listed are based on their last tenure, whether it be with their former team or the previous season.
Name(s) under the “Top Draft Picks” section with a plus (+) opted to play in another league instead of the NBA this season.
p – points
r – rebounds
a – assists
s – steals
b – blocks

Top Draft Picks

#TeamPlayer
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10		Los Angeles Lakers
Chicago Bulls
New York Knicks
Detroit Pistons
Milwaukee Bucks
Seattle SuperSonics
Seattle SuperSonics
New Jersey Nets
New York Knicks
Detroit Pistons		Magic Johnson
David Greenwood
Bill Cartwright
Greg Kelser
Sidney Moncrief
James Bailey
Vinnie Johnson
Calvin Natt
Larry Demic
Roy Hamilton

Players

DatePlayerTeamActionDestinationStats
July 12, 1979Kevin PorterDetroit PistonsSignedWashington Bullets(15.4p/13.4a/1.9s)
July 24, 1979M.L. CarrDetroit PistonsSignedBoston Celtics(18.7p/7.4r/2.5s)
January 17, 1980Pete MaravichUtah JazzSignedBoston Celtics(17.1p/2.4r/3.2a)
February 1, 1980George McGinnisDenver NuggetsTradedIndiana Pacers(15.6p/10.3r/4.9a)
February 4, 1980Bob LanierDetroit PistonsTradedMilwaukee Bucks(21.7p/10.1r/3.3a)
February 8, 1980Maurice LucasPortland Trail BlazersTradedNew Jersey Nets(14.3p/7.9r/3a)

Other Personnel

DatePersonTeamActionStats
June 18, 1979Coach Tom NissalkeHouston RocketsResignedRecord: 47-34
June 18, 1979Coach Del HarrisHouston RocketsHiredRecord: n/a
June 19, 1979Coach Tom NissalkeUtah JazzHiredRecord: n/a
June 30, 1979Coach Jack McKinneyLos Angeles LakersHiredRecord: n/a
July 23, 1979Coach Stan AlbeckCleveland CavaliersHiredRecord: n/a
November 8, 1979Coach Dick VitaleDetroit PistonsFiredRecord: 4-8
November 8, 1979Coach Richie AdubatoDetroit PistonsAppointed (Interim)Record: 12-58
November 8, 1979Coach Paul WestheadLos Angeles LakersAppointed (Interim)Record: 50-18
March 1, 1980Coach Doug MoeSan Antonio SpursFiredRecord: 33-33
March 1, 1980Coach Bob BassSan Antonio SpursAppointed (Interim)Record: 8-8
May 1, 1980Coach Gene ShueSan Diego ClippersResignedRecord: 35-47

Retirements

PlayerTeam(s)Notable Accomplishments
Gail GoodrichLos Angeles Lakers
Phoenix Suns
New Orleans Jazz		1x Champion
1x All-NBA
5x All-Star
Lou HudsonAtlanta Hawks
Los Angeles Lakers		1x All-NBA
6x All-Star
1967 All-Rookie Team
Norm Van LierCincinnati Royals
Chicago Bulls
Milwaukee Bucks		1x All-NBA
3x All-Star
8x All-Defensive
1x Assists Leader

League Leaders

Key

PPG – points per game
RPG – rebounds per game
APG – assists per game
SPG – steals per game
BPG – blocks per game
FG% – field goal percentage (percentage of shots that hit)
FT% – free throw percentage (percentage of foul shots that hit)
3P% – three-point field goal percentage (percentage of three-point shots that hit)

StatLeaders
PPGGeorge Gervin (33.1)
Lloyd Free (30.2)
Adrian Dantley (28)
Julius Erving (26.9)
Moses Malone (25.8)
RPGSwen Nater (15)
Moses Malone (14.5)
Wes Unseld (13.3)
Caldwell Jones (11.9)
Jack Sikma (11.1)
APGMicheal Ray Richardson (10.1)
Tiny Archibald (8.4)
Foots Walker (8)
Norm Nixon (7.8)
John Lucas (7.5)
SPGMicheal Ray Richardson (3.2)
Eddie Jordan (2.7)
Dudley Bradley (2.6)
Gus Williams (2.4)
Magic Johnson (2.4)
BPGKareem Abdul-Jabbar (3.4)
George Johnson (3.2)
Tree Rollins (3)
Terry Tyler (2.7)
Elvin Hayes (2.3)
FG%Cedric Maxwell (60%)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (60%)
Artis Gilmore (59%)
Adrian Dantley (57%)
Tom Boswell (56%)
FT%Rick Barry (93%)
Calvin Murphy (89%)
Ron Boone (89%)
James Silas (88%)
Mike Newlin (88%)
3P%Fred Brown (44%)
Chris Ford (42%)
Larry Bird (40%)
John Roche (38%)
Brian Taylor (37%)

Playoffs

First Round

East / Houston Rockets beat San Antonio Spurs, 2-1
This was the first instance of the two Texan teams facing off in the post-season, and both were incredibly average this year. Given they split their season series, the Rockets gained homecourt advantage because of a better record within their division.

Game 1 was ugly on both ends, but Calvin Murphy’s shot creation brought the Rockets over the edge. A scorching forty-four points from George Gervin saved the Spurs’ season, but it was not enough. Houston blew out San Antonio by twenty-one points in the tiebreaker, thanks to seventy combined points from Murphy and Moses Malone.
East / Philadelphia 76ers beat Washington Bullets, 2-0
The defending Eastern Conference Champions had hit a low point, struggling to win without star forward Bob Dandridge. He was still unavailable for the playoffs, which deprived Washington of scoring opportunities and a reliable defender for Julius Erving.

Philadelphia embarrassed the Bullets in Game 1, and their shallow wing depth showed in the second. Erving scored thirty-one points in that match, granting the 76ers a quick first round sweep.
West / Phoenix Suns beat Kansas City Kings, 2-1
After bowing out to Phoenix in an anticlimactic five games last year, the Kings looked to rectify their mistakes. They lacked homecourt advantage and were facing an even better Suns roster, but always had a chance behind their stiff defense.

The teams split the first couple matches, with Otis Birdsong and Scott Wedman securing a Game 2 victory for Kansas City. However, the Kings struggled mightily in the third game – they shot terribly from the floor and lacked bench production, which sent them home early for the second consecutive season.
West / Seattle SuperSonics beat Portland Trail Blazers, 2-1
The infamous northwest matchup returned early this time around, with neither club eligible for a “bye” round. The SuperSonics were expected to dismantle Portland as defending champions, especially given the Blazers had a very mediocre season.

Seattle lost in surprisng fashion during Game 2’s overtime period, with Blazers players Calvin Natt and Ron Brewer leading the charge. However, a powerful offensive showing from the SuperSonics – including seventeen Fred Brown points – kept them in the tournament.

Semifinals

East / Boston Celtics beat Houston Rockets, 4-0
Houston may have escaped the first round, but were slated for a grueling matchup against the Celtics. Boston had prowess on both ends of the ball and the interior defenders necessary to disrupt Moses Malone.

Practically every game ended in blowout fashion – the Rockets could not keep up with the balance of Boston’s offense, and Malone wasn’t getting enough help from his supporting cast. It didn’t help that Larry Bird delivered a 34/10/7 stat-line in Game 4, sealing the lossless run on the road.
East / Philadelphia 76ers beat Atlanta Hawks, 4-1
The Hawks were a well-rounded scoring team with good depth, but there were doubts regarding their ability to match Philadelphia’s top-end talent. The 76ers won both of the first two games convincingly, largely thanks to big games from Bobby Jones off the bench. Twenty points and thirteen rebounds from Atlanta’s Steve Hawes saved their season, but to no avail.

Jones’ scorching sixth man performances continued to uplift Philadelphia in Game 4, giving the team a cushioned lead. Sixty combined points from Julius Erving and Darryl Dawkins ended business, bringing the 76ers back to the Conference Finals.
West / Los Angeles Lakers beat Phoenix Suns, 4-1
Phoenix and Los Angeles, despite their relative closeness, had not met in the playoffs since 1970. In that series, the Lakers completed a rare 3-1 comeback to advance. Neither roster was the same, meaning the resentment from that altercation was long gone – however, the potential for a new generation of west coast battles was there.

Los Angeles shredded the Suns en route to a 3-0 lead, fully comfortable with over-utilizing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring. Phoenix lacked the personnel to contain him, and he averaged thirty-three points over that stretch.

The Suns played desperately in their Game 4 victory, improving their defense on Abdul-Jabbar and limiting Magic Johnson to only four field goal attempts. A home victory from the Lakers destroyed any chance of a comeback though, setting up their first Conference Finals appearance since 1977.
West / Seattle SuperSonics beat Milwaukee Bucks, 4-3
The intensity of this series was shocking from the jump. Game 1 ended in unbelievable fashion when Dennis Johnson recorded the first ever three-point game winning shot, giving Seattle a one point lead at the end of overtime. The second match reached an overtime period as well, with Milwaukee tying the series.

Both clubs continued to trade victories, which excited fans. Game 5 broke the NBA record for in-game attendance, with over 40,000 Seattle fans witnessing their team lose at home. A one-point victory from the SuperSonics in Game 6 forced a tiebreaker, which was bound to be intense.

Gus Williams translated his regular season dominance to the playoffs, dropping thirty-three points to run away with the series. This resulted in Seattle’s third consecutive final four appearance, keeping their hopes alive for a title repeat.

Conference Finals

East / Philadelphia 76ers beat Boston Celtics, 4-1
This was expected to be the most competitive playoff duel yet, as both teams were loaded with talent and split their regular season series. Boston held a significant advantage offensively, but the 76ers’ experience and defense was undeniable.

The first two games were split one apiece, but Philadelphia pushed to a 3-1 lead behind some phenomenal play from Julius Erving. A comeback was not unfathomable, but Boston was in a bad position – this next home game was imperative to their success.

Lionel Hollins and Bobby Jones were the unsung heroes of Game 5, helping the 76ers gentleman’s sweep their rivals and head back to the Finals stage. Philadelphia’s defense on Larry Bird was also magnificent, holding him to twelve points on five-for-nineteen shooting.
West / Los Angeles Lakers beat Seattle SuperSonics, 4-1
Los Angeles had a lot to prove here – could they dethrone Seattle and fight at the Finals stage for the first time in seven years? The possibility was there, but a one-point loss in Game 1 at home didn’t exactly look promising.

The Lakers responded aggressively, winning the next four games straight to dismantle the defending champions. The SuperSonics were largely hurt by a lack of typical homecourt advantage – neither of their usual arenas were available, and they were instead forced to play at the small Hec Edmundson Pavilion.

As expected, absolutely nothing could stop Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. His status as the best player in the world was uncontested, and the Eastern Conference Finals winner needed to gameplan immaculately to even have a chance.

Finals

Los Angeles Lakers beat Philadelphia 76ers, 4-2
A Lakers-76ers Finals matchup was rare for the league, but exciting given the big market pull. The last time these franchises met this late in the playoffs was 1954 – back then, they were based in Minneapolis and Syracuse, respectively.

Philadelphia was clueless guarding Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, but managed to grab a road win in Game 2 to keep the record even. Their defense on the reigning M.V.P. improved, eventually paving the way for a 2-2 series tie. Darryl Dawkins delivered a statement twenty-six points to win the fourth match, and fans at the Spectrum witnessed Julius Erving perform an unbelievable up-and-under layup from behind the backboard. This move was regarded as an instant classic highlight, truly summarizing the magical scoring of Dr. J.

An electric third quarter from Los Angeles in Game 5 gave them a strong lead that the 76ers could not dissolve. Abdul-Jabbar’s determination was inspiring, dropping forty points and a clutch end-game dunk on a bad ankle to confirm the win.

Game 6 could have been a predictable loss for the Lakers, who were now without their superstar center – however, Magic Johnson had other plans. The rookie decided to start the game at the center position, which was an unbelievable display of versatility from the typical shooting guard. He dropped forty-two points, fifteen rebounds, seven assists, and three steals to will Los Angeles to a series-clinching victory.

Johnson’s performance was immediately regarded as one of the greatest in NBA history, especially when considering his poise for a first-year player. Despite Abdul-Jabbar generally being better throughout the series, the twenty-year-old’s showing won him the Finals MVP award. He became the first rookie to receive it, which certainly made up for losing the Rookie of the Year race.
The Los Angeles Lakers win the 1980 NBA championship!
Magic Johnson was named the Finals Most Valuable Player.

Awards

Notes
Name(s) under the “All-Stars” section with an asterisk (*) were listed as the MVP of the All-Star Game that year. Those with “(IR)” next to their name were chosen to replace an injured star.

Major Awards

Rookie of the YearMVPFinals MVPCoach of the Year
Larry BirdKareem Abdul-JabbarMagic JohnsonBill Fitch

All-NBA

All-NBA First TeamAll-NBA Second Team
Paul Westphal
George Gervin
Julius Erving
Larry Bird
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar		Gus Williams
Dennis Johnson
Marques Johnson
Dan Roundfield
Moses Malone

All-Defensive

All-Defensive First TeamAll-Defensive Second Team
Don Buse
Dennis Johnson
Micheal Ray Richardson
Bobby Jones
Dan Roundfield
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar		Quinn Buckner
Eddie Johnson
Scott Wedman
Kermit Washington
Dave Cowens

All-Stars

Eastern All-StarsWestern All-Stars
Tiny Archibald
Larry Bird
Bill Cartwright (IR)
Dave Cowens
John Drew
Julius Erving
George Gervin*
Elvin Hayes
Eddie Johnson
Moses Malone
Micheal Ray Richardson
Dan Roundfield		Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Otis Birdsong
Adrian Dantley
Walter Davis
Lloyd Free
Dennis Johnson
Marques Johnson
Magic Johnson
Jack Sikma
Kermit Washington (IR)
Scott Wedman
Paul Westphal
East beats West, 144-136

All-Rookie

All-Rookie Team
Larry Bird
Bill Cartwright
Dave Greenwood
Magic Johnson
Calvin Natt

All-Time Championship Leaderboard

Notes
The Baltimore Bullets (1947-1954) won the championship in 1948, but are defunct. As a result, they are not listed.

TeamCountYears
Celtics131957, 1959
1960, 1961
1962, 1963
1964, 1965
1966, 1967
1969, 1974
1976
Lakers71949, 1950
1952, 1953
1954, 1972
1980
Warriors31947, 1956
1975
76ers21955, 1967
Knicks21970, 1973
Kings11951
Hawks11958
Bucks11971
Trail Blazers11977
Bullets11978
SuperSonics11979

The NBA Time Machine: 1979

Posted on by in Sports, The NBA Time Machine

Published June 20, 2023

The NBA Time Machine:
1979

70’s Finale

San Diego

In the northeast, a problem arose as the Buffalo Braves’ stability was threatened. They struggled with the scheduling of home games, as the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium greatly favored business with the Canisius Golden Griffins and Buffalo Sabres of the NCAA and NHL, respectively.

Attempts were made to relocate the team to South Florida – a region the NBA had not yet experimented with – but failed and sold the franchise to John Y. Brown Jr. Brown, known for turning Kentucky Fried Chicken into a multimillion-dollar food chain, had some additional experience in basketball ventures – he also owned the ABA’s Kentucky Colonels, who won a championship under him in 1975.

Brown gutted Buffalo, which destroyed attendance and put the organization at risk of implosion. He chose to swap franchise ownership with Irv Levin of the Boston Celtics – Levin, who was from California, then opted to relocate the Braves to San Diego.

The move was seen as incredibly risky, given basketball’s history of failure in the city. The Houston Rockets had to relocate from it after only four seasons, and the ABA’s San Diego Sails could only manage three-and-a-half unremarkable years of play. Regardless, Levin was persistent.

Thanks to his determination, professional basketball now had a re-imagined member in the San Diego Clippers. As chosen by locals, they were named after the sailing ships of the San Diego Bay. The only players from the Buffalo era to remain were Scott Lloyd, Swen Nater, and Randy Smith. Sparkplug scorer Lloyd Free was also acquired from the Philadelphia 76ers, adding some excitement to the team’s offense.

At the head of operations was former five-time All-Star Gene Shue, who had led both the Baltimore Bullets and 76ers to Finals appearances on separate occasions. His speedy, scoring-focused philosophy brought the franchise its first winning record since 1976.

D/Vision

With the cross-country move of the Buffalo Braves, the divisions were re-aligned yet again:

  • The Washington Bullets moved from the Central Division to the Atlantic Division.
  • The Detroit Pistons moved from the Midwest Division to the Central Division.
  • The Braves moved from the Atlantic Division to the Pacific Division, now under the San Diego Clippers moniker.

Bill’s Doubts

Following the disastrous end to the Portland Trail Blazers’ 1977-78 season, Bill Walton grew increasingly angry with the organization. He felt as if their decision to put him on painkillers – something he already detested personally – to alleviate the pain of a broken foot was crossing the line.

After weeks of arguments, failed convincing from Blazers personnel, and self-reflection, Walton demanded to be traded. The superstar declared Portland’s medical staff and front office as unethical and amateur, and refused to play for them again. His preferred choices were the newly relocated San Diego Clippers, New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, and semi-rival Philadelphia 76ers. Portland did not honor his request, a decision he responded to with a season-long holdout in anticipation of his free agency.

With Walton gone, the Blazers worsened by thirteen games and barely made the playoffs. A franchise that had just celebrated a championship a couple years ago was now in a much darker place, forced to determine what path of building they would explore for the future.

The Losing Formula

The previous year had been a disappointment for the Boston Celtics, but their front office was vigorous. Operations begun with the drafting of the young prospect Larry Bird, who played at Indiana State. Bird refused to play with the team without finishing his college career, a choice the Celtics reluctantly accepted – they knew that his stock would raise by the 1979 draft, and did not want to let go of a potential core player’s right. As a result, they underwent contract negotiations with Bird throughout the year.

In other news, attempts were made to acquire some game-changing pieces to re-establish a winning culture. At the start of the season, they received former All-Stars Tiny Archibald and Billy Knight from the San Diego Clippers.

Both players were incredibly disappointing – Archibald averaged career lows in points and assists at 11.0 and 4.7 a game, and Knight’s scoring average declined by a steep nine digits. The latter was traded to the Indiana Pacers mid-season, and the Celtics brought in former M.V.P. Bob McAdoo from the New York Knicks in February. His contributions were quite empty as well, with the team going 4-16 in his presence.

These struggles were only amplified by the hiring of Dave Cowens as a player-coach, which had absolutely no positive implications. The franchise reached a nadir, achieving their lowest winning percentage since 1950. Boston was also without an All-Star representative for the first time since the event’s conception.

Standout Players

Moses Malone

Now healthy and energetic, Malone took an enormous leap into superstardom. He had his first scoring average over twenty points, led all players in rebounds, and helped Houston improve by nineteen wins. This explosive improvement ended with his first M.V.P. selection.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

While Abdul-Jabbar averaged career lows in multiple statistics – including points and rebounds – his impact remained at a high, now able to lead a better team with a young core. The Lakers stayed afloat in a relatively stacked Pacific Division and made the playoffs yet again.

Elvin Hayes

With all the hype around Washington with their recent title run, Elvin Hayes continued his streak of dominant play. He led the Bullets in scoring, rebounds, and blocks, which contributed to their first fifty-win season since 1975.

George Gervin

For the second straight time, Gervin led the league in scoring and the Spurs sat atop the Central Division. His points average of 29.6 was the largest in his career to date, ABA or NBA.

Paul Westphal

Alongside teammate Walter Davis, Paul Westphal organized the first fifty-win campaign in Phoenix Suns history. His offensive impact was monstrous, not only serving as his team’s primary playmaker but best scorer as well.

Julius Erving

Despite being one of the NBA’s best franchises of the past few years, expectations around the Philadelphia 76ers had largely faltered. Dr. J’s play remained consistent, though – his scoring average of 23.1 was the highest in his NBA career. This was also in spite of two of his best teammates – George McGinnis and Doug Collins – being traded and injured, respectively.

Around the League

Team Standings

Notes
An asterisk (*) indicates that the team qualified for the playoffs.

Eastern Conference
Atlantic DivisionWLCentral DivisionWL
Washington Bullets*5428San Antonio Spurs*4834
Philadelphia 76ers*4735Houston Rockets*4735
New Jersey Nets*3745Atlanta Hawks*4636
New York Knicks3151Detroit Pistons3052
Boston Celtics2953Cleveland Cavaliers3052
New Orleans Jazz2656
Western Conference
Midwest DivisionWLPacific DivisionWL
Kansas City Kings*4834Seattle SuperSonics*5230
Denver Nuggets*4735Phoenix Suns*5032
Milwaukee Bucks3844Los Angeles Lakers*4735
Indiana Pacers3844Portland Trail Blazers*4537
Chicago Bulls3151San Diego Clippers4339
Golden State Warriors3844

Fun Facts

  • Following injuries to Pete Maravich and the trade of Truck Robinson, the New Orleans Jazz only won a league-worst twenty-six games.
  • After three rough seasons, the Kansas City Kings returned to the win column – their first instance of doing so since abandoning Omaha.
    • They also clinched their first divisional championship.
  • The trend of high parity continued as only three teams won fifty or more matches.
  • Behind the play of All-Stars Moses Malone, Rudy Tomjanovich, and Calvin Murphy, the Houston Rockets improved by nineteen games.
  • The Indiana Pacers were the only NBA-ABA merger team to not make the playoffs this year.
    • They remained the only one of the four to still fall short of an NBA playoff berth.
  • Led by John Drew, the Atlanta Hawks had their first winning record since 1973.
  • The San Diego Clippers’ faster playing style and emphasis on offense was a surprise, given they were among the oldest teams in the league.

Notable Movement

Key

The player stats listed are based on their last tenure, whether it be with their former team or the previous season.
Name(s) under the “Top Draft Picks” section with a plus (+) opted to play in another league instead of the NBA this season.
p – points
r – rebounds
a – assists
s – steals
b – blocks

Top Draft Picks

#TeamPlayer
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10		Portland Trail Blazers
Kansas City Kings
Indiana Pacers
New York Knicks
Golden State Warriors
Boston Celtics
Portland Trail Blazers
Boston Celtics
Chicago Bulls
Atlanta Hawks		Mychal Thompson
Phil Ford
Rick Robey
Micheal Ray Richardson
Purvis Short
Larry Bird+
Ron Brewer
Freeman Williams
Reggie Theus
Butch Lee

Players

DatePlayerTeamActionDestinationStats
June 17, 1978Rick BarryGolden State WarriorsSignedHouston Rockets(23.1p/5.5r/5.4a)
August 4, 1978Tiny ArchibaldSan Diego ClippersTradedBoston Celtics(20.5p/7.5a/1.7s)
August 4, 1978Billy KnightSan Diego ClippersTradedBoston Celtics(22.9p/7.2r/3a)
August 16, 1978Bobby JonesDenver NuggetsTradedPhiladelphia 76ers(14.5p/8.5r/1.8s)
August 16, 1978George McGinnisPhiladelphia 76ersTradedDenver Nuggets(20.3p/10.4r/3.8a)
January 12, 1979Truck RobinsonNew Orleans JazzTradedPhoenix Suns(24.2p/13.4r/1.5b)
February 12, 1979Bob McAdooNew York KnicksTradedBoston Celtics(26.9p/9.5r/3.2a)
May 13, 1979Bill WaltonPortland Trail BlazersSignedSan Diego Clippers(18.9p/13.2r/5a)

Other Personnel

DatePersonTeamActionStats
November 10, 1978Coach Willis ReedNew York KnicksFiredRecord: 6-8
November 10, 1978Coach Red HolzmanNew York KnicksHiredRecord: 25-43
November 14, 1978Coach Tom SandersBoston CelticsFiredRecord: 2-12
November 14, 1978Player-coach Dave CowensBoston CelticsHiredRecord: 27-41
February 1, 1979Coach Larry BrownDenver NuggetsResignedRecord: 28-25
February 1, 1979Coach Donnie WalshDenver NuggetsHiredRecord: 19-10
February 16, 1979Coach Larry CostelloChicago BullsFiredRecord: 20-36
February 16, 1979Coach Scotty RobertsonChicago BullsAppointed (Interim)Record: 11-15
April 8, 1979Player-coach Dave CowensBoston CelticsFiredRecord: 27-41
April 12, 1979Coach Elgin BaylorNew Orleans JazzFiredRecord: 26-56
April 28, 1979Coach Jerry SloanChicago BullsHiredRecord: n/a
May 21, 1979Coach Bill FitchCleveland CavaliersResignedRecord: 30-52
May 23, 1979Coach Bill FitchBoston CelticsHiredRecord: n/a

Retirements

PlayerTeam(s)Notable Accomplishments
Dave BingDetroit Pistons
Washington Bullets
Boston Celtics		3x All-NBA
7x All-Star
1x All-Star Game MVP
1967 Rookie of the Year
1967 All-Rookie Team
1x Scoring Leader
John HavlicekBoston Celtics8x Champion
1x Finals MVP
11x All-NBA
13x All-Star
8x All-Defensive
1963 All-Rookie Team

League Leaders

Key

PPG – points per game
RPG – rebounds per game
APG – assists per game
SPG – steals per game
BPG – blocks per game
FG% – field goal percentage (percentage of shots that hit)
FT% – free throw percentage (percentage of foul shots that hit)

StatLeaders
PPGGeorge Gervin (29.6)
Lloyd Free (28.8)
Marques Johnson (25.6)
Bob McAdoo (24.8)
Moses Malone (24.8)
RPGMoses Malone (17.6)
Rich Kelley (12.8)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (12.8)
Artis Gilmore (12.7)
Jack Sikma (12.4)
APGKevin Porter (13.4)
John Lucas (9.3)
Norm Nixon (9)
Phil Ford (8.6)
Paul Westphal (6.5)
SPGM.L. Carr (2.5)
Eddie Jordan (2.5)
Norm Nixon (2.5)
Foots Walker (2.4)
Phil Ford (2.2)
BPGKareem Abdul-Jabbar (4)
George Johnson (3.2)
Tree Rollins (3.1)
Robert Parish (2.9)
Terry Tyler (2.5)
FG%Cedric Maxwell (58%)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (57%)
Wes Unseld (57%)
Artis Gilmore (57%)
Swen Nater (56%)
FT%Rick Barry (94%)
Calvin Murphy (92%)
Fred Brown (88%)
Robert Smith (88%)
Ricky Sobers (88%)

Playoffs

First Round

East / Atlanta Hawks beat Houston Rockets, 2-0
These teams were within a similar skill level – Houston had the advantage of top-end talent, but Atlanta was deeper and far more defensively sound. However, it was tough to bet against the league M.V.P. Moses Malone, who could take over games at any given moment.

Behind Dan Roundfield, the Hawks took a surprising win on the road in Game 1, which set the stage for a sweep shortly after. The Rockets’ “big three” of Malone, Calvin Murphy, and Rudy Tomjanovich were awful, combining for only forty-six points on eighteen-for-fifty shooting.
East / Philadelphia 76ers beat New Jersey Nets, 2-0
The 76ers had an easy path to the Semifinals, scheduled for a battle with the out-of-place Nets. New Jersey had a cushioned losing record, and only snuck into the post-season through a historically weak Eastern Conference.

Not even thirty-eight points from John Williamson in the opener could buy the Nets a victory, a trend that followed them into the next match. A potent stat-line of 24/21/2/2/2 from Caldwell Jones guaranteed a 76ers advance, leaving their divisional rivals in the mud.
West / Los Angeles Lakers beat Denver Nuggets, 2-1
Denver’s spirits were low at this point, to say the least. Not only did they finish the season with a franchise-worst NBA record, but they lost George McGinnis to injury in March. This stripped the small market of their secondary scoring option, which could lead to exhaustion for David Thompson and Dan Issel.

The series was split 1-1 after Thompson experienced no setbacks. Both him and Issel were excellent in Game 3, but fell short to Los Angeles by one point. Aside from witnessing a borderline triple-double from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, they also struggled to contain Adrian Dantley. The Lakers forward poured in twenty-six points from the bench, which crushed Denver’s optimism.
West / Phoenix Suns beat Portland Trail Blazers, 2-1
With Bill Walton indefinitely out, the Trail Blazers were no longer favorites by any margin. Phoenix had also just completed a fifty-win run, with momentum likely to aid their playoff aspirations.

After dropping Game 1, Portland saved their season thanks to twenty points and seventeen rebounds from rookie Mychal Thompson. The Suns ultimately pulled away in the tiebreaker, citing forty-nine combined points from Paul Westphal and Walter Davis as their primary influence.

Semifinals

East / San Antonio Spurs beat Philadelphia 76ers, 4-3
On paper, this was the most exciting Semifinals duel. The battle between scoring forwards Julius Erving and George Gervin was must-see television.

The Spurs jumped to a 3-1 lead, with Gervin significantly outplaying his counterpart. He was subsequently held to thirteen points as the 76ers won by twenty-three, refusing to see the series end. A game winning shot from Maurice Cheeks then forced Game 7, which went down to the wire.

Erving and Gervin had thirty-four and thirty-three points respectively, but the latter’s supporting cast was of more assistance. San Antonio managed to hold on by a mere three points, sending them to their first NBA Conference Finals.
East / Washington Bullets beat Atlanta Hawks, 4-3
Atlanta’s chances against the reigning champions seemed unlikely. The matchup became more interesting after the first two matches were split, but a pathetic Hawks performance in Game 3 – in which none of their players exceeded thirteen points – made Washington comfortable enough to take a notable lead.

Two Hawks wins followed, which confirmed the young squad as a competitive one. Game 7 was close, but thirty-nine points from Elvin Hayes – as well as a near-triple-double from Bob Dandridge – gave the Bullets another opportunity to defend their world championship.
West / Phoenix Suns beat Kansas City Kings, 4-1
Thanks to their surprising divisional title, the Kings waited for Phoenix in the Semifinals. However, it was generally believed that the Suns were a superior team that only held a “disadvantage” from being in the brutal Pacific.

Such claims were confirmed by the Suns taking three of the first four games, powered by Paul Westphal and Walter Davis. Thirty-two points from Westphal in Game 5 sealed the deal, as Phoenix grabbed a blowout victory and completed another task on their post-season checklist.
West / Seattle SuperSonics beat Los Angeles Lakers, 4-1
For the second straight season, the SuperSonics and Lakers faced off. The former was rendered victorious in 1978, but things could change this time around – Abdul-Jabbar was always a dominant force, and this was his best supporting cast since joining Los Angeles.

However, Seattle’s offensive brilliance was on its own plane. In four of the five games of this series, every single one of their starters scored in double digits – the sole exception was in the finishing Game 5, where Gus Williams delivered thirty points as compensation.

The Lakers’ offense was not necessarily an issue, but they lacked the well-rounded composition and defensive makeup to contain their foe. This marked yet another early exit for the storied franchise – it was back to the drawing board.

Conference Finals

East / Washington Bullets beat San Antonio Spurs, 4-3
Another year, another battle with the Bullets for San Antonio. That was simply the mountain they had to climb for a Finals appearance, and this was probably their best chance to date. Although Washington dominated them historically, they were coming from a seven-game series that applied some fatigue to the defending champions. It was up to George Gervin and his Spurs to capitalize.

Split games in Washington were succeeded by two San Antonio victories, which gave the Texas team a fiery advantage. Gervin dropped forty-two in Game 4 to create this reality, clearly ready to go to war for his franchise. As seasoned veterans would, the Bullets maintained composure and won two straight to force Game 7 – Elvin Hayes averaged twenty-four points and eighteen rebounds in these contests.

The tiebreaker was largely controlled by San Antonio, who entered the fourth quarter up six points. The Bullets then rallied in front of their fans to complete a comeback, largely led by Bob Dandridge. The All-NBA forward hit a game-winning shot to seal the deal, and Washington had suddenly became the third team in league history to overcome a 3-1 deficit. This equated to their second consecutive Finals, and fourth of the decade.
West / Seattle SuperSonics beat Phoenix Suns, 4-3
The West’s two fifty-win teams entered the final four in a predictable manner. Neither could buy a road win in the first four games, which essentially sent the series into a best-of-three situation. Paul Westphal’s twenty-seven points then gave Phoenix a surprising 3-2 lead – the SuperSonics were in danger of losing their Conference title, and needed to band together.

In Game 6, a late comeback from the Suns brought the score to 106-105 with less than a minute to go. A turnover from Phoenix’s Walter Davis gave Seattle a chance to score, but their shot missed. The Suns followed with a bad field goal attempt of their own, only to retain possession after a SuperSonics player tapped the rebound out of bounds. Gar Heard – who was infamous for his heroics in the 1976 Finals – missed his game-winning attempt, which meant the Western Conference Finals would see seven games as well.

Twenty seconds remained as the SuperSonics were up 112-104 in the seventh match. The Suns managed to go on a lightning-speed 6-0 run to keep matters close, and a foul on Paul Westphal sent him to the free throw line with large implications. The guard intentionally missed the free throw with intentions to grab the offensive rebound, but failed – Jack Sikma had secured it, which ultimately won Seattle another trip to the last stage.

Finals

Seattle SuperSonics beat Washington Bullets, 4-3
For the first time since 1973, there was a repeat matchup in the NBA Finals. The Bullets were looking to extend their reign, but Seattle themselves had something to prove as the underdogs.

The “Larry Wright Game” opened up the series, with the sixth man scoring a team-high twenty-six points – and the game-winning free throws – to grab Washington their first win. The SuperSonics responded with back-to-back victories on the back of Gus Williams, sending them to Game 4 with both a lead and homecourt advantage.

The fourth match went to overtime, with neither team willing to give up. Washington provided a satisfying group effort, while Seattle’s stars were taking over – Williams, Dennis Johnson, and Jack Sikma combined for eighty-eight points, thirty-six rebounds, and twenty assists. Their club proved victorious again after the defensively gifted Johnson blocked Kevin Grevey’s game-winner attempt.

Now with a strong lead, it was up to Seattle to secure their championship in the Capital Centre. A signature all-around offensive performance from the team – in which six players scored in double digits – was the final step towards a gentleman’s sweep, bringing the northwestern franchise their very first league title.
The Seattle SuperSonics win the 1979 NBA championship!
Dennis Johnson was named the Finals Most Valuable Player.

Awards

Notes
Name(s) under the “All-Stars” section with an asterisk (*) were listed as the MVP of the All-Star Game that year. Those with “(IR)” next to their name were chosen to replace an injured star.

Major Awards

Rookie of the YearMVPFinals MVPCoach of the Year
Phil FordMoses MaloneDennis JohnsonCotton Fitzsimmons

All-NBA

All-NBA First TeamAll-NBA Second Team
Paul Westphal
George Gervin
Marques Johnson
Elvin Hayes
Moses Malone		Phil Ford
Lloyd Free
Walter Davis
Bob Dandridge
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

All-Defensive

All-Defensive First TeamAll-Defensive Second Team
Don Buse
Dennis Johnson
Bobby Jones
Bob Dandridge
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar		Lionel Hollins
Eddie Johnson
M.L. Carr
Maurice Lucas
Moses Malone

All-Stars

Eastern All-StarsWestern All-Stars
Doug Collins
Bob Dandridge
Julius Erving
George Gervin
Elvin Hayes
Larry Kenon
Bob Lanier (IR)
Moses Malone
Pete Maravich
Calvin Murphy
Campy Russell
Rudy Tomjanovich		Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Otis Birdsong
Walter Davis
Artis Gilmore
Dennis Johnson
Marques Johnson
Maurice Lucas
George McGinnis
Jack Sikma
David Thompson*
Paul Westphal
West beats East, 134-129

All-Rookie

All-Rookie Team
Ron Brewer
Phil Ford
Reggie Theus
Mychal Thompson
Terry Tyler

All-Time Championship Leaderboard

Notes
The Baltimore Bullets (1947-1954) won the championship in 1948, but are defunct. As a result, they are not listed.

TeamCountYears
Celtics131957, 1959
1960, 1961
1962, 1963
1964, 1965
1966, 1967
1969, 1974
1976
Lakers61949, 1950
1952, 1953
1954, 1972
Warriors31947, 1956
1975
76ers21955, 1967
Knicks21970, 1973
Kings11951
Hawks11958
Bucks11971
Trail Blazers11977
Bullets11978
SuperSonics11979

The NBA Time Machine: 1978

Posted on by in Sports, The NBA Time Machine

Published June 15, 2023

The NBA Time Machine:
1978

Busy in the Association

Little Brother

Following their pitiful end to the 1976-77 season – where they finished with the worst overall record and failed to sell tickets in Long Island – the New York Nets sought out change. Their ultimate decision was to return to northern New Jersey, a region they inhabited in their early ABA days. Thus came the New Jersey Nets.

Their financial feud with the New York Knicks persisted, as the latter attempted to block the move in belief it invaded their territorial rights. The Nets attempted to sue the Knicks, but an intervention from the state of New Jersey ended in them having to pay the large market team another four million dollars.

New Jersey hardly improved as a club, only winning two more games than last year. However, they had a bright future centered around the young All-Rookie Team member Bernard King, as well as assists leader Kevin Porter and the explosive scorer John Williamson.

Worried For Walton

The Portland Trail Blazers opened up matters as a defending champion was expected to. A red-hot 48-10 start to the season cemented them as the next big force in basketball, until Bill Walton broke his foot during a late February match against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Luckily for the club, such a strong first half of the year practically locked them into a playoff spot. For this reason, Walton was awarded the M.V.P. award – this made him the first to do so without playing at least eighty-percent of his team’s games.

Portland’s finishing stretch was accompanied by a 10-14 record, intensifying concerns about the possibility of a repeat championship. It simply seemed unfeasible without their superstar center, even with the NBA’s parity considered.

Fight! Fight! Fight!

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs. Kent Benson

On opening night, the Milwaukee Bucks played against the Los Angeles Lakers. Not even a few minutes into the game, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of Los Angeles delivered a sucker punch to Milwaukee’s Kent Benson after he was elbowed by the rookie in the groin area.

Abdul-Jabbar’s punch was thrown so forcefully that not only did Benson require stitches for his face, but the five-time M.V.P. broke his hand. He missed two months of play as a result and received the largest fine in league history, at a whopping five-thousand dollars. However, he was not suspended.

Without their superstar, the Lakers started off the season in mediocre fashion.

Kermit Washington vs. The Houston Rockets

An even more severe event occurred around Lakers power forward Kermit Washington during an early December contest against the Houston Rockets. A rebounding battle between him, Abdul-Jabbar, and Houston’s center Kevin Kunnert resulted in another brawl. Kunnert elbowed Washington in response to the latter grabbing at his pants, which then caused a reaction from Abdul-Jabbar. The Lakers star grabbed Kunnert to pull him away from the conflict, but this inadvertently set him up for a punch to the head from Washington.

With Kunnert now on the floor, Rockets star player Rudy Tomjanovich ran towards the scuffle to de-escalate the situation – he was widely known as one of the league’s most peaceful players. Unaware of Tomjanovich’s intentions, Washington punched him in the face. This resulted in facial fracture that sent Houston’s forward to the floor in a pool of blood, silencing the entire arena.

Tomjanovich, who could still move despite his disoriented state, was so confused by the severity of the injury that he assumed the scoreboard fell on him. He angrily confronted Washington in the locker room, which prompted security to get involved. His survival of the injury was ruled miraculous by doctors, who claimed it could have been fatal.

The punch became a talking point of the media for several weeks after its occurrence, and Washington was suspended for a record-breaking twenty-six games. He became a public enemy of society, suddenly the subject of racial attacks. There was even advisory from the police to avoid ordering room service in hotels, in fear of intentional food poisoning. His wife was shunned by many as well, being denied medical services in anticipation of her second child.

Los Angeles’ front office was not empathetic towards Washington, and he was shortly traded to the Boston Celtics a couple weeks after the fight. The power forward fell into a brief pit of depression, but eventually re-conditioned himself in preparation for his mid-February return date.

“New” York

In an unpredictable turn of events, the New York Knicks traded franchise great Walt Frazier to the Cleveland Cavaliers as compensation for signing free agent Jim Cleamons in free agency. Cleamons had previously spent five years with Cleveland, being an integral piece of the “Miracle at Richfield” team that reached the Eastern Conference Finals in 1976.

Frazier did not take the news well, thrown off by the smaller market and his reduced role of spot-up shooting. Knicks fans were not particularly happy either, but one thing was clear – New York valued success over culture. Such a goal was met, as they achieved their first winning season since 1974.

Race For the Title

George Gervin of the San Antonio Spurs and David Thompson of the Denver Nuggets had been battling for the league’s scoring title all year long. The two were considered the best guards in the NBA, and winning this honor could solidify one as the favorite.

Nearing the end of the season, Thompson’s Nuggets were locked into a playoff berth. As a result, coach Larry Brown asked if he was interested in chasing the title in their final game against the Detroit Pistons. The Denver star was not particularly eager, given his lack of concern about individual accomplishments.

Regardless, Thompson was in for a heater. He shot twenty-eight-of-thirty-eight from the field and scored seventy-three points, which was the second most in a non-overtime game.

Gervin was alerted of his contemporary’s performance, and knew he needed at least fifty-eight points to finish in first place. The Iceman proceeded to pour in sixty-three, narrowly winning him the scoring title. He also broke Thompson’s single-quarter scoring record of thirty-two points, just set seven hours earlier.

Both Thompson and Gervin finished top three in M.V.P. voting that year.

Dimes

In other statistical news, Kevin Porter of the New Jersey Nets joined Oscar Robertson, Guy Rodgers, Norm Van Lier, and Tiny Archibald as the only players to average over ten assists per game in a season.

Green Team Tumble

The Boston Celtics, who were widely regarded as the greatest NBA franchise, saw their worst all-around run in a long time. This was the first season since 1950 in which none of their players were named to an All-NBA team, and it was only their second losing season in the past twenty-nine years.

Storied coach and Celtics great Tom Heinsohn was also fired after the club started with an 11-23 record. His coaching tenure with the team was accomplished – winning two championships – but it was clear Boston needed a new voice in the locker room. They opted for Tom Sanders, who was an assistant coach and former eight-time champion with Boston.

Standout Players

Bill Walton

Despite missing twenty-four games, the reigning Finals M.V.P. had a monstrous season. Portland was 48-10 in the games he played, which practically locked them into a first seed before his absence. For these efforts, Walton was awarded his first M.V.P. award.

George Gervin

The Spurs legend not only led all players in scoring, but helped San Antonio earn its first fifty-win NBA season. He was a narrow second place finish for the M.V.P. award, and could reasonably be considered the best guard in the league.

David Thompson

Denver’s starting shooting guard put together another great run to ensure they finished with consecutive first seeds. Thompson narrowly fell behind in the scoring title race, but was still one of the most dangerous offensive engines around.

Julius Erving

The Doctor continued to decline production-wise – he delivered career lows in every statistic, with or without the ABA considered. His impact on games was still undeniable, though – Philadelphia finished with fifty-five wins, the second best league-wide.

Bob McAdoo

In his first full season with New York, McAdoo underwent a great under-the-radar year. He was firmly the best player on a forty-three win Knicks team that made the playoffs for the first time since 1975.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

During the opening game of the season, a punch to opposing rookie Kent Benson broke Abdul-Jabbar’s hand and sent him out for twenty games. The Lakers were a measly 8-12 in those games, but turned things around upon his return. He finished top ten in scoring, rebounds, and blocks.

Around the League

Team Standings

Notes
An asterisk (*) indicates that the team qualified for the playoffs.

Eastern Conference
Atlantic DivisionWLCentral DivisionWL
Philadelphia 76ers*5527San Antonio Spurs*5230
New York Knicks*4339Washington Bullets*4438
Boston Celtics3250Cleveland Cavaliers*4339
Buffalo Braves2755Atlanta Hawks*4141
New Jersey Nets2458New Orleans Jazz3943
Houston Rockets2854
Western Conference
Midwest DivisionWLPacific DivisionWL
Denver Nuggets*4834Portland Trail Blazers*5824
Milwaukee Bucks*4438Phoenix Suns*4933
Chicago Bulls4042Seattle SuperSonics*4735
Detroit Pistons3844Los Angeles Lakers*4537
Kansas City Kings3151Golden State Warriors4339
Indiana Pacers3151

Fun Facts

  • The Boston Celtics saw their first losing season since 1970.
  • Since the divisional system’s implementation, this was only the second time every team in a division – in this case, the Pacific Division – finished with a positive record.
    • The last instance was in the 1970-71 season, in which the Midwest Division accomplished the same.
  • Injuries influenced the Houston Rockets’ massive decline, which was by a whopping twenty-one games.
  • The Philadelphia 76ers were the only team in the league to hold back-to-back fifty-win seasons.
  • Led by George Gervin, the San Antonio Spurs arguably had the most effective offense in the NBA.
    • While ranked second behind the Philadelphia 76ers, they were the only team to shoot fifty-percent from the field as a collective.

Notable Movement

Key

The player stats listed are based on their last tenure, whether it be with their former team or the previous season.
Name(s) under the “Top Draft Picks” section with a plus (+) opted to play in another league instead of the NBA this season.
p – points
r – rebounds
a – assists
s – steals
b – blocks

Top Draft Picks

#TeamPlayer
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10		Milwaukee Bucks
Kansas City Kings
Milwaukee Bucks
Washington Bullets
Phoenix Suns
Los Angeles Lakers
New Jersey Nets
Seattle SuperSonics
Denver Nuggets
New York Knicks		Kent Benson
Otis Birdsong
Marques Johnson
Greg Ballard
Walter Davis
Kenny Carr
Bernard King
Jack Sikma
Tom LaGarde
Ray Williams

Players

DatePlayerTeamActionDestinationStats
September 1, 1977Tiny ArchibaldNew Jersey NetsTradedBuffalo Braves(20.5p/7.5a/1.7s)
September 1, 1977Billy KnightIndiana PacersTradedBuffalo Braves(26.6p/7.5r/3.3a)
September 6, 1977Don BuseIndiana PacersTradedPhoenix Suns(8p/8.5a/3.5s)
October 10, 1977Walt FrazierNew York KnicksTradedCleveland Cavaliers(17.4p/5.3a/1.7s)