1978 Washington Bullets

Washington was not a powerhouse in the regular season. They went 44-38 and finished second in the Central Division, a team that had been knocking on the door for years and losing, including a 1975 Finals sweep at the hands of Golden State. Coach Dick Motta kept them steady and pointed at the spring.

Hayes led the team at 19.7 points and 13.3 rebounds, with Dandridge close behind at 19.3. Unseld was the connective tissue. He scored 7.6 a game but grabbed everything and started the break with his passing. Off the bench, Mitch Kupchak gave them 15.9 a night and Kevin Grevey added perimeter shooting.

The Bullets ground through Atlanta, San Antonio, and Philadelphia to reach the Finals against Seattle. The series went the distance. Washington fell behind, then took Game 6 and the road Game 7 in the Seattle Center Coliseum. Unseld, the smallest center in most matchups, won Finals MVP on rebounding and defense.

Motta gave the playoff run its catchphrase when he said the opera is not over until the fat lady sings. It became the team's rallying cry. The Bullets returned to the Finals the next year and lost the rematch to the same Seattle club.

The league was smaller than it is today, but the 1978 playoffs still required beating the best teams in the division and then the other side of the bracket. Title paths from this era are shorter on paper than a modern run, yet the Finals still decided the champion.

The starting five was Wes Unseld, Elvin Hayes, Bob Dandridge, Phil Chenier, and Tom Henderson. Dick Motta coached the group with Kevin Grevey as the primary bench scorer.

The full roster ran deeper than the headline names. Role players who mattered included Mitch Kupchak (15.9 points a game off the bench).

By 1978 the NBA had expanded nationwide and the Finals were a national television event. The Washington Bullets title run still required winning the East or West bracket, then taking the championship round.

The Washington Bullets have only this one title in the record covered on Ring Holders Club. That makes the 1978 run the whole of the franchise's championship story in our archive.

Looking back, the 1978 Washington Bullets reached the Finals with a modest 44-38 record, then beat the Seattle SuperSonics in seven games to win the franchise's only NBA championship. Wes Unseld took Finals MVP despite averaging under 10 points, doing his damage on the glass and with outlet passes. Elvin Hayes and Bob Dandridge supplied the scoring. Washington won the deciding Game 7 in Seattle, the rare road close-out in a Finals.

For the full roster beyond the featured starters, see the table on this page. For other Washington Bullets titles, use the franchise hub linked below.