1978
Washington Bullets
Series Flow
4
Wins
3
Losses
Regular Season
44–38
Win–Loss
Playoff Record
12–7
Win–Loss
Finals
4–3
vs Seattle SuperSonics
Finals MVP
Hayes
Elvin
Washington Bullets
44–38Seattle SuperSonics
47–35The 1977-78 Seattle SuperSonics were one of the most dramatic stories in NBA Finals history — a team that fired its head coach Bob Hopkins early in the season with a 5-17 record, replaced him with player-turned-assistant Lenny Wilkens, and proceeded to win 42 of their final 60 regular-season games and march all the way to Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Led by the explosive Gus Williams, the lockdown Dennis Johnson, the interior presence of Jack Sikma, and the veteran leadership of Fred Brown and Lonnie Shelton, Seattle represented everything that had been left for dead in November. Their series against Washington was one of the most competitive Finals of the decade, and their willingness to extend it to seven games on the road proved their championship quality. The following season, the same core — now with a year of Finals experience and burning motivation — would return and defeat Washington to claim the 1979 NBA Championship, the only title in Seattle franchise history.
Finals MVP
Elvin Hayes
#11 · Power Forward / Center
21.8
PPG
11.8
RPG
2.5
BPG
52.4
FG%
Elvin Hayes was the engine that drove Washington through seven grinding, physical games against a Seattle SuperSonics team that had swept through the Western Conference. Known throughout his career as "The Big E," Hayes brought everything the Bullets needed in a Finals series: interior scoring that no center could contain, relentless rebounding that gave Washington second-chance possessions at critical moments, and a defensive presence that altered the entire geometry of Seattle's frontcourt attack. His partnership with Wes Unseld formed one of the greatest championship frontcourts in NBA history — two Hall of Famers whose contrasting styles made them impossible to solve with any single defensive scheme. Hayes was the scoring anchor, Unseld was the enforcer and motor, and together they wore Seattle down over seven taxing games. When Washington needed a crucial bucket in the fourth quarter of Game 7 with the championship on the line, Hayes delivered. His 21.8 points and 11.8 rebounds per game across the series made him the most dominant player in the 1978 Finals, and Dick Motta's Bullets the most improbable champions in Washington basketball history.
Averaged 21.8 PPG and 11.8 RPG across seven Finals games — the dominant interior performance that defined Washington's championship identity
His frontcourt partnership with Wes Unseld was the most physical and disciplined combination in the 1978 playoffs
Delivered clutch interior baskets throughout Game 7 that kept Washington ahead in a series-deciding battle decided by six points
Seven-time NBA All-Star who produced his finest postseason at the peak of his Hall of Fame career
How the Series Unfolded
G1 · W
1–0
G2 · L
1–1
G3 · W
2–1
G4 · L
2–2
G5 · W
3–2
G6 · L
3–3
G7 · W
4–3
106
WSH
102
SEA
Washington opened the series with a statement at Capital Centre, using their frontcourt advantage to control the game from the opening tip. Elvin Hayes was physical and dominant inside, scoring 24 points while Wes Unseld controlled the defensive glass with the relentless possession-securing effort that had defined his entire career. Seattle, led by Gus Williams, kept pace through the first half — the SuperSonics were athletic, fast, and dangerous in transition. But Washington's size and physicality in the paint proved decisive in the fourth quarter, where Dick Motta's team executed their half-court offense with patience and purpose. The Bullets took a 1-0 lead, confirming that their interior advantage was the real threat Seattle needed to solve.
Washington Bullets
Elvin Hayes
24 pts · 12 reb · 3 blkHayes established interior dominance immediately, scoring over Seattle's frontcourt with an efficiency that signaled Washington's true championship ceiling.
Wes Unseld
10 pts · 15 reb · 4 astUnseld's rebounding shut down Seattle's second-chance opportunities and launched Washington's transition attack — exactly the engine Dick Motta needed running at full capacity.
SEA
Gus Williams
22 pts · 6 astThe explosive Seattle guard showed why he was one of the most dangerous players in the conference, but Washington's discipline neutralized his burst in the fourth quarter.
95
WSH
106
SEA
Seattle answered the opening-game deficit with a road performance that proved the SuperSonics were no passive opponents. Jack Sikma and Dennis Johnson were sharp, and Gus Williams' scoring creation gave Washington fits that the Bullets had not anticipated from a team they expected to control inside. The SuperSonics pushed the pace relentlessly and turned the series into the up-tempo contest that favored their athleticism rather than Washington's physicality. Bob Dandridge fought hard for 22 points but the Bullets' offense sputtered in the third quarter, allowing Seattle to build a lead that Washington's comeback fell just short of erasing. The series was tied at 1-1 heading to Seattle.
Washington Bullets
Bob Dandridge
22 pts · 7 rebDandridge was Washington's most consistent performer in a losing effort — his scoring versatility kept the Bullets competitive but couldn't overcome Seattle's fourth-quarter surge.
SEA
Dennis Johnson
24 pts · 5 ast · 4 stlJohnson's aggressive defensive pressure on Washington's guards disrupted the Bullets' half-court execution and fueled Seattle's transition offense throughout the second half.
Gus Williams
27 pts · 5 astWilliams was relentless — his attacking style forced Washington's defense into scramble mode and created the transition points that proved the decisive difference.
106
WSH
93
SEA
Washington silenced Seattle Center Coliseum with one of the best road performances in franchise history. Elvin Hayes was simply unstoppable — attacking Seattle's interior defense from every angle, finishing through contact, and controlling the defensive glass with Wes Unseld in a frontcourt performance that left the home crowd speechless. The Bullets executed Dick Motta's half-court offense with an efficiency that Seattle's defense, however athletic, had no answer for over 48 minutes. The 13-point margin in Seattle's own building was a statement: Washington's frontcourt advantage was real, it was sustainable, and it could win games anywhere. The Bullets took a 2-1 series lead back home.
Washington Bullets
Elvin Hayes
28 pts · 13 reb · 3 blkA commanding road performance that exposed Seattle's interior defensive limitations — Hayes attacked from the high post and the block, finishing with authority on every possession.
Bob Dandridge
21 pts · 6 rebDandridge complemented Hayes perfectly with a composed, efficient offensive performance that forced Seattle to choose which Washington scorer to prioritize — an impossible choice.
SEA
Jack Sikma
18 pts · 10 rebThe Seattle center fought admirably against Unseld but was overwhelmed by the combination of Hayes and Dandridge — Washington's frontcourt depth proved too much for any single defender.
94
WSH
112
SEA
Seattle responded to falling behind 2-1 with the most complete game of their series — an 18-point demolition at home that evened things at 2-2 and served notice that the SuperSonics were not prepared to concede the championship. Lenny Wilkens made defensive adjustments that disrupted Washington's usual frontcourt sets, and Gus Williams ran the Bullets ragged in transition before the Bullets could establish their half-court game. Jack Sikma was physically dominant, outplaying both Hayes and Unseld on the offensive glass in what amounted to a statement win for Seattle's interior players. The series returned to Washington level at 2-2, and the title-winning team would need to respond on their own court.
Washington Bullets
Elvin Hayes
20 pts · 11 rebHayes remained productive in a losing effort but Seattle's defensive adjustments limited his most dangerous post-up opportunities — the first time in the series Washington's interior attack had been neutralized.
SEA
Gus Williams
29 pts · 7 astWilliams was at his explosive best — his ability to create in transition and in the pick-and-roll forced Washington into defensive scrambles that Seattle converted at a devastating rate.
Jack Sikma
22 pts · 14 rebSikma's dominant frontcourt performance outplayed both Bullets centers and gave Seattle the interior edge they needed to control possessions and protect their lead.
99
WSH
94
SEA
With the series tied and Washington's championship window narrowing, the Bullets played their most complete game of the series at Capital Centre. Dick Motta called on everything his team had — the interior dominance of Hayes and Unseld, the scoring versatility of Dandridge, and the defensive intensity that had defined Washington's identity all season. Elvin Hayes played with a physicality that Seattle simply could not match, posting 24 points and 13 rebounds in a performance that dragged the Bullets to a 3-2 series lead. The Capital Centre crowd was electric, and Washington seized the energy: playing with urgency, defending with intensity, and executing in the fourth quarter exactly as Motta had demanded. One more win, in Seattle or at home in Game 7, and the Bullets would be champions.
Washington Bullets
Elvin Hayes
24 pts · 13 reb · 4 blkHayes answered Seattle's Game 4 challenge with his most physical and dominant performance of the series — a complete game that gave Washington the edge when the series truly mattered.
Wes Unseld
11 pts · 16 reb · 4 astUnseld was everywhere — his 16 rebounds gave Washington the possession advantage they needed and his outlet passing fueled the transition offense that broke Seattle's resistance.
SEA
Dennis Johnson
22 pts · 4 stlJohnson fought until the final buzzer but couldn't prevent Washington's interior dominance from deciding the outcome — his 22 points kept Seattle within striking distance but couldn't close the gap.
82
WSH
92
SEA
Seattle staved off elimination in front of their home crowd with the most defensive game of the entire series — a grinding, physical contest that both teams seemed to approach with the mentality of a heavyweight bout. The SuperSonics were relentless and desperate, defending with the urgency of a team that understood another loss meant the end of their season. Washington, up 3-2 and playing on the road, struggled to generate the interior offense that had defined their series. Gus Williams made critical plays late, Dennis Johnson locked down Washington's guards, and Seattle forced a decisive Game 7. Dick Motta, the man famous for saying the opera isn't over until the fat lady sings, would get his decisive game — back in Washington, in front of the Bullets' own crowd, with everything on the line.
Washington Bullets
Bob Dandridge
18 pts · 5 rebDandridge fought hard against Seattle's defensive schemes but Washington's road execution wasn't sharp enough to close out the series — a Game 7 awaited in Landover.
SEA
Dennis Johnson
26 pts · 6 ast · 3 stlJohnson was the driving force behind Seattle's series-saving win — his defensive pressure on Washington's guards was suffocating and his fourth-quarter scoring gave Seattle the margin they needed.
Gus Williams
18 pts · 8 astWilliams made the crucial fourth-quarter plays that kept Seattle's lead intact — his pace control and scoring efficiency when the game was tightest extended the series to seven.
105
WSH
99
SEA
The championship game that delivered everything Dick Motta had promised. Capital Centre was at maximum intensity from the opening tip — the largest crowd in the building's history, rocking with the collective will of a city that had waited years for a professional sports championship. Washington and Seattle traded blows for three quarters, neither team willing to separate from the other in a series that had been decided by close margins all along. Elvin Hayes and Wes Unseld controlled the interior as they had throughout the series, but Seattle's Gus Williams and Dennis Johnson kept the SuperSonics close with the explosive guard play that had defined their season. The fourth quarter was the difference. Washington's defense stiffened at the moments that mattered, their offense executed with the composure of a team that knew exactly who they were, and the Bullets pulled away in the final minutes to win 105-99. Dick Motta, the coach who had coined one of basketball's most enduring phrases, finally got to hear the fat lady sing. The Washington Bullets were NBA champions — the first and, to this day, the only major professional sports championship in Washington D.C. history.
Washington Bullets
Elvin Hayes
23 pts · 12 reb · 2 blkHayes delivered when the championship was on the line — his interior dominance across seven games was the single greatest reason Washington won the 1978 NBA title.
Wes Unseld
10 pts · 14 reb · 5 astUnseld's championship performance was the purest expression of his career: relentless, physical, selfless. His 14 rebounds in Game 7 gave Washington the possession margin that broke Seattle's spirit in the fourth quarter.
SEA
Gus Williams
21 pts · 6 astWilliams competed to the end — his scoring and creation kept Seattle within reach until Washington's fourth-quarter execution proved too much to overcome in the building where the Bullets were most dangerous.
The Champions
9.4
PPG
13.2
RPG
3.4
APG
Wes Unseld was the soul of the Washington Bullets — the player whose presence transformed a group of talented individuals into a genuine championship team. His numbers never told the full story: 13.2 rebounds per game in the Finals was just the counting stat. What Unseld actually provided was interior control — the physicality on the glass that kept Seattle's offense from gaining traction on second chances, the outlet passes that launched the Bullets in transition before defenses could set, and the relentless screen-setting that freed Elvin Hayes and Bob Dandridge for clean looks. In a series that came down to toughness and willpower more than individual brilliance, Unseld was Washington's toughest player. The championship was the culmination of everything he represented: hard work, selflessness, and a commitment to team basketball that defined an era.
Led all players in rebounds per game (13.2 RPG) — his interior dominance neutralized Seattle's frontcourt and gave Washington the possession edge across seven games
His outlet passes and physical screen-setting created the transition offense that kept Seattle's defense scrambling throughout the series
The spiritual and physical center of Washington's championship identity — a Hall of Famer whose value exceeded every statistical measure
20.2
PPG
6.0
RPG
48.6
FG%
Bob Dandridge was the most versatile player on either team in the 1978 NBA Finals. A two-time champion who had previously won with the Milwaukee Bucks alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Dandridge brought championship experience and offensive sophistication to a Washington team that needed both. He could score from the mid-range, create off the dribble, and defend every position from shooting guard to power forward — a multi-tool forward a full decade before the concept entered the basketball vocabulary. His 20.2 points per game averaged alongside Elvin Hayes made Washington's frontcourt the most dangerous two-man combination in the series, and Seattle had no adequate defensive answer for either of them simultaneously. Dandridge was, in many ways, the decisive difference-maker the Bullets needed to outlast a Seattle team that nearly matched them everywhere else.
Averaged 20.2 PPG in the Finals — his offensive versatility gave Washington a second dominant frontcourt scorer that Seattle could not neutralize
A two-time champion (1971 Bucks, 1978 Bullets) whose basketball IQ and experience steadied Washington in the most pressure-filled moments of the series
His ability to defend multiple positions gave Dick Motta the defensive flexibility to match up against Seattle's varied offensive sets
Tom Henderson
#12 · Guard
14.6
PPG
4.8
APG
1.8
SPG
Tom Henderson provided the Bullets with the backcourt quickness and playmaking that allowed Hayes, Unseld, and Dandridge to function at peak efficiency. His ability to penetrate Seattle's defense and draw help defenders created the kick-out opportunities that fed Washington's frontcourt stars in transition and in the half-court. In a series that often came down to which team controlled the tempo, Henderson was Dick Motta's primary tool for setting the pace — pushing when Washington had the momentum, slowing when Seattle threatened to build a run.
Averaged 4.8 assists per game providing the frontcourt stars their most reliable playmaking source throughout the series
His defensive pressure on Seattle's guards disrupted their offensive initiation and forced the SuperSonics into contested half-court sets
Phil Chenier
#25 · Guard
11.4
PPG
Pre-3pt era
3P%
44.2
FG%
Phil Chenier's contribution to the 1978 championship was built over years of growth as Washington's most reliable perimeter scorer. A three-time All-Star whose career had been interrupted by injury in previous seasons, Chenier found his place in the championship rotation providing the outside shooting and backcourt scoring that complemented Henderson's playmaking. His ability to hit open jumpers off the weak side kept Seattle's defense honest and prevented them from loading up entirely on the frontcourt, creating the offensive balance that defined Washington's championship attack.
His perimeter scoring gave the Bullets the backcourt balance necessary to prevent Seattle from loading up defensively on Hayes and Dandridge
A three-time All-Star whose veteran experience gave Washington's backcourt championship-caliber production alongside Tom Henderson
They Pushed Us to the Limit
The 1977-78 Seattle SuperSonics were one of the most dramatic stories in NBA Finals history — a team that fired its head coach Bob Hopkins early in the season with a 5-17 record, replaced him with player-turned-assistant Lenny Wilkens, and proceeded to win 42 of their final 60 regular-season games and march all the way to Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Led by the explosive Gus Williams, the lockdown Dennis Johnson, the interior presence of Jack Sikma, and the veteran leadership of Fred Brown and Lonnie Shelton, Seattle represented everything that had been left for dead in November. Their series against Washington was one of the most competitive Finals of the decade, and their willingness to extend it to seven games on the road proved their championship quality. The following season, the same core — now with a year of Finals experience and burning motivation — would return and defeat Washington to claim the 1979 NBA Championship, the only title in Seattle franchise history.
Gus Williams
#1 · Guard
23.2
PPG
6.1
APG
2.2
SPG
The explosive Seattle catalyst whose scoring creation and transition play made him the most dangerous guard in the series — his 23.2 points per game were the primary offensive engine that kept Seattle competitive in every game.
Dennis Johnson
#24 · Guard
22.4
PPG
4.6
APG
2.8
SPG
The two-way guard whose defense on Washington's guards was the most consistent disruptive force in the series — his pressure and scoring made him the player who would return the following year and win Finals MVP in the rematch.
Jack Sikma
#43 · Center
18.4
PPG
11.6
RPG
Sikma battled Wes Unseld and Elvin Hayes throughout the series with the distinctive behind-the-head jump shot and relentless rebounding that would define his career — he matched Washington's frontcourt production on the nights Seattle won.
History Written in 1978
Washington Bullets
The only NBA Championship in Washington D.C. professional basketball history — the first and only major professional sports title won by a franchise based in the nation's capital.
Elvin Hayes
Averaged 21.8 PPG and 11.8 RPG across seven Finals games — among the most complete individual frontcourt performances in the history of the 1970s NBA Finals.
Wes Unseld
Won his only NBA Championship after nine seasons of elite play — a two-time All-Star and 1969 regular-season MVP who delivered his most important performance in the championship series.
Dick Motta
"The opera ain't over until the fat lady sings" — Motta's phrase, coined during Washington's playoff run, became one of the most enduring sports expressions in American culture and defined an era of Bullets basketball.
Washington Bullets
Defeated the same Seattle SuperSonics team that would defeat them the following year (1979 Finals, 4-1) — the only back-to-back Finals matchup between the same two franchises in NBA history at the time.
Bob Dandridge
Became a two-time NBA champion (1971 Milwaukee Bucks, 1978 Washington Bullets) — one of the most underrated championship contributors in NBA history, a Hall of Famer whose legacy was defined by winning.
Beyond the Box Score
The 1978 Washington Bullets championship arrived at the end of a turbulent season that tested the franchise's resilience at every level. Head coach Dick Motta had navigated personnel challenges, the physical toll of a long playoff run through the Eastern Conference, and the challenge of facing a Seattle team that had been completely rebuilt in-season under Lenny Wilkens. Motta's philosophy — uncompromising defense, disciplined half-court execution, and relentless interior play — made Washington one of the ugliest and most effective championship teams of the 1970s.
The cornerstone of everything was the Elvin Hayes–Wes Unseld frontcourt partnership, two Hall of Famers who complemented each other in ways that made Washington uniquely difficult to prepare for. Hayes was the scorer — attacking the block from multiple angles with a physicality that few defenders in the league could match for an entire series. Unseld was the engine — the screener, rebounder, and outlet passer whose statistical contributions understated his actual impact on every possession. Together, they gave Washington an interior advantage that no team in the 1978 playoffs managed to neutralize for longer than a game.
Dick Motta's famous phrase — "the opera ain't over 'til the fat lady sings" — had become the defining motto of Washington's entire playoff run. Motta used the expression to dismiss premature celebrations, to keep his team focused when they had leads, and to remind them that nothing was decided until the final buzzer. When the 1978 NBA championship was secured in Game 7 at Capital Centre, Motta finally got to hear the opera's conclusion. It had been worth the wait.
The most bittersweet element of the 1978 championship is the footnote that followed. The Seattle SuperSonics — the same team Washington defeated in seven games — returned to the Finals in 1979 with one year of additional experience and the burning motivation of a team that had come one game short. They swept Washington in five games to claim the 1979 title. The two Finals remain the most direct back-to-back championship rematch in NBA history, and they stand as the defining achievement and defining heartbreak of the Washington Bullets franchise. For Washington fans, 1978 is the answer to the question that every fan base asks: were we ever champions? The answer is yes — once, in June 1978, when the fat lady finally sang.
The Full Story
There is a phrase in American sports culture that belongs entirely to this championship. "The opera ain't over 'til the fat lady sings" — Dick Motta's borrowed expression, repeated throughout Washington's 1978 playoff run until it became something larger than a coach's mantra. It was a philosophy. A refusal to declare anything finished before the final buzzer. And by the time Game 7 ended at Capital Centre on June 7, 1978, with the Washington Bullets holding a six-point lead over the Seattle SuperSonics, it had also become the defining statement of the only professional basketball championship the nation's capital has ever won.
Washington's path to the championship was built on a single, inescapable reality: Elvin Hayes and Wes Unseld were the best frontcourt in the NBA. Hayes, "The Big E," was a scoring machine of the first order — attacking from the block, the mid-post, and the face-up game with a variety of moves that defenders of the era simply could not prepare for in a matter of days. Unseld was something harder to categorize: a center whose scoring numbers were modest but whose presence on the court transformed every possession — the screens that freed teammates, the rebounds that ended Seattle's second-chance opportunities, the outlet passes that put the Bullets in transition before defenses could retreat. Together, they made Washington the most physically punishing team in the 1978 Finals.
The series was seven games of genuine back-and-forth competition. Seattle, rebuilt mid-season under Lenny Wilkens after a 5-17 start under Bob Hopkins, had the athletic guards — Gus Williams and Dennis Johnson — to challenge Washington's defensive identity. Washington won the opener at home, Seattle stole Game 2, and the series seesawed through Games 3 and 4 in Seattle before Washington seized a 3-2 advantage heading back home. Seattle survived elimination in Game 6. Game 7 at Capital Centre was the entire season distilled to 48 minutes: Hayes dominant, Unseld relentless, Dandridge steady, and Dick Motta's defense suffocating in the fourth quarter when championships are decided.
Washington won 105-99. The city of Washington D.C. celebrated its first and only NBA championship. Dick Motta had his vindication. Elvin Hayes and Wes Unseld had their rings. Bob Dandridge, a two-time champion who would receive Hall of Fame recognition decades later, had the championship his career deserved. The opera was over. The fat lady had sung. And in the history of professional basketball in the nation's capital, this moment — June 7, 1978 — remains the only one of its kind.
Share the Legacy
Send this page to a fellow Washington Bullets fan. Let them relive every moment — game by game, play by play.