1977–78 Seattle SuperSonics season
The 1977–78 Seattle SuperSonics season was the 11th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association. With a disappointing 5–17 start, the Sonics replaced coach Bob Hopkins with future Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens, who led the team to a 47–35 finish. In the playoffs, the SuperSonics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in three games in the First Round, then upset the defending NBA champions Portland Trail Blazers in six games in the Western Conference Semifinals, before finally defeating the Denver Nuggets in six games in the Conference Finals, making their first trip to the NBA Finals in franchise history, where they lost the series to the Washington Bullets in 7 games.
Draft picks
Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
1 | 8 | Jack Sikma | Forward/Center | United States | Illinois Wesleyan |
3 | 52 | Joe Hassett | Guard | United States | Providence |
Roster
Regular season
Standings
Record vs. opponents
Game log
Playoffs
West First Round
Seattle SuperSonics vs. Los Angeles Lakers: Sonics win series 2–1- Game 1 @ Seattle: Seattle 102, Los Angeles 90
- Game 2 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 105, Seattle 99
- Game 3 @ Seattle: Seattle 111, Los Angeles 102
West Conference Semifinals
- Game 1 @ Portland: Seattle 104, Portland 95
- Game 2 @ Portland: Portland 96, Seattle 93
- Game 3 @ Seattle: Seattle 99, Portland 84
- Game 4 @ Seattle: Seattle 100, Portland 98
- Game 5 @ Portland: Portland 113, Seattle 89
- Game 6 @ Seattle: Seattle 105, Portland 94
West Conference Finals
- Game 1 @ Denver: Denver 116, Seattle 107
- Game 2 @ Denver: Seattle 121, Denver 111
- Game 3 @ Seattle: Seattle 105, Denver 91
- Game 4 @ Seattle: Seattle 100, Denver 94
- Game 5 @ Denver: Denver 123, Seattle 114
- Game 6 @ Seattle: Seattle 123, Denver 108
NBA Finals
- Game 1 @ Seattle: Seattle 106, Washington 102
- Game 2 @ Washington: Washington 106, Seattle 98
- Game 3 @ Washington: Seattle 93, Washington 92
- Game 4 @ Seattle: Washington 120, Seattle 116
- Game 5 @ Seattle: Seattle 98, Washington 94
- Game 6 @ Washington: Washington 117, Seattle 82
- Game 7 @ Seattle: Washington 105, Seattle 99
Awards and honors
- NBA All-Rookie First Team: Jack Sikma
Player statistics
Regular season
Playoffs
Seattle SuperSonics Stats - 1977-78 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Player | GP | MIN | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TPG | FPG |
Fred Brown | 22 | 26.1 | 17.3 | 2.1 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 7.0 |
Al Fleming | 5 | 4.2 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.4 |
Joe Hassett | 8 | 2.8 | 1.8 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.9 |
Dennis Johnson | 22 | 37.6 | 16.1 | 4.6 | 3.3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 5.5 |
John Johnson | 22 | 27.1 | 10.1 | 4.5 | 2.5 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 2.4 | 4.3 |
Bruce Seals | 9 | 10.2 | 3.0 | 2.2 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 1.3 |
Jack Sikma | 22 | 31.9 | 13.7 | 8.1 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 1.6 | 5.2 |
Paul Silas | 22 | 27.5 | 4.9 | 8.5 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 1.5 |
Wally Walker | 20 | 13.1 | 4.7 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 1.8 |
Marvin Webster | 22 | 41.1 | 16.1 | 13.1 | 2.6 | 0.3 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 6.2 |
Gus Williams | 22 | 31.9 | 18.3 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 7.4 |