The 1977 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
's
1976–77 season. The tournament concluded with the
Western Conference champion
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...
defeating the
Eastern Conference champion
Philadelphia 76ers 4 games to 2 in the
NBA Finals. It was Portland's first (and , only) NBA title.
Bill Walton
William Theodore Walton III (born November 5, 1952) is an American television sportscaster and former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for coach John Wooden and the UCLA Bruins, winning three consecutive national ...
was named
NBA Finals MVP
The Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award (formerly known as the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1969 NBA Finals. The award is decided by a panel of e ...
.
Portland won the NBA title in its first playoff appearance, something that had not taken place since the early days of the BAA (and has not since, as of 2022). The Trail Blazers went 10-0
at home in the playoffs.
This was the first NBA playoffs after the
ABA-NBA merger; two of the former ABA teams (the
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...
and
Denver Nuggets) made their playoff debuts in their first NBA season. The
New Jersey Nets
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...
made their playoff debut in
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the '' International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the '' Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the so ...
, and the
Indiana Pacers in
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
.
The NBA Playoffs added 1 more team from each conference, for a total of 12 contestants, up from 10 the previous year. Also, the two division winners in each conference were automatically given a first-round bye and started the playoffs in the conference semifinals.
This was the
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...
last playoff appearance of the decade and their last as a
Western Conference team as they would move to the
East
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...
in
1978. They would not make the postseason again until
1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...
.
After losing in the semifinals to Los Angeles, the
Golden State Warriors wouldn't return to the playoffs again until
1987
File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...
.
For the first time since 1956, the Eastern Conference Finals had neither the Celtics nor Knicks participating.
The referees went on strike during these playoffs. Two high-profile veterans,
Richie Powers and
Earl Strom
Earl "Yogi" Strom (December 15, 1927 – July 10, 1994) was an American professional basketball referee for 29 years in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and for three years in the American Basketball Association (ABA). Strom is cre ...
, did not honor the strike and stayed on the job.
It was the first time since 1950 that the NBA Champion had to win 4 rounds.
Bracket
First Round
Eastern Conference First Round
(3)
Washington Bullets
The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...
vs. (6)
Cleveland Cavaliers
*
Nate Thurmond
Nathaniel Thurmond (July 25, 1941 – July 16, 2016) was an American basketball player who spent the majority of his 14-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Golden State Warriors franchise. He played the center and p ...
’s final NBA game.
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Cavaliers winning the previous meeting.
(4) Boston Celtics vs. (5)
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.
Western Conference First Round
(3)
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...
vs. (6)
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.
(4) Golden State Warriors vs. (5)
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...
*This would be the last NBA playoff game in the city of Detroit until
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
.
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Warriors winning both previous encounters.
Conference Semifinals
Eastern Conference Semifinals
(1) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (4) Boston Celtics
*
Jo Jo White
Joseph Henry White (November 16, 1946 – January 16, 2018) was an American professional basketball player. As an amateur, he played basketball at the University of Kansas, where he was named a second-team All-American twice. White was part o ...
's buzzer-beater.
This was the 14th playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning eight of the first 13 meetings.
(2) Houston Rockets vs. (3)
Washington Bullets
The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.
Western Conference Semifinals
(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (4) Golden State Warriors
This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning three of the first four meetings.
(2) Denver Nuggets vs. (3)
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.
Conference Finals
Eastern Conference Finals
(1) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (2) Houston Rockets
* Controversial charging foul on
John Lucas wipes out game-tying field goal with 5 seconds left.
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.
Western Conference Finals
(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (3)
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...
*
Bill Walton
William Theodore Walton III (born November 5, 1952) is an American television sportscaster and former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for coach John Wooden and the UCLA Bruins, winning three consecutive national ...
's famous dunk on
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem (alternatively spelled Karim or Kerim) ( ar, کریم) is a common given name and surname of Arabic origin that means "generous", "noble", "honorable". It is also one of the Names of God in Islam in the Quran.
Given name Karim
* Karim A ...
.
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.
NBA Finals: (E1) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (W3) Portland Trail Blazers
* Notable for a brawl between the Blazers'
Maurice Lucas
Maurice Lucas (February 18, 1952 – October 31, 2010) was an American professional basketball player who played in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was a four-time NBA All-Star and won ...
and the 76ers'
Darryl Dawkins
Darryl R. Dawkins (January 11, 1957 – August 27, 2015) was an American professional basketball player. He was particularly known for his tenure with the National Basketball Association's Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets, although he als ...
.
*
Bill Walton
William Theodore Walton III (born November 5, 1952) is an American television sportscaster and former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for coach John Wooden and the UCLA Bruins, winning three consecutive national ...
's two famous plays of tipping the ball against
Darryl Dawkins
Darryl R. Dawkins (January 11, 1957 – August 27, 2015) was an American professional basketball player. He was particularly known for his tenure with the National Basketball Association's Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets, although he als ...
off an alley-oop from
Bob Gross
Robert Edwin Gross (born August 3, 1953) is an American retired professional basketball player. A 6'6" (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) forward, he attended Seattle University and California State University, Long Beach, and was selected in the ...
, then dunking the ball off of
Dave Twardzik
David John Twardzik (born September 20, 1950) is an American former professional basketball player. He was a point guard in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is best known for being a ...
's steal and alley-oop pass.
* Portland becomes the second team in finals history, after the
1969 Celtics, to overcome a 2–0 series deficit.
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.
References
External links
Basketball-Reference.com's 1977 NBA Playoffs page
{{DEFAULTSORT:1977 NBA Playoffs
National Basketball Association playoffs
Playoffs
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eit ...
Sports in Portland, Oregon
fi:NBA-kausi 1976–1977#Pudotuspelit