Ginoong Kamote: NBA 1978-NBA Finals-Game 7-Washington Wizards @ Seattle Sonics: Highlights

Source:Ginoong Kamote– game 7 of the 1978 NBA Finals.

“Dennis Johnson, who before the 1977-78 playoffs was a relatively unknown guard from Pepperdine University, had grown into a star in this series in front of a national TV audience. However, DJ would miss every one of his 14 shots in this game. Fellow guard Gus Williams was a bit more accurate, shooting 4-for-12. SuperSonics big men Marvin Webster scored 27 points and Jack Sikma 21 to take up the slack, and that kept it close.

With 90 seconds left, Seattle whittled the lead from 11 points down to four, but Mitch Kupchak came up with a three-point play. Fred Brown, who finished with 21 points off the bench, hit a short jumper, then Paul Silas got a tip-in to cut it to 101-99. Silas then fouled Wes Unseld, a 55-percent shooter from the line during the playoffs. He hit two free throws, and moments later Washington sealed it with a Bob Dandridge dunk, 105-99.

Charles Johnson and Dandridge each scored 19 points for the Bullets, while Elvin Hayes fouled out with 12 points, a development that brought a couple of needling questions from the writers about his past failures in the playoffs. Unseld would be named Finals MVP.”

From Ginoong Kamote

1978 was the NBA Finals that the Bullets looked ready for and ready to play and win. Rather than expecting to win it, because they were there in 1975. So you see a much more professional and better prepared Bullets teams in this finals, than you did in 1975 when they were swept by the San Francisco Warriors. The Bullets almost won game 1 in Seattle, I believe at the Kingdome and won all three home games in Landover at the Capital Centre. So winning this game is something that was perhaps not surprising to the Bullets themselves, because they knew how close they were in-game 1 at Seattle.

Sometimes very good if not great teams need to lose and lose big even when it comes to championships. Because they really aren’t as good as people around them think they are and have a tendency to believe their own hype and rely on that to win. Instead of continuing to do what got them to the championship in the first place which was being a great team and playing like one. And beating very good if not great teams just to get to the championship. And that might be what happened to the Bullets in 75. That they needed to learn to be a champion, you have to play like one and not expect it to happen, simply because of who you are.

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