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1976–77 NBA season

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1976–77 NBA season
LeagueNational Basketball Association
SportBasketball
DurationOctober 21, 1976 – April 10, 1977
April 12 – May 17, 1977 (Playoffs)
May 22 – June 5, 1977 (Finals)
Number of games82
Number of teams22
TV partner(s)CBS
Draft
Top draft pickJohn Lucas
Picked byHouston Rockets
Regular season
Top seedLos Angeles Lakers
Season MVPKareem Abdul-Jabbar (Los Angeles)
Top scorerPete Maravich (New Orleans)
Playoffs
Eastern championsPhiladelphia 76ers
  Eastern runners-upHouston Rockets
Western championsPortland Trail Blazers
  Western runners-upLos Angeles Lakers
Finals
ChampionsPortland Trail Blazers
  Runners-upPhiladelphia 76ers
Finals MVPBill Walton (Portland)
NBA seasons

The 1976–77 NBA season was the 31st season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Portland Trail Blazers winning their first NBA Championship in franchise history, beating the Philadelphia 76ers in six games in the NBA Finals.[1]

Prior to the season, the NBA merged with its primary rival league, the American Basketball Association (ABA). Four ABA teams joined the NBA, all four of which are still in the league today: the San Antonio Spurs, Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets, and New York Nets. The Nets became the New Jersey Nets the following season, and now play as the Brooklyn Nets. With these additions, the NBA expanded from eighteen teams to twenty-two.

Notable occurrences

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Coaching changes
Offseason
Team 1975–76 coach 1976–77 coach
Atlanta Hawks Bumper Tormohlen Hubie Brown
Buffalo Braves Jack Ramsay Tates Locke
Chicago Bulls Dick Motta Ed Badger
Houston Rockets Johnny Egan Tom Nissalke
Los Angeles Lakers Bill Sharman Jerry West
Portland Trail Blazers Lenny Wilkens Jack Ramsay
Washington Bullets K. C. Jones Dick Motta
In-season
Team Outgoing coach Incoming coach
Buffalo Braves Tates Locke
Bob MacKinnon (interim) 		Joe Mullaney (interim)
Milwaukee Bucks Larry Costello Don Nelson
New Orleans Jazz Butch Van Breda Kolff Elgin Baylor

Teams

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1976-77 National Basketball Association
Eastern Conference
Division Team City Arena Capacity
Atlantic Boston Celtics Boston, Massachusetts Boston Garden 13,909
Buffalo Braves Buffalo, New York Buffalo Memorial Auditorium 15,280
New York Knicks New York, New York Madison Square Garden 19,812
New York Nets ^ Uniondale, New York Nassau Coliseum 14,890
Philadelphia 76ers Philadelphia, Pennsylvania The Spectrum 18,176
Central Atlanta Hawks Atlanta, Georgia Omni Coliseum 16,378
Cleveland Cavaliers Richfield, Ohio Richfield Coliseum 20,900
Houston Rockets Houston, Texas The Summit 16,285
New Orleans Jazz New Orleans, Louisiana Louisiana Superdome 55,675
San Antonio Spurs ^ San Antonio, Texas HemisFair Arena 16,057
Washington Bullets Landover, Maryland Capital Centre 18,756
Western Conference
Midwest Chicago Bulls Chicago, Illinois Chicago Stadium 18,676
Denver Nuggets ^ Denver, Colorado McNichols Sports Arena 17,171
Detroit Pistons Detroit, Michigan Cobo Arena 12,191
Indiana Pacers ^ Indianapolis, Indiana Market Square Arena 17,171
Kansas City Kings Kansas City, Missouri Kemper Arena 16,700
Milwaukee Bucks Milwaukee, Wisconsin MECCA Arena 10,783
Pacific Golden State Warriors Oakland, California Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena 13,155
Los Angeles Lakers Inglewood, California The Forum 17,505
Phoenix Suns Phoenix, Arizona Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 14,870
Portland Trail Blazers Portland, Oregon Memorial Coliseum 12,888
Seattle SuperSonics Seattle, Washington Seattle Center Coliseum 17,072
Team merged from ABA ^

Map of teams

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Atlantic Division Central Division Midwest Division Pacific Division

Final standings

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By division

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Atlantic Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Philadelphia 76ers 50 32 .610 – 32–9 18–23 11–5
x-Boston Celtics 44 38 .537 6 28–13 16–25 9–7
New York Knicks 40 42 .488 10 26–15 14–27 8–8
Buffalo Braves 30 52 .366 20 23–18 7–34 6–10
New York Nets 22 60 .268 28 10–31 12–29 6–10
Central Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Houston Rockets 49 33 .598 – 34–7 15–26 13–7
x-Washington Bullets 48 34 .585 1 32–9 16–25 11–9
x-San Antonio Spurs 44 38 .537 5 31–10 13–28 9–11
x-Cleveland Cavaliers 43 39 .524 6 29–12 14–27 8–12
New Orleans Jazz 35 47 .427 14 26–15 9–32 10–10
Atlanta Hawks 31 51 .378 18 19–22 12–29 9–11
Midwest Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Denver Nuggets 50 32 .610 – 36–5 14–27 15–5
x-Detroit Pistons 44 38 .537 6 30–11 14–27 12–8
x-Chicago Bulls 44 38 .537 6 31–10 13–28 10–10
Kansas City Kings 40 42 .488 10 28–13 12–29 7–13
Indiana Pacers 36 46 .439 14 25–16 11–30 9–11
Milwaukee Bucks 30 52 .366 20 24–17 6–35 7–13
Pacific Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Los Angeles Lakers 53 29 .646 – 37–4 16–25 11–5
x-Portland Trail Blazers 49 33 .598 4 35–6 14–27 10–6
x-Golden State Warriors 46 36 .561 7 29–12 17–24 8–8
Seattle SuperSonics 40 42 .488 13 27–14 13–28 6–10
Phoenix Suns 34 48 .415 19 26–15 8–33 5–11

By conference

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#
Eastern Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Philadelphia 76ers 50 32 .610 –
2 y-Houston Rockets 49 33 .598 1
3 x-Washington Bullets 48 34 .585 2
4 x-Boston Celtics 44 38 .537 6
5 x-San Antonio Spurs 44 38 .537 6
6 x-Cleveland Cavaliers 43 39 .524 7
7 New York Knicks 40 42 .488 10
8 New Orleans Jazz 35 47 .427 15
9 Atlanta Hawks 31 51 .378 19
10 Buffalo Braves 30 52 .366 20
11 New York Nets 22 60 .268 28
#
Western Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Los Angeles Lakers 53 29 .646 –
2 y-Denver Nuggets 50 32 .610 3
3 x-Portland Trail Blazers 49 33 .598 4
4 x-Golden State Warriors 46 36 .561 7
5 x-Detroit Pistons 44 38 .537 9
6 x-Chicago Bulls 44 38 .537 9
7 Kansas City Kings 40 42 .488 13
8 Seattle SuperSonics 40 42 .488 13
9 Indiana Pacers 36 46 .439 17
10 Phoenix Suns 34 48 .415 19
11 Milwaukee Bucks 30 52 .366 23

Notes

  • z, y – division champions
  • x – clinched playoff spot

Playoffs

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Main article: 1977 NBA playoffs
First Round Conference Semifinals Conference Finals NBA Finals
E1 Philadelphia* 4
E4 Boston 2 E4 Boston 3
E5 San Antonio 0 Eastern ConferenceE1 Philadelphia* 4
E2 Houston* 2
E3 Washington 2
E3 Washington 2 E2 Houston* 4
E6 Cleveland 1 E1 Philadelphia* 2
W3 Portland 4
W1 Los Angeles* 4
W4 Golden State 2 W4 Golden State 3
W5 Detroit 1 Western ConferenceW1 Los Angeles* 0
W3 Portland 4
W3 Portland 4
W3 Portland 2 W2 Denver* 2
W6 Chicago 1
  • * Division winner
  • Bold Series winner
  • Italic Team with home-court advantage

Statistics leaders

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Category Player Team Stat
Points per game Pete Maravich New Orleans Jazz 31.6
Rebounds per game Bill Walton Portland Trail Blazers 14.4
Assists per game Don Buse Indiana Pacers 8.5
Steals per game Don Buse Indiana Pacers 3.47
Blocks per game Bill Walton Portland Trail Blazers 3.25
FG% Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Los Angeles Lakers .579
FT% Ernie DiGregorio Buffalo Braves .945

NBA awards

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Koppett, Leonard (June 6, 1977). "Blazers Win Title, Beating 76ers by 109‐107". The New York Times. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
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