1979 Seattle SuperSonics: The Complete Champions
The 1979 Seattle Supersonics were both a franchise on the rise, as well as one that had a bitter taste in their mouths over the end of the previous season. Those two elements combined to make them NBA champions.
Seattle made a surprise run to the Finals in 1978 before losing a Game 7 at home to the Washington Bullets. But there were still a team with a lot of young talent, and every reason to think the best was still ahead.
YOUNG LEGS, DEEP BENCH
The good things started with a backcourt of Gus Williams and Dennis Johnson, ages 25 and 24, respectively. Williams was an explosive scorer, while D.J. a good one, along with being a good passer, a good rebounder, and an exceptional defender. The third guard in the mix was Fred Brown, another player renowned for his ability to fill it up in a hurry.
In 1979, Williams averaged 19 points/4 assists per game, while Johnson averaged 16 points/5 rebounds/4 assists and was 1st-team All-NBA on defense.
Jack Sikma, age 23, was the cornerstone of the frontcourt and the center averaged 16 points a game, while his 12 boards a night ranked fifth in the league. He was a supported by strong depth up front, starting with newly acquired 23-year-old Lonnie Shelton, who averaged a 14/6.
More frontline depth came in the way of yet another 23-year-old Tom LaGarde, who posted an 11/8 average, and a proud veteran in 35-year-old Paul Silas who grabbed seven boards a night. And the versatile John Johnson played the small forward spot, chipping in 11 points per game.
A FAST START & DECEMBER SLIDE
Seattle came strong out of the gate and won their first seven games. That included beating the contending San Antonio Spurs, along with the Bullets, by a combined 45 points. After the finally lost a game, the Sonics just picked up where they left off.
They split a pair with the Denver Nuggets, another contender in the West. They won at Philadelphia, one of the better teams in the East, beat the Spurs again and won a home game with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Los Angeles Lakers. The record reached 20-6.
On a return trip to L.A., Seattle stumbled. That was normal enough, but it triggered a six-game losing streak going into Christmas. The start to the season had been strong enough that the 20-12 record still had the Sonics atop the Pacific Division, but the Lakers and Phoenix Suns were now within percentage points of the lead.
The division race was a big deal in the NBA of this era. Only six teams per conference made the playoffs. That meant the two division winners got byes into the second round. Moreover, the first round was a best-of-three “mini-series.” Seattle had taken this long route to the Finals in 1978, so it clearly could be done. Just as clearly, the Sonics would prefer to avoid a “lighting round” in the postseason.
ROLLING AGAIN
Seattle got hot again out of Christmas and were playing well on January 23 when they visited the nation’s capital to play the Bullets. The Sonics dug themselves a 13-point hole after three quarters and were crushed on the boards, losing rebounding 62-40. But they attacked defensively and forced 28 turnovers. The defense took over the final quarter and Seattle rallied to a 103-100 win.
Two nights later, against the playoff-bound Atlanta Hawks, the Sonics again used a fourth quarter rally to win. Two nights after that, they got a road win against another playoff team, the Houston Rockets.
In the early days of February, Seattle was soaring at 34-16. They had a three-game lead on Los Angeles and Phoenix. They were four games ahead of the Kansas City Kings (today’s Sacramento franchise), the Midwest Division leader in the push for the top seed in the West. And the Sonics were just one game back of the Bullets in the race of the league’s best overall record.
THE DOG DAYS TAKE THEIR TOLL
February is known as the Dog Days in the NBA. It’s deep into the season, but the excitement of the playoffs still seems a ways off. And Seattle faltered. They lost four straight in a schedule stretch where Houston was the only competitive team. Before the month was out, they lost at home to Washington, and lost to San Antonio, Denver, and Kansas City.
By March 4, the record was 39-26. Seattle now trailed Los Angeles by a game in the Pacific, with Phoenix two games back. Kansas City was in the mix for the top seed and the best record in the NBA was now a pipe dream.
On top of it all, the Sonics were beginning a six-game road trip.
THE PUSH FOR THE PACIFIC
After winning two of the first three on the road swing to settle themselves, Seattle paid a visit to Philadelphia. Behind 23 points from Williams and a balanced attack, the Sonics pulled out a 99-96 win. That triggered a seven-game winning streak.
In the meantime, the Lakers had their own problems. By March 28, Seattle’s 48-27 record had them back in first place, 2 ½ games on Phoenix, with L.A. suddenly five off the pace. The Sonics were four games clear of the Kings. The top seed in the West was theirs for the taking.
A road overtime loss to the Suns slowed the momentum. Seattle approached a busy final weekend at 51-29 with games on Friday and Sunday. Phoenix, at 49-30, was going to play on three consecutive days to end the season. The Sonics had the advantage of the tiebreaker, so one win would wrap it up.
On Friday night in L.A, Seattle made it easy on themselves. Williams went off for a 31 points/8 rebounds/10 assists game and led the way to a comfortable 113-93 win. The Sonics had their bye into the conference semifinals, and they were the #1 seed in the West.
TOO MUCH FOR KAREEM
There was no escaping the Lakers, who won their mini-series and came to Seattle for the second round. Los Angeles had the brighter stars, starting with Kareem at center. The Lakers had great scorers in Norm Nixon, Jamaal Wilkes, and Adrian Dantley.
But they were missing some Magic—an element that wouldn’t come until a year later, and the superior SuperSonic guards began to set the tone for their dominant postseason.
Williams and D.J. combined for 53 points in a 112-101 win to open the series, as Seattle took over in the third quarter after falling behind early. Another strong third quarter, along with 38 points from Williams produced a 108-103 overtime win in Game 2, as the SuperSonics held serve at home.
Another overtime game was at hand in Game 3 in the old Los Angeles Forum. Sikma, Silas, and Shelton all fouled out, and the Lakers hit nine free throws in the final 1:21 of OT. Seattle lost 118-112 to heighten the stakes for Game 4.
Williams and D.J. again stepped up with a combined 53 points and John Johnson added 20 of his own. The third quarter was Seattle’s friend again, as they shot 71 percent in the period. The SuperSonics still led by ten points with 3:20 left when the Lakers made a furious rally to cut the lead to 117-115. They got one final shot, but Nixon missed at the buzzer and Seattle was in complete control of the series.
Another 30-point explosion from Williams, his fourth of the series, came in Game 5. Another strong third quarter came when Williams scored 16 of his points. Shelton had 22, D.J. had 21 and the Sonics won 106-100 to advance to the conference finals.
A GAME 6 THAT SAVED THE SEASON
The Western Conference Finals would be against Phoenix, and it would be another series where Seattle would rely on superior depth to trump brighter stars. In this case, the stars were Paul Westphal and Walter Davis, each 24ppg scorers, and the Suns had strong interior personnel in Alvan Adams and the aptly named Truck Robinson.
Williams dropped 27 in Game 1 and Seattle completely dominated in a 108-93 win. They didn’t dominate Game 2, but they still won it and again defended their home floor. Even though Westphal and Davis got rolling, this game would prove the definitive statement about SuperSonic depth.
When your best three players shoot 11-for-56, as Williams, Sikma and DJ did, it’s quite an accomplishment to win a conference finals game. That’s what Seattle did, thanks to everyone else stepping up, led by John Johnson with 21. And the SuperSonics crashed the boards, winning the rebound battle 59-38.
The depth failed Seattle when they hit the road for Phoenix in Game 3. Williams scored 35 points, but he was a one-man show in a 113-103 loss. This time, the Sonics couldn’t steal one on the road, dropping Game 4 by 100-91 count. And it got even worse when they came back to the Seattle Kingdome. Williams played poorly, fouling out with just ten points and the SuperSonics lost at home, 99-93, being outplayed in the fourth quarter.
To say Seattle was in trouble going on the road for Game 6 is an understatement, especially when they trailed by eight after three quarters and Williams struggled again, this time to a 16-point night. But somehow the Sonics dug in, and with 23 from D.J. and 21 from Sikma, they pulled out a 106-105 win.
It’s not too much to say that the fourth quarter of Game 6 was the most important 12 minutes of basketball in the history of the city of Seattle. Because the SuperSonics took advantage of their reprieve back home in Game 7. Williams and D.J. were back in the groove, combining for 55 points. And no one was better than Sikma, who scored 33, grabbed 11 rebounds and hit the clinching free throws in a 114-110 win.
REVENGE ON THE BULLETS
Seattle was back in the NBA Finals, and they had a rematch with Washington. The Bullets had homecourt advantage this time, with a 54-28 record, although they had been pushed seven games in both of their Eastern Conference playoff series. What they still had was solid, veteran big people, with Elvin Hayes and Wes Unseld, along with a quality scorer in Bob Dandridge and further depth with Kevin Grevey and Mitch Kupchak.
The Bullets had beaten the SuperSonics the last two games in the ’78 NBA Finals and picked up where they left off, jumping out to an 18-point lead with a little over nine minutes left in Game 1. Seattle made a furious rally and tied the game. The Bullets had the last shot, and D.J. went up for the block against Larry Wright.
He got it, but he also got some of the body with one second left. Wright hit two free throws to win it, 99-97. Even though Seattle had lost, the rally shifted momentum and the SuperSonics began to take over the NBA Finals.
Seattle’s defense was suffocating in Game 2, a 92-82 win that got them the road split. Williams popped in 31 points to deliver a 105-95 win Game 3. The two guards, the Williams and D.J. combo, had their most explosive game of the playoffs in Game 4. They combined for 68 points and the SuperSonics needed all of them in a 114-112 overtime win.
Sikma was dominating the inside, and he would finish the Finals with a 16/15 nightly average, outplaying both Hayes and Unseld. John Johnson and Shelton were combining for 14 more rebounds a night. This is even more significant than it looks, because if Washington couldn’t dominate up front, they weren’t going to win. The SuperSonic guards were just too good.
Williams and D.J. were good one more time in the Beltway for Game 5. Even though the Bullets came out fired up, leading by eleven after the first quarter, the lead was down to three when the fourth quarter began. Williams finished with 23 points, D.J. had 21 and Seattle took over and won 97-93. They were NBA champs.
The Finals MVP award went to D.J, with his 23 ppg, even though Williams had a higher scoring average at 29. D.J. had more rebounds and assists (6-4 in each category) and his defense was vital in forcing the Washington backcourt into a tough series. Either player would have been a great choice. Collectively, they had been too much for the entire NBA.
A PREMATURE PEAK
Given the youth of the team, it’s surprising and disappointing that the 1979 Seattle SuperSonics were the peak for this group of players. By the next season, Magic Johnson came to the Lakers, and it was they who defined basketball in the Western Conference. The Sonics reached the conference finals in 1980, but they began to gradually fade from relevance.
Not until 1996, with Gary Payton, did the franchise return to the NBA Finals and they’ve since relocated to Oklahoma City. The city of Seattle didn’t experience another championship until the Seahawks won the Super Bowl following the 2013 NFL season.
Seattle should be an NBA town, and in 1979, they were a special one, combining all elements of basketball to produce a championship team.