1977–78 Los Angeles Lakers season
Season of National Basketball Association team the Los Angeles Lakers
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1977–78 Los Angeles Lakers season was the Lakers' 30th season in the NBA and 18th season in Los Angeles.[1]
| 1977–78 Los Angeles Lakers season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Jerry West |
| General manager | Bill Sharman |
| Owner | Jack Kent Cooke |
| Arena | The Forum |
| Results | |
| Record | 45–37 (.549) |
| Place | Division: 4th (Pacific) Conference: 5th (Western) |
| Playoff finish | First round (lost to SuperSonics 1–2) |
Stats at Basketball Reference | |
| Local media | |
| Television | KHJ-TV (Chick Hearn, Pat Riley) |
| Radio | KLAC (Chick Hearn, Pat Riley) |
This season was defined by the December 9 punch that Kermit Washington laid on Rudy Tomjanovich during a Lakers vs. Rockets game, which received national attention. The violent moment would permanently alter Washington's and Tomjanovich's playing careers.
The Lakers won 45 games, an eight-game decline from their Pacific Division-winning ballclub of the year prior. They would be defeated 2-1 in the first round by their division foes, the Seattle SuperSonics, who went on to the NBA Finals.
Offseason
Draft picks
Roster
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
Roster |
Regular season
Season standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y-Portland Trail Blazers | 58 | 24 | .707 | – | 36–5 | 22–19 | 13–3 |
| x-Phoenix Suns | 49 | 33 | .598 | 9 | 34–7 | 15–26 | 8–8 |
| x-Seattle SuperSonics | 47 | 35 | .573 | 11 | 31–10 | 16–25 | 8–8 |
| x-Los Angeles Lakers | 45 | 37 | .549 | 13 | 29–12 | 16–25 | 6–10 |
| Golden State Warriors | 43 | 39 | .524 | 15 | 30–11 | 13–28 | 5–11 |
| # | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
| 1 | z-Portland Trail Blazers | 58 | 24 | .707 | – |
| 2 | y-Denver Nuggets | 48 | 34 | .585 | 10 |
| 3 | x-Phoenix Suns | 49 | 33 | .598 | 9 |
| 4 | x-Seattle SuperSonics | 47 | 35 | .573 | 11 |
| 5 | x-Los Angeles Lakers | 45 | 37 | .549 | 13 |
| 6 | x-Milwaukee Bucks | 44 | 38 | .537 | 14 |
| 7 | Golden State Warriors | 43 | 39 | .524 | 15 |
| 8 | Chicago Bulls | 40 | 42 | .488 | 18 |
| 9 | Detroit Pistons | 38 | 44 | .463 | 20 |
| 10 | Indiana Pacers | 31 | 51 | .378 | 27 |
| 11 | Kansas City Kings | 31 | 51 | .378 | 27 |
- z – clinched division title
- y – clinched division title
- x – clinched playoff spot
Playoffs
| 1978 playoff game log | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
First Round: 1–2 (home: 1–0; road: 0–2)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1978 schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Awards and records
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, All-NBA Second Team
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, NBA All-Defensive Second Team
- Norm Nixon, NBA All-Rookie Team 1st Team