1976–77 NBA season

1976–77 NBA season
League	National Basketball Association
Sport	Basketball
Duration	October 21, 1976 – April 10, 1977 April 12 – May 17, 1977 (Playoffs) May 22 – June 5, 1977 (Finals)
Number of games	82
Number of teams	22
TV partner(s)	CBS
Draft
Top draft pick	John Lucas
Picked by	Houston Rockets
Regular season
Top seed	Los Angeles Lakers
Season MVP	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Los Angeles)
Top scorer	Pete Maravich (New Orleans)
Playoffs
Eastern champions	Philadelphia 76ers
Eastern runners-up	Houston Rockets
Western champions	Portland Trail Blazers
Western runners-up	Los Angeles Lakers
Finals
Champions	Portland Trail Blazers
Runners-up	Philadelphia 76ers
Finals MVP	Bill Walton (Portland)

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.

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

• The NBA's rival league, the American Basketball Association, joined with the NBA in the ABA–NBA merger. Four ABA franchises joined the NBA: the New York Nets, the Indiana Pacers, the San Antonio Spurs, and the Denver Nuggets. The other ABA teams had folded prior to the merger, except for the Kentucky Colonels and Spirits of St. Louis, both of whose players were picked up by NBA teams in the ABA dispersal draft.
• The NBA Playoffs were expanded from 5 teams per conference to 6, resulting in division winners getting a first round bye.
• The 1977 NBA All-Star Game was played at The MECCA in Milwaukee, with the West beating the East 125–124. Julius Erving of the Philadelphia 76ers (one of the new arrivals from the ABA) wins the game's MVP award.
• 5 of the 10 All-Star starters and 10 of the 24 All-Star participants were former ABA players, and former ABA players filled 4 of the 10 slots on the All-NBA first and second teams. Five former ABA players competed in the NBA Finals: the Philadelphia 76ers' Julius Erving, George McGinnis and Caldwell Jones, and the Portland Trail Blazers' Maurice Lucas and Dave Twardzik.
• The Portland Trail Blazers made their first playoff appearance, winning their first and, to date, only NBA Championship. They also become the second team in history (after the 1969 Celtics) to win the NBA Finals after dropping the first two games.
• This season saw the introducing of new championship trophy which would later become known as the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy replacing the Walter A. Brown Trophy

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

Final standings

By division

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

#	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

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 Conference

E1

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 Conference

W1

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

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

• Most Valuable Player: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles Lakers
• Rookie of the Year: Adrian Dantley, Buffalo Braves
• Coach of the Year: Tom Nissalke, Houston Rockets

• All-NBA First Team:
  • F – Elvin Hayes, Washington Bullets
  • F – David Thompson, Denver Nuggets
  • C – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles Lakers
  • G – Pete Maravich, New Orleans Jazz
  • G – Paul Westphal, Phoenix Suns

• All-NBA Second Team:
  • F – Julius Erving, Philadelphia 76ers
  • F – George McGinnis, Philadelphia 76ers
  • C – Bill Walton, Portland Trail Blazers
  • G – George Gervin, San Antonio Spurs
  • G – Jo Jo White, Boston Celtics

• All-NBA Rookie Team:
  • John Lucas, Houston Rockets
  • Mitch Kupchak, Washington Bullets
  • Scott May, Chicago Bulls
  • Adrian Dantley, Buffalo Braves
  • Ron Lee, Phoenix Suns

• NBA All-Defensive First Team:
  • Bobby Jones, Denver Nuggets
  • E.C. Coleman, New Orleans Jazz
  • Bill Walton, Portland Trail Blazers
  • Don Buse, Indiana Pacers
  • Norm Van Lier, Chicago Bulls

• NBA All-Defensive Second Team:
  • Jim Brewer, Cleveland Cavaliers
  • Jamaal Wilkes, Golden State Warriors
  • Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles Lakers
  • Brian Taylor, Kansas City Kings
  • Don Chaney, Los Angeles Lakers

See also

• List of NBA regular season records