1976-77 NBA SEASON

'The 1976-77 NBA season' was the 31st season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Portland Trail Blazers winning the NBA Championship, beating the Philadelphia 76ers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals.

Contents

Notable occurrences

Final standings

Eastern Conference

Western Conference

1976-77 NBA Stats Leaders

NBA awards

See also

Notable occurrences

★ As the rival ABA folded, the NBA expands by adding four of its franchises, the New York Nets, the Indiana Pacers, the San Antonio Spurs, and the Denver Nuggets, in the ABA-NBA merger. This brings the league up to 22 teams.

★ The NBA Playoffs are expanded from 5 teams per conference to 6.

★ The NBA All-Star Game was played at The Mecca in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with the West beating the East 125-124. Julius Erving of the Philadelphia 76ers wins the game's MVP award.

★ The Portland Trail Blazers win a championship in the first year that they appear in the playoffs. In addition, they also become the second team in history (after the 1969 Celtics) to win the NBA Finals after dropping the first two games.

Final standings

Eastern Conference

'Atlantic Division'

Team	W	L	PCT.	GB
Philadelphia 76ers	50	32	.610	-
Boston Celtics	44	38	.537	6
New York Knicks	40	42	.488	10
Buffalo Braves	30	52	.366	20
New York Nets	22	60	.268	28

'Central Division'

Team	W	L	PCT.	GB
Houston Rockets	49	33	.598	-
Washington Bullets	48	34	.585	1
San Antonio Spurs	44	38	.537	5
Cleveland Cavaliers	43	39	.524	6
New Orleans Jazz	35	47	.427	14
Atlanta Hawks	31	51	.378	18

Western Conference

'Midwest Division'

Team	W	L	PCT.	GB
Denver Nuggets	50	32	.610	-
Chicago Bulls	44	38	.537	6
Detroit Pistons	44	38	.537	6
Kansas City Kings	40	42	.488	10
Indiana Pacers	36	46	.439	14
Milwaukee Bucks	30	52	.366	20

'Pacific Division'

Team	W	L	PCT.	GB
Los Angeles Lakers	53	29	.646	-
Portland Trail Blazers 'C'	49	33	.598	4
Golden State Warriors	46	36	.561	7
Seattle SuperSonics	40	42	.488	13
Phoenix Suns	34	48	.415	19

'C' - NBA Champions

1976-77 NBA Stats 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	3.5
Blocks per game	Bill Walton	Portland Trail Blazers	3.2
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:'

★
★ Pete Maravich, New Orleans Jazz

★
★ Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles Lakers

★
★ David Thompson, Denver Nuggets

★
★ Paul Westphal, Phoenix Suns

★
★ Elvin Hayes, Washington Bullets

★ '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
''Note: All information on this page were obtained on the History section on NBA.com''

See also

★ 1977 NBA Playoffs

★ 1977 NBA Finals

★ 1977 NBA Draft

★ 1977 NBA All-Star Game