{"id":20944,"date":"2021-06-21T13:42:24","date_gmt":"2021-06-21T18:42:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=20944"},"modified":"2021-06-21T13:42:24","modified_gmt":"2021-06-21T18:42:24","slug":"the-sensational-1979-nba-world-champion-seattle-supersonics-the-greatest-show-on-earth-led-by-hall-of-fame-player-and-coach-lenny-wilkins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=20944","title":{"rendered":"THE SENSATIONAL 1979 NBA WORLD CHAMPION “SEATTLE SUPERSONICS”, THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH, LED BY HALL OF FAME PLAYER AND COACH, LENNY WILKINS"},"content":{"rendered":"

THE TEAM<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 1979 NBA World Championship Series was the championship series<\/a> played at the conclusion of the National Basketball Association<\/a> (NBA)’s 1978\u201379 season<\/a>. The Western Conference<\/a> champion Seattle SuperSonics<\/a> played the Eastern Conference<\/a> champion Washington Bullets<\/a>, with the Bullets holding home-court advantage, due to a better regular season record. The SuperSonics defeated the Bullets 4 games to 1. The series was a rematch of the 1978 NBA Finals<\/a>, which the Washington Bullets had won 4\u20133.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dennis Johnson<\/a> of the SuperSonics was named as the NBA Finals MVP<\/a>, while Gus Williams<\/a> of the SuperSonics was the top scorer, averaging 28.6 points per game.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Coincidentally, this series (along with the 1978 NBA Finals<\/a>) was informally known as the George Washington<\/a> series, because both teams were playing in places named after the first President of the United States<\/a> (the SuperSonics represented Seattle<\/a>, the most populous city in the state of Washington<\/a>, and the Bullets represented Washington, D.C., albeit playing in nearby Landover, Maryland<\/a>).<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is the most recent time that a Western Conference team not based in Texas<\/a> or California<\/a> has won an NBA title, and the last of only two occasions alongside the 1976\u201377 Portland Trail Blazers<\/a> when a team from the present-day Northwest Division<\/a> has won the league title, which is by 27 years the longest league championship drought for any division of the four major North American sports leagues.(2006 Indianapolis Colts) [note 1]<\/a><\/sup> Since then, the following Western teams have gone on to win an NBA title: the Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> (eleven times), the San Antonio Spurs<\/a> (five times), the Golden State Warriors<\/a> (three times), the Houston Rockets<\/a> (twice), and the Dallas Mavericks<\/a> (once). The remaining twenty titles since 1980 have been won by Eastern Conference teams.<\/sup><\/strong><\/p>\n

THE COACH<\/strong><\/p>\n

LENNY WILKINS, THE 3X HALL OF FAMER, VOTED IN AS A HEAD COACH, OLYMPIC COACH, AND NBA HOF PLAYER, ALSO THE NBA HEAD COACH WITH THE MOST WINS IN NBA HISTORY WHEN HE RETIRED.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lenny Wilkens<\/strong><\/h1>\n
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Lenny Wilkens<\/strong><\/caption>\n
\"Lenny<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
Wilkens in 1968<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Personal information<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Born<\/strong><\/th>\nOctober 28, 1937 (age\u00a083)<\/span><\/strong>
\nBrooklyn, New York<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nationality<\/strong><\/th>\nAmerican<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Listed height<\/strong><\/th>\n6\u00a0ft 1\u00a0in (1.85\u00a0m)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Listed weight<\/strong><\/th>\n180\u00a0lb (82\u00a0kg)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Career information<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
High school<\/strong><\/th>\nBoys<\/a> (Brooklyn, New York)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
College<\/strong><\/th>\nProvidence<\/a> (1957\u20131960)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
NBA draft<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n1960<\/a> \/ Round: 1 \/ Pick: 6th overall<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Selected by the St. Louis Hawks<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Playing career<\/strong><\/th>\n1960\u20131975<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Position<\/strong><\/th>\nPoint guard<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Number<\/strong><\/th>\n32, 15, 14, 19, 17<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Coaching career<\/strong><\/th>\n1969\u20132005<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Career history<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
As player:<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
1960<\/a>\u20131968<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\nSt. Louis Hawks<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1968<\/a>\u20131972<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\nSeattle SuperSonics<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1972<\/a>\u20131974<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\nCleveland Cavaliers<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1974\u20131975<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\nPortland Trail Blazers<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
As coach:<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
1969\u20131972<\/strong><\/th>\nSeattle SuperSonics<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1974\u20131976<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\nPortland Trail Blazers<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1977<\/a>\u20131985<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\nSeattle SuperSonics<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1986<\/a>\u20131993<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\nCleveland Cavaliers<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1993<\/a>\u20132000<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\nAtlanta Hawks<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2000<\/a>\u20132003<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\nToronto Raptors<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2004<\/a>\u20132005<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\nNew York Knicks<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Career highlights and awards<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
As player:<\/strong><\/p>\n
Career playing statistics<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Points<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n17,772 (16.5 ppg)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Rebounds<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n5,030 (4.7 rpg)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Assists<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n7,211 (6.7 apg)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Stats<\/a>\u00a0\"Edit<\/a> at NBA.com<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Stats<\/a> at Basketball-Reference.com<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Career coaching record<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
NBA<\/strong><\/th>\n1332\u20131155 (.536)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Basketball Hall of Fame as player<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Basketball Hall of Fame as coach<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
College Basketball Hall of Fame<\/a><\/strong>
\nInducted in 2006<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Medals<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Head Coach for \"\"\u00a0<\/span>United States<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
men’s national basketball team<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Olympic Games<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
\"Gold<\/strong><\/td>\n1996 Atlanta<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nTeam<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Assistant Coach for \"\"\u00a0<\/span>United States<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
men’s national basketball team<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Olympic Games<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
\"Gold<\/strong><\/td>\n1992 Barcelona<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nTeam<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Leonard Randolph Wilkens (born October 28, 1937) is an American former basketball<\/a> player and coach in the National Basketball Association<\/a> (NBA). He has been inducted three times into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame<\/a>, first in 1989 as a player, as a coach in 1998, and in 2010 as part of the 1992 United States Olympic “Dream Team,”<\/a> for which he was an assistant coach. He is also a 2006 inductee into the College Basketball Hall of Fame<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wilkens was a combined 13-time NBA All-Star<\/a> as a player (nine times) and as a head coach (four times), was the 1993 NBA Coach of the Year<\/a>, won the 1979 NBA championship<\/a> as the head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics<\/a>, and an Olympic gold medal<\/a> as the head coach of the 1996 U.S. men’s basketball team.<\/strong><\/p>\n

During the 1994\u201395 season, Wilkens set the record for most coaching wins in NBA history, a record he held when he retired with 1,332 victories. Wilkens is now second on the list<\/a> closely beating out Gregg Popovich<\/a>; yet, falling behind Don Nelson<\/a>, who broke it in 2010. He won the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award<\/a> for the 2010\u201311 NBA season<\/a>.[1]<\/a><\/sup> Wilkens is also the most prolific coach in NBA history, at 2,487 regular-season games, 89 more games than Nelson, and over 400 more than any other coach.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Awards and honors<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n
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