1976–77 NBA season

1976–77 NBA season
League	National Basketball Association
Sport	Basketball
TV partner/s	CBS
Regular season
Season MVP	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (L.A. Lakers)
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
Finals champions	Portland Trail Blazers
Runners-up	Philadelphia 76ers
Finals MVP	Bill Walton (Portland)
NBA seasons
← 1975–76	1977–78 →

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

Notable occurrences

• The NBA's rival league, the American Basketball Association (ABA), 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 are expanded from 5 teams per conference to 6.
• The 1977 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 (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 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

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	3.5
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