1978–79 Los Angeles Lakers season

1978–79 Los Angeles Lakers season
Head coachJerry West
General managerBill Sharman
OwnerJack Kent Cooke
ArenaThe Forum
Results
Record47–35 (.573)
PlaceDivision: 3rd (Pacific)
Conference: 5th (Western)
Playoff finishConference semifinals
(lost to SuperSonics 1–4)
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
TelevisionKHJ-TV
RadioKLAC

The 1978–79 Los Angeles Lakers season was the Lakers' 31st season in the NBA and 19th season in Los Angeles.[1]

The Lakers improved their win total from the prior year to 47–35, but lost once again in the postseason to division rival Seattle, who would win the title that year.

It was the final season for the team under the ownership of Jack Kent Cooke, who sold the team to Jerry Buss the following summer.

Offseason

Draft picks

Main article: 1978 NBA draft
Round Pick Player Nationality College
2 26 Ron Carter  United States Virginia Military
2 38 Lew Massey  United States North Carolina
3 60 Michael Cooper  United States New Mexico
4 82 Harold Robertson  United States Lincoln University
5 104 Carlos Terry  United States Winston-Salem
6 126 Kim Stewart  United States Washington
7 147 Larry Paige  United States Colorado

Roster

1978–79 Los Angeles Lakers roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From
C 33 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1947-04-16 UCLA
SG 24 Ron Boone 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1946-09-06 Idaho State
PF 2 Kenny Carr 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1955-08-15 NC State
SG 15 Ron Carter 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1956-08-31 VMI
SG 21 Michael Cooper 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1956-04-15 New Mexico
SF 4 Adrian Dantley 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 208 lb (94 kg) 1955-02-28 Notre Dame
PF 35 Don Ford 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1952-12-31 UC Santa Barbara
SG 23 Lou Hudson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1944-07-11 Minnesota
PG 10 Norm Nixon 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1955-10-11 Duquesne
PG 5 Jim Price 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1949-11-27 Louisville
C 40 Dave Robisch 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1949-12-22 Kansas
SF 52 Jamaal Wilkes 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1953-05-02 UCLA
Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

Roster
Updated: October 27, 1978

Regular season

Season standings

Pacific Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Seattle SuperSonics 52 30 .634 – 31–10 21–20 11–9
x-Phoenix Suns 50 32 .610 2 32–9 18–23 11–9
x-Los Angeles Lakers 47 35 .573 5 31–10 16–25 11–9
x-Portland Trail Blazers 45 37 .549 7 33–8 12–29 8–12
San Diego Clippers 43 39 .524 9 29–12 14–27 11–9
Golden State Warriors 38 44 .463 14 23–18 15–26 8–12
#
Western Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Seattle SuperSonics 52 30 .634 –
2 y-Kansas City Kings 48 34 .585 4
3 x-Phoenix Suns 50 32 .610 2
4 x-Denver Nuggets 47 35 .573 5
5 x-Los Angeles Lakers 47 35 .573 5
6 x-Portland Trail Blazers 45 37 .549 7
7 San Diego Clippers 43 39 .524 9
8 Indiana Pacers 38 44 .463 14
9 Milwaukee Bucks 38 44 .463 14
10 Golden State Warriors 38 44 .463 14
11 Chicago Bulls 31 51 .378 21
z - clinched division title
y - clinched division title
x - clinched playoff spot

Playoffs

1979 playoff game log
First Round: 2–1 (home: 1–0; road: 1–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Series
1 April 10 @ Denver L 105–110 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (23) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (12) Norm Nixon (11) McNichols Sports Arena
16,011 		0–1
2 April 13 Denver W 121–109 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (32) Jamaal Wilkes (13) Norm Nixon (16) The Forum
14,182 		1–1
3 April 16 @ Denver W 112–111 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (29) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (16) Norm Nixon (12) McNichols Sports Arena
16,181 		2–1
Conference semifinals: 1–4 (home: 1–1; road: 0–3)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Series
1 April 17 @ Seattle L 101–112 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (25) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (11) Norm Nixon (7) Kingdome
26,377 		0–1
2 April 18 @ Seattle L 103–108 (OT) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (31) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (15) Norm Nixon (10) Kingdome
26,862 		0–2
3 April 20 Seattle W 118–112 (OT) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (32) Jamaal Wilkes (9) Norm Nixon (11) The Forum
17,505 		1–2
4 April 22 Seattle L 115–117 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (31) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (13) Norm Nixon (19) The Forum
17,505 		1–3
5 April 25 @ Seattle L 100–106 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (25) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (14) Abdul-Jabbar, Nixon (8) Seattle Center Coliseum
14,098 		1–4
1979 schedule

Awards and records

References

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