1961-62: Bellamy Leads
"Pack" Attack
The team's first roster featured the usual
expansion mix of aging players, journeymen, and college
draft choices. The best of the lot was 6-11 Walt Bellamy,
a center from Indiana who had been selected with the first
pick in the draft.
The 1961-62 season began on October 19, when
the Packers lost to the New York Knicks, 120-103, in the
franchise's first NBA game. On October 27 they notched their
first win by beating the St. Louis Hawks, 117-106. Victories
proved hard to come by after that, and the Packers, coached
by Jim Pollard, finished a distant last in the Western Division
with an 18-62 record.
Bellamy averaged 31.6 points and 19.0 rebounds,
both franchise records that would stand for more than three
decades. The big center also set club season records for
points (2,495), field goals (973), and rebounds (1,500).
He was second in the league in scoring to Wilt Chamberlain
(50.4 ppg), led the league in field goal percentage at .519,
and was named NBA Rookie of the Year.
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1962-63: A New Nickname
But Familiar Results
For 1962-63 the Packers changed their name
to the Zephyrs, but that didn't fool anyone-fans and opponents
alike recognized that they were the same old team. Chicago
evened its record at home at 17-17, but they continued to
struggle on the road. The Zephyrs again finished in last
place in the West, with a 25-55 record.
The team boasted two terrific offensive players.
Bellamy repeated as team leader in scoring (27.9 ppg) and
rebounding (16.4 rpg). Terry Dischinger, a 6-7 forward,
added 25.5 points per game and was named NBA Rookie of the
Year, succeeding Bellamy as the second top newcomer for
the franchise.
The 1963 NBA Draft yielded Rod Thorn of West
Virginia. More important to the future of the franchise
was the second-round pick, Gus Johnson of Idaho, who eventually
became one of the best players in team history. In his nine
seasons with the club, the 6-6, 235-pound Johnson pioneered
the modern power forward position-specializing in ferocious,
driving slam dunks that had been relatively uncommon in
the league before he made them a regular part of his repertoire.
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1963-67: Bellamy & Co.
Head For Baltimore
On March 25, 1963, the franchise moved to
Baltimore and was renamed the Bullets. (The Syracuse Nationals
also moved that year, becoming the Philadelphia 76ers.)
Baltimore's roster included Bellamy, Dischinger, and Johnson,
along with Gene Shue and Kevin Loughery, two players who
later went on to coach the Bullets.
The club finished the 1963-64 season at 31-49,
good enough for fourth place in the Western Division. Bellamy
ranked fourth in the NBA with 27.0 points per game, backed
by Dischinger (20.8 ppg, ninth in the league), and Johnson
(17.3). Bellamy also set a club record by making 22 field
goals against Philadelphia on January 21.
A blockbuster trade before the next season
sent Dischinger, Thorn, and Don Kojis to the Detroit Pistons
for Bailey Howell, Don Ohl, Bob Ferry, and Wally Jones.
The trade worked out well for Baltimore, mostly because
Howell was a hustling, fundamentally sound player, and the
1964-65 team improved slightly to 37-43. The Bullets excelled
at home, compiling a 23-14 record, but they struggled on
the road, winning only 12 contests. Bellamy was great anytime
and anywhere, but especially on December 4 when he set a
club record by hauling down 37 rebounds against St. Louis.
Despite its losing record, Baltimore made
it into the playoffs in 1965. The Bullets shredded St. Louis
in the division semifinals before falling in six games to
Los Angeles in the Western Division Finals. For the fourth
consecutive season Bellamy led the team in scoring (24.8
ppg) and rebounding (14.6 rpg). Behind him the Bullets made
balanced contributions, with Howell, Johnson, Ohl, and Loughery
all averaging double figures in scoring.
A few games into the 1965-66 season Bellamy
was sent to New York for Jim Barnes, Johnny Green, and Johnny
Egan. The team made up for the loss of its superstar by
emulating the team-oriented approach that had made the Boston
Celtics so successful during that era. Guard Don Ohl led
the team in scoring (20.6 ppg), and six other players averaged
in double figures. The team set franchise marks for free
throws made and attempted, connecting on 2,267 of 3,186
during the season. Bailey Howell topped the Bullets in rebounding
(9.9 rpg), the only time during the franchise's first two
decades that it didn't produce a double-figure rebounder.
The team-effort philosophy was less successful in Baltimore
than in Boston, although the Bullets managed to finish 38-42,
good enough for second place in the West behind the Los
Angeles Lakers. The Bullets advanced to the playoffs but
were swept by St. Louis in the division semifinals.
Through most of the 1960s the Bullets struggled
to win as many games as they lost. They never had enough
talent or depth to be truly competitive, but they had too
much hustle and pride to roll over in the face of adversity.
Better days were coming, but first, things changed for the
worse.
The 1966-67 team finished in last place in
the Eastern Division, its new home after the NBA added the
expansion Chicago Bulls in the West. Baltimore's 20-61 record
was the second worst in franchise history; only the team's
first year in Chicago had been more futile. The darkest
moments of a dreary campaign came when the Bullets lost
a club-record 13 consecutive games from December 17 to January
8 and never recovered.
After cycling through five coaches in five
seasons, Baltimore changed reins three times in 1966-67,
finally settling on former Bullets player Gene Shue. Shue
lasted seven seasons in his first stint as the team's coach,
then returned in the early 1980s for another tour of duty.
The team also struck gold in the 1967 NBA Draft. Baltimore
had the second pick and selected 6-3 guard Earl "the Pearl"
Monroe, who had amassed a Division II-record 2,935 points
at Winston-Salem State College.
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1967-69: Earl "The Pearl"
Monroe helped the Bullets improve to 36-46
in 1967-68. The Pearl was a flashy player, a deft ballhandler,
and a creative, unconventional shotmaker. He was the first
player to make the reverse spin on the dribble a trademark
move. After four seasons in Baltimore, Monroe would join
the New York Knicks and team with Walt Frazier to form the
most dominant backcourt duo of the era. For the time being,
however, he was lighting it up for the Bullets. For the
season, Monroe led the squad in scoring (24.3 ppg, fourth
in the league) and assists (4.3 apg) and was named NBA Rookie
of the Year.
On February 3 Monroe set the club single-game
scoring mark by toasting the Los Angeles Lakers for 56 points.
On February 24 he set another record with 26 free throw
attempts in a game against Detroit. On March 1 he led the
team to a club-record 156-point effort against the San Diego
Rockets. (Baltimore won the game, 156-114.)
Picking second in the NBA Draft for the second
consecutive year, the Bullets hit the jackpot once again
when they selected 6-7, 245-pound center Wes Unseld, a two-time
All-American from Louisville. Unseld played 13 seasons with
the Bullets, turning them into an Eastern Division power,
and then served for seven years as their coach.
Baltimore showed dramatic improvement in 1968-69,
with rookie Unseld leading the way. The Bullets' 57-25 record
was the best in the NBA, and they rocketed from the cellar
to the top spot in the Eastern Division. They played solid
ball early in the campaign and went on a tear in December,
winning a club-record nine straight games. The high-scoring
team (116.4 ppg) built a 49-17 record by late February before
splitting the final 16 contests. The Bullets were 29-9 at
home and nearly as effective on the road, where they fashioned
a 24-15 mark. The team lost only once in five games at neutral
sites.
The team possessed multiple offensive threats.
Monroe averaged 25.8 points, his career high and second
in the league to San Diego rookie Elvin Hayes's 28.4 average.
Loughery added 22.6 points per game and was joined in double
figures by Gus Johnson (17.9 ppg), Jack Marin (15.9), Wes
Unseld (13.8), and Ray Scott (11.8).
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1969: Unseld Cops MVP
And Rookie Of The Year Awards
Unseld averaged 18.2 rebounds as a rookie,
his career best and the second-highest total in franchise
history. His superior performance did not go unrewarded-he
was named both Rookie of the Year and NBA Most Valuable
Player at season's end. He and Wilt Chamberlain are the
only players ever to receive both awards during the same
season.
Gene Shue was honored for the team's 21-game
improvement by being named 1968-69 NBA Coach of the Year.
Although they were swept by the Knicks in the opening round
of the playoffs, the Bullets were on the verge of becoming
contenders. They saw postseason action in each of the next
11 seasons and reached the Finals four times.
Unseld defined the blue-collar ethic that
characterized the successful Bullets teams of the 1970s.
He was not a great scorer, but Bill Russell had already
proven that a center could control a game in other ways.
Unseld was short for a center, but he was bulky and quick
and had a great sense of the game. His strengths were rebounding
and passing; his knack for clearing the boards and then
making a quick and accurate outlet pass turned the Bullets
into a dangerous, fast-breaking team.
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1969-71: The Highest-Scoring
Team In Franchise History
The 1969-70 Bullets went 50-32 to finish in
third place in the Eastern Division behind the Knicks and
the Milwaukee Bucks. In November they matched their all-time-best
winning streak by taking nine straight games (three of them
from the Phoenix Suns). They also had two modest four-game
winning streaks, in December and January. After the first
of the year the Bullets never dropped more than two games
in a row, and they finished the campaign by winning six
of their final eight contests.
This was the highest-scoring Bullets team
in franchise history, pouring in 120.7 points per game and
setting a club record with 3,925 field goals. Wes Unseld
and Earl Monroe made for a formidable inside-outside tandem,
with Unseld grabbing 16.7 rebounds per contest and Monroe
averaging 23.4 points. Kevin Loughery scored 21.9 points
per game, while Jack Marin added another 19.7. Gus Johnson,
Unseld, and Mike Davis also finished in double figures.
For the second consecutive season the Bullets
encountered New York in the Eastern Division Semifinals.
They put up a good fight before falling in seven games to
the title-bound Knicks.
The team fell to 42-40 in 1970-71, but the
league's dilution by another round of expansion and the
Bullets move to the newly created Central Division meant
that Baltimore's record was good enough to earn the club
the first of five consecutive division titles. The season
saw both the biggest margin of victory and the biggest margin
of defeat in club history. On November 24 the Bullets poured
in 156 points against the Portland Trail Blazers to tie
the club scoring record set in 1967-68. The 49-point margin
of victory was also the largest in team history. Six weeks
later, on January 10, the Milwaukee Bucks wracked the Bullets,
151-99.
After a moderately successful regular season
the team hit its stride in the playoffs, advancing all the
way to the NBA Finals. The Bullets survived two tough series
along the way, beginning with a seven-game grind against
Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. In the
next round Baltimore dropped the first two games to the
defending NBA-champion New York Knicks. But Unseld and Gus
Johnson regained control of the boards, and the Bullets
forced a seventh game, which they won, 93-91. Baltimore
now faced the formidable Milwaukee Bucks of Lew Alcindor
and Oscar Robertson in the 1971 NBA Finals, and the Bucks
trounced the Bullets in four straight.
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1971-73: Bullets Lose
Their "Pearl"
The Bullets slumped to 38-44 in 1971-72 but
still won their division. Three games into the season Earl
Monroe was sent to New York for Dave Stallworth, Mike Riordan,
and cash. Although the team lost its focus without Monroe
(who would help the Knicks win a championship in 1973),
three players had outstanding individual years. Archie Clark
led the team in scoring with 25.1 points per game and set
a new club record with 8.0 assists per contest. Jack Marin
averaged 22.3 points and led the league in free throw percentage
at .894. Unseld's 17.6 rebounds per game ranked second in
the NBA to Wilt Chamberlain's 19.2.
Baltimore's postseason run was brief in 1972.
The Bullets drew the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference
Semifinals and lost in six games.
The Bullets improved in 1972-73, posting a
52-30 record as a revamped lineup began to take shape. Baltimore
had a new point guard in rookie Kevin Porter and a new star
in 6-9 forward Elvin "the Big E" Hayes, who had been acquired
from the Houston Rockets during the offseason. While the
team members got acquainted, the Bullets broke out of the
gate slowly, posting a 6-9 record over the first month of
the season. Then the team picked up momentum, thanks to
a 10-4 showing in December. Phil Chenier made 22 field goals
in a game on December 6 against Portland, tying Walt Bellamy's
1964 franchise mark, and scored 53 points, the second-highest
total in Bullets history behind Earl Monroe's mark of 56,
set in 1968.
Chenier's big night aside, the Bullets were
well-balanced offensively. Hayes led in scoring with 21.2
points per game, and Chenier, Mike Riordan, and Archie Clark
all averaged more than 18 points. The club's hot December
was followed by an even more productive January, as the
Bullets went 12-2, soaring to 15 games over .500. The team
cooled a bit as the year progressed, but closed out the
season by taking six of its final nine contests. That momentum
carried them into, but not through, the playoffs. For the
second straight season Baltimore was knocked out by the
New York Knicks, who won a five-game conference semifinal
series en route to the NBA championship.
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1973-74: Team Feels Effects
Of Unseld's Absence
The Bullets ebbed a bit in 1973-74 after K.
C. Jones replaced Gene Shue as coach. The team had trouble
keeping its focus because Unseld missed long stretches with
injuries. As the Capital Bullets (a name they used only
briefly), the team went 47-35 and met New York for the third
consecutive year in the opening round of the playoffs. The
Bullets fell again, although they provided tougher competition
than they had in the previous two postseasons, extending
the Knicks to seven games.
Unseld saw action in only 56 games. In his
absence Elvin Hayes, always a workhorse, set a franchise
record by averaging 44.5 minutes. He also led the league
in rebounding with 18.1 boards per game, the third-highest
average in Bullets history. But the team that had scored
more than 120 points per game four seasons earlier was now
down to 101.9 points per contest. Phil Chenier topped the
club in scoring with 21.9 points per game, with Hayes right
behind at 21.4.
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1974-76: Spectacular
Season Falls Short
The Bullets improved dramatically in 1974-75.
Their 60-22 record was the best in franchise history and
tied the Boston Celtics for tops in the league. Now named
the Washington Bullets, they took their sixth division title
in seven years. The team held the top spot from wire to
wire, with a 7-0 start, a seven-game winning streak at midseason,
and an eight-game string in late February and early March.
The Bullets were nearly unbeatable at home, posting a 36-5
record.
After an outstanding regular season the Bullets
had a tougher road in the playoffs. Washington defeated
Buffalo in seven games in the conference semifinals, then
beat Boston in a rugged six-game conference finals. The
Bullets advanced to the NBA Finals for the second time in
five years. Washington was favored over a young Golden State
Warriors squad led by Rick Barry, but the Bullets lost their
shooting touch in the Finals, and the Warriors prevailed
in four straight games.
Unseld led the NBA in rebounding (14.8 rpg),
and Kevin Porter topped the league in assists (8.0 apg).
Phil Chenier set a club steals mark, averaging 2.29 thefts.
Hayes led the squad in scoring (23.0 ppg), with ample support
from Chenier (21.8). The Bullets held opponents to only
97.5 points per game, the stingiest defense in club history,
while averaging 104.7 points themselves.
The 1975-76 Bullets went 48-34 but failed
to win the Central Division for the first time in six seasons.
They also made an early exit from the playoffs, bowing to
the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games in the Eastern Conference
Semifinals. Unseld led the NBA in field goal percentage
at .561, breaking Walt Bellamy's 1961-62 franchise mark.
Chenier led Washington in scoring with 19.9 points per game,
just a hair better than Hayes's 19.8 average. Dave Bing,
who had come over from Detroit, poured in another 16.2 points
per game.
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1976-77: Bullets Replace
Jones With Motta
K. C. Jones had won 63 percent of his games
as the Bullets' head coach-the best success rate in franchise
history. However, the team seemed to be losing its momentum,
and Jones was replaced by Dick Motta after the season.
With Motta at the helm, the 1976-77 Bullets
again came in at 48-34, boosted by an eight-game winning
streak in January. Six players averaged double figures in
scoring, paced by Hayes (23.7 ppg) and Chenier (20.2). The
Big E finished sixth in the league in rebounding (12.5 rpg)
and third in blocked shots (2.68 per game).
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1977-78: The Glory Days
Although they seemed to have tailed off a
bit after a few great seasons, the 1977-78 campaign would
prove to be the Bullets' glory year. In the second of Motta's
four seasons as coach, the Bullets finally won the NBA championship
after posting a modest 44-38 record during the regular season.
The Bullets began 1977-78 looking like champions,
winning 24 of their first 39 games. Then they hit a skid
and dropped 9 of their next 11. Phil Chenier was lost to
a back injury, and the Bullets replaced him with free agent
Bob Dandridge. They righted themselves somewhat in February
and March with two modest four-game winning streaks, then
stumbled down the stretch. The club posted a respectable
29-12 home record, but they were a dismal 15-26 on the road.
Washington finished second to the San Antonio Spurs in the
Central Division.
In the playoffs the Bullets regained their
early-season form, sweeping the Atlanta Hawks and then eliminating
the Spurs and the 76ers to reach the NBA Finals. Washington's
opponents were the Seattle SuperSonics, an unsung team that
had been energized by the midseason arrival of Coach Lenny
Wilkens. The Bullets had been swept out of the NBA Finals
in their previous two appearances (1971 and 1975), but the
third time would prove to be a charm.
The 1978 NBA Finals was a thrilling, seesaw
confrontation. After falling behind, three games to two,
in five close contests (four of the games were decided by
four points or less), the Bullets clobbered the Sonics,
117-82, in Game 6. Then on June 7, behind series MVP Wes
Unseld, Washington outlasted Seattle, 105-99, to take Game
7 and claim the NBA championship.
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1978-81: Sonics Turn
Tables On Bullets In Finals
The following season the Bullets topped the
league with a 54-28 record, the third-best mark in franchise
history. The key to the team's success lay in its strong
front line of Unseld, Hayes, and Bob Dandridge. Washington
got off to a 4-0 start, lost five games, treaded water for
a while, then gathered momentum with a nine-game winning
streak. On November 17 the Bullets tied the club record
for margin of victory, defeating the New Jersey Nets by
a whopping 49 points, 143-94, to match the earlier mark
set in 1970-71.
The squad struggled at the end of the year,
going 3-8 over the season's final few weeks. In the playoffs
the Bullets survived a pair of seven-game series against
Atlanta and San Antonio (fighting back from a three-games-to-one
deficit against the Spurs) before meeting Seattle again
in the 1979 NBA Finals. The Bullets won the opening game
but then dropped four straight to the Sonics, losing Game
5 at home, 97-93.
Just two years after the Bullets had won the
NBA title, the 1979-80 Washington team plummeted to 39-43,
beginning a decade of struggle. The team's scoring output
dropped off by nearly 8 points per contest to 107.0 per
game. One of the few positive notes came on March 23 when
Kevin Porter set the club's single-game assists record by
handing out 24 against Detroit. But the team was aging,
and the future looked dim. After the season Dick Motta resigned
and was replaced by Gene Shue, who was embarking on his
second tour of duty with Washington.
The 1980-81 club finished at 39-43 for the
second straight year. After 12 consecutive playoff appearances,
the Bullets failed to qualify for postseason action. The
team was showing its age, with Wes Unseld and Elvin Hayes
visibly declining. Hayes led Washington in scoring with
17.8 points per game, the lowest team-leading average in
Bullets history. On the brighter side, Porter set new Bullets
marks and led the league in assists, handing out 734 for
an average of 9.1 per game.
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1981-85: Unseld Retires,
Hayes Traded
Unseld retired after the season. He ranked
No. 1 on the all-time Bullets list in games played (984),
minutes played (35,832), rebounds (13,769), and, surprisingly
for a center, assists (3,822). He scored 10,624 points overall.
Unseld was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
in 1988.
On June 8, 1981, Elvin Hayes was traded to
Houston, the city where he had played college ball and was
a local hero. He played three more years before retiring.
He left the Bullets as the franchise leader in total points
(15,551), field goals (6,251), free throws (3,046), and
blocked shots (1,558). His Bullets career averages were
21.3 points and 12.7 rebounds per game. Hayes was elected
to the Hall of Fame in 1989.
The rebuilt 1981-82 Bullets improved to 43-39.
They replaced Unseld with bruising overachievers such as
6-7, 215-pound Greg Ballard, who led the club in scoring
with 18.8 points per game, and 6-11, 275-pound Jeff Ruland,
who topped the Bullets with 9.3 rebounds per contest. Seven
players averaged double figures in scoring.
The team had no superstars, relying instead
on a collection of hardworking role players. The Bullets
endured a rough start and were carrying a 9-15 record at
Christmas. They continued to scrap, however, forging a seven-game
winning skein in January, hanging tough through the second
half of the campaign, and posting winning streaks of four
and five games during the final month to jump over the .500
mark for the year.
For his efforts, Gene Shue was named NBA Coach
of the Year, the second time he had won that honor with
the franchise. (In his first stint with the team Shue had
been Coach of the Year in 1968-69.)
The Bullets still didn't have enough talent
to dominate in 1982-83. They ended the year with a respectable
42-40 record that nonetheless landed them in the cellar
of the highly competitive Atlantic Division. The Bullets
stayed competitive by controlling the tempo and holding
down scores. They averaged an all-time franchise-low 99.2
points and allowed only 99.3 points per game, the second-lowest
total in club history. Hoping to improve its lackluster
offense, Washington drafted 6-4 scoring machine Jeff Malone
from Mississippi State. Malone eventually amassed 11,083
points for the Bullets, second only to Elvin Hayes on the
franchise scoring list.
The 1983-84 Bullets slipped to 35-47, just
good enough to make the playoffs, in which they were eliminated
by Boston in four games. The year's bright spot was Jeff
Ruland, who achieved career bests in every offensive category.
He set a Bullets field goal percentage record at .579, breaking
Wes Unseld's 1978-79 mark. Ruland also led the team in scoring
(22.2 ppg) and rebounding (12.3 rpg).
The 1984-85 season was more of the same. The
team fashioned a 40-42 record, lost center Ruland to injuries
for half the year, and was immediately ushered out of the
playoffs by Philadelphia. Gus Williams led Washington in
scoring (20.0 ppg) and set club records for steals in a
season, with 178, and steals in a game, with 9 against Atlanta
on October 30.
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1985-87: Bullets Throw
A "Block" Party
In the 1985 NBA Draft, Washington made a startling
second-round draft selection, taking Bridgeport's 7-7 Manute
Bol. Bol, a Dinka tribesman from Sudan, was one of the most
unique players in NBA history. Pipe-cleaner thin at 225
pounds, he filled only one role-that of designated shotblocker.
Bol blew every franchise blocked-shots record out of the
water in 1985-86. On January 25 he set an all-time club
mark by blocking 15 shots in a game against Atlanta. That
season, Bol led the league with 397 blocks (4.96 per game),
easily setting a Bullets record. Bol averaged more blocks
than points (3.7 ppg). The rest of the team also chipped
in to set a franchise record for blocks, snuffing 716 attempts
on the year.
Bol was a diversion, but the Bullets were
disappointing with a 39-43 record. Coach Gene Shue gave
way to Kevin Loughery near the end of the season. The team
made the playoffs for the third straight year but fell to
Philadelphia in a five-game first-round series.
The 1986-87 Bullets showed little improvement,
finishing 42-40, just good enough to make the playoffs,
in which they lost in three straight games to Detroit. There
were a few highlights during the year. Moses Malone, picked
up in a trade with Philadelphia involving Jeff Ruland, set
a franchise record when he made 21 free throws against Golden
State on December 29. On February 26 Manute Bol matched
his own club record by swatting 15 Indiana Pacers shots.
And on April 8 Moses Malone scored 50 points against New
Jersey, the fourth-highest total in Bullets history. He
led the team in scoring with 24.1 points per game, followed
by Jeff Malone at 22.0 points.
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1987-90: The Bol & Bogues
Show
The team went 38-44 in 1987-88. The Bullets
still had Bol, and their roster now also included rookie
Tyrone "Muggsy" Bogues, the smallest player in NBA history
at 5-3. Just 27 games into the season, with the team's record
at 8-19, Kevin Loughery was relieved of his duties, and
Wes Unseld became head coach. Under Unseld the Bullets went
30-25 and made the playoffs. For the fifth consecutive year
they departed in the first round, but they did it with some
style by forcing the eventual Eastern Conference champion
Detroit Pistons to five games.
The 1988-89 Bullets improved to 40-42 but
missed the playoffs for the first time in five seasons.
The next five years would see a steep decline. Although
they had endured stretches of mediocrity, the Bullets had
put together 22 consecutive seasons with at least 35 victories
per year. That mark for consistency was snapped in 1989-90
when the team's record fell to 31-51. Any hopes kindled
by a 5-1 start disappeared with a 2-16 slide from mid-December
to mid-January. Jeff Malone and Bernard King averaged 24.3
and 22.4 points, respectively, to lead the team.
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1990-92: Washington's
King Reigns Over NBA
The following season the Bullets struggled
to a 30-52 record. They were only four games under .500
at the beginning of February but then hit a nine-game losing
streak in the middle of the month. They never got back on
track and slumped again at the end of the campaign, going
4-10 over the last three weeks. The season's individual
highlights were provided by Bernard King. On December 29,
while the team was breaking the club scoring mark by beating
Denver, 161-133, King poured in 52 points, the third-highest
total in franchise history. On March 6 he scored 50 points
against the Utah Jazz.
The reemergence of King was good news for
the Bullets and one of the most inspirational stories in
the league. He had successfully recovered from a career-threatening
knee injury sustained while he was with the Knicks. He'd
missed the entire 1985-86 season and played just six games
the next year. The Bullets had acquired him in 1987, and
he contributed immediately while redeveloping his game.
King recovered fully in 1990-91-he was named to the All-Star
team and led Washington in scoring with 28.4 points per
game, second in franchise history to Walt Bellamy's 31.6,
tallied in 1961-62.
The team fell to 25-57 in 1991-92, and there
were very few memorable moments. One came on December 18
when Michael Adams set a team record by nailing 6 three-pointers
in a game at San Antonio. For the most part the Bullets
experienced disappointment. They had prolonged losing skids
in nearly every month: eight straight losses in December,
eight in January, six in February, seven in March, and six
in April.
It was not a season to remember for any Bullets
player except Pervis Ellison, a 6-10 center who had been
acquired from the Sacramento Kings. Ellison led the team
in scoring (20.0 ppg) and rebounding (11.2 rpg) and was
named the league's Most Improved Player. Another minor bright
spot was that the Bullets were the best free throw shooting
team in franchise history, hitting at a .778 clip from the
line.
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1992-93: Gugliotta Gives
Bullets Hope For The Future
The Bullets selected Tom Gugliotta of North
Carolina State with the sixth overall pick in the 1992 NBA
Draft. The 1992-93 Bullets went 22-60, marking their fourth
straight season of decline. Ironically, the Bullets' attendance
increased for the fourth consecutive year, to an all-time
franchise high of 13,641 fans per game. Gugliotta had an
outstanding year and gave Washington hope for the future.
A multitalented forward at 6-10, he averaged 14.7 points,
9.6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists and was selected to the NBA
All-Rookie First Team.
Picking sixth again in the 1993 NBA Draft,
the Bullets took Calbert Cheaney of Indiana. In the second
round (perhaps thinking of their successful experiment a
decade earlier with Manute Bol), they selected 7-7 Gheorghe
Muresan of Romania as they once again began rebuilding for
the future.
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1993-94: Bad Luck Continues
To Bite Bullets
The Bullets' run of bad luck continued in
1993-94. Injuries to key players sapped what little offensive
strength the team had. Rex Chapman began the season as one
of the NBA's top scorers but was lost for 22 games with
a dislocated ankle. Calbert Cheaney, the team's No. 1 draft
pick, missed 17 games, and Pervis Ellison was out for almost
half the year.
The team set a franchise record for attendance
and was often exciting to watch; however, Washington finished
24-58 and in last place in the Atlantic Division. Only the
forward positions were ably manned all season. Don MacLean,
a reserve the year before, tied Chapman for the team scoring
lead (18.2 ppg) and was named the NBA Most Improved Player.
Tom Gugliotta led the team in minutes played and rebounding
(9.3 rpg) and scored 17.1 points per game.
Kevin Duckworth, obtained from the Portland
Trail Blazers before the season in exchange for Harvey Grant,
didn't quite fill the need at the center position, averaging
6.6 points and 4.7 rebounds. Gheorghe Muresan developed
more quickly than expected and added 5.6 points per contest.
At season's end, Wes Unseld stepped down as head coach and
was replaced by Jim Lynam.
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1994-95: Injuries, Player
Moves Leave Bullets Low On Firepower
The 1994-95 season was one of change, injuries,
and more disappointment for Washington. The Bullets obtained
point guard Scott Skiles in the offseason to run the club,
drafted Michigan center-forward Juwan Howard, and seemed
to have their lineup set for the year: Tom Gugliotta and
Don MacLean at forwards, Kevin Duckworth at center, and
Rex Chapman and Skiles at guards. By the last day of the
season, however, none of those players was in the starting
five.
The biggest change occurred early in the campaign.
In a high-profile deal on November 17, the Bullets traded
Gugliotta and three future first-round draft picks to the
Golden State Warriors for 1994 NBA Rookie of the Year Chris
Webber, who had been disgruntled with the Warriors and was
seeking a trade. Although Gugliotta was popular in Washington,
Bullets fans viewed Webber as the kind of player who would
be able to lead the team to postseason glory. The trade
also reunited Webber and Howard, who had been front-line
teammates on the University of Michigan's "Fab Five" squad
that made two trips to the NCAA title game.
Despite stellar play from Webber and Howard,
as well as the emergence of 7-7 Gheorghe Muresan as a solid
NBA center and fan favorite, injuries wrecked the Bullets'
chances for a winning season. Webber, who scored in double
figures in every game after his debut, separated his shoulder
a month after joining the team and was sidelined for 19
games. Chapman, Skiles, MacLean, and Duckworth also missed
significant portions of the season with injuries. In total,
14 players missed 317 player-games. Only one other NBA team
had more players injured, and only three others lost more
player-games. For the Bullets the result was a 21-61 record
and a last-place finish in the Atlantic Division.
Washington's future brightened in the 1995
NBA Draft after they selected Rasheed Wallace with the fourth
overall pick.
1995-96: So Close, Yet
So Far
The Bullets in 1995-96 posted their highest
win total in seven years, and an 18-game improvement over
the prior year, but their 39-43 finish just wasn't good
enough to get the Bullets back into the postseason.
Injuries again stifled the Bullets attack.
Chris Webber, two years removed from being the NBA's Rookie
of the Year, was limited to only 15 games by an injured
shoulder. Point guard Mark Price played in only seven games;
backup Robert Pack, only 31. Several other players also
missed significant time.
The team rode the broad shoulders of Juwan
Howard, who averaged 22.1 ppg, 8.1 rpg and 4.4 apg and emerged
as the leader and as a star on the team, on and off the
court. Howard led the Bullets on a seven-game winning streak
in April, the Bullets longest since 1987-88. Even as the
team's playoff hopes were devastated in an April 17 loss
to Boston, Howard poured in a career-high 40 points. He
was also named the national spokesperson for the Reading
is Fundamental program.
Gheorghe Muresan also stepped up his game.
The 7-7 center was named the league's Most Improved Player
after a season in which he averaged 14.5 ppg, 9.6 rpg and
2.26 bpg. Solid performances from Calbert Cheaney (15.1
ppg), Rasheed Wallace (All-Rookie Second Team) and former
CBA player Tim Legler (led the league with a .522 three-point
field goal percentage, and won the Three-Point Shootout
during All-Star Weekend) gave the Bullets reason to believe
that a trip to the playoffs is not far away. A summer trade
brought Rod Strickland and Harvey Grant over from Portland,
and a new-look Washington team was looking forward to the
1996-97 season.
1996-97: Bullets Storm
Back to Playoffs
Finally! After going home empty-handed for
the last eight seasons, the Bullets finally got a taste
of the postseason. To get there, they had to ride a torrid
six-week stretch and hold off Cleveland on the final day
of the regular season - all for the right to play the World
Champion Chicago Bulls in the first round.
Washington, blessed with the league's tallest
player (center Gheorghe Muresan), two of the game's most
athletic forwards (Juwan Howard and Chris Webber) and one
of the league's top point guards (Rod Strickland), nonetheless
struggled out of the gate to a 22-24 start. That led to
the dismissal of Head Coach Jim Lynam.
Bernie Bickerstaff, an assistant coach with
the Bullets when they won their only NBA Championship in
1978, was called upon to resurrect his former team. The
Bullets responded, winning 16 of their final 21 games to
finish 44-38, their best record since 1978-79. The late
surge enabled the Bullets to climb within reach of the Cleveland
Cavaliers for the final playoff spot. In a winner-take-the-eighth-playoff-spot
game with the Cavaliers on the season's final day, the Bullets
squeezed past Cleveland 85-81 to end the franchise's longest
playoff drought. And while the Bullets were swept by the
Bulls in the first round, they lost the three games by a
total of just 18 points, a sign that the team is one to
be reckoned with.
Webber led the way in scoring (20.1 ppg),
rebounding (10.3) and blocks (1.9) and shot 51.8 percent
from the floor to make his first All-Star team. Howard averaged
19.1 ppg and 8.0 rpg, while Strickland averaged 17.2 ppg
and 1.74 spg and finished fifth in the league in assists
with 8.9 per game. Muresan clogged the middle and led the
NBA in field goal percentage (.599). Washington also received
valuable contributions from Calbert Cheaney (10.6 ppg) and
Tracy Murray (10.0 ppg).
The solid nucleus meant that most of Washington's
changes for 1997-98 would be cosmetic. After the season,
the team unveiled a new logo, new uniforms and a new name
- the Washington Wizards - and prepared for a move to the
MCI Center in downtown Washington D.C.
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1997-98: Wizards Edged
at Wire
It wasn't until the last day of the regular
season that the Wizards (42-40) were denied a playoff berth,
but the determination that Washington showed during the
last week of the season bodes well for the future of the
team. Despite many off-the-court distractions, the Wizards
finished with four straight victories, beating the Knicks,
Cavaliers, Heat and Celtics to come back from four games
out of the final playoff spot with only four games to play,
all without point guard and NBA assist leader Rod Strickland.
They came up just short -- despite the fact center Gheorghe
Muresan spent the entire season on the injured list with
a stretched tendon in his ankle -- but it was an exciting
finish.
The season began with five home games at US
Airways Arena before the Wizards began playing in MCI Center
on Dec. 2. The team compiled an impressive 24-12 record
in the new arena, establishing a new attendance record along
the way.
Webber led the Wizards in scoring (21.9 ppg),
rebounding (9.5 rpg) and blocked shots (1.75 bpg) in 1997-98.
Second to Webber on the team in scoring and rebounding was
his Michigan teammate Juwan Howard, who finished the season
at 18.5 ppg and 7.0 rpg. Howard, who missed 16 games in
February and March with a sprained ankle, ranked in the
league's top ten in minutes with an average of 40.0 mpg.
Strickland, whose season ended on April 7
after he tore his left quadricep versus Chicago, won the
NBA's assists title with 10.5 apg. He also averaged 17.8
ppg and led the Wizards in steals with 1.66 spg. This season,
Strickland became the 25th player in NBA history to score
more than 10,000 points and hand out more than 5,000 assists.
In less than two seasons in Washington, he already ranks
eighth all-time in assists with 1,528 and his assists average
of 9.7 wearing a Washington uniform is the best in the history
of the franchise.
Other Wizards making important contributions
this season included forward Tracy Murray, who came off
the bench to average 15.1 ppg and who poured in 50 points
against Golden State on Feb. 10, and guard Calbert Cheaney,
who scored a season-high 30 points and grabbed 7 rebounds
against the Chicago Bulls on Feb. 21.
In their up-and-down season, Washington beat
many of the best teams in the league at least once, with
victories over Chicago, San Antonio, Seattle, the Lakers,
Phoenix and Miami, as well as a sweep of the team with the
best record in the league, the Utah Jazz. Coach Bernie Bickerstaff
notched his 300th NBA victory when the Wizards defeated
Phoenix on Jan. 4, 109-99.
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1998-99: Mr. Richmond
Goes to Washington
Mitch Richmond, Rod Strickland and Juwan Howard
gave Washington one of the NBA's terrific trios, but the
Wizards' season was derailed by an aggravating April.
Richmond and forward/center Otis Thorpe joined
Washington in an offseason trade that sent Chris Webber
to Sacramento. Richmond, a six-time All-Star shooting guard,
led the Wizards in scoring with 19.7 points per game and
Thorpe averaged 11.3 points.
Strickland continued to be one of the NBA's
top playmakers, averaging 15.7 points and finishing second
in the league in assists (9.9 apg). Howard had another solid
season at power forward, posting 18.9 and 8.1 rebounds per
game.
Washington had a 13-17 record at the end of
March and was still in the hunt for a playoff berth. But
the team went 5-15 the rest of the lockout-shortened season
and had losing streaks of five and seven games in April.
Head coach Bernie Bickerstaff was replaced by assistant
Jim Brovelli for the final 18 games.
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2000-01: Rip Takes Over
Richard Hamilton led the Wizards in scoring
at 18.1 ppg. He also led the team in field goals made, free
throws made and minutes played. Hamilton finished 12th in
the NBA in free throw percentage (.868).
Chris Whitney led the team in assists (248)
and 3-pointers made (93).
Courtney Alexander finished the season fourth
among NBA rookies in scoring (9.5 ppg) and first in free
throws percentage (.820). Alexander averaged 17.0 ppg in
27 games with Washington. He also was named Schick Rookie
of the Month in April.
The Wizards 19 wins in the 2000-01 season
were the second-fewest in a full season in franchise history.
The team won 18 games in its inaugural 1961-62 season.
On February 23, the Wizards were involved
in a blockbuster trade days before the trading deadline.
The team sent Juwan Howard, Obinna Ekezie and Calvin Booth
to the Dallas in exchange for five Mavericks and $3 million.
The Wizards received Hubert Davis, Alexander, Christian
Laettner, Loy Vaught and Etan Thomas.
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2001-02: The Jordan Effect
Michael Jordan led the Wizards in scoring
(22.9 ppg), assists (5.2 apg) and steals (1.42) in his first
season in a Washington uniform. More important, he led the
team to an 18-game improvement in the standings (19-63 to
37-45) from the year before. He also set a MCI Center scoring
record with a 51-point effort vs. Charlotte on December
29.
Richard Hamilton averaged 20.0 ppg and finished
second in the NBA in free-throw percentage (.890).
Chris Whitney led the Wizards in assists (314)
and 3-pointers made (131). He also finished seventh in the
NBA in free-throw percentage (.880).
Propelled by Jordan's comeback, the Wizards
led the NBA in regular season attendance. The team had a
team-record 41 home sellouts and 38 road sellouts.
Doug Collins was named NBA Coach of the Month
in December, while rookie Brendan Haywood was named "Got
Milk?" Rookie of the Month for December.
The Wizards tied a franchise record by winning
nine consecutive games from December 6 through December
26.
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2002-03: A Final Farewell
The 2002-03 season would be the final goodbye
for one of the NBA's greatest players as Michael Jordan
finished out his historic 15 year career as a Wizard.
In his final season in the NBA, Jordan was
the only Washington player to play in all 82 games, starting
in 67 of them. He averaged 20 points, 6.1 rebounds 3.8 assists
and 1.5 steals per game in his final year while shooting
45 percent from the field and 82 percent from the free throw
line.
Even at 40, Jordan still amazed the fans that
he had entertained for the last decade and a half. Throughout
the season, Jordan scored 20 or more points 42 times, scored
30 or more points nine times and tallied 40 or more points
three times. He grabbed 10 or more rebounds 12 times, recorded
13 double-doubles, led the Wizards in scoring 36 times,
rebounding 16 times, assists 25 times, steals 32 times and
blocks 13 times and clinched his position as the NBA's all-time
points per game leader (30.12) at Miami on March 11, 2003.
Jerry Stackhouse, who was acquired in a trade
with Detroit that sent Richard Hamilton to the Pistons,
led the team in points and assists for the 2002-03 season.
He averaged 21.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists per
game while shooting 40 percent from the field and 88 percent
from the free throw line.
Stackhouse scored a season-high 38 points
versus his former team, Philadelphia, on November 30. He
was named NBA Player of the Week for the week of November
4-10 after scoring 29 points, including the game-winning
dunk as time expired, versus the three-time defending NBA
Champion L.A. Lakers on November 8.
The Wizards were once again the most watched
team in the league as they led the league in attendance
for the second straight year. The team averaged 20,173 for
the 41 home games and 19,311 for 41 road games.
For the second consecutive year, the Wizards
finished with a 37-45 record. During one 10 game stretch,
the Wizards won seven games that included defeating the
San Antonio Spurs 105-103 on New Year's Eve, a nail-biting,
double-overtime 107-104 victory against the Indiana Pacers
and road wins against the Boston Celtics, 100-95, and New
York Knicks, 89-84.
