Every 1978-79 NBA race charted day by day: East, Atlantic, Central, West, Midwest and Pacific. Final standings, from a season that ran October 13, 1978 to April 8, 1979.
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East standings, 1978-79
Team
W
L
Pct
GB
L10
Streak
Washington Bullets (WAS)
54
28
.659
-
5-5
L3
San Antonio Spurs (SAN)
48
34
.585
6
6-4
W1
Houston Rockets (HOU)
47
35
.573
7
7-3
W3
Philadelphia 76ers (PHL)
47
35
.573
7
8-2
W1
Atlanta Hawks (ATL)
46
36
.561
8
7-3
W4
New Jersey Nets (NJN)
37
45
.451
17
3-7
L1
New York Knicks (NYK)
31
51
.378
23
1-9
L8
Cleveland Cavaliers (CLE)
30
52
.366
24
2-8
L4
Detroit Pistons (DET)
30
52
.366
24
2-8
L2
Boston Celtics (BOS)
29
53
.354
25
2-8
W1
New Orleans Jazz (NOJ)
26
56
.317
28
4-6
L2
Final standings.
Turning points
The lead changed hands 8 times.
The Washington Bullets trailed by as many as 4.5 games on November 11, 1978.
The Washington Bullets took first place for good on January 5, 1979.
The Washington Bullets won 9 games in a row from November 14, 1978 to December 1, 1978, the longest run of the race.
The Philadelphia 76ers led by 3 games as late as November 17, 1978.
The Washington Bullets led by as many as 8 games on March 25, 1979.
The Washington Bullets went 15-2 from November 13, 1978 to December 16, 1978, turning a deficit of 4.5 games into a lead of 2.5 games.
The top two ended the day within one game of each other on 40 of the 151 days played.
The Washington Bullets spent 127 of the season's 178 charted days in first place.