1977–78 Indiana Pacers season
| 1977–78 Indiana Pacers season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Bobby Leonard |
| Arena | Market Square Arena |
| Results | |
| Record | 31–51 (.378) |
| Place | Division: 5th (Midwest) Conference: 10th (Western) |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Stats at Basketball Reference | |
| Local media | |
| Television | WTTV |
| Radio | WIBC |
The 1977–78 Indiana Pacers season was Indiana's second season in the National Basketball Association and 11th season as a franchise.[1]
Draft picks
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 29 | Alonzo Bradley | SF | Texas Southern | |
| 3 | 51 | Stan Mayhew | Weber State | ||
| 4 | 73 | George Pendleton | Georgia State | ||
| 5 | 95 | Marvin Jackson | Prairie View A&M | ||
| 6 | 117 | Tom Scheffler | C | Purdue |
Roster
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
|
Regular season
Season standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y-Denver Nuggets | 48 | 34 | .585 | – | 33–8 | 15–26 | 11–9 |
| x-Milwaukee Bucks | 44 | 38 | .537 | 4 | 28–13 | 16–25 | 14–6 |
| Chicago Bulls | 40 | 42 | .488 | 8 | 29–12 | 11–30 | 8–12 |
| Detroit Pistons | 38 | 44 | .463 | 10 | 24–17 | 14–27 | 8–12 |
| Indiana Pacers | 31 | 51 | .378 | 17 | 21–20 | 10–31 | 8–12 |
| Kansas City Kings | 31 | 51 | .378 | 17 | 22–19 | 9–32 | 11–9 |
| # | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
| 1 | z-Portland Trail Blazers | 58 | 24 | .707 | – |
| 2 | y-Denver Nuggets | 48 | 34 | .585 | 10 |
| 3 | x-Phoenix Suns | 49 | 33 | .598 | 9 |
| 4 | x-Seattle SuperSonics | 47 | 35 | .573 | 11 |
| 5 | x-Los Angeles Lakers | 45 | 37 | .549 | 13 |
| 6 | x-Milwaukee Bucks | 44 | 38 | .537 | 14 |
| 7 | Golden State Warriors | 43 | 39 | .524 | 15 |
| 8 | Chicago Bulls | 40 | 42 | .488 | 18 |
| 9 | Detroit Pistons | 38 | 44 | .463 | 20 |
| 10 | Indiana Pacers | 31 | 51 | .378 | 27 |
| 11 | Kansas City Kings | 31 | 51 | .378 | 27 |
- z – clinched division title
- y – clinched division title
- x – clinched playoff spot
Game log
Regular season
| 1977–78 game log Total: 31–51 (Home: 27–14; Road: 17–24) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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October: 3–2 (home: 3–1; road: 0–1)
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November: 4–11 (home: 2–3; road: 2–8)
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December: 7–4 (home: 5–2; road: 2–2)
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January: 5–11 (home: 4–3; road: 1–8)
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February: 3–11 (home: 2–5; road: 1–6)
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March: 7–10 (home: 5–4; road: 2–6)
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April: 2–2 (home: 0–2; road: 2–0)
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| 1977–78 schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Player statistics
Regular season
| Player | POS | GP | GS | MP | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | MPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Bantom | SF | 82 | 2,775 | 610 | 238 | 100 | 50 | 1,258 | 33.8 | 7.4 | 2.9 | 1.2 | .6 | 15.3 | |
| Ricky Sobers | PG | 79 | 3,019 | 327 | 584 | 170 | 23 | 1,436 | 38.2 | 4.1 | 7.4 | 2.2 | .3 | 18.2 | |
| Dan Roundfield | PF | 79 | 2,423 | 802 | 196 | 81 | 149 | 1,060 | 30.7 | 10.2 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 1.9 | 13.4 | |
| Mike Flynn | PG | 71 | 955 | 117 | 142 | 41 | 10 | 295 | 13.5 | 1.6 | 2.0 | .6 | .1 | 4.2 | |
| Len Elmore | C | 69 | 1,327 | 420 | 80 | 74 | 71 | 372 | 19.2 | 6.1 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 5.4 | |
| James Edwards† | C | 58 | 1,682 | 435 | 56 | 37 | 50 | 892 | 29.0 | 7.5 | 1.0 | .6 | .9 | 15.4 | |
| Earl Tatum† | SG | 57 | 1,859 | 205 | 226 | 103 | 30 | 822 | 32.6 | 3.6 | 4.0 | 1.8 | .5 | 14.4 | |
| Ron Behagen† | PF | 51 | 1,131 | 333 | 65 | 32 | 19 | 572 | 22.2 | 6.5 | 1.3 | .6 | .4 | 11.2 | |
| Steve Green | SF | 44 | 449 | 71 | 30 | 14 | 2 | 151 | 10.2 | 1.6 | .7 | .3 | .0 | 3.4 | |
| John Williamson† | SG | 42 | 1,449 | 120 | 132 | 47 | 0 | 804 | 34.5 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 1.1 | .0 | 19.1 | |
| Bob Carrington† | SG | 35 | 621 | 62 | 62 | 22 | 11 | 250 | 17.7 | 1.8 | 1.8 | .6 | .3 | 7.1 | |
| Mel Bennett | PF | 31 | 285 | 93 | 22 | 11 | 7 | 74 | 9.2 | 3.0 | .7 | .4 | .2 | 2.4 | |
| Adrian Dantley† | SF | 23 | 948 | 216 | 65 | 48 | 17 | 609 | 41.2 | 9.4 | 2.8 | 2.1 | .7 | 26.5 | |
| Dave Robisch† | C | 23 | 598 | 173 | 48 | 20 | 15 | 196 | 26.0 | 7.5 | 2.1 | .9 | .7 | 8.5 | |
| Johnny Neumann | SG | 20 | 216 | 14 | 27 | 6 | 1 | 83 | 10.8 | .7 | 1.4 | .3 | .1 | 4.2 | |
| Bobby Wilson | SG | 12 | 86 | 12 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 30 | 7.2 | 1.0 | .7 | .2 | .1 | 2.5 | |
| Willie Smith | PG | 1 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 | .0 | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
- † Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Pacers only.