1975 NBA Championship

Lore & Background

The Warriors' home games were played at the Cow Palace in Daly City near San Francisco due to scheduling conflicts at their normal home court of Oakland Arena during the week of May 19–26. An odd scheduling format had to be used because Golden State could not secure the Cow Palace for Memorial Day Weekend (May 24–26). Washington, which held home court advantage, was given the option of a 1-2-2-1-1 format or opening on the road and having Games 2, 3, and 4 at home; Washington opted for the 1-2-2-1-1 format because they wanted to open the series at home. The series was the first championship series in any major U.S. professional sports league to feature two black head coaches, as Al Attles coached the Warriors and K.C. Jones coached the Bullets. It would remain the only such series until Super Bowl XLI in 2007.

Reader's Guide

The Warriors swept the series 4–0. Game 1: Warriors 101, Bullets 95 (at Capital Centre). Game 2: Warriors 92, Bullets 91 (at Cow Palace). Game 3: Warriors 109, Bullets 101 (at Cow Palace). Game 4: Warriors 96, Bullets 95 (at Capital Centre). This was the first time in NBA Finals history that the team without home court advantage swept the series; it has happened only once since, in 1995.

Did You Know?

• The Warriors' bench outscored the Bullets' reserves 115–53 over the first three games.
• Warriors coach Al Attles was ejected in Game 4 after initiating a fight with Bullets forward Mike Riordan.
• CBS broadcast the 1975 NBA Finals with Brent Musburger on play-by-play and Oscar Robertson on color commentary.
• The 1975 Finals is the oldest NBA championship series whose TV coverage still exists in its entirety.