The 1975–76 NBA season was the 30th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Boston Celtics winning the NBA Championship, beating the Phoenix Suns 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals.

1975–76 NBA season
LeagueNational Basketball Association
SportBasketball
DurationOctober 23, 1975 – April 11, 1976
April 13 – May 18, 1976 (Playoffs)
May 23 – June 6, 1976 (Finals)
Number of games82
Number of teams18
TV partner(s)CBS
Draft
Top draft pickDavid Thompson
Picked byAtlanta Hawks
Regular season
Top seedGolden State Warriors
Season MVPKareem Abdul-Jabbar (L.A. Lakers)
Top scorerBob McAdoo (Buffalo)
Playoffs
Eastern championsBoston Celtics
  Eastern runners-upCleveland Cavaliers
Western championsPhoenix Suns
  Western runners-upGolden State Warriors
Finals
ChampionsBoston Celtics
  Runners-upPhoenix Suns
Finals MVPJo Jo White (Boston)
NBA seasons

Notable occurrences

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Coaching changes
Offseason
Team 1974–75 coach 1975–76 coach
N/A
In-season
Team Outgoing coach Incoming coach
Atlanta Hawks Cotton Fitzsimmons Bumper Tormohlen
Detroit Pistons Ray Scott Herb Brown

Teams

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1975-76 National Basketball Association
Eastern Conference
Division Team City Arena Capacity
Atlantic Boston Celtics Boston, Massachusetts Boston Garden 13,909
Buffalo Braves Buffalo, New York Buffalo Memorial Auditorium 15,280
New York Knicks New York, New York Madison Square Garden 19,812
Philadelphia 76ers Philadelphia, Pennsylvania The Spectrum 18,176
Central Atlanta Hawks Atlanta, Georgia Omni Coliseum 16,378
Cleveland Cavaliers Richfield, Ohio Richfield Coliseum 20,900
Houston Rockets Houston, Texas The Summit 16,285
New Orleans Jazz New Orleans, Louisiana Louisiana Superdome 55,675
Washington Bullets Landover, Maryland Capital Centre 18,756
Western Conference
Midwest Chicago Bulls Chicago, Illinois Chicago Stadium 18,676
Detroit Pistons Detroit, Michigan Cobo Arena 12,191
Kansas City Kings Kansas City, Missouri Kemper Arena 16,700
Milwaukee Bucks Milwaukee, Wisconsin MECCA Arena 10,783
Pacific Golden State Warriors Oakland, California Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena 12,787
Los Angeles Lakers Inglewood, California The Forum 17,505
Phoenix Suns Phoenix, Arizona Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 14,870
Portland Trail Blazers Portland, Oregon Memorial Coliseum 12,888
Seattle SuperSonics Seattle, Washington Seattle Center Coliseum 17,072

Map of teams

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  Atlantic Division   Central Division   Midwest Division   Pacific Division

Final standings

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By division

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W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Boston Celtics 54 28 .659 31–10 23–18 13–8
x-Philadelphia 76ers 46 36 .561 8 34–7 12–29 9–12
x-Buffalo Braves 46 36 .561 8 28–14 18–22 10–11
New York Knicks 38 44 .463 16 24–17 14–27 10–11
W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Cleveland Cavaliers 49 33 .598 29–12 20–21 15–11
x-Washington Bullets 48 34 .585 1 31–10 17–24 14–12
Houston Rockets 40 42 .488 9 27–13 13–29 14–12
New Orleans Jazz 38 44 .463 11 22–19 16–25 15–11
Atlanta Hawks 29 53 .354 20 20–21 9–32 7–19
W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Milwaukee Bucks 38 44 .463 22–19 16–25 13–8
x-Detroit Pistons 36 46 .439 2 24–17 12–29 12–9
Kansas City Kings 31 51 .378 7 25–16 6–35 10–11
Chicago Bulls 24 58 .293 14 15–26 9–32 7–14
W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Golden State Warriors 59 23 .720 36–5 23–18 17–9
x-Seattle SuperSonics 43 39 .524 16 31–10 12–29 12–14
x-Phoenix Suns 42 40 .512 17 27–14 15–26 15–11
Los Angeles Lakers 40 42 .488 19 31–11 9–31 10–16
Portland Trail Blazers 37 45 .451 22 25–15 12–30 11–15

By conference

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#
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Boston Celtics 54 28 .659
2 y-Cleveland Cavaliers 49 33 .598 5
3 x-Washington Bullets 48 34 .585 6
4 x-Philadelphia 76ers 46 36 .561 8
5 x-Buffalo Braves 46 36 .561 8
6 Houston Rockets 40 42 .488 14
7 New York Knicks 38 44 .463 16
8 New Orleans Jazz 38 44 .463 16
9 Atlanta Hawks 29 53 .354 25
#
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Golden State Warriors 59 23 .720
2 x-Seattle SuperSonics 43 39 .524 16
3 x-Phoenix Suns 42 40 .512 17
4 y-Milwaukee Bucks 38 44 .463 21
5 x-Detroit Pistons 36 46 .439 23
6 Los Angeles Lakers 40 42 .488 19
7 Portland Trail Blazers 37 45 .451 22
8 Kansas City Kings 31 51 .378 28
9 Chicago Bulls 24 58 .293 35

Notes

  • z, y – division champions
  • x – clinched playoff spot

Playoffs

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First Round Conference Semifinals Conference Finals NBA Finals
E1 Boston* 4
E4 Philadelphia 1 E5 Buffalo 2
E5 Buffalo 2 Eastern ConferenceE1 Boston* 4
E2 Cleveland* 2
E3 Washington 3
E2 Cleveland* 4
E1 Boston* 4
W3 Phoenix 2
W1 Golden State* 4
W4 Milwaukee* 1 W5 Detroit 2
W5 Detroit 2 Western ConferenceW1 Golden State* 3
W3 Phoenix 4
W3 Phoenix 4
W2 Seattle 2
  • * Division winner
  • Bold Series winner
  • Italic Team with home-court advantage

Statistics leaders

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Category Player Team Stat
Points per game Bob McAdoo Buffalo Braves 31.1
Rebounds per game Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Los Angeles Lakers 16.9
Assists per game Slick Watts Seattle SuperSonics 8.1
Steals per game Slick Watts Seattle SuperSonics 3.18
Blocks per game Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Los Angeles Lakers 4.12
FG% Wes Unseld Washington Bullets .561
FT% Rick Barry Golden State Warriors .923

NBA awards

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Goldaper, Sam (April 29, 1975). "N.B.A. Picks O'Brien As New Commissioner O'Brien to Head N.B.A". The New York Times. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Bing MVP, East wins". The Southern Illinoisan. February 4, 1976. p. 19. Retrieved January 30, 2024 – via NewspaperArchive.