Let’s remember when the Sonics became NBA champions, on this day in 1979 (June 1)
I got nothing to say beyond that we need an NBA team back in Seattle, and Howard Schultz can go to hell and stay there.
Per HistoryLink:
On June 1, 1979, the Seattle SuperSonics beat the Washington Bullets 97–93 in Washington, D.C., to win the team’s first (and only) National Basketball Association Championship. Guard Gus Williams scores 23 points in the decisive contest while center Jack Sikma grabs 17 rebounds. The win gives Seattle a 4–1 series victory and avenges the SuperSonics’ loss to the Bullets in the 1977–1978 NBA Finals.
This Sonics team was especially remarkable because it boasted no single superstar. Coach Lenny Wilkens would eventually become the NBA’s all-time winningest coach; guard Dennis Johnson went on to greater accolades with the Boston Celtics; and center Jack Sikma was an All-Star, but there was no Magic Johnson/Michael Jordan-type player on the team. Known for stingy defense and excellent outside shooting, this team was clearly greater than the sum of its parts.
Winning the trophy capped a stellar year for the Supes. Wilkens continued to work his sideline magic, while a well-balanced scoring attack, led by Williams’ 19.2 points per game, kept opponents off balance. Adding to the Sonics’ strength was their league-best defense, thanks to Williams’ 2.08 steals per contest and Sikma’s stellar rebounding. Seattle rolled to its first 50-win season (52–30) in franchise history and its first Pacific Division title.
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