1977 NBA All-Star Game
1234 Total
West 23353928 125
East 34342135 124
DateFebruary 13, 1977
ArenaMECCA Arena
CityMilwaukee
MVPJulius Erving
Attendance10,938
NetworkCBS
AnnouncersBrent Musburger and Billy Cunningham
NBA All-Star Game
< 1976 1978 >

The 1977 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 13, 1977, at MECCA Arena in Milwaukee, home of the Milwaukee Bucks. This was the 27th edition of the NBA All-Star Game, and the first to be played after the ABA-NBA merger.[1] It was the first time the NBA All-Star Game was played on a Sunday afternoon after the previous 26 games had been played in the evening.[2]

The Western Conference defeated the Eastern Conference, 125–124. Julius Erving, in his first NBA All-Star Game, was awarded the Most Valuable Player trophy by league commissioner Larry O'Brien, becoming only the second player to win the award despite losing.[3]

All-Star Game

Coaches

Larry Brown and Gene Shue were selected as the West and East head coach, respectively.

The Eastern Conference team was coached by Gene Shue, head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers who had a 33–20 record on February 13.[4] This was Shue's second time coaching in an all-star game. The Western Conference team was coached by future hall-of-famer Larry Brown, head coach of the Denver Nuggets who had a 34–19 record on February 13.[5] This was Brown's first time coaching in an all-star game.

Players

MVP Julius Erving circa 1976

The starting players were voted on by the fans, and seven reserves for each team were selected by their respective coaches.[6] Twelve former ABA players, including Julius Erving of the Philadelphia 76ers, participated in the game.[1] The Eastern Conference team played ten future hall-of-famers including Bob McAdoo, Julius Erving, George McGinnis, Rudy Tomjanovich (inducted as a coach), Pete Maravich, John Havlicek, Jo Jo White, Earl Monroe, George Gervin, and Elvin Hayes. The Western Conference Team played seven future hall-of-famers including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Rick Barry, Paul Westphal, David Thompson, Bob Lanier, Bobby Jones, and Dan Issel.

Despite being selected as a reserve, Los Angeles Laker player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led the West team in scoring with 21 points. This was Abdul-Jabbar's eighth appearance in the all-star game. Another Western Conference player, Paul Westphal, was an honorable mention scoring 20 points in his first of five consecutive appearances in the all-star game. On the Eastern team, Julius Erving and Bob McAdoo of the Buffalo Braves dominated their team's scoring, each recording 30 points. This was McAdoo's fourth all-star appearance, and Erving's first of eleven consecutive all-star appearances.

Notable player selections that did not play due to injury were, on the Western side, future hall-of-famer Bill Walton of the Portland Trail Blazers, and, on the Eastern side, future hall-of-famer Dave Cowens of the Boston Celtics.[7] Walton would be replaced by Don Buse of the Indiana Pacers, and Cowens would be replaced by Phil Chenier of the Washington Bullets. Walton would return that season to lead the Blazers, with the help of all-star teammate Maurice Lucas, to a 1977 NBA Finals victory over the 76ers, who were led by all-stars Julius Erving, George McGinnis, and Doug Collins.

Roster

Recap

Western Conference guard Paul Westphal circa 1975.

Julius Erving set the tone early, helping the East to a 34–23 lead over the West going into the second quarter. At half-time the West had only shaved the lead by a point with the score sitting at 58–68 in favor of the East. However, in the third quarter the West scored 39 points and stymied the Easts offense limiting them to only 21 points. Going into the fourth quarter with the West favoring the East 97–89, Bob McAdoo of the East produced a flurry of offense scoring 14 points in the period.[8] The boost brought the East back to within one point of the West with a chance to score in the closing seconds of the game. The East never got their final shot of as Paul Westphal stole the ball from West guard Pete Maravich who passed it downcourt to teammate Rick Barry who ran the clock out giving the West the one-point win.[9]

Eastern Conference

Player, TeamMINFGMFGAFTMFTAREBASTBLKPFSPTS
Bob McAdoo, BUF381323441021330
Julius Erving, PHI301220661231230
George McGinnis, PHI26290272034
Rudy Tomjanovich, HOU223900101116
Pete Maravich, NO2151300040110
Doug Collins, PHI21362226028
John Havlicek, BOS17250011014
Jo Jo White, BOS155700120010
Earl Monroe, NY15270003014
Phil Chenier, WAS12360011006
George Gervin, SA12060010110
Elvin Hayes, WAS116600210512
Dave Cowens, BOS (injured)
Totals2405611712144726420124

Western Conference

Player, TeamMINFGMFGAFTMFTAREBASTBLKPFSPTS
Paul Westphal, PHO31101600162220
Rick Barry, GS2971644480118
David Thompson, DEN297946730318
Phil Smith, GS2861312680313
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, LA2381456421121
Bob Lanier, DET2078331041317
Don Buse, IND19240025004
Bobby Jones, DEN14140003102
Norm Van Lier, CHI14130011022
Billy Knight, IND12152250004
Maurice Lucas, POR11390042126
Dan Issel, DEN10030010000
Bill Walton, POR (injured)
Totals2405310419234542617125

Score by periods

Score by Periods:1234Final
East34342135124
West23353928125
  • Halftime— East, 68-58
  • Third Quarter— West, 97-89
  • Officials: Earl Strom and Lee Jones
  • Attendance: 10,938.

References

  1. 1 2 "1977 NBA All-Star recap". www.nba.com. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  2. "1977 NBA-ALL STAR EVENT MILWAUKEE | justallstar.com". Just All Stars. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 "1977 NBA All-Star Game Voting". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  4. "1976-77 Philadelphia 76ers Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  5. "1976-77 Denver Nuggets Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  6. "History of NBA All-Star selection process, roster and format changes". www.nba.com. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  7. "1977 NBA All-Star Game: Box Score, MVP and Information". www.landofbasketball.com. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  8. Ballantini, Brett (March 2002). "Westphal might whine, but it was Doc's time. (Flashback: The 1977 NBA All-Star Game)". Basketball Digest. Vol. 29, no. 5. pp. 18–.
  9. 1977 NBA All-Star Game, retrieved February 11, 2022

Sources

  • The Official NBA Basketball Encyclopedia. Villard Books. 1994. p. 249. ISBN 0-679-43293-0.
  • "1977 NBA All-Star Game". Basketball Reference. Archived from the original on August 2, 2008. Retrieved July 17, 2008.
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