1977–78 Detroit Pistons season

The 1977–78 NBA season was the Detroit Pistons' 30th season in the NBA and 21st season in the city of Detroit. The team played at Cobo Arena in Detroit.

1977–78 Detroit Pistons season
Head coach	Herb Brown (fired) Bob Kauffman
General manager	Bob Kauffman
Owner(s)	Bill Davidson
Arena	Cobo Arena
Results
Record	38–44 (.463)
Place	Division: 4th (Midwest) Conference: 9th (Western)
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television	WKBD-TV
Radio	WJR
< 1976–77 1978–79 >

It was the last season playing in Detroit, until the 2017-18 season when the team returned to the city proper.^[1] 1977-78 was the franchise's final season in Cobo Arena, as they moved to the Pontiac Silverdome in the Detroit suburbs, also the home of the NFL's Detroit Lions, the next season.

The Pistons finished with a 38-44 (.463) record, 4th place in the Midwest Division. Tensions lingered from the previous season, especially between coach Herb Brown and point guard Kevin Porter. Before the season began, the two tried to make peace, with Porter stating, "This year when I'm yanked I'll accept it," and Brown replying, "I may have made some mistakes." Team captain Bob Lanier, would add, "You can't change human nature. To be fair they should trade one of them."^[2] Porter was traded in November, 8 games into the season, to the New Jersey Nets and would lead the NBA in assists on the season. Brown was fired a month later. Then, with Brown gone, Porter would return in a trade to Detroit the following season.

Forward Marvin "Bad News" Barnes would report to the Adult Correctional Institute in Cranston, Rhode Island in the 1977 off-season to serve a 152-day sentence. He had pleaded guilty to a two-year-old charge that he had attacked Providence teammate Larry Ketvirtis with a tire iron. The judge gave him three years of probation. An October 1976 gun incident at the Detroit airport in which Barnes tried to get a weapon through security was a probation violation,^[3] causing the judge to require the completion of that initial sentence.^[4][5] Barnes was traded to the Buffalo Braves in November, bringing Gus Gerard and John Shumate to Detroit.^[6]

The team was led by center Bob Lanier (24.5 ppg, 11.3 rpg, NBA All-Star) and guard Eric Money (18.6 ppg, 4.7 apg), out of the playoffs for the first time in 4 seasons.^[1][7]

Draft picks

Main article: 1977 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College / Team
2	36	Ben Poquette	Center	United States	Central Michigan

Roster

1977–78 Detroit Pistons roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From F 30 Carr, M. L. 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Guilford C 13 Douglas, Leon 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Alabama SF 44 Eberhard, Al 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Missouri G/F 42 Ford, Chris 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Villanova F 22 Gerard, Gus 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Virginia C 16 Lanier, Bob 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (113 kg) St. Bonaventure G 14 Money, Eric 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Arizona C 50 Poquette, Ben 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Central Michigan PG 15 Price, Jim 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Louisville F 34 Shumate, John 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Notre Dame SG 35 Skinner, Al 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) UMass	Head coach Bob Kauffman Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended   Injured

Regular season

Season standings

Midwest Division v t e	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

#	Western Conference v t e
	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

Record vs. opponents

1977–78 NBA Records
Team	ATL	BOS	BUF	CHI	CLE	DEN	DET	GSW	HOU	IND	KCK	LAL	MIL	NJN	NOJ	NYK	PHI	PHO	POR	SAS	SEA	WAS
Atlanta	—	2–2	3–1	1–3	1–3	1–3	2–2	1–3	3–1	3–1	2–1	3–1	2–2	3–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–3	1–3	2–1	1–3
Boston	2–2	—	3–1	1–3	1–3	1–3	1–3	2–2	2–2	2–1	2–2	1–2	3–1	3–1	2–2	2–2	0–4	2–2	1–3	0–4	0–4	1–3
Buffalo	1–3	1–3	—	3–1	1–3	1–3	1–3	0–3	3–1	1–3	1–2	1–3	1–3	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–3	0–4	1–3	1–3	1–3	1–3
Chicago	3–1	3–1	1–3	—	3–1	2–2	2–2	1–3	3–1	3–1	0–4	2–2	1–3	1–2	2–2	1–3	3–0	2–2	1–3	2–2	2–2	2–1
Cleveland	3–1	3–1	3–1	1–3	—	3–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	2–1	2–2	2–2	3–1	3–1	2–2	3–1	1–3	1–2	0–4	0–4	3–1	2–2
Denver	3–1	3–1	3–1	2–2	1–3	—	2–2	2–2	3–0	2–2	2–2	3–1	3–1	3–1	3–1	1–3	1–3	2–2	3–1	2–1	1–3	3–1
Detroit	2–2	3–1	3–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	—	2–2	3–1	1–3	1–3	2–2	2–2	3–1	3–0	0–4	0–4	2–2	1–3	1–3	1–3	2–2
Golden State	3–1	2–2	3–0	3–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	—	2–1	3–1	3–1	0–4	2–2	3–1	0–4	2–2	1–3	2–2	1–3	3–1	2–2	2–2
Houston	1–3	2–2	1–3	1–3	2–2	0–3	1–3	1–2	—	3–1	2–2	1–3	1–3	2–2	1–3	2–2	2–2	1–3	2–2	1–3	0–4	1–3
Indiana	1–3	1–2	3–1	1–3	1–2	2–2	3–1	1–3	1–3	—	2–2	1–3	0–4	2–2	2–2	1–3	2–2	1–3	1–3	1–3	1–3	3–1
Kansas City	1–2	2–2	2–1	4–0	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–3	2–2	2–2	—	2–2	0–4	2–2	2–2	0–4	1–3	0–4	0–4	0–4	1–3	2–2
Los Angeles	1–3	2–1	3–1	2–2	2–2	1–3	2–2	4–0	3–1	3–1	2–2	—	3–1	4–0	2–1	3–1	2–2	1–3	0–4	2–2	1–3	2–2
Milwaukee	2–2	1–3	3–1	3–1	1–3	1–3	2–2	2–2	3–1	4–0	4–0	1–3	—	3–1	2–1	3–1	1–2	1–3	1–3	2–2	1–3	3–1
New Jersey	1–3	1–3	2–2	2–1	1–3	1–3	1–3	1–3	2–2	2–2	2–2	0–4	1–3	—	0–4	1–3	0–4	2–2	0–3	0–4	2–2	2–2
New Orleans	2–2	2–2	2–2	2–2	2–2	1–3	1–3	4–0	3–1	2–2	2–2	1–2	1–2	4–0	—	1–3	2–2	1–3	3–1	1–3	2–2	0–4
New York	2–2	2–2	1–3	3–1	1–3	3–1	3–0	2–2	2–2	3–1	4–0	1–3	1–3	3–1	3–1	—	1–3	1–3	1–3	2–2	2–1	2–2
Philadelphia	2–2	4–0	3–1	1–3	3–1	3–1	4–0	3–1	2–2	2–2	3–1	2–2	2–1	4–0	2–2	3–1	—	2–1	2–2	3–1	3–1	2–2
Phoenix	1–3	2–2	4–0	2–2	2–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	3–1	3–1	4–0	3–1	3–1	2–2	3–1	3–1	1–2	—	1–3	2–2	2–2	2–2
Portland	3–1	3–1	3–1	3–1	4–0	1–3	3–1	3–1	2–2	3–1	4–0	4–0	3–1	3–1	1–3	3–0	2–2	3–1	—	2–2	3–1	2–1
San Antonio	3–1	4–0	3–1	2–2	4–0	1–2	2–1	1–3	3–1	3–1	4–0	2–2	2–2	4–0	3–1	2–2	1–3	2–2	2–2	—	2–2	2–2
Seattle	1–2	4–0	3–1	2–2	1–3	3–1	3–1	2–2	4–0	3–1	3–1	3–1	3–1	2–2	2–1	1–3	1–3	2–2	1–3	2–2	—	1–3
Washington	3–1	3–1	3–1	1–2	2–2	1–3	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–3	2–2	2–2	1–3	2–2	4–0	2–2	2–2	2–2	1–2	2–2	3–1	—

Game log

Regular season

1977–78 game log Total: 38–44 (home: 24–17; road: 14–27)
October: 4–3 (home: 4–0; road: 0–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 3 October 21, 1977 8:05 p.m. EDT @ Washington L 109–117 Lanier (33) Lanier (10) Lanier (6) Capital Centre 13,276 1–2
November: 4–8 (home: 3–4; road: 1–4) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 11 November 13, 1977 7:05 p.m. EST Washington W 104–102 Money (36) Douglas (13) Money (7) Cobo Arena 5,149 6–5
December: 7–7 (home: 3–5; road: 4–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record
January: 7–7 (home: 4–1; road: 3–6) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 44 January 24, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST @ Washington W 104–101 Lanier (24) Lanier (11) Carr, Money (4) Capital Centre 6,717 19–25
February: 6–7 (home: 5–3; road: 1–4) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record All-Star Break
March: 8–8 (home: 4–3; road: 4–5) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 62 March 3, 1978 8:05 p.m. EST Washington L 108–124 Money (20) Poquette (12) Money (7) Cobo Arena 5,033 29–33
April: 2–4 (home: 1–1; road: 1–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record
1977–78 schedule

References

1. "1977-78 Detroit Pistons Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
2. "Scouting Reports".
3. "Barnes Pleads Guilty to Lesser Gun Charges". The New York Times. December 17, 1976.
4. "This time the News is good".
5. "Future NBA Player Marvin 'Bad News' Barnes Was Caught in the Most Inept Robbery Attempt Ever". January 17, 2021.
6. "Marvin Barnes Stats".
7. "Chevette to Corvette No. 33: The 1977-78 Detroit Pistons". October 28, 2011.