1976–77 Detroit Pistons season
Head coachHerb Brown
General managerOscar Feldman
Owner(s)Bill Davidson
ArenaCobo Center
Results
Record44–38 (.537)
PlaceDivision: 2nd (Midwest)
Conference: 5th (Western)
Playoff finishFirst round
(lost to Warriors 1–2)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
TelevisionWKBD-TV
RadioWJR

The 1976–77 NBA season was the Detroit Pistons' 29th season in the NBA and 20th season in the city of Detroit.[1] The team played at Cobo Arena in Detroit.

The Pistons added Marvin Barnes in the 1976 ABA Dispersal Draft, and Detroit finished with a 44–38 (.537) record, 2nd place in the Midwest Division. The team was led by shooting guard Chris Ford (12.3 ppg), free agent addition, forward M.L. Carr (13.3 ppg, 7.7 rpg) and center Bob Lanier (25.3 ppg, 11.6 rpg, NBA All-Star).[2] Detroit advanced to the 1977 NBA Playoffs, losing their first round Western Conference series to the Golden State Warriors.[2]

ML Carr, Pistons, 1977

The 1976–77 season was described as "absolutely insane, probably the craziest in Pistons history. They won a lot of games, but were completely dysfunctional."[3] John Papanek of Sports Illustrated (SI) would state, "if the Pistons were a TV mini-series, they would make Roots seem like Ding Dong School." Much of the dysfunction centered around the addition of "Bad News" Barnes, who was arrested during the season at Detroit Metropolitan Airport for carrying a gun while on probation, and the addition of Herb Brown as coach, who struggled to get along with the strong personalities on the team.

The Pistons would eventually bench Barnes, who said "News didn’t come here to sit on no wood."[3] In later years, star Detroit center Bob Lanier reflected on the dysfunctional Barnes, stating "In the ABA, Marvin Barnes was a great, great player that had issues. They took a chance on him, but Marvin was still into street life and he affected Eric Money. Money (a Detroit product, who played college ball at Arizona) could shoot the in-between jumper and he might’ve been one of the best that ever played. A few years ago I ran into Marvin in Houston and he said, ‘Bob, I used to get get high all the time and Eric started to get high with me.’ When somebody tells you that and this is 20-some odd years later, you want put your fist right through their head. And I adored Marvin Barnes – I liked his personality and he’s as charming a guy as you’d ever want to meet. But in terms of him trying to be part of the team that wins a championship … man…"[3][4]

Lanier and Barnes each suffered a broken hand late in the season. Barnes did not appear in the playoffs for Detroit but Lanier was able to return.[5][6] Coach Brown had also elected to start Eric Money over mercurial starter Kevin Porter down the stretch and into the post-season, and the Pistons fell to Golden State 2–1, despite winning the opening game of the series 95–90 in Oakland.[7]

In the deciding third game, Bob Lanier put forward a double-double of 33 points and 15 rebounds, shooting 72% from the floor, only to be out-dueled by fellow Hall of Famer Rick Barry, who scored 35 points to pace the Warriors in the 109–101 victory.[8] The game was marred by a 3rd quarter fight with Charles Dudley of Golden State tangling with Eric Money of the Pistons. The fight spilled into the stands as a Warriors fan punching Piston M.L. Carr and Lanier then decking the fan. Reflective of the different era in the game, personal fouls were called on Dudley and Money, and the game resumed.[9]

Barnes would report to the Rhode Island Department of Corrections in Cranston, Rhode Island in the 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. The October 1976 gun at the Detroit airport was a probation violation, causing the requirement to complete that initial sentence.[6][4]

Draft picks

Round Pick Player Position Nationality College / Team
1 4 Leon Douglas Center United States United States Alabama
3 38 Phil Sellers Guard United States United States Rutgers

Roster

1976–77 Detroit Pistons roster
Players Coaches
Pos.No.NameHeightWeightDOBFrom
PF 24 Barnes, Marvin 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1952-07-27 Providence
C 20 Brown, Roger 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1950-02-23 Kansas
SF 30 Carr, M. L. 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1951-01-09 Guilford
C 13 Douglas, Leon 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1954-08-26 Alabama
SF 44 Eberhard, Al 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1952-05-10 Missouri
SG 42 Ford, Chris 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1949-01-11 Villanova
C 16 Lanier, Bob (C) 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1948-09-10 St. Bonaventure
PG 14 Money, Eric 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1955-02-06 Arizona
PF 54 Porter, Howard 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1948-08-31 Villanova
PG 1 Porter, Kevin 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1950-04-17 Saint Francis (PA)
SG 11 Sellers, Phil 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1953-11-20 Rutgers
PF 31 Trapp, George 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1948-07-11 Long Beach State
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Roster
Last transaction: November 18, 1976

Regular season

Season standings

Midwest Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Denver Nuggets 5032.610–36–514–2715–5
x-Detroit Pistons 4438.537630–1114–2712–8
x-Chicago Bulls 4438.537631–1013–2810–10
Kansas City Kings 4042.4881028–1312–297–13
Indiana Pacers 3646.4391425–1611–309–11
Milwaukee Bucks 3052.3662024–176–357–13
#
Western Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Los Angeles Lakers5329.646–
2 y-Denver Nuggets5032.6103
3 x-Portland Trail Blazers4933.5984
4 x-Golden State Warriors4636.5617
5 x-Detroit Pistons4438.5379
6 x-Chicago Bulls4438.5379
7 Kansas City Kings4042.48813
8 Seattle SuperSonics4042.48813
9 Indiana Pacers3646.43917
10 Phoenix Suns3448.41519
11 Milwaukee Bucks3052.36623
z – clinched division title
y – clinched division title
x – clinched playoff spot

Record vs. opponents

1976–77 NBA Records
Team ATL BOS BUF CHI CLE DEN DET GSW HOU IND KCK LAL MIL NOJ NYK NYN PHI PHO POR SAS SEA WAS
Atlanta —0–44–02–22–22–20–40–41–30–41–22–22–21–31–33–11–30–43–14–01–21–3
Boston 4–0—3–12–21–33–12–21–32–21–23–12–13–12–22–23–11–32–21–34–02–20–4
Buffalo 0–41–3—1–32–22–23–10–31–31–30–31–33–13–11–32–22–23–11–30–43–10–4
Chicago 2–22–23–1—3–11–32–22–21–32–22–23–13–14–02–22–12–22–20–43–12–21–2
Cleveland 2–23–12–21–3—2–21–32–21–32–13–12–24–02–22–23–11–32–12–22–23–11–3
Denver 2–21–32–23–12–2—3–12–23–03–13–12–23–13–12–23–11–33–12–21–24–02–2
Detroit 4–02–21–32–23–11–3—3–12–22–24–01–33–13–11–23–12–22–22–21–21–31–3
Golden State 4–03–13–02–22–22–21–3—2–14–01–32–21–31–31–33–13–14–01–32–21–33–1
Houston 3–12–23–13–13–10–32–21–2—4–02–22–23–12–22–22–21–33–13–12–23–13–1
Indiana 4–02–13–12–21–21–32–20–40–4—2–21–32–22–22–24–02–22–20–42–22–20–4
Kansas City 2–11–33–02–21–31–30–43–12–22–2—1–32–22–24–04–01–33–12–21–31–32–2
Los Angeles 2–21–23–11–32–22–23–12–22–23–13–1—3–13–01–34–02–23–13–13–13–14–0
Milwaukee 2–21–31–31–30–41–31–33–11–32–22–21–3—1–21–33–11–21–32–23–11–31–3
New Orleans 3–12–21–30–42–21–31–33–12–22–22–20–32–1—3–12–20–43–12–21–31–32–2
N.Y. Knicks 3–12–23–12–22–22–22–13–12–22–20–43–13–11–3—2–21–32–21–31–31–22–2
N.Y. Nets 1–31–32–21–21–31–31–31–32–20–40–40–41–32–22–2—1–32–20–31–31–31–3
Philadelphia 3–13–12–22–23–13–12–21–33–12–23–12–22–14–03–13–1—1–22–21–32–23–1
Phoenix 4–02–21–32–21–21–32–20–41–32–21–31–33–11–32–22–22–1—1–31–33–11–3
Portland 1–33–13–14–02–22–22–23–11–34–02–21–32–22–23–13–02–23–1—2–23–11–2
San Antonio 0–40–44–01–32–22–12–12–22–22–23–11–31–33–13–13–13–13–12–2—3–12–2
Seattle 2–12–21–32–21–30–43–13–11–32–23–11–33–13–12–13–12–21–31–31–3—3–1
Washington 3–14–04–02–13–12–23–11–31–34–02–20–43–12–22–23–11–33–12–12–21–3—

Playoffs

1977 playoff game log
First Round: 1–2 (home: 0–1; road: 1–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1 April 12 @ Golden State W 95–90 Bob Lanier (28) Bob Lanier (17) Kevin Porter (6) Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena
12,459		 1–0
2 April 14 Golden State L 108–138 Eric Money (31) Bob Lanier (18) Eric Money (7) Cobo Arena
11,220		 1–1
3 April 17 @ Golden State L 101–109 Bob Lanier (33) Bob Lanier (15) Money, Porter (8) Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena
13,155		 1–2
1977 schedule

References

  1. ↑ "1976-77 Detroit Pistons Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.com.
  2. 1 2 "1976-77 Detroit Pistons Roster and Stats".
  3. 1 2 3 "Chevette to Corvette No. 25: The 1976-77 Detroit Pistons". November 9, 2011.
  4. 1 2 "Future NBA Player Marvin 'Bad News' Barnes Was Caught in the Most Inept Robbery Attempt Ever". January 17, 2021.
  5. ↑
  6. 1 2 "This time the News is good".
  7. ↑ "1977 NBA Western Conference First Round - Pistons vs. Warriors". Basketball-Reference.com.
  8. ↑ "Detroit Pistons at Golden State Warriors Box Score, April 17, 1977". Basketball-Reference.com.
  9. ↑ "One of the wildest NBA fights you never heard of".
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