1980–81 Washington Bullets season

The 1980–81 NBA season was the Bullets 20th season in the NBA and their 8th season in the city of Washington, D.C.^[1] Following the season, Wes Unseld retired, Elvin Hayes was traded to the Houston Rockets, and Mitch Kupchak signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.

1980–81 Washington Bullets season
Head coach	Gene Shue
Arena	Capital Centre
Results
Record	39–43 (.476)
Place	Division: 4th (Atlantic) Conference: 7th (Eastern)
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
Television	WDCA
Radio	WTOP
< 1979–80 1981–82 >

Draft picks

Main article: 1980 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	School/Club Team
1	14	Wes Matthews	G	United States	Wisconsin
2	35	Rick Mahorn	C/PF	United States	Hampton
4	81	Francois Wise		United States	California State-Long Beach
5	105	Daryl Strickland		United States	Rutgers
6	127	Ken Dancy		United States	Chicago State
7	151	Karl Godine		United States	Stephen F. Austin State
8	170	Rich Valavicius		United States	Auburn
9	191	Clinton Wyatt		United States	Alcorn State
10	207	Don Youman		United States	Oklahoma State

Roster

1980–81 Washington Bullets roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From F 42 Greg Ballard 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Oregon SG 34 Austin Carr 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Notre Dame G/F 22 Don Collins 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Washington State SF 10 Bob Dandridge 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Norfolk State F 35 Kevin Grevey 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Kentucky C 11 Elvin Hayes 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Houston PF 25 Mitch Kupchak 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) North Carolina PF 44 Rick Mahorn 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Hampton G 33 Andre McCarter 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) UCLA PG 1 Kevin Porter 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Saint Francis (PA) F 20 Anthony Roberts 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Oral Roberts G 12 Carlos Terry 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Winston-Salem State F 41 Wes Unseld 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Louisville

Head coach Gene Shue Assistant(s) Bernie Bickerstaff Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured

Regular season

Season standings

Atlantic Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Boston Celtics	62	20	.756	–	35–6	27–14	19–5
x-Philadelphia 76ers	62	20	.756	–	37–4	25–16	15–9
x-New York Knicks	50	32	.610	12.0	28–13	22–19	14–10
Washington Bullets	39	43	.476	23.0	26–15	13–28	8–16
New Jersey Nets	24	58	.293	38.0	16–25	8–33	8–16

#	Eastern Conference v t e
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	z-Boston Celtics	62	20	.756	–
2	y-Milwaukee Bucks	60	22	.732	2
3	x-Philadelphia 76ers	62	20	.756	–
4	x-New York Knicks	50	32	.610	12
5	x-Chicago Bulls	45	37	.549	17
6	x-Indiana Pacers	44	38	.537	18
7	Washington Bullets	39	43	.476	23
8	Atlanta Hawks	31	51	.378	31
9	Cleveland Cavaliers	28	54	.341	34
10	New Jersey Nets	24	58	.293	38
11	Detroit Pistons	21	61	.256	41

Notes

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

Record vs. opponents

1980-81 NBA Records
Team	ATL	BOS	CHI	CLE	DAL	DEN	DET	GSW	HOU	IND	KCK	LAL	MIL	NYN	NYK	PHI	PHO	POR	SAS	SDC	SEA	UTA	WAS
Atlanta	—	2–4	2–4	1–5	2–0	1–1	4–2	2–0	1–1	1–5	1–1	0–2	1–5	3–2	2–4	1–5	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–4
Boston	4–2	—	5–1	4–1	2–0	2–0	4–1	1–1	2–0	3–3	1–1	2–0	3–3	6–0	5–1	3–3	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	5–1
Chicago	4–2	1–5	—	5–1	1–1	1–1	5–1	1–1	1–1	3–2	2–0	1–1	3–3	3–2	3–3	2–4	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	5–1
Cleveland	5–1	1–4	1–5	—	2–0	1–1	3–3	1–1	0–2	2–4	0–2	0–2	0–6	3–3	0–5	0–6	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	4–2
Dallas	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	—	3–3	0–2	2–3	0–6	0–2	0–6	0–5	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–4	1–4	1–5	2–3	1–4	1–5	0–2
Denver	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	3–3	—	2–0	3–2	2–4	1–1	4–2	3–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–4	2–3	2–4	3–2	3–2	2–4	0–2
Detroit	2–4	1–4	1–5	3–3	2–0	0–2	—	0–2	1–1	2–4	1–1	0–2	1–5	3–3	1–5	1–4	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–5
Golden State	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	3–2	2–3	2–0	—	3–2	1–1	5–0	1–5	1–1	1–1	2–0	0–2	2–4	2–4	1–4	2–4	3–3	4–1	1–1
Houston	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	6–0	4–2	1–1	2–3	—	1–1	2–4	2–3	0–2	2–0	0–2	0–2	1–4	3–2	3–3	1–4	4–1	4–2	0–2
Indiana	5–1	3–3	2–3	4–2	2–0	1–1	4–2	1–1	1–1	—	2–0	0–2	2–4	5–1	3–2	0–6	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–1	0–2	1–1	4–2
Kansas City	1–1	1–1	0–2	2–0	6–0	2–4	1–1	0–5	4–2	0–2	—	0–5	1–1	2–0	1–1	0–2	3–2	3–2	2–4	3–2	2–3	5–1	1–1
Los Angeles	2–0	0–2	1–1	2–0	5–0	2–3	2–0	5–1	3–2	2–0	5–0	—	0–2	2–0	2–0	1–1	2–4	3–3	2–3	3–3	6–0	3–2	1–1
Milwaukee	5–1	3–3	3–3	6–0	2–0	1–1	5–1	1–1	2–0	4–2	1–1	2–0	—	5–1	3–3	3–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	4–1
New Jersey	2–3	0–6	2–3	3–3	1–1	1–1	3–3	1–1	0–2	1–5	0–2	0–2	1–5	—	0–6	1–5	1–1	2–0	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	3–3
New York	4–2	1–5	3–3	5–0	1–1	2–0	5–1	0–2	2–0	2–3	1–1	0–2	3–3	6–0	—	3–3	1–1	1–1	0–2	2–0	2–0	2–0	4–2
Philadelphia	5–1	3–3	4–2	6–0	2–0	1–1	4–1	2–0	2–0	6–0	2–0	1–1	2–3	5–1	3–3	—	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	4–2
Phoenix	2–0	0–2	2–0	1–1	4–1	4–1	2–0	4–2	4–1	1–1	2–3	4–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	—	3–3	3–2	6–0	5–1	5–0	1–1
Portland	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–1	4–1	3–2	2–0	4–2	2–3	2–0	2–3	3–3	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	3–3	—	2–3	4–2	4–2	2–3	2–0
San Antonio	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–1	5–1	4–2	2–0	4–1	3–3	0–2	4–2	3–2	1–1	2–0	2–0	0–2	2–3	3–2	—	4–1	3–2	5–1	1–1
San Diego	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	3–2	2–3	1–1	4–2	4–1	1–1	2–3	3–3	0–2	2–0	0–2	0–2	0–6	2–4	1–4	—	5–1	3–2	0–2
Seattle	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	4–1	2–3	2–0	3–3	1–4	2–0	3–2	0–6	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–5	2–4	2–3	1–5	—	4–1	1–1
Utah	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	5–1	4–2	2–0	1–4	2–4	1–1	1–5	2–3	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–5	3–2	1–5	2–3	1–4	—	0–2
Washington	4–1	1–5	1–5	2–4	2–0	2–0	5–1	1–1	2–0	2–4	1–1	1–1	1–4	3–3	2–4	2–4	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	—

Game log

Regular season

1980–81 game log Total: 39–43 (Home: 26–15; Road: 13–28)
October: 2–8 (home: 1–3; road: 1–5) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 1 October 10 @ Detroit W 95–85 Pontiac Silverdome 1–0 2 October 11 Philadelphia L 120–126 (2OT) Capital Centre 1–1 3 October 16 @ Cleveland L 88–90 Richfield Coliseum 1–2 4 October 17 New Jersey L 112–114 Capital Centre 1–3 5 October 18 @ Philadelphia L 101–117 The Spectrum 1–4 6 October 22 Cleveland W 109–96 Capital Centre 2–4 7 October 24 @ Chicago L 96–104 Chicago Stadium 2–5 8 October 25 Boston L 87–103 Capital Centre 2–6 9 October 26 @ Milwaukee L 88–111 MECCA Arena 2–7 10 January 25 @ New Jersey L 98–100 Rutgers Athletic Center 2–8
November: 8–6 (home: 7–1; road: 1–5) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 11 November 1 @ New York L 93–111 Madison Square Garden 2–9 12 November 4 Atlanta W 122–98 Capital Centre 3–9 13 November 6 Dallas W 116–95 Capital Centre 4–9 14 November 7 Detroit W 114–88 Capital Centre 5–9 15 November 11 Denver W 107–92 Capital Centre 6–9 16 November 12 @ Boston L 86–93 Boston Garden 6–10 17 November 14 @ Indiana L 108–118 Market Square Arena 6–11 18 November 15 @ Atlanta W 100–88 The Omni 7–11 19 November 18 Golden State L 97–103 Capital Centre 7–12 20 November 21 San Diego W 102–90 Capital Centre 8–12 21 November 22 @ Chicago L 101–114 Chicago Stadium 8–13 22 November 27 Indiana W 123–108 Capital Centre 9–13 24 November 28 @ Cleveland L 105–126 Richfield Coliseum 9–14 24 November 29 Milwaukee W 98–89 Capital Centre 10–14
December: 6–8 (home: 5–4; road: 1–4) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 25 December 2 Kansas City W 107–103 Capital Centre 11–14 26 December 3 @ Indiana L 115–128 Market Square Arena 11–15 27 December 5 Detroit W 103–92 Capital Centre 12–15 28 December 7 @ Boston (at Hartford, Connecticut) W 113–103 Hartford Civic Center 13–15 29 December 9 @ New York L 104–107 Madison Square Garden 13–16 30 December 10 Boston L 99–101 Capital Centre 13–17 31 December 12 @ Philadelphia L 79–95 The Spectrum 13–18 32 December 13 Indiana W 114–105 Capital Centre 14–18 33 December 16 Chicago L 94–96 Capital Centre 14–19 34 December 19 New York L 96–102 Capital Centre 14–20 35 December 23 @ Atlanta L 83–100 The Omni 14–21 36 December 25 New Jersey W 109–94 Capital Centre 15–21 37 December 27 Houston W 115–97 Capital Centre 16–21 38 December 30 Milwaukee L 94–115 Capital Centre 16–22
January: 10–6 (home: 6–2; road: 4–4) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 39 January 2 Chicago L 82–92 Capital Centre 16–23 40 January 3 @ Cleveland L 112–132 Richfield Coliseum 16–24 41 January 6 @ Los Angeles L 98–107 The Forum 16–25 42 January 8 @ Kansas City L 118–136 Kemper Arena 16–26 43 January 10 @ Dallas W 106–94 Reunion Arena 17–26 44 January 11 @ San Antonio L 106–137 HemisFair Arena 17–27 45 January 14 Los Angeles W 114–104 Capital Centre 18–27 46 January 15 @ Detroit W 106–89 Pontiac Silverdome 19–27 47 January 17 San Antonio W 103–93 Capital Centre 20–27 48 January 18 New Jersey W 110–99 Capital Centre 21–27 49 January 20 Utah W 121–113 Capital Centre 22–27 50 January 22 Philadelphia L 116–128 Capital Centre 22–28 51 January 23 Seattle W 103–91 Capital Centre 23–28 54 January 25 @ New Jersey W 118–100 Rutgers Athletic Center 24–28 53 January 27 @ Atlanta W 105–104 The Omni 25–28 54 January 28 Phoenix W 108–98 Capital Centre 26–28
February: 5–8 (home: 2–2; road: 3–6) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 55 February 3 @ Portland L 104–111 (OT) Memorial Coliseum 26–29 56 February 4 @ Seattle L 99–108 Kingdome 26–30 57 February 6 @ Golden State W 116–110 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena 27–30 58 February 8 @ Phoenix L 107–113 (OT) Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 27–31 59 February 10 @ Denver W 115–110 McNichols Sports Arena 28–31 60 February 13 @ Philadelphia W 104–102 The Spectrum 29–31 61 February 14 @ Detroit L 103–105 Pontiac Silverdome 29–32 62 February 17 Portland L 104–124 Capital Centre 29–33 63 February 19 Philadelphia W 129–108 Capital Centre 30–33 64 February 20 @ New York L 112–124 Madison Square Garden 30–34 65 February 22 Milwaukee L 93–102 Capital Centre 30–35 66 February 25 New York W 120–105 Capital Centre 31–35 67 February 27 @ Chicago L 100–112 Chicago Stadium 31–36
March: 8–7 (home: 5–3; road: 3–4) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 68 March 1 @ Milwaukee L 107–137 MECCA Arena 31–37 69 March 3 @ Utah W 121–113 Salt Palace Acord Arena 32–37 70 March 4 @ San Diego W 115–103 San Diego Sports Arena 33–37 71 March 6 @ Houston W 105–104 The Summit 34–37 72 March 8 Chicago W 103–99 Capital Centre 35–37 73 March 11 @ New Jersey L 104–109 Rutgers Athletic Center 35–38 74 March 12 Indiana L 107–114 Capital Centre 35–39 75 March 15 Cleveland L 100–101 Capital Centre 35–40 76 March 17 Boston L 91–112 Capital Centre 35–41 77 March 20 @ Boston L 116–128 Boston Garden 35–42 78 March 22 Atlanta W 121–101 Capital Centre 36–42 79 March 25 New York W 120–105 Capital Centre 37–42 80 March 27 @ Indiana L 107–122 Market Square Arena 37–43 81 March 28 Detroit W 108–103 Capital Centre 38–43 82 March 29 Cleveland W 138–103 Capital Centre 39–43
1980–81 schedule