Since becoming a professional team in 1961, the Washington Wizards franchise has just one championship. That came back in 1978, when the Washington Bullets defeated the Seattle SuperSonics in seven games.

This particular franchise has had a few name changes. They were first the Chicago Packers and have since changed names (and cities) to the Chicago Zephyrs, Baltimore Bullets, Capital Bullets, Washington Bullets and, now, Washington Wizards.

The 1977-78 Washington Bullets were coached by Dick Motta. They were led in scoring by Hall of Famer Elvin Hayes, who averaged 19.7 points while also grabbing 13.3 boards per game. Bob Dandridge was right behind Hayes, as he averaged 19.3 points.

The '77-78 Bullets were elite on both sides of the ball. Offensively, Washington averaged 110.3 points a night. That was good for seventh in the NBA. Meanwhile, the Bullets gave up only 109.4 points a game. In a league with then-22 teams, Washington was 12th in defense.

The Bullets began the season 13-7. Their best stretch of the campaign came in December when the team won five straight. Overall, Washington won 44 games and lost 38. They finished with the third-best record in the Eastern Conference and were set to face the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the 1978 playoffs.

The Bullets had zero issues with the Hawks in the first round. Washington won in two quick games to advance to the second round. The team was led by Kevin Grevey, who scored 58 points in the two-game series.

Next up for the Bullets was the San Antonio Spurs — yes, the Spurs used to be in the Eastern Conference back in the day. This series proved to be much harder for the Bullets. The Spurs were led by superstar and Hall of Famer George Gervin.

San Antonio had home-court advantage in the series and took care of Game 1 easily, winning by a final score of 114-103. The Bullets simply had zero answers for Gervin, who finished with 35 points.

Game 2 saw Gervin post 46 points. However, Washington was able to win this time behind Grevey and Hayes. Grevey scored 31 while Hayes had 28 points and 11 rebounds. Wes Unseld was huge as well with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

After taking home-court advantage, the Bullets went back to D.C. and put on a show for their crowd. Washington won Games 3 and 4 to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. The Bullets were now one win away from advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals.

As expected, though, the Spurs played like the more desperate team in Game 5 and won. San Antonio prevailed 116-105. The Bullets could now eliminate the Spurs on their home floor in Game 6.

Game 6 was one for the ages. The Bullets won by only three points. Hayes had 25 points and Unseld finished with six points and 16 rebounds. Washington was now headed to the Conference Finals where they would face the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Sixers had two superstars leading the charge in Julius Irving and World B. Free. Philadelphia also had home-court advantage in the series but, as the second round proved, the Bullets were fully capable of winning on the road.

Washington started the Conference Finals with a bang. The Bullets won Game 1 behind 28 points and 18 rebounds from Hayes and suddenly the pressure was on the Sixers to win Game 2 or else the series was already over. Philadelphia did bounce back in Game 2 with a 110-104 win. Just like in the second round, the Bullets were headed home for Games 3 and 4 with a golden opportunity to take a 3-1 series lead.

The Bullets weren't messing around at home in the '78 playoffs. They crushed the Sixers in both games to take a 3-1 lead. Washington was now one win away from advancing to the NBA Finals and fans were getting excited.

The Sixers won Game 5 to save their season but it didn't last long. The Bullets finished the Sixers off in Game 6 at home and were finally headed to the Finals. Dandridge was stellar in Game 6. He posted 28 points and shot 50.0 percent from the floor.

The '78 Finals featured the Bullets going up against the Sonics. Washington won in seven epic games to capture the franchise's lone championship. Unseld won Finals MVP after averaging 9.0 points, 11.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists. Hayes led the entire '78 playoffs in points with 457.

Hopefully once John Wall comes back next season for the Wizards, Washington will be a contender once again. No team in the NBA wants to see a healthy Wall and Bradley Beal come postseason time.

Until a Wizards team wins it all, though, the 1977-78 Washington Bullets will continue to be the best club in franchise history. That squad was thrilling to watch every single night.