1979 Washington Bullets, East finals, San Antonio Spurs: The Bullets – now the Wizards – were the defending champions and yes, the Spurs were in the East. Scoring champion George Gervin went for 42 in Game 4 to move San Antonio within one win of its first trip to the NBA Finals. But the Spurs never got there – at least not until Tim Duncan arrived in town.
En route to their title in 1978, the Bullets had opened a 3-1 lead on the Spurs, and San Antonio TV announcer Dan Cook tried to rally Spurs fans by saying, “The opera ain’t over until the fat lady sings.” Bullets coach Dick Motta usurped the phrase for his club, and it became a rallying cry as Washington responded with three straight wins by a combined 12 points. In Game 7, the Bullets survived another 42 points by Gervin and got a game-winning jumper from Bobby Dandridge for a 107-105 victory.