<P> The Wizards have appeared in four NBA Finals, and won in 1978 . They have had a total of 28 playoff appearances, won four conference titles (1971, 1975, 1978, 1979), and seven division titles (1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1979, 2017). Their best season came in 1975 with a record of 60 - 22 . Wes Unseld is the only player in franchise history to become the MVP (1969), and win the Finals MVP award (1978). Four players (Walt Bellamy, Terry Dischinger, Earl Monroe and Wes Unseld) have won the Rookie of the Year award . </P> <P> The team now known as the Wizards began playing as the Chicago Packers in 1961, as the first modern expansion team in NBA history, an expansion prompted by Abe Saperstein's American Basketball League . Rookie Walt Bellamy was the team's star, averaging 31.6 points per game, 19.0 rebounds per game, and leading the NBA in field goal percentage . During the All - Star game, Bellamy represented the team while scoring 23 points and grabbing 17 rebounds . Bellamy was named the league Rookie of the Year, but the team finished with the NBA's worst record at 18 - 62 . </P> <P> The team's original nickname was a nod to Chicago's meatpacking industry; their home arena, the International Amphitheater, was next door to the Union Stock Yards . However, it was extremely unpopular since it was the same nickname used by the NFL's Green Bay Packers, bitter rivals of the Chicago Bears . After only one year, the organization changed its name to the Chicago Zephyrs and played its home games at the Chicago Coliseum (Saperstein's ABL Majors prevented the team from playing in the larger Chicago Stadium). Their only season as the Zephyrs boasted former Purdue star Terry Dischinger, who went on to win Rookie of the Year honors . In 1963 the franchise moved to Baltimore, Maryland, and became the Baltimore Bullets, taking their name from a 1940s --' 50s Baltimore Bullets BAA / NBA franchise and playing home games at the Baltimore Civic Center (the NBA would return to Chicago in 1966 when the Chicago Bulls began play). In their first year in Baltimore, the Bullets finished fourth in a five--team Western Division . </P> <P> Prior to the 1964--65 NBA season the Bullets pulled off a blockbuster trade, sending Dischinger, Rod Thorn and Don Kojis to the Detroit Pistons for Bailey Howell, Don Ohl, Bob Ferry and Wali Jones . The trade worked out well; Howell proved to be a hustler and a fundamentally sound player . He helped the Bullets get into the playoffs for the first time in franchise history . In the 1965 NBA Playoffs, the Bullets stunned the St. Louis Hawks 3--1, and advanced to the Western Conference finals . In the finals, Baltimore managed to split the first four games with the Los Angeles Lakers before losing the series 4--2 . </P>

How did the baltimore bullets get their name