The championship was decided by a sudden death Grand Final between first (St. Kilda Saints) and second (Canberra Cannons).
The 1979 regular season took place over 15 rounds between 24 February 1979 and 3 June 1979.
Every team played 18 games, against each opponent twice.
Updated to match(es) played on 3 June 1979.
Source: NBL.com.au The NBL tie-breaker system as outlined in the NBL Rules and Regulations states that in the case of an identical win–loss record, the results in games played between the teams will determine order of seeding.