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Los Angeles Lakers history

The 1987 Los Angeles Lakers Return To Greatness

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For a team that had won NBA championships in 1980, 1982 and 1985, the 1987 Los Angeles Lakers entered the season with a surprising amount to prove. Their repeat bid in 1986 had ended in the conference finals when they were taken apart by the Houston Rockets and it was said that the Lakers were about to be confined to the ash heap of history. Pat Riley, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar thought differently and backed it up by winning their fourth NBA crown of the decade.

GREAT 1980s SPORTS MOMENTS
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The critique of the Lakers coming into the year was that the “Showtime” fast-break style that won their previous titles was becoming outdated by the league-wide trend of going big. The Rockets, with 7-footers Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson were a perfect example. Los Angeles’ historic rival, the Boston Celtics, had won the 1986 NBA title with an imposing front line. The Lakers were still trying to do it with speed and finesse and when they lost the season opener in Houston, 112-102, it was seen as a validation of the critics.

But Magic Johnson was ready for a breakout year. He averaged 24 points/6 rebounds/12 assists per game and won the first MVP award of his Hall of Fame career. Kareem, now 39-years-old, still scored 18 a night and got seven rebounds per game. James Worthy filled the lanes on the fast break and was good for 19ppg. Byron Scott, the underrated two-guard, knocked down 17ppg. The Lakers filled out the starting lineup with double-digit scorer A.C. Green who could also run the floor.

The team wasn’t deep—the only notable sub was Michael Cooper in the backcourt. But Cooper could play either guard spot, was an All-NBA defender and chipped in 11 points a night. After the opening loss to the Rockets, the Lakers responded by winning nine straight.

No one doubted the Lakers were good though—it was their ability to compete with Houston and Boston that was the question. Statement games awaited in December with a trip to the Garden, along with two games in six days against the Rockets around Christmas.

On December 12, Magic made his first big move in the MVP race. He scored 31 points in Boston, and with Worthy and Kareem combining for 51 more, the Celtics won 117-110. Magic poured in 38 and dished 16 assists in a 103-96 road win at Houston. He finished it off with a splendid 30 points/15 assists game in dispatching the Rockets 134-111 at hoe.

Los Angeles was rolling at 21-6 and the doubters began to disappear. The record reached 37-12 and before their anticipated second game with Boston, the Lakers made a trade with the San Antonio Spurs to acquire Mychal Thompson. The versatile frontcourt player—and father of current Golden State star Klay Thompson—could play power forward and center and gave Los Angeles depth. Los Angeles celebrated by beating Boston in a good 106-103 game where Magic scored 39 and handed out 10 assists.

The Lakers closed the regular season strong, with a 21-1 stretch that pushed their final record to 65-17. They were the best in the Western Conference by ten games. Houston had collapsed with drug problems in their backcourt. Dallas was now the prime challenger in the conference and out East, the Lakers were six games better than the Celtics. The road to the championship would go through the old L.A. Forum.

Denver was the opponent for the first round of the playoffs. The Nuggets had two excellent players in small forward Alex English and point guard Fat Lever. English was the third-best scorer in the league, going for nearly thirty a night. Lever was a second-team All-Star and nearly averaged a triple-double ,at 19/9/9 per game. Denver loved to run and gun under head coach Doug Moe, but they didn’t play defense. The record was only 37-45 and nobody was going to beat the Showtime Lakers at their own game.

Los Angeles exploded for a 43-point second quarter in Game 1 and forced Lever into 3-for-14 shooting as they grabbed the opener 128-95. The Lakers jumped the Nuggets quickly in Game 2, leading 40-23 after the first quarter. Kareem led all scorers with 28, while Magic added 21 and passed for 15 assists. Los Angeles held serve on their home court with a 139-127 win.

The first round was just a best-of-five affair in 1987, so L.A. had a chance to close in Game 3. With some outstanding ball movement, that’s what they did. The Lakers finished with a 40-10 assist-to-turnover ratio and seven different players scored in double figures. The game was close for a quarter before Los Angeles pulled away to a 140-103 victory.

Golden State was next and had a quality backcourt with Sleepy Floyd and Chris Mullin, who combined for 33 points a night. The Warriors had talent up front, with a good rebounder in Larry Smith and center Joe Barry Carroll going for 21 points/7 rebounds a game. They had a good coach who’s record has stood the test of time in George Karl. What they didn’t have was the ability to really put it all together, perhaps because Carroll’s reputation as a leader was suspect—he had the nickname “Joe Barely Cares.” The Warriors finished the regular season a mediocre 42-40.

They were still a tougher test than Denver and the Lakers trailed Game 1 at the half before turning up the heat with a dominant third quarter. Magic was brilliant, with a 25/12/14 triple-double, while Worthy scored 28 in a 125-116 win. Magic, Worthy and Kareem all scored between 20-25 points in leading a 116-101 win in Game 2 that’s noteworthy today in that the Lakers only attempted three shots from behind the arc and missed all three.

Magic was his usual self in Game 3 on the road, putting up a 20/10/10 line and Worthy again scored 28. Thompson made his biggest impact of the playoffs, with 23 points/12 rebounds and keying a 51-35 team-wide edge on the glass. The 133-108 win put the Lakers on the brink of another sweep.

Floyd got in the way of the perfect playoff record. With the Lakers up 14 after three quarters of Game 4, Floyd’s electric 51-point game brought his team all the way back. Los Angeles gave up 41 fourth-quarter points and lost 129-121. But it was just a delay of the inevitable. The Lakers tightened up the defense for Game 5, held the Warriors to 41 percent shooting and coasted to a 118-106 win that sent them to their eighth consecutive Western Conference Finals

There was chaos on the opposite side of the West bracket. The 7-seed Seattle Sonics (today’s Oklahoma City Thunder) upset Dallas and Houston in succession. The Sonics had three quality players in guard Dale Ellis along with forwards Xavier McDaniel and Tom Chambers. But with a record of 39-43 there was no reason to think they could beat the Lakers.

Seattle came to the Forum and put up a fight in the first two games. Los Angeles survived a 92-87 battle in Game 1 thanks to 27 points from Worthy and a 30-18 edge in points from the free throw line. They took Game 2 behind good rebounding keyed by Green, 30 points from Worthy and…you guessed it, another triple-double from Magic. Johnson finished with another 20/10/10 line and the Lakers won 112-104.

Worthy continued his strong run in the playoffs with 39 points in Game 3 and Los Angeles needed everyone of them as they escaped with a 122-121 win, again enjoying a big advantage in free throw scoring. After three good games, the Sonics finally came apart in Game 4. The Laker defense forced a 36 percent shooting performance, and the free throw disparity was again big—44-25 in points from the foul line for Los Angeles. The 133-102 win put the Lakers back in the NBA Finals.

Boston was waiting with that great frontline. Larry Bird’s string of three straight MVP awards might have ended at the hands of Magic, but Bird still averaged 28 points/9 rebounds/7 assists. Kevin McHale and Robert Parish combined to average 44 points/20 rebounds per game. Dennis Johnson and Danny Ainge comprised the best backcourt the Lakers had faced.

What the Celtics were not was healthy—McHale was playing on a broken foot, nor were they rested. Boston had been pushed to the limit in grueling seven-game series against Milwaukee and Detroit, both of which came down the bitter end of Game 7. Los Angeles was tanned, rested, ready and they had spent all year being the superior team in any regard.

All of that was in evidence when the series opened at the Forum. Worthy was electric in Game 1, going for 33 points/9 rebounds/10 assists, even outpacing Magic on the triple-double front—though Johnson still scored 29 and dished nine assists. Kareem added ten rebounds to contribute to a 47-32 team edge on the glass. The Lakers won easily, 126-113.

It was more of the same in Game 2. The Lakers won rebounding 43-33. They shot 62 percent. Magic, Kareem and Scott all scored 20-plus points and the final score was 141-122.

Boston looked too slow, too tired and too beat up to compete. What the Celtics had was pride and three straight games ahead in the Garden (the Finals were played on a 2-3-2 schedule from 1985-2013). They got on the glass and outrebounded the Lakers 48-32 in Game 3. While Magic was great—32 points/11 rebounds/9 assists—and Kareem knocked down 27, everyone else took the game off. Los Angeles lost 109-103.

The stage was set for a memorable Game 4. In a back-and-forth game, the Lakers clung to a 104-103 lead late. Bird got himself loose for a corner three. I was a teenager at the time and a group of us were playing cards at my house. One of the group was a Celtics fan (I am today, but was still living in darkness at the time). When Bird’s three hit the bottom of the net our card-playing friend, exploded out of his chair. Boston was up two and the possibility of these Finals getting very interesting was now at hand.

Los Angeles got the ball to Kareem in the closing moments and he was fouled. After making the first free throw, Jabbar missed the second, but the Celtics knocked the rebound out of bounds. The Lakers would get another chance.

The next play lives on in NBA lore. The ball went to Magic who drove the lane and put up a baby skyhook. It was the last of his game-high 29 points and it put L.A. up 107-106. Bird got off a desperation three before the buzzer and it almost went in…but almost still meant the Lakers had a commanding 3-1 series lead.

Magic was the only Laker that appeared interested in playing Game 5. He went for 29/8/12, but no one else contributed and all five Celtic starters scored at least twenty points. Los Angeles lost 123-108, but they were going home with two chances to clinch.

Game 6 was on a Sunday afternoon and Boston didn’t quit. They led 32-25 after the first quarter and 56-51 at the half. In the third quarter, Los Angeles made their final push.

Magic orchestrated the attack brilliantly, finishing the game with 19 assists. Worthy finished with 22 points. And Kareem? The venerable Captain, with the finish line in sight, went off for 32 points. The Lakers blew the game open by winning the third quarter 30-12 and they coasted in to a 106-93 win. They were champions again.

In our own day, repeat NBA championships are par for the course, but that wasn’t the case in the late 1980s. It had been nineteen years since anyone repeated and at a rally celebrating the championship, Riley made it clear he wasn’t letting anyone rest on their laurels. He guaranteed the fans they would do it again in 1988. And they did.

Rejuvenated Magic Keys The 1982 Los Angeles Lakers Championship Year

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The opening of the season was marked by turmoil for the 1982 Los Angeles Lakers, but the ending was drenched in champagne, as a healthy and rejuvenated Magic Johnson led the franchise to its second NBA title in three years.

GREAT 1980s SPORTS MOMENTS
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Magic had been injured in the 1981 regular season and missed 45 games. Even though he returned for the playoffs, the Lakers were upset in the opening round by the Houston Rockets. The following season saw the Lakers start 7-4, but the tensions were high between Magic and head coach Paul Westhead.

After a verbal altercation at halftime on November 18, Westhead was fired and replaced with Pat Riley. Magic was blamed as a coach-killer. The glory of 1980, when he helped the Lakers win the championship as a rookie seemed eons away.

But the coach that took over turned out to be pretty good himself. Riley won his debut against the San Antonio Spurs, an eventual division champion and future playoff opponent and the Lakers went 17-3 through the end of the calendar year.

By the end of March, Los Angeles was 49-23 and they closed strong, winning six of eight. Their 57-25 record gave them the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs with five games to spare, though Los Angeles still trailed the powers of the East, the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers.

Magic had a fantastic year, averaging 19 points/10 rebounds/10 assists. His assists were second in the league and on the defensive end he was third in steals. For some reason, he was overlooked when the 1st-team NBA All-Stars were chosen.

Seattle’s Gus Williams and San Antonio’s George Gervin were chosen ahead of him. Neither had Magic’s all-around excellence, particularly Gervin, who was the league’s leading scorer but had a phobia regarding the notion of playing defense.

Norm Nixon was the running mate in the backcourt and averaged 18 points, while dishing eight assists a game himself, fourth in the NBA. Jamaal Wilkes was a terrific scorer at small forward with 21 ppg. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar anchored the middle and averaged 24 points/9 rebounds.

Further help down low came from Mitch Kupchak, who averaged 14/8, along with Kurt Rambis and the Lakers also had Bob McAdoo, who would play a key role in the championship drive. Backcourt depth and versatility was provided by Michael Cooper, one of the best defenders in the league.

The structure of the NBA at this time was two divisions within each conference. The format of the playoffs called for six teams to qualify with the two division champs getting first-round byes and the other four teams playing a best-of-three “mini-series.” As Pacific Division champs, the Lakers took a few days off before beginning play in the conference semi-finals.

 

Los Angeles opened postseason play with the Phoenix Suns, a consistent contender in recent years with a 46-36 record in 1982. The Suns had good frontcourt talent in Truck Robinson and Alvan Adams. They had scorers in Walter Davis and Kyle Macy and they had acquired a point guard with a record postseason success. Dennis Johnson had been Finals MVP for Seattle in 1979 and would later become a Laker nemesis when he was traded to Boston.

An offense that was both balanced and prolific led the way in Game 1 at the old Los Angeles Forum. Jamaal Wilkes scored 28, one of four Laker players to get 20-plus and the result was a 115-96 win. Kareem hadn’t been one of those four, but he made up for it in Game 2 with 24 points to key a 117-98 win.

Kareem was also making up for it with defense—Robinson would only average 12ppg for the series. The games were more competitive when the series went to Phoenix, but the bottom line stayed the same. The trio of Wilkes, Magic and Kareem combined for 71 points and led a 114-106 win. Kareem and Wilkes each had 24 in the fourth game, while the Suns continued to struggle getting points down low. The 112-107 win completed the sweep.

San Antonio was 48-34 and led by the offensively explosive Gervin, along with small forward Mike Mitchell. The Spurs had a talented playmaker in Johnny Moore. But they lacked the depth and balance of Los Angeles.  Dave Corzine and Mark Olberding were nice players down low, but not ones you were going to win an NBA championship by relying on.

Kareem exploited the interior edge right away in Game 1 with 32 points, while McAdoo added 21 in a 128-117 win. The next three games were all close, but the Lakers kept sweeping right through the West.

Los Angeles trailed Game 2 by a point going into the fourth quarter, but the defense on Gervin, holding him to 18 points, ultimately led to a 110-101 win. The Lakers only led by two points going to the fourth quarter on the road in Game 3, but a combined 48 from Kareem and McAdoo keyed a 118-108 win. And the lead was only a point going into the final period of Game 4, but 48 more from the Kareem-McAdoo combo, along with 30 from Nixon resulted in a 128-123 clinching win.

Philadelphia had survived the Eastern Conference, winning a road Game 7 in Boston Garden. Lakers-Sixers was a Finals matchup that would happen three times in four years in the early 1980s (including 1980 & 1983). Philly was led by the great Julius Erving. Dr. J averaged 25 a night. He had a brilliant playmaker in Maurice Cheeks and good two-guard in Andrew Toney.

But while the Sixers had a nice rebounder in Caldwell Jones and a talented, but enigmatic power forward in Darryl Dawkins, there were not as good as the Lakers in the paint. And that difference would manifest itself throughout the Finals.

The other thing that manifested itself throughout the Finals was Magic Johnson. He led the Lakers in rebounding in Game 1 with 14 and along with Nixon and Cooper keyed a trapping defense that turned the tide of the series opener. After trailing by 11 at the half, the Lakers went on a stunning 40-9 run and ultimately won the game 124-117.

Wilkes posted 24 points/10 rebounds in the win, and Los Angeles controlled the glass to the tune of 50-41 in rebounding. That edge disappeared in Game 2, as Philadelphia played with desperation, while Magic was the only Laker who rebounded. But even with the 110-94 win, the Lakers had taken homecourt advantage as the series went west.

Los Angeles was in control for the middle games at the Forum. They set the tone in Game 3 by running out to a 32-20 lead and playing solid defense, holding Philadelphia to 44 percent from the floor—at a time when top teams customarily shot 50 percent or higher. Nixon led the scoring with 29 points, while Magic posted a 22/9/8 line.

In Game 4, the lead was 15 by halftime and Magic’s line was 24/8/7. Kareem and Rambis were each in double-digits on the glass, while Nixon dished 14 assists in the 111-101 win.

On the brink of a title, Los Angeles did not match Philly’s desperation back in the old Spectrum for Game 5. It was tied at halftime, but the defense rested, as the 76ers went on a torrid streak, shooting 60 percent for the game and scoring 81 points after intermission. Jabbar’s six points was his playoff low and the final was 135-102.

The pressure was on in Game 6, the final game of the year at the Forum one way or another. Magic’s Lucky 13 night—13 points/13 rebounds/13 assists—summarized the steady efficiency the Lakers brought to this game. Wilkes knocked down 27. Kareem went for 18 points/11 rebounds, while McAdoo added a 16/9 along with three blocks. The Lakers won 114-104 and were NBA champions again.

Magic was an easy pick for Finals MVP, averaging 16/11/8. Wilkes, one of the truly underrated players of the early 1980s Los Angeles Lakers led all scorers with 20 ppg. Kareem was steady down low with an 18/8 average for the series, while Nixon averaged ten assists.

It had been a long way from the turmoil of November to the celebration of June, but the Magic was back in Hollywood.

Kareem Anchors The 1980 Los Angeles Lakers Title Run

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The 1980 Los Angeles Lakers were Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s team. That’s obscured by the arrival of a rookie named Magic Johnson, but it was Kareem who powered the Lakers to the brink of an NBA title, enabling Johnson to finish it off with a final performance that was…well, magical.

GREAT 1980s SPORTS MOMENTS
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Kareem had won two MVP awards in Los Angeles since his arrival in 1976 and immediately turned a 30-52 team into a contender. But he did need help if they were going to reach the NBA Finals. There had been playoff disappointments, with Portland and Seattle winning the past three Western Conference championships and two of the previous three NBA crowns.

Jabbar was as good as ever in 1980, averaging 25 points/11 rebounds/5 assists/4 blocks per game and he picked up another MVP trophy. Norm Nixon averaged 18 points and his eight assists per night were fourth-best in the NBA.

Jamaal Wilkes knocked down 20 more on a nightly basis, and 30-year-old Jim Chones was a reliable backup center, averaging 11 points/7 rebounds a game.

The core was most definitely there and the finishing piece came in the form of the #1 overall draft pick, which the Lakers held as compensation from the New Orleans Jazz, for the signing of Gail Goodrich.

Los Angeles picked the 20-year-old Magic, fresh off of leading Michigan State to an NCAA crown in a memorable championship game battle with Indiana State’s Larry Bird.

Magic was everything he was cracked up to be, averaging 18/8/7 and bringing new enthusiasm to the team. The Lakers had obstacles—new head coach Jack McKinney was injured in a serious biking accident after 14 games and was replaced in-season by Paul Westhead. But those obstacles didn’t stop Los Angeles from going 60-22 and getting the top seed in the West.

The structure of the NBA at this time was two divisions per conference and the playoff format called for each division winner to get a bye into the conference semifinals, while four other teams played a best-of-three “mini-series.” The Lakers took a few days off and then met up with the Phoenix Suns.

 

Phoenix went 55-27 and they were both hungry and talented. Hungry, because they had come within a basket of reaching the NBA Finals in 1979. Talented, because they had explosive scorers in Walter Davis and Paul Westphal, horses up front in Truck Robinson and Alvan Adams and a lockdown defender in the backcourt with Don Buse.

But Robinson was injured and missed most of the series. Kareem owned Game 1 with 30 points/12 rebounds and five blocks, while Magic set a career high with 16 assists in a 119-110 win. Kareem poured in 32 more in the second game, getting help this time from Nixon, who scored 26 points.

Los Angeles got yet another injury break when, in a game that ultimately went overtime, Davis had to leave with a sprained ankle midway through the fourth quarter. In the end, Nixon hit the go-ahead shot with 21 seconds left in OT for a 131-128 win.

The series went to Phoenix and Davis returned, but Robinson did not. Kareem kept rolling, with 37 points in a 108-105 win. The Lakers basically mailed in Game 4, losing in a rout, but Jabbar set the tone right away back at the old LA Forum in Game 5. He scored 21 points in the first half, as Los Angeles built up an 18-point lead and finished with a 35/16 night, as the series was clinched with an easy 126-101 win.

Another tough opponent awaited in the Western Conference Finals and it was the Seattle Supersonics. They were the two-time defending Western Conference champs, the defending NBA champ and had a team that was both deep, yet still keyed around three outstanding players. The guards were Dennis Johnson and Gus Williams, with Jack Sikma as good a match as any for Kareem down low.

Seattle showed its depth and mettle in the opener, when “Downtown” Freddie Brown banged in four three-pointers, scorer 34 points and keyed a 108-107 upset. Kareem, having failed to drop his usual 30-plus in the opener, came back with a vengenance in Game 2. Jabbar scored 14 in the first quarter alone, finished with a 31/16 night and the Lakers got a game they desperately needed, 108-99.

Los Angeles still had to reclaim homecourt advantage, and in Game 3 it was Kareem taking over the fourth quarter. He scored 13 of his 33 points in the final period, including a key jumper with 1:11 left, followed immediately by a driving layup that keyed a 104-100 win.

It looked like the series went go back to SoCal all tied up when the Lakers trailed Game 4 by 21 points in the third quarter. Kareem “only” had 25 points, while Wilkes had 24, but the two of them keyed a big comeback, particularly an 11-0 run late in the game. The Lakers won 98-93 and the series was all over but the shouting. Kareem poured in 38 back home in Game 5 to clinch it, 111-105.

When the playoffs began, we were in a collision course for another Magic-Bird showdown, as Bird’s Celtics had gone 61-21 for the best record in the league. The Philadelphia 76ers were 59-23 though, and the more experienced team. They had the respect of the oddsmakers were favored in the Eastern Conference Finals. Then Philly backed that up, by dispatching Boston in five games. Los Angeles would get homecourt for the NBA Finals, but it would be against an opponent that was battle-tested.

The 76ers had reached the Finals in 1977 before losing to Portland and suffered tough playoff losses each of the previous two years. Julius Erving, the great “Dr. J”, scored 27 ppg, fourth-best in the league. Caldwell Jones hauled in 12 rebounds a game, also fourth-best in the NBA.

Darryl Dawkins could hit the boards, Mo Cheeks was one of the great point guards in the game. There were future head coaches in the rotation, with Lionel Hollins and Doug Collins, and Bobby Jones was an All-NBA defender. Oftentimes, an NBA Finals result can seem almost preordained, more so than most sports. 1980 was not one of those times.

Kareem got his team off to a good start, with 33 points and Magic stepped up with a triple-double, 16/10/11 and the Lakers controlled the opener throughout in a 109-102 win. Kareem came back with 38 in Game 2, but the rest of the team didn’t follow suit. The Lakers trailed by 18 at the half before making a late rally to cut it to a point in the closing minute before Philly got the clinching bucket in a 107-104 win.

Game 3 was LA’s turn to get out to the big lead and then hold on. Led by Jabbar’s 33 points, the Lakers were plus-13 after the first quarter and maintained control in a 111-101 win. Game 4 was the best game of the series to date, competitive throughout. Magic scored 28, the first time Jabbar hadn’t led the Lakers in scoring, but the Sixers pulled out a 105-102 win to keep it a series.

The fifth game in the Forum was a great battle and one of Jabbar’s great moments. He and Dr. J waged a great battle, Kareem going for 40 points and Erving pouring in 36. When Jabbar sprained his ankle, it looked like he might not return. But he did, and with the score tied 103-103 late, the big man took a pass from Magic, went hard to the glass and slammed it home. And he drew the foul, converting the three-point play. Los Angeles had survived 108-103.

But Kareem’s ankle had not survived. He was ruled out of Game 6 and the swelling was bad enough that he was ordered not to even make the trip. His status for a potential seventh game was iffy, so the doctors’ orders were to get rest and do everything possible to be able to play that Game 7 if it was needed.

Everything was in place for the Lakers to roll over on the road—teams facing much less adversity certainly have, instead putting all their eggs into one basket. Instead, Magic stepped up with a performance that lives on for the ages. He jumped center, played all five positions and finished with 42 points/15 rebounds/7 assists. Forgotten is that Wilkes also pumped in 37 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

Los Angeles won 123-107 and were NBA champs. Magic was named Finals MVP, although this really does a serious injustice to Jabbar. Magic’s one-game performance was one for the books, but Kareem was clearly the MVP of the entire Finals and the dominant force on the Lakers. To Magic’s credit, he insists to this day that Wilkes also get his due for the Game 6 heroics in Kareem’s absence.

It would come as no surprise to anyone watching that night that the Los Angeles Lakers were just getting started. Before Magic and Kareem were done, they would reach seven more NBA Finals and win four more titles. A dynasty began in Philadelphia, anchored by the big man in the middle.

2009 Los Angeles Lakers: Kobe Wins His First Ring Without Shaq

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The Los Angeles Lakers dominated the early ‘00s, winning three straight NBA championships from 2000-02 behind Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. The playoff losses to the San Antonio Spurs in 2003 and the Detroit Pistons in the 2004 NBA Finals signaled the end of the era, as the band broke up and Shaq left for the Miami Heat. It wasn’t until the 2009 Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA title that Bryant’s vindication was complete.

GREAT 1980s SPORTS MOMENTS
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Los Angeles went into the wilderness after Shaq left. The Lakers missed the playoffs in 2005 and were mediocre first-round losers in both 2006 and 2007. Meanwhile, Shaq won a title in Miami in 2006 with Dwayne Wade. In 2008, Bryant won the MVP award and it looked like the Lakers were ready to get back on top, but they lost the Finals as a favorite to the Boston Celtics.

Bryant didn’t win the MVP again in 2009, but he still averaged 27ppg. Pau Gasol averaged 19 points/7 rebounds. Lamar Odom and a 21-year-old Andrew Bynum didn’t have the greatest of reputations for their locker room presence, but they produced—11/8 for Odom and 14/8 for Bynum. Meanwhile, Derek Fisher did have the greatest of reputations for his locker room presence and the 34-year-old helped head coach Phil Jackson keep the ship running on course.

Los Angeles went 65-17 and had the top seed in the Western Conference. The first-round opponent in the playoffs was the Utah Jazz. To underscore the strength of the West, Utah’s 48 wins would have gotten them the #4 seed in the East, so this was a de facto second-round matchup in terms of quality. The Jazz had a good, young inside-out combo in Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams.

The Lakers had too much experience though, and they defended their home floor in the first two games. After Utah pulled out a two-point win Game 3, Los Angeles quickly restored order, won on the road in Game 4 and closed the series out at home in Game 5.

Up next was the Houston Rockets, with 53 wins to their credit and an imposing front line of Yao Ming, Luis Scola and Aaron Brooks. The Rockets had a defensive stopper in Ron Artest, who also showed in Game 1 what he could do on offense. Artest had a 21/7 night, Ming went for 28/10 and the Rockets stole a road win to open the series.

Los Angeles got back on track in Game 2 and then reclaimed control of the series in Game 3 in Houston. In spite of being badly outrebounded, the Lakers were lights-out from behind the arc. They hit 11/20 from three-point range, including 4-of-6 by Bryant. The 108-94 win put LA back in the driver’s seat.

What followed was a classic example of a good series that was really bad. It went the full seven games, so the average fan can’t complain too much. But the home team won each time and by a minimum of 12 points. There was drama in the big picture, but not in the games themselves. Which was fine by Los Angeles, as their wins in Game 5 & 7 at the Staples Center sent them to the Western Conference Finals.

The Denver Nuggets were the #2 seed in the West and had an explosive scorer in Carmelo Anthony. Melo was now in his sixth year in the league and coming into his own. He and Bryant staged a big-time scoring battle in Game 1, with Anthony getting 39 and Bryant going for 40. The difference? Gasol got 14 rebounds to key a Laker edge on the boards and they escaped 105-103.

Los Angeles wasn’t so fortunate in Game 2. Melo and Kobe continued their duel, with 34 each. But while Gasol got 17 boards, the Nuggets earned a draw on the glass. Chauncey Billups, the Denver guard who had tormented Los Angeles when he was with Detroit in 2004 did the same again. Billups had 27 and the Nuggets tied up the series, 106-103.

The NBA playoffs are a time for veterans and Bryant began to assert himself over Anthony when the series went to Denver. The Laker guard shot 12-for-24 in Game 3 and got 41 points. Anthony was held to 4-for-13 shooting. Los Angeles trailed by eight after three quarters, but owned the fourth period and won 103-97. Once again, they had used Game 3 on the road to restore homecourt advantage.

Denver won big in Game 4, but Los Angeles again used fourth-quarter dominance to win Game 5. Each of the first three quarters in Game 5 were played to a tie—not collectively, but individually. The dead heat was broken decisively in the fourth quarter, as the Lakers won 103-94, holding the Nuggets to 39 percent shooting.

Game 6 would seem to promise drama—a talented team playing at home can usually be counted on to push the favorite hard. But it didn’t happen here. Los Angeles played its best game of the series, perhaps of the entire postseason in the high altitude of the Rocky Mountains. Bryant shot 12-for-20, scored 35 points and dished 10 assists. Gasol went for 20/12, while Odom added 20/8. Trevor Ariza kicked in 17 off the bench. The Lakers controlled throughout and blew their way back into the Finals with a 119-92 win.

The 2009 NBA Finals were a little anti-climactic. It had been assumed that Los Angeles would either draw Boston or the Cleveland Cavaliers—the latter had the best record in the NBA and LeBron James had supplanted Kobe as league MVP. But the Orlando Magic had other ideas, taking out both teams en route to the Eastern Conference title.

Orlando was built around the immensely talented young center Dwight Howard, but the Magic were not championship-ready. The Lakers were ready to play Game 1 on their home floor, while the Magic were not—the game ended 100-75 and was never close. Los Angeles then showed their veteran savvy, making all the necessary plays down the stretch to win overtime games in Games 2 & 4.

The Magic had won Game 3, but the overarching pattern in these Finals is that the Los Angeles defense was doing a superb job of keeping Howard from getting his shot. After overwhelming the Cavs in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Lakers didn’t let him get going offensively.

Meanwhile, Bryant was locked in. He averaged 32 points/6 rebounds/7 assists for the Finals, and after Los Angeles took Game 5 by a 99-86 count, his vindication was complete. No longer was Kobe someone who played second fiddle on championship teams. He was the undisputed leader of the 2009 Los Angeles Lakers as they reached the mountaintop.

2000 Los Angeles Lakers: The Shaq/Kobe Dynasty Begins

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The Los Angeles Lakers had suffered playoff disappointment in both 1998 and 1999. Despite the ballyhooed arrival of Shaquille O’Neal from Orlando, the Lakers were swept out of the 1998 Western Conference Finals by the Utah Jazz and eliminated by the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs in the second round of the 1999 playoffs.  A coaching change was made. Phil Jackson was brought on to lead the 2000 Los Angeles Lakers, to get Shaq and Kobe Bryant to play as a team and blend in the other component parts.

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Those component parts consisted of small forwards Glen Rice and Rick Fox, sharpshooter Robert Horry and Ron Harper. Another young guard with a solid career ahead of him in Derek Fisher helped spell Bryant. With the two stars combining for 53 ppg, Shaq grabbing 14 rebounds a game and Bryant averaging seven boards and five assists, Jackson had the horses to go all the way and win his first championship apart from Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls.

Los Angeles enjoyed a seven-game win streak around Thanksgiving and pushed its record to 15-4, and on December 11 started a 16-game win streak that included a 99-93 win over San Antonio. The Lakers were soaring at 31-5.

A four-game losing streak at the end of February, including a road loss to the Spurs, was the only bump in the road in a regular season that ended at a dazzling 67-15, the best the NBA had seen since the 1972 Lakers won 69. Shaq was named MVP and the team was a solid favorite to win its first championship since 1988.

Los Angeles met up with the #8 seed Sacramento Kings to open the playoffs. The first round was still a best-of-five at this time and the Lakers got off to fast start with two wins on their home floor. Shaq was completely outplaying his Kings counterpart Chris Webber, the talented, but inconsistent center who was the key to Sacramento’s success.

But this Laker team was still maturing and it showed when they tried to close. They had a five-point lead in the fourth quarter of Game 3 and lost. Webber again went toe-to-toe with Shaq in the fourth game and the Kings were able to create a decisive fifth game.

On May 5, the Lakers were ready to meet the test. Los Angeles got off to a fast start, Webber was the only King to make even the slightest impact and the favorites won 113-86. Elsewhere in the Western Conference, the Spurs were eliminated by Phoenix, preventing Shaq and Kobe from going through the defending champs and denying the basketball public an O’Neal-Tim Duncan battle in the low post.

Phoenix was coached by Danny Ainge, once a Laker nemesis when he played point guard for the Boston Celtics. But this team was no match for the 2000 version of the Lakers. The top seed came out blazing for a blowout win in Game 1 and then won closer games the next two times out.

The bugaboo of not being able to close quickly rose to the fore when the Suns won a Game 4 blowout, but a dominating defensive performance by Los Angeles ended the best-of-seven series in five games. The only real drama this second-round matchup provided was the storyline of Shaq playing his old Orlando teammate Anfernee Hardaway, now with the Suns. The two were supposed to win several titles together in the backyard of Disney. Instead, it would be Kobe who got the chance to fulfill that role with O’Neal.

The Portland Trail Blazers had ousted Utah in the second round and were set to face Los Angeles for the Western Conference title. The Jazz’s loss had prevented the Lakers from going through the 1997-98 West finalists, just as they would miss the defending champion Spurs.

I don’t say this to demean the Laker achievement—Utah was too old, San Antonio couldn’t match up with a well-coached Laker team and the conference finals about to come will show that the Trail Blazers were the best possible opponent. But in a league where beating the previous champ(s) seems to carry greater weight than in others, it was surely a letdown to Laker fans that they couldn’t take out the most recent West winners.

Phil Jackson was meeting up with an old friend—Scottie Pippen, the sidekick to Jordan during the Bulls dynasty, was looking to win a crown without MJ and came west to do it. He was joined by Rasheed Wallace in manning the wings. What the Blazers lacked was someone to bang with Shaq and a really good floor leader in the mold of Kobe.

Game 1 was a rout, with the Lakers using a 37-16 second quarter to key an easy win. They turned in an equally bad third quarter in Game 2 and the series went to the Pacific Northwest tied.

In the middle sequence of games, LA appeared to decisively swing the tide. A strong rebounding performance in Game 3 and a lockdown defensive effort in Game 4 produced two wins and put Los Angeles on the brink of the Finals with two more home games in their back pocket.

But have I mentioned the ’00 Lakers had issues with closing? A poor shooting game at home, followed by a no-show from Shaq in Game 6 and suddenly we were looking at a Game 7 on a Sunday afternoon in the Staples Center, the biggest game in the arena’s first year of existence.

June 4 proved to be a classic game. Portland looked like they were about to nail a mammoth upset, holding a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter. Then the Blazers completely melted down. Wallace’s 30 points weren’t enough to save his team from a non-performance by Pippen. In the battle of Jordan’s old coach and his old teammate, the coach rode Kobe’s 25 points/11 rebounds/7 assists game to the Finals.

Shaq hadn’t played well in the conference finals, especially in the seventh game and he needed to step it up if he were to start building a legacy. The opponent for the Finals was the Indiana Pacers. The city of Los Angeles would welcome back an old hero—Pacer shooting guard Reggie Miller, one of the game’s greatest three-point shooters in history—was a UCLA grad. The city would also welcome back an old foe—the Pacers were coached by Larry Bird.

So while it might have been an even juicier storyline had the Knicks and Pat Riley, the coach of the Showtime Lakers, won the East, playing Bird and Miller would still provide an ironic finish if Los Angeles could close the last series.

O’Neal was a beast in the first two games, scoring a combined 86 points and protecting Los Angele’s homecourt advantage. The series reverted to Indiana for the middle three games, with the Finals being the one round that operates on a 2-3-2 format. Shaq was tough again, with a 33/13 line, but Miller hit for 33 of his own in front of the home crowd and Indiana won.

Wednesday’s Game 4 was the game the Lakers needed—it went to overtime, Miller hit 35, but O’Neal answered with 36 and Los Angeles escaped with a  two-point win. One win from a title they were blown out in Game 5 by a great combined effort from Miller and backcourt mate Jalen Rose.

But the last two games were in Hollywood and no one was really expecting a miracle from the Pacers. Indiana fought gamely, and led after three quarters, but Shaq was owning the 2000 Finals. He had a 41/12 night, Kobe kicked in with 26 and with a  116-111 win a new period of both Los Angeles Lakers history and NBA history was underway.

The 1988 Los Angeles Lakers: Backing Up A Guarantee

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The 1988 Los Angeles Lakers were playing basketball under a self-imposed burden as the regular season wound down. The previous June they had won their fourth championship since Magic Johnson was drafted in 1980. In the aftermath of beating the Celtics, Coach Pat Riley made a public guarantee—they would win it again in 1988 and become the first NBA team in 19 years to capture back-to-back titles.

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Even with everyone gunning for them, the Lakers outlasted the rest of the Western Conference to gain the #1 seed in the playoffs, with the Celtics having to try and fight off the emerging Detroit Pistons in the East.

Riley’s team was led by Magic, the 6’8” point guard whose floor vision consistently put his assists in double digits and whose scoring ability had improved with each passing year in the league. Byron Scott was a solid two-guard.

Down low, the aging Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wasn’t as dominant as he’d once been, but his skyhook was still a reliable scoring weapon in the post and the value of his leadership was immeasurable. James Worthy at forward was one of the NBA’s bright stars and fellow forward A.C. Green was the frontcourt equivalent of Scott—reliable, if not spectacular.

Finally, Riley had quality veteran depth with guard Michael Cooper, able to spell Magic at the point and run with him as the shooting guard if necessary, along with Mychal Thompson, a forward able to play both facing the basket and posting up. Though the Lakers were getting older and the rest of the NBA was catching up to them and the Celtics, Los Angeles was still a complete team.

The playoffs began against the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs had a talented backcourt, with defensive whiz Alvin Robertson and Johnny Dawkins, who combined to average 36ppg. They got more production from forward Walter Berry, to the tune of 17 a night. They had also managed to lose 51 games in the regular season. This series was a mere tuneup for the defending champs.

Los Angeles shot 59% from the floor and controlled the glass in the opener. The balanced attack offset 34 from Robertson in a 122-110 win. After digging a seven-point hole in the first quarter of Game 2, the Lakers took over the second half. Again, they decisively won the rebounding battle, had a balanced attack and this time got a big night from Mychal Thompson, who scored 29 off the bench. The final was 130-112.

The first round was a best-of-five affair in 1988 and though Game 3 on the road was a close one, the LA defense figured out how to handle Robertson, holding him to eight points. Magic scored 25 and dished 11 assists. Thompson had another big night off the bench with 23 points/9 rebounds and the 109-107 win clinched the series. It was the last easy series the 1988 Los Angeles Lakers would play.

Utah was up next with its terrific duo of forward Karl Malone and point guard John Stockton. Both were second-team All-Stars. The Jazz had more length on the frontcourt with Thurl Bailey—a 20/7 man, who had starred for the legendary 1983 N.C. State basketball team, and Mark Eaton who averaged eight rebounds a game.

 

Los Angeles came with their defensive chops ready to roll and they held Utah to eight points in the first quarter. The Lakers forced Stockton into a 3-for-13 shooting night while Kareem went for 16/10, Worthy added 23/7 as LA controlled the boards. The result was a 110-91 win.

But Kareem faltered in Game 2, while Malone and Bailey stepped up and combined to score 49 points. Magic played well, with 19 points and 10 assists. Byron Scott knocked down 26, but the backcourt play couldn’t overcome the Jazz’s frontcourt dominance. LA lost homecourt advantage in a 101-97 defeat. The trouble deepened in Salt Lake City in Game 3. Magic and Scott were again the only players to produce, the Lakers shot 42 percent and a 96-89 loss put them in a desperate spot for Game 4.

Champions bring their defense in these spots and that’s what the Lakers did. They held the Jazz to 42 percent shooting in Game 4. Even though LA was down a point at the half, they used a strong third quarter to take control. Magic, Scott, Worthy and Kareem all had 20-plus points in the 113-100 win that put Los Angeles back in control.

Game 5 back in the L.A. Forum was a nailbiter and Worthy stepped up big, shooting 12-for-20 and scoring 27 points. Magic scored 20 more and handed out thirteen assists. Scott continued his terrific play in this series, knocking down 20. The Lakers escaped 111-109 and kept control of homecourt.

Los Angeles mailed Game 6 in, trailing 31-13 after a quarter and losing by 28. It set up a decisive battle back in the Forum. Utah’s two big guns were both great—Malone delivered 31 points/15 rebounds and Stockton scored 29. But the Jazz production was top-heavy. The Lakers got contributions everywhere, especially on the boards where they held a 43-29 advantage. Scott finished the series with a 29-point performance while Magic and Worthy added 23 more. The 109-98 win sent LA to the conference finals for the seventh straight year.

The 53-win Dallas Mavericks awaited. They were an explosive team offensively, led by 25-ppg scorer Mark Aguirre. Derek Harper and Rolando Blackman were productive perimeter players. Sam Perkins, Worthy’s teammate on the 1982 North Carolina championship team, averaged 14/8. Roy Tarpley and James Donaldson were tough on the boards. The Mavs were a complete team and this would be a battle.

Los Angeles ran on high-efficiency in Game 1, shooting 55 percent. Worthy led the way with 28, the Lakers controlled the third quarter and won 113-98. Then they upped the ante in Game 2, shooting 62 percent. Scott went off for 30 while Magic dished 19 assists in a 123-101 win.

But the road wasn’t as kind. LA was crushed on the boards in Game 3 and Dallas took over down the stretch in a 106-94 win. Magic came out in Game 4 with 28 points and 12 assists, but he was the only one. The Mavericks again took over the second half and evened the series with a 118-104 win.

Homecourt again was a tonic, especially for offensive efficiency. The Lakers shot 60 percent in Game 5, with Magic passing for twenty assists and Worthy and Kareem combining for 54 points. The 119-102 final put LA one step from the Finals.

Game 6 was a close one in Dallas. Scott and Worthy each scored 27, but in Worthy’s case it came on 9-for-21 shooting. The Lakers lost 105-103 win and were again headed for a seventh game in the Forum. They led the decisive game 54-53 at the half.

Experience matters in these spots, especially in the NBA and Los Angeles took over the second half. Worthy, Magic and Scott were all good for 20-plus and the Lakers ended up shooting 55 percent in the 117-102 win. They were ticketed for the NBA Finals for the seventh time in the 1980s.

It wasn’t Boston with Larry Bird or Philadelphia with Julius Erving waiting, as it had been the previous six trips. Detroit was the new kid on the block in the East. The Pistons were an unusual team at this point in NBA history. While the traditional power trio of the Lakers, Celtics and Sixers had revolved around one key star, the Pistons were a true team.

Isaiah Thomas at the point was the best player, but he was more first-among-equals than a leader on the level of a Magic or Bird or Dr. J. Head coach Chuck Daly, who would one day coach the first Olympic “Dream Team” in 1992, adroitly shared out playing time among nine players without squashing egos. After coming up one game short of the Finals in 1987, Detroit had gotten past Boston and was ready for the Lakers.

Just how ready the Pistons were was evident in Game 1. Adrian Dantley knocked down 34 points with red-hot shooting and Detroit blew the game open in the second quarter on their way to a 105-93 win. Two nights later it was Magic and Worthy saving the season with a combined 49 points and a twelve-point win of their own. The series was going back to the Pontiac Silverdome knotted at a game apiece.

Both the Pistons and the NFL Lions used to play their games in the Silverdome prior to the construction of Ford Field and The Palace in Auburn Hills, and this was the first time the NBA Finals had been played in a dome. The Lakers had no problems adjusting in a Sunday afternoon Game 3 as the Worthy/Magic tandem again led the way and a big third quarter keyed a 99-86 win that ensured the series would at least get back West.

But on Tuesday and Thursday night, it became apparent that Los Angeles would go home with its back to the wall. Detroit dominated the second half of Game 4 with Dantley scoring 27 and rolling to a 111-86 blowout. Game 5 was good throughout, but once Detroit turned an early 12-0 deficit into a 59-50 lead by halftime they seemed to be a step ahead and kept the Lakers at arm’s length. Jabbar’s 26 weren’t enough to avert a 10-point defeat.

The 1988 NBA Finals were an interesting series in that the teams were evenly matched, but the individual games weren’t—every one had been settled by a 10-plus victory margin. That would change in the final two games.

Game 6 was on Saturday afternoon. The Lakers had been pushed to this point twice before in the playoffs, but never had they needed consecutive wins in elimination games and on a more intangible level, never had it seemed they were the ones chasing the more talented opponent.

So when Detroit rallied from a 56-48 deficit and eventually took the lead behind an astonishing performance from Thomas, who poured in 25 points in the third quarter alone before rolling his ankle at the end of the period, it hardly seemed that this would be one of those usual NBA games were the home favorite inevitably asserts itself in the fourth quarter. Detroit still led 102-99 in the closing minute. Byron Scott nailed a mid-range jumper that had the season riding on it and Thomas, playing through the pain, missed on the other end.

Los Angeles came down for a winner-take-all possession. It went to Jabbar in the post. He launched the skyhook over Detroit forward and enforcer Bill Laimbeer. It missed, but Laimbeer was whistled for a foul. Replays showed that Laimbeer had bumped Kareem on the way up. It was a tough call to have to settle a game on, but it did appear to be the correct one. Jabbar hit both free throws and we were set for a Game 7 on Tuesday night.

The finale was worth the price of admission. Detroit, as usual, was unfazed by the road and the Lakers’ championship pedigree, taking a 52-47 halftime lead. But Thomas’ ankle stiffened, and so did the Los Angeles defense. With Worthy having a monster game, reminiscent of the way he’d stepped for North Carolina in the 1982 Final Four, the Lakers’ led got as high as sixteen and they still led 90-75 deep into the fourth quarter.

It looked over, but the Pistons came roaring back. Thomas got back on the floor and they closed the lead to 98-92 and ultimately to 102-100. At this point the Lakers had several chances to seal the game from the line, but only went 2-of-6 and when Laimbeer nailed a three-pointer from the cheap seats the lead was down to 106-105 in the closing seconds. Green broke long on the inbounds and slipped behind the Pistons defense. He was hit in perfect stride for an easy basket that made the lead three with six seconds to go.

Thomas brought the ball over midcourt. With a couple seconds left, Laker fans were storming the court and the Piston guard had no chance to get off what would have still been a desperation three, about forty feet. The officials let the situation stand and curiously there was no argument from the Detroit side.

The Lakers were repeat champions. They had taken the burden of their coach’s words and fulfilled them. When CBS’ Brent Musberger asked Riley in the postgame interview if he had anything to say this time around, Jabbar came up from behind him and put a towel in his mouth and said playfully “Not this year!”

While repeat champions have become the norm in the NBA over the past two decades, it was the 1988 Los Angeles Lakers that broke through the barrier and made it happen.

The 1985 Los Angeles Lakers Make A Boston Breakthrough

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It isn’t often that a team that’s won two NBA championships in the previous five years, to say nothing of four Finals appearances, enters a season with something to prove. It isn’t often that a star player whose arrival in the league coincided with that run of success and whose resume includes two Finals MVP trophies has something to prove. But that was the case with the 1985 Los Angeles Lakers and Magic Johnson.

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The Lakers were universally believed—including by themselves—to have choked away the 1984 NBA Finals to the Boston Celtics, with Johnson at the center of the failure. The phrases “The LA Fakers” and “Tragic Johnson” had made their way into the sports lexicon and only winning another NBA title—at the expense of the Celtics would wipe the slate clean.

Magic came back with a strong season, averaging 18ppg and his 13 assists per game were second in the league. Magic was 1st-team All-NBA. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, still going strong at age 37, averaged 22 points/8 rebounds and was 2nd-team All-NBA. James Worthy came into his own as a star in his third year in the league, knocking down 18 a game and resulting in veteran small forward Jamaal Wilkes being gradually phased out of the rotation.

The trio of Magic-Kareem-Worthy was the core and they had plenty of help. Byron Scott, the 23-year-old two-guard, scored 16 ppg. Michael Cooper, a backup guard, was so good off the bench that he made 1st-team All-Defense. Mike McGee was a guard who could come off the bench and score. Down low, veterans Bob McAdoo and Kurt Rambis, combined to get 11 rebounds a game and McAdoo provided a little scoring punch when Kareem was on the bench.

Los Angeles started the season sluggish, losing five of their first eight, making one wonder if a post-Finals hangover was still lingering. They were 19-10 on Christmas Day. In mid-January, the Lakers lost three in a row, including a 104-102 defeat at Boston Garden. But Los Angeles won the rematch back in the old L.A. Forum, 117-111, and that was a part of a nine-game winning streak.

By the end of February, the Lakers were 42-18. They won ten in a row to start the month of March, and they closed the season with six straight wins. The final 62-20 record was easily the best in the Western Conference. It was better than Eastern Conference contenders Philadelphia and Milwaukee. The only team it wasn’t better than was those hated Boston Celtics, who went 63-19.

 

The Phoenix Suns were the opponent in the first round of the playoffs. The Suns were 36-46 and had no players of any real consequence. This was a best-of-five round in 1985 and the result was a predictable three-game sweep. But the hero was a surprise.

McGee stepped up to lead the way for the Lakers. He scored 22 points in the opener, as the Lakers used a 45-24 second quarter to trigger a 142-114 rout. A stat that shows how different basketball was played then is that each team made just one three-point shot and they combined to attempt only eight. And as you’ll see by the final scores throughout the playoffs, the lack of interest in the trey didn’t mean low-scoring games.

The final of Game 2 was 147-130, with McGee drilling 20, and McAdoo coming off the bench to do the same. McGee scored 17 in the finale, a 119-103 road win that concluded a series where he averaged 19.7ppg to lead the Lakers.

Portland had finished 42-40 and awaited in the second round. Clyde Drexler was in his second year and Kiki Vandeweghe was a prolific scoring forward, albeit one whose interest in defense was never particularly high. Mychal Thompson was a power forward that Laker head coach Pat Riley thought so highly of, that they would acquire him two years later.

The Trail Blazers also had a rookie center in Sam Bowie, who has an infamous place in NBA history—Portland opted to take Bowie over Michael Jordan with the second pick in the 1984 draft (Hakeem Olajuwon was the consensus first choice). While this pick could be predictably criticized at the time and Bowie would later develop leg problems that ended his career, it is fair to point out that he did make the All-Rookie team in 1985, with names like Jordan, Charles Barkley, Olajuwon and Sam Perkins.

Regardless, Los Angeles had way too much firepower for Portland. The Lakers led Game 1 by 28 points at the half. A balanced attack had six players between 16-20 points, while Rambis and Jabbar combined for 25 rebounds to key a decisive edge on the glass. Byron Scott’s 31 points led the way in Game 2, as the Lakers again jumped out to a lead, up 17 at the half and winning 134-118.

Worthy and Kareem combined for 54 points in Game 3, while Magic spent the night getting them the basketball, dishing out 23 assists. Even though Portland made a fourth-quarter run to make this game interesting, it still ended 130-126 for Los Angeles.

The first loss of the postseason finally came in Game 4. The Lakers were extremely sloppy with the basketball. While Magic scored 31 and had 13 assists, he had six turnovers. And Cooper was simply awful, with nine turnovers and nothing to balance it out. Los Angeles was outscored 36-19 in the second quarter and lost the game by eight.

Back home in the Forum, a strong defensive outing closed the series. The Lakers held the Blazers to 42 percent shooting from the floor and Magic had a monster night, with 34 points and 19 assists. Kareem scored 25, McAdoo knocked down 20 and the 139-120 win sent Los Angeles to the Western Conference Finals.

The Denver Nuggets had won 52 games, were the 2-seed in the West and they held serve to reach the conference finals. Alex English and Calvin Natt were terrific scorers and guard Fat Lever, in spite of his nickname, was a pickpocket artist in the backcourt, among the league leaders in steals. But here again, a handful of good players weren’t going to stop the firepower of the Showtime Lakers.

Los Angeles shot 64 percent in the series opener, Scott leading all scorers with 27, Worthy scoring 24 and McGee coming off the bench for 21. They blew the game open in the second quarter and won 139-122.

The first bit of real postseason adversity came in Game 2. Turnovers were again the problem, as the Lakers had a 24-14 deficit in this area. Magic and Kareem each shot poorly, going a combined 9-for-32 from the floor. The game was close going into the fourth-quarter and the Lakers still only trailed by three. But there was no surge and they were crushed in the final period, losing 136-114.

Now they had to go into the high altitude of the Rocky Mountains and reclaim homecourt advantage. The Big Three came ready. Worthy scored 28 and Kareem poured in 27. Magic distributed the ball, with 15 assists and he hit the boards, with 14 rebounds. The Lakers again responded to a loss with tough defense, holding the Nuggets to 45 percent shooting and they won 136-118.

Game 4 was a dogfight, tied after three quarters. Los Angeles again brought their defense, their rebounding and clutch play from the stars. They held Denver to 41% shooting, outrebounded them 55-39, while Kareem put up 29 points/12 rebounds. Worthy was good for 19/13, while Magic scored 17 and handed out 13 assists.

The biggest offensive outburst of the playoffs closed out the series in the Forum. The Lakers won the second quarter 42-19. They took 116 shots and did it with high efficiency, winning the game 153-119. A fourth straight trip to the NBA Finals, and fifth in six years, was theirs. They had their long-awaited rematch with Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics.

Bird averaged 29 points/11 rebounds during the season and won the MVP award. He was surrounded by a frontcourt that included Robert Parish and Kevin McHale. The backcourt was anchored by point guard Danny Ainge, and two-guard Dennis Johnson. The Celtics’ version of Cooper, Johnson was an able defender. He would match up with Magic, while the Lakers threw Cooper at Bird.

In Game 1 all that got thrown was the kitchen sink at the Lakers. They looked nothing like a team that was thirsting for a rematch. On Memorial Day afternoon in the Garden, they dug a thirty-point deficit by halftime, allowed the Celtics to shoot 60 percent and were outrebounded 48-35. The final score was 148-114. It became known as “The Memorial Day Massacre” and Kareem was the principal culprit.

Kareem had just three rebounds and Riley would later recount in his book Showtime, how the next day, the Captain was sitting in the front row of the film session. He was ready to stand up take his medicine and Riley was happy to deliver it. It was a threshold moment for the old warrior, to show if he had any gas left in the tank.

The answer came in the form of 30 points and 17 rebounds in Game 2. This time the Lakers won the rebounding battle 49-37 and held the Celtics to 45 percent shooting, with Bird going 9-for-21. The 109-102 win shifted homecourt advantage.

Kareem kept it going in Game 3, with a 26/14 performance, while Worthy scored 29 and Magic scored 17 with 16 assists. Even though the Lakers trailed by ten in the second quarter, they took the game over and won 136-111. Now they were on a roll and Boston had the star facing questions. Bird had another poor shooting game.

Game 4 went down to the wire, but the Celtics evened the series when Dennis Johnson hit a jumper at the buzzer for a 107-105 win. Just as had been the case in 1984, the Lakers and Celtics were tied at two games apiece and Los Angeles would need to win one in the Garden.

1985 was the first year of the 2-3-2 format for the Finals though, a schedule that would be used through 2013, so the Lakers got Game 5 at home. Their Big Three continued to play big on the sport’s biggest stage. Kareem scored 36, Worthy knocked down 33 and Magic was good for 26 and 17 assists. They led by 13 at the half and though the Celtics cut it to four with six minutes, Los Angeles made the key plays down the stretch and won 120-111.

The Lakers had never beaten the Celtics in an NBA Finals and had two chances to get one at Boston Garden. I was 15-years-old as I watched this game on vacation in a Las Vegas sportsbook (it was the afternoon and nothing inappropriate for a teenager was going on). In later years I would become a Celtics fan (and still am), but on this day, with no dog in the fight, I had advised my dad to put his money on the Lakers. And I would prove prescient (something else that no longer applies today).

Los Angeles, as they had done at so many key checkpoints in these playoffs, played excellent defense. Bird shot 12-for-29, and it was revealed later that he had injured his hand in a barfight prior to the Finals. Worthy continued his breakout Finals, scoring 28. Magic scored 18 and had 14 assists.

But no star was bigger than the Captain. Kareem was good for 29 points and his complete reversal of form from the series opener was completed, as was that of his team. Jabbar finished the Finals with per-game averages of 26/9/5 and was named series MVP. The Lakers won 111-100 and at long last had their victory over the Celtics. They were Tragic and Fakers no more.

1988 Los Angeles Sports: The Lakers & Dodgers Lead Up Hollywood Dreams

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This is part of a series of sports history articles celebrating the best in 1988 sports. This piece asks the question of which geographic fan base had the best year in ’88.
There is not much doubt about where the place to be a sports fan was in 1988. You wanted to be in Hollywood. The Los Angeles Lakers had defined the city’s sports life throughout the 1980s, having already won four titles. In 1988 they won a repeat title. Today, successive NBA championships are the norm, but in 1988 it was the first time in nineteen years a team had gone back-to-back.

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The Dodgers were not without a track record of success themselves. The city’s baseball franchise won consecutive National League pennants in 1977-78, and then won the World Series in 1981. Division titles in 1983 and 1985 followed. The expectations weren’t great coming into 1988, but the results were. The Dodgers won another World Series title, with an upset of the heavily favored Oakland A’s, a series whose signature moment still lives on in baseball lore.
It was the Lakers and Dodgers who were at the heart of Hollywood Dreams, but like any great film, there were quality supporting actors.
The USC-UCLA football rivalry had a strong year with excellent quarterbacks. Both teams were in the mix for the national title and their head-to-head game was winner-take-all for a Rose Bowl bid. And the Rams, still several years away from bolting to St. Louis, had a crazy up-and-down year that teased with Super Bowl hopes, taunted with despair, and ended up with at least a playoff appearance.
Read more about the 1988 Los Angeles Lakers
Read more about the 1988 Los Angeles Dodgers
Read more about the 1988 USC-UCLA Football Rivalry
Read more about the 1988 Los Angeles Rams

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A work of 1980s nostalgia by one who grew up amidst it, this book takes an in-depth look at the entire decade, from the moments that still seemed like they happened yesterday to those that time forgot.

Great 1980s Sports Moments Book

A work of 1980s nostalgia by one who grew up amidst it, this book takes an in-depth look at the entire decade, from the moments that still seemed like they happened yesterday to those that time forgot.