Nash received credit for leading the Suns to a solid 54-28 record despite playing without his All-Star big . Jerry West - 1969. Teammate of the Year. He posted 23.8 ppg and 9.4 rpg, while leading his team to a tie for the league's best record. Many sportswriters argued that these match ups would "decide the MVP race," but ultimately voters went with the safe bet in Malone. Jordan led the Bulls to an incredible 69-13 season (tied for second best of all-time) despite losing starting center Luc Longley and sixth man of the year Toni Kukoc for around 25 games apiece due to injuries. Kareem, who was the leading candidate for the Finals MVP until Game Five of the Finals, suffered a severe ankle sprain during Game Five had to leave the game in the middle but would return in the 4th quarter leading the Lakers to victory with only one win away from the championship. Should Have Been: LeBron James or Dwight Howard. Defensive Player of the Year. So Magic just got it for his amazing game 6. [10] Assistant coach Paul Westhead, who also worked under McKinney at St. Joseph's, was named the interim head coach. Magic got the rebound to seemingly seal the win, but the Lakers tried to force the fast-break and ended up turning the ball over, out-of-bounds. 42 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals. "It's great to see you. Sky hooks and an epic comb-over: The casting magic of HBO's 'Winning Time' Lakers. This is also the game. It was one of then-owner Jack Kent Cooke's final acts before selling the team to Jerry Buss during that summer. Ouch. For marketing purposes in trying to build up the rivalry between Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, Stern wanted the latter to receive the recognition instead. Haywood retired andbecame an advocate against drug use. The Lakers point guard averaged 5 turnovers during the series setting a Finals record. Western Conference Finals MVP. But with Abdul-Jabbar stuck watching the game from his Los Angeles home, giving the award to an empty chair was bad TV.. Should have been: Tim Duncan or Alonzo Mourning. Basketball isnt just a sport for this 26-year-old, who hails from Mumbai. In reality, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played the first five of the six games of the 1980 NBA Finals series. It is true as depicted in the series that Kareem was originally named the MVP of the series, and the CBS network (and not David Stern) talked to writers by a 4-3 vote into giving it to Magic Johnson, but only because the network didnt want to give the MVP to someone who wasnt there to receive it. Magic winning the 1980 Finals. All rights reserved. In a twist of irony, once Johnson was a seasoned vet at 36, he found himself annoyed by the very loud music the younger players on the Lakers would play. Winning Time. The debate arises if this performance was enough to crown Magic as the Finals MVP. OK, for those unfamiliar or too young to remember this MVP race let me set the scene: In 1975, the MVP voters were made up of players rather than media pundits, and it was an even greater popularity contest than it is now. Proving the prognosticators right, Philadelphia won in five games, preventing the first CelticsLakers final since 1969. But, this time, he got very little help as the Laker break never got going. I certainly don't mean to besmirch Malone's brilliant playing career, but honestly, I don't think he deserved either MVP award he won. Most Improved Player. The satisfying season finale of HBO's Winning Time aired this week, and most of the episode took place during Game 6 of the 1980 NBA Championship. But when considering the select company of repeat MVP winners, Nash stood with LeBron James, Karl Malone, Tim Duncan, and the players that only won once in Shaq, David Robinson, and Hakeem Olajuwon, or never won in Isiah Thomas, Jerry West. "We went to Philadelphia and won a championship.". Juliet Nightingale has fun with Imran! Julius Erving scored 12 points in the first quarter on his way to 23, beginning the game with a dunk over Abdul-Jabbar. It's not a travesty to give it to Magic, given Kareem missed a game. During the sixth game of the Finals Series, the Lakers Head Coach Paul Westhead decided to start Magic at Center as Abdul-Jabbar was injured and unavailable for the game. [5] This Game 4 move, played to a national audience in a title game, has probably become Julius Erving's most famous move. Los Angeles opened the third period with a 140 run, keyed by Jamaal Wilkes, who had 16 points in the quarter. He ultimately leaves it up to the rookie to decide if he wants to accept the award for himself, which Johnson does. If you are looking to place some bets on football, don't miss out on our overview of the best football betting sites for US bettors. J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award. Finally, the Sixers used their newfound size advantage in the second quarter to take a 5244 lead. Abdul-Jabbar then limped back onto the floor. Could it have been possible that Amare Stoudemire's stronger 26.9 ppg and 8.9 rpg could have played a larger part in the teams success? If you take James off and replace him with any other small forward in the game, could they get the same intangibles they get from James? Playing on the road, Johnson (a 6'9" rookie point guard) started the game at center and eventually played all five positions in a dominating performance. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record-breaking sixth MVP season came as the writing on the wall signaled a new heir apparent. Perhaps it was because voters felt that they snubbed Tim Duncan for MVP in 1999, or it was because Jason Kidd's arrest for spousal abuse in 2001 just biased them against him, but many believed that Tim Duncan did not deserve the MVP award in 2002. In the finals, the talismanic captain of the LA Lakers scored 167 points at an average of 33.4 points per game. TGT Play! Odds Deals Podcasts US USA Arizona California Colorado Connecticut Florida Georgia Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Louisiana I dont think that Jerry West did a lot of sweating in that fourth quarter. As it turned out, Kareem did not make the trip and was listed as doubtful if Game 7 had been needed. 2021-22 Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors . Thus they hired former player Billy Cunningham as head coach, and in 1978 the team traded for defensive stalwart Bobby Jones and drafted Maurice Cheeks, while letting go players such as George McGinnis and World B. Tim Duncan led his Spurs to the best record in the West (by virtue of a tie-breaker with the Utah Jazz) and Duncan performed brilliantly, posting 21.7 ppg and 11.4 rpg. An injury in the fifth game sidelines Abdul-Jabbar, setting up Magic Johnson to take his captains position and the center stage. Magic Johnson then asserted himself by scoring six points and added an assist as Los Angeles moved up by eight at the end of the third. It is believed that the bid was . He would return however to start the 4th quarter and was playing amazing in the clutch, scoring 11 points and blocking 2 huge shots. Jerry West - Getty Images. The Lakers were the top seed in the western conference and would have the home-court advantage going into the Finals. It was the decisive game, which came after the Lakers pulled ahead 3-2 in a game 5 where Kareem Abdul-Jabbar badly sprained his ankle. Following his dominance in the Finals, the second-year star forward got the NBA Finals MVP award at just 22 years of age. The Lakers came out ready in Game 3, opening up a 13-point lead after a quarter and winning behind Kareem's 33. Scottie Scheffler becomes the third player to win The Masters at age 25 or younger in the last 40 years. However, reporters change their votes at the last moment, and David Stern awards the Finals MVP to Magic Johnson. McAdoo led the league in scoring this season with 34.5 ppg and that played a large role in his win, but his scoring was only slightly higher than Berry's 30.6 ppg. Julius Erving led a short comeback in the second, but a 90 run by the Lakers extended their lead to 14 at the half. J." You can see here where Kareem is hurt in the clip below. Thus, stats made it evident that Abdul-Jabbar was the Lakers key player. After the end of game 5, Kareems averages for the Finals looked like this: In contrast, Magics numbers, while still very impressive especially for a rookie, didnt exactly stand out compared to Kareem (17 ppg, 10 rpg, 9 apg, 2.6 spg on 56% shooting through the first 5 games). Malone averaged 27.4 ppg and 10 rpg. Based on Livingstons story, Kareem initially had the votes to win, but Johnson took home the prize. Just a hunch but he probably didnt win cuz he didnt play every game? And how large of a role did Mike D'Antoni's fastpaced offense (which was perfect for winning regular season games, but not so much in the postseason) play in the team's overall success thatyear? "Look at any TV show or movie based on a sports event that really happened, whether it's '42,' 'We Are Marshall,' 'A League of Their Own,'" he says. Despite Kareem not playing in Game Six, he led Magic in PPG, RPG, BPG, and FG efficiency. These things are true, but in defense of Howard and James, both players had to make bigger adjustments and sacrifices to their games throughout the regular season than Rose did. Though, there is no doubt Magic Johnson was great in the Finals. Steve Nash is the only repeat MVP winner that has never appeared in an NBA Finals game. Jim Chones effectively shut down the middle in place of Abdul-Jabbar and finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds, and held Darryl Dawkins to 14 points and a scant four rebounds. Controversy has followed the "Winning Time" success. Hollyoaks spoilers: Tony Hutchinson calls social services to report Warren! Eastern Conference Finals MVP. Magic Johnson - 3 1987, 1989, 1990 In 1987, Bird's rival took the torch. "Spencer, of course, I forgive you," Westhead recalled responding. After the game, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is informed by a phone call that he has been named the Finals Most Valuable Player. Enough of us saps changed our votes to deny Kareem the award 4-3. T-6. LeBron James was so good for the Cleveland Cavaliers that he scored four of the 11 votes for Finals MVP. Of course, the benefit of hindsight would cast judgement on the decision as Barry would advance to the finals and win a title in one of the greatest upsets in finals history, while McAdoo would lose in the second round of the playoffs. There was a point early on in the episode when Johnson (Quincy Isaiah) hears that Larry Bird (Sean Patrick Small) was selected as the 1980 NBA Rookie of the Year. The statistics give Kareem a massive lead as far as facts are concerned. But he had one of the least impressive stat lines of any MVP winner in recent memory, and that is why his victory was so hotly debated. Johnson was without Jabbar, but he still had James Worthy, A.C. Green, Byron Scott and a young Vlade Divac. Julius Erving scored the only three-pointer of the series (and first in NBA Finals history) in this game. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 14 point 4th quarter on a bad ankle capped an overall 40-point performance. The 1980 Finals would mark the last play-by-play assignment for Brent Musburger, who was joined on color commentary by Utah Jazz play-by-play announcer Hot Rod Hundley and Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell. The Sixers led by as much as 20 in the fourth period, but the Lakers roared back, trimming the lead to 105104 late in the game. Then, Jones popped in a jumper with seven seconds left, and that was enough for a 107104 Philly win that tied the series at a game apiece. The Eagles lost Super Bowl XV to the Oakland Raiders in January 1981. . The episode showed what happened at the end of the 1979-80 season. Dustin is the founder and co-owner of Pajiba. The statistics give Kareem a massive lead as far as facts are concerned. Additionally, there is a question over whether the Bulls success derives more from Tom Thibodeau's system or Rose's play. Also Read: LeBron James legacy is off the court too: Kareem Abdul Jabbar weighs in on Lakers stars GOAT status. The pundits gave the Lakers little chance of winning without Abdul-Jabbar, given his prolific form in the series. But the truth is stranger than fiction. Also, and this is weird: Jeanie Buss who does run the LA Lakers now, having inherited her fathers team and legacy in 2013 is 60 and dating Jay Mohr of SNL fame. The Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeated the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers in seven games. NBA Finals Most Valuable Player. 21.5 to 33.5 ppg is a huge gulf, but Magic also had 11 apg and was 5% more efficient by TS. When I did the first MVP poll of the season on Jan. 1, Steph Curry was the obvious . Check out the links below.NBA League Pass: The most live games plus NBA TV. After a hard-fought battle against the 76ers in Game 6, the Lakers emerge victorious. In his memoir, "Kareem," Abdul-Jabbar cites sportswriter Bill Livingston, who publicly said the voting NBA writers had originally chosen Abdul-Jabbar asfinals MVP but the group waspressured"either by the network (CBS) or the league" to change the vote. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the league's MVP, but midway through Game 5, the Lakers center suffered a severely sprained ankle. "Winning Time" shows a locker room-bound Johnson agreeing to take the finals MVP award instead ofAbdul-Jabbar on the strong suggestion ofDavid Stern, the league's executive vice president forlegal affairs (and future commissioner). Johnson, Abdul-Jabbar (who called the series "deliberately dishonest") and former Laker superstar and general manager Jerry West have criticized the show's portrayals. pic.twitter.com/Dzw6reXR98, Timeless Sports (@timelesssports_) May 16, 2018. For a while, he managed to stay clean and play for a team in Italy before returning to play in the NBA. "1. playoffs aren't a factor 2. the Nuggets would've been a non . Los Angeles would win the game. Alan Diaz/AP Michael Jordan was robbed in the 1988 - 1989 and. Joel Embiid wins the 2022 NBA scoring title. Of note, this marked the first of the ten NBA Finals played in the 1980s, all of which featured either the Boston Celtics or the Los Angeles Lakers (three Finals featured both teams). So Game 6 was shown at 11:30pm Eastern (10:30pm Central) in all but eight US cities: Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Portland, Las Vegas, Seattle, San Francisco, Sacramento and Reno, who carried it live; all but Philadelphia are located in the Pacific Time Zone, thus could show the game live at 6 p.m. local time, then carry CBS's prime time lineup, delayed by a few minutes for the ending of the game. Too: Kareem Abdul Jabbar weighs in on Lakers stars GOAT status 1989, 1990 in 1987 Bird. Stern awards the Finals Most Valuable player of age been needed story, Kareem did not make trip... 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