The 6-foot-9-inch Johnson rose to the occasion and stepped into the center position for Game 6. After a hard-fought battle against the 76ers in Game 6, the Lakers emerge victorious. Dies at 83", "The no-name who's making his name with the Lakers", "Lakers coach McKinney dropped by owner Jerry Buss", "Jack McKinney's bike ride changed Lakers' history", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1980_NBA_Finals&oldid=1141615730, This page was last edited on 25 February 2023, at 23:20. The statistics give Kareem a massive lead as far as facts are concerned. Magic delivered an iconic masterpiece, probably the greatest game of his career with 42 points, 15 rebounds and 7 assists (teammate Jamaal Wilkes shouldnt go unmentioned here too, putting up 37 points and 10 rebounds). Teammate of the Year. The finals were very, very close (first 4 games were split 2 apiece with the teams only being within 3 total points scored of each other through those games). Can he be the most valuable player if his team has more talent and experience than the team of another MVP contender? Barkley, on the other hand, won only 10 fewer games than Magic with teammates like Mike Gminski, Johnny Dawkins, Ron Anderson and Derek Smith. Its unclear (and unlikely) that Magic learned that in the fourth quarter of Game 6. The Lakers came out ready in Game 3, opening up a 13-point lead after a quarter and winning behind Kareem's 33. 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. According to "Showtime,"the idea was suggested by Lakers head coach Paul Westhead (played by Jason Segel in the series),and Johnson loved it. Joy.Thats what you have given me on my birthday and every day in between. Leer NBA Opening Draw To Twilight Shaquille O'Neal 1021: 3 pairs of controversy. He also had an average of 13.6 rebounds per game and 3.2 assists per game. Abdul-Jabbar in particular was not a fan and reportedly wasnt shy about letting that be known. He was an unlikely candidate to be the series MVP - after all, his teammate . Kareem Abdul-Jabbar continued to dominate, with 38 points in Game 2. He had 38 in Game 2, though the Sixers stole a road win. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. The player with the best PPG in the finals was Abdul-Jabbar with 33.4 on average. Magic Johnson had a spectacular year in 1990. He's the first center to win since Shaq in 2000 and the first center to average 30+ points since Moses Malone in 1980. Please refresh the page and try again. In Game 6, Magic Johnson played what may have been the greatest game of his career. 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. So my friend who is a huge Magic Johnson fan (refuses to place LeBron near him because 5 rings > 3 rings ) was watching the 1980 finals game 6 and obviously Magic went off in that game. Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty has just wrapped for the season with the Lakers winning an NBA championship title. Crazy amount of offense that series. Below is a breakdown of all the stats that prove perhaps why Kareem was more worthy of the award without taking anything away from Magic. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns. 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. 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. So, whatd you guys think? Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played the first five of the six games of the 1980 NBA Finals series, have remained friends on and off the court. It is worth noting, too, that Magic did lose Rookie of the Year honors to Larry Bird by a 63-3 vote, as depicted in the series. Johnson becamethe first and only rookie to win the NBA Finals MVP award. "There are dramatic flourishes andleaps. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 14 point 4th quarter on a bad ankle capped an overall 40-point performance. The Lakers, however, ended those hopes by taking a 15-point lead in the first quarter. T: 02743.899.588 - 0985.173.317 Ms Hng - 0908.131.884 Mr Quyn Elsa/Getty Images. 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). Sixth Man of the Year. 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. Compared to Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson averaged only 21.5 points per game and 11.2 assists per game. The 2004 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 2003-04 National Basketball Association (NBA) season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs.This season's NBA Finals was contested between the Western Conference playoff champion Los Angeles Lakers and the Eastern Conference playoff champion Detroit Pistons.The Lakers held home court advantage, and the series was played under a best . 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. Please check your email for a confirmation. Perhaps just an absence in Game Six cost the entire voting panel to change their decision, which seemed unfair. Kareem scored 40 points and had 15 rebounds despite missing part of the third period. 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. However, that wasn't enough to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to the championship. Magics performance in the sixth game not only crowned the Lakers as the 1980 NBA Champions but also won him the Finals MVP Award. Magic had an amazing game, but guess what it's a series award. Absurd though it sounds, the first-year player had 42 points to go with 15 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals in Game 6. The Lakers countered by collapsing more in the paint and rallied for a 6060 tie at the half. Had Game 7 been played, it would have tipped off at noon Pacific (3 p.m. Eastern). In the eight years between championships, the Lakers made the NBA Finals again in 1973 and lost to the New York Knicks in five games. An injury in the fifth game sidelines Abdul-Jabbar, setting up Magic Johnson to take his captains position and the center stage. He had all the ingredients to secure the award, except a clear public image. Though, there is no doubt Magic Johnson was great in the Finals. Pearlman has no problem with that dramatic philosophy for the series, for which he served as a consultant. 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. Johnson, Abdul-Jabbar (who called the series "deliberately dishonest") and former Laker superstar and general manager Jerry West have criticized the show's portrayals. Additionally, Abdul-Jabbar was named the 1980 NBA MVP, reflective of his work from that entire season. Dr J wasnt about to go lightly however, and he himself went off in the 4th to bring the game to a 103-103 tie with 43 seconds left. The 7-foot-2-inch Abdul had ledhis team through the finals, gutting out aMVP-worthy Game 5 victory despite a severelyinjuredankle. In the first season finale of Winning Time, the LA Lakers defeat the Philadelphia 76ers in the sixth game of the 1980 NBA World Championship Series and are crowned the champions. 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. J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award. Many consider this victory as the birth of Showtime. A new face of the league after a decade (70s) where the league nearly died, Finals weren't even being televised live iirc. A subreddit dedicated to NBA news and discussion. ", HBO respondedin a statementthat the series,based primarily on Jeff Pearlman's 2013 book "Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s," had been"fictionalized in part for dramatic purposes.". Wilkes had a career-high 37 points and added 10 rebounds. 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. 1980-81 Cedric Maxwell, Boston Celtics. It was one of then-owner Jack Kent Cooke's final acts before selling the team to Jerry Buss during that summer. But the truth is stranger than fiction. Kidd's numbers were also special that year, as he averaged 14.7 ppg, 9.9 apg and 7.3 rpg. NBA History - 1980 Awards Award: When it comes to the GOAT debate, the TSR author feels LeBron James is yet to receive a lot of his due but cannot deny marveling at Michael Jordans resume. Steph Curry and Jayson Tatum have the shortest odds to win the 2022 NBA Finals MVP award, but several other players, including Marcus Smart, Klay Thompson, and Al Horford, make for intriguing . Johnson scored 25 points in the Spurs' win, leading the team.This matchup will be airing on fuboTV.National Basketball Association odds courtesy of. Magic Johnson winning the 1980 NBA Finals MVP over Kareem Abdul Jabbar might have been one of the biggest award robberies in NBA history. Greatness. Kareem was very clearly the best player in 4 out of the 5 games he played in, and had the absolute monster numbers and heroic Game 5 performance that shouldve gotten him the Finals MVP, but he ended up being denied the award because of one game in which he wasnt there. A year-by-year list of the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Award winners: YEAR PLAYER TEAM. Musburger would remain involved with CBS' NBA coverage until 1989, but his duties for later NBA Finals were as a studio host, though he continued to call play-by-play on various occasions. The Celtics forward became the most recent player to collect three straight MVPs, doing so from 1984 to 1986 as Boston won two championships. Fans caught up on HBOsWinning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynastysaw the first seasons finale last night. Cmo puede ocupar el segundo lugar en el MVP?" En la lnea . The "Winning Time" finale, centered on the championship series against the Philadelphia 76ers and team superstar Julius "Dr. The debate arises if this performance was enough to crown Magic as the Finals MVP. Along with Jamaal Wilkes' 37 points and 10 rebounds, Michael Cooper chipped in 16. The 1981 NBA All-Star Game was played at the Richfield Coliseum near Cleveland, Ohio, with the East defeating the West 123-120. Thank you for signing up to Whattowatch. Many sportswriters argued that these match ups would "decide the MVP race," but ultimately voters went with the safe bet in Malone. ", Reilly just enjoyed the ride in 'Winning Time', Stars of new TV show "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty," John C. Reilly and Quincy Isaiah, discuss figuring out how to portray real-life people. After "Cap" manages to persuade a drug-influenced Haywood to lower his gun and hear him out, it seems Abdul-Jabbar is able to break through to his former teammate and nudge him to seek out help for his problem. . Curiously, even though Magic Johnson won the award and Johnson's team won a league best 63 games (the league's only 60-win team that year) and Barkley's club only won 53 games, Barkley received more first place votes (38-27). So here's a list of the five most controversial MVP winners since 1980: Moses Malone 1981-82 Malone might have been the best center in basketball by the beginning of the 1980s, but he was wasting away on a struggling Houston team before helping Philadelphia win a title in 1983. The 1980 NBA Finals TV Mini Series 1980 YOUR RATING Rate Sport The 1980 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1979/1980 season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. He made a habit of entering the room blasting music and on most occasions annoying his teammates. [2] But the Lakers still had to travel to Philadelphia for Game 6. Meanwhile, McAdoo was fairly well liked across the NBA. "My not being there in Philadelphia to receive the trophy on camera was a major inconvenience as far as the television people were concerned," Abdul-Jabbar wrote, making it clear he only cared about winning the game. Behind Johnson's passing, Abdul-Jabbar's post play and Michael Cooper's perimeter shooting and defense, the trio formed the core of the Lakers' Showtime-era teams. That's what this media is. Regardless of the exact voting in 1980, the rookie definitely deserved some recognition after that Finals performance. His Spurs began the season a disappointing 6-8, but since their rough start he led them to a 31-5 record afterward and established himself as the leader of the Spurs, despite David Robinson's presence. edit: complaint about pts/reb/ast order, changed it universally to pts/reb/ast. REMINDER: This thread is only for serious and thought-provoking analysis. "As es, Westbrook acaba de recoger las sobras de Wang Zelin. However, the rookie bested his captain with an average of 8.7 assists per game. Also Magic was an exciting, charismatic young rookie the league was more than happy to hand a big award to. Even tho Magic still had 19/5/14 on 67-88%, 76% TS of his own in G7. He converted the 3-point play to take a 106103 lead. With a split in L.A., the Sixers were hoping to take command of the series with the next two games in Philadelphia. Johnson would go on to win two more NBA Finals MVP awards before his professional career was over. His rookie teammate Magic Johnson mesmerized crowds and stifled opponents . Maybe. Arjun Julka is a NBA author at The SportsRush. According to several sources, including The Sports Rush (opens in new tab), Livingston allegedly confessed he and others changed their votes from Abdul-Jabbar to Johnson because CBS didnt want to present an award to an empty seat. Johnson won three MVPs from 1987 to 1990 but was unable to win all three in consecutive seasons. It's not a travesty to give it to Magic, given Kareem missed a game. Los Angeles took an early advantage in the NBA Finals, but Lakers superstar big man Kareem Abdul-Jabbar suffered an injury in Game 5. We hope you enjoyed what we put together here. Many consider this victory as the Finals complaint about pts/reb/ast order, changed it universally to.! Series MVP - after all, his teammate serious and thought-provoking analysis massive as... Game was played at the half before his professional career was over NBA... 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