The Los Angeles Lakers Encyclopedia [1 ed.] 9780786493340, 9780786466832

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The Los Angeles Lakers Encyclopedia

ALSO

BY

RICHARD J. SHMELTER

The Raiders Encyclopedia: All Players, Coaches, Games and More through 2009-2010 (McFarland, 2011)

The Los Angeles Lakers Encyclopedia RICHARD J. SHMELTER

McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Jefferson, North Carolina, and London

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGUING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

Shmelter, Richard J., 1959– The Los Angeles Lakers encyclopedia / Richard J. Shmelter. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-7864-6683-2 softcover : acid free paper 1. Los Angeles Lakers (Basketball team)— Encyclopedias. I. Title. GV885.52.L67S56 2013 796.323' 640979494 — dc23 2012038708 BRITISH LIBRARY CATALOGUING DATA ARE AVAILABLE

© 2013 Richard J. Shmelter. All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. On the cover: Lakers center Pau Gasol (16) blocks a shot as guard Kobe Bryant (24) looks on in an NBA playoff game on May 12, 2009, in Los Angeles (AP Photo/Chris Carlson) Manufactured in the United States of America

McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Box 611, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640 www.mcfarlandpub.com

To every player who had the honor of suiting up and taking the court as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. The legacy you created will never diminish, but only grow with the passing of time. And never to be forgotten, my little angel, who watches over me from above. The honor you allowed me in being called a daddy will also never diminish.

Acknowledgments There are countless individuals who have helped me through this project, some on a large scale, and others on a small scale. I thank them all. To my wife Helen (Molly). There are truly people who give of themselves, and this incredible lady I am proud to call mine is one of them. She was always there for me every step of the way. Her input was invaluable in every aspect in creating this encyclopedia. To my parents, Arlene and the late Joseph, who allowed me the opportunity to pursue my dreams, and lent words of encouragement when they were needed most during my early years. To Matt Victor, whose support, willingness to listen, and advice on how to make this a better book, helped immensely. Thank you, my friend. To my niece and nephew, Larissa Burlij and Billy Sholudko, for all the support you have both given to me, not only on this project, but on previous ones as well. I am proud to be related to such wonderful individuals. To the many individuals of Los Angeles that I have had the pleasure to meet and get to know.

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Table of Contents Acknowledgments

vi

Preface

1

Introduction: The Lakers, from the Motor City to Tinseltown

3

ONE

The Seasons

TWO

All-Time Greats

9 153

THREE All-Time Roster: 1960-61 through 2010-11

194

FOUR All-Time Head Coaches

204

FIVE

Lakers Essentials

232

SIX

Schedules and Results: 1960-61 through 2010-11

242

SEVEN All-Time Individual Records and Draft Picks: 1960–2011

290

Chapter Notes

299

Bibliography

306

Index

307

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Preface Success is defined as the achievement of something attempted. Greatness is defined as the quality of being great or distinguished. In the world of professional sports, only a handful of organizations can boast of experiencing both success and greatness throughout their existence. Against the backdrop of the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, California, the Los Angeles Lakers have become not only one of the hardwood’s most treasured gems, but revered throughout the entire sports world. With the magnificent wizardry of players named Wilt, West, Elgin, Magic, Kareem, Shaq, and Kobe, to name just a few, the Lakers morphed into one of the most successful corporate giants in the history of athletic competition. Proof of this claim is that since moving to Los Angeles in 1960 from Minneapolis, the Lakers have appeared in the playoffs 47 times, won 27 divisional titles and 25 conference crowns, and captured 11 NBA titles through the 2010-11 season. Going back to 1946, the year the team was established, the Lakers have compiled the most wins in pro basketball history and the best winning percentage. The team is currently valued at six hundred million dollars. This encyclopedia, dedicated to Los Angeles’ hardwood heroes, begins with the introduction, which takes the reader from the team’s humble beginnings in Detroit, Michigan, follow ing World War II, through their highly successful years in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and to their move to Los Angeles at the dawn of President John F. Kennedy’s “New Frontier” in 1960– 61. Chapter One presents all important data pertaining to each season of the team’s first 50 years in Los Angeles. The following chapter is dedicated to the Lakers’ all-time great performers, with detailed biographies of Hall of Famers and other significant players that led the team to much success. Chapter Three presents the reader with a complete roster from 1960-61 to 2010-11 that includes pertinent information about

every player who played at least one official game for the Lakers. Leaving the players behind, Chapter Four covers the mentors who guided these roundball magicians. Each head coach from Fred Schaus in 1960, to the legendary Phil Jackson in 2011, is honored with a biography charting his journey to the Lakers and beyond. “Lakers Essentials” is the fifth chapter in this trek through the team’s history. It opens with biographies of the magnates that forked over vast sums to earn the distinction of being proclaimed ultimate rulers of the franchise, and signed the paychecks of some of the game’s greatest performers. The palaces the Lakers have called home since 1960, where multiple banners graced the rafters as testaments of conquest, are featured next in Lakers Essentials. Whether the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Westwood Forum, or the Staples Center, these cathedrals of athletic competition have been places where cheers rocked the foundation, and tears washed away the bitter agony of defeat for passionate Los Angelenos. Legendary announcer Chick Hearn, one of the greatest announcers to ever send his voice over the airways, gets his time in the spotlight with a biography. No work pertaining to this great organization would be complete without mention of the world-renowned Laker Girls cheerleading squad, and rounding out Lakers Essentials is a look at the evolution of the team’s uniforms since 1960. Chapter Six allows the reader access to schedules from the 1960-61 season through the 2010-11 season. Every opponent and result is included, plus the team’s record at the end of every month. Chapter Seven focuses on all-time records, including individual milestones, and also lists the team’s all-time draft picks from 1960 through 2011. To believe that my labor of love, dedicated to this incredible organization, stands alone would make me extremely delusional. However, I can safely claim that

1

PREFACE this encyclopedia is the definitive book on the team in the City of Angels from the 1960-61 season through 2010-11. For those who remember the moments captured on these pages, I hope to bring more memories rushing back. For those who have never had the opportunity to witness the excitement that the Lakers have given

2 the masses, I hope to educate. To borrow from songwriter par excellence Randy Newman’s 1983 hit song, “I Love L.A,” I hope that my passion felt for the great city of Los Angeles and the incredible heritage of the Lakers are conveyed in this work. Richard J. Shmelter, Fall 2012

Introduction: The Lakers, from the Motor City to Tinseltown The allure of Southern California has captivated innumerable people with dreams of grandeur amidst near-perfect weather conditions, palm trees, and magnificent beaches. Many have made the exodus to the West coast glitz and glamour capital of Los Angeles, and by the dawn of President Kennedy’s New Frontier, the National Basketball Association decided to venture out as well, thus completing Manifest Destiny for the professional roundball circuit. This was achieved when the Minneapolis Lakers made the 1,900-mile trek to Los Angeles. The “City of Angels” has indeed conjured hopes of fame and fortune. The pursuit of success, money, elite status, and the adulation of the masses has always been the driving force for those willing to take a chance. Months after the climax of World War II in 1945, the city of Los Angeles joined the fraternity of big cities with big-time professional sports venues attached to their names, when the Cleveland Rams of the National Football League moved to Southern California, thus becoming the first major professional sports franchise to operate west of the Rocky Mountains. Now known as the Los Angeles Rams, the team quickly became the darling of the Hollywood set, and their success on the field brought droves of fans to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, one of the most storied cathedrals of athletic endeavors. By the conclusion of the fabulous fifties, the Rams’ reign was over, thanks to Mr. Walter F. O’Malley. O’Malley relocated his Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team to Los Angeles in 1958, and in doing so left hearts forever broken clear across the country in the “City of Churches.” The Dodgers moved into the Rams’ domain, playing in the Coliseum until Dodger Stadium was completed six miles north in Chavez Ravine. Within one year after coming to Los Angeles, the Dodgers treated their new hometown to a World Series title after delivering only one to the borough of Brooklyn since the Fall Classic began in 1903. With the Rams and Dodgers basking in good fortune and donning championship crowns in the sun and fun of Los

Angeles, why should professional basketball be denied the same opportunity? In 1960, that question was answered. The National Basketball Association decided to expand its horizons to Los Angeles by allowing the Minneapolis Lakers to relocate. In time, the Lakers would become one of the most iconic sports organizations in history. However, long before becoming as much a part of Tinseltown as the Hollywood sign, Hollywood Boulevard, the Sunset Strip, and the gems of the motion picture community, the team was the gem of the Motor City. The National Basketball League was formed in 1937, and struggled to survive during the latter stages of the Great Depression and throughout World War II. The league went down to three teams during the war, but by 1946, America was on the brink of being a superpower, and its inhabitants looked to enjoy brighter days after financial and personal sacrifice blanketed the country like a black shroud since the stock market crash in 1929 and the world conflict that lasted from 1941 to 1945. Spectator sports were one of the diversions Americans looked to embrace as a sign of a return to prosperity and peace. The National Basketball League hoped to capitalize on the public’s interest by expanding to 11 teams in 1946. The city of Detroit, Michigan, got to be part of the roundball universe thanks to Detroit jeweler Maury Winston, who was an important figure in the early days of what would become one of the sports world’s most iconic organizations. The owner of a jewelry store, Winston used the tools of his trade when coming up with a name for Detroit’s new professional franchise, naming it the Gems after forking over $1,500 to join the NBL for the 1946-47 season. Winston supplied uniforms, balls, and $40,000 for salaries to get his team going. Unfortunately, the gems Winston supplied on the basketball court were extremely flawed.1 What transpired in the Motor City was an abomination at best. A lack of basketball knowledge from the front office to the players resulted in one of the worst single seasons in American professional sports history.

3

INTRODUCTION When a team owner looks to hire a head coach, it helps if the person taking the reins has a good deal of experience, especially in the pro ranks. Winston failed to comprehend this minor detail when he made Joel Mason the Gems’ coach. Mason was very astute when it came to the X’s and O’s involved in football. He was a former professional player with the Green Bay Packers, and was teaching physical education and mentoring the backfield at Detroit’s Wayne State University when Winston came calling. His only recommendations were that he had dabbled in coaching the sport and just happened to be working in the Detroit area.2 Despite his inexperience coaching basketball, and his teaching job taking up much of his time, Mason attempted to mold the Gems into a team. Predominantly stocked with local talent, the Gems embarked on their inaugural season with players like guard Howie McCarty and ex–Harlem Globetrotter Willie King. The Globetrotters were known worldwide for exceptional hardwood skills, but King’s experience did not rub off on the Gems.3 The best way to describe the 1946-47 Gems was terrible. The only positive news related to the team was that there was none. They received minuscule coverage from the local scribes, and crowds barely hitting the century mark were the norm. On one occasion, with the horrific season mercifully coming to its end, only six people were in attendance. Games were played either at high schools or other venues that could accommodate them. Without a regular home base, and a terrible product, disaster was the only conclusion for the Detroit Gems. Joel Mason, who worked long hours trying to make something out of nothing, could not wait until the end of the season was over to depart. After witnessing a 3–13 start, Mason resigned, and guard Fred Campbell assumed the head coaching position. Campbell came out victorious on only one occasion in 28 tries, and the Gems entered professional basketball history as one of the worst teams of all time, finishing with a 4–40 record.4 When the game clock hit 0:00 at the end of their 44th and final game, the 1946-47 Detroit Gems faded into history. However, like the phoenix, the franchise rose from the ashes to unbelievable heights. In the summer of 1947, Maury Winston was coming to the realization that owning a professional basketball team might not have been the best business venture for him. It was then that a telephone call came from Minneapolis, Minnesota, that allowed the Motor City jeweler the opportunity to get rid of his albatross. While the Gems were quickly imploding 700 miles east of Minneapolis, a 27-year-old newspaper writer for the Minneapolis Daily Times named Sid Hartman was thinking about bringing the first professional sports franchise to Minnesota. Hartman approached local business magnets Morris Chalfen and Ben Berger about securing a professional sports team for the city. Chalfen had experience in sports promotions, and

4 was responsible for bringing the Holiday on Ice show to life. Berger’s business savvy was geared toward movie theaters and cafes in Minnesota and North Dakota. These men were heavy hitters, and with Hartman serving as their liaison, Maury Winston’s junk became Minneapolis’ treasure.5 For $15,000, Chalfen and Berger bought the Gems in name only. They received no players and only a few pieces of equipment. It was just like starting an expansion team, but unlike Winston, Chalfen and Berger sought people with basketball knowledge. With the state nickname “Land of a Thousand Lakes” serving as inspiration, the new ownership decided to rename their new investment the Minneapolis Lakers. They brought Max Winter, a 44-year-old local businessman who was co-proprietor of a successful eatery and had dabbled in sports promotions and marketing, on as general manager and part owner. Winter came up with the Lakerettes, a cheerleading squad consisting of local high school girls, and had musicians perform before games at the team’s venues, the Minneapolis Auditorium and the Minneapolis Armory. Winter was also responsible for bringing a National Football League franchise to the city in 1961 with the founding of the Minnesota Vikings.6 Winter was truly a great visionary when it came to making a venue entertaining for the masses. However, the bottom line was still the performance of the team. Without a solid team on the court, the interest would flounder. With that understood, the Lakers’ ownership went out to obtain highquality players that could fill the stands and trophy cases with championship hardware. The Lakers needed a head coach, and looked to local hero John Kundla to take over. Kundla was a star for the University of Minnesota Gophers in the 1930s, and worked at his alma mater before going to the College of St. Thomas, when the Lakers came calling. At first, the 31-year-old Kundla had no interest in coaching in the pros, but when the Lakers offered to double his salary, he could not say no.7 The original Lakers began with some former Minnesota Gophers on the roster, and 6-4 forward/center Jim Pollard from Stanford. Known for his incredible leaping prowess, Pollard earned the moniker “Kangaroo Kid” and had excellent range when shooting jumpers from the corner.8 Pollard was indeed a key find, and he was complemented by another addition, George Mikan, who came to Minneapolis and emerged as one of the greatest to ever don a basketball uniform. Throughout the team’s history, some of the game’s most dominant pivot men found their way onto the Lakers’ roster, and with outstanding results. Long before Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Shaquille O’Neal were leading the team to championship glory, George Mikan was the game’s forefather of big men with an arsenal consisting of a devastating hook shot, and dominant rebounding and shot blocking skills. At 6-10, 245 pounds, and wearing glasses with thick lenses, Mikan came to the Lakers as a three-time All-American at DePaul University.9

5 Mikan’s journey to immortality while in a Lakers uniform began after helping the Chicago American Gears of the National Basketball League to a World Basketball Tournament championship in 1946. He was selected as the Most Valuable Player of the tournament and earned All-NBL as well.10 Prior to the start of the 1947-48 season, Gears president Maurice White took the team out of the league with the idea of starting a new 24-team league dubbed the Professional Basketball League of America. Fortunately for the Lakers, but unfortunately for White, the PBLA shut down after one month of operation. A dispersal draft was held to give PBLA players the opportunity to join a team in the NBL. George Mikan was highly sought after, and thanks to the Detroit Gems finishing the previous year with the worst record, the new Minneapolis Lakers would get the first pick in the dispersal draft. They wasted little time in selecting Mikan, and the Lakers were ready to establish themselves as the elite of the league.11 In the Lakers’ first season, Mikan, Pollard, and Kundla’s other charges coasted to a 43–17 record to finish 13 games ahead of their nearest competition. In the playoffs, the Lakers beat the Oshkosh All-Stars three games to one, and then bounced the Tri-cities Blackhawks in two straight games to reach the 1948 NBL Finals. The championship series was as easy as the others for the Lakers, as they defeated the Rochester Royals three games to one, completing one of the greatest turnarounds in sports history. After finishing the previous season with one of the worst records ever produced by a professional basketball team, the Lakers were now kings of the league.12 Following their 1947 NBL championship, the Lakers, along with Fort Wayne, Rochester, and Indianapolis, switched over to the Basketball Association of America (BAA) to form a 12-team league that is regarded as the predecessor of the modern National Basketball Association. This is also considered the birth of the Lakers as the NBA does not acknowledge the NBL’s statistics in their history. Thus, the modern Lakers of Los Angeles can trace their official NBA roots back to the 194849 season.13 The move over to the BAA did little to slow the Lakers. With George Mikan, who led the league with 28.3 points per game, the Lakers finished one game behind Rochester in the Western Division at 44–16. In addition to Mikan, the Lakers still had Jim Pollard, and received 6-7 forward Vern Mikkelsen in the territorial draft in 1949. This trio of Mikan, Pollard, and Mikkelsen went on to become one of the greatest frontcourts the league ever had. At playoff time, the Lakers did not care where they finished in the regular season. They showed their dominance by first sweeping Chicago in the Western Division semifinals, two games to none, and then repeating the feat over Rochester, to gain entry into the BAA finals. In the best-of-seven championship round, the Lakers took a commanding 3–0 series lead before Washington made things interesting by winning the next two. Minneapolis then ended the series with a 77–56 victory to capture the 1949 BAA title.14

INTRODUCTION Prior to the beginning of the 1949-50 season, the NBL and the BAA merged to form a 17-team league named the National Basketball Association. The Lakers were now the professional rank’s elite organization. They won the Central Division title with a 51–17 record to tie the Syracuse Nationals for the most victories during the season. The Nationals played four fewer games than the Lakers, so their winning percentage of .797 allowed them to claim the best mark over the .750 percentage set by Minneapolis. The Lakers proved who the best team was at the end of the playoffs, however, winning the NBA’s first-ever championship in 1950 over Syracuse, four games to two, after knocking off the Chicago Stags, Fort Wayne Pistons, and Anderson Packers in the earlier rounds of the playoffs.15 In capturing the title, the Lakers became the only team to ever win three straight championships in three different leagues. The good times were rolling, as the Lakers kept the faithful filling the Minneapolis Auditorium cheering as the early 1950s progressed. Despite losing George Mikan late in the season due to a broken ankle, Minneapolis posted the NBA’s best record during the 1950-51 regular season at 44–24, and beat Indianapolis in the opening round of the playoffs. The Lakers’ championship express was temporarily derailed when the Rochester Royals beat them in the Western Division finals three games to one.16 The 1951-52 season saw the Lakers back to their championship-winning ways. After finishing second in the Western Division to the defending NBA champion Rochester Royals, the 40–26 Lakers returned to the finals. They beat Indianapolis in the opening round two games to none, and then ended Rochester’s one-year reign as champions by defeating them three games to one. In the 1952 NBA finals, the New York Knicks took the Lakers the full seven games before Minneapolis prevailed in convincing fashion by a score of 82–65 in the deciding seventh game.17 In 1952-53, the Lakers finished atop the Western Division with a league-best 48–22 record, and once again found themselves in the NBA finals: this time against the New York Knicks. There was no drama surrounding the series, as the Lakers won four straight games after dropping the opener.18 In 1953-54 George Mikan’s knees were beginning to affect his performance, but he was still a force to be reckoned with; he still finished among the top scorers and rebounders. Added to the Lakers’ arsenal was highly-touted Clyde Lovellette, who came to Minneapolis as a first round draft pick in 1952 after compiling an impressive college resume. He was a two-time All-American at Kansas, where he led the nation in scoring with a 28.4 points per game average during his senior year in 1952. He then went on to help the United States win a gold medal at the 1952 Helsinki Summer Olympic Games. At 610, 234 pounds, Lovellette became one of the first big men in the pro ranks to shoot from the outside, where his one-handed set shot proved to be a dangerous weapon.19

INTRODUCTION With Lovellette on board, the Lakers ended the regular season with a league-leading 46–26 record. They went on to win a third straight NBA championship. From 1948 through 1954, the Minneapolis Lakers were the elite professional basketball team. They won five NBA/BAA titles in six years, and six in seven years when the 1948 NBL is added to the list. However, all good things must come to an end. The first great pivot man, George Mikan, retired after six straight First-Team All-Pro selections, three league-scoring titles, and the distinction of being named Basketball Player of the Half Century by the Associated Press.20 Prior to the 1954-55 season, the NBA incorporated two rule changes. The 24-second shot clock was added to speed up the possessions, and a team was now allowed six personal fouls per quarter. Despite the quicker pace the 24-second shot clock brought into play, the Lakers and the rest of the league had to adapt from a slower style. The Lakers still found a way to make the playoffs without Mikan, as they finished with a 40–32 record and were led by Jim Pollard, Clyde Lovellette, Vern Mikkelsen, and playmaking guard Slater Martin. The Lakers managed to get by Rochester in the opening playoff series, but their quest for a fourth straight title came to an end when the Fort Wayne Pistons beat them three games to one in the Western Division finals.21 Following the 1954-55 season, Jim Pollard retired, and the Lakers suffered their first losing season since the franchise relocated to Minneapolis. They were having problems, winning only 10 out of their first 30 games during the 1955-56 season. A cry for help went out to George Mikan, who came out of retirement in an attempt to save the season, but the 31-yearold center could not perform like he had before, and he went back into retirement after appearing in 37 games. The team still managed to salvage the 33–39 season somewhat by making the playoffs. It was a quick appearance, however, as the St. Louis Hawks bumped them out in the opening round two games to one.22 In a very weak Western Division, the 1956-57 Lakers finished the season in a three-way tie for first place with a 34–38 record. A special playoff was scheduled to determine the champion. St. Louis beat Fort Wayne in the first game, and then two days later, they beat Minneapolis to claim the division crown. In the postseason, the Lakers defeated Fort Wayne in a two-game sweep before losing to St. Louis via a three-game sweep in the Western Division finals.23 During this period, as the team began to slip in the standings, so too did the attendance at Minneapolis Auditorium. Due to diminished skills on the court, and sparse crowds in the stands, the future of the Lakers was in question. By February 1957, Ben Berger wanted to sell the team. He had made it a powerhouse that had eventually run its course. At first Berger looked to sell the team to men from Missouri, who wanted to relocate the Lakers to Kansas City. Berger wanted to be loyal to the city that supported the team during the glory

6 years, and wanted to give anyone with ties to Minneapolis first opportunity to match what the Missouri buyers were offering in an attempt to keep the team in Minneapolis.24 Berger stated in a newspaper article that he would allow any local interest group one week to come up with an offer before selling to the Missouri group.25 Within days of Berger’s statement, Minneapolis native and business magnate Bob Short, along with college friend Frank Ryan, put together a group of 30 investors, and presented Berger with an offer of $150,000.26 The figure was sufficient, and for the time being, the Lakers were still residents of Minneapolis. Upon taking over the team, the new hierarchy had to filter $50,000 into their investment just to keep the team going. However, that money was absorbed within the span of two weeks. In an effort to cut back on expenses, the Lakers traded center Walter Dukes to Detroit. This void left the team in dire straits. Now, without a solid frontcourt, the stars of the glory days all but gone, and crowds dwindling down to 900 on a consistent basis, the Lakers were on the verge of collapse.27 During the chaos, Short decided to buy the stock options of the other investors. It appeared no one wanted to keep pouring money into a sinking ship, and with $40,000, Short purchased the majority of stock. Frank Ryan remained with Short in ownership. The money was badly needed to help the team, but it would still not be adequate to pull the team out of financial hardship. In addition, the Minneapolis Auditorium, built in 1927, was starting to show its age, and requests to play at the University of Minnesota were denied.28 The team took a drastic tumble on the court as well in 1957-58 with George Mikan assuming the head coaching reigns when John Kundla was named general manager. After posting a 9–30 record, Mikan abandoned his post, and Kundla, who guided the team to years of glory in the late 1940s and early 50s took control of the team the rest of the way. Kundla did not fare much better, finishing with a 10–23 slate to give the Lakers the league’s worst record at 19–53.29 Much like they did in 1947, the Lakers utilized their distinction as the worst team to the fullest. Relocating to Minneapolis in 1947, they capitalized on the Detroit Gems’ horrific finish the previous year to obtain the great George Mikan. Eleven years later, the team used a dismal finish to get the first pick in the draft in 1958. They once again made an excellent choice by making forward Elgin Baylor the number one overall pick of the 1958 draft. Baylor amazed the league with moves to the basket never before seen, helping the franchise stay afloat in Minneapolis.30 Baylor won the 1959 NBA Rookie of the Year award, and the Lakers climbed back to somewhat respectable status. They finished the 1958-59 season at 33–39, and made the playoffs. In the postseason, the Lakers almost returned to their past glory, making it all the way to the NBA finals. It was there that the dream ended, as the Boston Celtics beat them in four straight games to claim the title.

7 Baylor’s talents sparked an interest in the team, but his presence could not stop the organization’s money woes. To add to their problems, the team’s plane, a DC-3, had its generator die while going through a severe snowstorm on a flight from St. Louis back to Minneapolis on January 18, 1960. All the electrical and navigational devices shut down. With no lights, heat, or radio contact, the pilot was able to make his way through the storm and land the plane safely in an Iowa cornfield. After walking a mile through waist-high snow, the passengers made it to a road, where a rescue crew met them. Also on hand was an undertaker, just in case.31 The experience rattled everyone, and it was about this time that Short began giving serious thought to moving the team to Los Angeles. The idea first came up when Berger and Maurice Chalfen owned the team. In 1957, Chalfen wanted to relocate to Los Angeles, but Berger remained steadfast in his decision to keep the Lakers in Minneapolis. After Short assumed ownership, leaving soon became more and more alluring with the passing of each day.32 Just days after their terror-filled trek that ended in a cornfield, the team was informed that they were going to have to get back on the aircraft and travel to California to play two games. With no professional basketball west of the Rocky Mountains, it seemed like a good idea to scout the area to see what kind of a response the NBA would get. So, with many reservations about getting back on the DC-3, the team eventually climbed aboard and headed to the West coast. On January 31, 1960, the Lakers played in San Francisco against the Philadelphia Warriors. The next day, the same two teams met again. Attendance at the newly-opened Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, was 10,202. Despite the fact that the Lakers lost, 103–96, were in the midst of a six-game losing streak, and had a record of 14–34, Bob Short and Frank Ryan were impressed by a crowd unlike that back in Minneapolis and wonderful weather. It was then just a matter of time before they would officially say, “California, here we come!” On April 27, 1960, at an NBA owners meeting in New York City, Short and Ryan asked for permission to relocate to Los Angeles. The request was turned down by a 7–1 vote. One of the main roadblocks was the fact that the other owners did

INTRODUCTION not want to pay extra money to travel clear across the country. It appeared that the Lakers would have to cease to exist.33 The saving grace for the organization came in the form of a headline in one of the New York City newspapers stating that Abe Saperstein, owner of the Harlem Globetrotters, had put together a new league called the American Basketball League. Saperstein had long yearned to have an NBA franchise, and the league promised that he could put a team in California.34 Finally tired of waiting for the NBA to make good on their promise, Saperstein started his own league, and one of the places he was going to put a team was Los Angeles. When the other NBA owners heard the news, there was no way they wanted Saperstein to get a jump on them on the West Coast. Another vote was held later that day, and the decision was unanimous: Short and Ryan had permission to move the Lakers to Los Angeles. The concern over money regarding travel was ironed out when Short agreed to pay each team’s extra expenses.35 On the court, the Lakers’ 1959-60 season started out rough. After an 11–25 start, coach John Castellani was relieved of his duties. Jim Pollard came in to finish the season, and the Lakers did not improve much, but did make the playoffs with a terrible 25–50 record. Miraculously, the Lakers beat the Detroit Pistons in two straight games, and held a 3–2 series lead over the St. Louis Hawks in the Western division finals.36 The Hawks then won the final two games. It was during this series that the Lakers played their last games in Minneapolis. On March 24, 1960, they had their final home appearance, a 107–96 loss. Two days later, they succumbed to the Hawks, 97–86, and with that defeat, the season was over, and the curtain came down on the Minneapolis Lakers after 13 seasons. On April 28, 1960, the people of Los Angeles awoke to find in the morning dailies that the Lakers were officially theirs. Even though California didn’t have Minnesota’s lakes, the team would remain the Lakers. On September 12, 1960, the team began their first practice session on the West Coast at Pepperdine University. Those sixteen players who showed up were the beginning of an iconic organization not only embraced by the City of Angels, but by the entire world.

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One

THE SEASONS For each season, the player’s statistic section will appear as follows: number, name in alphabetical order, position, height, weight, game appearances, minutes played, field goals, free throws, points scored, rebounds, and assists. Blocked shots and steals were not official statistics in the NBA until the 1973-74 season. Mention of these statistics will only appear from 1973-74 on in the seasonal league leaders category if a player ranked in the top five.

1960-61

points (34.8 avg.), had 1,447 (rebounds (19.8 avg.) and 371 assists (5.1 avg.). 14 — Ray Felix — Center — 6-11, 220 lbs., appeared in 78 games, played 1,510 minutes (19.4 avg.), made 189 of 508 field goal attempts (.372%) and 135 of 193 free throws (.699%) for 513 points (6.6 avg.), had 539 rebounds (6.9 avg.) and 37 assists (0.5 avg.) 20— Tom Hawkins — Forward — 6-5, 210 lbs., appeared in 78 games, played 1,846 minutes (23.7 avg.), made 310 of 719 field goal attempts (.431%) and 140 of 235 free throws (.596%) for 760 points (9.7 avg.), had 479 rebounds (6.1 avg.) and 88 assists (1.1 avg.) 33 — Rod (Hot Rod) Hundley — Guard — 6-4, 185 lbs., appeared in 79 games, played 2,172 minutes (27.5 avg.), made 323 of 921 field goal attempts (.351%) and 223 of 296 free throws (.753%) for 869 points (11.0 avg.), had 289 rebounds (3.7 avg.) and 350 assists (4.4 avg.). 52 — Ron Johnson — Forward — 6-8, 215 lbs., appeared in 8 games, played 43 minutes (5.4 avg.), made 2 of 13 field goal attempts (.154%) and 2 of 3 free throws (.667%) for 37 points (2.6 avg.), had 29 rebounds (2.1 avg.) and 2 assists (0.1 avg.) 54 — Howie Jolliff— Forward/Center — 6-7, 218 lbs., appeared in 46 games, played 352 minutes (7.7 avg.), made 46 of 141 field goal attempts (.326%) and 11 of 23 free throws (.478%) for 103 points (2.2 avg.), had 141 rebounds (3.1 avg.) and 16 assists (0.3 avg.) 32—Jim Krebs—Center/Forward—6-8, 230 lbs., appeared in 75 games, played 1,655 minutes (22.1 avg.), made 271 of 692 field goal attempts (.392%) and 75 of 93 free throws (.806%) for 617 points (8.2 avg.), had 456 rebounds (6.1 avg.) and 68 assists (0.9 avg.) 35 — Rudy LaRusso — Forward/Center — 6-7, 220 lbs., appeared in 79 games, played 2,493 minutes (32.8 avg.), made 416 of 992 field goal attempts (.419%) and 323 of 409 free throws for 1,155 points (14.6 avg.), had 781 rebounds (9.9 avg.) and 135 assists (1.7 avg.) 21— Robert (Slick) Leonard — Guard — 6-3, 185 lbs., appeared in 55 games, played 600 minutes (10.9 avg.) made 61 of 207 field goal attempts (.295%) and 71 of 100 free throws (.710%) for 193 points (3.5 avg.), had 70 rebounds (1.3 avg.) and 81 assists (1.5 avg.) 11—Frank Selvy—Guard/Forward—6-3, 180 lbs., appeared in 77 games, played 2,153 minutes (28.0 avg.), made 311 of 767 field goal attempts (.405%) and 210 of 279 free throws (.753%) for 832 points (10.8 avg.), had 299 rebounds (3.9 avg.) and 246 assists (3.2 avg.) 44—Jerry West—Guard/Forward—6-2, 175 lbs., appeared in 79 games, played 2,797 minutes (35.4 avg.), made 529 of 1,264 field goal attempts (.419%) and 331 of 497 free throws (.666%) for 1,389 points (17.6 avg.), had 611 rebounds (7.7 avg.) and 333 assists (4.2 avg.)

Head Coach: Fred Schaus Regular Season Record: 36–43 2nd place in the NBA Western Division (finished 15 games out of first place) Scored 114.0 points per game to rank 7th out of 8 teams Allowed 114.1 points per game to rank 1st Led the league in fewest points allowed per game (114.1)

Review The Lakers first season in Los Angeles saw the team have a new head coach in Fred Schaus, who incorporated a fast break attack. Two of his charges from the college ranks, Rod “Hot Rod” Hundley, and rookie sensation Jerry West, were experienced in Schaus’ scheme from their playing days under him at West Virginia University. The Lakers looked to improve on a third place finish and 21 games out of first place in their final season in Minneapolis. The forward position was solid, with superstar Elgin Baylor pacing the frontcourt. Team enforcer Rudy LaRusso, Tom Hawkins, and Howie Jolliff rounded out the forward position. At guard, former All-American and 1960 Olympic gold medal winner, Jerry West, bolstered an already good backcourt consisting of Hundley, Bob Leonard, and Frank Selvy. The center position was the only spot that many felt the Lakers lacked strength. Ray Felix was not a scoring threat, and Jim Krebs lacked rebounding ability.

Regular Season Individual Statistics 24 — Gary Alcorn — Center, 6-9, 225 lbs., appeared in 20 games, played 174 minutes (8.7 avg.), made 12 of 40 field goal attempts (.300%) and 7 of 8 free throws (.875%) for 31 points (1.6 avg.), had 50 rebounds (2.5 avg.) and 2 assists (0.1 avg.) 22 — Elgin Baylor — Forward — 6-5, 225 lbs., appeared in 73 games, played 3,133 minutes (42.9 avg.), made 931 of 2,166 (2nd) field goal attempts (.430%) and 676 of 863 free throws (.783%) for 2,538

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League Leaders Elgin Baylor — minutes played (4th), field goals made (2nd), field goal attempts (2nd), free throws made (2nd), free throw attempts (2nd), total rebounds (4th), points scored (2nd), points per game avg. (2nd), rebounds per game avg. (4th)

All-NBA Elgin Baylor —1st team selection

All-Star Game Selections Elgin Baylor, Hot Rod Hundley, Jerry West

Regular Season Highlights Oct. 19—On a Wednesday night, in their first regular season game as the Los Angeles Lakers, the team loses to the Cincinnati Royals, 140–123, who set a team record for most points scored in a single game. Elgin Baylor starred for the Lakers with 35 points. Oct. 24 — In their home debut in Los Angeles, the Lakers lose to the New York Knicks, 111—101, in front of a dismal crowd of only 4,008. Oct. 25 — The Lakers finally gave the city of Los Angeles its first-ever regular season NBA victory. Playing at home, the Lakers defeated the Knicks by a 120–118 count. Nov. 15 — In New York’s Madison Square Garden, Elgin Baylor sets the NBA’s all-time single game scoring record by pumping in 71 points in a 123–108 win over the Knicks. Nov. 19 to Nov. 22 — Baylor continues on a scoring barrage over the next week, hitting for 35 against Detroit and 52 also against the Pistons on the following day. He then added 41 points to his impressive week’s work against Cincinnati on November 22 to help the Lakers win their fourth in a row. Nov. 26 — Elgin Baylor continues on his scoring blitz through the league, this time sinking 51 points against Detroit. Dec. 2 — Rookie Jerry West proved his worth by hitting on a pair of crucial shots in the final 35 seconds at Boston Garden to help the Lakers defeat the defending NBA champion Celtics, 120–117, and snap a two-game losing streak. Jan. 14—Elgin Baylor shows he was more than a scoring machine by hauling in 30 rebounds in a 123–114 victory over the Cincinnati Royals. Jan. 24 — Baylor scored 56 points against the Syracuse Nationals at home to snap a four-game slid. This win started the Lakers on a four-game winning streak, with victories coming over Syracuse (117–112), and Detroit (137–113 and 117–116). All these wins came in the friendly confines of the Los Angeles Sports Arena. Feb. 2 — With five seconds remaining in a game against St. Louis, Frank Selvy connected on a free throw to complete a second half rally that produced a 116–115 Los Angeles win. This game started the Lakers on three-game winning streak. Feb. 5 — Baylor scores 46 points against Detroit and 35 versus Cincinnati the following day. Feb. 16 — The Lakers gained a tie for second place in the

ONE : THE SEASONS Western Division thanks to a 129–106 romp over Detroit that was powered by a 57-point explosion by Elgin Baylor. Feb. 22—With a solid crowd of 13,401 on hand, Elgin Baylor sinks 38 points to beat Boston, 105–93. March 12 —The Lakers wrap up their first season in Los Angeles with an exciting 123–122 victory over Cincinnati. Jerry West got a layup with very little time remaining, and Elgin Baylor recorded a steal in the closing seconds to preserve the win. Baylor also rang up 45 points in a game that eliminated the Royals from playoff contention. Elgin Baylor’s 34.8 points per game average sets a team record.

Playoffs WESTERN DIVISION SEMI-FINALS VERSUS DETROIT PISTONS 1. March 14 at Los Angeles: In the first-ever playoff game as residents of Los Angeles, the Lakers started off their post-season history in excellent fashion. Elgin Baylor, who had been the true team leader all season long, continued on his stellar ways by scoring 40 points in a 120–102 win. 2. March 15 at Los Angeles: The Lakers’ post-season heritage in Los Angeles remained perfect, as they went up 2–0 on the Detroit Pistons with a 127–118 win. The team was led by the dynamic duo of Elgin Baylor with 49 points, and rookie Jerry West’s 31. On top of Baylor’s incredible point production, he also added a record to his resume. His 22 points in the third quarter were the most ever scored in one period at the Los Angeles Sports Arena. 3. March 17 at Detroit: The Pistons fought off elimination with a 124–113 win at home to become the first team to beat the Los Angeles Lakers in post-season play. Bob Ferry finished with 30 points, and George Lee added 23 for the Motor City. Elgin Baylor had 26 points, and Frank Selvy 22, to lead the Lakers. 4. March 18 at Detroit: Detroit refused to go away quietly, and evened the series at two games apiece with a 123–114 win as a national television audience looked on. The Lakers had a 13point lead in the first half, but Detroit rallied to close to within three at the half. The third quarter belonged to Detroit, who went into the final period with a 94–85 lead. The Pistons then matched the Lakers point for point in the fourth quarter to force a fifth and deciding game. Gene Shue led the Detroit attack with 29, and Bob Ferry hit for 24. As usual, Elgin Baylor lit the scoreboard up on a consistent basis, scoring 47 points to bring his point production for the first four game of this series to an incredible 162. 5. March 19 at Los Angeles: With 3,705 spectators rooting them on at the Shrine Auditorium, the hometown Lakers took a big lead in this deciding game and never looked back. With Elgin Baylor’s game-high 35 points, the Lakers won easily, 137–120. Jerry West added 25 points to tie Detroit’s Bob Ferry for the runner-up spot in point production, and the Lakers were on their way to the Western Division Finals.

WESTERN DIVISION FINALS VERSUS ST. LOUIS HAWKS 1. March 21 at St. Louis: The Lakers continued to ride the hot hand of Elgin Baylor, whose 44 points led Los Angeles to a

ONE : THE SEASONS 122–118 win over the Hawks. Four of Baylor’s points came in the closing 78 seconds to help secure this opening game victory. Jerry West came in second on the team with 27 points, and Bob Pettit led the Hawks with 28.1 2. March 22 at St. Louis: In a game that saw personal and technical fouls frequently called on both teams, the Hawks evened the series up with a 121–106 win. With four starters on the bench due to foul trouble, the Hawks relied on star Bob Pettit and reserves to explode in the final five minutes of the third quarter to extend their lead to 14 points. The lead grew to a 20-point bulge in the fourth, and despite Elgin Baylor’s 35 points, the Lakers could not rally.2 3. March 24 at Los Angeles: Back in the friendly confines of the City of Angels, the Lakers rebounded with a 118–112 victory to take a 2–1 series advantage. Los Angeles had built up an 11point lead going into the fourth quarter, and managed to hold off a St. Louis rally, which saw the Hawks outscore the Lakers, 34–29 in the closing stanza. Elgin Baylor’s 25 points led the Lakers, and Jerry West came in second with 23.3 4. March 25 at Los Angeles: Los Angeles State College provided the venue for the fourth game of this series, which the St. Louis Hawks won by the narrowest of margins, 118–117. With a crowd of 4,923 in attendance, St. Louis’ future Hall of Famer, Bob Pettit, hit on 15 of 26 field goal attempts en route to a 40point game. The Hawks moved out to a 106–96 advantage with just over six minutes left in the fourth quarter, in an otherwise tight contest. The Lakers then rallied back to tie it, 113–113, on an Elgin Baylor layup with 1:06 left. St. Louis then answered with five straight points, and Los Angeles could not respond, as two final attempts at the rim were short of their mark. The Lakers got spectacular performances from Jerry West (33 points), and Baylor (31 points).4 5. March 27 at St. Louis: This game provided sports broadcasting history, when legendary announcer Chick Hearn called his first-ever Lakers game with 9,322 in the stands of St. Louis’ Kiel Auditorium. Hearn’s initial game proved to be an excellent one for the team, as Los Angeles won, 121–112, to take a 3–2 series lead. Down by three at the half, the Lakers ran off a 28–17 third quarter advantage, and never looked back. Elgin Baylor exploded for 47 points, and Jerry West added 24.5 6. March 29 at Los Angeles: It was claimed that the magic voice of Chick Hearn transmitted back to LA two days earlier, provided a spark to the team’s following in their new city. With a record-setting crowd of 14,843 for Game Six on hand to see if the Lakers could clinch a berth in the NBA Finals, the Hawks spoiled the party with a 114–113 overtime win thanks to a Bob Pettit basket with 12 ticks left on the clock in the extra period. The Lakers fought hard to come back after being down by 13 at the beginning of the fourth quarter. They rallied to lead, 100–97, with 45 seconds to go, but Lenny Wilkens saved the day for St. Louis by connecting on a trio of free throws to force overtime. With two minutes remaining in overtime, Los Angeles led by three, but Elgin Baylor was forced to leave the game at that stage after fouling out. He led the Lakers with 39 points. The Hawks then led by one with 60 ticks on the clock left. Jerry West then scored two of his 24 points on a layup to give LA a 111–110 advantage with 27 seconds to go. It was then that Pettit hit on the game winner, and Al Ferrari added two free throws as insurance with six seconds left.6

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7. April 1 at St. Louis: The dream of a world championship bid in their first season in Los Angeles ended for the Lakers by a mere two points. Bob Pettit’s 31 points led the way for the Hawks in a 105–103 victory that allowed them to retain their Western Division crown, and send St. Louis to the NBA Finals for the fourth time in five seasons. Elgin Baylor capped off a magnificent post-season by scoring 39 to give him a total of 260 points in this series. The Lakers also received a great performance from Jerry West, who scored 29 points in a close game that saw the lead change hands 10 times in the third quarter. The Lakers might have lost in their attempt to advance to the NBA Finals, but they were winners in the fact that their new city was ready to embrace them with a passion virtually unequalled in the league.7

Individual Playoff Statistics Baylor — appeared in 12 games, played 540 minutes (45.0 avg.), scored 457 points (38.1 avg.), had 183 rebounds (15.3 avg.) and 55 assists (4.6 avg.) Felix — appeared in 12 games, played 339 minutes (28.3 avg.), scored 122 points (10.2 avg.), had 125 rebounds (10.4 avg.) and 10 assists (0.8 avg.) Hawkins—appeared in 12 games, played 283 minutes (23.6 avg.), scored 139 points (11.6 avg.), had 76 rebounds (6.3 avg.) and 13 assists (1.1 avg.) Hundley—appeared in 12 games, played 287 minutes (23.9 avg.), scored 80 points (6.7 avg.), had 41 rebounds (3.4 avg.) and 45 assists (3.8 avg.) Jolliff— appeared in 4 games, played 35 minutes (8.8 avg.), scored 12 points (3.0 avg.), had 25 rebounds (6.3 avg.) and 8 assists (2.0 avg.) Krebs — appeared in 12 games, played 183 minutes (15.3 avg.), scored 46 points (3.8 avg.), had 60 rebounds (5.0 avg.) and 9 assists (0.8 avg.) LaRusso — appeared in 12 games, played 360 minutes (30.0 avg.), scored 146 points (12.2 avg.), had 96 rebounds (8.0 avg.) and 24 assists (2.0 avg.) Leonard — appeared in 7 games, played 46 minutes (6.6 avg.), scored 11 points (1.6 avg.), had 6 rebounds (0.9 avg.) and 12 assists (1.7 avg.) Selvy — appeared in 12 games, played 371 minutes (30.9 avg.), scored 123 points (10.3 avg.), had 44 rebounds (3.7 avg.) and 50 assists (4.2 avg.) West — appeared in 12 games, played 461 minutes (38.4 avg.), scored 275 points (22.9 avg.), had 104 rebounds (8.7 avg.) and 63 assists (5.3 avg.)

1961-62 Head Coach: Fred Schaus Regular Season Record: 54–26 1st place in the NBA Western Division (finished in first place by 11 games) Scored 118.5 points per game to rank 6th out of 9 teams Allowed 116.3 points per game to rank 2nd Led the league in free throw made (2,378) and free throw attempts (3,240)

Review Despite logging in the most travel time of any NBA team throughout the previous season, the Lakers came only one game shy of a division title and an NBA Finals berth. For this reason, optimism was high for a successful 1961-62 season, and the com-

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bination of forward Elgin Baylor and second-year guard Jerry West, played a major part in the excitement. Baylor was a scoring machine and defensive terror. Unfortunately, he was only able to play in weekend games throughout a portion of the season due to military service in the Army Reserves. The good news was that he was extremely effective when he did play, and West was on the verge of superstardom as a threat every time he touched the ball. West was also a top-notch defender. Helping this dynamic duo out at forward were solid scorer and rebounder Rudy LaRusso and Tom Hawkins. Guard Frank Selvy served in the backcourt with West, and like his star teammate, Selvy was also strong defensively and a good shooter. Like in the previous season, the Lakers’ weakness was at the center position, where Ray Felix and Jim Krebs were not dominant enough to compete with the league’s other pivot men. It was claimed that this Lakers squad was strong enough to win the title if it had a quality center that could go head-to-head with the likes of premier big men Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain.

Gone from the Previous Season Gary Alcorn — waived by the Lakers on December 15, 1960 Ron Johnson — released by the Lakers Bob Leonard — taken in the expansion draft by the Chicago Packers — April 26, 1961

Regular Season Individual Statistics 22 — Elgin Baylor — Forward — 6-5, 225 lbs., appeared in 48 games, played 2,129 minutes (44.4 avg.), made 680 of 1588 field goal attempts (.428%) and 476 of 631 free throws (.754%) for 1,836 points (38.3 avg.), had 892 rebounds (18.6 avg.) and 222 assists (4.6 avg.) 14 — Ray Felix — Center — 6-11, 220 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 1,478 minutes (18.5 avg.), made 171 of 398 field goal attempts (.430%) and 90 of 130 free throws (.692%) for 432 points (5.4 avg.), had 473 rebounds (5.9 avg.) and 55 assists (0.7 avg.) 20— Tom Hawkins — Forward — 6-5, 210 lbs., appeared in 79 games, played 1,903 minutes (24.1 avg.), made 289 of 704 field goal attempts (.411%) and 143 of 222 free throws (.644%) for 721 points (9.1 avg.), had 514 rebounds (6.5 avg.) and 95 assists (1.2 avg.) 33 — Rod (Hot Rod) Hundley — Guard — 6-4, 185 lbs., appeared in 78 games, played 1,492 minutes (19.1 avg.), made 173 of 509 field goal attempts (.340%) and 83 of 127 free throws (.654%) for 429 points (5.5 avg.), had 199 rebounds (2.6 avg.) and 290 assists (3.7 avg.) 54 — Howie Jolliff— Forward/Center — 6-7, 218 lbs., appeared in 64 games, played 1,094 minutes (17.1 avg.), made 104 of 253 field goal attempts (.411%) and 41 of 78 free throws (.526%) for 249 points (3.9 avg.), had 383 rebounds (6.0 avg.) and 76 assists (1.2 avg.) 32—Jim Krebs—Center/Forward—6-8, 230 lbs., appeared in 78 games, played 2,012 minutes (25.8 avg.), made 312 of 701 field goal attempts (.445%) and 156 of 208 free throws (.750%) for 780 points (10.0 avg.), had 514 rebounds (7.9 avg.) and 95 assists (1.4 avg.) 35 — Rudy LaRusso — Forward/Center — 6-7, 220 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 2,754 minutes (34.4 avg.), made 516 of 1,108 field goal attempts (.466%) and 342 of 448 free throws (.763%) for 1,374 points (17.2 avg.), had 828 rebounds (10.4 avg.) and 179 assists (2.2 avg.) 52—Bob McNeill—Guard—6-1, 170 lbs., appeared in 29 games, played 229 minutes (7.9 avg.), made 22 of 60 field goal attempts (.367%) and 8 of 12 free throws (.667%) for 52 points (1.8 avg.), had 23 rebounds (0.8 avg.) and 40 assists (1.4 avg.) 11—Frank Selvy—Guard/Forward—6-3, 180 lbs., appeared in 79 games, played 2,806 minutes (35.5 avg.), made 433 of 1,032 field goal

ONE : THE SEASONS attempts (.420%) and 298 of 404 free throws (.738%) for 1,164 points (14.7 avg.), had 412 rebounds (5.2 avg.) and 381 assists (4.8 avg.) 24 — Bob Sims — Guard/Forward — 6-5, 220 lbs., appeared in 19 games, played 171 minutes (9.0 avg.), made 22 of 59 field goal attempts (.373%) and 19 of 39 free throws (.487%) for 63 points (3.3 avg.), had 27 rebounds (1.4 avg.) and 12 assists (0.6 avg.) 21— Bobby Smith — Guard — 6-4, 190 lbs., appeared in 3 games, played 7 minutes (2.3 avg.), made 0 of 1 field goal attempts and no free throw attempts. 44 — Jerry West — Guard — 6-2, 175 lbs., appeared in 75 games, played 3,087 minutes (41.2 avg.), made 799 of 1,795 field goal attempts (.445%) and 712 of 926 free throws (.769%) for 2,310 points (30.8 avg.), had 591 rebounds (7.9 avg.) and 402 assists (5.4 avg.) 55 — Wayne Yates — Center — 6-8, 235 lbs., appeared in 37 games, played 263 minutes (7.1 avg.), made 31 of 105 field goal attempts (.295%) and 10 of 22 free throws (.455%) for 72 points (1.9 avg.), had 94 rebounds (2.5 avg.) and 16 assists (0.4 avg.)

League Leaders Jerry West — free throws made (2nd), free throw attempts (2nd), points scored (5th), Points per game (4th)

All-NBA Elgin Baylor —1st team selection Jerry West —1st team selection

All-Star Game Selections Elgin Baylor, Rudy LaRusso, Frank Selvy, Jerry West

Regular Season Highlights Dec. 8 — Elgin Baylor scores 63 points in a 151–147 triple overtime win against Philadelphia. Dec. 11—Elgin Baylor scores 52 points in a 132–119 win over St. Louis. Dec. 13 — Elgin Baylor scores 52 points in a 137–136 overtime win against St. Louis. Jan. 17—Jerry West scores 63 points in a 129–121 win against New York. Jan. 24 — Jerry West scores 50 points in a 136–123 win against Cincinnati. March 14 —Rudy LaRusso scores 50 points in a 125–115 win against St. Louis.

Playoffs WESTERN DIVISION FINALS VERSUS DETROIT PISTONS 1. March 24 at Los Angeles: The Lakers were back in the post-season, and once again had to get past the Detroit Pistons in the opening round for a chance to capture the NBA title. They made good strides in that quest with a convincing 132–108 win in the first game of the division finals. Los Angeles separated themselves from the Pistons in the second stanza after a close first quarter that saw the Lakers clinging to a one-point advantage. Led by Elgin Baylor and Jerry West, and Rudy LaRusso, the

ONE : THE SEASONS Lakers then opened up a 67–58 halftime bulge and never looked back. Baylor led all scorers with 35 points, and hauled in 17 rebounds. With the game secured in the waning stages, Baylor was taken out to the sound of a frenzied standing ovation from the home crowd of 7,902 at the Sports Arena. West added 25 points, and LaRusso 23 to the Lakers’ lopsided victory.1 2. March 25 at Los Angeles: In virtually the same fashion as the Lakers won the day before, they once again beat the Pistons, this time by a 127–112 final. After leading by 13 at the half, the Lakers matched Detroit, basket for basket throughout the second half to take a 2–0 series lead. Jerry West led all scorers with 40 points, and Elgin Baylor pitched in with 29 to help the Lakers’ cause.2 3. March 27 at Detroit: The Lakers took a giant step in their attempt to gain their first NBA Finals berth since moving to Los Angeles. With a 111–106 win, the Lakers took a commanding 3–0 series lead with Elgin Baylor’s 34 points, and Jerry West’s 25 pacing an attack that never saw Los Angeles relinquish the lead at any time.3 4. March 29 at Detroit: The Pistons held off elimination by the slimmest of margins, winning 118–117. Detroit held the lead since the first quarter and got key performances from bench players John Egan (21 points), Bob Ferry (19 points), and Willie Jones (17 points). Ten of Jones’ points came in the fourth quarter to help hold off an onslaught led by Elgin Baylor and Jerry West. The Lakers’ superstar duo pumped in 30 of the team’s fourth quarter points, and almost rallied their team to a series sweep. For the game, Baylor scored 45 points, and West 41.4 5. March 31 at Los Angeles: The Pistons were beginning to create headlines, as they once again warded off elimination with a 132–125 victory that cut the Lakers’ series advantage to 3–2. In a game that proved to be the first time the Pistons beat Los Angeles at the Sports Arena, Detroit built up a 30-point lead, and were led by Willie Jones’ 27 points, and Bailey Howell’s 23. Elgin Baylor was brilliant even in defeat, scoring a team-high 37 points.5 6. April 3 at Detroit: It was finally over, as the Lakers sent Detroit into the off-season after defeating them, 123–117. In what turned out to be the deciding game after two straight losses, the Lakers were led by Elgin Baylor and Jerry West, who each accounted for 38 points. After building what appeared to be an insurmountable 24-point lead, the Lakers had to hold on in the final minute when Detroit came all the way back to tie it at 117all. Baylor then hit on a jumper, West on two free throws, and Wayne Yates added a two-pointer to secure the Lakers’ first-ever trip to the NBA Finals as representatives of Los Angeles.6

NBA FINALS VERSUS BOSTON 1. April 7 at Boston: The Boston Celtics opened defense of their NBA championship at Boston Garden in what was the dawn of one of professional sports greatest rivalries. The Celtics were coming off a tough seven-game Eastern Division Final series against Philadelphia. They clinched the series with a hard-fought, 109–107, win two days before the start of the NBA Finals, and appeared to be sluggish in this opening game against the Lakers. The Celtics were still the champs, and managed to rally behind the ball-handling wizardry of Bob Cousy, the incredible defensive skills of center Bill Russell, and a 24-point performance from Sam Jones, to capture a 122–108 victory. The Lakers came out and

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1961-62 took an early nine-point lead, but the Celtics came back to go into the second half, up 60–52. Los Angeles looked to come back late in the third quarter, but a six point surge by Frank Ramsey, who was hampered with a leg injury, held off the Lakers much to the joy of 7,467 Boston fans. Elgin Baylor provided the offensive spark for the Lakers with 35 points.7 2. April 8 at Boston: The tandem of Elgin Baylor and Jerry West came up to conquer the defending champs on their own floor with a 129–122 win to even the series at one game apiece. Known for their defensive prowess, the Celtics were stunned by the hot shooting of Elgin Baylor and Jerry West. West got the Lakers off to a good start by pumping in the team’s first 11 points, and he finished with 40 for the game. Baylor, on leave from the Army, served his Los Angeles comrades just fine by adding 35. However, the Celtics were not going down easy, especially in front of the home crowd. Trailing by 24 points halfway through the third quarter, they managed to gain a 112–111 advantage in the fourth period. Baylor then dropped in a jump shot that gave the lead back to the Lakers, who never trailed after that. Rudy LaRusso helped the LA cause with 24 points. Free throw accuracy also played a key factor in this game, as Los Angeles converted on 23 of 24 attempts, while Boston could only muster nine of 17.8 3. April 10 at Los Angeles: The series shifted to Los Angeles for the next two games, and a record crowd of 15,180 were on hand at the Sports Arena to witness the first-ever NBA Finals game in Los Angeles. The Lakers did not disappoint, winning, 117–115, to take a 2–1 series lead in true Hollywood fashion. Jerry West was the star of the festivities, as he sank four points in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter to tie things up at 115-all. With four seconds left in regulation, Boston’s Sam Jones then attempted to inbound a pass to Bob Cousy for one final shot at the basket. West intercepted the ball on the dead run, and he dug deep for all the extra speed he could muster. As the buzzer sounded, his layup went through the net, amidst frenzied celebration from the hometown throng.9 4. April 11 at Los Angeles: It was back to even ground for Boston thanks to a 115–103 victory. Boston’s performance was a true team effort based on accurate shooting, stellar rebounding, and a devastating defensive effort. The Celtics never relinquished the lead from opening tipoff to final buzzer, and six of their players hit for double figures. Bill Russell scored the game’s first basket and the team with 21 points. Other Celtics who accounted for double figure scoring were Tom Heinsohn (19), Tom Sanders (18), Bob Cousy (17), Sam Jones (14), and K.C. Jones (12).10 5. April 14 at Boston: Boston Garden was the site of many exciting moments throughout its time serving as an NBA venue. On April 14, 1962, Elgin Baylor added his name to the hallowed arena’s lineage of greatness. In a 126–121 Los Angeles victory, Baylor assumed the highest spot on the all-time list of singlegame playoff scoring with 61 points. The old record was held by Bob Pettit’s 50-point performance for the St. Louis Hawks against Boston in 1958. Baylor also hauled in 22 rebounds on his incredible day. If it were not for Baylor’s sizzling hand, the Celtics more than likely would have walked away with this one. Throughout this game, the Celtics used their fantastic teamwork to keep things close, but in the end, Baylor’s performance was too much. Right from the start, “Mr. Inside” smoked the nets for 18 of his team’s 31 points, and had 33 by the half. In the closing 54 seconds,

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ONE : THE SEASONS

Baylor’s hot hand was never so appreciated more than at that time. Down, 116–114, Baylor hit for six of his points to give LA a 120– 117 advantage. Jerry West then cemented the win with 16 seconds left, and the Lakers held on by the slimmest of margins at 122– 121. West landed two free throws, and then nailed a jump shot as the clock ran out to run his game total to 24 points. The win gave Los Angeles a 3–2 series lead, and needing just one more win to take the crown away from the Celtics.11 6. April 16 at Los Angeles: The heart of a champion was tested when the Celtics traveled across the country in an attempt to stave off elimination and the possibility of giving up their league supremacy. Their championship hearts never beat louder, as the Celtics rallied from an eight-point halftime deficit to win, 119– 105. Sam Jones led the Boston resurgence by nailing five buckets at the beginning of the third quarter. The rest of the Celtics responded to Jones’ lead, and outscored the Lakers, 34–18, in the third quarter. Jones’ 35 points were good to take game-high honors, and helped Boston even the series and set up a seventh and deciding game back at Boston Garden two days later.12 7. April 18 at Boston: The Lakers had the champs on the ropes, and on the verge of a knockout four days earlier. In front of a sold out Boston Garden throng, the Celtics came all the way back to wrap up their fourth straight NBA title, and fifth in the previous six years. However, it was not easy, as the Lakers battled into overtime before falling by a 110–107 count in one of the best NBA Finals. The Celtics were in command for most of regulation. Frank Selvy allowed the Lakers to keep fighting by scoring four points in the final 40 seconds of the fourth quarter to make a 100all affair at the buzzer. Unfortunately, despite Selvy’s great effort to keep the Lakers close, he could have won the title with five seconds left. Coach Fred Schaus called time out to discuss his plan. Not surprisingly, Elgin Baylor was the coach’s first choice to get the ball at such a critical time. It then fell to Jerry West if Baylor was covered. Beyond that, it was up to anyone in the open to take a shot. Hot Rod Hundley had the ball, and looked to Baylor or West, who were both covered. Selvy was open on the left baseline after Bob Cousy dashed over to double team West. Hundley quickly passed the ball to Selvy as Cousy attempted to get back to cover him. Selvy was virtually dead on from seven or eight feet away, but this time, his shot hit off the rim and sailed into the arms of Boston’s Bill Russell as the buzzer sounded to force overtime. The Celtics felt that they escaped the closest call in ending their dynasty, and then made distance between themselves and the Lakers in the overtime period. Sam Jones led the way with five points in the extra stanza, and Boston held on to win. Jones finished with 27 points, and Bill Russell set two NBA Finals records. His 44 rebounds set a single-game NBA Finals record, and his total of 189 rebounds in a seven game series still reigns supreme in the record books as of 2011. He also scored a teamhigh 30 points. As for the Lakers, the loss was naturally a crushing blow, considering how close they came to victory. Elgin Baylor led all scorers with 41, and Jerry West came in second with 35.13

Felix — appeared in 13 games, played 242 minutes (18.6 avg.), scored 84 points (6.5 avg.), had 77 rebounds (5.9 avg.) and 7 assists (0.5 avg.) Hawkins — appeared in 13 games, played 203 minutes (15.6 avg.), scored 54 points (4.2 avg.), had 66 rebounds (5.1 avg.) and 19 assists (1.5 avg.) Hundley — appeared in 12 games, played 187 minutes (15.6 avg.), scored 23 points (1.9 avg.), had 18 rebounds (1.5 avg.) and 32 assists (2.7 avg.) Jolliff— appeared in 9 games, played 77 minutes (8.6 avg.), scored 12 points (1.3 avg.), had 28 rebounds (3.1 avg.) and 7 assists (0.8 avg.) Krebs — appeared in 11 games, played 327 minutes (29.7 avg.), scored 82 points (7.5 avg.), had 102 rebounds (9.3 avg.) and 21 assists (1.9 avg.) LaRusso — appeared in 13 games, played 461 minutes (35.5 avg.), scored 183 points (14.1 avg.), had 118 rebounds (9.1 avg.) and 22 assists (1.7 avg.) McNeill — appeared in 5 games, played 30 minutes (6.0 avg.), scored 9 points (1.8 avg.), had 6 rebounds (1.2 avg.) and 5 assists (1.0 avg.) Selvy — appeared in 13 games, played 478 minutes (36.8 avg.), scored 165 points (12.7 avg.), had 73 rebounds (5.6 avg.) and 65 assists (5.0 avg.) West — appeared in 13 games, played 557 minutes (42.8 avg.), scored 409 points (31.5 avg.), had 88 rebounds (6.8 avg.) and 57 assists (4.4 avg.) Yates—appeared in 4 games, played 12 minutes (3.0 avg.), scored 7 points (1.8 avg.), had 5 rebounds (1.3 avg.) and 1 assist (0.3 avg.)

Individual Playoff Statistics

Regular Season Individual Statistics

Baylor — appeared in 13 games, played 571 minutes (43.9 avg.), scored 502 points (38.6 avg.), had 230 rebounds (17.7 avg.) and 47 assists (3.6 avg.)

5 — Dick Barnett — Guard/Forward — 6-4, 190 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 2,544 minutes (31.8 avg.), made 547 of 1,162 field goal attempts (.471%) and 343 of 421 free throws (.815%) for 1,437 points

1962-63 Head Coach: Fred Schaus Regular Season Record: 53–27 1st place in the NBA Western Division (finished in first place by five games) Scored 115.5 points per game to rank 5th out of 9 teams Allowed 112.4 points per game to rank 3rd

Review It was believed that the Lakers of this time were on the verge of replacing the Boston Celtics as perennial champions of the NBA. Going into his third pro season, guard Jerry West was becoming a force with many years still ahead of him. However, a leg injury forced West to miss 27 games, but Elgin Baylor returned to full-time action after missing close to half of the previous season due to serving in the Army Reserve, to help carry the team to another division title.

Gone from the Previous Season Ray Felix — released by the Lakers Tom Hawkins — traded to the Cincinnati Royals on August 14, 1962 Bob McNeill — released by the Lakers Robert J. Smith — released by the Lakers Wayne Yates — released by the Lakers

ONE : THE SEASONS

1962-63

15

(18.0 avg.), had 242 rebounds (3.0 avg.) and 224 assists (2.8 avg.) 22 — Elgin Baylor — Forward — 6-5, 225 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 3,370 minutes (42.1 avg.), made 1,029 of 2273 field goal attempts (.453%) and 661 of 790 free throws (.837%) for 2,719 points (34.0 avg.), 1,146 rebounds (14.3 avg.) and 386 assists (4.8 avg.) 25 — LeRoy Ellis — Center/Forward — 6-10, 210 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 1,628 minutes (20.4 avg.), made 222 of 530 field goal attempts (.419%) and 133 of 202 free throws (.658%) for 577 points (7.2 avg.), 518 rebounds (6.5 avg.) and 46 assists (0.6 avg.) 24—Ron Horn—Forward—6-7, 220 lbs., appeared in 28 games, played 289 minutes (10.3 avg.), made 27 of 82 field goal attempts (.329%) 20 of 29 and free throws (.690%) for 74 points (2.6 avg.), had 71 rebounds (2.5 avg.) and 10 assists (0.4 avg.) 33 — Rod (Hot Rod) Hundley — Guard — 6-4, 185 lbs., appeared in 65 games, played 785 minutes (12.1 avg.), made 88 of 262 field goal attempts (.336%) and 84 of 119 free throws (.706%) for 260 points (4.0 avg.), had 106 rebounds (1.6 avg.) and 151 assists (2.3 avg.) 54 — Howie Jolliff— Forward/Center — 6-7, 218 lbs., appeared in 28 games, played 293 minutes (10.5 avg.), made 15 of 55 field goal attempts (.273%) and 6 of 9 free throws (.667%) for 36 points (1.3 avg.), had 62 rebounds (2.2 avg.) and 20 assists (0.7 avg.) 32—Jim Krebs—Center/Forward—6-8, 230 lbs., appeared in 79 games, played 1,913 minutes (24.2 avg.), made 272 of 627 field goal attempts (.434%) and 115 of 154 free throws (.747%) for 659 points (8.3 avg.), had 502 rebounds (6.4 avg.) and 87 assists (1.1) 35 — Rudy LaRusso — Forward/Center — 6-7, 220 lbs., appeared in 75 games, played 2,505 minutes (33.4 avg.), made 321 of 761 field goal attempts (.422%) and 282 of 393 free throws (.718%) for 924 points (12.3 avg.), had 747 rebounds (10.0 avg.) and 187 assists (2.5 avg.) 11—Frank Selvy—Guard/Forward—6-3, 180 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 2,369 minutes (29.6 avg.), made 317 of 747 field goal attempts (.424%) and 192 of 269 free throws (.714%) for 826 points (10.3 avg.), had 289 rebounds (3.6 avg.) and 281 assists (3.5 avg.) 44 — Jerry West — Guard — 6-2, 175 lbs., appeared in 55 games, played 2,163 minutes (39.3 avg.), made 559 of 1,213 field goal attempts (.461%) and 371 of 477 free throws (.778%) for 1,489 points (27.1 avg.), had 384 rebounds (7.0 avg.) and 307 assists (5.6 avg.) 12—Gene Wiley—Center—6-10, 210 lbs., appeared in 75 games, played 1,488 minutes (19.8 avg.), made 109 of 236 field goal attempts (.462%) and 23 of 68 free throws (.338%) for 241 points (3.2 avg.), had 504 rebounds (6.7 avg.) and 40 assists (0.5 avg.)

League Leaders Elgin Baylor — minutes played (4th), field goals made (2nd), field goal attempts (2nd), free throws made (2nd), free throw attempts (4th), free throw percentage (3rd), rebounds (5th), assists (5th), points (2nd), minutes per game (4th), points per game (2nd), rebounds per game (5th)

All-NBA Elgin Baylor —1st team selection Jerry West —1st team selection

All-Star Game Selections Elgin Baylor, Rudy LaRusso, Jerry West

Regular Season Highlights Dec. 12 — Elgin Baylor scores 50 points in a 126–120 win over the Syracuse Nationals.

Dec. 14 — The Elgin Baylor show continues, as the superstar forward connects for 51 points in a 120–118 win against San Francisco. Dec. 15 — Elgin Baylor enjoyed scoring against the Warriors so much that he pumped in 52 points in 113–104 win over San Francisco the following day after hitting for 51. This victory was the Lakers’ fourth straight in a streak that would reach six. Dec. 21— In a 105–100 loss to St. Louis, Elgin Baylor sets a career-high by making 20 out of 21 free throw attempts. Feb. 13 — In a 134–128 win over fierce rival, the Boston Celtics, Elgin Baylor scores 50 points to continue on his incredible season.

Playoffs WESTERN DIVISION FINALS VERSUS ST. LOUIS 1. March 31 at Los Angeles: The defending Western Division champion Lakers began their quest to repeat as conquerors in fine fashion. Led by Jerry West’s 27 points, Los Angeles won, 112–104, to take their first step in returning to the NBA Finals. This was West’s first game back after suffering a hamstring injury in early February, and it appeared that he was ready for the challenge. Elgin Baylor added 21 points, and Dick Barnett 20, as the Lakers never trailed at the end of any quarter.1 2. April 2 at Los Angeles: Jerry West was once again the man, this time in front of 11,225 Lakers fans. With three seconds remaining, he stole the ball from Cliff Hagan and nailed a jump shot from 20 feet away as the buzzer sounded to give the Lakers a 101–99 victory, and a 2–0 advantage in the series. West finished with 22 points, and Elgin Baylor led the Lakers with 29 in a game that was close throughout the fourth quarter.2 3. April 4 at St. Louis: With their backs to the wall, the Hawks rebounded at home to win, 125–112, on the strength of a 33-point performance by Bob Pettit. St. Louis never gave up the lead from the opening quarter, but the Lakers managed to cut the advantage to five points in the fourth. Pettit then stymied any hopes the Lakers might have had about a comeback, when he connected on five consecutive baskets to clinch the game. Elgin Baylor led all scorers with 34 points, and Dick Barnett came in second on the Lakers with 20.3 4. April 6 at St. Louis: Home court advantage was apparent in this series, as St. Louis evened things up with a 124–114 victory. The Lakers were up, 59–46, going into the second half, but an explosive 45-point third period barrage gave the Hawks a 91–81 lead going into the fourth quarter. The teams matched each other point for point in the final period, which never allowed the Lakers to catch up. The Hawks were paced by Cliff Hagan’s 33 points, with 19 of them coming in the third quarter. Bob Pettit added 30. Jerry West tied Hagan for game-high honors with 33 points for Los Angeles, and Elgin Baylor scored 26 and Rudy LaRusso 21.4 5. April 7 at Los Angeles: With a record crowd of 15,212 on hand, the Lakers gave their faithful reason to celebrate during and after a 123–96 mauling over the Hawks. They jumped all over St. Louis from the opening tipoff, building a 57–43 lead at the half, and then continued to pour it on, especially in the third period, when they outscored the Hawks by 16 points. Elgin Baylor

1962-63 led all scorers with 37 points, and Jerry West came in a close second with 30. The Lakers’ defense also did a great job in preventing Cliff Hagan from getting untracked. Throughout the first four games, he averaged 27.6 points per game, but was held to a mere three points, all coming on free throws.5 6. April 9 at St. Louis: The series shifted back to St. Louis, and just like in all the previous contests, the home team came away victorious. After spotting the Lakers a one-point lead at the end of the first quarter, the Hawks ran off 13 straight points to start the second period, and never looked back. Los Angeles did attempt a comeback, and cut a 16-point deficit down to three in the final few minutes, but Bob Pettit staved off the rally by sinking five insurance points to preserve a 121–113 win for the Gateway City. Despite the loss, the duo of Elgin Baylor and Jerry West continued to impress the basketball world. Baylor hit for a gamehigh 39 points, while West dropped in 28.6 7. April 11 at Los Angeles: With the series coming back to Los Angeles for the deciding game, it seemed obvious the Lakers would have an edge in a series that saw the home team win every time. It held true in this one as well. Los Angeles came out strong, and lead at the end of the first three quarters, and matched St. Louis point-for-point in the fourth, to clinch their second straight Western Division title with a 115–100 victory. With a Sports Arena crowd of 14,864 looking on, Elgin Baylor led the attack with a game-high 35 points, and Jerry West chipped in with 27. The Lakers took a two-point lead in the opening quarter when Rudy LaRusso hit on two free throws, and never looked back.7

NBA FINALS VERSUS BOSTON 1. April 14 at Boston: After beginning taken the distance in their perspective division finals, the Celtics and Lakers once again squared off to determine if Boston would retain the NBA crown, or if it would make a cross-country trek to the sunny climes of Los Angeles. The opening round of the 1963 Finals went to the champs, as Boston won, 117–114, thanks to a pair of Tommy Heinsohn baskets in the closing seconds. This series was the last one in the illustrious career of ball-handling wizard Bob Cousy. The 34-year-old was on the cusp of winning his sixth NBA title in the past seven years, and this game gave him a milestone by being the 104th playoff contest of his career, which set a then–NBA record.8 2. April 16 at Boston: The Celtics were halfway to claiming another NBA title when they beat the Lakers, 113–106, to take a 2–0 series lead as the festivities shifted to Los Angeles for at least the next two games. Leading Boston on this day were Bill Russell (38 rebounds), Sam Jones (27 points) and Tommy Heinsohn (25 points).9 3. April 17 at Los Angeles: The Lakers fought back to take the third game on their own court, in front of 15, 493 at the Sports arena, by a 119–99 count. With Jerry West (42 points), and Elgin Baylor (38 points) leading the attack, the Lakers gained a double-digit advantage halfway through the first quarter and never looked back.10 4. April 19 at Los Angeles: The Lakers were overwhelmed in the early stages, finding themselves down, 23–7 but they were never able to get an advantage despite a valiant effort in the final period. With slightly less than two minutes remaining in regula-

16

ONE : THE SEASONS tion, Los Angeles had almost worked their way back, trailing by a mere five points. However, Boston held on for a 108–105 win that was led by 35 points from Tommy Heinsohn. The Celtics were in command of this series, building a nearly invincible three games to one lead.11 5. April 21 at Boston: Boston coach Red Auerbach beamed with confidence following the fourth game, telling the media that his Celtics never fell in three straight games, which was the number the Lakers needed to take the title away from Boston. Undaunted by the odds stacked against them, the Lakers took to the legendary parquet floor of Boston Garden, and conquered the champs, 126–119. Leading the way were once again the tandem of Elgin Baylor (43 points) and Jerry West (32 points).12 6. April 24 at Los Angeles: The passion felt for the Lakers was proven as the city geared up for the sixth game. A crowd of 5,000 rushed to buy tickets, but the game was already sold out. To accommodate this surge of fans, the Lakers offered to show the game on closed-circuit television for $2.50 a person. As tipoff got the game under way, 6,000 strong were watching the game via closed-circuit TV, and 15,521 were crammed into the Sports Arena. Many in the media felt that the Celtics were ripe for the picking now that they failed to clinch the series on their own court. It was said that Boston was a tired group of veterans, and were ready to give way to the young guns that Los Angeles possessed. With delegates from the Hollywood set among the spectators, the Celtics came out to prove they were not washed up. With a sizzling hand of rookie John Havlicek accounting for 11 consecutive points, Boston was able to get out to a 14-point advantage by the half. The Lakers came back to close the gap to nine with only one minute expired in the fourth quarter. It was then that Bob Cousy suffered an ankle sprain that forced him to the bench. Los Angeles took advantage of Cousy resting his ankle, and cut the Boston lead to 100–99 with five minutes to go. Cousy knew his services were needed, and came back in an attempt to hold off the onslaught. With Boston up, 104–102, and the clock winding down, Tommy Heinsohn stole a pass intended for Rudy LaRusso from Jerry West. Heinsohn turned the steal into two points, and from that point, Cousy controlled the ball and managed the clock. His mastery worked to perfection, as Cousy was in possession of the ball as time ran out. He then tossed the ball toward the rafters in jubilation, as the final championship of his career was secured with a 112–109 victory.13

Individual Playoff Statistics Barnett — appeared in 13 games, played 370 minutes (28.5 avg.), scored 219 points (16.8 avg.), had 38 rebounds (2.9 avg.) and 21 assists (1.6 avg.) Baylor — appeared in 13 games, played 562 minutes (43.2 avg.), scored 424 points (32.6 avg.), had 177 rebounds (13.6 avg.) and 58 assists (4.5 avg.) Ellis — appeared in 13 games, played 302 minutes (23.2 avg.), scored 81 points (6.2 avg.), had 85 rebounds (6.5 avg.) and 13 assists (1.0 avg.) Horn — appeared in 7 games, played 55 minutes (7.9 avg.), scored 12 points (1.7 avg.), had 11 rebounds (1.6 avg.) and 2 assists (0.3 avg.) Hundley — appeared in 7 games, played 34 minutes (4.9 avg.), scored 9 points (1.3 avg.), had 6 rebounds (0.9 avg.) and 5 assists (0.7 avg.) Krebs — appeared in 13 games, played 199 minutes (15.3 avg.), scored 42 points (3.2 avg.), had 40 rebounds (3.1 avg.) and 4 assists (0.3 avg.)

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LaRusso — appeared in 13 games, played 465 minutes (35.8 avg.), scored 187 points (14.4 avg.), had 127 rebounds (9.8 avg.) and 28 assists (2.2 avg.) Selvy — appeared in 13 games, played 317 minutes (24.4 avg.), scored 103 points (7.9 avg.), had 45 rebounds (3.5 avg.) and 36 assists (2.8 avg.) West — appeared in 13 games, played 538 minutes (41.4 avg.), scored 362 points (27.8 avg.), had 106 rebounds (8.2 avg.) and 61 assists (4.7 avg.) Wiley — appeared in 9 games, played 278 minutes (30.9 avg.), scored 30 points (3.3 avg.), had 97 rebounds (10.8 avg.) and 11 assists (1.2 avg.)

1963-64 Head Coach — Fred Schaus Regular Season Record: 42–38 3rd place in the NBA Western Division (finished six games out of first place) Scored 109.7 points per game to rank 7th out of 9 teams Allowed 108.7 points per game to rank 4th Led the league in free throws made (2,230) and free throw percentage (.766%)

Review The Lakers were once again a very solid running team with Jerry West and Elgin Baylor leading the attack. However, a broken thumb hampered West, and Baylor suffered from leg and knee troubles. These injuries hurt the team after an impressive 31–19 start. They then finished with an 11–19 record the rest of the way. The center position still was a concern, as Gene Wiley had the ability to reject shots but had problems scoring. Jim Krebs, on the other hand, could score but his jumping ability was not the best. If the Lakers could have merged the two, they would have had a perfect pivot man. The team also had guard/forward Dick Barnett, who earned a reputation as one of the elite players coming off the bench.

15 — Mel Gibson — Guard — 6-3, 180 lbs., appeared in 9 games, played 53 minutes (5.9 avg.), made 6 of 20 field goal attempts (.300%) and 1 of 2 free throws (.500%) for 13 points (1.4 avg.), had 4 rebounds (0.4 avg.) and 6 assists (0.7 avg.) 21— Jim King — Guard — 6-2, 175 lbs., appeared in 60 games, played 762 minutes (12.7 avg.), made 84 of 198 field goal attempts (.424%) and 66 of 101 free throws (.653%) for 234 points (3.9 avg.), had 113 rebounds (1.9 avg.) and 110 assists (1.8 avg.) 32—Jim Krebs—Center/Forward—6-8, 230 lbs., appeared in 68 games, played 975 minutes (14.3 avg.), made 134 of 357 field goal attempts (.375%) and 65 of 85 free throws (.765%) for 333 points (4.9 avg.), had 283 rebounds (4.2 avg.) and 49 assists (0.7 avg.) 35 — Rudy LaRusso — Forward/Center — 6-7, 220 lbs., appeared in 79 games, played 2,746 minutes (34.8 avg.), made 337 of 776 field goal attempts (.434%) and 298 of 397 free throws (.751%) for 972 points (12.3 avg.), had 800 rebounds (10.1 avg.) and 190 assists (2.4 avg.) 20— Don Nelson — Forward — 6-6, 210 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 1,406 minutes (17.6 avg.), made 135 of 323 field goal attempts (.418%) and 149 of 201 free throws (.741%) for 419 points (5.2 avg.), had 323 rebounds (4.0 avg.) and 76 assists (1.0 avg.) 14—Hub Reed—Center/Forward—6-9, 215 lbs., appeared in 46 games, played 386 minutes (8.4 avg.), made 33 of 91 field goal attempts (.363%) and 10 of 15 free throws (.667%) for 76 points (1.7 avg.), had 107 rebounds (2.3 avg.) and 23 assists (0.5 avg.) 11—Frank Selvy—Guard/Forward—6-3, 180 lbs., appeared in 73 games, played 1,286 minutes (17.6 avg.), made 160 of 423 field goal attempts (.378%) and 78 of 122 free throws (.639%) for 398 points (5.5 avg.), had 139 rebounds (1.9 avg.) and 149 assists (2.0 avg.) 44 — Jerry West — Guard — 6-2, 175 lbs., appeared in 72 games, played 2,906 minutes (40.4 avg.), made 740 of 1,529 field goal attempts (.484%) and 584 of 702 free throws (.832%) for 2,064 points (28.7 avg.), had 433 rebounds (6.0 avg.) and 403 assists (5.6 avg.) 12—Gene Wiley—Center—6-10, 210 lbs., appeared in 78 games, played 1,510 minutes (19.4 avg.), made 146 of 273 field goal attempts (.535%) and 45 of 75 free throws (.600%) for 337 points (4.3 avg.), had 510 rebounds (6.5 avg.) and 44 assists (0.6 avg.)

League Leaders Elgin Baylor —field goals made (5th), field goal attempts (2nd) Jerry West — free throws made (3rd), free throw attempts (5th), free throw percentage (2nd), assists (4th), assists per game (3rd), points scored (5th), points per game (3rd)

Gone from the Previous Season Ron Horn — released by the Lakers Rod Hundley — retired Howie Joliff— retired

Regular Season Individual Statistics 5 — Dick Barnett — Guard/Forward — 6-4, 190 lbs., appeared in 78 games, played 2,620 minutes (33.6 avg.), made 541 of 1,197 field goal attempts (.452%) and 351 of 454 free throws (.773%) for 1,433 points (18.4 avg.), had 250 rebounds (3.2 avg.) and 238 assists (3.1 avg.) 22 — Elgin Baylor — Forward — 6-5, 225 lbs., appeared in 78 games, played 3,164 minutes (40.6 avg.), made 756 of 1,778 field goal attempts (.425%) and 471 of 586 free throws (.804%) for 1,983 points (25.4 avg.), had 936 rebounds (12.0 avg.) and 347 assists (4.4 avg.) 25 — LeRoy Ellis — Center/Forward — 6-10, 210 lbs., appeared in 78 games, played 1,459 minutes (18.7 avg.), made 200 of 473 field goal attempts (.423%) and 112 of 170 free throws (.659%) for 512 points (6.6 avg.), had 498 rebounds (6.4 avg.) and 41 assists (0.5 avg.)

All-NBA Elgin Baylor —1st team Jerry West —1st team

All-Star Game Selections Elgin Baylor, Jerry West

Playoffs WESTERN DIVISION SEMI-FINALS VERSUS ST. LOUIS 1. March 21 at St. Louis: The St. Louis Hawks were looking for revenge after the Lakers tossed them from the playoffs a year earlier. In this opening game of the 1963-64 post-season, the Hawks took a step in getting even with the Lakers. The Hawks jumped out to a nine-point lead in the first quarter, but the Lakers

1964-65

18

came back to take a 58–57 lead into the half thanks to an Elgin Baylor basket at the very end of the second period. The Lakers kept the Hawks at bay throughout the third quarter, matching them bucket for bucket, and went into the fourth period with an 87–86 advantage. The Hawks then outscored the Lakers, 29–17, in the final period to secure the opening game with a 115–104 victory. Cliff Hagan led the Hawks with 27 points, while Jerry West’s 35 topped all scorers, and Baylor had 30.1 2. March 22 at St. Louis: The Hawks took a commanding 2–0 lead in the best-of-five playoff round by beating the Lakers, 106–90. Los Angeles held a 22–21 lead at the end of the opening period, but after a Lenny Wilkens basket at the beginning of the second, the Hawks were never topped. St. Louis did a great job containing Elgin Baylor. After scoring 14 points in the first half, the Hawks held the Lakers’ scoring machine to a mere six points the rest of the way. It was still enough for him to lead the Lakers in scoring, with Jerry West and Rudy LaRusso coming in second with each recording 18.2 3. March 25 at Los Angeles: Just like in the previous postseason, these two teams staged a series that was dominated by the home team. Facing elimination, the Lakers came home to the Sports Arena with 11,728 supporters on hand, and squeaked out a 107–105 victory. Los Angeles got out to a fast start, winning by 11 points at the end of the opening period, and held off a St. Louis attack that outscored the Lakers by eight points in the second half. Jerry West received top scoring honors with 39 points, while Dick Barnett and Elgin Baylor had 24 and 23 respectively.3 4. March 28 at Los Angeles: Home sweet home once again, as the Lakers, who had their backs to the wall six days earlier, were now headed to a deciding fifth game after they beat the Hawks, 97–88. Elgin Baylor was held to only two points in the first half, but came alive in the third quarter with 14. Center Jim Krebs helped out defensively in the same quarter after coming in off the bench to snag eight rebounds, and the Lakers pulled away to even the series.4 5. March 30 at St. Louis: The Hawks ended the Lakers bid for three straight division titles thanks to a 121–108 win at home. St. Louis pounced on the Lakers early, holding an 11-point lead in the second quarter. The Lakers stormed back with the assistance of a 15–2 run that gave them a 44–42 advantage. Their lead was brief, however, as the Hawks moved ahead to stay in the third period. Elgin Baylor capped his season off with another stellar performance, scoring 28, and Jerry West accounted for 25 to lead the Lakers.5

ONE : THE SEASONS LaRusso — appeared in 5 games, played 189 minutes (37.8 avg.), scored 45 points (9.0 avg.), had 30 rebounds (6.0 avg.) and 11 assists (2.2 avg.) Nelson — appeared in 5 games, played 56 minutes (11.2 avg.), scored 17 points (3.4 avg.), had 13 rebounds (2.6 avg.) and 2 assists (0.4 avg.) Reed—appeared in 1 game, played 12 minutes (12.0 avg.), scored 4 points (4.0 avg.) and had 2 rebounds (2.0 avg.) Selvy — appeared in 3 games, played 69 minutes (23.0 avg.), scored 28 points (9.3 avg.), had 5 rebounds (1.7 avg.) and 6 assists (2.0 avg.) West — appeared in 5 games, played 206 minutes (41.2 avg.), scored 156 points (31.2 avg.), had 36 rebounds (7.2 avg.) and 17 assists (3.4 avg.) Wiley — appeared in 5 games, played 48 minutes (9.6 avg.), scored 13 points (2.6 avg.) and had 16 rebounds (3.2 avg.)

1964-65 Head Coach — Fred Schaus Regular Season Record: 49–31 1st place in the NBA Western Division (finished in first place by four games) Scored 111.8 points per game to rank 5th out of 9 teams Allowed 109.9 points per game to rank 3rd Led the league in free throws made (2,276) and free throw percentage (.763%)

Review Gene Wiley and LeRoy Ellis were starting to contribute at the center position, but the heart and soul of the team was still the tandem of Elgin Baylor and Jerry West. Rudy LaRusso was still around to crash the boards and score. This team was solid enough to reclaim their rightful play at the top of the Western Division, but a severe knee injury suffered by Baylor in the first game of the playoffs was a major blow to a team right on the cusp of bringing an NBA title to Los Angeles.

Gone from the Previous Season Mel Gibson — waived by the Lakers Jim Krebs — retired Hub Reed — waived by the Lakers on May 1, 1964 Frank Selvy — retired

Regular Season Individual Statistics Individual Playoff Statistics Barnett — appeared in 5 games, played 154 minutes (30.8 avg.), scored 69 points (13.8 avg.), had 8 rebounds (1.6 avg.) and 17 assists (3.4 avg.) Baylor — appeared in 5 games, played 221 minutes (44.2 avg.), scored 121 points (24.2 avg.), had 58 rebounds (11.6 avg.) and 28 assists (5.6 avg.) Ellis — appeared in 5 games, played 144 minutes (28.8 avg.), scored 27 points (5.4 avg.), had 50 rebounds (10.0 avg.) and 4 assists (0.8 avg.) King — appeared in 4 games, played 51 minutes (12.8 avg.), scored 12 points (3.0 avg.), had 4 rebounds (1.0 avg.) and 6 assists (1.5 avg.) Krebs — appeared in 4 games, played 50 minutes (12.5 avg.), scored 14 points (3.5 avg.), had 22 rebounds (5.5 avg.) and 6 assists (1.5 avg.)

5 — Dick Barnett — Guard/Forward — 6-4, 190 lbs., appeared in 74 games, played 2,026 minutes (27.4 avg.), made 375 of 908 field goal attempts (.413%) and 270 of 338 free throws (.799%) for 1,020 points (13.8 avg.), had 200 rebounds (2.7 avg.) and 159 assists (2.1 avg.) 22 — Elgin Baylor — Forward — 6-5, 225 lbs., appeared in 74 games, played 3,056 minutes (41.3 avg.), made 763 of 1,903 field goal attempts (.401%) and 483 of 610 free throws (.792%) for 2.009 points (27.1 avg.), had 950 rebounds (12.8 avg.) and 280 assists (3.8 avg.) 25 — LeRoy Ellis — Center/Forward — 6-10, 210 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 2,026 minutes (25.3 avg.), made 311 of 700 field goal attempts (.444%) and 198 of 284 free throws (.697%) for 820 points (10.3 avg.), had 652 rebounds (8.2 avg.) and 49 assists (0.6 avg.) 32 — Jerry Grote — Guard — 6-4, 215 lbs., appeared in 11 games, played 33 minutes (3.0 avg.), made 6 of 11 field goal attempts (.545%) and

ONE : THE SEASONS

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2 of 2 free throws (1.000%) for 14 points (1.3 avg.), had 4 rebounds (0.4 avg.) and 4 assists (0.4 avg.) 42 — Walt Hazzard — Guard — 6-2, 185 lbs., Guard — 6-2, 185 lbs., appeared in 66 games, played 919 minutes (13.9 avg.), made 117 of 306 field goal attempts (.383%) and 46 of 71 free throws (.648%) for 280 points (4.2 avg.), had 111 rebounds (1.7 avg.) and 140 assists (2.1 avg.) 14 — Darrall Imhoff— Center — 6-10, 220 lbs., appeared in 76 games, played 1,521 minutes (20.0 avg.), made 145 of 311 field goal attempts (.466%) and 88 of 154 free throws (.571%) for 378 points (5.0 avg.), had 500 rebounds (6.6 avg.) and 87 assists (1.1 avg.) 21— Jim King — Guard — 6-2, 175 lbs., appeared in 77 games, played 1,671 minutes (21.7 avg.), made 184 of 469 field goal attempts (.392%) and 118 of 151 free throws (.781%) for 486 points (6.3 avg.), had 214 rebounds (2.8 avg.) and 178 assists (2.3 avg.) 35 — Rudy LaRusso — Forward/Center — 6-7, 220 lbs., appeared in 77 games, played 2,588 minutes (33.6 avg.), made 381 of 827 field goal attempts (.461%) and 321 of 415 free throws (.773%) for 1,083 points (14.1 avg.), had 725 rebounds (9.4 avg.) and 198 assists (2.6 avg.) 40—Bill McGill—Center/Forward—6-9, 225 lbs., appeared in 8 games, played 37 minutes (4.6 avg.), made 7 of 20 field goal attempts (.350%) and 1 of 1 free throws (1.000%) for 15 points (1.9 avg.), had 12 rebounds (1.5 avg.) and 3 assists (0.4 avg.) 33 — Cotton Nash — Forward — 6-5, 215 lbs., appeared in 25 games, played 167 minutes (6.7 avg.), made 14 of 57 field goal attempts (.246%) and 25 of 32 free throws (.781%) for 53 points (2.1 avg.), had 35 rebounds (1.4 avg.) and 10 assists (0.4 avg.) 20— Don Nelson — Forward — 6-6, 210 lbs., appeared in 39 games, played 238 minutes (6.1 avg.), made 36 of 85 field goal attempts (.424%) and 20 of 26 free throws (.769%) for 92 points (2.4 avg.), had 73 rebounds (1.9 avg.) and 24 assists (0.6 avg.) 44 — Jerry West — Guard — 6-2, 175 lbs., appeared in 74 games, played 3,066 minutes (41.4 avg.), made 822 of 1,655 field goal attempts (.497%) and 648 of 789 free throws (.821%) for 2,292 points (31.0 avg.), had 447 rebounds (6.0 avg.) and 364 assists (4.9 avg.) 12—Gene Wiley—Center—6-10, 210 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 2,002 minutes (25.0 avg.), made 175 of 376 field goal attempts (.465%) and 56 of 111 free throws (.505%) for 406 points (5.1 avg.), had 690 rebounds (8.6 avg.) and 105 assists (1.3 avg.)

League Leaders Elgin Baylor —field goals made (5th), field goal attempts (2nd), free throws made (5th), points scored (5th), points per game (4th) Jerry West —field goals made (2nd), field goal attempts (5th), field goal percentage (4th), free throws made (2nd), free throw attempts (3rd), free throw percentage (5th), points scored (2nd), points per game (2nd), minutes per game (5th)

All-NBA Elgin Baylor —1st team Jerry West —1st team

All-Star Game Selections Elgin Baylor, Jerry West

Regular Season Highlights Jan. 29 — In a 137–133 double-overtime win, Jerry West scores 53 points against Cincinnati. Jerry West and Elgin Baylor are the first teammates in league history to each score 2,000 or more points in a season.

Playoffs WESTERN DIVISION FINALS VERSUS BALTIMORE 1. April 3 at Los Angeles: Elgin Baylor was doing what made him one of the game’s premier players, with that being sending the ball through the net. However, as he went up for a shot in the opening stages of this game, he blew out his left knee and was lost for the rest of the playoffs. Without Baylor, Jerry West rose to the occasion, and carried the Lakers on his back in a 121–115 victory over the Baltimore Bullets. West immediately made his presence felt, by scoring 10 of his game-high 49 points in the first quarter. With the Lakers losing by one with 7:46 to go in the first half, West took control once again, this time pumping in 13 points, with teammate Jim King adding 11 to give Los Angeles a 68–51 lead at the half. They never fell behind from that point on.1 2. April 5 at Los Angeles: Close guarding by Baltimore’s Wally Jones did nothing to slow Jerry West down, as he scored a whopping 52 points in a 118–115 Los Angeles victory that gave the Lakers a 2–0 series advantage. The Bullets made the Lakers work for this one down the stretch after battling back from 11 points down in the fourth quarter to take a 115–114 lead with 38 seconds remaining. It was then time for West to work his magic. He sent a shot toward the rim from 15 feet away, but it missed and was on its way into the hands of Baltimore’s Walt Bellamy. West then fought his way through the mass of humanity under the basket to secure the rebound and drop in a two-pointer with 23 seconds left to put the Lakers on top to stay. West then added two free throws with four seconds left that provided insurance.2 3. April 7 at Baltimore: Jerry West once again led all scorers, this time with 44 points, but it was not enough this time out. The Bullets won, 122–115, on the strength of a 29-point performance from Bailey Howell. The Lakers overtook the Bullets after trailing by seven points, and led by four in the fourth quarter. Baltimore then went on a 24–10 run over eight minutes to secure the win.3 4. April 9 at Baltimore: Don Ohl evened the series up by nailing a jump shot with 48 seconds left to give Baltimore a 114– 112 victory. Jerry West once again led all scorers with 48 points to give him an incredible total of 193 over the first four games.4 5. April 11 at Los Angeles: This time out, Jerry West’s massive point production did the trick for the Lakers in a 120–112 win that gave Los Angeles a 3–2 series advantage. With Wally Jones guarding him, West was allowed only 17 points in the first half that saw the Lakers clinging to a slim 53–52 lead. West then let loose in the early stages of the third quarter, scoring 17 points, and the Lakers’ lead was never challenged from then on. West finished with 43 points to give him a staggering 48.2 points per game average in this series. While West was lighting up the scoreboard, Don Nelson and Darrall Imhoff provided the Lakers with solid defensive work. Rudy LaRusso chipped in with 24 points to help give the Lakers a one-game edge in this series.5 6. April 13 at Baltimore: The Bullets got out to a ten-point lead at the end of the opening quarter, but Los Angeles came back to grab a 52–48 lead at the half. The Lakers extended their lead to 105–92 with 6:30 left in the game, but Baltimore rallied to close to within six in an attempt to fight off elimination. Jerry West added two baskets to hold off the Baltimore resurgence, but

1965-66 the Bullets stayed on their heels, cutting the lead down to four. West came through again by dropping in two free throws, and then ran out the 24-second clock while leading by four to give the Bullets only three ticks to attempt the impossible. Bailey Howell did land a two-pointer at the end to make the final of 117–115 seem a lot closer in the record books. The Lakers were once again kings of the Western Division, with West’s 42 points pacing the attack, and Dick Barnett’s 31 helping in a big way.6

NBA FINALS VERSUS BOSTON 1. April 18 at Boston: The Celtics left no doubt that they were still a force by dismantling the Lakers, 142–110. In doing so, Boston set a new playoff record for most points scored in a single game. The old record was 140, and also set by the Celtics in 1960. Right from the opening tipoff, Boston jumped all over Los Angeles. K.C. Jones paced the assault with 11 first quarter points that ended with Boston up, 32–23. Jones was also a defensive terror, and lived up to that reputation by guarding Jerry West, who only mustered six points in the first half after averaging close to 50 points a game in the division finals. Sam Jones led the Celtics in scoring with 25 points.7 2. April 19 at Boston: The Lakers did not allow the Celtics to jump all over them early on like in the opening game. With Jerry West back on track, he helped keep Los Angeles close thanks to his 45 points. Boston held a slight 62–60 lead at the half, and the game was even on three occasions at the start of the third period. It was then that Boston’s fast break took over, with Bill Russell’s defensive skills getting the ball back into his teammates hands and head up court. With Boston’s offense kicking into a higher gear, they held on to win, 129–123, to go up 2–0 in the series. John Havlicek led Boston with 24 points with Bill Russell and Tom Sanders each coming in second with 23.8 3. April 21 at Los Angeles: The third time was the charm for the Lakers, as a return to Los Angeles proved successful in a 126–105 victory. Jerry West scored 43 points, and the Lakers got defensive help from center Gene Wiley, who competed on an even basis against the great Bill Russell for control of the boards. This win got the Lakers back into the series by closing the Boston advantage to two games to one.9 4. April 23 at Los Angeles: With 15,217 on hand in the Sports Arena, the hometown Lakers gave the fans their money’s worth by turning in a great second quarter to produce a 61–55 halftime lead. Two quarters remained for LA to continue their stellar game, and the series would be tied. The Celtics had other ideas, and got their fast break going that gave opponents nightmares. With Sam Jones leading the charge with 37 points, Boston won, 112–99, to take a commanding 3–1 series lead back to Boston Garden for Game Five.10 5. April 25 at Boston: The Celtics left no question as to who was going to be crowned champion. With a 129–96 blowout win, Boston won their seventh straight NBA title and eighth in the past nine seasons. Bill Russell more than lived up to his reputation as one of the game’s all-time greats. On the cusp of another title, Russell became a force that could not be contained, even after getting elbowed in the head and poked in the eye during first half action. In the first half, Russell pumped in 17 points, hauled in 19 rebounds, dished out three assists, blocked three

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ONE : THE SEASONS shots, and disrupted the LA offense throughout the game. In addition to Russell’s dominance, Boston’s fast break was clicking. With the Celtics playing to near perfection on their home court, the result spelled disaster for the Lakers. If a 16-point lead were not enough going into the fourth quarter, the Celtics made sure the Lakers would not stage a comeback by starting off the final quarter with a 20–0 run. Russell left the game with six minutes remaining amidst the rousing applause from the Boston faithful after scoring 22 points and amassing 30 rebounds. Jerry West was the lone bright spot for the Lakers. He accounted for one third of his team’s point production, finishing with 33 points even though he missed on 14 of 15 shots at one time.11

Individual Playoff Statistics Barnett — appeared in 10 games, played 287 minutes (28.7 avg.), scored 175 points (17.5 avg.), had 30 rebounds (3.0 avg.) and 33 assists (3.3 avg.) Baylor — appeared in 1 game, played 5 minutes (5.0 avg.) and had 1 assist (1.0 avg.) Ellis — appeared in 11 games, played 405 minutes (36.8 avg.), scored 158 points (14.4 avg.), had 133 rebounds (12.1 avg.) and 7 assists (0.6 avg.) Hazzard — appeared in 7 games, played 118 minutes (16.9 avg.), scored 53 points (7.6 avg.), had 18 rebounds (2.6 avg.) and 30 assists (4.3 avg.) Imhoff— appeared in 11 games, played 151 minutes (13.7 avg.), scored 33 points (3.0 avg.), had 43 rebounds (3.9 avg.) and 13 assists (1.2 avg.) King — appeared in 11 games, played 184 minutes (16.7 avg.), scored 71 points (6.5 avg.), had 36 rebounds (3.3 avg.) and 24 assists (2.2 avg.) LaRusso — appeared in 11 games, played 395 minutes (35.9 avg.), scored 165 points (15.0 avg.), had 89 rebounds (8.1 avg.) and 29 assists (2.6 avg.) McGill — appeared in 5 games, played 34 minutes (6.8 avg.), scored 11 points (2.2 avg.), had 9 rebounds (1.8 avg.) and 2 assists (0.4 avg.) Nelson — appeared in 11 games, played 212 minutes (19.3 avg.), scored 67 points (6.1 avg.), had 59 rebounds (5.4 avg.) and 19 assists (1.7 avg.) West — appeared in 11 games, played 470 minutes (42.7 avg.), scored 447 points (40.6 avg.), had 63 rebounds (5.7 avg.) and 58 assists (5.3 avg.) Wiley — appeared in 11 games, played 379 minutes (34.5 avg.), scored 77 points (7.0 avg.), had 158 rebounds (14.4 avg.) and 23 assists (2.1 avg.)

1965-66 Head Coach — Fred Schaus Regular Season Record: 45–35 1st place in the NBA Western Division (finished in first place by seven games) Scored 119.5 points per game to rank 1st out of 9 teams Allowed 116.4 points per game to rank 4th Led the league in points per game average (119.5), free throws made (2,363), free throw percentage (.773%), assists (1,936), points scored (9,557)

Review The Lakers were under new ownership after Jack Kent Cooke purchased the team for $5 million from Bob Short just prior to

ONE : THE SEASONS the season. The team drafted All-American guard Gail Goodrich from neighboring UCLA to bolster the backcourt. Jerry West was the king of the Lakers backcourt, and was now well entrenched as one of the game’s elite performers. Elgin Baylor came into this season with ailing knees, but still was able to contribute. Rudy LaRusso was still counted on to provide solid rebounding and scoring, and the acquisition of forward Bob Boozer from the New York Knicks helped in rebounding and scoring.

Gone from the Previous Season Dick Barnett — traded to the New York Knicks on September 14, 1965 Jerry Grote — released by the Lakers Bill McGill — released by the Lakers Cotton Nash — released by the Lakers Don Nelson — released by the Lakers

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League Leaders Jerry West —field goals made (2nd), field goal attempts (2nd), free throws made (1st), free throw attempts (1st), free throw percentage (4th), assists (4th), assists per game (5th), points scored (2nd), points per game (2nd)

All-NBA Jerry West —1st team selection

All-Star Game Selections Rudy LaRusso, Jerry West

Regular Season Highlights Regular Season Individual Statistics 22 — Elgin Baylor — Forward — 6-5, 225 lbs., appeared in 65 games, played 1,975 minutes (30.4 avg.), made 415 of 1,034 field goal attempts (.401%) and 249 of 337 free throws (.739%) for 1,079points (16.6 avg.), had 621 rebounds (9.6 avg.) and 224 assists (3.4 avg.) 15 — Bob Boozer — Forward — 6-8, 215 lbs., appeared in 78 games, played 1,847 minutes (23.7 avg.), made 365 of 754 field goal attempts (.484%) and 225 of 289 free throws (.779%) for 955 points (12.2 avg.), had 548 rebounds (7.0 avg.) and 87 assists (1.1 avg.) 25 — LeRoy Ellis — Center/Forward — 6-10, 210 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 2,219 minutes (27.7 avg.), made 393 of 927 field goal attempts (.424%) and 186 of 256 free throws (.727%) for 972 points (12.2 avg.), had 735 rebounds (9.2 avg.) and 74 assists (0.9 avg.) 33 — John Fairchild — Forward — 6-8, 205 lbs., appeared in 30 games, played 171 minutes (5.7 avg.), made 23 of 89 field goal attempts (.258%) and 14 of 20 free throws (.700%) for 60 points (2.0 avg.), had 45 rebounds (1.5 avg.) and 11 assists (0.4 avg.) 11—Gail Goodrich—Guard—6-1, 170 lbs., appeared in 65 games, played 1,008 minutes (15.5 avg.), made 203 of 503 field goal attempts (.404%) and 103 of 149 free throws (.691%) for 509 points (7.8 avg.), had 130 rebounds (2.0 avg.) and 103 assists (1.6 avg.) 42 — Walt Hazzard — Guard — 6-2, 185 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 2,198 minutes (27.5 avg.), made 458 of 1,003 field goal attempts (.457%) and 182 of 257 free throws (.708%) for 1,098 points (13.7 avg.), had 219 rebounds (2.7 avg.) and 393 assists (4.9 avg.) 14 — Darrall Imhoff— Center — 6-10, 220 lbs., appeared in 77 games, played 1,413 minutes (18.4 avg.), made 151 of 337 field goal attempts (.448%) and 77 of 136 free throws (.566%) for 379 points (4.9 avg.), had 509 rebounds (6.6 avg.) and 113 assists (1.5 avg.) 21— Jim King — Guard — 6-2, 175 lbs., appeared in 76 games, played 1,499 minutes (19.7 avg.), made 238 of 545 field goal attempts (.437%) and 94 of 115 free throws (.817%) for 570 points (7.5 avg.), had 204 rebounds (2.7 avg.) and 223 assists (2.9 avg.) 35 — Rudy LaRusso — Forward/Center — 6-7, 220 lbs., appeared in 76 games, played 2,316 minutes (30.5 avg.), made 410 of 897 field goal attempts (.457%) and 350 of 445 free throws (.787%) for 1,170 points (15.4 avg.), had 660 rebounds (8.7 avg.) and 165 assists (2.2 avg.) 44 — Jerry West — Guard — 6-2, 175 lbs., appeared in 79 games, played 3,218 minutes (40.7 avg.), made 818 of 1,731 field goal attempts (.473%) and 840 of 977 free throws (.860%) for 2,476 points (31.3 avg.), had 562 rebounds (7.1 avg.) and 480 assists (6.1 avg.) 12—Gene Wiley—Center—6-10, 210 lbs., appeared in 67 games, played 1,386 minutes (20.7 avg.), made 123 of 289 field goal attempts (.426%) and 43 of 76 free throws (.566%) for 289 points (4.3 avg.), had 490 rebounds (7.3 avg.) and 63 assists (0.9 avg.)

Nov. 21—This 110–104 loss at home against the Philadelphia 76ers marks the beginning of announcer Chick Hearn’s streak of 3,338 straight games as the Lakers’ broadcaster. The streak ran until December 16, 2001. Dec. 3—Despite losing, 122–118, Jerry West scores 51 points against Cincinnati. Dec. 10— The Lakers travel to Cincinnati and beat them, 129–110, to avenge a loss to the same team one week earlier. This victory snaps a four-game losing streak, and Jerry West scores another 51 points against the Royals.

Playoffs WESTERN DIVISION FINALS VERSUS ST. LOUIS 1. April 1 at Los Angeles: Jerry West was involved in a collision with St. Louis’ Zelmo Beaty in the first period. He hit the floor hard and took a break from the action to rest up. After he came back, West seemed to show no more ill effects from the incident, and proceeded to score a game-high 28 points in a 129– 106 Lakers’ win. Going into the fourth quarter, the Lakers clung to a slim 94–91 lead, but in the final nine minutes, they let loose with a fast break attack that left the Hawks stunned. The Lakers outscored the Hawks, 35–15, in the final stanza, thanks to wellbalanced offensive showing that got four players to top the 20point mark. In addition to West, the other Lakers to score 20 or more points were Elgin Baylor (22), Bob Boozer (21), and Walt Hazzard (20).1 2. April 3 at Los Angeles: The Hawks managed to keep the game interesting, coming as close as five points off the lead on two occasions in the fourth quarter. However, like so many times throughout their careers, the devastating tandem of Jerry West and Elgin Baylor stymied the opposition. The duo turned up their shooting prowess down the stretch by scoring 20 of the team’s final 26 points to pull out a 125–116 victory that gave Los Angeles a 2–0 series lead. Baylor led all scorers with 42 points, and West, even though he was playing on a tender ankle, sank 36 for the victors.2 3. April 6 at St. Louis: The Hawks and Lakers battled early in this game, with the score tied four times in the first quarter.

1965-66 St. Louis then got the lead and held a 62–56 advantage at the half. The Lakers then rallied in the third quarter, and led by one point going in to the fourth period. The Hawks moved back to the lead in the fourth quarter, but Elgin Baylor hit on two shots to bring the Lakers to within three with time running out. Joe Caldwell then assisted the Hawks by getting two baskets of his own in the final minute and a half to secure a 120–113 victory to cut the Lakers’ series lead to 2–1. Bill Bridges led the Hawks with 27, while Jerry West topped everyone with 32 points.3 4. April 9 at St. Louis: The Lakers gained back a two-game advantage in the series with a 107–95 win. Just like in the previous game, the first quarter produced eight ties, ending with it knotted at 23-all. The Hawks jumped out to a quick lead in the second period by scoring eight straight points, and had a 10-point until the Lakers rallied back to close to within four points at the half. Throughout the first half, St. Louis’ Cliff Hagen did a great job covering Elgin Baylor, holding the superstar scoring machine to a mere seven points. The second half was a different story, as Baylor scored 10 of the Lakers’ 30 third quarter points, and finished with 26 for the game. With Baylor finding his mark, and Jerry West hitting for a game-high 42 points, the Lakers had a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter and never looked back.4 5. April 10 at Los Angeles: The Hawks held slight leads at the end of the first and second quarters, but then the Lakers managed to get ahead by three at the halfway mark of the third period. With 5:28 left in the period, the Hawks got hot, running off 12 consecutive points, to take an 86–74 lead into the final stanza. They never relinquished the lead this time, and got out of Los Angeles with a 112–100 victory. This was the Lakers’ worst game of the series, as they could not connect with easy shots, and only mustered a 38 percent accuracy mark from the field. Jerry West kept the Lakers in this one with a game-high 31 points.5 6. April 13 at St. Louis: The Lakers second opportunity to close out this series ended just like the one three days earlier, with a loss. The Hawks rallied back from a 3–1 series deficit to force a seventh and deciding game, after taking this one at home by a 131–127 final count. St. Louis went on a 17–2 run halfway through the fourth quarter with Joe Caldwell pacing the surge with 12 of his 21 points scored in that final stanza. With the score tied at 112–112, Zelmo Beaty then sank a shot that put the Hawks up for good. The Lakers attempted a rally of their own, closing the gap to two points with 12 seconds remaining, but two free throws by Len Wilkens stopped any hopes the Lakers might have had of clinching the division title on this day. Jerry West led all scorers with 38 points, and Elgin Baylor came in second with 30.6 7. April 15 at Los Angeles: The third time was the charm for Los Angeles in this series. After two straight failed attempts to end this series, the Lakers finally wrapped it up and earned another trip to the NBA Finals compliments of a 130–121 victory in front of 15,200 hometown fans. This game was a thriller all the way through, with both teams going on sizzling streaks and swapping lead changes on numerous occasions. Down the stretch, the Lakers were holding on to a narrow 102–101 advantage with the Hawks bringing the ball quickly up the court in an attempt to regain the lead. Rookie Gail Goodrich, a former high school and college star from Los Angeles, built on his legend as a local hardwood icon by halting St. Louis with a steal of a Rod Thorn pass. Goodrich then sent a long-range pass to Elgin Baylor, who

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ONE : THE SEASONS slammed in a two-pointer. From that stage on, Baylor added another bucket and added two free throws, while Jerry West pumped in four points to extend the LA lead to 10, and the Lakers were home free. West led all scorers with 35, Baylor had 33, and Rudy LaRusso chipped in with 20 for the Western Division champions.7

NBA FINALS VERSUS BOSTON 1. April 17 at Boston: For the fourth time in five seasons, the Celtics and Lakers squared off for the NBA title. Boston was going for an eighth straight championship, five of which were at the Lakers’ expense, with one coming while the team was based in Minneapolis. It appeared that the Celtics were on track to once again make easy work of the Lakers when they led by 18 in the second quarter. Los Angeles then rallied to pull to within one point at the half. The Lakers managed to stay on Boston’s heels after that, refusing to bow under despite some scoring spurts by the Celtics that gave them a five point lead on a few occasions. Los Angeles finally climbed over the Celtics to take a 121–119 lead with 30 seconds left after Bill Russell was called for goal tending against Elgin Baylor. Sam Jones then sent the game into overtime with a layup. Jerry West delivered the initial points of the extra period with a short-range jump shot, and then hit a free throw. Baylor then lit up the scoreboard for two. Bill Russell and Tom Sanders each scored to narrow the LA lead to one. West then put some distance between the teams by sinking a 25-foot jumper, and added a layup as the buzzer sounded to bring an end to a 133–129 Los Angeles victory. West hit for 41 points and Baylor 36 in this hard-fought win in Boston Garden.8 2. April 19 at Boston: A sellout crowd of 13,909 crammed into famed Boston Garden had hopes that their Celtics would rebound from the overtime loss suffered two days earlier. Boston did not disappoint the Beantown throng and jumped out to a 71– 47 lead at the half, and cruised to an easy 129–109 advantage. The Celtics shared the ball, as six players hit for double figures with John Havlicek and Sam Jones leading the way with 21 points each. Pivot man par excellence, Bill Russell, had another big game that consisted of 19 points, 24 rebounds, and six blocks.9 3. April 20 at Los Angeles: The series shifted to the west coast, and the Celtics momentum did not waver. Los Angeles got out to a four-point first quarter lead in front of 15,101 hometown fans. However, Boston overtook the Lakers in the second quarter and never looked back. Paced by 36 points from Sam Jones, Boston built a commanding 92–75 lead going into the fourth quarter, and coasted to a 120–106 win and a 2–1 series advantage.10 4. April 22 at Los Angeles: Down by one game in the series, the Lakers set out to tie the Finals up at home before heading back to Boston for the next game. Into the third period, their quest appeared to be in jeopardy, as they trailed Boston by 15. It was then that the Lakers came storming back, and eventually took a 105–104 lead over the defending champs with 7:27 left in the fourth quarter. Things appeared to be clicking for LA at this stage, but the Celtics had other ideas. In the closing minutes, the score was tied twice until John Havlicek hit a 20-foot jumper, and Boston never relinquished the lead from there. At the final buzzer, Boston clinched a 122–117 victory to give them a dominant 3–1 series lead.11

ONE : THE SEASONS 5. April 24 at Boston: In an attempt to stave off elimination on the road, one of the greatest tandems in NBA history managed to put Boston’s celebration on hold. Elgin Baylor and Jerry West combined for 72 points, and the Lakers won, 121–117. Baylor scored 41 points and West 31. Los Angeles jumped out to a 17point lead in the second quarter before Boston narrowed the gap to six by halftime. The Celtics then got extremely hot, taking an 88–79 lead, and the series looked to be reaching its climax at that stage. It was then that Baylor and Rudy LaRusso led the charge to extend the series for at least one more game. The Lakers scored eight straight points with four coming from both Baylor and LaRusso, and LA moved back in front, 90–89. The game was eventually knotted up at 115 with 35 seconds left in regulation. Jerry West then sent a shot through the air from the corner to break the deadlock, and sank two free throws to clinch the win.12 6. April 26 at Los Angeles: The Lakers were looking to pull off the impossible by coming back from a 3–1 series deficit and win the title. They took a giant step toward that goal with a 123– 115 victory that forced a seventh and deciding game back in Boston. Los Angeles got out to an early 16-point lead, but the Celtics rallied back to take a 90–89 lead into the final period. Undaunted, Los Angeles outscored the Celtics by nine in the final 12 minutes of action to pull out the win. Four Lakers produced 20-plus scoring games, with Jerry West’s 32 points pacing the attack. Others to top the 20-point barrier were rookie Gail Goodrich (28), Elgin Baylor (25), and Rudy LaRusso (20).13 7. April 28 at Boston: The Lakers played a major role in establishing the Boston Celtics as America’s professional sports world’s greatest dynasty. In 1959, the Celtics defeated the then– Minneapolis Lakers to start a string of seven straight NBA titles, with the Lakers as their opponents three additional times leading up to the 1966 Finals. As the final buzzer sounded to bring this game to a climax, the Celtics extended their streak of world championships to eight, a record that will probably never be topped. The Celtics jumped out to a quick 10–0 lead, but the Lakers were able to close the gap to 27–20 at the end of the first quarter despite turning the ball over seven times. Boston’s defense was smothering, and held the Lakers to only 38 points at the half. It was so bad for Los Angeles, that they could not sink one outside shot over an eight-minute span in the second quarter. Boston continued to lay it on by expanded their lead to 19 points two minutes into the third period. Jerry West and Elgin Baylor were able to penetrate the Boston defense enough to bring the Lakers back to within eight before the Celtics went on an 11–3 run to go into the fourth quarter up, 76–60. Boston was up, 95–85, with just over one minute left in regulation, and the celebration was already in full swing inside Boston Garden. This was legendary coach Red Auerbach’s final game as Boston’s mentor, and with his team up by 10, with a mere 60 ticks left on the clock, he lit his trademark victory cigar. It was then that things got interesting. West hit on a jump shot and then stole the ball from Bill Russell and scored again to cut the lead to six with 16 seconds left. At this point, the frenzied Boston throng had made its way around the court and was beginning to come onto playing area. The officials then called time to get the crowd away from the court before play was resumed. The Lakers got the ball back after K.C. Jones was called for an offensive foul, which resulted in Jim King scoring on a layup to bring the Lakers to within four as only nine seconds were

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left. The in-bounds pass was tossed to Sam Jones, but he could not hold on to it and it went out of bounds. LeRoy Ellis hit a jump shot to make it a 95–93 game with four seconds left. The Celtics secured the victory when K.C. Jones took the in-bound pass and passed it off to John Havlicek as the buzzer sounded to end what almost proved to be the greatest comeback in NBA history.14

Individual Playoff Statistics Baylor — appeared in 14 games, played 586 minutes (41.9 avg.), scored 375 points (26.8 avg.), had 197 rebounds (14.1 avg.) and 52 assists (3.7 avg.) Boozer — appeared in 10 games, played 181 minutes (18.1 avg.), scored 67 points (6.7 avg.), had 50 rebounds (5.0 avg.) and 7 assists (0.7 avg.) Ellis — appeared in 14 games, played 426 minutes (30.4 avg.), scored 137 points (9.8 avg.), had 133 rebounds (9.5 avg.) and 8 assists (0.6 avg.) Goodrich—appeared in 11 games, played 290 minutes (26.4 avg.), scored 115 points (10.5 avg.), had 42 rebounds (3.8 avg.) and 33 assists (3.0 avg.) Hazzard — appeared in 14 games, played 340 minutes (24.3 avg.), scored 166 points (11.9 avg.), 41 rebounds (2.9 avg.) and 44 assists (3.1 avg.) Hoover — appeared in 4 games, played 11 minutes (2.8 avg.), scored 4 points (1.0 avg.), had 3 rebounds (0.8 avg.) and 1 assist (0.3 avg.) Imhoff— appeared in 14 games, played 243 minutes (17.4 avg.), scored 41 points (2.9 avg.), had 81 rebounds (5.8 avg.) and 30 assists (2.1 avg.) King — appeared in 13 games, played 287 minutes (22.1 avg.), scored 82 points (6.3 avg.), had 33 rebounds (2.5 avg.) and 31 assists (2.4 avg.) LaRusso — appeared in 14 games, played 397 minutes (28.4 avg.), scored 167 points (11.9 avg.), had 99 rebounds (7.1 avg.) and 26 assists (1.9 avg.) West — appeared in 14 games, played 619 minutes (44.2 avg.), scored 479 points (34.2 avg.), had 88 rebounds (6.3 avg.) and 79 assists (5.6 avg.) Wiley — appeared in 2 games, played 5 minutes (2.5 avg.) and 1 rebound (0.5 avg.)

1966-67 Head Coach: Fred Schaus Regular Season Record: 36–45 3rd place in the NBA Western Division (finished eight games out of first place) Scored 120.5 points per game to rank 3rd out of 10 teams Allowed 120.2 points per game to rank 9th

Review In the final year of playing at the Sports Arena, the Lakers came into this season with Elgin Baylor’s knees a major concern. Adding to the woes was an injured Jerry West, who missed 15 games due to leg problems. When the two superstars were healthy at the same time, they kicked up their performance a notch in the latter stages of the game to make Los Angeles the best fourth quarter team in the NBA. The expansion draft took away Jim King and Bob Boozer, which left a void, and the center position still remained a weak spot.

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Gone from the Previous Season Bob Boozer — taken in the expansion draft by Chicago May 1, 1966 LeRoy Ellis — traded to the Baltimore Bullets on September 22, 1966 John Fairchild — released by the Lakers Tom Hoover — released by the Lakers Jim King — taken in the expansion draft by Chicago — May 1, 1966 Gene Wiley — retired

ONE : THE SEASONS

League Leaders Elgin Baylor —field goals made (4th), field goal attempts (3rd), points scored (5th), points per game (4th) Jerry West — free throws made (3rd), free throw attempts (4th), free throw percentage (3rd), assists (5th), assists per game (4th), points scored (4th), points per game (3rd)

All-NBA Regular Season Individual Statistics 23 — Jim Barnes — Center/Forward — 6-8, 210 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 1,398 minutes (17.5 avg.), made 217 of 497 field goal attempts (.437%) and 128 of 187 free throws (.684%) for 562 points (7.0 avg.), had 450 rebounds (5.6 avg.) and 47 assists (0.6 avg.) 22 — Elgin Baylor — Forward — 6-5, 225 lbs., appeared in 70 games, played 2,706 minutes (38.7 avg.), made 711 of 1,658 field goal attempts (.429%) and 440 of 541 free throws (.813%) for 1,862 points (26.6 avg.), had 898 rebounds (12.8 avg.) and 215 assists (3.1 avg.) 34 — John Block — Forward/Center — 6-9, 207 lbs., appeared in 22 games, played 118 minutes (5.4 avg.), made 20 of 52 field goal attempts (.385%) and 24 of 34 free throws (.706%) for 64 points (2.9 avg.), had 45 rebounds (2.0 avg.) and 5 assists (0.2 avg.) 40— Jerry Chambers — Forward — 6-5, 185 lbs., appeared in 69 games, played 1,015 minutes (14.7 avg.), made 224 of 496 field goal attempts (.452%) and 68 of 93 free throws (.731%) for 516 points (7.5 avg.), had 208 rebounds (3.0 avg.) and 44 assists (0.6 avg.) 21—Archie Clark—Guard—6-2, 175 lbs., appeared in 76 games, played 1,763 minutes (23.2 avg.), made 331 of 732 field goal attempts (.452%) and 136 of 192 free throws (.708%) for 798 points (10.5 avg.), had 218 rebounds (2.9 avg.) and 205 assists (2.7 avg.) 31— Mel Counts — Center/Forward — 7-0, 230 lbs., appeared in 31 games, played 517 minutes (16.7 avg.), made 112 of 252 field goal attempts (.444%) and 40 of 54 free throws (.741%) for 264 points (8.5 avg.), had 189 rebounds (6.1 avg.) and 22 assists (0.7 avg.) 15 — Hank Finkel — Center — 7-0, 240 lbs., appeared in 27 games, played 141 minutes (5.2 avg.), made 17 of 47 field goal attempts (.362%) and 7 of 12 free throws (.583%) for 41 points (1.5 avg.), had 64 rebounds (2.4 avg.) and 5 assists (0.2 avg.) 11—Gail Goodrich—Guard—6-1, 170 lbs., appeared in 77 games, played 1,780 minutes (23.1 avg.), made 352 of 776 field goal attempts (.454%) and 253 of 337 free throws (.751%) for 957 points (12.4 avg.), had 251 rebounds (3.3 avg.) and 210 assists (2.7 avg.) 33 — Tom Hawkins — Forward — 6-5, 210 lbs., appeared in 76 games, played 1,798 minutes (23.7 avg.), made 275 of 572 field goal attempts (.481%) and 82 of 173 free throws (.474%) for 632 points (8.3 avg.), had 434 rebounds (5.7 avg.) and 83 assists (1.1 avg.) 42 — Walt Hazzard — Guard — 6-2, 185 lbs., appeared in 79 games, played 1,642 minutes (20.8 avg.), made 301 of 706 field goal attempts (.426%) and 129 of 177 free throws (.729%) for 731 points (9.3 avg.), had 231 rebounds (2.9 avg.) and 323 assists (4.1 avg.) 14 — Darrall Imhoff— Center — 6-10, 220 lbs., appeared in 81 games, played 2,725 minutes (33.6 avg.), made 370 of 780 field goal attempts (.474%) and 127 of 207 free throws (.614%) for 867 points (10.7 avg.), had 1,080 rebounds (13.3 avg.) and 222 assists (2.7 avg.) 35 — Rudy LaRusso — Forward/Center — 6-7, 220 lbs., appeared in 45 games, played 1,292 minutes (28.7 avg.), made 211 of 509 field goal attempts (.415%) and 156 of 224 free throws (.696%) for 578 points (12.8 avg.), had 351 rebounds (7.8 avg.) and 78 assists (1.7 avg.) 44 — Jerry West — Guard — 6-2, 175 lbs., appeared in 66 games, played 2,760 minutes (40.5 avg.), made 645 of 1,389 field goal attempts (.464%) and 602 of 686 free throws (.878%) for 1,892 points (28.7 avg.), had 392 rebounds (5.9 avg.) and 447 assists (6.8 avg.)

Elgin Baylor —1st team selection Jerry West —1st team selection

All-Star Game Selections Elgin Baylor, Darrall Imhoff, Jerry West

Regular Season Highlights Nov. 23 — The Lakers score a team-record 91 points in one half against Chicago, and go on to win, 154–130. Feb. 1— Jerry West hands out 23 assists in a 143–133 win over the defending NBA champion Philadelphia 76ers.

Playoffs WESTERN DIVISION SEMI-FINALS VERSUS SAN FRANCISCO 1. March 21 at San Francisco: Guard Jeff Mullins got the Warriors off to a fast start in the opening game of this series by scoring 15 of his teams 33 first quarter points. His hot hand was forced to the bench halfway through the second period after a tender ankle caused him grief. Led by reserve guard Jim King’s 22 points, the Warriors built a whopping 65–45 lead at the half, and never looked back, winning, 124–108. The Lakers had to go into this game without Jerry West, who could not suit up due to a badly sprained ankle. Taking top scoring honors for Los Angeles was Archie Clark with 26.1 2. March 23 at Los Angeles: Rick Barry was the NBA’s reigning scoring champ, and he held up his status as such by pacing the Warriors with a game-high 26 points in a 113–102 San Francisco victory. Barry was also involved in an altercation with the Lakers’ Jerry Chambers that led to both benches getting into the mix in the last few minutes of the game. Play was stopped for over three minutes as the officials tried to restore peace. Once again without Jerry West, the Lakers tried to make do, and succeeded temporarily. They held a 24–22 lead at the end of the first quarter, but the Warriors moved out in front in the second period and their lead was never in danger. In addition to Barry, the Warriors had three other players with 20 or more points in Nate Thurmond (22), Paul Neumann (21), and Tom Meschery (20). Archie Clark once again led the Lakers, this time with 24 points.2 3. March 26 at San Francisco: Not since the 1959 NBA Finals had the Lakers been swept in a playoff series. That was when the team was in Minneapolis, and never in the Los Angeles years had an opponent been able to prohibit the Lakers from winning at least one game in a series, at least up until the 1967 Warriors came along. Led by Rick Barry’s 37 points, San Francisco brought

ONE : THE SEASONS

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an abrupt end to the reign of the two-time defending Western Division champs. The Lakers rallied from a 62–50 halftime deficit to take a two-point lead in the third quarter. The teams then became locked in a tight race down the stretch, with things knotted at 95-all in the fourth period. Tom Meschery then landed a jump shot to put the Warriors into the lead for good, and they went on to win by a final of 122–115. This series was a rough one for Jerry West. After nursing a damaged ankle and hamstring strain, he started in this game, but with only a minute off the clock in the first quarter, he suffered a broken bone in his left hand. Elgin Baylor attempted to carry the team, scoring 37 points in the process to share game-high honors with Barry. Archie Clark added 27 points for the Lakers.3

Individual Playoff Statistics Barnes — appeared in 3 games, played 50 minutes (16.7 avg.), scored 19 points (6.3 avg.), had 12 rebounds (4.0 avg.) and 2 assists (0.7 avg.) Baylor — appeared in 3 games, played 121 minutes (40.3 avg.), scored 71 points (23.7 avg.), had 39 rebounds (13.0 avg.) and 9 assists (3.0 avg.) Block — appeared in 1 game and played 1 minute (1.0 avg.) Chambers — appeared in 3 games, played 44 minutes (14.7 avg.), scored 31 points (10.3 avg.), had 8 rebounds (3.7 avg.) and 1 assist (0.3 avg.) Clark — appeared in 3 games, played 125 minutes (41.7 avg.), scored 77 points (25.7 avg.), had 13 rebounds (4.3 avg.) and 15 assists (5.0 avg.) Counts — appeared in 3 games, played 29 minutes (9.7 avg.), scored 14 points (4.7 avg.) and had 8 rebounds (2.7 avg.) Finkel — appeared in 1 game and played 1 minute (1.0 avg.) Goodrich — appeared in 3 games, played 81 minutes (27.0 avg.), scored 33 points (11.0 avg.), had 9 rebounds (3.0 avg.) and 10 assists (3.3 avg.) Hawkins — appeared in 3 games, played 95 minutes (31.7 avg.), scored 30 points (10.0 avg.), had 20 rebounds (6.7 avg.) and 10 assists (3.3 avg.) Hazzard — appeared in 3 games, played 86 minutes (28.7 avg.), scored 20 points (6.7 avg.), had 8 rebounds (2.7 avg.) and 16 assists (5.3 avg.) Imhoff— appeared in 3 games, played 86 minutes (28.7 avg.), scored 30 points (10.0 avg.), had 37 rebounds (12.3 avg.) and 5 assists (1.7 avg.) West — appeared in 1 game, played 1 minute (1.0 avg.) and had 1 rebound (1.0 avg.)

1967-68 Head Coach: Butch Van Breda Kolff Regular Season Record: 52–30 2nd place in the NBA Western Division (finished four games out of first place) Scored 121.2 points per game to rank 2nd out of 12 teams Allowed 115.6 points per game to rank 6th Led the league in field goal percentage (.477%)

Review Changes were abundant as the team headed into the late 1960s. They moved into the Fabulous Forum, which would serve as their home for the next thirty years, and become one of the most cherished NBA venues in history. They also switched uniform colors from blue and white to purple and gold, and for the first time since moving to Los Angeles, a new head coach patrolled

the sidelines. Fred Schaus assumed a front office position, and Butch Van Breda Kolff took over the team. As over the last few years, Elgin Baylor had knee problems, but still managed to lead the team in scoring after Jerry West was lost for 31 games with leg injuries. Despite the injury woes, when the tandem of Baylor and West were healthy at the same time, they were still a dominant force. A testament to that was their 55-point combined average per game. The team was still in dire need of a quality center, but even with some concerns, the Lakers were still the elite of the Western Division that was considered weak at the time.

Gone from the Previous Season John Block — taken in the expansion draft by San Diego — May 1, 1967 Jerry Chambers — traded to the Philadelphia 76ers on July 9, 1968 Hank Finkel — taken in the expansion draft by San Diego — May 1, 1967 Walt Hazzard — taken in the expansion draft by Seattle — May 1, 1967 Rudy LaRusso — traded to the Detroit Pistons on January 10, 1967

Regular Season Individual Statistics 30— Cliff Anderson — Guard/Forward — 6-2, 200 lbs., appeared in 18 games, played 94 minutes (5.2 avg.), made 7 of 29 field goal attempts (.241%) and 12 of 28 free throws (.429%) for 26 points (1.4 avg.), had 11 rebounds (0.6 avg.) and 17 assists (0.9 avg.) 23 — Jim Barnes — Center/Forward — 6-8, 210 lbs., appeared in 42 games, played 713 minutes (17.0 avg.), made 101 of 235 field goal attempts (.430%) and 59 of 88 free throws (.670%) for 261 points (6.2 avg.), had 211 rebounds (5.0 avg.) and 27 assists (0.6 avg.) 22 — Elgin Baylor — Forward — 6-5, 225 lbs., appeared in 77 games, played 3,029 minutes (39.3 avg.), made 757 of 1,709 field goal attempts (.443%) and 488 of 621 free throws (.786%) for 2,002 points (26.0 avg.), had 941 rebounds (12.2 avg.) and 355 assists (4.6 avg.) 21— Archie Clark — Guard — 6-2, 175 lbs., appeared in 81 games, played 3,039 minutes (37.5 avg.), made 628 of 1,309 field goal attempts (.480%) and 356 of 481 free throws (.740%) for 1,612 points (19.9 avg.), had 342 rebounds (4.2 avg.) and 353 assists (4.4 avg.) 31— Mel Counts — Center/Forward — 7-0, 230 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 1,739 minutes (21.2 avg.), made 384 of 808 field goal attempts (.475%) and 190 of 254 free throws (.748%) for 958 points (11.7 avg.), had 732 rebounds (8.9 avg.) and 139 assists (1.7 avg.) 12 — Freddie Crawford — Guard/Forward — 6-4, 189 lbs., appeared in 38 games, played 756 minutes (19.9 avg.), made 159 of 330 field goal attempts (.482%) and 74 of 120 free throws (.617%) for 392 points (10.3 avg.), had 112 rebounds (2.9 avg.) and 95 assists (2.5 avg.) 11—Gail Goodrich—Guard—6-1, 170 lbs., appeared in 79 games, played 2,057 minutes (26.0 avg.), made 395 of 812 field goal attempts (.486%) and 302 of 392 free throws (.770%) for 1,092 points (13.8 avg.), had 199 rebounds (2.5 avg.) and 205 assists (2.6 avg.) 52—Dennis Hamilton—Forward—6-8, 210 lbs., appeared in 44 games, played 378 minutes (8.6 avg.), made 54 of 108 field goal attempts (.500) and 13 of 13 free throws (1.000%) for 121 points (2.8 avg.), had 72 rebounds (1.6 avg.) and 30 assists (0.7 avg.) 33 — Tom Hawkins — Forward — 6-5, 210 lbs., appeared in 78 games, played 2,463 minutes (31.6 avg.), made 389 of 779 field goal attempts (.499%) and 125 of 229 free throws (.546%) for 903 points (11.6 avg.), had 458 rebounds (5.9 avg.) and 117 assists (1.5 avg.) 14 — Darrall Imhoff— Center — 6-10, 220 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,271 minutes (27.7 avg.), made 293 of 613 field goal attempts (.478%) and 177 of 286 free throws (.619%) for 763 points (9.3 avg.), had 893 rebounds (10.9 avg.) and 206 assists (2.5 avg.) 34 — Erwin Mueller — Center/Forward — 6-8, 230 lbs., appeared in 39 games, played 973 minutes (24.9 avg.), made 1332 of 254 field goal

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attempts (.520%) and 61 of 103 free throws (.592%) for 325 points (8.3 avg.), had 222 rebounds (5.7 avg.) and 78 assists (2.0 avg.) 44 — Jerry West — Guard — 6-2, 175 lbs., appeared in 51 games, played 1,919 minutes (37.6 avg.), made 476 of 926 field goal attempts (.514%) and 391 of 482 free throws (.811%) for 1,343 points (26.3 avg.), had 294 rebounds (5.8 avg.) and 310 assists (6.1 avg.) 24 — John Wetzel — Guard/Forward — 6-5, 190 lbs., appeared in 38 games, played 434 minutes (11.4 avg.), made 52 of 119 field goal attempts (.437%) and 35 of 46 free throws (.761%) for 139 points (3.7 avg.), had 84 rebounds (2.2 avg.) and 51 assists (1.3 avg.)

League Leaders Elgin Baylor —field goals made (4th), field goals attempts (2nd), free throws made (5th), points scored (2nd), points per game (3rd) Jerry West —field goal percentage (4th)

All-NBA Elgin Baylor —1st team selection Jerry West — 2nd team selection

All-Star Game Selections Elgin Baylor, Archie Clark, Jerry West

Regular Season Highlights Dec. 31— In their first-ever game played at the Forum, the Lakers beat the San Diego Rockets, 147–118. The Lakers establish a team-record average of 121.2 points per game by scoring 9,937 points throughout the regular season.

Playoffs WESTERN DIVISION SEMI-FINALS VERSUS CHICAGO 1. March 24 at Los Angeles: Elgin Baylor had the honor of being the top scorer in NBA playoff history during this time. He then came out and quickly added to his status by sinking 32 points in a 109–101 Los Angeles victory. In addition to his scoring prowess, Baylor hauled in 23 rebounds and dished out eight assists. Jerry West had a terrible go of it in the previous season’s playoff run. He suffered an ankle injury and broken hand when the Lakers were swept in three straight games. This time around, West was nursing a groin injury and broken nose. However, unlike a year earlier, West not only played, but dominated by leading all scorers with 33 points in a game that saw the Lakers never trail at the end of any quarter in front of 7,352 hometown faithful.1 2. March 25 at Los Angeles: The Lakers held a 16-point lead at the halfway mark of the third quarter, and appeared to be in control of this game. It was then that future Laker Keith Erikson kicked his game into high gear for Chicago. The former UCLA product pumped in all of his 18 points throughout the second half to assist the Bulls in catching the Lakers. A jump shot by Jim Washington then knotted the game at 100-all before the great Jerry West and teammate Archie Clark pulled out a 111–106 victory to give Los Angeles a 2–0 series advantage. With 1:03 to

ONE : THE SEASONS go in the game, West scored three points of his game-high 35, and Clark nailed a pair of free throws with 11 seconds remaining to pull out the win.2 3. March 27 at Chicago: Two days earlier Keith Erikson rallied the Bulls only to fall short of victory. This time around, back in the friendly confines of the Windy City, the Bulls got a 104–98 win with major assistance from another future Laker, Flynn Robinson. After spotting the Lakers a 26–22 lead at the end of the opening stanza, Robinson smoked the nets for 20 of his game-high 41 points to help the Bulls outscore Los Angeles, 37–21, in the second quarter, and Chicago pulled to within one game of tying the series up. Despite the loss, the superstar tandem of Elgin Baylor and Jerry West were at their brilliant best. West led the team with 32 points, and Baylor hit for 29.3 4. March 29 at Chicago: The Lakers took the lead in the second quarter after outscoring Chicago, 24–16, and never looked back in a 93–87 victory that was their 10th in the 12 games they played against the Bulls throughout the season. Elgin Baylor led the charge with 27 points, and Jerry West added 19.4 5. March 31 at Los Angeles: The Lakers continued their season-long dominance over the Bulls by ending this series with a 122–99 victory. After they trailed Chicago by six going into the second quarter, the Lakers put serious distance between themselves and the Bulls from that point on. They outscored Chicago by nine in the second period, and 15 in the third, to coast to their win. Elgin Baylor led all scorers with 37 points, with 28 of them coming in the second and third periods, and Jerry West finished second on the team with 23.5

WESTERN DIVISION FINALS VERSUS SAN FRANCISCO 1. April 5 at Los Angeles: The only thing standing in the Lakers’ way of earning their fifth Western Division title of the decade were the San Francisco Warriors, who swept them in the playoffs the year before. With 10,319 in attendance at the new Fabulous Forum, Los Angeles took a first step in getting revenge on the Warriors, compliments of a dominant 133–105 victory. With six minutes left in the first half, Gail Goodrich came into the game for Jerry West with the Warriors holding a 43–42 lead. Goodrich then pumped in 12 of his 17 points to help give the Lakers a commanding 63–51 lead at the half. Los Angeles remained on a hot streak in the third quarter, going on a 14–2 run in the first six minutes of second half to extend their advantage to 24 points. Elgin Baylor tied the Warriors’ Jeff Mullins for gamehigh scoring honors with 29, Jerry West came in a close second with 27, and Archie Clark added 20 for the Lakers.6 2. April 10 at Los Angeles: The Lakers were halfway home to clinching an NBA Finals berth with a 115–112 victory that gave them a 2–0 series lead. This win also allowed Los Angeles to remain a perfect at 5–0 in postseason competition within the confines of their new arena, the Fabulous Forum. However, the Warriors made the Lakers work for this one by building a 10-point advantage in the fourth quarter. Down, 92–82, the Lakers came back to take a 107–105 lead with 1:50 left on the clock. Backup center Mel Counts came on strong with six points down the stretch to lead the charge. Jerry West and Elgin Baylor each had 36 points to share game-high honors with San Francisco’s Fred Hetzel.7

ONE : THE SEASONS 3. April 11 at San Francisco: The Lakers were closing in on clinching this series early, as they traveled north up the California coast to defeat the Warriors, 128–124, in their arena. After going into the half down 65–61, the Lakers exploded in the third quarter, outscoring the Warriors, 39–25, to set the tone for the rest of the game. Jerry West led all scorers with 40 points, and Elgin Baylor chipped in with 27.8 4. April 13 at San Francisco: The Lakers had redemption a year after being swept by the Warriors, as they returned the favor with a 106–100 series-clinching victory that sent the Lakers to their fifth NBA Finals in the decade. Los Angeles held a narrow 100–99 lead with 1:23 left in the game. Fred Crawford and Archie Clark then sealed the game. Crawford first hit for a two-pointer with one minute left, and after former Laker Rudy LaRusso countered with one of his own, Clark sank a jumper with 12 ticks left on the clock. Crawford then knocked down two free throws to prevent any miracle from happening for the Warriors.9

NBA FINALS VERSUS BOSTON 1. April 21 at Boston: Two days removed from downing the defending NBA champion Philadelphia 76ers and Wilt Chamberlain in a tough series, player/coach Bill Russell provided the spark to give Boston a 107–101 opening game victory. Down by 15 points in the second half, Russell accounted for 12 of his 19 points to rally his Celtics. Bailey Howell assisted his mentor with eight points in the fourth quarter, and his 20 points led the Celtics. Boston had control early on with a 20–9 advantage, but the Lakers got hot and Boston went stagnant. Los Angeles then pounced on the home team, and led at the half, 61–48. With the LA lead up to 15 in the third, the Celtics caught fire once again, scoring 11 straight points to close to within four going into the fourth period. Bill Russell then tied things up at 90, and later Sam Jones tossed in a jumper to give Boston the lead for good. Jerry West led the Lakers with 25 and Elgin Baylor came in second with 24.10 2. April 24 at Boston: Coming close to topping the Celtics in the opener only to see victory snatched from them served as a rallying cry for Los Angeles. Led by a 35-point performance from Jerry West, the Lakers evened the series up with a 123–113 win before sending the Finals to Los Angeles for the next two games. The game was tied 15 times in the first half, but the Lakers then went on an 11–0 run to lead, 73–60, and Boston never recovered.11 3. April 26 at Los Angeles: With great accuracy from the field, the Celtics took a 2–1 series lead with a 127–119 win. With a crowd of 17,011 on hand inside the new Fabulous Forum, Boston jumped out to an 18-point bulge in the third quarter thanks to a burst that saw the Celtics nail nine of their first 11 shots. Boston took a 103–87 lead into the fourth quarter, but Los Angeles gave a gallant effort by getting as close as three points off the lead on two occasions.12 4. April 28 at Los Angeles: Jerry West and Elgin Baylor were the league’s top duo throughout the 1960s, and in this 118–105 victory, they lived up to that honor. West scored 38 points and Baylor 30, in a game that allowed the Lakers to even the series at two games apiece. Unfortunately, along with the good comes the bad, as West was forced from the game with one minute remaining

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after injuring his ankle. Hot-tempered Lakers coach Butch Van Breda Kolff exploded to the referee on two occasions that warranted the officials to slap him with technical fouls. After the second one, the coach was automatically ejected with 8:31 left in the game.13 5. April 30 at Boston: In a game that would allow the winner to need just one more victory to clinch the title, the Celtics got out to a 19-point lead in the opening stanza. They still held a commanding 18-point bulge in the third period, but it was from that double-figure deficit that the Lakers rallied to tie the game at 108 to force overtime. Jerry West’s ankle was still aching enough to stop him from going on. In such a crucial game, however, that was not an option for the All-Pro. He responded with an excellent showing, scoring a game-high 35 points. West sparked LA’s effort to force overtime after trailing by four with under a minute to go in regulation. He turned a steal into an assist to Elgin Baylor, and then scored a basket himself on a steal from Archie Clark. West also tied the game at 117 in overtime with 56 seconds left. It then ended for the Lakers after John Havlicek hit for two of his 31 points, and former Laker Don Nelson converted on a free throw, following a Bill Russell block of a Baylor shot attempt to finish off the scoring at 120–117.14 6. May 2 at Los Angeles: The Celtics left no room for dramatics by streaking to a 20-point halftime lead and continually took advantage of the Lakers’ failure to find the rim throughout the first half. When Los Angeles did start to connect, they were still down by 11 in the third period. John Havlicek paced the champs with 40 points and helped them close out the series with a 124–109 victory.15

Individual Playoff Statistics Baylor — appeared in 15 games, played 633 minutes (42.2 avg.), scored 428 points (28.5 avg.), had 218 rebounds (14.5 avg.) and 60 assists (4.0 avg.) Clark — appeared in 15 games, played 528 minutes (35.2 avg.), scored 229 points (15.3 avg.), had 47 rebounds (3.1 avg.) and 60 assists (4.0 avg.) Counts — appeared in 15 games, played 306 minutes (20.4 avg.), scored 129 points (8.6 avg.), had 133 rebounds (8.9 avg.) and 24 assists (1.6 avg.) Crawford — appeared in 15 games, played 257 minutes (17.1 avg.), scored 91 points (6.1 avg.), had 35 rebounds (2.3 avg.) and 16 assists (1.1 avg.) Goodrich—appeared in 10 games, played 100 minutes (10.0 avg.), scored 60 points (6.0 avg.), had 14 rebounds (1.4 avg.) and 14 assists (1.4 avg.) Hamilton — appeared in 2 games, played 11 minutes (5.5 avg.), scored 2 points (1.0 avg.), had 2 rebounds (1.0 avg.) and 1 assist (0.5 avg.) Hawkins — appeared in 15 games, played 478 minutes (31.9 avg.), scored 142 points (9.5 avg.), had 90 rebounds (6.0 avg.) and 18 assists (1.2 avg.) Imhoff— appeared in 15 games, played 440 minutes 929.3 avg.), scored 114 points (7.6 avg.), had 163 rebounds (10.9 avg.) and 30 assists (2.0 avg.) Mueller — appeared in 14 games, played 250 minutes (17.9 avg.), scored 45 points (3.2 avg.), had 54 rebounds (3.9 avg.) and 18 assists (1.3 avg.) West — appeared in 15 games, played 622 minutes (41.5 avg.), scored 462 points (30.8 avg.), had 81 rebounds (5.4 avg.) and 82 assists (5.5 avg.)

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1968-69 Head Coach: Butch Van Breda Kolff Regular Season Record: 55–27 1st place in the NBA Western Division (finished in first place by seven games) Scored 112.2 points per game to rank 6th out of 14 teams Allowed 108.1 points per game to rank 4th Led the league in field goal percentage (.469%) and free throw attempts (3,161)

Review Finally, at the end of their first decade in Los Angeles, the Lakers got a center. The wait, however, was well worth it. When Wilt Chamberlain entered the Southland, he was already established as a force on the defensive side and in the scoring column. Chamberlain’s arrival significantly boosted an already championship-caliber team that won 30 of their last 38 regular season games and made it all the way to the NBA Finals for the fifth time in the decade. With Elgin Baylor still effective, and Jerry West still going strong, there was no way to bet against the Lakers once again going deep in the playoffs.

ONE : THE SEASONS 1,805 minutes (22.2 avg.), made 246 of 597 field goal attempts (.412%) and 204 of 240 free throws (.850%) for 696 points (8.5 avg.), had 147 rebounds (1.8 avg.) and 215 assists (2.6 avg.) 24 — Keith Erickson — Forward/Guard — 6-5, 195 lbs., appeared in 77 games, played 1,974 minutes (25.6 avg.), made 264 of 629 field goal attempts (.420%) and 120 of 175 free throws (.686%) for 648 points (8.4 avg.), had 308 rebounds (4.0 avg.) and 194 assists (2.5 avg.) 33 — Tom Hawkins — Forward — 6-5, 210 lbs., appeared in 74 games, played 1,507 minutes (20.4 avg.), made 230 of 461 field goal attempts (.499%) and 62 of 151 free throws (.411%) for 522 points (7.1 avg.), had 266 rebounds (3.6 avg.) and 81 assists (1.1 avg.) 30—Bill Hewitt—Forward—6-7, 210 lbs., appeared in 75 games, played 1,455 minutes (19.4 avg.), made 239 field goal attempts (.453%) and 61 of 106 free throws (.575%) for 539 points (7.2 avg.), had 332 rebounds (4.4 avg.) and 76 assists (1.0 avg.) 44 — Jerry West — Guard — 6-2, 175 lbs., appeared in 61 games, played 2,394 minutes (39.2 avg.), made 545 of 1,156 field goal attempts (.471%) and 490 of 597 free throws (.821%) for 1,580 points (25.9 avg.), had 262 rebounds (4.3 avg.) and 423 assists (6.9 avg.)

League Leaders Elgin Baylor — points per game (4th) Wilt Chamberlain — minutes played (2nd), minutes per game (1st), field goal percentage (1st), free throw attempts (1st), rebounds (1st), rebounds per game (1st) Jerry West — free throws made (5th)

Gone from the Previous Season Jim Barnes — traded to Chicago on January 9, 1968 Archie Clark — traded to Philadelphia on July 9, 1968 Gail Goodrich — taken in the expansion draft by Phoenix — May 6, 1968 Dennis Hamilton — taken in the expansion draft by Phoenix — May 6, 1968 Darrall Imhoff— traded to Philadelphia on July 9, 1968 Erwin Mueller — traded to Chicago on September 23, 1968 John Wetzel — taken in the expansion draft by Phoenix — May 6, 1968

Regular Season Individual Statistics 40— Cliff Anderson — Guard/Forward — 6-2, 200 lbs., appeared in 35 games, played 289 minutes (8.3 avg.), made 44 of 1098 field goal attempts (.407%) and 47 of 82 free throws (.573%) for 135 points (3.9 avg.), had 44 rebounds (1.3 avg.) and 31 assists (0.9) 22—Elgin Baylor—Forward—6-5, 225 lbs., appeared 76 games, played 3,064 minutes (40.3 avg.), made 730 of 1,632 field goal attempts (.447%) and 421 of 567 free throws (.743%) for 1,881 points (24.8 avg.), had 805 rebounds (10.6 avg.) and 408 assists (5.4 avg.) 52 —Jay Carty —Forward —6-8, 220 lbs., appeared in 28 games, played 192 minutes (6.9 avg.), made 34 of 89 field goal attempts (.382%) and 8 of 11 free throws (.727%) for 76 points (2.7 avg.), had 58 rebounds (2.1 avg.) and 11 assists (0.4 avg.) 13 — Wilt Chamberlain — Center — 7-1, 275 lbs., appeared in 81 games, played 3,669 minutes (45.3 avg.), made 641 of 1,099 field goal attempts (.583%) and 382 of 857 free throws (.446%) for 1,664 points (20.5 avg.), had 1,712 rebounds (21.3 avg.) and 366 assists (4.5 avg.) 31— Mel Counts — Center/Forward — 7-0, 230 lbs., appeared in 77 games, played 1,866 minutes (24.2 avg.), made 390 of 867 field goal attempts (.450%) and 178 of 221 free throws (.805%) for 958 points (12.4 avg.), had 600 rebounds (7.8 avg.) and 109 assists (1.4 avg.) 12 — Freddie Crawford — Guard/Forward — 6-4, 189 lbs., appeared in 81 games, played 1,690 minutes (20.9 avg.), made 211 of 454 field goal attempts (.465%) and 83 of 154 free throws (.539%) for 505 points (6.2 avg.), had 215 rebounds (2.7 avg.) and 154 assists (1.9 avg.) 21—Johnny Egan—Guard—5-11, 180 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played

All-NBA Elgin Baylor —1st team selection Jerry West — 2nd team selection

All-Defensive Team Jerry West — 2nd team selection

All-Rookie Team Bill Hewitt —1st team selection

All-Star Game Selections Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West

Regular Season Highlights Oct. 22 — Wilt Chamberlain gets 32 rebounds in a 107–103 loss to Cincinnati. Jan. 26 — Wilt Chamberlain scores 60 points in a 125–118 win over Cincinnati. Feb. 2 — In a 122–117 loss that took three overtime periods to decide a winner, Wilt Chamberlain grabbed 35 rebounds against San Francisco. The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for the Lakers. February 9 — Wilt Chamberlain scores 66 points, and Elgin Baylor records a career-high 16 assists, in a 134–116 win over Phoenix. Feb. 12 — Wilt Chamberlain collects 33 rebounds in a 109– 92 victory against Seattle.

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March 7 — In a 105–99 overtime win against the Boston Celtics, Wilt Chamberlain is a one-man wrecking machine on the boards. He hauled in a still-standing team record 42 rebounds in a game that started the Lakers on a three-game winning streak. March 9 — Two days after setting an all-time team record for single-game rebounds, Wilt Chamberlain comes close to breaking it when he secured 38 in a 120–109 win against Baltimore.

Playoffs WESTERN DIVISION SEMI-FINALS VERSUS SAN FRANCISCO 1. March 26 at Los Angeles: For San Francisco’s Joe Ellis, the tenth attempt proved to be the charm. After coming up empty in nine straight shot attempts, Ellis connected on a jumper from 25 feet out with 2:47 left in the game to give the Warriors the lead for good in a 99–94 win. On two occasions, in the second and third quarters, the Warriors had a 19-point advantage. Each time, however, the great Jerry West brought the Lakers back by scoring 14 points in the second quarter and 15 in the third. The Lakers even took an 89–83 lead before San Francisco went off on an 11–0 run. West tied San Francisco’s Jeff Mullins for game-high honors with 36 points, and former Laker Rudy LaRusso added 32.1 2. March 28 at Los Angeles: A crowd of over 15,000 in the Forum saw the Warriors beat their Lakers for the second straight time at home. This time San Francisco prevailed, 107–101, with Rudy LaRusso leading the way with 29 points. Nate Thurmond also grabbed his share of the headlines due to his great work on both ends of the floor. He scored 27 points and hauled in 28 rebounds against the great Wilt Chamberlain, who was forced to the bench with slightly under nine minutes remaining after he collected his fifth foul. The Warriors built an 11-point lead at the half, and worked to keep the Lakers at bay throughout the final 24 minutes of play to take a 2–0 series lead back to San Francisco for at least the next two games. The Lakers received another stellar performance from Jerry West, who took game-high honors with 36 points.2 3. March 31 at San Francisco: The Lakers were down by two points at the half and then kicked their offense into high gear. In the third quarter, Jerry West nailed 13 of his game-high 25 points, and Johnny Egan hit for 10, as the Lakers outscored the Warriors, 41–25. The Warriors rallied from 18 points down to close the gap to nine with half of the fourth quarter still left to be played. Bill Hewitt then hit for six of the Lakers’ next ten points to give Los Angeles a nice cushion, and they never looked back, finishing off the Warriors by a 115–98 final count. Wilt Chamberlain provided the Lakers with dominant rebounding, collecting 27, and added 22 points.3 4. April 2 at San Francisco: This series was becoming one in which the visiting team seemed to hold the advantage. The Lakers slaughtered the Warriors in the first half with a fast break attack that left them in the dust. With only 4:30 off the clock in the second quarter, the Lakers built a devastating 41–16 lead, in front of 14,812 in the Cow Palace, and were never threatened in a 103–88 victory that evened the series up at 2–2. Jerry West hit for 22 of his game-high 36 points in the frantic first half.4

5. April 4 at Los Angeles: After battling their way back to even this series on the road, the Lakers brought their momentum back to the Forum, and beat the Warriors, 103–98, to take a 3– 2 series lead and needing only one more win to advance to the division finals for a seventh time in the decade. The Lakers built a 20-point lead in the second quarter, and led at the half, 60– 44. The Warriors then began chipping away at that bulge, slicing it to 10 going into the fourth quarter, and then to two with 16 seconds remaining in the game. Johnny Egan then tossed hit for three free throws to put the game away for LA. Jerry West once again came away with game-high scoring honors, this time by hitting for 29 points before fouling out in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter.5 6. April 5 at San Francisco: Jerry West once again pumped in 29 points, and the Lakers left the City by the Bay as victors thanks to a series-clinching 118–78 victory. The Lakers established a well-balanced offensive attack that allowed six players to score in the double digits. The Warriors could not counter, and suffered through a terrible performance that saw them connect on a meager 30 percent of their shots from the field. The Lakers took advantage of San Francisco’s woes, and built huge leads throughout the game, at one time reaching 40 points in the early stages of the fourth quarter.6

WESTERN DIVISION FINALS VERSUS ATLANTA 1. April 11 at Los Angeles: For the seventh time in the decade, the Lakers were in the Western Division Finals, and a crowd of 16,190 filled the Forum to see if their beloved franchise would take a successful first step in their quest for another shot at the NBA title. The Lakers did not disappoint, as they held off a determined Atlanta Hawks team, 95–93. On three separate occasions, the Lakers led by 15 points, but Atlanta came back and even overtook Los Angeles in the final minute of the fourth quarter. It was then that Mel Counts delivered for Los Angeles. He hit a field goal and a free throw in the final 24 seconds to pull out the win. Six Lakers scored in double figures, with Jerry West leading the way with 25 points.7 2. April 13 at Los Angeles: The Lakers ran their post-season record to six straight with another close finish, this time beating the Hawks, 104–102. In a tightly contested game, Johnny Egan, Jerry West, and Wilt Chamberlain provided the finishing touches on the outcome. With 1:21 left in the fourth quarter, West hit a two-pointer to tie the game at 102-all. He then stole the ball from former Laker Walt Hazzard with 32 ticks left on the clock. After a timeout, West, fighting off a double team, tossed the ball to Egan, who took it down the middle of the court for a layup with 17 seconds left. It was then time for pivot man par excellence, Wilt Chamberlain, to chip in one final time. He blocked a last effort shot and secured the rebound to preserve the win. This game produced another well-balanced offensive showing for the Lakers, who had six players reach double figure scoring, with Chamberlain leading the way with 23 points.8 3. April 15 at Atlanta: After coming close in the first two games in Los Angeles, the Hawks returned to Atlanta and took the third game, 99–86. The first quarter ended in an 18–18 tie, and then the Hawks went into the locker room at the half leading, 46–38. Both teams tallied 23 points in the third quarter, and

1968-69 then center Zelmo Beaty took over to give the Hawks some distance by scoring 17 of his 22 points in the second half. Johnny Egan led the Lakers with 19 points.9 4. April 17 at Atlanta: The Lakers scored 33 points in the fourth quarter, with 28 of them coming in the final seven minutes, to pull away from Atlanta by a 100–85 final count to give them a commanding 3–1 series lead. Wilt Chamberlain started the barrage with a pair of baskets that up the Lakers up by three. Chamberlain finished the game with a team-high 25 points, and Jerry West came in second with 22.10 5. April 20 at Los Angeles: Elgin Baylor had been a scoring machine for the Lakers throughout his career, and more often than not, he led the team in point production on a daily basis. However, injuries and Father Time were slowly beginning to catch up with “Mr. Inside” as the 1960s were reaching their climax. In this postseason, Baylor scored 63 points against the Warriors in the division semifinals, and up to this fifth game against Atlanta, he had 50. There were times that Baylor scored those amounts in just one game, and his name was beginning to fade from the headlines as the Lakers geared up to clinch this series. It was in this game that Baylor showed flashes of his former self, and emerged with a team-high 29 points in a 104–96 series-clincher for Los Angeles. The Lakers were in command of this game, 71–54, at the half way mark of the third quarter. It was then that Wilt Chamberlain suffered a twisted ankle and was forced to the sidelines. Chamberlain had a monster of game by hauling in 29 rebounds, hitting for 16 points, and rejecting seven shot attempts. With Big Wilt out of action, the Hawks rallied back to outscore the Lakers by 18 points in nine minutes. The Hawks then took an 87–86 lead with just over seven minutes left in the fourth quarter. It was at that time that Baylor showed the heart of a champion, and led the Lakers to victory. With slick moves that included a reverse layup and a turn-around jump shot from 18 feet out, Baylor connected on four baskets, and dished out an assist to Johnny Egan to give Los Angeles a 98–88 advantage, and they never relinquished their lead after that. Jerry West provided solid support with 21 points, played an excellent defensive game, and the Lakers were Western Division champions for the sixth time in nine seasons.11

NBA FINALS VERSUS BOSTON 1. April 23 at Los Angeles: The Lakers’ grief of failed attempts at a league championship throughout the 1960s was predominately dished out by the Boston Celtics. Leading up to the 1969 NBA Finals, the Lakers succumbed to the Celtics’ dynasty on five occasions during the decade. It only seemed fitting for these two elite teams to finish off the ’60 s battling each other for professional hardwood supremacy. The Celtics were nearing their glorious 13-season run as professional sports greatest dynasty, and looked to this series as a swan song for this aging juggernaut. Their quest for an 11th championship in 13 seasons began in the Fabulous Forum. Boston clung to a pair of two-point leads, one at the end of the first half, and the other going into the fourth quarter. The Lakers yearned for a top-notch pivot man to complement the powerhouse duo of Jerry West and Elgin Baylor. What they got was one of the most dominant big men the game will ever know in Wilt Chamberlain, and he showed his worth

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ONE : THE SEASONS in this opening game. The lead changed hands 21 times, but it was Chamberlain who decided the outcome by sinking the winning shot with 23 seconds left in the game to give Los Angeles a 120–118 victory. For the game, Wilt scored 15 points and hauled in 22 rebounds. Chamberlain dueled Bill Russell for control of the boards, and even though Russell outscored and outrebounded Wilt, the Lakers’ big man held an advantage in the series. Jerry West came up huge in this game, hitting for 53 points, and Elgin Baylor added 24.12 2. April 25 at Los Angeles: On four different occasions throughout the third quarter, Boston held a 10-point lead, but Elgin Baylor had other plans for the Celtics. He scored the Lakers’ final 12 points of the game to lead LA to a 118–112 victory in front of 17,559 in attendance at the Forum. For the game, Baylor finished with 32 points, and Jerry West had another fantastic performance, hitting for 41 points.13 3. April 27 at Boston: Boston’s John Havlicek had to play through an eye injury sustained when LA’s Keith Erickson poked him. Despite a swollen eye, the former Ohio State product connected for a game-high 34 points in a 111–105 Boston win. Havlicek’s fellow Ohio State alumni, Larry Siegfried, added 28 points, and the duo from the Buckeye State combined for 24 points in the fourth quarter to secure Boston’s first win of the series. Jerry West led the Lakers with 24 points and Johnny Egan connected for 22.14 4. April 29 at Boston: The Lakers and Celtics were the elite of the NBA, but even the top-notch organizations stacked with future Hall of Famers have off days. With the largest Boston Garden crowd in history (15,128), up to that time looking on, the fourth game of the 1969 NBA Finals proved to be one of those times when the word ugly was best used to describe what transpired. The teams combined for 50 turnovers and horrific shooting percentages, which resulted in a low-scoring affair that saw the Celtics hang on by the slightest of margins at the final buzzer. In an 89–88 series tying victory, Boston was once again led by the Ohio State connection of John Havlicek (21 points) and Larry Siegfried (20 points). The Celtics jumped out to a 10–0 lead in the first five minutes of the game. They then went more than 10 minutes without a field goal before getting hot again in the second period. Despite a scoring slump, the Celtics still managed to lead at the half, 49–41. The third quarter saw the Lakers come to life. Jerry West hit for 14 points, and Los Angeles outscored Boston, 29–18, and took a 70–67 lead in the third quarter. From there, both teams battled back and forth. The Lakers had an 88–86 advantage before Boston’s Emmett Bryant hit a free throw with 15 seconds left in the game to close to within one point. The Celtics got the ball back, and 36-year-old Sam Jones, who was retiring after this series, took a pass from Havlicek and hit a 15-foot jumper with one second left to pull out the win. Havlicek then picked off Jerry West’s inbound pass to kill any remote hopes of a last second rocket toss going through the rim for the Lakers. Jerry West accounted for nearly half of his team’s point production with 40, and Keith Erickson was the only other Lakers player to score in double figures (16 points). This was also a rebounding duel between Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain, with Wilt winning by a slim margin of 31 to 29.15 5. May 1 at Los Angeles: There are many what ifs in life, and the Lakers had one going into Game Five on the first day of

ONE : THE SEASONS May in 1969. What if Sam Jones had missed on his last second shot two days earlier, and the Lakers took a 3–1 series lead. The answer would have been a simple one. They would have clinched their first NBA title in Los Angeles with a 117–104 victory in Game Five. However, things did not work out that way, but the Lakers still held a 3–2 series edge thanks in major part to the hot shooting of Jerry West, who finished with 39 points. A packed Forum crowd of 17,553 held its collective breath as West fell victim to a pulled hamstring muscle with 2:20 left in the game. He would continue in the series with his thigh heavily wrapped. The Lakers came back from one point down at the end of the first quarter to take a 49–45 lead at the half. They expanded their advantage to 10 points at the start of the fourth quarter, and West hit for 16 in that stanza to help Los Angeles pull away. Wilt Chamberlain contributed with a yeoman’s effort against his old rival Bill Russell, outrebounding in dominant fashion, 31–13.16 6. May 3 at Boston: The Celtics were a gray beard team that needed to reach deep down and pull out the final two games to repeat as champions. This game proved to be the final home appearance in the magnificent careers of Bill Russell and Sam Jones. In recognition for all of their years helping the Celtics hoist championship banners high up into the rafters of Boston Garden, a crowd of 15,128 rocked the foundation with thunderous applause when Russell and Jones had their names announced. Boston responded to the devotion of the Beantown faithful, and never trailed in a 99–90 win that forced a seventh and deciding game in Los Angeles. In the opening quarter, John Havlicek scored 10 points, and Boston jumped out to a 32–22 lead going in to the second period. With everything clicking, the Celtics extended their advantage to 55–39 at the half, thanks in part to LA’s cold shooting, which saw them connect on only three field goals throughout the second quarter. In the third quarter, the Boston lead increased to 22. It was then that the Lakers began a comeback. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Los Angeles cut the deficit in half, and then down to eight with just over two minutes left in regulation. The Lakers then stalled from there, and Boston held on. Throughout the game, the Boston defense caused the Lakers to turn the ball over 26 times. The Celtics also held an advantage in field goals (38–30), and were nearly perfect from the foul line, connecting on 23 of 25 free throws. Former Laker and now Boston reserve, Don Nelson, hurt his old teammates by sinking 25 points, and Emmett Bryant played his heart out on both offense and defense to help Boston. The final duel between Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain inside Boston Garden was almost even. Russell scored nine points and had 19 rebounds, while Wilt pumped in eight points and grabbed 18 rebounds. Jerry West continued to impress in this series, as he tied teammate Elgin Baylor for game-high scoring honors with 26 points.17 7. May 5 at Los Angeles: It was to be a spectacle befitting a Hollywood blockbuster. Flamboyant owner Jack Kent Cooke envisioned his Lakers ending a decade’s worth of torment at the hands of the Boston Celtics with his Fabulous Forum serving as the backdrop. With one game standing in the way of Los Angeles celebrating its first NBA championship, Cooke’s confidence allowed him to order thousands of balloons with “World Champion Lakers” embossed on them to be released upon the sound of the final buzzer amidst a frenzied celebration. Cooke also had the University of Southern California marching band on hand ready

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1968-69 to break into a rendition of “Happy Days Are Here Again,” as his triumphant Lakers took their long-overdue place atop the league’s summit. When Boston’s player/coach Bill Russell saw those balloons resting in nets high above the court, he made it his rallying cry to his teammates not to allow the balloons to be released. Despite their age and struggle at getting to this climatic moment, the gray beard Celtics were still the reigning champions full of pride and ready to saddle up for one final ride into the sunset. With a then-record crowd of 17,568 on hand, Russell and Wilt Chamberlain met at center court for the final opening tipoff of their storied rivalry. The Celtics came out full of fire, connecting on eight of their first 10 shot attempts, and jumped out to an early 24–12 lead. After shooting below their ability at the beginning, the Lakers began to find their mark, and closed the gap to 28– 25 at the end of the first quarter. The three-point difference that separated the teams at the start of the second period stayed the same as the first concluded with the Celtics still up by three at the half. Going into the third quarter, the Lakers were obviously still in the thick of the hunt. However, after managing to deadlock the score at 60–60, Los Angeles went cold over a five-minute span. Boston took advantage of their opponent’s misfortune by running up a 91–76 lead at the end of the third quarter. With under 10 minutes left in the game, the Celtics led, 100–83, and then the Lakers began a serious rally that had the crowd and television audience across the country glued to the action. Jerry West, bad hamstring and all, found his mark, and chipped the lead down to 12. While the Lakers were coming back, Boston’s Sam Jones fouled out with seven minutes left after scoring 24 points. Elgin Baylor then hit for a two-pointer, and West for three points, and the Lakers were still very much alive with the score 103–94. With 5:19 left in the game, Wilt Chamberlain went up for a rebound and came down awkwardly, causing pain in his right knee. He asked to be replaced, and Mel Counts came in to fill the massive void. West connected on two free throws, and Boston’s lead was cut to seven. With the Celtics apparently running on fumes alone, West looked to continue attacking his weary opponent. He scored on a jump shot, and another pair of free throws, to make the score 103–100 with three minutes left. Counts then hit a jumper to bring Los Angeles within a single point of a tie. Wilt Chamberlain looked to get back into the game at this stage, but coach Butch Van Breda Kolff refused his pivot man’s request, stating that the team was doing just fine without him. Van Breda Kolff and Chamberlain had a very strained relationship at best, and it appeared that a clash of egos came into play. With 1:33 left, West batted away the ball from John Havlicek, but it went right to Don Nelson. Nelson gathered it in at the foul line and sent it toward the basket. The ball bounced off the rim, shot up a few feet, and came down right through the rim to make the score 105–102. The Lakers missed two shot attempts, which all but ended their chances, and when the final buzzer sounded, the Lakers were once again victims of another heart breaker, this time by a 108–106 final count. The balloons that owner Jack Kent Cooke had hoped would be released upon a Lakers victory, remained high atop the court in nets, and were given to a local children’s hospital. Jerry West had laid it all on the line for his team. He had a triple-double (42 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists), and averaged 38 points throughout the series. For his efforts, West was selected as the NBA Finals MVP, becoming the only player

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from the losing team to be honored with the award. It did little to console the All-Pro guard, and to make matters worse, the automobile presented to him in recognition of the honor was green, reminiscent of the Boston Celtics’ team colors. 18

Individual Playoff Statistics Anderson — appeared in 3 games, played 10 minutes (3.3 avg.), scored 4 points (1.3 avg.) and had 1 rebound (0.3 avg.) Baylor — appeared in 18 games, played 640 minutes (35.6 avg.), scored 277 points (15.4 avg.), had 166 rebounds (9.2 avg.) and 74 assists (4.1 avg.) Carty—appeared in 3 games, played 10 minutes (3.3 avg.), scored 1 point (0.3 avg.), had 2 rebounds (0.7 avg.) and 1 assist (0.3 avg.) Chamberlain — appeared in 18 games, played 832 minutes (46.2 avg.), scored 250 points (13.9 avg.), had 444 rebounds (24.7 avg.) and 46 assists (2.6 avg.) Counts — appeared in 18 games, played 442 minutes (24.6 avg.), scored 202 points (11.2 avg.), had 143 rebounds (7.9 avg.) and 26 assists (1.4 avg.) Crawford — appeared in 5 games, played 20 minutes (4.0 avg.), scored 4 points (0.8 avg.), had 3 rebounds (0.6 avg.) and 3 assists (0.6 avg.) Egan — appeared in 18 games, played 571 minutes (31.7 avg.), scored 251 points (13.9 avg.), had 44 rebounds (2.4 avg.) and 70 assists (3.9 avg.) Erickson—appeared in 18 games, played 446 minutes (24.8 avg.), scored 127 points (7.1 avg.), had 86 rebounds (4.8 avg.) and 40 assists (2.2 avg.) Hawkins — appeared in 14 games, played 180 minutes (12.9 avg.), scored 55 points (3.9 avg.), had 40 rebounds (2.9 avg.) and 7 assists (0.5 avg.) Hewitt — appeared in 15 games, played 412 minutes (27.5 avg.), scored 140 points (9.3 avg.), had 78 rebounds (5.2 avg.) and 17 assists (1.1 avg.) West — appeared in 18 games, played 757 minutes (42.1 avg.), scored 556 points (30.9 avg.), had 71 rebounds (3.9 avg.) and 135 assists (7.5 avg.)

1969-70 Head Coach — Joe Mullaney Regular Season Record: 46–36 2nd place in the NBA Western Division (finished two games out of first place) Scored 113.7 points per game to rank 12th out of 14 teams Allowed 111.8 points per game to rank 2nd

Review The dawn of the Super Seventies saw the Lakers led by their third head coach in the past four seasons. Joe Mullaney took the reins from Butch Van Breda Kolff, who left to coach the Detroit Pistons. Pivot man par-excellence, Wilt Chamberlain, and perennial All-Pro forward Elgin Baylor, made Mullaney’s initial experience guiding the Lakers a little more complex when both were lost for large periods of time due to injuries. Chamberlain suffered a knee injury in the ninth game and was lost until the last few games of the regular season. Knee problems were also the reason why Baylor was out of action for 28 games. Jerry West managed to steady the team by carrying the burden during the absence of Chamberlain and Baylor by leading the league in scoring.

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Gone from the Previous Season Cliff Anderson — released by the Lakers Jay Carty — released by the Lakers Fred Crawford — sold to Milwaukee on September 18, 1969 Tom Hawkins — retired

Regular Season Individual Statistics 22 — Elgin Baylor — Forward — 6-5, 225 lbs., appeared in 54 games, played 2,213 minutes (41.0 avg.), made 511 of 1,051 field goal attempts (.486%) and 276 of 357 free throws (.773%) for 1,298 points (24.0 avg.), had 559 rebounds (10.4 avg.) and 292 assists (5.4 avg.) 13 — Wilt Chamberlain — Center — 7-1, 275 lbs., appeared in 12 games, played 505 minutes (42.1 avg.), made 129 of 227 field goal attempts (.568%) and 70 of 157 free throws (.446%) for 328 points (27.3 avg.), had 221 rebounds (18.4 avg.) and 49 assists (4.1 avg.) 31— Mel Counts — Center/Forward — 7-0, 230 lbs., appeared in 81 games, played 2,193 minutes (27.1 avg.), made 434 of 1.017 field goal attempts (.427%) and 156 of 201 free throws (.776%) for 1,024 points (12.6 avg.), had 683 rebounds (8.4 avg.) and160 assists (2.0 avg.) 21—Johnny Egan—Guard—5-11, 180 lbs., appeared in 72 games, played 1,627 minutes (22.6 avg.), made 215 of 491 field goal attempts (.438%) and 99 of 122 free throws (.818%) for 529 points (7.3 avg.), had 104 rebounds (1.4 avg.) and 216 assists (3.0 avg.) 24 — Keith Erickson — Forward/Guard — 6-5, 195 lbs., appeared in 68 games, played 1,755 minutes (25.8 avg.), made 258 of 563 field goal attempts (.458%) and 91 of 122 free throws (.746%) for 607 points (8.9 avg.), had 304 rebounds (4.5 avg.) and 209 assists (3.1 avg.) 20—Dick Garrett—Guard—6-3, 185 lbs., appeared in 73 games, played 2,318 minutes (31.8 avg.), made 354 of 816 field goal attempts (.434%) and 138 of 162 free throws (.852%) for 846 points (11.6 avg.), had 235 rebounds (3.2 avg.) and 180 assists (2.5 avg.) 52 — Happy Hairston — Forward — 6-7, 225 lbs., appeared in 55 games, played 2,145 minutes (39.0 avg.), made 426 of 870 field goal attempts (.490%) and 281 of 350 free throws (.803%) for 1,133 points (20.6 avg.), had 687 rebounds (12.5 avg.) and 110 assists (2.0 avg.) 30—Bill Hewitt—Forward—6-7, 210 lbs., appeared in 20 games, played 478 minutes (23.9 avg.), made 25 of 88 field goal attempts (.284%) and 16 of 31 free throws (.516%) for 66 points (3.3 avg.), had 141 rebounds (7.1 avg.) and 28 assists (1.4 avg.) 33—Mike Lynn—Forward—6-7, 215 lbs., appeared in 44 games, played 403 minutes (9.2 avg.), made 44 of 133 field goal attempts (.331%) and 31 of 48 free throws (.646%) for 119 points (2.7 avg.), had 64 rebounds (1.5 avg.) and 30 assists (0.7 avg.) 15 — Willie McCarter — Guard — 6-3, 175 lbs., appeared in 40 games, played 861 minutes (21.5 avg.), made 132 of 349 field goal attempts (.378%) and 43 of 60 free throws (.717%) for 307 points (7.7 avg.), had 83 rebounds (2.1 avg.) and 93 assists (2.3 avg.) 35 — Rick Roberson — Center/Forward — 6-9, 231 lbs., appeared in 74 games, played 2,005 minutes (27.1 avg.), made 262 of 586 field goal attempts (.447%) and 1,120 of 212 free throws (.566%) for 644 points (8.7 avg.), had 672 rebounds (9.1 avg.) and 92 assists (1.2 avg.) 14 — John Tresvant — Forward/Center — 6-7, 215 lbs., appeared in 20 games, played 221 minutes (11.1 avg.), made 47 of 88 field goal attempts (.534%) and 23 of 35 free throws (.657%) for 117 points (5.9 avg.), had 63 rebounds (3.2 avg.) and 17 assists (0.9 avg.) 44 — Jerry West — Guard — 6-2, 175 lbs., appeared in 74 games, played 3,106 minutes (42.0 avg.), made 831 of 1,673 field goal attempts (.497%) and 647 of 785 free throws (.824%) for 2,309 points (31.2 avg.), had 338 rebounds (4.6 avg.) and 554 assists (7.5 avg.)

League Leaders Jerry West—field goals made (3rd), field goals attempts (5th), free throws made (1st), free throw attempts (1st), points scored (2nd), points per game (1st), minutes per game (3rd), assists per game (4th)

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All-NBA Jerry West —1st team selection

All-Defensive Team Jerry West —1st team selection

All-Rookie Team Dick Garrett —1st team selection

All-Star Game Selections Elgin Baylor, Jerry West

Regular Season Highlights Jan. 22 — With a 122–108 victory against the San Francisco Warriors, the Lakers go on a nine-game winning streak that ends with a 124–114 win over the Cincinnati Royals on February 3, 1970 in a game played in Cleveland, Ohio.

5. April 5 at Los Angeles: With their backs definitely against the wall, the Lakers extended the series with a 138–121 win, led by outstanding performances from Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West. Chamberlain scored 36 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, while West accounted for 36 points and 18 assists. The Suns kept it close during the first quarter, but then West and Mel Counts found their mark, and the defense turned up the pressure to keep the Suns playing catchup.5 6. April 7 at Phoenix: The Lakers turned up the heat on defense in the final minutes to force Phoenix into committing two straight turnovers with the Lakers leading by two points with just three minutes left in the fourth quarter. Jerry West provided the bulk of the offense with 35 points in a 104–93 victory that evened the series at 3–3.6 7. April 9 at Los Angeles: The Lakers grew tired of the Phoenix Suns, and then proceeded to dismantle them in the deciding game by a convincing 129–94 final. The Lakers exploded on the Suns in the first half, building a lead of 25 thanks in part to Elgin Baylor’s 20 points. Baylor finished the game with 25 points, and Wilt Chamberlain came up huge, as the big pivot man sank 30 points and hauled in 27 rebounds.7

WESTERN DIVISION FINALS VERSUS ATLANTA

Playoffs WESTERN DIVISION SEMI-FINALS VERSUS PHOENIX 1. March 25 at Los Angeles: The Phoenix Suns were in their second year of existence, and qualified for the playoffs despite a sub-par 39–43 finish. The Lakers did not take it easy on the newcomers, beating them, 128–112, with the big three of Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, and Jerry West, leading the way. The Suns looked like they were going to shock the world by taking an 11point lead in the second period. The Lakers then brought the Suns back to reality with a tough defense that got the ball back into the hands of a fast-break offense. Baylor led all scorers with 32 points, while Wilt was second with 29 and West third with 27.1 2. March 29 at Los Angeles: Phoenix had a lead in the opening game, but lost it. This time, the Suns outran and outrebounded the Lakers to win their first-ever playoff game, 114–101. Both teams had trouble finding the rim in the first half, but the Suns found the mark in the second half with Connie Hawkins (34 points) leading the way. For the Lakers, Jerry West led the team with 33 points.2 3. April 2 at Phoenix: The Suns enjoyed their win four days earlier so much that they performed an encore for their home crowd. With former Laker Gail Goodrich’s 29 points leading the way, Phoenix won, 112–98. The Suns were able to keep two of Los Angeles’ big three under control, allowing Elgin Baylor only 20 points, and the scoring machine, Wilt Chamberlain, to 11. Jerry West was harder to contain, as he led all scorers with 31.3 4. April 4 at Phoenix: The Suns were looking to pull off the impossible, and took a huge step in doing just that with a 112– 102 victory to give Phoenix a 3–1 series advantage. Gail Goodrich led the attack with 34 points, and Connie Hawkins scored seven consecutive points in the early portion of the fourth quarter to extend the Phoenix lead to 91–77.4

1. April 12 at Atlanta: The Hawks were in control of the scoreboard until the final two minutes, and then the Lakers went on top, 112–111. Elgin Baylor and Jerry West connected on free throws, and Los Angeles came all the way back to clinch with a 119–115 victory. West led all scorers with 38 points, and Elgin Baylor added 30. The Hawks led by a wide margin of 67–52 at the half, but then ran into foul trouble the rest of the way. It was from the foul line that the Lakers were able to get back into this one, as they connected on 47 of 60 free throws throughout the game.8 2. April 14 at Atlanta: The Lakers were on a five-game postseason winning streak thanks to a 105–94 victory that gave them a 2–0 series lead. Wilt Chamberlain and Dick Garrett led the team with 24 points, with Jerry West coming in a close second with 23. The Hawks led at the half, 48–46, but then the Lakers outscored Atlanta, 32–18, in the third period, to distance themselves.9 3. April 17 at Los Angeles: Wilt Chamberlain was one of the most dominant figures the sports world has ever seen. He was an incredible scorer and rebounder, but like all heroes, he had a flaw. At the foul line, Wilt was not that feared. However, in this game, the big man responded with two free throws in the final 17 seconds of overtime to give Los Angeles a 115–114 victory and a 3–0 series lead. Jerry West, who fouled out with 4:33 left in the game, finished with 35 points.10 4. April 19 at Los Angeles: Jerry West accounted for 39 points, and Elgin Baylor 31. This scoring machine tandem proved too much for Atlanta, and the Lakers clinched their third straight NBA Finals berth thanks to a 133–114 victory. Atlanta held an 89–88 lead going into the fourth quarter, but then the Lakers took off on a 17–2 run that sealed their seventh straight postseason win.11

1969-70 NBA FINALS VERSUS NEW YORK 1. April 24 at New York: For the third straight year, the Lakers were back in the NBA Finals, this time against the New York Knicks. The championship series opened in New York’s famed Madison Square Garden, and the hometown Knicks won, 124– 112. With a hot hand from center, and the newly crowned NBA MVP, Willis Reed, New York built a 50–30 second quarter lead. Reed alone accounted for 25 of his 37 points in the first half. Jerry West, who could not get going offensively thanks to great defense from Walt Frazier, got untracked in the third period. He connected for 16 points when Frazier had to sit down after getting into foul trouble. Los Angeles had a 10–2 run at the beginning of the second half, and climbed to within three points off the lead. New York then got control once again, and extended their lead to 92–67. The tandem of Elgin “Mr. Inside” Baylor, and West refused to go down quietly. They led a surge that saw West tally nine points and Baylor six to give LA their first lead since the early stages of the opening stanza. West then hit for four more of his team-high 33 points, and Baylor added two to extend the Lakers’ bulge to 92–89 going into the fourth quarter. The Knicks then ran off 35 points to LA’s 20 in the final period to nail down the victory.12 2. April 27 at New York: The Lakers battled back hard in the opening game, only to come away empty-handed. However, they managed to rebound in Game Two to get out of New York with the series deadlocked at one game apiece. They achieved this thanks to a close, 105–103, win that Jerry West clinched with two free throws as the clock showed 46 seconds remaining in regulation. For the game, West had 34 points. With 22 seconds left, the Knicks geared up for one final surge, but the great Wilt Chamberlain had another idea. His counterpart, Willis Reed, came in for a layup, but Wilt rejected it. Dave DeBusschere got the rebound, but missed the shot. Teammate Dave Stallworth got the offensive rebound, only to be called for walking with three seconds left.13 3. April 29 at Los Angeles: Dave DeBusschere took a Walt Frazier pass and sank a jump shot to give New York a 102–100 lead with three ticks left on the clock. On the inbound pass, Wilt Chamberlain threw to Jerry West, who lived up to his moniker of “Mr. Clutch.” West fired a long-range, desperation shot from nearly 60 feet away as the buzzer sounded. The ball found its mark, and West’s shot forced overtime at the Forum. This was before the three-point line was incorporated by the NBA, otherwise, the Lakers would have won the game by a point. Unfortunately, the extra period ended with ex–Laker Dick Barnett hitting the clincher with four seconds left in a 111–108 New York victory. The disappointing climax overshadowed an incredible performance from Elgin Baylor, who recorded a triple double (13 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists). Jerry West added 34 points, and Wilt Chamberlain sank 21 points and hauled in 26 rebounds.14 4. May 1 at Los Angeles: Another overtime period produced different results, as the Lakers evened the series up at two games apiece with a 121–115 win. Jerry West was a true warrior, as he played with a sprained thumb and still produced a magnificent showing that included 37 points, 18 assists, and five rebounds. Elgin Baylor added 30 points. The game started with the Knicks jumping out to an early nine-point advantage. The Lakers then

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ONE : THE SEASONS answered the call with the dynamic trio of Baylor, West, and Wilt Chamberlain, to lead at the half, 54–47. The Lakers clung to a slim lead in the fourth quarter until Bill Bradley sank a 23-foot jumper from the corner to give New York a 97–96 advantage. With 56 seconds remaining in regulation, and the score tied at 99, reserve forward John Tresvant, seeing his first action in the Finals, came into the game and made a name for himself in the overtime period by recording two steals and three important free throws.15 5. May 4 at New York: The series shifted back to New York’s Madison Square Garden, and with the Lakers up, 25–15, late in the opening period, things looked bleak for the Knicks. It was at that stage when New York’s big man, center and the NBA’s MVP, Willis Reed, was forced to the bench with a bruised hip in addition to sore knees. However, despite the loss, the Knicks battled back to win, 107–100, to take a 3–2 series lead. Walt Frazier (21 points), and reserve Cazzie Russell (20 points), carried the New York offensive load. Despite outshooting the Knicks from field goal range, Los Angeles fell victim to 30 turnovers thanks to a relentless Knicks’ defense. The Lakers were led by the superstar trio of Wilt Chamberlain, (22 points), Elgin Baylor (21 points), and Jerry West (20 points).16 6. May 6 at Los Angeles: Rookie Dick Garrett caught fire early for LA, sinking seven straight field goals to help the Lakers build a 36–16 opening quarter bulge. The Lakers never looked back, winning in convincing fashion, 135–113. Not having to contend with an injured Willis Reed in the lineup, Wilt Chamberlain had a colossal body of work with 45 points and 27 rebounds.17 7. May 8 at New York: The 1969-70 NBA season came down to one game to determine a champion. The behemoth city of New York had witnessed many individual sports moments that are forever etched in time, and Willis Reed provided one of them on May 8, 1970. With Madison Square Garden packed to capacity with 19,500 in attendance, Reed hobbled out onto the court with a bad hip and aching knees after missing the previous game. His presence earned him a standing ovation from the crowd, and gave the Knicks an emotional boost. Reed then delivered on the game’s first basket, causing the crowd to let loose with a cheer that shook the foundation. After that basket, the crowd never let up. Reed only scored four points in this deciding game, but his stellar defensive work against Wilt Chamberlain freed up his teammate and star guard, Walt “Clyde” Frazier, to destroy the Lakers with 36 points and 19 assists. Chamberlain still proved to be a force despite pressure from Reed, and scored 21 points and hauled in 24 rebounds. The Knicks were in total control of the game. They led by 14 at the end of the first quarter, and ran up a 69–42 bulge at the half. The Lakers never were able to establish a threat in the final 24 minutes, and saw the Knicks celebrate a 113–99 victory, which gave them their first-ever NBA title, and gave Los Angeles its third straight Finals setback. The season proved to be a banner one for Willis Reed, as he brought home the 1969-70 NBA MVP Award, the Finals MVP trophy, and the world championship.18

Individual Playoff Statistics Baylor — appeared in 18 games, played 667 minutes (37.1 avg.), scored 336 points (18.7 avg.), had 173 rebounds (9.6 avg.) and 83 assists (4.6 avg.)

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Chamberlain — appeared in 18 games, played 851 minutes (47.3 avg.), scored 398 points (22.1 avg.), had 399 rebounds (22.2 avg.) and 81 assists (4.5 avg.) Counts — appeared in 14 games, played 212 minutes (15.1 avg.), scored 85 points (6.1 avg.), had 74 rebounds (5.3 avg.) and 16 assists (1.1 avg.) Egan — appeared in 16 games, played 162 minutes (10.1 avg.), scored 56 points (3.5 avg.), had 5 rebounds (0.3 avg.) and 22 assists (1.4 avg.) Erickson—appeared in 17 games, played 553 minutes (32.5 avg.), scored 169 points (9.9 avg.), had 77 rebounds (4.5 avg.) and 74 assists (4.4 avg.) Garrett — appeared in 18 games, played 595 minutes (33.1 avg.), scored 230 points (12.8 avg.), had 52 rebounds (2.9 avg.) and 39 assists (2.2 avg.) Hairston — appeared in 16 games, played 296 minutes (18.5 avg.), scored 118 points (7.4 avg.), had 76 rebounds (4.8 avg.) and 20 assists (1.3 avg.) Lynn—appeared in 3 games, played 6 minutes (2.0 avg.), scored 4 points (1.3 avg.), had 2 rebounds (0.7 avg.) and 1 assist (0.3 avg.) McCarter — appeared in 5 games, played 14 minutes (2.8 avg.), scored 7 points (1.4 avg.), had 3 rebounds (0.6 avg.) and 3 assists (0.6 avg.) Roberson — appeared in 9 games, played 61 minutes (6.8 avg.), scored 22 points (2.4 avg.) and had 16 rebounds (1.8 avg.) Tresvant — appeared in 11 games, played 148 minutes (13.5 avg.), scored 65 points (5.9 avg.), had 38 rebounds (3.5 avg.) and 16 assists (1.5 avg.) West — appeared in 18 games, played 830 minutes (46.1 avg.), scored 562 points (31.2 avg.), had 66 rebounds (3.7 avg.) and 151 assists (8.4 avg.)

1970-71 Head Coach: Joe Mullaney Regular Season Record: 48–34 1st place in the NBA Pacific Division (finished in first place by seven games) Scored 114.8 points per game to rank 7th out of 17 teams Allowed 111.7 points per game to rank 6th

Review League expansion brought the NBA’s number of teams up to 17, and they were divided into two conferences and four divisions. The Lakers were assigned to the Pacific Division along with the San Francisco Warriors, San Diego Rockets, Seattle Supersonics, and Portland Trailblazers. As for the Lakers, Father Time appeared to be creeping up on the team’s big three of Wilt Chamberlain (334), Elgin Baylor (36), and Jerry West (32). It was felt that the Lakers’ days of being a league power was ticking down. The oldest, Baylor, succumbed to persistent knee problems, and was only able to play in two games. Chamberlain and West were in good physical condition, and their prowess helped carry the team. Gail Goodrich was brought back to help the team via a trade with Phoenix.

Gone from the Previous Season Mel Counts — traded to Phoenix on January 21, 1970 Johnny Egan — taken in the expansion draft by Cleveland — May 10, 1970 Dick Garrett — taken in the expansion draft by Buffalo — May 10, 1970

Bill Hewitt — traded to Detroit on November 27, 1969 Mike Lynn — taken in the expansion draft by Buffalo — May 10, 1970

Regular Season Individual Statistics 22 — Elgin Baylor — Forward — 6-5, 225 lbs., appeared in 2 games, played 57 minutes (28.5 avg.), made 8 of 19 field goal attempts (.421%) and 4 of 6 free throws (.667%) for 20 points (10.0 avg.), had 11 rebounds (5.5 avg.) and 2 assists (1.0 avg.) 13 — Wilt Chamberlain — Center — 7-1, 275 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 3,630 minutes (44.3 avg.), made 668 of 1,226 field goal attempts (.545%) and 360 of 669 free throws (.538%) for 1,696 points (20.7 avg.), had 1,493 rebounds (18.2 avg.) and 352 assists (4.3 avg.) 24 — Keith Erickson — Forward/Guard — 6-5, 195 lbs., appeared in 73 games, played 2,272 minutes (31.3 avg.), made 369 of 783 field goal attempts (.471%) and 85 of 112 free throws (.759%) for 823 points (11.3 avg.), had 404 rebounds (5.5 avg.) and 223 assists (3.1 avg.) 25 — Gail Goodrich — Guard — 6-1, 170 lbs., appeared in 79 games, played 2,808 minutes (35.5 avg.), made 558 of 1,174 field goal attempts (.475%) and 264 of 343 free throws (.770%) for 1,380 points (17.5 avg.), had 260 rebounds (3.3 avg.) and 380 assists (4.8 avg.) 52 — Happy Hairston — Forward — 6-7, 225 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 2,921 minutes (36.5 avg.), made 574 of 1,233 field goal attempts (.466%) and 337 of 431 free throws (.782%) for 1,485 points (18.6 avg.), had 797 rebounds (10.0 avg.) and 168 assists (2.1 avg.) 30— Fred Hetzel — Forward/Center — 6-8, 220 lbs., appeared in 59 games, played 613 minutes (10.4 avg.), made 111 of 256 field goal attempts (.434%) and 60 of 77 free throws (.779%) for 282 points (4.8 avg.), had 149 rebounds (2.5 avg.) and 37 assists (0.6 avg.) 20—Earnie Killum—Guard—6-3, 180 lbs., appeared in 4 games, played 12 minutes (3.0 avg.), made 0 of 4 field goal attempts (.000%) and 1 of 1 free throws (1.000%) for 1 point (0.3 avg.), had 2 rebounds (0.5 avg.) 15 — Willie McCarter — Guard — 6-3, 175 lbs., appeared in 76 games, played 1,369 minutes (18.0 avg.), made 247 of 592 field goal attempts (.417%) and 46 of 77 free throws (.597%) for 540 points (7.1 avg.), had 122 rebounds (1.6 avg.) and 126 assists (1.7 avg.) 5 — Jim McMillian — Forward — 6-5, 215 lbs., appeared in 81 games, played 1,747 minutes (21.6 avg.), made 289 of 629 field goal attempts (.459%) and 100 of 130 free throws (.769%) for 678 points (8.4 avg.), had 330 rebounds (4.1 avg.) and 133 assists (1.6 avg.) 12—Pat Riley—Guard/Forward—6-4, 205 lbs., appeared in 545 games, played 506 minutes (9.4 avg.), made 105 of 254 field goal attempts (.413%) and 56 of 87 free throws (.644%) for 266 points (4.9 avg.), had 54 rebounds (1.0 avg.) and 72 assists (1.3 avg.) 35 — Rick Roberson — Center/Forward — 6-9, 231 lbs., appeared in 65 games, played 909 minutes (14.0 avg.), made 125 of 301 field goal attempts (.415%) and 88 of 143 free throws (.615%) for 338 points (5.2 avg.), had 304 rebounds (4.7 avg.) and 47 assists (0.7 avg.) 14 — John Tresvant — Forward/Center — 6-7, 215 lbs., appeared in 8 games, played 66 minutes (8.3 avg.), made 18 of 35 field goal attempts (.514%) and 7 of 10 free throws (.700%) for 43 points (5.4 avg.), had 23 rebounds (2.9 avg.) and 10 assists (1.3 avg.) 44 — Jerry West — Guard — 6-2, 175 lbs., appeared in 69 games, played 2,845 minutes (41.2 avg.), made 667 of 1,351 field goal attempts (.494%) and 525 of 631 free throws (.832%) for 1,859 points (26.9 avg.), had 320 rebounds (4.6 avg.) and 655 assists (9.5 avg.)

League Leaders Wilt Chamberlain — minutes played (3rd), minutes per game (3rd), field goal percentage (3rd), rebounds (1st), rebounds per game (1st) Jerry West — free throws made (4th), assists (3rd)

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All-NBA Jerry West —1st team selection

All-Defensive Team Jerry West —1st team selection

All-Star Game Selections Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West

Regular Season Highlights Oct. 16 — Wilt Chamberlain gets 31 rebounds in a 106–102 opening day victory against Chicago. Nov. 29 — In a 130–112 win, Wilt Chamberlain hauls in 31 rebounds against the San Diego Rockets.

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS VERSUS CHICAGO 1. March 24 at Los Angeles: Complements of great shooting from Jim McMillian, Keith Erickson, and Gail Goodrich, the Lakers were able to climb out from under a 17-point deficit at the beginning of the second half. The teams battled back and forth, with four lead changes happening in the last two minutes of the game. Goodrich then ended Chicago’s hopes when a pair of his free throws secured a 100–99 Los Angeles victory. Wilt Chamberlain also provided another solid performance to his incredible resume by scoring 18 points and hauling 21 rebounds.1 2. March 26 at Los Angeles: Gail Goodrich was once again the hero in front of 13,469 spectators at the Fabulous Forum. With the Lakers trailing by four points at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the hot-shooting guard scored 14 points to help Los Angeles gain a 105–95 victory and a 2–0 series lead. For the game, Goodrich topped the Lakers with 29 points, and Wilt Chamberlain came in a close second with 26.2 3. March 28 at Chicago: Gail Goodrich had another great outing, this time hitting for 39 points, but the Lakers came up on the short end of a 106–98 final in the Windy City. The Lakers held a 26–24 lead at the end of the opening stanza. Tom Boerwinkle then went on a rebounding tear that helped Chicago gain a 10-point lead in the second period. Los Angeles then battled back to tie the game at 51-all at the half. Goodrich scored 13 of his points in the third quarter to give the Lakers a 77–73 advantage going into the fourth period. The teams were deadlocked at 87– 87 with six minutes left until the Bulls forged ahead for good to narrow the Lakers’ lead in the series to 2–1.3 4. March 30 at Chicago: Chicago went into the fourth quarter down by six, but emerged with a 112–102 victory that evened the series at two games apiece. Bob Love provided the spark for the Bulls by pumping in 17 of his game-high 36 points in the fourth period to lift the Bulls. Gail Goodrich had another great game for the Lakers, scoring a team-high 32 points.4

ONE : THE SEASONS 5. April 1 at Los Angeles: Gail Goodrich continued on his scoring trek against the Bulls, as he scored 33 points in a 115–89 victory that gave the Lakers a 3–2 series lead, and needing only one more victory to move on to the Western Conference Finals.5 6. April 4 at Chicago: The Bulls had their backs to the wall when they returned to Chicago in an attempt to stave off elimination on their home court. The Lakers looked to close this series out, and took great strides to accomplish it by building up an 11point lead with solid shooting, especially from Gail Goodrich, who lead the team in scoring with 25 points. The Bulls then caught fire in the third quarter after trailing by five at the half. They outscored Los Angeles, 28–15, in the third quarter, and won, 113–99, to force a seventh and deciding game. Chicago was led by Bob Weiss (25 points), Jerry Sloan (23 points), and Bob Love (21 points).6 7. April 6 at Los Angeles: The Lakers got out to a five-point lead at the end of the first quarter, but Chicago kept the game close until the final period. Clinging to a lead of three points, the Lakers made some distance between themselves and the Bulls, much to the joy all those in attendance at the Fabulous Forum. Los Angeles outscored the Bulls by eight points to clinch the series with a 109–98 victory. Gail Goodrich led the Lakers’ attack with 29 points in a series where the home team won every time.7

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS VERSUS MILWAUKEE 1. April 9 at Milwaukee: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lew Alcindor at this time) and Wilt Chamberlain were two of the most dominant big men to ever play the game. On April 9, 1971, these two forces clashed for the first time in post-season history. In the first half of this opening game, both men put on basketball clinics against each other. Alcindor scored 20 points and collected 19 rebounds. The old pro, Wilt Chamberlain, showed the young superstar that he still had it by nailing 16 points, hauling in 12 rebounds, and added five blocked shots to his first half body of work. Going into the third period, Chamberlain’s Lakers had a slim 44–43 lead. In the second half, the Bucks took advantage of numerous mistakes made by the Lakers, and won, 106–85, with Alcindor’s 32 points taking game-high honors. Chamberlain ended the day with 22 points, 21 rebounds, and seven blocks.8 2. April 11 at Milwaukee: Milwaukee jumped out to a 7–1 lead, but Wilt Chamberlain kept the Lakers competitive in the first half by scoring 13 points and hauling in 14 rebounds. The Bucks still led at the half by seven, and continued to keep the Lakers playing catch-up, and in the end, took a 2–0 series lead compliments of a 91–73 victory. Chamberlain did earn gamehigh scoring honors with 26, and Alcindor came in second with 22.9 3. April 14 at Los Angeles: The Lakers continued on their post-season home winning streak that extended to five games thanks to a 118–107 victory. Los Angeles sent a Forum crowd of 17,334 home happy, as four Lakers scored 24 points. Harry Hairston, Gail Goodrich, Pat Riley, and Wilt Chamberlain, were the recipients of team-high scoring honors. Chamberlain also collected 24 rebounds in a game that never saw the Lakers relinquish the lead.10 4. April 16 at Los Angeles: The Lakers’ victory two days earlier only seemed to spark a fury for Milwaukee, and they un-

ONE : THE SEASONS leashed it in this game, winning by a convincing score of 117–94 to take a 3–1 series lead. Lew Alcindor led the Bucks with 31 points and 20 rebounds in a game that Milwaukee had the advantage in throughout. A crowd of 17,505 at the Forum had some reason to cheer briefly in the third quarter, when the Lakers were behind by a lone point. The Bucks then went on a dominant 24– 7 run to put the game out of reach. Gail Goodrich’s 26 points, and Wilt Chamberlain’s 16 rebounds, paced the Lakers.11 5. April 18 at Milwaukee: The Bucks put the Lakers out of their misery, wasting no more time in this series. With a 116–98 victory, the Bucks moved on to the NBA Finals, where they would win the championship in only their third year of existence. The Bucks seemed unstoppable from hitting outside shots or working the ball inside, and extended a six-point halftime lead into one of 17 at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Greg Smith led the Bucks with 22 points, and superstar center Lew Alcindor contributed 20. For the Lakers, Happy Hairston led all scorers with 27 points, and Wilt Chamberlain added 23 points.12

Individual Playoff Statistics Chamberlain — appeared in 12 games, played 554 minutes (46.2 avg.), scored 220 points (18.3 avg.), had 242 rebounds (20.2 avg.) and 53 assists (4.4 avg.) Erickson — appeared in 8 games, played 313 minutes (39.1 avg.), scored 125 points (15.6 avg.), had 45 rebounds (5.6 avg.) and 22 assists (2.8 avg.) Goodrich—appeared in 12 games, played 518 minutes (43.2 avg.), scored 305 points (25.4 avg.), had 38 rebounds (3.2 avg.) and 91 assists (7.6 avg.) Hairston — appeared in 12 games, played 471 minutes (39.3 avg.), scored 204 points (17.0 avg.), had 109 rebounds (9.1 avg.) and 34 assists (2.8 avg.) Hetzel — appeared in 7 games, played 38 minutes (5.4 avg.), scored 12 points (1.7 avg.), had 7 rebounds (1.0 avg.) and 2 assists (0.3 avg.) Killum — appeared in 2 games, played 4 minutes (2.0 avg.) and scored 4 points (2.0 avg.) McCarter—appeared in 12 games, played 232 minutes (19.3 avg.), scored 55 points (4.6 avg.), had 26 rebounds (2.2 avg.) and 17 assists (1.4 avg.) McMillian — appeared in 12 games, played 522 minutes (43.5 avg.), scored 181 points (15.1 avg.), had 65 rebounds (5.4 avg.) and 22 assists (1.8 avg.) Riley — appeared in 7 games, played 135 minutes (19.3 avg.), scored 66 points (9.4 avg.), had 15 rebounds (2.1 avg.) and 14 assists (2.0 avg.) Roberson — appeared in 9 games, played 93 minutes (10.3 avg.), scored 24 points (2.7 avg.), had 26 rebounds (2.9 avg.) and 4 assists (0.4 avg.)

1971-72 Head Coach: Bill Sharman Assistant Coach: K.C. Jones Regular Season Record: 69–13 (best record in the NBA) 1st place in the NBA Pacific Division (finished in first place by 18 games) Scored 121.0 points per game to rank 1st out of 17 teams Allowed 108.7 points per game to rank 6th Led the league in field goals made (3,920), rebounds (4,628), assists (2,232), points scored (9,920) and points per game (121.0)

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Review Former Boston Celtics’ great Bill Sharman became head coach of the Lakers after Joe Mullaney was let go after two seasons. Age was again considered a major factor for the team, but Sharman did not care about it. He decided to instill an offense based on running, and felt that his newly inherited players could pull it off. The team was deep at the guard position with Gail Goodrich and Jerry West, who would become the elite backcourt tandem of the league during this time. Elgin Baylor’s knees finally forced the great forward to retire in early November. In Sharman’s fast break offensive attack, the new coach talked Chamberlain into concentrating more on his defensive skills, which would allow the center to get the ball to teammates to start the break. In a short amount of time, every facet of Sharman’s plan worked to near perfection.

Gone from the Previous Season Fred Hetzel — waived by the Lakers on September 20, 1971 Earnie Killum — waived by the Lakers on September 20, 1971 Willie McCarter — waived by the Lakers on September 20, 1971 Rick Roberson — traded to Cleveland on November 5, 1971 John Tresvant — traded to Baltimore on November 11, 1970

Regular Season Individual Statistics 22 — Elgin Baylor — Forward — 6-5, 225 lbs., appeared in 9 games, played 239 minutes (26.6 avg.), made 42 of 97 field goal attempts (.433%) and 22 of 27 free throws (.815%) for 106 points (11.8 avg.), had 57 rebounds (6.3 avg.) and 18 assists (2.0 avg.) 13 — Wilt Chamberlain — Center — 7-1, 275 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 3,469 minutes (42.3 avg.), made 496 of 764 field goal attempts (.649%) and 221 of 524 free throws (.422%) for 1,213points (14.8 avg.), had 1,572 rebounds (19.2 avg.) and 329 assists (4.0 avg.) 11—Jim Cleamons—Guard—6-3, 185 lbs., appeared in 38 games, played 201 minutes (5.3 avg.), made 35 of 100 field goal attempts (.350%) and 28 of 36 free throws (.778%) for 98 points (2.6 avg.), had 39 rebounds (1.0 avg.) and 35 assists (0.9 avg.) 14 — Leroy Ellis — Center/Forward — 6-10, 210 lbs., appeared in 74 games, played 1,081 minutes (14.6 avg.), made 138 of 300 field goal attempts (.460%) and 66 of 95 free throws (.695%) for 342 points (4.6 avg.), had 310 rebounds (4.2 avg.) and 46 assists (0.6 avg.) 24 — Keith Erickson — Forward/Guard — 6-5, 195 lbs., appeared in 15 games, played 262 minutes (17.5 avg.), made 40 of 83 field goal attempts (.482%) and 6 of 7 free throws (.857%) for 86 points (5.7 avg.), had 39 rebounds (2.6 avg.) and 35 assists (2.3 avg.) 25 — Gail Goodrich — Guard — 6-1, 170 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 3,040 minutes (37.1 avg.), made 826 of 1,695 field goal attempts (.487%) and 475 of 559 free throws (.850%) for 2,127 points (25.9 avg.), had 295 rebounds (3.6 avg.) and 365 assists (4.5 avg.) 52 — Happy Hairston — Forward — 6-7, 225 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 2,748 minutes (34.4 avg.), made 368 of 798 field goal attempts (.461%) and 311 of 399 free throws (.779%) for 1,047 points (13.1 avg.), had 1,045 rebounds (13.1 avg.) and 193 assists (2.4 avg.) 5 — Jim McMillian — Forward — 6-5, 215 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 3,050 minutes (38.1 avg.), made 642 of 1,331 field goal attempts (.482%) and 219 of 277 free throws for 1,503 points (18.8 avg.), had 522 rebounds (6.5 avg.) and 209 assists (2.6 avg.) 12 — Pat Riley — Guard/Forward — 6-4, 205 lbs., appeared in 67 games, played 926 minutes (13.8 avg.), made 197 of 441 field goal attempts (.447%) and 55 of 74 free throws (.743%) for 449 points (6.7 avg.), had 127 rebounds (1.9 avg.) and 75 assists (1.1 avg.)

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21— Flynn Robinson — Guard — 6-1, 185 lbs., appeared in 64 games, played 1,007 minutes (15.7 avg.), made 262 of 535 field goal attempts (.490%) and 111 of 129 free throws (.860%) for 635 points (9.9 avg.), had 115 rebounds (1.8 avg.) and 138 assists (2.2 avg.) 31—John Trapp—Forward—6-7, 210 lbs., appeared in 58 games, played 759 minutes (13.1 avg.), made 139 of 314 field goal attempts (.443%) and 51 of 73 free throws (.699%) for 329 points (5.7 avg.), had 180 rebounds (3.1 avg.) and 42 assists (0.7 avg.) 44 — Jerry West — Guard — 6-2, 175 lbs., appeared in 77 games, played 2,973 minutes (38.6 avg.), made 735 of 1,540 field goal attempts (.477%) and 515 of 633 free throws (.814%) for 1,985 points (25.8 avg.), had 327 rebounds (4.2 avg.) and 747 assists (9.7 avg.)

League Leaders Wilt Chamberlain — minutes played (3rd), field goal percentage (1st), rebounds (1st), rebounds per game (1st) Gail Goodrich —field goals made (5th), free throw percentage (3rd), points scored (4th), points per game (5th) Jerry West — free throws made (3rd), free throw attempts (4th), assists (2nd), assists per game (1st)

All-NBA Jerry West —1st team selection Wilt Chamberlain — 2nd team selection

All-Defensive Team Wilt Chamberlain —1st team selection Jerry West —1st team selection

All-Star Game Selections Wilt Chamberlain, Gail Goodrich, Jerry West

NBA Coach of the Year Award Bill Sharman

Regular Season Highlights Nov. 5 — The Lakers begin their record-setting 33-game winning streak with a 110–106 victory over the Baltimore Bullets. The incredible streak lasts through Jan. 7 with a 134–90 win over Atlanta. At the end of this incredible run, the Lakers’ record stood at 39–3. Nov. 14 — In a 128–115 victory over Boston, Wilt Chamberlain gets 31 rebounds. Nov. 26 — Wilt Chamberlain gets 31 rebounds in a 132–113 win against Detroit. Dec. 19 — Wilt Chamberlain gets 34 rebounds against his old team, the Philadelphia 76ers. With this 154–132 victory, the Lakers extend their winning streak to 25 straight games. Feb. 20— Wilt Chamberlain gets 30 rebounds in a 132–113 win over Boston. March 19 — The Lakers tie a team-record with 91 points scored in one half against Golden State. The record was originally set on November 23, 1966 against the Chicago Bulls. In their

ONE : THE SEASONS March 19, 1972 game against Golden State, the Lakers also set a team-record with 162 points scored in the game. With this blowout 162–99 victory, the Lakers won their 12th game out of the previous 13, and the seventh in a row. This winning streak reached eight two days later with a 109–104 win over Chicago. March 26—The Lakers set a new NBA record for most wins (69) in a regular season with a 124–98 victory over Seattle. The old record of 68 was set by the 1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers. The Lakers finished with a 31–7 road record for an 816 percent, which set the mark for all-time winning percentage in that category.

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS VERSUS CHICAGO 1. March 28 at Los Angeles: For the third time in the past five seasons, the Lakers opened the post-season against the Chicago Bulls. The juggernaut Lakers came out a bit on the lethargic side in the early going, leading at the half, 43–40. It seemed the Bulls were going to make a game of it, as they hit for nine straight points to start the second half. It was then that the Lakers truly came to life, going on a tear of their own that produced a run of 15 straight points. Chicago still managed to hang around, only down, 72–69, with 7:50 left. At that stage, the Lakers once again kicked their offense into high gear, went up by 12 points, outscored the Bulls, 38–19, in the fourth quarter, and clinched the first game of the series by a 95–80 final. Gail Goodrich led all scorers with 32 points, and Jerry West came in second with 23.1 2. March 30 at Los Angeles: Jim McMillian and Jerry West knocked in a pair of free throws to start a comeback in the fourth quarter with the Bulls leading, 117–113. Wilt Chamberlain kicked his game into another gear, getting 12 of his 24 points in the fourth, securing 21 rebounds throughout the contest, and the Lakers went up 2–0 in the series thanks to a 131–124 victory. The Los Angeles guard tandem of Jerry West and Gail Goodrich smoked the nets, with West hitting for a game-high 37 and Goodrich 32.2 3. April 2 at Chicago: The city of Chicago is a fantastic place to visit, and in early of 1972, the Lakers definitely thought so. The Lakers got out to leads of 15 points on a few occasions in the first half, and they never looked back in a 108–101 victory that gave them a 3–0 series lead. The Bulls rallied often, and closed the gap to 93–91 with four minutes left. The Lakers then hit on five consecutive free throws to halt any more Chicago advances down the stretch. Once again it was the work of guards Jerry West and Gail Goodrich that paced the purple and gold. West pumped in 32 points while Goodrich totaled 23.3 4. April 4 at Chicago: The Lakers did not toy with the Bulls hanging on, and ended the series complements of a 108–97 win. However, Chicago did not go quietly. They held the hot-shooting Jerry West scoreless for 14 minutes in the first half, and had a 50– 46 lead going into the third quarter. West did manage to get going in the fourth period, hitting on six shots that helped Los Angeles keep the Bulls at bay. Gail Goodrich led all scorers with 27, with West and Jim McMillian each tossing in 23 for the victors.4

ONE : THE SEASONS WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS VERSUS MILWAUKEE 1. April 9 at Los Angeles: Despite their incredible recordsetting season, the Lakers still had to get past the reigning alpha dog of the league. The defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks now stood in LA’s way of a shot at the title. The Bucks did not appear to be in awe of the Lakers’ powerhouse, and took the opening game, 93–72. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 33 points for Milwaukee, and the Lakers’ scoring tandem of Jerry West and Gail Goodrich were held to a mere 10 and eight points respectively. The big turning point in this game came when the Bucks limited the Lakers to eight points in the third period, which proved to be the lowest point production by the team in any one quarter. The Bucks held a slight three-point lead at the half, and then seized the game in the third quarter while the Lakers connected on only four of 20 shot attempts. The capacity crowd of 17,505 at the Forum sat in horror, as the Bucks expanded their lead to a convincing 75–44 margin at the beginning of the fourth period.5 2. April 12 at Los Angeles: The true test of a champion is how they rebound following a setback. The Lakers showed their grit three days after their poor game performance by evening the series up with a narrow 135–134 victory. Happy Hairston finished the game with 17 points, but none were as important as the ones he hit down the crucial stretch. With six seconds left, and the Lakers up by one, Jerry West passed to Hairston, who then scored on a layup to give the Lakers a three-point advantage. Jim McMillian led all scorers with 42 points, and Los Angeles also received excellent point production from West (28 points) and Gail Goodrich (25 points). Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led all scorers with 40, on a day that saw his Bucks connect on a sizzling 61 percent of their shots and still lose. The Lakers were able to hang with the defending champs, hitting on nearly 50 percent of their outside shots, and scored more in the first half of this game than they did in the entire opening contest.6 3. April 14 at Milwaukee: In another close finish, which saw 28 lead changes, the Lakers once again prevailed, this time with Gail Goodrich as the hero. The Bucks were leading, 101–100, with 2:29 left in the fourth, when Goodrich came on strong. He secured a rebound, and converted on two free throws to give LA a one-point lead with 1:35 to go. A stolen ball was turned into a Goodrich basket that built the Lakers’ lead to 104–101. Following two misses by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Goodrich nailed a 20-foot jumper to give the LA a lead of three with 18 seconds left. Wilt Chamberlain then capped off the Lakers’ point production on this day with two free throws in a 108–105 Los Angeles victory. Goodrich led the Lakers with 30 points, and Jim McMillian added 27 to finish second on the team.7 4. April 16 at Milwaukee: The Bucks evened the series with a resounding 114–88 blowout. With Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 31 points pacing the attack, Milwaukee jumped out to a convincing early lead, scoring the game’s first 11 points, and never looked back in this one. The Bucks connected on 15 of 27 attempts, and the Lakers a mere nine of 27 in the opening stanza. The Lakers managed to get as close as five points on two different occasions, but then had trouble scoring. Los Angeles had averaged 120 points a game during the regular season, and in the first four games of this series, they were held under the century mark twice.8 5. April 18 at Los Angeles: With 17,505 crammed in to the

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Fabulous Forum, the Lakers gained the series lead with a whopping 115–90 trouncing of the Bucks. The Lakers shot 67 percent from the floor in the second quarter, and built a 15-point lead, but saw it dwindle away to only four in the early stages of the third quarter. Gail Goodrich then began nailing shots from outside and inside the paint to help the Lakers extend their lead to 23 with under two minutes to go in the third period. Goodrich scored 13 of his 22 points in the third quarter, and the Lakers made 19 of 22 free throw attempts to help in the rout. Jim McMillian pumped in 25 points, and Jerry West 22 for the victors. Wilt Chamberlain also came through with solid free throw shooting, shot blocking, and grabbed 26 rebounds and scored 12 points.9 6. April 22 at Milwaukee: The NBA crown was going to have a new home in 1972, thanks to a 104–100 Los Angeles victory that eliminated the Bucks, and gave the Lakers their fourth trip in five previous seasons to the Finals. Milwaukee made the Lakers work for this one. Down 85–75 with 10:25 remaining, Wilt Chamberlain started LA on its comeback via a dunk and a free throw. He had nine of his 20 points in the fourth quarter, and Jerry West scored 10 of his 25 to assist the Lakers. West had a two-pointer that tied the game at 97-all with 2:15 left, and then nailed two game-clinching free throws with 45 seconds to go in the game.10

NBA FINALS VERSUS NEW YORK 1. April 26 at Los Angeles: The Lakers came into the NBA Finals as huge favorites after their incredible regular season. However, the New York Knicks did not seem fazed by the hype and won the opening game of the Finals in convincing fashion, 114– 92. This game was decided in the first half, as the Knicks smoked the nets for 72 percent of their shots and built a 67–49 lead. New York’s Bill Bradley and Jerry Lucas led the offensive barrage. Bradley connected on his first eight shots, and finished with 29 points while Lucas added 26. New York’s 6' 6" forward Dave DeBusschere hauled in 18 rebounds and pumped in 19 points to help the cause. Gail Goodrich scored 20 points to lead the Lakers, who as a team connected on only 37 percent of their shots, thanks in part to a relentless New York defense.11 2. April 30 at Los Angeles: Gail Goodrich led all scorers with 31 points, Wilt Chamberlain added 23, and the Lakers evened the series up with a 106–92 win at the Forum. The game was close at the half, with LA holding a slim 51–50 lead. The Lakers then outscored the Knicks, 28–11, in the third quarter, and never looked back. The Knicks were hampered by an injury to forward Dave DeBusschere, who pulled a muscle in his side. Also causing woes for New York was when forward/center Jerry Lucas had to leave the game due to foul trouble.12 3. May 3 at New York: Jerry West set a milestone, and the Lakers won, 107–96, in New York’s Madison Square Garden, to take a 2–1 series lead. West finished the game with 21 points, and became the first player in playoff history to reach 4,000 points. He set the record by sending a jump shot through the net from the right side of the court with three minutes remaining in the game. Wilt Chamberlain led all scorers with 26, and Gail Goodrich finished right behind Wilt with 25. New York held a five-point lead going into the second quarter, but then the Lakers battled back to take the lead for good in the second period.13

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4. May 5 at New York: The Lakers took a commanding 3–1 series lead, but had to work hard for it. Like so many times throughout his illustrious career, Jerry West came through to live up to his nickname of “Mr. Clutch.” With 1:15 remaining in overtime, West sunk two free throws, and Gail Goodrich accounted for three more points, to give Los Angeles a 116–111 victory. West led all scorers with 28 points, and Goodrich came in a close second with 27. The big man in the middle, Wilt Chamberlain, grabbed a game-high 24 rebounds and scored 12 points. He also suffered a broken right wrist, which was not released to the public. Wilt did not want to let on about the severity of the injury. All he wanted to do was go out and bring the NBA title to LA. This win also gave the Lakers their 80th of the year, which was more than any other team in NBA history up to that time.14 5. May 7 at Los Angeles: Twelve years of championship frustration in Los Angeles finally came to an end with the Fabulous Forum serving as the backdrop. With a 114–100 win, the Lakers clinched their first NBA title as residents in the City of Angels after seven previous failed attempts. The game was deadlocked at 53 at the half, and then Jerry West exploded for 10 points in the third quarter to ignite the Lakers’ championship surge. With his broken right wrist heavily protected, Wilt Chamberlain came out and utterly dominated in what proved to be the decisive game of the series. He hauled in 29 rebounds, and scored 24 points, to secure the NBA Finals MVP Award for himself. At the end of the game, the crowd poured out onto the court and some lifted Wilt up their shoulders for a victory ride. The win was a true team effort, as four of the starting five hit for 20 or more points. Gail Goodrich, a steady performer throughout this series, connected for 25, Jerry West 23, and Jim McMillian 20.15

Individual Playoff Statistics Chamberlain — appeared in 15 games, played 703 minutes (46.9 avg.), scored 220 points (14.7 avg.), had 315 rebounds (21.0 avg.) and 49 assists (3.3 avg.) Cleamons — appeared in 6 games, played 17 minutes (2.8 avg.), scored 8 points (1.3 avg.), had 4 rebounds (0.7 avg.) and 4 assists (0.7 avg.) Ellis — appeared in 13 games, played 134 minutes (10.3 avg.), scored 39 points (3.0 avg.), had 41 rebounds (3.2 avg.) and 10 assists (0.8 avg.) Goodrich—appeared in 15 games, played 575 minutes (38.3 avg.), scored 357 points (23.8 avg.), had 38 rebounds (2.5 avg.) and 50 assists (3.3 avg.) Hairston—appeared in 15 games, played 577 minutes (38.5 avg.), scored 202 points (13.5 avg.), had 197 rebounds (13.1 avg.) and 31 assists (2.1 avg.) McMillian — appeared in 15 games, played 624 minutes (41.6 avg.), scored 286 points (19.1 avg.), had 85 rebounds (5.7 avg.) and 22 assists (1.5 avg.) Riley — appeared in 15 games, played 244 minutes (16.3 avg.), scored 78 points (5.2 avg.), had 29 rebounds (1.9 avg.) and 14 assists (0.9 avg.) Robinson — appeared in 7 games, played 72 minutes (10.3 avg.), scored 45 points (6.4 avg.), had 13 rebounds (1.9 avg.) and 5 assists (0.7 avg.) Trapp — appeared in 10 games, played 71 minutes (7.1 avg.), scored 20 points (2.0 avg.), had 16 rebounds (1.6 avg.) and 5 assists (0.5 avg.) West — appeared in 15 games, played 608 minutes (40.5 avg.), scored 344 points (22.9 avg.), had 73 rebounds (4.9 avg.) and 134 assists (8.9 avg.)

ONE : THE SEASONS

1972-73 Head Coach: Bill Sharman Assistant Coach: John Barnhill Regular Season Record: 60–22 1st place in the NBA Pacific Division (finished in first place by 13 games) Scored 111.7 points per game to rank 4th out of 17 teams Allowed 103.2 points per game to rank 5th

Review The defending NBA champion Lakers enjoyed the title so much that they set out to defend it. They made great strides toward that goal by running away with the division title, finishing 13 games ahead of the nearest competition in what would be Wilt Chamberlain’s final season.

Gone from the Previous Season Elgin Baylor — retired on November 5, 1971 Jim Cleamons — traded to Cleveland on August 31, 1972

Regular Season Individual Statistics 32 & 35 — Bill Bridges — Forward/Center — 6-6, 228 lbs., appeared in 72 games, played 2,491 minutes (34.6 avg.), made 286 of 597 field goal attempts (.479%) and 133 of 190 free throws (.700%) for 705 points (9.8 avg.), had 782 rebounds (10.9 avg.) and 196 assists (2.7 avg.) 30— Roger Brown — Center — 6-11, 225 lbs., appeared in 1 game, played 5 minutes (5.0 avg.), made 1 of 3 free throws (.333%) for 1 point (1.0 avg.) 13 — Wilt Chamberlain — Center — 7-1, 275 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 3,542 minutes (43.2 avg.), made 426 of 586 field goal attempts (.727%) and 232 of 455 free throws (.510%) for 1,084 points (13.2 avg.), had 1,526 rebounds (18.6 avg.) and 365 assists (4.5 avg.) 31— Mel Counts — Center/Forward — 7-0, 230 lbs., appeared in 59 games, played 611 minutes (10.4 avg.), made 127 of 278 field goal attempts (.457%) and 39 of 58 free throws (.672%) for 293 points (5.0 avg.), had 237 rebounds (4.0 avg.) and 62 assists (1.1 avg.) 14—Leroy Ellis—Center/Forward—6-10, 210 lbs., appeared in 10 games, played 156 minutes (15.6 avg.), made 11 of 40 field goal attempts (.275%) and 4 of 5 free throws (.800%) for 26 points (2.6 avg.), had 33 rebounds (3.3 avg.) and 3 assists (0.3 avg.) 24 — Keith Erickson — Forward/Guard — 6-5, 195 lbs., appeared in 76 games, played 1,920 minutes (25.3 avg.), made 299 of 696 field goal attempts (.430%) and 89 of 110 free throws (.809%) for 687 points (9.0 avg.), had 337 rebounds (4.4 avg.) and 242 assists (3.2 avg.) 25 — Gail Goodrich — Guard — 6-1, 170 lbs., appeared in 76 games, played 2,697 minutes (35.5 avg.), made 750 of 1,615 field goal attempts (.464%) and 314 of 374 free throws (.840%) for 1,814 points (23.9 avg.), had 263 rebounds (3.5 avg.) and 332 assists (4.4 avg.) 33 — Travis Grant — Forward — 6-7, 215 lbs., appeared in 33 games, played 153 minutes (4.6 avg.), made 51 of 116 field goal attempts (.440%) and 23 of 26 free throws (.885%) for 125 points (3.8 avg.), had 52 rebounds (1.6 avg.) and 7 assists (0.2 avg.) 52 — Happy Hairston — Forward — 6-7, 225 lbs., appeared in 28 games, played 939 minutes (33.5 avg.), made 158 of 328 field goal attempts (.482%) and 140 of 178 free throws (.787%) for 456 points (16.3 avg.), had 370 rebounds (13.2 avg.) and 68 assists (2.4 avg.) 5 — Jim McMillian — Forward — 6-5, 215 lbs., appeared in 81 games, played 2,953 minutes (36.5 avg.), made 655 of 1,431 field goal attempts

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(.458%) and 223 of 264 free throws (.845%) for 1,533 points (18.9 avg.), had 447 rebounds (5.5 avg.) and 221 assists (2.7 avg.) 15 — Jim Price — Guard — 6-3, 195 lbs., appeared in 59 games, played 828 minutes (14.0 avg.), made 158 of 359 field goal attempts (.440%) and 60 of 73 free throws (.822%) for 376 points (6.4 avg.), had 115 rebounds (1.9 avg.) and 97 assists (1.6 avg.) 12 — Pat Riley — Guard/Forward — 6-4, 205 lbs., appeared in 55 games, played 801 minutes (14.6 avg.), made 167 of 390 field goal attempts (.428%) and 65 of 82 free throws (.793%) for 399 points (7.3 avg.), had 65 rebounds (1.2 avg.) and 81 assists (1.5 avg.) 21— Flynn Robinson — Guard — 6-1, 185 lbs., appeared in 6 games, played 47 minutes (7.8 avg.), made 14 of 28 field goal attempts (.500%) and 6 of 8 free throws (.750%) for 34 points (5.7 avg.), had 7 rebounds (1.2 avg.) and 8 assists (1.3 avg.) 31— John Trapp — Forward — 6-7, 210 lbs., appeared in 5 games, played 35 minutes (7.0 avg.), made 3 of 12 field goal attempts (.250%) and 7 of 10 free throws (.700%) for 13 points (2.6 avg.), had 14 rebounds (2.8 avg.) and 2 assists (0.4 avg.) 30—Bill Turner—Forward—6-7, 220 lbs., appeared in 19 games, played 117 minutes (6.2 avg.), made 17 of 52 field goal attempts (.327%) and 4 of 7 free throws (.571%) for 38 points (2.0 avg.), had 25 rebounds (1.3 avg.) and 11 assists (0.6 avg.) 44 — Jerry West — Guard — 6-2, 175 lbs., appeared in 69 games, played 2,460 minutes (35.7 avg.), made 618 of 1,291 field goal attempts (.479%) and 339 of 421 free throws (.805%) for 1,575 points (22.8 avg.), had 289 rebounds (4.2 avg.) and 607 assists (8.8 avg.)

League Leaders Wilt Chamberlain—minutes played (2nd), minutes per game (3rd), field goal percentage (1st), rebounds (1st), rebounds per game (1st) Jerry West — assists (4th)

All-NBA Jerry West —1st team selection

All-Defensive Team Wilt Chamberlain —1st team selection Jerry West —1st team selection

All-Rookie Team Jim Price —1st team selection

All-Star Game Selections Wilt Chamberlain, Gail Goodrich, Jerry West

Regular Season Highlights Feb. 11— Wilt Chamberlain gets 31 rebounds in a 108–90 victory against Philadelphia, and then repeats the feat six days later in a 110–103 win over Portland. With the win over Portland, the Lakers end a four-game winning streak, and have a record of 48–13 on the year. Wilt Chamberlain’s 72.7 percent field goal percentage made him the first player in league history to finish the season over the 70 percent accuracy mark.

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS VERSUS CHICAGO 1. March 30 at Los Angeles: It was almost becoming a yearly tradition that the Lakers and Chicago Bulls would square off in the playoffs. This series marked the fourth time in six seasons that these teams faced each other. The only difference this time around was that the Lakers were the defending world champions, and looking to defend that crown. Los Angeles began defense of their title with a hard-fought 107–104 overtime victory. Chicago’s Bob Love knotted the game at 94–94 with two free throws at the end of the fourth quarter to force overtime. Like so many times throughout his great career, Jerry West came through. In overtime, he hit on a field goal and five free throws to lead the Lakers to victory.1 2. April 1 at Los Angeles: The Lakers rallied back from seven points down in the first quarter thanks to 13 points from Gail Goodrich. The Lakers then hit for a sizzling 77 percent from the field in the second quarter, with Jerry West tossing in 12 points to outscore the Bulls in that stanza, 35–19. Los Angeles then extended their advantage to 17 points in the third period before Chicago staged a rally that got the lead to five points with two minutes to go in the game. The Lakers then sank eight points to stymie the Bulls down the stretch, and prevailed, 108–93, to take a 2–0 series lead into Chicago for the next two games. The tandem of guards Jerry West and Gail Goodrich provided the Lakers with their main firepower, as Goodrich hit for 33 points, and West 30. Wilt Chamberlain dominated the Bulls with 11 blocked shots and 21 rebounds.2 3. April 6 at Chicago: A return to the Windy City provided the Bulls with some good fortune, as they beat the defending champs, 96–86, to narrow LA’s series lead to 2–1. Chet Walker and Bob Love combined for 54 points to pace the Bulls in a game that saw Chicago lead after every quarter. Jim McMillian’s 24 points led the Lakers.3 4. April 8 at Chicago: This was becoming a home court advantage type of series, as the Bulls once again beat the Lakers, this time 98–94, to even things up at two games apiece. The Bulls held early four and five point leads, but the Lakers took a 52–50 advantage into the locker room at the half thanks in part to Jim McMillian scoring nine of the team’s final 14 points in the second quarter. The Lakers still held a solid lead of seven points late in the third quarter, but then Bob Love took control of the game from that stage. He made key shots that kept the Bulls close throughout the game, and with help from Chet Walker and Bob Weiss, the Bulls were able to come out on top. Love finished with 38 points, and Jim McMillian led the Lakers with 25.4 5. April 10 at Los Angeles: A shift back to Los Angeles was just what the Lakers needed to help them win big. With a packed Forum crowd of 17,505 looking on, the Lakers coasted to a resounding 123–102 victory to lead the series 3–2. Jerry West led all scorers with 36 points, as the Lakers outscored the Bulls by 15 points in the fourth quarter to secure the win.5 6. April 13 at Chicago: With their backs to the wall, the Bulls held off elimination thanks to a 101–93 win sparked by a combined 50 points from Jerry Sloan and Norm Van Lier. The

1972-73 Bulls seized control of the game in the second quarter, and extended it to a 16-point advantage in the third from which the Lakers could not rally. Jerry West had 19 points for LA.6 7. April 15 at Los Angeles: Gail Goodrich was held to only four points two days earlier, but he more than made up for it in this seventh and deciding game. Trailing for most of the game, the Lakers got moving in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter. Goodrich first stole the ball from Dennis Awtrey, which was converted into a Jim McMillian two-pointer that closed the Chicago lead to 92–91 with 48 seconds left. Wilt Chamberlain then ignited the go-ahead basket by blocking a Norm Van Lier shot. Wilt then sent a swift toss over to Goodrich, who scored on a breakaway layup to put the Lakers up, 93–92, with 28 seconds left. Bob Love’s opportunity to regain the lead for Chicago ended when he missed on a 12-foot jump shot, and Jerry West sealed the game right after that with two free throws to give the Lakers a thrilling 95–92 series-clinching victory in front of a frenzied Forum crowd packed to capacity. Jerry West led the Lakers with 27 points, Goodrich added 22, and the great Wilt Chamberlain recorded a stellar 28 rebound, 21 point game to his magnificent resume.7

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS VERSUS GOLDEN STATE 1. April 17 at Los Angeles: Down by nine points halfway through the fourth quarter, the Lakers, fresh from coming off a tough seven-game series two days earlier, rallied to win, 101–99. With the gap closed to four, Jim McMillian hit on a pair of field goals to tie the game at 99–99 with 1:20 left, and finished the game with a game-high 37 points. Wilt Chamberlain then rejected a shot by Nate Thurmond to prevent a basket, and Golden State then lost the ball out of bounds to kill another advance. With eight seconds remaining, the prospect of overtime loomed until Jerry West converted on a 15-foot baseline jumper to give the Lakers the win.8 2. April 19 at Los Angeles: After two straight nail-biting finishes at the Forum, one against Chicago, and the other two days earlier against Golden State, the Lakers allowed their fans to relax somewhat by winning by a wider margin this time. However, throughout the first three periods, it appeared that a close finish was unfolding yet again. The Warriors held at 50–46 halftime advantage, and going into the fourth quarter, the game was tied at 77-all. With slightly under ten minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Warriors were holding on to an 81–79 lead when the Lakers took control. Three straight shots found their marks thanks to the shooting of Mel Counts, Jerry West, and Bill Bridges, that allowed the Lakers to create a 90–85 lead that they never surrendered, and they won by the final count of 104–93 to take a 2–0 series lead. West led all scorers with 36 points, and McMillian came in second on the team with 21.9 3. April 21 at Golden State: The Lakers broke a 12–12 tie open with Jim McMillian leading the way with 12 points in the first quarter that ended with LA up, 26–14. The Warriors never recovered, and the Lakers simply smothered Golden State by a more-than-convincing 126–70 victory, as the crowd inside the Oakland Arena was virtually gone at the conclusion of the 56point slaughter. McMillian received game-high scoring honors

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ONE : THE SEASONS with 28 points, and Wilt Chamberlain added 25 rebounds and 12 points.10 4. April 23 at Golden State: Facing almost impossible odds of coming back from a 3–0 series deficit, the Warriors gave it a try. Cazzie Russell scored on six straight occasions, finished with 35 points, and the Warriors lived to play another day after staving off elimination with a 117–109 victory. Golden State had a 17point advantage, but Jerry West rallied the Lakers with 11 of his 32 points coming in the second quarter, which helped cut the lead to four at the half. The Lakers kept things interesting until the Warriors took an 84–83 lead that they never gave up.11 5. April 25 at Los Angeles: Back home at the Forum, the purple and gold-clad Lakers gave their fans another reason to celebrate, as their 128–118 victory clinched a second straight conference title, and gave the Lakers their eighth trip to the NBA Finals in 13 years as residents of Los Angeles. After the Warriors held a 30–26 lead at the conclusion of the opening quarter, the Lakers went on a 14–2 run at the beginning of the second stanza and never looked back. The Lakers had another 14–2 run in the third quarter that gave them a 20-point bulge. In that third period, Gail Goodrich lit up the scoreboard with 21 points to establish a new NBA playoff record. His 10 field goals in a single quarter pushed him ahead of Elgin Baylor, whose mark of nine was set in 1961. Goodrich took game-high scoring honors with 44, Jerry West added 27, and Wilt Chamberlain hauled in 22 rebounds for the victors.12

NBA FINALS VERSUS NEW YORK 1. May 1 at Los Angeles: The Lakers made it five straight wins in NBA Finals competition, as they opened defense of their championship with a 115–112 victory. What appeared to have the makings of an easy win, after the Lakers held a 20-point advantage, turned into a slim victory margin, when the Knicks rallied back in the fourth quarter. Going into the fourth period, Los Angeles led, 95–79. It was then that Dave DeBusschere hit for nine points, and Bill Bradley eight, to allow New York to close to within three with slightly over a minute left in regulation. Two errors by New York resulted in Bill Bridges sealing the game for LA with a two-pointer from the field. Gail Goodrich led all scorers with 30, Jim McMillian hit for 27, and Jerry West 24, on a night that saw Los Angeles connect on 51.7 percent of their shots from the field, and on 25 of 36 free throw attempts. Wilt Chamberlain dominated on the defensive front, securing 20 rebounds for the defending champions.13 2. May 3 at Los Angeles: With a sellout crowd on hand at the Fabulous Forum, the Knicks finally broke free of a five-game NBA Finals losing streak thanks to a 99–95 win. Sparked by Bill Bradley’s 26 points, New York managed to get out of Los Angeles with the series knotted at one game apiece. The game was a see saw battle in the early stages of the second quarter, then New York went ahead, 36–35, and never relinquished the lead from that point on. Jerry West led all scorers with 32 points in the losing effort.14 3. May 6 at New York: New York had trouble making shots throughout the first half, but got hot in the final 24 minutes of play to pull out an 87–83 win to take a 2–1 series lead. The Lakers were forced to do without the services of high-scoring guard Jerry

ONE : THE SEASONS West, who missed the fourth quarter due to a pulled groin muscle. Los Angeles tried to make a valiant stand in the final minutes after narrowing New York’s advantage from 10 points to two with 55 seconds left. Keith Erickson tried a jump shot, but the ball hit off the rim and Willis Reed grabbed a vital rebound for the Knicks. With two seconds to go, the Lakers fouled Walt Frazier, who in turn made good on both free throw attempts to kill any chance LA might have had. The 83 points were the lowest the Lakers ever produced in the playoffs up to this time in their history.15 4. May 8 at New York: The Lakers sank deeper away from repeating as champions after they lost 103–98 to give the Knicks a 3–1 series lead. New York amassed a 13-point lead in the first quarter, and went into the locker room with a 55–44 advantage at the half. Los Angeles then got hot in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Knicks by eight points to make it a 94–92 ballgame with 1:15 left in regulation. New York’s Dave DeBusschere, a 6– 6, 235-pound force, snagged an offensive rebound, put it in for two and was fouled in the process. He then hit on the free throw to put the New Yorkers up by five with time quickly ticking down. DeBusschere led all scorers with 33 points, while Jerry West and Gail Goodrich each had 23 for the Lakers.16 5. May 10 at Los Angeles: Going back to the Fabulous Forum did not provide Los Angeles with any hometown karma. A sellout crowd of 17,505 watched their beloved Lakers give up the NBA crown after one year and three days. The Knicks regained possession of the league championship after three years with a series-clinching 102–93 victory that was paced by Earl “the Pearl” Monroe’s 23 points. New York trailed by two points at the half, but a third quarter explosion, that saw them outscore LA 32–18, proved to be a springboard to victory. This game also proved to be Wilt Chamberlain’s final appearance in basketball. In his swan song, the big man recorded 23 points and 21 rebounds.17

Individual Playoff Statistics Bridges — appeared in 17 games, played 582 minutes (34.2 avg.), scored 152 points (8.9 avg.), had 158 rebounds (9.3 avg.) and 29 assists (1.7 avg.) Chamberlain — appeared in 17 games, played 801 minutes (47.1 avg.), scored 177 points (10.4 avg.), had 383 rebounds (22.5 avg.) and 60 assists (3.5 avg.) Counts — appeared in 17 games, played 327 minutes (19.2 avg.), scored 154 points (9.1 avg.), had 104 rebounds (6.1 avg.) and 28 assists (1.6 avg.) Erickson—appeared in 17 games, played 404 minutes (23.8 avg.), scored 147 points (8.6 avg.), had 59 rebounds (3.5 avg.) and 30 assists (1.8 avg.) Goodrich—appeared in 17 games, played 604 minutes (35.5 avg.), scored 340 points (20.0 avg.), had 61 rebounds (3.6 avg.) and 67 assists (3.9 avg.) Grant — appeared in 2 games, played 11 minutes (5.5 avg.), scored 8 points (4.0 avg.) and had 4 rebounds (2.0 avg.) Hairston — appeared in 3 games, played 26 minutes (8.7 avg.), scored 8 points (2.7 avg.), had 4 rebounds (1.3 avg.) and 1 assist (0.3 avg.) McMillian — appeared in 17 games, played 630 minutes (37.1 avg.), scored 341 points (20.1 avg.), had 82 rebounds (4.8 avg.) and 37 assists (2.2 avg.) Price—appeared in 3 games, played 16 minutes (5.3 avg.), scored 6 points (2.0 avg.0, had 4 rebounds (1.3 avg.) and 2 assists (0.7 avg.)

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Riley — appeared in 7 games, played 53 minutes (7.6 avg.), scored 18 points (2.6 avg.), had 5 rebounds (0.7 avg.) and 7 assists (1.0 avg.) Turner — appeared in 2 games, played 13 minutes (6.5 avg.), scored 6 points (3.0 avg.) and had 2 rebounds (1.0 avg.) West — appeared in 17 games, played 638 minutes (37.5 avg.), scored 401 points (23.6 avg.), had 76 rebounds (4.5 avg.) and 132 assists (7.8 avg.)

1973-74 Head Coach: Bill Sharman Assistant Coach: John Barnhill Regular Season Record: 47–35 1st place in the NBA Pacific Division (finished in first place by three games) Scored 109.2 points per game to rank 3rd out of 17 teams Allowed 108.3 points per game to rank 12th Led the league in free throws made (1,879), free throw attempts (2,443), and blocked shots (653)

Review Other teams in the Pacific Division had a golden opportunity to move up and take the division crown away from the Lakers after they were hindered by the retirement of Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West was limited to only 31 games due to leg injuries. However, despite winning 13 games less than in the previous season, the Lakers still managed to remain the division’s alpha dog. To help in the loss of losing the great Wilt Chamberlain, Los Angeles acquired forward Connie Hawkins and center Elmore Smith, who became a rebounding force.

Gone from the Previous Season Roger W. Brown — released by the Lakers Wilt Chamberlain — left the Lakers after contract expired prior to 197374 season Leroy Ellis — traded to Philadelphia on November 2, 1972 Keith Erickson — traded to Phoenix on November 1, 1973 Jim McMillian — traded to Buffalo on September 17, 1973 Flynn Robinson — traded to Baltimore on December 6, 1972 John Trapp — traded to Philadelphia on November 2, 1972 Bill Turner — released by the Lakers

Regular Season Individual Statistics 32 — Bill Bridges — Forward/Center — 6-6, 228 lbs., appeared in 65 games, played 1,812 minutes (27.9 avg.), made 216 of 513 field goal attempts (.421%) and 116 of 164 free throws (.707%) for 548 points (8.4 avg.), had 499 rebounds (7.7 avg.) and 148 assists (2.3 avg.) 31— Mel Counts — Center/Forward — 7-0, 230 lbs., appeared in 45 games, played 499 minutes (11.1 avg.), made 61 of 167 field goal attempts (.365%) and 24 of 33 free throws (.727%) for 146 points (3.2 avg.), had 146 rebounds (3.2 avg.) and 54 assists (1.2 avg.) 25 — Gail Goodrich — Guard — 6-1, 170 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 3.061 minutes (37.3 avg.), made 784 of 1,773 field goal attempts (.442%) and 508 of 588 free throws (.864%) for 2,076 points (25.3 avg.), had 250 rebounds (3.0 avg.) and 427 assists (5.2 avg.) 33—Travis Grant—Forward—6-7, 215 lbs., appeared in 3 games, played 6 minutes (2.0 avg.), made 1 of 4 field goal attempts (.250%) and 1of 3 free throws (.333%) for 3 points (1.0 avg.), had 1 rebound (0.3 avg.)

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52 — Happy Hairston — Forward — 6-7, 225 lbs., appeared in 77 games, played 2,634 minutes (34.2 avg.), made 385 of 759 field goal attempts (.507%) and 343 of 445 free throws (.771%) for 1,113 points (14.5 avg.), had 1,040 rebounds (13.5 avg.) and 208 assists (2.7 avg.) 42 — Connie Hawkins — Forward/Center — 6-8, 210 lbs., appeared in 71 games, played 2,538 minutes (35.7 avg.), made 368 of 733 field goal attempts (.502%) and 173 of 224 free throws (.772%) for 909 points (12.8 avg.), had 522 rebounds (7.4 avg.) and 379 assists (5.3 avg.) 20— Nate Hawthorne — Guard — 6-4, 190 lbs., appeared in 33 games, played 229 minutes (6.9 avg.), made 38 of 93 field goal attempts (.409%) and 30 of 48 free throws (.625%) for 106 points (3.2 avg.), had 32 rebounds (1.0 avg.) and 23 assists (0,7 avg.) 34 — Stan Love — Forward — 6-9, 215 lbs., appeared in 51 games, played 698 minutes (13.7 avg.), made 119 of 278 field goal attempts (.428%) and 49 of 64 free throws (.766%) for 287 points (5.6 avg.), had 170 rebounds (3.3 avg.) and 48 assists (0.9 avg.) 15 — Jim Price — Guard — 6-3, 195 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,628 minutes (32.0 avg.), made 538 of 1,197 field goal attempts (.449%) and 187 of 234 free throws (.799%) for 1,263 points (15.4 avg.), had 378 rebounds (4.6 avg.) and 369 assists (4.5 avg.) 12 — Pat Riley — Guard/Forward — 6-4, 205 lbs., appeared in 72 games, played 1,361 minutes (18.9 avg.), made 287 of 667 field goal attempts (.430%) and 110 of 144 free throws (.764%) for 684 points (9.5 avg.), had 128 rebounds (1.8 avg.) and 148 assists (2.1 avg.) 3—Elmore Smith—Center—7-0, 250 lbs., appeared in 81 games, played 2,922 minutes (36.1 avg.), made 434 of 949 field goal attempts (.457%) and 147 of 249 free throws (.590 5) for 1,015 points (12.5 avg.), had 906 rebounds (11.2 avg.) and 150 assists (1.9 avg.) 24 — Kermit Washington — Forward/Center — 6-8, 230 lbs., appeared in 45 games, played 400 minutes (8.9 avg.), made 73 of 151 field goal attempts (.483%) and 26 of 49 free throws (.531%) for 172 points (3.8 avg.), had 147rebounds (3.3 avg.) and 19 assists (0.4 avg.) 44 — Jerry West — Guard — 6-2, 175 lbs., appeared in 31 games, played 967 minutes (31.2 avg.), made 232 of 519 field goal attempts (.447%) and 165 of 198 free throws (.833%) for 629 points (20.3 avg.), had 116 rebounds (3.7 avg.) and 206 assists (6.6 avg.)

League Leaders Gail Goodrich — Field goal attempts (2nd), free throw made (1st), free throw attempts (1st), points scored (4th), points per game (4th) Happy Hairston — Rebounds per game (5th) Elmore Smith — Blocked 393 shots during the season (1st), averaged 4.9 blocks per game (1st)

All-NBA Gail Goodrich —1st team selection

All-Defensive Team Jim Price — 2nd team selection

All-Star Game Selections Gail Goodrich, Jerry West

Regular Season Highlights Oct. 26 — Elmore Smith sets a team record with 14 blocked shots in a 94–92 win against Detroit.

ONE : THE SEASONS Oct. 28 — Two days after setting a new team record, Elmore Smith blocks 17 shots in a 111–98 win against the Portland Trailblazers to set a new team milestone and an NBA record. Nov. 4 — Elmore Smith continues with his shot-blocking prowess by rejecting 14 shots in a 106–93 win over Houston. Dec. 7 — Jerry West sets a team record with 10 steals in a 115–111 loss to the Seattle Supersonics. Feb. 15 — Gail Goodrich has eight steals against Seattle in a 112–96 Lakers win. March 15 — Elmore Smith blocks 11 shots in a 112–107 loss to the Golden State Warriors.

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS VERSUS MILWAUKEE 1. March 29 at Milwaukee: Bench player Ron Williams was filling in for injured starter Lucius Allen, and gave the Bucks a great performance down the stretch. The Lakers were up by nine points in the later stages of the third quarter thanks to Gail Goodrich’s hot outside shooting, and Elmore Smith powering his way inside the paint. Williams then rallied the Bucks back by hitting on two free throws and a 20-foot jumper that gave the Bucks a 95–91 advantage with slightly over three minutes left in the game. Milwaukee then held on to secure a 99–95 opening game victory. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led all scorers with 35 points, and Gail Goodrich topped the Lakers with 31.1 2. March 31 at Milwaukee: The Bucks did not make this one close. With seven points coming from Oscar Robertson, the Bucks ran off 12 straight points to open up a 66–52 lead in the third quarter. They never looked back, and took a 2–0 series lead with a 109–90 victory. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar recorded 32 points for the victors, and dominated the Lakers with his rebounding or cutting off the scoring lanes to prevent the Lakers from working the ball inside the key.2 3. April 2 at Los Angeles: Big 7'1" Elmore Smith was a oneman wrecking machine for the Lakers, as he hit for 30 points and hauled in 17 rebounds. Smith’s great effort in front of the home crowd ignited Los Angeles to a close 98–96 victory to close Milwaukee’s advantage in the series to 2–1.3 4. April 4 at Los Angeles: The Lakers’ win only stirred the fires within the Bucks, who came back two days after losing a close one. With Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bob Dandridge teaming up for a combined 57 points, Milwaukee pounded LA in convincing fashion, 112–90. The trouncing included leads of 14 at the half, and of 33 going into the fourth quarter. Elmore Smith tried to carry the lethargic Lakers, finishing the game with 20 points and 13 rebounds, but he could not handle Jabbar’s famed sky-hook, which seemed to drop successfully throughout this game. In addition to his game-high 31 points, Jabbar also hauled in 16 rebounds.4 5. April 7 at Milwaukee: The Bucks put the two-time defending Western Conference champs out of their misery by once again pounding them into submission, this time by a 114–92 final count. With a rapid fire fast break, and a solid defense that had Los Angeles forced to attempt many of their shots from long distance, the Bucks jumped out to a 23–6 advantage while the Lakers

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could not register a single point for six and a half minutes. Milwaukee extended their lead to 23 at the end of the first half, and the game, and the Lakers’ season was all but over at that stage. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar connected for 21 points and 13 rebounds, while Gail Goodrich led Los Angeles with 22.5

Gone from the Previous Season Mel Counts — traded to New Orleans on June 14, 1974 Travis Grant — waived by the Lakers on October 30, 1973 Nate Hawthorne—taken in the expansion draft by New Orleans on May 20, 1974 Jerry West — retired

Individual Playoff Statistics Bridges — appeared in 5 games, played 144 minutes (28.8 avg.), scored 30 points (6.0 avg.), had 30 rebounds (6.0 avg.) and 6 assists (1.2 avg.) Counts — appeared in 4 games, played 34 minutes (8.5 avg.), scored 12 points (3.0 avg.), had 6 rebounds (1.5 avg.) and 2 assists (0.5 avg.) Goodrich—appeared in 5 games, played 1889 minutes (37.8 avg.), scored 98 points (19.6 avg.), had 16 rebounds (3.2 avg.) and 30 assists (6.0 avg.) Hairston — appeared in 5 games, played 172 minutes (34.4 avg.), scored 46 points (9.2 avg.), had 52 rebounds (10.4 avg.) and 19 assists (3.8 avg.) Hawkins — appeared in 5 games, played 172 minutes (34.4 avg.), scored 54 points (10.8 avg.), had 40 rebounds (8.0 avg.) and 16 assists (3.2 avg.) Hawthorne — appeared in 3 games, played 14 minutes (4.7 avg.), scored 6 points (2.0 avg.), had 2 rebounds (0.7 avg.) and 2 assists (0.7 avg.) Love—appeared in 2 games, played 9 minutes (4.5 avg.), scored 6 points (3.0 avg.), had 3 rebounds (1.5 avg.) and 1 assist (0.5 avg.) Price — appeared in 5 games, played 161 minutes (32.2 avg.), scored 59 points (11.8 avg.), had 19 rebounds (3.8 avg.) and 13 assists (2.6 avg.) Riley — appeared in 5 games, played 106 minutes (21.2 avg.), scored 39 points (7.8 avg.), had 6 rebounds (1.2 avg.) and 10 assists (2.0 avg.) Smith — appeared in 5 games, played 171 minutes (34.2 avg.), scored 96 points (19.2 avg.), had 53 rebounds (10.6 avg.) and 6 assists (1.2 avg.) Washington — appeared in 3 games, played 14 minutes (4.7 avg.), scored 15 points (5.0 avg.), had 10 rebounds (3.3 avg.) and 1 assist (0.3 avg.) West—appeared in 1 game, played 14 minutes (14.0 avg.), scored 4 points (4.0 avg.), had 2 rebounds (2.0 avg.) and 1 assist (1.0 avg.)

1974-75 Head Coach: Bill Sharman Assistant Coach: John Barnhill Regular Season Record: 30–52 5th place in the NBA Pacific Division (finished 18 games out of first place) Scored 103.2 points per game to rank 8th out of 18 teams Allowed 107.2 points per game to rank 17th

Review The great Jerry West, leader of the team for many years, retired. However, optimism was high that the Lakers still had a solid, experienced team. They acquired guard/forward Cazzie Russell, who was considered a good scorer, and might help fill the void created by West’s departure. Unfortunately, sometimes the best plans do not always work out as expected. Russell was limited to playing in only 40 games, and the team’s experience did little to carry the Lakers. Their fall from division alpha dog status was swift, as they plummeted to the bottom of the division, and a postseason appearance was not meant to be for the first time since the team moved to Los Angeles.

Regular Season Individual Statistics 40—Lucius Allen—Guard—6-2, 175 lbs., appeared in 56 games, played 2,011 minutes (35.9 avg.), made 443 of 1,006 field goal attempts (.440%) and 207 of 269 free throws (.770%) for 1,093 points (19.5 avg.), had 247 rebounds (4.4 avg.) and 319 assists (5.7 avg.) 31—Zelmo Beaty—Center—6-9, 225 lbs., appeared in 69 games, played 1,213 minutes (17.6 avg.), made 136 of 310 field goal attempts (.439%) and 108 of 135 free throws (.800%) for 380 points (5.5 avg.), had 327 rebounds (4.7 avg.) and 74 assists (1.1 avg.) 32 — Bill Bridges — Forward/Center — 6-6, 228 lbs., appeared in 17 games, played 307 minutes (18.1 avg.), made 20 of 57 field goal attempts (.351%) and 16 of 30 free throws (.533%) for 56 points (3.3 avg.), had 94 rebounds (5.5 avg.) and 27 assists (1.6 avg.) 10— Corky Calhoun — Forward — 6-7, 210 lbs., appeared in 57 games, played 1,270 minutes (22.3 avg.), made 1120 of 286 field goal attempts (.420%) and 44 of 62 free throws (.710%) for 284 points (5.0 avg.), had 236 rebounds (4.1 avg.) and 75 assists (1.3 avg.) 25 — Gail Goodrich — Guard — 6-1, 170 lbs., appeared in 72 games, played 2,668 minutes (37.1 avg.), made 656 of 1,429 field goal attempts (.459%) and 318 of 378 free throws (.841%) for 1,630 points (22.6 avg.), had 219 rebounds (3.0 avg.) and 420 assists (5.8 avg.) 52 — Happy Hairston — Forward — 6-7, 225 lbs., appeared in 74 games, played 2,283 minutes (30.9 avg.), made 271 of 536 field goal attempts (.506%) and 217 of 271 free throws (.801%) for 759 points (10.3 avg.), had 946 rebounds (12.8 avg.) and 173 assists (2.3 avg.) 42 — Connie Hawkins — Forward/Center — 6-8, 210 lbs., appeared in 43 games, played 1,026 minutes (23.9 avg.), made 139 of 324 field goal attempts (.429%) and 68 of 99 free throws (.687%) for 346 points (8.0 avg.), had 198 rebounds (4.6 vg.) and 121 assists (2.8 avg.) 23 — Stu Lantz — Guard — 6-3, 175 lbs., appeared in 56 games, played 1,430 minutes (25.5 avg.), made 189 of 446 field goal attempts (.424%) and 145 of 176 free throws (.824%) for 523 points (9.3 avg.), had 170 rebounds (3.0 avg.) and 158 assists (2.8 avg.) 34 —Stan Love—Forward —6-9, 215 lbs., appeared in 30 games, played 431 minutes (14.4 avg.), made 85 of 194 field goal attempts (.438%) and 47 of 66 free throws (.712%) for 217 points (7.2 avg.), had 97 rebounds (3.2 avg.) and 26 assists (0.9 avg.) 15 — Jim Price — Guard — 6-3, 195 lbs., appeared in 9 games, played 339 minutes (37.7 avg.), made 75 of 167 field goal attempts (.449%) and 41 of 45 free throws (.911%) for 191 points (21.2 avg.), 43 rebounds (4.8 avg.) and 63 assists (7.0 avg.) 12 — Pat Riley — Guard/Forward — 6-4, 205 lbs., appeared in 46 games, played 1,016 minutes (22.1 avg.), made 219 of 523 field goal attempts (.455%) and 69 of 93 free throws (.742%) for 507 points (11.0 avg.), had 85 rebounds (1.8 avg.) and 121 assists (2.6 avg.) 33 — Cazzie Russell — Forward/Guard — 6-5, 218 lbs., appeared in 40 games, played 1,055 minutes (26.4 avg.), made 264 of 580 field goal attempts (.455%) and 101 of 113 free throws (.894%) for 629 points (15.7 avg.), had 115 rebounds (2.9 avg.) and 109 assists (2.7 avg.) 3 — Elmore Smith — Center — 7-0, 250 lbs., appeared in 74 games, played 2,341 minutes (31.6 avg.), made 346 of 702 field goal attempts (.493%) and 112 of 231 free throws (.485%) for 804 points (10.9 avg.), had 810 rebounds (10.9 avg.) and 145 assists (2.0 avg.) 24 — Kermit Washington — Forward/Center — 6-8, 230 lbs., appeared in 55 games, played 949 minutes (17.3 avg.), made 87 of 207 field goal attempts (.420%) and 72 of 122 free throws (.590%) for 246 points (4.5 avg.), had 350 rebounds (6.4 avg.) and 66 assists (1.2 avg.)

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20— Brian Winters — Guard/Forward — 6-4, 185 lbs., appeared in 68 games, played 1,516 minutes (22.3 avg.), made 359 of 810 field goal attempts (.443%) and 76 of 92 free throws (.826%) for 794 points (11.7 avg.), had 138 rebounds (2.0 avg.) and 195 assists (2.9 avg.)

League Leaders Elmore Smith — Blocked 216 shots during the season (1st), averaged 2.9 blocks per game (2nd)

All-Rookie Team Brian Winters —1st team

All-Star Game Selections Gail Goodrich

Regular Season Highlights March 28 — Gail Goodrich scores 53 points in a 114–103 win against the Kansas City–Omaha Kings.

1975-76 Head Coach: Bill Sharman Assistant Coach: Larry Creger Regular Season Record: 40–42 4th place in the NBA Pacific Division (finished 19 games out of first place) Scored 106.9 points per game to rank 3rd out of 18 teams Allowed 106.8 points per game to rank 17th Led the league in blocked shots (528)

Review The foundation for what would become one of the most successful runs in NBA history was laid in the Lakers’ organization when Los Angeles acquired center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in a trade with the Milwaukee Bucks. However, the dominant days of “Showtime” were still five years away when Jabbar first suited up in a Lakers’ jersey. In addition to Jabbar, the team had a major UCLA connection with Lucius Allen and Gail Goodrich joining the premier pivot man. His impact was immediate, but as a team, the Lakers fell below the .500 mark for the second straight year, as a bad slump in January helped in the slide.

Gone from the Previous Season Zelmo Beaty — retired Bill Bridges — waived by the Lakers on December 6, 1974 Happy Hairston — waived by the Lakers on October 21, 1975 Connie Hawkins — traded to Atlanta on August 8, 1975 Stan Love — waived by the Lakers on February 10, 1975 Jim Price — traded to Milwaukee on November 11, 1974 Pat Riley — traded to Phoenix on November 3, 1975 Elmore Smith — traded to Milwaukee on June 16, 1975 Brian Winters — traded to Milwaukee on June 16, 1975

ONE : THE SEASONS

Regular Season Individual Statistics 33 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — Center — 7-2, 225 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 3,379 minutes (41.2 avg.), made 914 of 1,728 field goal attempts (.529%) and 447 of 636 free throws (.703%) for 2,275 points (27.7 avg.), had 1,383 rebounds (16.9 avg.) and 413 assists (5.0 avg.) 42—Lucius Allen—Guard—6-2, 175 lbs., appeared in 76 games, played 2,388 minutes (31.4 avg.), made 461 of 1,004 field goal attempts (.459%) and 197 of 254 free throws (.776%) for 1,119 points (14.7 avg.), had 214 rebounds (2.8 avg.) and 357 assists (4.7 avg.) 10— Corky Calhoun — Forward — 6-7, 210 lbs., appeared in 76 games, played 1,816 minutes (23.9 avg.), made 172 of 368 field goal attempts (.467%) and 65 of 83 free throws (.783%) for 409 points (5.4 avg.), had 341 rebounds (4.5 avg.) and 85 assists (1.1 avg.) 35 —Don Ford —Forward —6-9, 215 lbs., appeared in 76 games, played 1,838 minutes (24.2 avg.), made 311 of 710 field goal attempts (.438%) and 104 of 139 free throws (.748%) for 726 points (9.6 avg.), had 333 rebounds (4.4 avg.) and 111 assists (1.5 avg.) 20— Donnie Freeman — Guard — 6-3, 185 lbs., appeared in 64 games, played 1,480 minutes (23.1 avg.), made 263 of 606 field goal attempts (.434%) and 163 of 199 free throws (.819%) for 689 points (10.8 avg.), had 180 rebounds (2.8 avg.) and 171 assists (2.7 avg.) 25 — Gail Goodrich — Guard — 6-1, 170 lbs., appeared in 75 games, played 2,646 minutes (35.3 avg.), made 583 of 1,321 field goal attempts (.441%) and 293 of 346 free throws (.847%) for 1,459 points (19.5 avg.), had 214 rebounds (2.9 avg.) and 421 assists (5.6 avg.) 41—C.J. Kupec—Forward/Center—6-6, 220 lbs., appeared in 16 games, played 55 minutes (3.4 avg.), made 10 of 40 field goal attempts (.250%) and 7 of 11 free throws (.636%) for 27 points (1.7 avg.), had 23 rebounds (1.4 avg.) and 5 assists (0.3 avg.) 23 — Stu Lantz — Guard — 6-3, 175 lbs., appeared in 53 games, played 853 minutes (16.1 avg.), made 85 of 204 field goal attempts (.417%) and 80 of 89 free throws (.899%) for 250 points (4.7 avg.), had 99 rebounds (1.9 avg.) and 76 assists (1.4 avg.) 11— Jim McDaniels — Center/Forward — 6-11, 228 lbs., appeared in 35 games, played 242 minutes (6.9 avg.), made 41 of 102 field goal attempts (.402%) and 9 of 9 free throws (1.000%) for 91 points (2.6 avg.), had 74 rebounds (2.1 avg.) and 15 assists (0.4 avg.) 21—Cliff Meely—Forward/Center—6-8, 215 lbs., appeared in 20 games, played 139 minutes (7.0 avg.), made 20 of 51 field goal attempts (.392%) and 24 of 32 free throws (.750%) for 64 points (3.2 avg.), had 45 rebounds (2.3 avg.) and 9 assists (0.5 avg.) 12 — Pat Riley — Guard/Forward — 6-4, 205 lbs., appeared in 2 games, played 23 minutes (11.5 avg.), made 5 of 13 field goal attempts (.385%) and 1 of 3 free throws (.333%) for 11 points (5.5 avg.) and 3 rebounds (1.5 avg.) 15 — John Roche — Guard — 6-3, 170 lbs., appeared in 15 games, played 52 minutes (3.5 avg.), made 3 of 14 field goal attempts (.214%) and 2 of 4 free throws (.500%) for 8 points (0.5 avg.), had 3 rebounds (0.2 avg.) and 6 assists (0.4 avg.) 32 — Cazzie Russell — Forward/Guard — 6-5, 218 lbs., appeared in 74 games, played 1,625 minutes (22.0 avg.), made 371 of 802 field goal attempts (.463%) and 132 of 148 free throws (.892%) for 874 points (11.8 avg.), had 183 rebounds (2.5 avg.) and 122 assists (1.6 avg.) 30— Cornell Warner — Forward/ Center — 6-9, 220 lbs., appeared in 81 games, played 2,512 minutes (31.0 avg.), made 251 of 524 field goal attempts (.479%) and 89 of 128 free throws (.695%) for 591 points (7.3 avg.), had 722 rebounds (8.9 avg.) and 106 assists (1.3 avg.) 24 — Kermit Washington — Forward/Center — 6-8, 230 lbs., appeared in 36 games, played 492 minutes (13.7 avg.), made 39 of 90 field goal attempts 9.433%) and 45 of 66 free throws (.682%) for 123 points (3.4 avg.), had 165 rebounds (4.6 avg.) and 20 assists (0.6 avg.) 21— Walt Wesley — Center — 6-11, 220 lbs., appeared in 1 game, played 7 minutes (7.0 avg.), made 1of 2 field goal attempts (.500%) and 2 of 4 free throws (.500%) for 4 points (4.0 avg.), had 1 rebound (1.0 avg.) and 1 assist (1.0 avg.) 15—Ron Williams—Guard—6-3, 188 lbs., appeared in 9 games, played

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158 minutes (17.6 avg.), made 17 of 43 field goal attempts (.395%) and 10 of 13 free throws (.769%) for 44 points (4.9 avg.), had 19 rebounds (2.1 avg.) and 21 assists (2.3 avg.)

League Leaders Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — minutes played (1st), minutes per game (2nd), field goals made (2nd), field goal attempts (2nd), field goal percentage (5th), free throws made (5th), free throw attempts (4th), rebounds (1st), rebounds per game (1st), points scored (2nd), points per game (2nd), had 338 blocked shots during the season (1st), averaged 4.1 blocks per game (1st) Cazzie Russell — free throw percentage (3rd)

All-NBA Kareem Abdul-Jabbar —1st team selection

All-Defensive Team

Review Bill Sharman stepped down as head coach, but remained with the team in a front office capacity. To fill the void, the Lakers brought honored alumni Jerry West back into the purple and gold fold when he took over as head coach. West’s presence helped guide the team back to the top of the Pacific Division where he was used to being as a player.

Gone from the Previous Season Corky Calhoun — waived by the Lakers on October 18, 1976 Donnie Freeman — waived by the Lakers on October 5, 1976 Gail Goodrich — signed a free agent contract with New Orleans on August 6, 1976 Stu Lantz — retired Jim McDaniel — waived by the Lakers on February 3, 1976 Cliff Meely — waived by the Lakers on September 29, 1976 John Roche — waived by the Lakers on October 5, 1976 Walt Wesley — waived by the Lakers on October 30, 1975 Ron Williams — waived by the Lakers on November 26, 1975

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — 2nd team selection

All-Star Game Selections Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

NBA Most Valuable Player Award Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Regular Season Highlights Oct. 28 — In his first regular season game against his old team, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 30 points, had 20 rebounds, and blocked nine shots in a 99–92 win over Milwaukee. Nov. 2 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar turned in an incredible performance in a 116–113 overtime victory against Atlanta. He scored 39 points, had 23 rebounds, and blocked 10 shots. Dec. 3 — In a 118–110 win over Detroit, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 29 points, had 21 rebounds, and a career-high 11 blocked shots. Dec. 14 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sets an NBA record of 29 defensive rebounds in a 110–100 win over the Detroit Pistons. For the game he has a total of 34. Dec. 26 — In a 104–95 win over Portland, Kareem AbdulJabbar blocked nine shots while pumping in 41 points and hauling in 20 rebounds.

1976-77 Head Coach: Jerry West Assistant Coaches: Stan Albeck, Jack McCloskey Regular Season Record: 53–29 (best record in the NBA) 1st place in the NBA Pacific Division (finished in first place by four games) Scored 106.9 points per game to rank 10th out of 22 teams Allowed 104.1 points per game to rank 4th

Regular Season Individual Statistics 33 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — Center — 7-2, 225 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 3,016 minutes (36.8 avg.), made 888 of 1,533 field goal attempts (.579%) and 376 of 536 free throws (.701%) for 2,152 points (26.2 avg.), had 1,090 rebounds (13.3 avg.) and 319 assists (3.9 avg.) 5 — Tom Abernethy — Forward — 6-7, 220 lbs., appeared in 70 games, played 1,378 minutes (19.7 avg.), made 169 of 349 field goal attempts (.484%) and 101 of 134 free throws (.754%) for 439 points (6.3 avg.), had 291 rebounds (4.2 avg.) and 98 assists (1.4 avg.) 42—Lucius Allen—Guard—6-2, 175 lbs., appeared in 78 games, played 2,482 minutes (31.8 avg.), made 472 of 1,035 field goal attempts (.456%) and 195 of 252 free throws (.774%) for 1,139 points (14.6 avg.), had 251 rebounds (3.2 avg.) and 405 assists (5.2 avg.) 21— Mack Calvin — Guard — 6-0, 165 lbs., appeared in 12 games, played 207 minutes (17.3 avg.), made 27 of 82 field goal attempts (32.9 avg.) and 41 of 48 free throws (.854%) for 95 points (7.9 avg.), had 16 rebounds (1.3 avg.) and 21 assists (1.8 avg.) 12 —Don Chaney —Guard —6-5, 210 lbs., appeared in 81 games, played 2,408 minutes (29.7 avg.), made 213 of 522 field goal attempts (.408%) and 70 of 94 free throws (.745%) for 496 points (6.1 avg.), had 330 rebounds (4.1 avg.) and 308 assists (3.8 avg.) 35 —Don Ford —Forward —6-9, 215 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 1,782 minutes (21.7 avg.), made 262 of 570 field goal attempts (.460%) and 73 of 102 free throws (.716%) for 597 points (7.3 avg.), had 353 rebounds (4.3 avg.) and 133 assists (1.6 avg.) 41— C.J. Kupec — Forward/Center — 6-6, 220 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 908 minutes (11.1 avg.), made 153 of 342 field goal attempts (.447%) and 78 of 101 free throws (.772%) for 384 points (4.7 avg.), had 199 rebounds (2.4 avg.) and 53 assists (0.6 avg.) 11— Bo Lamar — Guard — 6-1, 180 lbs., appeared in 71 games, played 1,165 minutes (16.4 avg.), made 228 of 561 field goal attempts (.406%) and 46 of 68 free throws (.676%) for 502 points (7.1 avg.), had 92 rebounds (1.3 avg.) and 177 assists (2.5 avg.) 20—Allen Murphy—Guard—6-5, 190 lbs., appeared in 2 games, played 18 minutes (9.0 avg.), made 1 of 5 field goal attempts (.200%) and 3 of 7 free throws (.429%) for 5 points (2.5 avg.) and had 4 rebounds (2.0 avg.) 21— Johnny Neumann — Guard/Forward — 6-6, 200 lbs., appeared in 59 games, played 888 minutes (15.1 avg.), made 146 of 363 field goal attempts (.402%) and 54 of 81 free throws (.667%) for 346 points (5.9 avg.), had 63 rebounds (1.1 avg.) and 137 assists (2.3 avg.)

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30— Marv Roberts — Forward/Center — 6-8, 200 lbs., appeared in 28 games, played 209 minutes (7.5 avg.), made 27 of 76 field goal attempts (.355%) and 4 of 6 free throws (.667%) for 58 points (2.1 avg.), had 25 rebounds (0.9 avg.) and 19 assists (0.7 avg.) 32 — Cazzie Russell — Forward/Guard — 6-5, 218 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,583 minutes (31.5 avg.), made 578 of 1,179 field goal attempts (.490%) and 188 of 219 free throws (.858%) for 1,344 points (16.4 avg.), had 294 rebounds (3.6 avg.) and 210 assists (2.6 avg.) 43 — Earl Tatum — Guard/Forward — 6-5, 185 lbs., appeared in 68 games, played 1,249 minutes (18.4 avg.), made 283 of 607 field goal attempts (.466%) and 72 of 100 free throws (.720%) for 638 points (9.4 avg.), had 236 rebounds (3.5 avg.) and 118 assists (1.7 avg.) 20 & 30— Cornell Warner — Forward/Center — 6-9, 220 lbs., appeared in 14 games, played 170 minutes (12.1 avg.), made 25 of 53 field goal attempts (.472%) and 4 of 6 free throws (.667%) for 54 points (3.9 avg.), had 69 rebounds (4.9 avg.) and 11 assists (0.8 avg.) 24 — Kermit Washington — Forward/Center — 6-8, 230 lbs., appeared in 53 games, played 1,342 minutes (25.3 avg.), made 191 of 380 field goal attempts (.503%) and 132 of 187 free throws (.706%) for 514 points (9.7 avg.), had 492 rebounds (9.3 avg.) and 48 assists (0.9 avg.)

League Leaders Kareem Abdul-Jabbar —field goals made (1st), field goal percentage (1st), rebounds (1st), rebounds per game (2nd), points scored (2nd), points per game (3rd), had 261 blocked shots during the season (1st), averaged 3.2 blocks per game (2nd)

All-NBA Kareem Abdul-Jabbar —1st team selection

All-Defensive Team Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — 2nd team selection Don Chaney — 2nd team selection

All-Star Game Selections Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

NBA Most Valuable Player Award Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Regular Season Highlights Oct. 21— A season opening 102–97 loss to the New York Knicks marks the coaching debut of former superstar Jerry West. March 25 — In a 118–93 win over Phoenix, Kareem AbdulJabbar scored 28 points, had 12 rebounds, and nine blocked shots. The Lakers finish West’s first season as head coach with a 37–4 road at the Fabulous Forum that included 21 straight wins at home. The streak started with a 121–99 win over Golden State on November 19, 1976, and went until a February 11, 1977 victory against the Denver Nuggets. A .902 winning percentage at home is the highest for the Lakers since moving to Los Angeles. The record would be matched on three other occasions (1979-80, 1986-87, and 1989-90)

ONE : THE SEASONS

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS VERSUS GOLDEN STATE 1. April 20 at Los Angeles: This was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s first playoff appearance in a Lakers uniform, and he responded in true championship form. In a 115–106 victory, Jabbar accounted for 27 points, with 12 coming when the game was still in question in the fourth quarter. Down the stretch, Jabbar made a crucial block and snagged one of his 16 rebounds, both of which stopped Golden State from gaining momentum. Despite the loss, Rick Barry had a hot hand for the Warriors with 40 points.1 2. April 22 at Los Angeles: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar continued to work his magic on the Warriors. This time he scored 40 points, snagged 19 rebounds, and rejected nine shots to pace the Lakers to a 95–86 win. Once again, Jabbar turned his game up a notch in the fourth quarter by scoring 16 points to put a close two-point game out of reach for the Warriors.2 3. April 24 at Golden State: With the Warriors down, 29– 17, at the beginning of the second quarter, reserve guard Charles Johnson came in. He then proceeded to score ten points to narrow the Los Angeles lead to three points by halftime. Johnson continued to pump in baskets, the Warriors went ahead for good with 4:51 left, and when the game was over, Johnson had 28 points, his superstar teammate Rick Barry had 40, and the Warriors topped the Lakers, 109–105, to get to within one game of evening the series up. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the top point producer for Los Angeles with 28.3 4. April 26 at Golden State: Jamaal Wilkes would join Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the Lakers within a short time to create great moments during the 1980s. However, at this stage of his career, Wilkes opposed Jabbar, and along with Rick Barry, combined to score 53 points in a 114–103 Golden State victory that had the series at 2–2. Jabbar turned in a great performance of 41 points in a game that marked the 15th consecutive time since 1973 that Los Angeles went down in defeat to the Warriors on the road.4 5. April 29 at Los Angeles: This time around, a brilliant performance by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did not go to waste, as the Lakers won, 112–105, with Jabbar leading the way with 45 points and 18 rebounds. The Lakers went on a 10–0 run in the opening quarter to gain a 35–24 lead. The Warriors battled back to close to within six at the half. The Lakers then moved back up by eight, only to have Golden State cut that lead down to one, before Jabbar and Lucius Allen combined for five free throws to put the Lakers back up to a six-point lead. Allen then hit from the field at the beginning of the fourth quarter, and Golden State never threatened again.5 6. May 1 at Golden State: The Warriors extended their home court winning streak over the Lakers to 16 games, as they won, 115–106, to force a seventh and deciding game back in LA. Rick Barry scored 27 and Jamaal Wilkes 20, in a game that saw the Warriors get out to an early lead by rapping off 15 straight points. At one point, the Warriors led by 20 before Los Angeles came back to trail by eight at the half. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar kept his great post-season going with 43 points for Los Angeles.6 7. May 4 at Los Angeles: This series was dominated by home court advantage, and the Lakers followed suit by winning the de-

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ciding game at home, 97–84, to advance to the Western Conference Finals. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored over one third of his team’s total point production, hitting for 36 and gathering in 26 rebounds. The Warriors played tough before giving way in the second period. They led by 14 early in the second quarter, and then Jabbar and Bo Lamar turned up the heat. Lamar saw ten minutes of action in the second quarter, and hit on four of five field goal attempts and two free throws, which assisted the Lakers in coming back to grab a 48–46 advantage at the half, and giving them momentum to carry them the rest of the way.7

in a blaze of glory. They cut Portland’s lead down to four with 5:15 left, but then Bill Walton and his teammates refused to be denied so close to the team’s first-ever NBA Finals appearance. The lead went back up to ten with 2:43 remaining, and when the final buzzer sounded, Blazermania was in full force in the “City of Roses.” Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led the Lakers with 30 points despite having five fouls called on him by the end of the third quarter.11

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS VERSUS PORTLAND

Abdul-Jabbar — appeared in 11 games, played 467 minutes (42.5 avg.), scored 381 points (34.6 avg.), had 195 rebounds (17.7 avg.) and 45 assists (4.1 avg.) Abernethy—appeared in 11 games, played 214 minutes (19.5 avg.), scored 64 points (5.8 avg.), had 40 rebounds (3.6 avg.) and 22 assists (2.0 avg.) Allen — appeared in 7 games, played 186 minutes (26.6 avg.), scored 77 points (11.0 avg.), had 32 rebounds (4.6 avg.) and 24 assists (3.4 avg.) Chaney — appeared in 11 games, played 412 minutes (37.5 avg.), scored 88 points (8.0 avg.), had 52 rebounds (4.7 avg.) and 48 assists (4.4 avg.) Ford — appeared in 11 games, played 333 minutes (30.3 avg.), scored 111 points (10.1 avg.), had 58 rebounds (5.3 avg.) and 37 assists (3.4 avg.) Kupec — appeared in 11 games, played 57 minutes (5.2 avg.), scored 21 points (1.9 avg.), had 16 rebounds (1.5 avg.) and 4 assists (0.4 avg.) Lamar — appeared in 10 games, played 109 minutes (10.9 avg.), scored 33 points (3.3 avg.), had 9 rebounds (0.9 avg.) and 14 assists (1.4 avg.) Neumann — appeared in 6 games, played 68 minutes (11.3 avg.), scored 24 points (4.0 avg.), had 2 rebounds (0.3 avg.) and 9 assists (1.5 avg.) Russell — appeared in 11 games, played 382 minutes (34.7 avg.), scored 174 points (15.8 avg.), had 48 rebounds (4.4 avg.) and 25 assists (2.3 avg.) Tatum — appeared in 11 games, played 356 minutes (32.4 avg.), scored 150 points (13.6 avg.), had 54 rebounds (4.9 avg.) and 27 assists (2.5 avg.) Warner — appeared in 5 games, played 56 minutes (11.2 avg.), scored 14 points (2.8 avg.), had 9 rebounds (1.8 avg.) and 6 assists (1.2 avg.)

1. May 6 at Los Angeles: The Lakers had the most victories during the regular season, but the Portland Trailblazers did not seem in awe of that fact. In their first exposure to conference finals play, Portland got twenty point games from four of their players, and won, 121–109. Maurice Lucas paced a fierce running attack with 28 points, followed by Lionel Hollins (25), Bill Walton (22), and Johnny Davis (20). Portland jumped out to a 22-point lead before the first half ended with a stunned Forum crowd looking on. The Lakers were only able to narrow the gap down to seven points from there, as they were totally held at bay. For the Lakers, rookie Earl Tatum scored 32 points, with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar a close second with 30.8 2. May 8 at Los Angeles: The Lakers made this one a little closer, but the Trailblazers still prevailed, 99–97, to take a 2–0 series lead back home to Portland. Bench performer Herm Gilliam was the star of the show for Portland down the stretch, as the guard connected for 14 points in the fourth period, and hit on a field goal that put the Trailblazers up for good, 98–97. With Los Angeles up, 91–84, Gilliam was true on three straight field goals to start his team’s rally. He finished the game with 24 points. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar topped the Lakers with 40 points and 17 rebounds.9 3. May 10 at Portland: The Lakers now found themselves in a deep hole with not much hope. This time around, center Bill Walton, one of the NBA’s premier players of this time, recorded seven consecutive baskets in the final period to pull the Trailblazers from an 81–77 deficit with 9:11 left. After Walton’s string of buckets, Portland had a 93–84 advantage with 3:50 to go. The Lakers tried in vain to catch them, but could only get as close as three points down with 12 seconds remaining. Maurice Lucas then brought the curtain down on LA by making good on two free throws with five seconds left. Walton and Lucas both had 22 points to pace the attack that now had Portland in total command of the series.10 4. May 13 at Portland: The Trailblazers used speed and power to carry them deep into the playoffs, and with both facets working to perfection, they swept the Lakers with a 105–101 victory. Maurice Lucas had 18 of his 26 points in the second, with each of them becoming more and more valuable, as the Lakers kept trying to rally back. Los Angeles was holding on to a slim lead, and the game was tied at 71-all when Lucas put Portland on top for good with a pair of free throws as the clock showed 1:28 remaining in the third quarter. Portland then extended their bulge to ten points with ten minutes left in what turned out to be the deciding game. The Lakers gave it one last shot, ready to go out

Individual Playoff Statistics

1977-78 Head Coach: Jerry West Assistant Coaches: Stan Albeck, Jack McCloskey Regular Season Record: 45–37 4th place in the NBA Pacific Division (finished 13 games out of first place) Scored 110.3 points per game to rank 8th out of 22 teams Allowed 107.6 points per game to rank 7th

Review Jerry West continued to lead the Lakers to a winning record, but it was not an easy task. Hampering the team’s progress from the previous year was the loss of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who missed two months after breaking his hand in the season opener. Kermit Washington returned after a knee injury, but was suspended for 60 days after punching Houston’s Rudy Tomjanovich during a game in December. Without the services of two top performers, the Lakers managed to rally in the second half of the season, won 28 of 41 games, and secured a playoff berth. West also

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made changes to help solve the team’s sometimes inept shooting. From Golden State, the Lakers acquired free agent sharp shooter Jamaal Wilkes. To add quickness to the lineup, the Lakers drafted guard Norm Nixon, who would emerge as one of the main offensive weapons over the next five years.

Gone from the Previous Season Lucius Allen — traded to Kansas City on June 6, 1977 Mack Calvin — traded to San Antonio on November 16, 1976 C.J. Kupec — waived by the Lakers on September 27, 1977 Bo Lamar — released Allen Murphy — waived by the Lakers on November 2, 1976 Johnny Neumann — traded to Buffalo on June 9, 1977 Marv Roberts — waived by the Lakers following the 1976-77 season Cazzie Russell — waived by the Lakers on October 17, 1977 Cornell Warner — released on November 2, 1976

Regular Season Individual Statistics 33 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — Center — 7-2, 225 lbs., appeared in 62 games, played 2,265 minutes (36.5 avg.), made 663 of 1,205 field goal attempts (.550%) and 274 of 350 free throws (.783%) for 1,600 points (25.8 avg.), had 801 rebounds (12.9 avg.) and 269 assists (4.3 avg.) 5 — Tom Abernethy — Forward — 6-7, 220 lbs., appeared in 73 games, played 1,317 minutes (18.0 avg.), made 201 of 404 field goal attempts (.498%) and 91 of 111 free throws (.820%) for 493 points (6.8 avg.), had 265 rebounds (3.6 avg.) and 101 assists (1.4 avg.) 2—Kenny Carr—Forward—6-7, 220 lbs., appeared in 52 games, played 733 minutes (14.1 avg.), made 134 of 302 field goal attempts (.444%) and 55 of 85 free throws (.647%) for 323 points (6.2 avg.), had 208 rebounds (4.0 avg.) and 26 assists (0.5 avg.) 12 — Don Chaney — Guard — 6-5, 210 lbs., appeared in 9 games, played 133 minutes (14.8 avg.), made 13 of 36 field goal attempts (.361%) and 5 of 6 free throws (.833%) for 31 points (3.4 avg.), had 11 rebounds (1.2 avg.) and 17 assists (1.9 avg.) 4 — Adrian Dantley — Forward/Guard — 6-5, 208 lbs., appeared in 56 games, played 1,985 minutes (35.4 avg.), made 377 of 725 field goal attempts (.520%) and 334 of 417 free throws (.801%), for 1,088 points (19.4 avg.), had 404 rebounds (7.2 avg.) and 188 assists (3.4 avg.) 30— Brad Davis — Guard — 6-3, 180 lbs., appeared in 33 games, played 334 minutes (10.1 avg.), made 30 of 72 field goal attempts (.417%) and 22 of 29 free throws (.759%) for 82 points (2.5 avg.), had 35 rebounds (1.1 avg.) and 83 assists (2.5 avg.) 15 — Ernie DiGregorio — Guard — 6-0, 180 lbs., appeared in 25 games, played 332 minutes (13.3 avg.), made 41 of 100 field goal attempts (.410%) and 16 of 20 free throws (.800%) for 98 points (3.9 avg.), had 23 rebounds (0.9 avg.) and 71 assists (2.8 avg.) 42 — James Edwards — Center/Forward — 7-0, 225 lbs., appeared in 25 games, played 723 minutes (28.9 avg.), made 145 of 316 field goal attempts (.459%) and 80 of 125 free throws (.640%) for 370 points (14.8 avg.), had 180 rebounds (7.2 avg.) and 29 assists (1.2 avg.) 35 —Don Ford —Forward —6-9, 215 lbs., appeared in 79 games, played 1,945 minutes (24.6 avg.), made 272 of 576 field goal attempts (.472%) and 68 of 90 free throws (.756%) for 612 points (7.7 avg.), had 353 rebounds (4.5 avg.) and 142 assists (1.8 avg.) 23 — Lou Hudson — Forward/Guard — 6-5, 210 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,283 minutes (27.8 avg.), made 493 of 992 field goal attempts (.497%) and 137 of 177 free throws (.774%) for 1,123 points (13.7 avg.), had 188 rebounds (2.3 avg.) and 193 assists (2.4 avg.) 10— Norm Nixon — Guard — 6-2, 170 lbs., appeared in 81 games, played 2,779 minutes (34.3 avg.), made 496 of 998 field goal attempts (.497%) and 115 of 161 free throws (.714%) for 1,107 points (13.7 avg.), had 239 rebounds (3.0 avg.) and 553 assists (6.8 avg.)

ONE : THE SEASONS 40— Dave Robisch — Center/Forward — 6-10, 235 lbs., appeared in 55 games, played 679 minutes (12.3 avg.), made 104 of 249 field goal attempts (.418%) and 50 of 65 free throws (.769%) for 258 points (4.7 avg.), had 179 rebounds (3.3 avg.) and 40 assists (0.7 avg.) 11— Charlie Scott — Guard/Forward — 6-5, 175 lbs., appeared in 48 games, played 1,393 minutes (29.0 avg.), made 225 of 509 field goal attempts (.442%) and 110 of 142 free throws (.775%) for 560 points (11.7 avg.), had 148 rebounds (3.1 avg.) and 235 assists (4.9 avg.) 43 — Earl Tatum — Guard/Forward — 6-5, 185 lbs., appeared in 25 games, played 663 minutes (26.5 avg.), made 153 of 314 field goal attempts (.487%) and 45 of 59 free throws (.763%) for 351 points (14.0 avg.), had 90 rebounds (3.6 avg.) and 70 assists (2.8 avg.) 24 — Kermit Washington — Forward/Center — 6-8, 230 lbs., appeared in 25 games, played 751 minutes (30.0 avg.), made 110 of 244 field goal attempts (.451%) and 68 of 110 free throws (.618%) for 288 points (11.5 avg.), had 279 rebounds (11.2 avg.) and 30 assists (1.2 avg.) 52 — Jamaal Wilkes — Forward/Guard — 6-6, 190 lbs., appeared in 51 games, played 1,490 minutes (29.2 avg.), made 277 of 630 field goal attempts (.440%) and 106 of 148 free throws (.716%) for 660 points (12.9 avg.), had 380 rebounds (7.5 avg.) and 182 assists (3.6 avg.)

League Leaders Kareem Abdul-Jabbar —field goal percentage (4th), points per game (4th), had 185 blocked shots during the season (4th), averaged 3.0 blocks per game (2nd) Norm Nixon — assists (4th), assists per game (4th)

All-NBA Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — 2nd team selection

All-Defensive Team Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — 2nd team selection

All-Rookie Team Norm Nixon —1st team selection

Regular Season Highlights Nov. 2 — Norm Nixon gets eight steals in a 107–102 win against New Jersey. Nov. 15 — In a 102–95 overtime loss to Cleveland, Kermit Washington gets 11 offensive rebounds. Nov. 20— Norm Nixon set a team record for a rookie with 14 assists in a 102–80 loss at home against the Chicago Bulls. Feb. 3 — In a 105–99 overtime win against New Jersey, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hauls in 30 rebounds. March 29 — In a 108–103 win over New Orleans, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 34 points, had 16 rebounds, and blocked nine shots.

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND VERSUS SEATTLE 1. April 12 at Seattle: The Supersonics were riding a 12-game winning streak at home that began on February 10. The Lakers

ONE : THE SEASONS looked like they were on track to end it by staying close for three quarters. The score was tied at 47 at the half, and Seattle clung to a three-point lead going into the fourth period. Seattle then separated themselves from the Lakers in the final stanza to extend their home winning streak to 13 with a 102–90 victory. Gus Williams paced the Supersonics with 23 points, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led the Lakers with 26.1 2. April 14 at Los Angeles: The Lakers clung to a one-point lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter, and took advantage of a shooting slump by Seattle that increased LA’s lead to 11. Seattle got hot toward the end of the game, and narrowed the Lakers’ lead to one point with 30 seconds left. Four free throws from Adrian Dantley then sealed a 105–99 Los Angeles victory to force a deciding third game back in Seattle. Dantley finished the game with 19 points, and Lou Hudson came in second on the team with 18.2 3. April 16 at Seattle: The Supersonics got 11 points from Gus Williams in the second quarter to jump out to a 59–50 halftime lead. Seattle then extended their lead to 19 points late in the third quarter, but the Lakers fought back hard with a pair of seven point runs which cut Seattle’s advantage to 99–92 with 5:29 left in the game. Reserve Dave Robisch entered the game in the second half for the Lakers, and proved invaluable in leading the team with 12 points during their scoring spurts. Marvin Webster then scored six of the Supersonics final 12 points to push Seattle to a 111–102 victory that extended their home winning streak to 13, and allowed them to advance to the next round of the playoffs. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar finished the season strong, scoring 31 points.3

Individual Playoff Statistics Abdul-Jabbar — appeared in 3 games, played 134 minutes (44.7 avg.), scored 81 points (27.0 avg.), had 41 rebounds (13.7 avg.) and 11 assists (3.7 avg.) Abernethy — appeared in 2 games, played 12 minutes (6.0 avg.), scored 4 points (2.0 avg.), had 2 rebounds (1.0 avg.) and 1 assist (0.5 avg.) Carr—appeared in 2 games, played 17 minutes (8.5 avg.), scored 6 points (3.0 avg.) and had 4 rebounds (2.0 avg.) Dantley — appeared in 3 games, played 104 minutes (34.7 avg.), scored 51 points (17.0 avg.), had 25 rebounds (8.3 avg.) and 11 assists (3.7 avg.) Ford — appeared in 1 game, played 10 minutes (10.0 avg.) and had 5 rebounds (5.0 avg.) Hudson — appeared in 3 games, played 93 minutes (31.0 avg.), scored 35 points (11.7 avg.), had 9 rebounds (3.0 avg.) and 9 assists (3.0 avg.) Nixon — appeared in 3 games, played 92 minutes (30.7 avg.), scored 24 points (8.0 avg.), had 9 rebounds (3.0 avg.) and 16 assists (5.3 avg.) Robisch — appeared in 3 games, played 47 minutes (15.7 avg.), scored 30 points (10.0 avg.), had 12 rebounds (4.0 avg.) and 1 assist (0.3 avg.) Scott — appeared in 3 games, played 103 minutes (34.3 avg.), scored 30 points (10.0 avg.), had 13 rebounds (4.3 avg.) and 14 assists (4.7 avg.) Wilkes—appeared in 3 games, played 108 minutes (36.0 avg.), scored 36 points (12.0 avg.), had 26 rebounds (8.7 avg.) and 8 assists (2.7 avg.)

1978-79 Head Coach: Jerry West Assistant Coaches: Stan Albeck, Jack McCloskey

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Regular Season Record: 47–35 3rd place in the NBA Pacific Division (finished five games out of first place) Scored 112.9 points per game to rank 8th out of 22 teams Allowed 109.9 points per game to rank 8th Led the league in field goal percentage (.517%)

Review In what proved to be the final season of Jack Kent Cooke’s ownership, and Jerry West’s reign as head coach, the Lakers recovered from injuries to finish with a winning record and another playoff appearance. The best thing to happen to this year’s team did not even involve their performance on the court. The Lakers owned the rights to the New Orleans Jazz’s first round draft pick in 1979 as part of a deal struck in exchange for Gail Goodrich in 1976. It turned out that the Jazz finished the 1978-79 season with the worst record in the league, which meant that they would receive the number one overall pick in the upcoming 1979 draft. They took full advantage of the opportunity cast before them by selecting Earvin “Magic” Johnson from Michigan State, who would go on to become one of the most iconic players in NBA history.

Gone from the Previous Season Tom Abernethy — traded to Buffalo on June 8, 1978 Don Chaney — traded to Boston on December 27, 1977 Ernie DiGregorio — waived by the Lakers on January 30, 1978 James Edwards — traded to Indiana on December 13, 1977 Charlie Scott — traded to Denver on June 26, 1976 Earl Tatum — traded to Indiana on December 13, 1977 Kermit Washington — traded to Boston on December 27, 1977

Regular Season Individual Statistics 33 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — Center — 7-2, 225 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 3,157 minutes (39.5 avg.), made 777 of 1,347 field goal attempts (.577%) and 349 of 474 free throws (.736%) for 1,903 points (23.8 avg.), had 1,025 rebounds (12.8 avg.) and 431 assists (5.4 avg.) 24 — Ron Boone — Guard/Forward — 6-2, 200 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 1,583 minutes (19.3 avg.), made 259 of 569 field goal attempts (.455%) and 90 of 104 free throws (.865%) for 608 points (7.4 avg.), 145 rebounds (1.8 avg.) and 154 assists (1.9 avg.) 2—Kenny Carr—Forward—6-7, 220 lbs., appeared in 72 games, played 1,149 minutes (16.0 avg.), made 225 of 450 field goal attempts (.500%) and 83 of 137 free throws (.606%) for 533 points (7.4 avg.), had 292 rebounds (4.1 avg.) and 60 assists (0.8 avg.) 15 — Ron Carter — Guard — 6-5, 190 lbs., appeared in 46 games, played 332 minutes (7.2 avg.), made 54 of 124 field goal attempts (.435%) and 36 of 54 free throws (.667%) for 144 points (3.1avg.), had 45 rebounds (1.0 avg.) and 25 assists (0.5 avg.) 21— Michael Cooper — Guard/Forward — 6-5, 170 lbs., appeared in 3 games, played 7 minutes (2.3 avg.), made 3 of 6 field goal attempts (.500%) for 6 points (2.0 avg.) 4 — Adrian Dantley — Forward/Guard — 6-5, 208 lbs., appeared in 60 games, played 1,775 minutes (29.6 avg.), made 374 of 733 field goal attempts (.510%) and 292 of 342 free throws (.854%) for 1.040 points (17.3 avg.), had 342 rebounds (5.7 avg.) and 138 assists (2.3 avg.) 30— Brad Davis — Guard — 6-3, 180 lbs., appeared in 5 games, played 65 minutes (13.0 avg.), made 8 of 11 field goal attempts (.727%) and 3 of 4 free throws (.750%) for 19 points (3.8 avg.), had 1 rebound (0.2 avg.) and 9 assists (1.8 avg.)

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35 —Don Ford —Forward —6-9, 215 lbs., appeared in 79 games, played 1,540 minutes (19.5 avg.), made 228 of 450 field goal attempts (.507%) and 72 of 89 free throws (.809%) for 528 points (6.7 avg.), had 268 rebounds (3.4 avg.) and 101 assists (1.3 avg.) 23 — Lou Hudson — Forward/Guard — 6-5, 210 lbs., appeared in 78 games, played 1,686 minutes (21.6 avg.), made 329 of 636 field goal attempts (.517%) and 110 of 124 free throws (.887%) for 768 points (9.8 avg.), 140 rebounds (1.8 avg.) and 141 assists (1.8 avg.) 10—Norm Nixon—Guard—6-2, 170 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 3,145 minutes (38.4 avg.), made 623 of 1,149 field goal attempts (.542%) and 158 of 204 free throws (.775%) for 1,404 points (17.1 avg.), had 231 rebounds (2.8 avg.) and 737 assists (9.0 avg.) 5 — Jim Price — Guard — 6-3, 195 lbs., appeared in 75 games, played 1,207 minutes (16.1 avg.), made 171 of 344 field goal attempts (.497%) and 55 of 79 free throws (.696%) for 397 points (5.3 avg.), had 123 rebounds (1.6 avg.) and 218 assists (2.9 avg.) 40— Dave Robisch — Center/Forward — 6-10, 235 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 1,219 minutes (15.2 avg.), made 150 of 336 field goal attempts (.446%) and 86 of 115 free throws (.748%) for 386 points (4.8 avg.), had 285 rebounds (3.6 avg.) and 97 assists (1.2 avg.) 52 — Jamaal Wilkes — Forward/Guard — 6-6, 190 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,915 minutes (35.5 avg.), made 626 of 1,242 field goal attempts (.504%) and 272 of 362 free throws (.751%) for 1,524 points (18.6 avg.), had 609 rebounds (7.4 avg.) and 227 assists (2.8 avg.)

League Leaders Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — minutes played (4th), minutes per game (4th), field goals made (5th), field goal percentage (2nd), rebounds (4th), rebounds per game (3rd), had 316 blocked shots during the season (1st), averaged 4.0 blocks per game (1st) Norm Nixon — assists (3rd), assists per game (3rd), had 201 steals during the season (tied for 1st place with Eddie Jordan of the New Jersey Nets), averaged 2.5 steals per game (2nd)

All-NBA Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — 2nd team selection

All-Defensive Team Kareem Abdul-Jabbar —1st team selection

All-Star Game Selections Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Regular Season Highlights Nov. 28 — In a 105–103 loss to Detroit, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar turned in a fantastic game that included 27 points, 16 rebounds, and 11 blocked shots.

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND VERSUS DENVER 1. April 10 at Denver: Denver’s Dan Issel went head-to-head with the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and won the duel. He scored 11 points in the third quarter to help the Nuggets gain a com-

ONE : THE SEASONS manding 18-point lead on the Lakers. Los Angeles refused to bow out quietly, and stormed back with a fast break attack led by Adrian Dantley and Lou Hudson. The Lakers closed the gap to 93–90, but unfortunately, Denver did not allow them to get closer than that. With Issel hitting for 30 points, and David Thompson 27, the Nuggets took the opening game, 110–105.1 2. April 13 at Los Angeles: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar got into serious foul trouble, forcing the superstar pivot man to play most of the second half with five infractions called against him. He managed to avoid a sixth one that would have caused the Lakers to lose him for the rest of the game. Jabbar’s services were definitely needed, as his 32 points greatly assisted the Lakers in a 121–109 home win that tied the series at 1–1.2 3. April 15 at Denver: A trip to the Mile High City saw the Lakers pull out a nail-biting 112–111 win that sent the Nuggets home for the season by the slimmest of margins. The Lakers had a narrow four-point lead at the half, and then Denver came back at the end of the third quarter to hold an 86–85 lead. Los Angeles then managed to outscore Denver by two points in the final 12 minutes to advance to the next round. Pacing the attack for Los Angeles were Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with 29 points and Adrian Dantley with 26.3

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS VERSUS SEATTLE 1. April 17 at Seattle: The Lakers’ two-game playoff winning streak ended in the Emerald City, as the defending Western Conference champion Seattle Supersonics beat them 112–101. Putting the hurt on the Lakers in this one were the trio of Jack Sikma, Gus Williams, and Dennis Johnson, who tallied 44 points between them in the second half. Williams led Seattle’s fast break to perfection, hitting on 16 of his 27 total points in the second half, which saw the Supersonics ring up 63 points to LA’s 47. Sikma added 17 of his 19 points in the second half to help the cause.4 2. April 18 at Seattle: It was once again Gus Williams who led the way for Seattle. He led all scorers in the game with 38 points, with six of them coming in overtime to help the Supersonics take a 2–0 series advantage with a 108–103 victory.5 3. April 20 at Los Angeles: In front of a Forum crowd of 17,505, the Lakers succeeded in narrowing the series gap to 2–1 after a 118–112 victory. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar paced the Lakers with 32 points, which included two free throws in the final four seconds of the overtime period. Jamaal Wilkes added 21 points, and Adrian Dantley 20 for the victors.6 4. April 22 at Los Angeles: Another close game at the Forum ended on a sour note for the Lakers, as they fell victim to the Supersonics by a slim 117–115 final count. Gus Williams was having a career series against Los Angeles. He scored 30 points in this one, giving him 94 points in this series up to this stage. His final point of the game came on a free throw with two seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to give Seattle a little more of an edge.7 5. April 25 at Seattle: The Supersonics had the Lakers in a difficult situation. The Lakers came in to this game trailing in the series three games to one, and left Seattle with their season completed. Seattle did not waste any time in their quest to advance in the playoffs, as they beat LA 106–100. Fred Brown came in off

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the bench for Gus Williams, and popped in 10 points in the third quarter, six of which sparked an 11–2 run to give Seattle an 82– 81 lead going into the fourth period. Gus Williams returned in the fourth quarter, scored eight of his 30 points to help Seattle on a 12–2 run, and they were up by a comfortable 94–83 advantage with 6:25 left in the game.8

Individual Playoff Statistics Abdul-Jabbar — appeared in 8 games, played 367 minutes (45.9 avg.), scored 228 points (28.5 avg.), had 101 rebounds (12.6 avg.) and 38 assists (4.8 avg.) Boone — appeared in 8 games, played 226 minutes (28.3 avg.), scored 94 points (11.8 avg.), had 15 rebounds (1.9 avg.) and 14 assists (1.8 avg.) Carr — appeared in 8 games, played 117 minutes (14.6 avg.), scored 43 points (5.4 avg.), had 17 rebounds (2.1 avg.) and 4 assists (0.5 avg.) Carter — appeared in 2 games and played 2 minutes (1.0 avg.) Dantley — appeared in 8 games, played 236 minutes (29.5 avg.), scored 141 points (17.6 avg.), had 33 rebounds (4.1 avg.) and 11 assists (1.4 avg.) Ford — appeared in 8 games, played 138 minutes (17.3 avg.), scored 33 points (4.1 avg.), had 22 rebounds (2.8 avg.) and 7 assists (0.9 avg.) Hudson — appeared in 6 games, played 90 minutes (15.0 avg.), scored 38 points (6.3 avg.), had 4 rebounds (0.7 avg.) and 8 assists (1.3 avg.) Nixon — appeared in 8 games, played 327 minutes (40.9 avg.), scored 123 points (15.4 avg.), had 28 rebounds (3.5 avg.) and 94 assists (11.8 avg.) Price — appeared in 8 games, played 128 minutes (16.0 avg.), scored 20 points (2.5 avg.), had 8 rebounds (1.0 avg.) and 18 assists (2.3 avg.) Robisch — appeared in 5 games, played 32 minutes (6.4 avg.), scored 8 points (1.6 avg.), had 10 rebounds (2.0 avg.) and 2 assists (0.4 avg.) Wilkes — appeared in 8 games, played 307 minutes (38.4 avg.), scored 147 points (18.4 avg.), had 68 rebounds (8.5 avg.) and 16 assists (2.0 avg.)

1979-80 Head Coach: Jack McKinney (10–4), Paul Westhead (50–18) Assistant Coaches: Paul Westhead, Pat Riley Regular Season Record: 60–22 1st place in the NBA Pacific Division (finished in first place by four games) Scored 115.1 points per game to rank 2nd out of 22 teams Allowed 109.2 points per game to rank 11th Led the league in field goals made (3,898), field goal percentage (.529%), and assists (2,413)

Review The greatest decade in Lakers history kicked off on October 12, 1979, and continued on in what became known as “Showtime,” a fast-paced brand of basketball that produced excitement and championships. This season also began the ownership reign of Dr. Jerry Buss, who purchased the Lakers and the Forum, among other holdings, for $67.5 million from Jack Kent Cooke, prior to the start of the 1979-80 season. Magic Johnson lived up to his number one overall draft pick status right from the start, and became the focal point of the “Showtime” attack. With Jerry West assuming a front office position with the team, Jack McKinney was hired as the new head coach. Unfortunately, McKinney’s tenure as coach in Los Angeles was limited to only 14 games after

a near-fatal bicycle accident ended his season. Assistant coach Paul Westhead took over a head coach, and with Magic Johnson leading the dazzling fast break offense, the days ahead where as bright as the California sun for the Lakers.

Gone from the Previous Season Ron Carter — waived by the Lakers on October 4, 1979 Adrian Dantley — traded to Utah on August 13, 1979 Brad Davis — released on October 12, 1978 Lou Hudson — retired Jim Price — waived by the Lakers on August 9, 1979 Dave Robisch — traded to Cleveland on October 5, 1979

Regular Season Individual Statistics 33 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — Center — 7-2, 225 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 3,143 minutes (38.3 avg.), made 835 of 1,383 field goal attempts (.604%) and 364 of 476 free throws (.765%) for 2,034 points (24.8 avg.), had 886 rebounds (10.8 avg.) and 371 assists (4.5 avg.) 24—Ron Boone—Guard/Forward—6-2, 200 lbs., appeared in 6 games, played 106 minutes (17.7 avg.), made 14 of 40 field goal attempts (.350%) and 6 of 7 free throws (.857%) for 34 points (5.7 avg.), had 11 rebounds (1.8 avg.) and 7 assists (1.2 avg.) 7 — Marty Byrnes — Forward — 6-7, 215 lbs., appeared in 32 games, played 194 minutes (6.1 avg.), made 25 of 50 field goal attempts (.500%) and 13 of 15 free throws (.867%) for 63 points (2.0 avg.), had 27 rebounds (0.8 avg.) and 13 assists (0.4 avg.) 7 — Kenny Carr — Forward — 6-7, 200 lbs., appeared in 5 games, played 57 minutes (11.4 avg.), made 7 of 16 field goal attempts (.438%) and 2 f 2 free throws (1.000%) for 16 points (3.2 avg.), had 17 rebounds (3.4 avg.) and 1 assist (0.2 avg.) 9 — Jim Chones — Center/Forward — 6-11, 220 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,394 minutes (29.2 avg.), made 372 of 760 field goal attempts (.489%) and 125 of 169 free throws (.740%) for 869 points (10.6 avg.), had 564 rebounds (6.9 avg.) and 151 assists (1.8 avg.) 21— Michael Cooper — Guard/Forward — 6-5, 170 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 1,973 minutes (24.1 avg.), made 303 of 578 field goal attempts (.524%) and 111 of 143 free throws (.776%) for 722 points (8.8 avg.), had 229 rebounds (2.8 avg.) and 221 assists (2.7 avg.) 35 —Don Ford —Forward —6-9, 215 lbs., appeared in 52 games, played 580 minutes (11.2 avg.), made 66 of 130 field goal attempts (.508%) and 23 of 28 free throws (.821%) for 155 points (3.0 avg.), had 98 rebounds (1.9 avg.) and 36 assists (0.7 avg.) 31— Spencer Haywood — Forward/Center — 6-8, 225 lbs., appeared in 76 games, played 1,544 minutes (20.3 avg.), made 288 of 591 field goal attempts (.487%) and 159 of 206 free throws (.772%) for 736 points (9.7 avg.), had 346 rebounds (4.6 avg.) and 93 assists (1.2 avg.) 14 — Brad Holland — Guard — 6-3, 180 lbs., appeared in 38 games, played 197 minutes (5.2 avg.), made 44 of 104 field goal attempts (.423%) and 15 of 16 free throws (.938%) for 106 points (2.8 avg.), had 17 rebounds (0.4 avg.) and 22 assists (0.6 avg.) 32 — Magic Johnson — Guard/Forward — 6-8, 215 lbs., appeared in 77 games, played 2,795 minutes (36.3 avg.), made 503 of 949 field goal attempts (.530%) and 374 of 462 free throws (.810%) for 1,387 points (18.0 avg.), had 596 rebounds (7.7 avg.) and 563 assists (7.3 avg.) 54 — Mark Landsberger — Forward/Center — 6-8, 215 lbs., appeared in 23 games, played 374 minutes (16.3 avg.), made 66 of 137 field goal attempts (.482%) and 29 of 56 free throws (.518%) for 161 points (7.0 avg.), had 163 rebounds (7.1 avg.) and 12 assists (0.6 avg.) 15—Butch Lee—Guard—6-0, 185 lbs., appeared in 11 games, 31 minutes (2.8 avg.), made 4 of 13 field goal attempts (.308%) and 6 of 7 free throws (.857%) for 14 points (1.3 avg.), had 8 rebounds (0.7 avg.) and 9 assists (0.8 avg.)

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25 — Ollie Mack — Guard — 6-3, 185 lbs., appeared in 27 games, played 155 minutes (5.7 avg.), made 21 of 50 field goal attempts (.420 5) and 9 of 18 free throws (.500%) for 51 points (1.9 avg.), had 22 rebounds (0.8 avg.) and 20 assists (0.7 avg.) 10—Norm Nixon—Guard—6-2, 170 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 3,226 minutes (39.3 avg.), made 624 of 1,209 field goal attempts (.516%) and 197 of 253 free throws (.779%) for 1,446 points (17.6 avg.), had 229 rebounds (2.8 avg.) and 642 assists (7.8 avg.) 52 — Jamaal Wilkes — Forward/Guard — 6-6, 190 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 3,111 minutes (37.9 avg.), made 726 of 1,358 field goal attempts (.535%)and 189 of 234 free throws (.808%) for 1,644 points (20.0 avg.), had 525 rebounds (6.4 avg.) and 250 assists (30 avg.)

League Leaders Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — minutes played (4th), minutes per game (5th), field goals made (3rd), field goal percentage (2nd), points scored (5th), had 280 blocked shots during the season (1st), averaged 3.4 blocks per game (1st) Magic Johnson — had 187 steals during the season (5th), averaged 2.4 steals per game (5th) Norm Nixon—minutes played (1st), minutes per game (1st), assists (3rd), assists per game (4th)

All-NBA Kareem Abdul-Jabbar —1st team selection

All-Defensive Team Kareem Abdul-Jabbar —1st team selection

All-Rookie Team Magic Johnson —1st team selection

All-Star Game Selections Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson

NBA Most Valuable Player Award Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Regular Season Highlights Oct. 12 — The dawn of the “Showtime” era arrived in Los Angeles, as the Lakers won, 103–102, on a Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sky hook at the final buzzer, against the San Diego Clippers in the first-ever regular season game of Magic Johnson’s career. Nov. 25 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 25 points, hauled in 15 rebounds, and tied a career-high with 11 blocked shots in a 111–110 win over Kansas City. Jan. 18 — Against Atlanta, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 28 points, had 15 rebounds, and blocked 10 shots, in a 108–102 win. March 7 — In a 101–99 win over Chicago, Magic Johnson set a career-high by hauling in 18 rebounds. The Lakers tie a team all-time record .902 winning percentage at home as residents of Los Angeles first that was first established in 1976-77.

ONE : THE SEASONS

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS VERSUS PHOENIX 1. April 8 at Los Angeles: The post season edition of the “Showtime” era kicked off in brilliant fashion, as rookie Magic Johnson showed no freshman jitters in his first playoff experience in the NBA. Johnson wowed the Forum crowd, and basketball fans across the viewing audience by recording a triple-double consisting of 13 points, 16 assists, and 12 rebounds, in a 119–110 Lakers victory. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 30 points, and Norm Nixon added 26 to pace the Lakers.1 2. April 9 at Los Angeles: Norm Nixon provided the heroics for Los Angeles with a 3-point shot in the closing 20 seconds of overtime to secure a 131–128 win that gave the Lakers a 2–0 series lead. Magic Johnson sank a pair of free throws with 29 seconds left in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 120–120. Michael Cooper and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar came close to ending the game in regulation, as a Cooper shot attempt was tipped in by Jabbar, who led the team with 32 points, right after the buzzer sounded to negate the basket.2 3. April 11 at Phoenix: The Suns clung to a 98–97 lead with 4:09 left in the fourth quarter after being up by seven at the half. The Lakers answered with six straight points, four coming from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, to give LA the lead. Mike Bratz got the Suns to within two with 40 seconds left before Norm Nixon tipped a shot in make a four-point game. Phoenix refused to give up, as Walter Davis hit for two with 12 seconds to go. Jabbar then nailed a free throw with one second left to secure a 108–105 Los Angeles victory that gave them a commanding 3–0 series advantage. Jabbar led all scorers with 37 points, 15 of which came in the fourth quarter when the Lakers came back to win.3 4. April 13 at Phoenix: With their backs to the wall, and facing elimination in front of their home crowd, the Suns captured the lead with nine minutes to go in the first quarter and never gave it up, winning with ease, 127–101. Phoenix had a 25-point lead in the third quarter, but the Lakers attempted a miraculous comeback led by Norm Nixon and Jamaal Wilkes combining for 18 points, which helped LA close to within nine with 5:30 left on the clock in the fourth quarter. The Suns refused to give up, and went on a 7–1 run to stymie the Lakers’ effort. Kareem AbdulJabbar lead the Lakers with 25 points, with Nixon and Wilkes coming in second with 21 points each.4 5. April 15 at Los Angeles: By almost the exact final score from the previous game, the Lakers prevailed in a blowout, 126– 101, to clinch the series. The Lakers went comfortably ahead, 60– 42, in the first half, with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 21 of his 35 points, and never sweated it after that. Los Angeles shot a sizzling 57 percent from the field in the first half, and continued on their hot streak in the third quarter but hitting on 17 of 29 attempts. Jamaal Wilkes added 21 points for the victors, and Magic Johnson dished out 11 assists. A concern for the Lakers amidst the revelry was when Magic Johnson hurt his right arm after teammate Spencer Haywood fell on the limb.5

ONE : THE SEASONS WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS VERSUS SEATTLE 1. April 22 at Los Angeles: “Downtown” Freddie Brown hurt the Lakers with long-range shots, and Gus Williams sliced through them with awesome layups. When this duo was finished, Brown had a game-high 34 points, Williams 28, and the defending NBA champion Supersonics took the opening game with a slim 108–107 victory. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar took top scoring honors for the Lakers with 26 points, and Magic Johnson, who was nursing a tender arm, came through with 19 points. The Lakers had a 107–104 lead until Brown nailed his fourth threepoint shot of the game to tie it up. Seattle center Jack Sikma decided the outcome after Norm Nixon fouled him with two ticks on the clock remaining in regulation and hit on one of his two free throw attempts. This proved to be Seattle’s first victory in four attempts at the Forum during the season.6 2. April 23 at Los Angeles: The Lakers had their running game going, and the end result was a 108–99 victory that tied the series up with the action shifting over to the “Emerald City” of Seattle for at least the next two games. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, like all the Lakers, was not happy after the slim, one-point loss the previous day. He then made a statement by pacing the Los Angeles attack with a 31-point, 15-rebound performance.7 3. April 25 at Seattle: With their usually venues, the Kingdome and the Seattle Coliseum booked up, the Supersonics were forced to use the 9,500-seat Edmundson Pavilion on the University of Washington campus as a home base. The 53-year site did not hamper the Lakers in the least, and with a sparse crowd on hand, they defeated Seattle, 104–100, to take a 2–1 series lead. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar continued to have an excellent series, as he pumped in 33 points to pace Los Angeles.8 4. April 27 at Seattle: The Supersonics looked to tie the series up, and jumped out to a commanding 57–36 right before the end of the first half. They then crumbled, as the Lakers had a 24–0 run within five minutes, and won, 98–93, to extend their series advantage to 3–1. Seattle battled back to close to within three points with 15 seconds left in the game, but after Freddie Brown missed a shot and Jamaal Wilkes then nailed a pair of free throws to lock the victory down. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led the Lakers with 25 points, and Magic Johnson hit for 15 points, hauled in 13 rebounds, and dished out six assists.9 5. April 30 at Los Angeles: For the first time in seven years, the Lakers were headed back to the NBA Finals thanks to a 111– 105 series-clinching victory that sent the defending champions home for the season. Seattle held a 62–54 lead at the half on the strength of their guards, who scored 36 of their team’s first half points. The Lakers then kicked their game into high gear to prevail with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar leading the way with 38 points.10

NBA FINALS VERSUS PHILADELPHIA 1. May 4 at Los Angeles: For the first time in seven years, the Fabulous Forum played host to the NBA Finals, and the Lakers treated their fans to a 109–102 victory. The dawn of “Showtime” got off to a good start thanks to veteran, and newly crowned NBA MVP, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and rookie sensation Magic Johnson. Jabbar was brilliant and dominant, as his 33 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, and six blocked shots would attest.

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1979-80 Johnson added 16 points and 10 assists, while Norm Nixon tallied 23. The Lakers’ running game got them the lead, and then Philadelphia had to attempt a comeback after being dragged up and down the court at a steady clip. However, the 76ers did give it a yeoman’s effort in the fourth quarter. Down, 84–70, at the beginning of the fourth quarter, they went on a 14–2 run that cut the LA advantage to four points with six minutes left in the game. Jabbar rose to the challenge by cooling the hot Philly offense down from that stage on by scoring eight points, dishing out two assists, and blocking two shots in the last five minutes. Another stellar performance that came from the Lakers was that of Jamaal Wilkes, who scored 20 points and did a great job guarding superstar Julius “Dr. J” Erving.11 2. May 7 at Los Angeles: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar pumped in 38 points and snagged 14 rebounds, but the 76ers, assisted by Darryl Dawkins’ 25 points, and 23 from both Julius Erving and Maurice Cheeks, got Philadelphia even in the series with a 107– 104 win. The Lakers were down by as many as 23 in the third quarter, and were trailing, 89–71, going into the final stanza. It was then that LA staged a comeback with 12 straight points, 10 coming from Jabbar, and closed to within four points with 3:42 left in regulation. Los Angeles made things interesting by cutting the lead to one slim digit on a Jabbar skyhook to make it 105– 104 with 33 seconds to go. Philly’s Bobby Jones then sank a 12foot jump shot with seven seconds left to secure the win. Norm Nixon tried to send the game into overtime, but missed a threepoint attempt.12 3. May 10 at Philadelphia: This marked the first time the City of Brotherly Love hosted a championship series between the 76ers and Lakers. The Lakers were not kind to their hosts, as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar continued on his dominant quest by scoring 33 points, hauling in 14 rebounds, and dishing out three assists, in a 111–101 LA victory. Norm Nixon also had a good performance with 22 points and seven assists. Rebounding was the key, as the Lakers had three players hit double figures in that category. Besides Jabbar, Jamaal Wilkes grabbed 12 and Magic Johnson 11. The Lakers never relinquished the lead at any point. The 76ers came close with the score at 42–40, but LA then went on a 16–4 run and was not threatened again.13 4. May 11 at Philadelphia: With a true team effort, the 76ers evened the series at 2–2 with a 105–102 win. The imposing 6-11 Darryl Dawkins pumped in 26 points, Julius Erving 23, and Maurice Cheeks and Lionel Hollins both finished with 18. Hollins also added 13 assists to his great showing. The Lakers were leading in the third quarter until Philadelphia went on a 20–9 run to go into the fourth period with an 81–76 advantage. Los Angeles never recovered, but did make things interesting buy closing to within three points with 2:08 left to play. Magic Johnson led the Lakers with 28 points, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had 23.14 5. May 14 at Los Angeles: The Lakers got closer to their first title in eight years with a 108–103 win at the Forum. However, the old adage, “What Price Glory?” came into play when the league’s premier big man, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, suffered a severely sprained ankle in the third quarter after attempting to cut sharply. The injury would force Jabbar to miss the next game, and possibly the series-clincher in Philadelphia. For half-aminute, Jabbar hobbled through the pain before a time out was called. He was escorted to the locker room for an examination,

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and returned to action. He showed no ill effects in the fourth quarter, as he pumped in 14 points to put the final touches on a brilliant performance that consisted of 40 points and 15 rebounds. Los Angeles kept the tempo going when Jabbar went to the locker room with just over four minutes left in the third quarter. They went on a 14–8 run that gave them an 81–73 lead heading into the fourth period. The 76ers rallied behind their superstar Julius Erving, who scored 15 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter to help Philadelphia erase a 12-point deficit and knot things up at 103–103 with 43 seconds left on the clock. It was then that Jabbar and Norm Nixon came through to push the Lakers a step closer to the league’s ultimate reward. Jabbar connected on a three-point play and Nixon nailed two free throws to send the Forum crowd home happy.15 6. May 16 at Philadelphia: Earvin “Magic” Johnson would prove to be the catalyst for the Lakers throughout the 1980s, which would earn him accolades that will never diminish. The true beginning of Johnson’s meteoric rise to that of an NBA legend can be traced to the night of May 16, 1980. With Kareem AbdulJabbar absent from the lineup after such dominant performances throughout the series, Johnson emerged as a superstar on the game’s biggest stage. Filling in for the veteran Jabbar, the rookie Johnson moved to the center position and turned in one of the greatest individual performances in NBA Finals history. Johnson amassed 42 points, which included him hitting on 14 of 14 free throw attempts, 15 rebounds, seven assists, three steals, and one blocked shot. Throughout the game, Johnson moved from center to play forward and guard, thus seeing action at every position in a single game. Los Angeles jumped out to an 11–4 lead, but Philadelphia rebounded to tie the game at the half, 60–60. The Lakers then exploded at the start of the third period by going on a 14–0 run that helped them take a 93–83 lead into the final 12 minutes. The 76ers did not let up, and kept things interesting over the first seven minutes of the final stanza. With 5:11 left, the Lakers led by a 103–101 count. Coach Paul Westhead called a timeout to allow his team a chance to rest and regroup. That slight break was just what the Lakers needed. Magic and company ran off five straight points to go up by seven with only 76 seconds expired since the timeout. Johnson added nine points in the closing minutes, and the Lakers pulled away, and left the city of Philadelphia as world champions after a series-clinching 123–107 victory. In honor of the performance that started Johnson on his iconic rise, he was selected as the NBA Finals MVP, and the championship phase of the “Showtime” era was off and running for the next 11 years. Other Lakers that played a major role in this seriesclinching victory were Jamaal Wilkes, who sank a career-best 37 points and collected 10 rebounds. Jim Chones shut down the middle and controlled the powerful Darryl Dawkins, holding him to 14 points and just four rebounds, while Chones scored 11 and secured 10 rebounds. Michael Cooper added 16 points and Mark Landsberger hauled in 10 rebounds for the newly crowned world champs.16

Individual Playoff Statistics Abdul-Jabbar — appeared in 15 games, played 618 minutes (41.2 avg.), scored 479 points (31.9 avg.), had 181 rebounds (12.1 avg.) and 46 assists (3.1 avg.)

ONE : THE SEASONS Byrnes — appeared in 4 games, played 8 minutes (2.0 avg.), scored 6 points (1.5 avg.), had 1 rebound (0.3 avg.) and 1 assist (0.3 avg.) Chones — appeared in 16 games, played 439 minutes (27.4 avg.), scored 119 points (7.4 avg.), had 104 rebounds (6.5 avg.) and 28 assists (1.8 avg.) Cooper — appeared in 16 games, played 464 minutes (29.0 avg.), scored 145 points (9.1 avg.), had 59 rebounds (3.7 avg.) and 58 assists (3.6 avg.) Haywood — appeared in 11 games, played 145 minutes (13.2 avg.), scored 63 points (5.7 avg.), had 26 rebounds (2.4 avg.) and 4 assists (0.4 avg.) Holland — appeared in 9 games, played 32 minutes (3.6 avg.), scored 14 points (1.6 avg.), had 5 rebounds (0.6 avg.) and 3 assists (0.3 avg.) Johnson — appeared in 16 games, played 658 minutes (41.1 avg.), scored 293 points (18.3 avg.), had 168 rebounds (10.5 avg.) and 151 assists (9.4 avg.) Landsberger — appeared in 16 games, played 195 minutes (12.2 avg.), scored 55 points (3.4 avg.), had 69 rebounds (4.3 avg.) and 2 assists (0.1 avg.) Lee — appeared in 3 games, played 6 minutes (2.0 avg.), scored 2 points (0.7 avg.) and had 1 rebound (0.3 avg.) Nixon — appeared in 16 games, played 648 minutes (40.5 avg.), scored 270 points (16.9 avg.), had 56 rebounds (3.5 avg.) and 125 assists (7.8 avg.) Wilkes — appeared in 16 games, played 652 minutes (40.8 avg.), scored 324 points (20.3 avg.), had 128 rebounds (8.0 avg.) and 48 assists (3.0 avg.)

1980-81 Head Coach: Paul Westhead Assistant Coaches: Pat Riley, Mike Thibault Regular Season Record: 54–28 2nd place in the NBA Pacific Division (finished three games out of first place) Scored 111.2 points per game to rank 5th out of 23 teams Allowed 107.3 points per game to rank 13th

Review The team suffered a huge loss early in the season when Magic Johnson was lost for most of the year with a knee injury. The Lakers fell into second place, and Paul Westhead’s time as head coach was slowly coming to an end at the conclusion of a tumultuous experience for the defending champs.

Gone from the Previous Season Ron Boone — traded to Utah on October 25, 1979 Marty Byrnes — taken in the expansion draft by Dallas on May 28, 1980 Kenny Carr — traded to Cleveland on October 23, 1979 Don Ford — traded to Cleveland on February 15, 1980 Butch Lee — released on June 10, 1980 Oliver Mack — traded to Chicago on February 14, 1980

Regular Season Individual Statistics 33 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — Center — 7-2, 225 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 2,976 minutes (37.2 avg.), made 836 of 1,457 field goal attempts (.574%) and 423 of 552 free throws (.766%) for 2.095 points (26.2 avg.), had 821 rebounds (10.3 avg.) and 272 assists (3.4 avg.)

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40 & 8 — Jim Brewer — Forward/Center — 6-9, 210 lbs., appeared in 78 games, played 1,107 minutes (14.2 avg.), made 101 of 197 field goal attempts (.513%) and 15 of 40 free throws (.737%) for 217 points (2.8 avg.), had 281 rebounds (3.6 avg.) and 55 assists (0.7 avg.) 24 — Butch Carter — Guard — 6-5, 180 lbs., appeared in 54 games, played 672 minutes (12.4 avg.), made 114 of 247 field goal attempts (.462%) and 70 of 95 free throws (.737%) for 301 points (5.6 avg.), had 65 rebounds (1.2 avg.) and 52 assists (1.0 avg.) 9 — Jim Chones — Center/Forward — 6-11, 220 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,562 minutes (31.2 avg.), made 378 of 751 field goal attempts (.503%) and 126 of 193 free throws (.653%) for 882 points (10.8 avg.), had 657 rebounds (8.0 avg.) and 153 assists (1.9 avg.) 21— Michael Cooper — Guard/Forward — 6-5, 170 lbs., appeared in 81 games, played 2,625 minutes (32.4 avg.), made 321 of 654 field goal attempts (.491%), 117 of 149 free throws (.785%) for 763 points (9.4 avg.), had 336 rebounds (4.1 avg.) and 332 assists (4.1 avg.) 25 — Alan Hardy — Forward — 6-7, 195 lbs., appeared in 22 games, played 111 minutes (5.0 avg.), made 22 of 59 field goal attempts (.373%) and 7 of 10 free throws (.700%) for 51 points (2.3 avg.), had 19 rebounds (0.9 avg.) and 3 assists (0.1 avg.) 14—Brad Holland—Guard—6-3, 180 lbs., appeared in 41 games, played 295 minutes (7.2 avg.), made 47 of 111 field goal attempts (.423%) and 35 of 49 free throws (.714%) for 130 points (3.2 avg.), had 29 rebounds (0.7 avg.) and 23 assists (0.6 avg.) 23—Tony Jackson—Guard—6-0, 170 lbs., appeared in 2 games, played 14 minutes (7.0 avg.), made 1 of 3 field goal attempts (.333%) for 2 points (1.0 avg.), had 2 rebounds (1.0 avg.) and 2 assists (1.0 avg.) 32 — Magic Johnson — Guard/Forward — 6-8, 215 lbs., appeared in 37 games, played 1,371 minutes (37.1 avg.), made 312 of 587 field goal attempts (.532%) and 171 of 225 free throws (.760%) for 798 points (21.6 avg.), had 320 rebounds (8.6 avg.) and 317 assists (8.6 avg.) 15—Eddie Jordan—Guard—6-1, 170 lbs., appeared in 60 games, played 987 minutes (16.5 avg.), made 120 of 279 field goal attempts (.430%) and 63 of 95 free throws (.663%) for 306 points (5.1 avg.), had 80 rebounds (1.3 avg.) and 195 assists (3.3 avg.) 54 — Mark Landsberger — Forward/Center — 6-8, 215 lbs., appeared in 69 games, played 1,086 minutes (15.7 avg.), made 164 of 327 field goal attempts (.502%) and 62 of 116 free throws (.534%) for 390 points (5.7 avg.), had 377 rebounds (5.5 avg.) and 27 assists (0.4 avg.) 10—Norm Nixon—Guard—6-2, 170 lbs., appeared in 79 games, played 2,962 minutes (37.5%), made 576 of 1,210 field goal attempts (.476%) and 196 of 252 free throws (.778%) for 1,350 points (17.1 avg.), had 232 rebounds (2.9 avg.) and 696 assists (8.8 avg.) 34 — Myles Patrick — Forward — 6-8, 220 lbs., appeared in 3 games, played 9 minutes (3.0 avg.), made 2 of 5 field goal attempts (.400%) and 1 of 2 free throws (.500%) for 5 points (1.7 avg.), had 2 rebounds (0.7 avg.) and 1 assist (0.3 avg.) 52 — Jamaal Wilkes — Forward/Center — 6-6, 190 lbs., appeared in 81 games, played 3,028 minutes (37.4 avg.), made 786 of 1,495 field goal attempts (.526%) and 254 of 335 free throws (.758%) for 1,827 points (22.6 avg.), had 435 rebounds (5.4 avg.) and 235 assists (2.9 avg.)

League Leaders Kareem Abdul-Jabbar —field goals made (4th), field goal percentage (5th), points scored (4th), points per game (4th), had 228 blocked shots during the season (2nd), averaged 2.9 blocks per game (3rd) Magic Johnson — averaged 3.4 steals per game (1st) Norm Nixon — assists (2nd), assists per game (2nd)

All-NBA Kareem Abdul-Jabbar —1st team selection

All-Defensive Team Kareem Abdul-Jabbar —1st team selection Michael Cooper — 2nd team selection

All-Star Game Selections Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jamaal Wilkes

Regular Season Highlights Nov. 7 — Magic Johnson gets eight steals in a 126–102 win against Dallas. Feb. 27 — Magic Johnson returned after missing 45 games due to torn cartilage in his left knee. The Lakers win, 107–103, over the New Jersey Nets, and Magic finishes the season averaging 22.4 points per game. The Lakers produce their second straight season of 50-plus wins. The streak would run up to an incredible 12 consecutive seasons until it ends in 1992.

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND VERSUS HOUSTON 1. April 1 at Los Angeles: The Lakers opened defense of their NBA title in poor fashion, dropping a 111–107 decision at home. Moses Malone was the dominant force behind the Rockets’ win, as he scored 23 of his 38 points in the first half, and then crashed the boards for 17 of his 23 rebounds in the second half. The Lakers managed to overcome a 10-point deficit going into the second half, and closed to within two points on four occasions in the third quarter only to have Houston thwart any more advances. Magic Johnson led Los Angeles with 26 points, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hit for 23 and hauled in 14 rebounds.1 2. April 3 at Houston: The Lakers never fell behind in this one, leading by as many as 20 points at one point, and won, 111– 106, to even out the best-of-three series. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hit for 27 points, and Magic Johnson scored 15 points and had 16 rebounds before fouling out with very little time left in the game.2 3. April 5 at Los Angeles: In true David vs. Goliath fashion, the Rockets, who finished the regular season at 40–42, shocked the basketball world by knocking off the defending NBA champion Lakers, 89–86, at the Forum. Los Angeles looked like they might pull this game out, as Magic Johnson, who had a poor shooting day, sank one free throw out of three attempts, to put the Lakers up, 86–85, with 30 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. For the game, Johnson only connected for two of 14 field goals, and six of 11 free throws for 10 points. However, despite his shooting woes, he almost turned in a triple-double, by adding 12 rebounds and nine assists to his stats. Future Lakers coach Mike Dunleavy then nailed a jumper to put Houston in the lead for good with 15 seconds to go. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar turned in a great performance by leading both teams in points (32) and rebounds (18).3

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Individual Playoff Statistics Abdul-Jabbar — appeared in 3 games, played 134 minutes (44.7 avg.), scored 80 points (26.7 avg.), had 50 rebounds (16.7 avg.) and 12 assists (4.0 avg.) Brewer—appeared in 3 games, played 7 minutes (2.3 avg.) and 1 rebound (0.3 avg.) Chones — appeared in 3 games, played 67 minutes (22.3 avg.), scored 24 points (8.0 avg.), had 17 rebounds (5.7 avg.) and 1 assist (0.3 avg.) Cooper — appeared in 3 games, played 102 minutes (34.0 avg.), scored 32 points (10.7 avg.), had 10 rebounds (3.3 avg.) and 7 assists (2.3 avg.) Holland — appeared in 1 game and played 1 minute (1.0 avg.) Johnson—appeared in 3 games, played 127 minutes (42.3 avg.), scored 51 points (17.0 avg.), had 41 rebounds (13.7 avg.) and 21 assists (7.0 avg.) Jordan — appeared in 2 games, played 4 minutes (2.0 avg.) and had 1 assist (0.5 avg.) Landsberger—appeared in 3 games, played 32 minutes (10.7 avg.), scored 5 points (1.7 avg.) and had 15 rebounds (5.0 avg.) Nixon — appeared in 3 games, played 133 minutes (44.3 avg.), scored 58 points (19.3 avg.), had 11 rebounds (3.7 avg.) and 26 assists (8.7 avg.) Wilkes — appeared in 3 games, played 113 minutes (37.7 avg.), scored 54 points (18.0 avg.), had 8 rebounds (2.7 avg.) and 4 assists (1.3 avg.)

1981-82 Head Coach: Paul Westhead (7–4), Pat Riley (50–21) Assistant Coaches: Pat Riley, Mike Thibault, Bill Bertka Regular Season Record: 57–25 1st place in the NBA Pacific Division (finished in first place by five games) Scored 114.6 points per game to rank 2nd out of 23 teams Allowed 109.8 points per game to rank 15th Led the league in assists (2,356)

Review The Lakers were quickly coming apart when coach Paul Westhead’s system of slowing down the “Showtime” fast break did not seem to settle well with his players and ownership. An early exit from the previous postseason added to Westhead’s woes, and after 11 games of this season, he was fired and replaced by assistant and former Lakers player Pat Riley. Riley brought the fast break back, and the team then ran off 17 wins out of their next 20 games under their new coach. In the end, they were once again kings of the Pacific Division and ready to make a deep run in the playoffs.

Gone from the Previous Season Butch Carter — traded to Indiana on October 15, 1981 Jim Chones — traded to Washington on August 5, 1981 Alan Hardy — waived by the Lakers on October 27, 1981 Brad Holland — traded to Washington on August 5, 1981 Tony E. Jackson — waived by the Lakers on November 17, 1980 Myles Patrick — waived by the Lakers on November 2, 1980

Regular Season Individual Statistics 33 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — Center — 7-2, 225 lbs., appeared in 76 games, played 2,677 minutes (35.2 avg.), made 753 of 1,301 field goal

ONE : THE SEASONS attempts (.579%) and 312 of 442 free throws (.706%) for 1,818 points (23.9 avg.), had 659 rebounds (8.7 avg.) and 225 assists (3.0 avg.) 8—Jim Brewer—Forward/Center—6-9, 210 lbs., appeared in 71 games, played 966 minutes (13.6 avg.), made 81 of 175 field goal attempts (.463%) and 7 of 19 free throws (.368%) for 170 points (2.4 avg.), had 264 rebounds (3.7 avg.) and 42 assists (0.6 avg.) 21— Michael Cooper — Guard/Forward — 6-5, 170 lbs., appeared in 76 games, played 2,197 minutes (28.9 avg.), made 383 of 741 field goal attempts (.517%) and 139 of 171 free throws (.813%) for 907 points (11.9 avg.), had 269 rebounds (3.5 avg.) and 230 assists (3.0 avg.) 34—Clay Johnson—Guard—6-4, 175 lbs., appeared in 7 games, played 65 minutes (9.3 avg.), made 11 of 20 field goal attempts (.550%) and 3 of 6 free throws (.500%) for 25 points (3.6 avg.), had 12 rebounds (1.7 avg.) and 7 assists (1.0 avg.) 32 — Magic Johnson — Guard/Forward — 6-8, 215 lbs., appeared in 78 games, played 2,991 minutes (38.3 avg.), made 556 of 1,036 field goal attempts (.537%) for 1,447 points (18.6 avg.), had 751 rebounds (9.6 avg.) and 743 assists (9.5 avg.) 5 — Eddie Jordan — Guard — 6-1, 170 lbs., appeared in 58 games, played 608 minutes (10.5 avg.), made 89 of 208 field goal attempts (.428%) and 43 of 54 free throws (.796%) for 222 points (3.8 avg.), had 43 rebounds (0.7 avg.) and 131 assists (2.3 avg.) 41— Mitch Kupchak — Forward/Center — 6-9, 230 lbs., appeared in 26 games, played 821 minutes (31.6 avg.), made 153 of 267 field goal attempts (.573%) and 65 of 98 free throws (.663%) for 371 points (14.3 avg.), had 210 rebounds (8.1 avg.) and 33 assists (1.3 avg.) 54 — Mark Landsberger — Forward/Center — 6-8, 215 lbs., appeared in 75 games, played 1,134 minutes (15.1 avg.), made 144 of 329 field goal attempts (.438%) and 33 of 65 free throws (.508%) for 321 points (4.3 avg.), had 401 rebounds (5.3 avg.) and 32 assists (0.4 avg.) 11— Bob McAdoo — Center/Forward — 6-9, 210 lbs., appeared in 41 games, played 746 minutes (18.2 avg.), made 151 of 330 field goal attempts (.458%) and 90 of 126 free throws (.714%) for 392 points (9.6 avg.), had 159 rebounds (3.9 avg.), 32 assists (0.8 avg.) 40— Mike McGee — Guard/Forward — 6-5, 190 lbs., appeared in 39 games, played 352 minutes (9.0 avg.), made 80 of 172 field goal attempts (.465%) and 31 of 53 free throws (.585%) for 191 points (4.9 avg.), had 49 rebounds (1.3 avg.) and 16 assists (0.4 avg.) 30— Kevin McKenna — Guard/Forward — 6-5, 195 lbs., appeared in 36 games, played 237 minutes (6.6 avg.), made 28 of 87 field goal attempts (.322%) and 11 of 17 free throws (.647%) for 67 points (1.9 avg.), had 29 rebounds (0.8 avg.) and 14 assists (0.4 avg.) 10—Norm Nixon—Guard—6-2, 170 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 3,024 minutes (36.9 avg.), made 628 of 1,274 field goal attempts (.493%) and 181 of 224 free throws (.808%) for 1,440 points (17.6 avg.), had 176 rebounds (2.1 avg.) and 652 assists (8.0 avg.) 31— Kurt Rambis — Forward — 6-8, 213 lbs., appeared in 64 games, played 1,131 minutes (17.7 avg.), made 118 of 228 field goal attempts (.518%) and 59 of 117 free throws (.504%) for 295 points (4.6 avg.), had 348 rebounds (5.4 avg.) and 56 assists (0.9 avg.) 52 — Jamaal Wilkes — Forward/Guard — 6-6, 190 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,906 minutes (35.4 avg.), made 744 of 1,417 field goal attempts (.525%) and 246 of 336 free throws (.732%) for 1,734 points (21.1 avg.), had 393 rebounds (4.8 avg.) and 143 assists (1.7 avg.)

League Leaders Kareem Abdul-Jabbar —field goal percentage (4th), had 207 blocked shots during the season (4th), averaged 2.7 blocks per game (3rd) Magic Johnson — assists (2nd), assists per game (2nd), had 208 steals during the season (3rd), averaged 2.7 steals per game (1st) Norm Nixon — assists (4th), assists per game (5th)

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All-NBA Magic Johnson — 2nd team selection

All-Defensive Team Michael Cooper —1st team selection

All-Star Game Selections Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Norm Nixon

Regular Season Highlights Nov. 6 — Magic Johnson records nine steals in a 101–99 loss to Phoenix. Nov. 20— Magic Johnson scores 20 points, 16 assists, and 10 rebounds in Pat Riley’s debut as head coach in 136–116 win over San Antonio Spurs. Jan. 9 — Magic Johnson hits on 18 field goal attempts in a 130–127 win over Detroit that snaps a two-game losing streak for the Lakers. Jan. 22 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 19 points, hauled in 10 rebounds, and blocked 10 shots, in a 123–111 win against Detroit. Feb. 23 — In a 145–129 win over Denver, the Lakers set a team record with 51 assists for the third highest total in league history. March 21— Magic Johnson gathers in 13 offensive rebounds in a 107–102 win over Houston.

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS VERSUS PHOENIX 1. April 27 at Los Angeles: The Lakers looked to redeem themselves from their post season exit a year earlier. With a Forum crowd of 13,623 cheering for the purple and gold-clad hoopsters, the Lakers had their famed running attack clicking perfectly, right from the opening tipoff. Connecting on 15 of 20 from the field in the first quarter, Los Angeles jumped out to a 32–20 lead. Despite being outscored by seven points in the second period, the Lakers did not allow the Suns to gain anymore on them in the second half, and won, 115–96. Four Lakers scored 20 or more points, with Jamaal Wilkes leading the attack with 28. Magic Johnson hit for 23, Norm Nixon 22, and Bob McAdoo 21, to round out the Lakers’ 20-point club.1 2. April 28 at Los Angeles: The Lakers seemed to be peaking at the right time, and continued on their assault through this series with a commanding 117–98 victory. They were in control from most of the game, but Phoenix managed to narrow the gap to four points halfway through the third quarter. Los Angeles then made serious distance between themselves and the Suns by going on a 23–10 run in the final six minutes of the third quarter. Magic Johnson showed why he was one the most complete players in the league by recording a triple-double in addition to getting five steals. He scored 19 points, hauled in 12 rebounds, and handed

out 12 assists. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led the team with 24 points, and Norm Nixon pumped in 21.2 3. April 30 at Phoenix: A change in venue did nothing to slow the Lakers down, as they took a commanding 3–0 series lead with a 114–106 win. Jamaal Wilkes led all scorers with 26 points, while Magic Johnson hit for 23 and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 22. The Suns tried to send their fans home happy after rallying from a 14-point deficit to make it a 98–92 game with 5:30 left in the fourth quarter.3 4. May 2 at Phoenix: For the first time since 1972, the Lakers swept a playoff series thanks to a 112–107 victory with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Jamaal Wilkes each connecting for 24 points to lead the charge. Facing elimination, the Suns played tough to the end, as the lead changed hands many times until a three-pointer by Jabbar tied the game at 100–100 with six minutes left. Magic Johnson then ran off six consecutive points to lead the final Lakers surge. Johnson finished with 15 points, and Norm Nixon added 17 for the victors.4

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS VERSUS SAN ANTONIO 1. May 9 at Los Angeles: The Lakers were on a roll, and were appearing to be hard to stop. The assignment of putting a halt to the Los Angeles juggernaut fell on San Antonio, but the attempt to stymie the LA assault failed by a 128–117 final count. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Norm Nixon were the scoring stars for the Lakers, as they combined to produce nearly half of their team’s points. Jabbar had 32 and Nixon a career playoff personal best of 31. After the lead changed hands multiple times throughout the first half, the Lakers took off on an 8–0 run for a 63–53 advantage going into the second half. The Spurs rallied to close the gap to three points in the third quarter, but the Lakers then went on another 8–0 surge to keep San Antonio out of reach down the stretch.5 2. May 11 at Los Angeles: With a sellout crowd of over 17,500 rocking the Forum, the Lakers continued on their blitz through the playoffs, this time finishing off the Spurs, 110–101. Jamaal Wilkes and Norm Nixon each had 22 points to lead the team, and Magic Johnson turned in another spectacular performance by hitting for 19 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, dishing out nine assists, and adding five steals. Kurt Rambis chipped in with his usual brand of all out board-crashing defense, and for his effort, he hauled in a game-high 15 rebounds.6 3. May 14 at San Antonio: The Lakers got out to an early lead, with 2:42 to go in the first quarter, and never looked back in a 118–108 victory that put them one win away from the NBA Finals. The Spurs made a run for it in the fourth quarter, going on a 9–0 run to cut the LA bulge to eight points. The Lakers responded with a 14–5 run soon after to put any notions that the Spurs might have had of coming back. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led the Lakers with 26 points, and both Norm Nixon and Bob McAdoo added 22.7 4. May 15 at San Antonio: San Antonio’s HemisFair Arena was the site of an NBA post-season record, but it did not benefit the home crowd. With a 128–123 victory, the Lakers became the first team in league history to win consecutive playoff series via sweeps. They were also riding an 11-game winning streak counting

1981-82 their final three regular season games. The red hot Lakers were led in this one by Norm Nixon’s 30 points, and the hot hand of Bob McAdoo, who smoked the nets on 12 of 16 shot attempts for 26 points, and he also grabbed eight rebounds and blocked three shots. The Spurs fought hard to hold off elimination, and held a 95–86 lead in the closing two minutes of the third quarter. The Lakers then kicked into high gear, scoring 10 straight points while the Spurs did not sink one shot for the rest of the period. The result was a 96–95 Los Angeles advantage going into the final period. The Lakers then extended their lead to nine, and it was all over.8

NBA FINALS VERSUS PHILADELPHIA 1. May 27 at Philadelphia: After a one-year absence, both the Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers were both rulers of their conferences. Los Angeles was looking to hang another championship banner, while the 76ers were trying to capture their first NBA title of the Julius Erving era after two failed attempts in the previous five seasons. The Lakers got the upper hand in their quest by winning the opening game, 124–117, in Philadelphia. The 76ers led, 83–68, in the third quarter, and looked to be in control midway through the period. The Lakers then turned up their fastbreak offense, and the 76ers buckled under the swift assault. Jamaal Wilkes scored 16 points in the third quarter, as LA went on a 23–6 run that had them up, 91–89. Los Angeles continued to attack by scoring 14 of the first 15 points of the fourth quarter, which allowed them to build a commanding 105–90 advantage with 8:45 remaining. Norm Nixon pumped in 24 points for the victors, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar added 23, which gave the legendary pivot man 100 playoff games of reaching 20 or more points. This game also established a milestone for the Lakers, as they set the playoff record of nine straight wins in a single season.9 2. May 30 at Philadelphia: The Philadelphia 76ers went into the gym for two days of tough practice sessions in an effort to right the wrong that plagued them against the Lakers. It all paid off, as they took an early lead and never looked back in a 110–94 victory. The Lakers relied on the 76ers using a half court trap defense against them again. This type of defense called for double-teaming the ball handler and forcing turnovers. Los Angeles devoured that defense with their fast break attack in the opener, but in the second game, the 76ers were able to make adjustments that disrupted the LA offense. Philadelphia tweaked their traps, and took their time waiting for good shot opportunities and moved the ball around in what turned out to be a true team effort. Julius Erving was his usual incredible self, scoring 24 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led the Lakers with 23 points, and Magic Johnson added 18.10 3. June 1 at Los Angeles: Norm Nixon had the hot hand for the Lakers during this playoff run. He averaged 22 points per game, and Los Angeles ran off nine straight wins. In the Lakers first loss of the post-season two days earlier, Nixon only had six points. In this game, he was back on track, finishing with 29 points, and the Lakers prevailed at the Forum, 129–108. Los Angeles led by 12 points at the half, and then increased it to a 73– 50 bulge early in the third quarter, never allowing the 76ers to get closer than 15 points down. Magic Johnson turned in a great performance by scoring 22 points, grabbing nine rebounds, and

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ONE : THE SEASONS dishing out eight assists, while Jamaal Wilkes chipped in with 17.11 4. June 3 at Los Angeles: Absolute domination could best sum up the Lakers’ 1982 playoff run up to this stage. With a 111– 101 victory, Los Angeles captured their 11th win out of 12 playoff games, and in doing so, owned a convincing 3–1 series lead. Once again, the Lakers never allowed the 76ers to gain the lead. They had a 15-point lead at the half, and increased it to 19 on two Norm Nixon field goals. Jamaal Wilkes and Magic Johnson led the Lakers’ assault with 24 points each, Norm Nixon dished out 14 assists, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sank 22 to give the legendary center his 102nd playoff game of scoring 20 or more points out of 108 post-season appearances.12 5. June 6 at Philadelphia: The 76ers knew that history was not on their side going into Game Five. No team had ever rallied back to win a championship series after being down three games to one. However, back in the City of Brotherly Love, the 76ers looked to make a run at history by striking back against the Lakers with a convincing 135–102 win. Philadelphia became more aggressive on offense, and managed to control LA’s fast break attack with a solid defensive effort to ward off elimination. Also helping the 76ers was the fact that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kurt Rambis, Magic Johnson, and Bob McAdoo all had three fouls on them by the second quarter. Despite being cautious with such key personnel, all on the verge of serious foul trouble, the Lakers managed to go into halftime tied 54–54. They even led, 68–64, with four minutes expired in the third period. It was then that things unraveled for the Lakers, as Philadelphia went off on a 20–7 run, and by the fourth quarter, they continued to pound away. The 76ers were led by Andrew Toney’s 31 points, Julius Erving hit for 23, Bobby Jones, 21, and Darryl Dawkins 20. Bob McAdoo led the Lakers with 23, and Norm Nixon added 20 points and 13 assists. Jabbar was held to only six points. This marked the first time in five years that he was prevented from scoring 10 or more points in either a regular or post-season game.13 6. June 8 at Los Angeles: The Lakers came back home and truly made the Forum a fabulous place to be, as they secured their second NBA title in three seasons with a 114–104 victory. The Lakers brought home the championship after finishing the postseason with a 12–2 record, which was one of the greatest playoff runs in league history. Magic Johnson was his usual terrific self. He paced the Lakers’ attack with a triple double (13 points, 13 rebounds, and 13 assists), and brought home his second NBA Finals MVP award. Jamaal Wilkes scored 27, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 18, and Michael Cooper, Bob McAdoo, and Norm Nixon, all came away with 16 points for the victors. The 76ers tried hard to extend this series. The game was tied multiple times in the second half, and Philadelphia fought back hard from an 11-point fourth quarter deficit to pull within three points of a tie with 3:02 left in regulation. Los Angeles then got a three-point play from Jabbar and the 76ers never rallied after that.14

Individual Playoff Statistics Abdul-Jabbar — appeared in 14 games, played 493 minutes (35.2 avg.), scored 285 points (20.4 avg.), had 119 rebounds (8.5 avg.) and 51 assists (3.6 avg.) Brewer — appeared in 8 games, played 57 minutes (7.1 avg.), scored 6 points (0.8 avg.), had 11 rebounds (1.4 avg.) and 4 assists (0.5 avg.)

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Cooper — appeared in 14 games, played 383 minutes (27.4 avg.), scored 166 points (11.9 avg.), had 61 rebounds (4.4 avg.) and 62 assists (4.4 avg.) C. Johnson — appeared in 7 games, played 38 minutes (5.4 avg.), scored 12 points (1.7 avg.), had 3 rebounds (0.4 avg.) and 1 assist (0.1 avg.) M. Johnson — appeared in 14 games, played 562 minutes (40.1 avg.), scored 243 points (17.4 avg.), had 158 rebounds (11.3 avg.) and 130 assists (9.3 avg.) Jordan — appeared in 3 games, played 6 minutes (2.0 avg.) and 5 assists (1.7 avg.) Landsberger—appeared in 9 games, played 60 minutes (6.7 avg.), scored 10 points (1.1 avg.), had 22 rebounds (2.4 avg.) and 2 assists (0.2 avg.) McAdoo—appeared in 14 games, played 388 minutes (27.7 avg.), scored 234 points (16.7 avg.), had 95 rebounds (6.8 avg.) and 22 assists (1.6 avg.) McGee — appeared in 4 games, played 10 minutes (2.5 avg.), scored 12 points (3.0 avg.) and had 3 rebounds (0.8 avg.) Nixon — appeared in 14 games, played 549 minutes (39.2 avg.), scored 286 points (20.4 avg.), had 43 rebounds (3.1 avg.) and 114 assists (8.1 avg.) Rambis — appeared in 14 games, played 279 minutes (19.9 avg.), scored 82 points (5.9 avg.), had 86 rebounds (6.1 avg.) and 11 assists (0.8 avg.) Wilkes — appeared in 14 games, played 535 minutes (38.2 avg.), scored 280 points (20.0 avg.), had 70 rebounds (5.0 avg.) and 37 assists (2.6 avg.)

1982-83 Head Coach: Pat Riley Assistant Coaches: Bill Bertka, Dave Wohl Regular Season Record: 58–24 1st place in the NBA Pacific Division (finished in first place by five games) Scored 115.0 points per game to rank 2nd out of 23 teams Allowed 109.5 points per game to rank 12th Led the league in field goals made (3,964), field goal percentage (.528%), and assists (2,519)

Review Things continued to get better for the Lakers, as the defending champions once again secured the number one overall pick in the NBA draft. In trading Don Ford to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1980, Los Angeles received Cleveland’s top draft pick in 1982. The Cavaliers finished with the worst record in the league, and that meant they earned the right to select first in the 1982 draft. With the Lakers owning Cleveland’s pick, it meant that the Cavaliers’ misfortunes suffered throughout the 1981-82 season strongly benefited the NBA champions. Just like they did three years earlier when selecting Magic Johnson, the Lakers took full advantage of the opportunity presented to them. They chose James Worthy, who helped lead the North Carolina Tar Heels to the NCAA championship months earlier. The results were that Worthy was a perfect fit in the team’s fast break offense, and the Lakers reaped the rewards of Worthy’s talents not only in his rookie campaign, but for years to come.

Gone from the Previous Season Jim Brewer — retired Kevin McKenna — waived by the Lakers on October 8, 1982

1982-83

Regular Season Individual Statistics 33 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — Center — 7-2, 225 lbs., appeared in 79 games, played 2,554 minutes (32.3 avg.), made 722 of 1,228 field goal attempts (.588%) and 278 of 371 free throws (.749%) for 1,722 points (21.8 avg.), had 592 rebounds (7.5 avg.) and 200 assists (2.5 avg.) 35 — Billy Ray Bates — Guard — 6-4, 210 lbs., appeared in 4 games, played 27 minutes (6.8 avg.), made 2 of 16 field goal attempts (.125%) and 1 of 2 free throws (.500%) for 5 points (1.3 avg.) and had 1 rebound (0.3 avg.) 35 — Joe Cooper — Center/Forward — 6-10, 230 lbs., appeared in 2 games, played 11 minutes (5.5 avg.), made 1 of 4 field goal attempts (.250%) for 2 points (1.0 avg.) and had 2 rebounds (1.0 avg.) 21— Michael Cooper — Guard/Forward — 6-5, 170 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,148 minutes (26.2 avg.), made 266 of 497 field goal attempts (.535%) and 102 of 130 free throws (.785%) for 639 points (7.8 avg.), had 274 rebounds (3.3 avg.) and 315 assists (3.8 avg.) 34 — Clay Johnson — Guard — 6-4, 175 lbs., appeared in 48 games, played 447 minutes (9.3 avg.), made 53 of 135 field goal attempts (.393%) and 38 of 48 free throws (.792%) for 144 points (3.0 avg.), had 69 rebounds (1.4 avg.) and 24 assists (0.5 avg.) 32 — Magic Johnson — Guard/Forward — 6-8, 215 lbs., appeared in 79 games, played 2,907 minutes (36.8 avg.), made 511 of 933 field goal attempts (.548%) and 304 of 380 free throws (.800%) for 1,326 points (16.8 avg.), had 683 rebounds (8.6 avg.) and 829 assists (10.5 avg.) 13 — Dwight Jones — Forward/Center — 6-10, 210 lbs., appeared in 32 games, played 491 minutes (15.3 avg.), made 62 of 1332 field goal attempts (.470%) and 32 of 48 free throws (.667%) for 156 points (4.9 avg.), had 114 rebounds (3.6 avg.) and 22 assists (0.7 avg.) 15—Eddie Jordan—Guard—6-1, 170 lbs., appeared in 35 games, played 333 minutes (9.5 avg.), made 40 of 132 field goal attempts (.303%) and 11 of 17 free throws (.647%) for 94 points (2.7 avg.), had 26 rebounds (0.7 avg.) and 80 assists (2.3 avg.) 54 — Mark Landsberger — Forward/Center — 6-8, 215 lbs., appeared in 39 games, played 356 minutes (9.1 avg.), made 43 of 102 field goal attempts (.422%) and 12 of 25 free throws (.480%) for 98 points (2.5 avg.), had 128 rebounds (3.3 avg.) and 12 assists (0.3 avg.) 11— Bob McAdoo — Center/Forward — 6-9, 210 lbs., appeared in 47 games, played 1,019 minutes (21.7 avg.), made 292 of 562 field goal attempts (.520%) and 119 of 163 free throws (.730%) for 703 points (15.0 avg.), had 247 rebounds (5.3 avg.) and 39 assists (0.8 avg.) 40— Mike McGee — Guard/Forward — 6-5, 190 lbs., appeared in 39 games, played 381 minutes (9.8 avg.), made 69 of 163 field goal attempts (.423%) and 17 of 23 free throws (.739%) for 156 points (4.0 avg.), had 53 rebounds (1.4 avg.) and 26 assists (0.7 avg.) 50— Steve Mix — Forward — 6-7, 215 lbs., appeared in 1 game, played 17 minutes (17.0 avg.), made 4 of 10 field goal attempts (.400%) and 1 of 1 free throws (1.000%) for 9 points (9.0 avg.), had 1 rebound (1.0 avg.) and 2 assists (2.0 avg.) 10—Norm Nixon—Guard—6-2, 170 lbs., appeared in 79 games, played 2,711 minutes (34.3 avg.), made 533 of 1,123 field goal attempts (.475%) and 125 of 168 free throws (.744%) for 1,191 points (15.1 avg.), had 205 rebounds (2.6 avg.) and 566 assists (7.2 avg.) 31— Kurt Rambis — Forward — 6-8, 213 lbs., appeared in 78 games, played 1,806 minutes (23.2 avg.), made 235 of 413 field goal attempts (.569%) and 114 of 166 free throws (.687%) for 584 points (7.5 avg.), had 531 rebounds (6.8 avg.) and 90 assists (1.2 avg.) 52 — Jamaal Wilkes — Forward/Guard — 6-6, 190 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 2,552 minutes (31.9 avg.), made 684 of 1,290 field goal attempts (.530%) and 203 of 268 free throws (.757%) for 1,571 points (19.6 avg.), had 3443 rebounds (4.3 avg.) and 182 assists (2.3 avg.) 42 — James Worthy — Forward — 6-9, 225 lbs., appeared in 77 games, played 1,970 minutes (25.6 avg.), made 447 of 772 field goal attempts (.579%) and 138 of 221 free throws (.624%) for 1.033 points (13.4 avg.), had 399 rebounds (5.2 avg.) and 132 assists (1.7 avg.)

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League Leaders Kareem Abdul-Jabbar —field goal percentage (4th) Magic Johnson — assists (1st), assists per game (1st)

All-NBA Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — 2nd team selection Magic Johnson —1st team selection

All-Defensive Team Michael Cooper — 2nd team selection

All-Rookie Team James Worthy —1st team selection

All-Star Game Selections Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Jamaal Wilkes

Regular Season Highlights Jan. 15 — In a 120–101 win over the Atlanta Hawks, Magic Johnson dished out 21 assists. This starts the Lakers on a sevengame winning streak that gave them a 34–9 record up to that stage of the season. James Worthy sets a team record for a rookie by hitting on 57.9 percent of his shots from the field.

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS VERSUS PORTLAND 1. April 24 at Los Angeles: The defending champs took their first step toward keeping the championship in Los Angeles with a convincing 118–97 win. The Lakers came out hot, hitting on 16 of 25 shots to take a 36–23 first period lead, and they never looked back. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had 32 points, and came through when the Lakers needed it most. Portland slashed a 17point deficit down to four before Jabbar scored 10 points to hold off the surge. Jamaal Wilkes added 25 points, and Magic Johnson almost pulled out a triple-double with 19 points, 18 assists, and eight rebounds.1 2. April 26 at Los Angeles: The Lakers made it two in a row at the Forum with a 112–106 win after Portland fought hard to the end. The score was tied at 104 with 3:25 left in the fourth quarter. Los Angeles then put any doubt about the outcome by going on an 8–2 run with Jamaal Wilkes hitting on an 18-foot jump shot to give the Lakers the lead for good. Kareem AbdulJabbar had a hot hand by connecting on 15 of 20 field goal attempts, and finished with 37 points. Norm Nixon also came up big with 23 points.2 3. April 29 at Portland: The series switched to Portland, but the results were the same. With Kareem Abdul-Jabbar leading

ONE : THE SEASONS the way with 30 points, the Lakers built a commanding 3–0 series advantage with a 115–109 win in overtime. The Trailblazers clung to a narrow one-point lead with 10 ticks left on the clock in regulation. Jamaal Wilkes, who finished the game with 28 points, successfully sent a 20-foot jumper through the rim to propel the Lakers into the lead at 98–97. With three seconds to go, Darnell Valentine was fouled and made one of two free throws to force overtime. The Lakers then took advantage of a lucky break after Valentine could have won it if he made both free throws. Los Angeles outscored Portland 17–11 in overtime, with nine points coming from Jabbar.3 4. May 1 at Portland: The Trailblazers were on the cusp of winning their previous encounters with Los Angeles, and used that as inspiration in a 108–95 win to avoid elimination. The Lakers’ outside shooting went stagnant, as Norm Nixon hit for only 10 points, and Jamaal Wilkes 12. Los Angeles attempted to rally from 10 points down with 9:16 left in the game. Portland pushed their lead back up to 14 at that stage, and LA never came close to mounting a comeback after that. Despite the loss, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar kept lighting up the scoreboard. He finished with 34 points, which gave him his fourth straight 30-plus point game.4 5. May 3 at Los Angeles: At home, in front of their devoted Forum faithful, the Lakers wrapped up this series with a 116–108 victory. After going cold in the previous game, Norm Nixon more than made up for it by nailing down a career-high 36 points. Included in Nixon’s great performance was a streak of 10 straight baskets in the first half that helped Los Angeles obtain a 66–42 lead. Going into the fourth quarter, victory appeared to be theirs, as the Lakers built a 90–66 lead. Portland gave one final push, and pulled to within eight points in the last minute. In addition to Nixon’s fine showing, Magic Johnson and Kareem AbdulJabbar also produced stellar statistics. Johnson scored 25 points and dished out 15 assists, while Jabbar accounted for 21 points and hauled in 11 rebounds.5

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS VERSUS SAN ANTONIO 1. May 8 at Los Angeles: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Norm Nixon each scored 30 points, and the Lakers opened up the Western Conference Finals with a 119–107 victory. The Spurs fought back hard, and had a three-point lead at the half. They then went on a 12–2 run in the third quarter to extend their lead to 74–68 at the halfway mark of the period. The Lakers then went on a 22–6 run starting in the final two minutes of the third quarter, and the first four of the fourth, to take a 102–89 advantage with 5:18 to go. San Antonio never came close after that. Jamaal Wilkes helped the Los Angeles cause with 20 points, as did Magic Johnson, who scored 15 points, and dished out 12 assists.6 2. May 10 at Los Angeles: George “the Iceman” Gervin froze the Lakers out at the end of this game, and the Spurs evened the series up with a 122–113 win. Gervin scored 32 points, and Mike Mitchell had 27 points and 15 rebounds. San Antonio opened up the game with a quick 12–2 lead, and midway through the second quarter, the Lakers rallied from a 10-point deficit to be down by only three at the half. The Spurs expanded their lead to eight going in to the fourth quarter, but the Lakers then made things

ONE : THE SEASONS interesting, as a Norm Nixon layup cut the Spurs’ advantage to a mere one point with 7:02 left in the game. San Antonio eventually led by five a short time later and LA never challenged. Even in defeat, Magic Johnson still tried his best to pull out the win by finishing with a triple-double (28 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists), and Nixon also scored 28.7 3. May 13 at San Antonio: This game saw both teams battle back and forth throughout the second quarter, with the Spurs gaining a slight 53–52 halftime edge. The Lakers then began to separate themselves from their Lone Star State foes by running off six straight points to begin the third quarter. They then added another 6–0 spurt a minute later to open up a 66–57 lead with 7:19 to go in the third quarter. From that point on, the Spurs were only able to close the gap to 96–86 with 7:46 left in the game. Jamaal Wilkes provided 12 of his 26 points in the third quarter, and the Lakers went on to take a 2–1 series lead complements of a 113–100 victory. Magic Johnson once again finished with a triple-double (13 points, 11 rebounds, 13 assists), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had 25 points, and Norm Nixon 22.8 4. May 15 at San Antonio: Jamaal Wilkes scored 10 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter to help the Lakers separate themselves from a 102–102 deadlock and prevail, 129–121, to take a 3– 1 series lead. The Lakers got a big boost by sinking 37 of 44 free throws, in addition to a 31-point, 17-assist performance from Magic Johnson.9 5. May 18 at Los Angeles: The setup appeared perfect. The Lakers were hosting a game with a 3–1 series advantage, but things did not work out well with the Fabulous Forum serving as a backdrop. Led by Mike Mitchell’s 26 points, the Spurs won, 117–112, in a game that was tied up six times down the stretch. San Antonio took a seven-point lead with slightly under seven minutes left in the game, but Kareem Abdul-Jabbar rallied Los Angeles back with eight consecutive points, and the Lakers closed to within three with 2:27 remaining. Los Angeles then turned the ball over twice, and missed on four shot attempts to seal their fate.10 6. May 20 at San Antonio: The Lakers secured their third Western Conference championship in four seasons with a narrow 101–100 victory that was paved by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s gamehigh 28 points. He also added 10 rebounds to his victorious day’s work. Los Angeles built a 13-point lead in the second half, but the Spurs fought back with only seconds remaining. San Antonio got one final chance, as Mike Mitchell sent a 17-foot jumper toward the rim with three seconds left. Artis Gilmore’s last-ditch effort to pull out a win ended when his attempted tip-in failed.11

NBA FINALS VERSUS PHILADELPHIA 1. May 22 at Philadelphia: For the third time in four seasons, the 76ers and Lakers squared off to determine the NBA championship. In their two previous attempts, the 76ers came up short, but in 1983, they seemed to be on a mission to take the crown back east. Philadelphia streaked to a 65–17 record, and obliterated their postseason competition leading up to the showdown with the “Showtime” Lakers. Now, the only barrier left in the way of a glorious end to the 1982-83 season was the defending world champion Lakers. Philadelphia lived up to their dominant reputation early in this opening contest. They broke free from three ties by scoring 11 straight points midway through the first period

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1982-83 to give the 76ers a 30–20 lead going into the second quarter. Andrew Toney’s 15 points paced Philadelphia’s first quarter onslaught. The Lakers roared back in the second quarter after a 15–4 run cut the deficit to one point. They then took their first lead of the game with 2:42 left on a basket from Jamaal Wilkes, and went into the half with a 57–54 advantage. After the Lakers were up, 63–60, in the early stages of the third quarter, the 76ers got off a 10–1 surge, in which Maurice Cheeks and Julius Erving each scored four points, that helped Philadelphia take a 70–64 lead with 7:29 left in the third quarter. The Lakers never caught up after that, and only got as close as two points behind at the end of the third quarter. Philadelphia expanded its lead to 103–92, and the Lakers closed to within four in the final minute of the game. Moses Malone then clinched a 113–107 victory by sinking two free throws with two seconds left. The 76ers were led by Malone’s 18 rebounds, and Erving’s near triple-double (20 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists). For the Lakers, Norm Nixon led the team with 26 points, as he toughed out a partially separated shoulder in the process.12 2. May 26 at Philadelphia: The Lakers looked to even things up before heading back home for the next two games. They appeared to be headed in the right direction by getting out to a seven-point lead on five different occasions. Philadelphia then went on a 9–2 run that tied the game at 29–29 with 10:57 left in the first half. The Lakers got back on track with eight straight points, and led, 55–51, at the half. Philadelphia refused to give in, and came back with six straight points midway through the third quarter that gave them a 68–67 lead, and their first advantage since the opening minute of the game. They then went on an 11–2 spurt that gave them a 79–73 lead, which was their largest of the game up to that point. The Lakers continued to make things interesting by hitting for six straight points of their own to tie the game at 79–79 with 9:18 left in regulation. Los Angeles then went cold for eight minutes until Bob McAdoo connected on a three-pointer. Philadelphia’s main weapon, center Moses Malone, missed most of the fourth quarter due to foul trouble. While he was on the bench for the first and last two minutes of the quarter, the Lakers looked to take advantage of his absence. Without Malone guarding him, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar saw most of the action for LA, as he scored 10 of his 23 points in the fourth, but as a team, the Lakers were only able to muster up 18 points in the fourth quarter, and fell behind 2–0 in the series after a 103–93 Philly win.13 3. May 29 at Los Angeles: Julius “Dr. J” Erving and Moses Malone were the biggest names in Philadelphia basketball at this time. They both lived up to their legendary status in a 111–94 victory that put the 76ers on the verge of their first NBA title in 16 years. The Lakers opened with a 26–12 lead in the first seven and a half minutes of the first quarter. They achieved this big lead by taking the ball to the inside better than at any time during this series. Kurt Rambis pounded his way through the Philly defense to lead the charge with eight points during this early surge. The 76ers rebounded from the early onslaught to trail by only three at the half. Philadelphia then scored the first seven points of the third quarter to go ahead for the first time in this game. Los Angeles suffered from poor outside shooting in the quarter, connecting on only two of 14 field goal attempts, but managed to sizzle from the foul line, where they sank 16 of 19 to go into the fourth

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quarter tied at 72–72. Bob McAdoo gave the Lakers an early fourth quarter lead by sinking two baskets in the first minute. However, the Lakers once again went cold, going the next fourand-a-half minutes without scoring. The 76ers took full advantage of LA’s woes, and hit for 14 straight points to open up an 86–76 lead. From that point on, the Lakers were only able to close the gap to six. Moses Malone finished with 28 points and 19 rebounds, Julius Erving had 21 points and 12 rebounds for the winners, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 23 for the Lakers.14 4. May 31 at Los Angeles: For the first time since 1975, the NBA Finals were decided by a four-game sweep. And for the first time since 1967, the Philadelphia 76ers got to hoist championship hardware in a winning locker room following a series-clinching 115–108 victory over the defending champion Lakers. A 3–0 series deficit and mounting injuries proved too much for the Lakers to handle. Despite yeoman efforts from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (28 points) and Magic Johnson (27 points, 15 assists and seven rebounds), the loss of Norm Nixon and Bob McAdoo to injuries, hurt the team. The amazing thing about this series was that despite being swept, the Lakers were able to go into the second half leading in every game. This time they held what appeared to be a convincing 65–51 halftime advantage and a 93–82 lead going in to the fourth quarter. The 76ers then exploded to outscore the Lakers, 33–15, in the fourth quarter to finish off the defending champs. The Lakers were trying to hold on down the stretch, leading, 106–103, with 2:44 to go. Unfortunately, they were only able to produce two free throws the rest of the way. Julius Erving then tied the game at 106-all with a steal and breakaway slam dunk. Magic Johnson hit a free throw to give LA its final lead of the game with 1:44 left. Erving then hit on a three-pointer with 59 seconds left to give the 76ers a 109–107 lead. Erving finished with 19 points, and Moses Malone scored 24 points, secured 23 rebounds, and took home the NBA Finals MVP trophy in the process.15

Individual Playoff Statistics Abdul-Jabbar — appeared in 15 games, played 588 minutes (39.2 avg.), scored 406 points (27.1 avg.), had 115 rebounds (7.7 avg.) and 42 assists (2.8 avg.) M. Cooper — appeared in 15 games, played 453 minutes (30.2 avg.), scored 141 points (9.4 avg.), had 59 rebounds (3.9 avg.) and 44 assists (2.9 avg.) C. Johnson — appeared in 7 games, played 20 minutes (2.9 avg.), scored 8 points (1.1 avg.), had 4 rebounds (0.6 avg.) and 1 assist (0.1 avg.) M. Johnson — appeared in 15 games, played 643 minutes (42.9 avg.), scored 268 points (17.9 avg.), had 128 rebounds (8.5 avg.) and 192 assists (12.8 avg.) Jones — appeared in 7 games, played 59 minutes (8.4 avg.), scored 12 points (1.7 avg.) and had 12 rebounds (1.7 avg.) Landsberger — appeared in 11 games, played 141 minutes (12.8 avg.), scored 26 points (2.4 avg.), had 44 rebounds (4.0 avg.) and 3 assists (0.3 avg.) McAdoo — appeared in 8 games, played 166 minutes (20.8 avg.), scored 87 points (10.9 avg.), had 46 rebounds (5.8 avg.) and 5 assists (0.6 avg.) McGee — appeared in 6 games, played 25 minutes (4.2 avg.), scored 12 points (2.0 avg.), had 7 rebounds (1.2 avg.) and 1 assist (0.2 avg.) Mix—appeared in 8 games, played 26 minutes (3.3 avg.), scored 7 points (0.9 avg.) and had 1 rebound (0.1 avg.) Nixon — appeared in 14 games, played 538 minutes (38.4 avg.), scored

ONE : THE SEASONS 266 points (19.0 avg.), had 48 rebounds (3.4 avg.) and 90 assists (6.4 avg.) Rambis — appeared in 15 games, played 377 minutes (25.1 avg.), scored 113 points (7.5 avg.), had 90 rebounds (6.0 avg.) and 19 assists (1.3 avg.) Wilkes — appeared in 15 games, played 589 minutes (39.3 avg.), scored 299 points (19.9 avg.), had 90 rebounds (6.0 avg.) and 51 assists (3.4 avg.)

1983-84 Head Coach: Pat Riley Assistant Coaches: Bill Bertka, Dave Wohl Regular Season Record: 54–28 1st place in the NBA Pacific Division (finished in first place by six games) Scored 115.6 points per game to rank 4th out of 23 teams Allowed 111.8 points per game to rank 16th Led the league in field goal percentage (.532%)

Review The big news surrounding this season was the trade of guard Norm Nixon to the San Diego Clippers for backup center Swen Nater and rookie guard Byron Scott. Another issue surrounding the team was how Kurt Rambis (sore foot), James Worthy (fractured leg), and Mitch Kupchak (knee and leg), would come back from injuries sustained during the previous season. However, the team was still led by Magic Johnson, and with him directing “Showtime,” the Lakers were still one of the heavy favorites to win the title.

Gone from the Previous Season Billy Ray Bates — released Joe Cooper — released Clay Johnson — waived by the Lakers on November 10, 1983 Dwight Jones — waived by the Lakers on August 22, 1983 Mark Landsberger — waived by the Lakers on November 10, 1983 Steve Mix — retired Norm Nixon — traded to San Diego on October 16, 1983

Regular Season Individual Statistics 33 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — Center — 7-2, 225 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 2,622 minutes (32.8 avg.), made 716 of 1,238 field goal attempts (.578%) and 285 of 394 free throws (.732%) for 1,717 points (21.5 avg.), had 587 rebounds (7.3 avg.) and 211 assists (2.6 avg.) 21— Michael Cooper — Guard/Forward — 6-5, 170 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,387 minutes (29.2 avg.), made 273 of 549 field goal attempts (.497%) and 155 of 185 free throws (.838%) for 739 points (9.0 avg.), had 262 rebounds (3.2 avg.) and 482 assists (5.9 avg.) 0— Calvin Garrett — Forward — 6-7, 190 lbs., appeared in 41 games, played 478 minutes (11.7 avg.), made 78 of 152 field goal attempts (.513%) and 30 of 39 free throws (.769%) for 188 points (4.6 avg.), had 71 rebounds (1.7 avg.) and 31 assists (0.8 avg.) 32 — Magic Johnson — Guard/Forward — 6-8, 215 lbs., appeared in 67 games, played 2,567 minutes (38.3 avg.), made 441 of 780 field goal attempts (.565%) and 290 of 358 free throws (.810%) for 1,178 points (17.6 avg.), had 491 rebounds (7.3 avg.) and 875 assists (13.1 avg.) 15 — Eddie Jordan — Guard — 6-1, 170 lbs., appeared in 3 games, played

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27 minutes (9.0 avg.), made 4 of 8 field goal attempts (.500%) and 1 of 2 free throws (.500%) for 9 points (3.0 avg.), had 4 rebounds (1.3 avg.) and 5 assists (1.7 avg.) 25 — Mitch Kupchak — Forward/Center — 6-9, 230 lbs., appeared in 34 games, played 324 minutes (9.5 avg.), made 41 of 108 field goal attempts (.380%) and 22 of 34 free throws (.647%) for 104 points (3.1 avg.), had 87 rebounds (2.6 avg.) and 7 assists (0.2 avg.) 11— Bob McAdoo — Center/Forward — 6-9, 210 lbs., appeared in 70 games, played 1,456 minutes (20.8 avg.), made 352 of 748 field goal attempts (.471%), 212 of 264 free throws (.803%) for 916 points (13.1 avg.), had 289 rebounds (4.1 avg.), and 74 assists (1.1 avg.) 40— Mike McGee — Guard/Forward — 6-5, 190 lbs., appeared in 77 games, played 1,425 minutes (18.5 avg.), made 347 of 584 field goal attempts (.594%) and 61 of 113 free throws (.540%) for 757 points (9.8 avg.), had 193 rebounds (2.5 avg.), 81 assists (1.1 avg.) 41—Swen Nater—Center—6-11, 240 lbs., appeared in 69 games, played 829 minutes (12.0 avg.), made 124 of 253 field goal attempts (.490%) and 63 of 91 free throws (.692%) for 311 points (4.5 avg.), had 264 rebounds (3.8 avg.) and 27 assists (0.4 avg.) 31— Kurt Rambis — Forward — 6-8, 213 lbs., appeared in 47 games, played 743 minutes (15.8 avg.), made 63 of 113 field goal attempts (.558%) and 42 of 66 free throws (.636%) for 168 points (3.6 avg.), had 266 rebounds (5.7 avg.) and 34 assists (0.7 avg.) 4 — Byron Scott — Guard — 6-3, 195 lbs., appeared in 74 games, played 1,637 minutes (22.1 avg.), made 334 of 690 field goal attempts (.484%) and 112 of 139 free throws (.806%) for 788 points (10.6 avg.), had 164 rebounds (2.2 avg.) and 177 assists (2.4 avg.) 35 — Larry Spriggs — Forward — 6-7, 230 lbs., appeared in 38 games, played 363 minutes (9.6 avg.), made 44 of 82 field goal attempts (.537%) and 36 of 50 free throws (.720%) for 124 points (3.3 avg.), had 61 rebounds (1.6 avg.) and 30 assists (0.8 avg.) 52 — Jamaal Wilkes — Forward/Center — 6-6, 190 lbs., appeared in 75 games, played 2,507 minutes (33.4 avg.), made 542 of 1,055 field goal attempts (.514%) and 208 of 280 free throws (.743%) for 1,294 points (17.3 avg.), had 340 rebounds (4.5 avg.) and 214 assists (2.9 avg.) 42 — James Worthy — Forward — 6-9, 225 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,415 minutes (29.5 avg.), made 495 of 890 field goal attempts (.556%) and 195 of 257 free throws (.759%) for 1,185 points (14.5 avg.), had 515 rebounds (6.3 avg.) and 207 assists (2.5 avg.)

League Leaders Magic Johnson — minutes per game (4th), assists (3rd), assists per game (1st), averaged 2.2 steals per game (5th) Mike McGee —field goal percentage (3rd)

All-NBA Kareem Abdul-Jabbar —1st team selection Magic Johnson —1st team selection

All-Defensive Team Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — 2nd team selection Michael Cooper —1st team selection

All-Rookie Team Byron Scott —1st team selection

All-Star Game Selections Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson

Regular Season Highlights Nov. 9 — In a ceremony during a 120–106 win over Dallas, the Lakers retired the numbers of team greats Elgin Baylor (#22), Wilt Chamberlain (#13), and Jerry West (#44). Nov. 17 — Magic Johnson had 22 assists in a 127–114 win against Cleveland. Feb. 21—In a 128–112 win over Seattle, Magic Johnson hands out 18 assists in the first half. April 5 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scores the 31,420th point of his illustrious career to surpass Wilt Chamberlain as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer in a 129–115 win at Utah.

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND VERSUS KANSAS CITY 1. April 18 at Los Angeles: The Lakers opened their defense of the Western Conference championship with a 116–105 win. Magic Johnson scored 26 points and had LA’s exciting offense playing up to its brilliant reputation. This was the 24th consecutive time that the Lakers beat the Kings at the Forum, and took a commanding 13-point halftime time and never struggled.1 2. April 20 at Los Angeles: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had 26 points, and Magic Johnson 23, in a 109–102 win that gave them a 2–0 series advantage. The Lakers jumped out to a 17-point lead in the third quarter, but the Kings came alive to get to within two points early in the fourth quarter. Los Angeles then opened up a 101–91 lead with 3:20 left to clinch the victory.2 3. April 22 at Kansas City: The Lakers’ dominance of the Kings continued, as this 108–102 win allowed LA to sweep the series. The Kings fought back hard after being down by 16 points at the half. A fourth quarter rally cut the Lakers’ lead to five with five minutes to go. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led the Lakers with 23 points, Mike McGee came in second with 22, and Bob McAdoo provided strong support off the bench with 19 points.3

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS VERSUS DALLAS 1. April 28 at Los Angeles: After clinching the opening round series, the Lakers were able to rest up for six days before starting the Western Conference Semi-finals. The hiatus helped Los Angeles, as they took control of Dallas early and then mauled the Mavericks, 134–91. On offense, the Lakers shot a staggering 65.3 percent, and applied a dominant full-court press on defense to gain the upper hand quickly. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 16 of his 18 points in the first half, and Mike McGee led the team with 25 points.4 2. May 1 at Los Angeles: The Lakers made it five straight playoff wins with a 117–101 victory that gave them a 2–0 series lead, and outscored Dallas by 59 points over the first two games. Magic Johnson paced Los Angeles with 27 points and 11 assists, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Los Angeles got out to a quick 7–0 lead in the first 1:30 of the game, and never looked back, despite a few Dallas spurts that cut the lead down to two early on. At the half, Los Angeles

1983-84 led, 55–50, then opened up the third quarter with a 14–0 run. The Mavericks never got close again.5 3. May 4 at Dallas: The Mavericks were finally able to penetrate the Lakers’ armor, and sent them down, 125–115, for their first defeat of the postseason. Rolando Blackman and Brad Davis did most of the damage by producing 49 points between them. Dallas had a 19-point lead in the second quarter, and held off the Lakers when they cut the lead down to seven in the last few minutes of the fourth quarter.6 4. May 6 at Dallas: The Lakers shook off the effects of their first postseason loss by winning in overtime, 122–115, to take a 3–1 series advantage. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar paced the attack for the victors with 32 points. The game was forced into overtime when Dallas’ Pat Cummings sent a hook shot through the rim with 31 seconds left in regulation to deadlock the score at 108– 108. In the overtime period, Bob McAdoo provided the bulk of the heroics by coming off the bench to score six points and record two steals.7 5. May 8 at Los Angeles: The guard tandem of Mike McGee and Magic Johnson provided much of the offensive punch in a series-clinching 115–99 win. McGee pumped in 27 points, and Johnson dished out 15 assists and scored 14 points. Los Angeles got out to a comfortable 62–44 halftime lead with Michael Cooper leading the charge by scoring all of his 15 points in the first half. The Lakers did not let up, as they nailed 10 of the first 11 shot attempts in the third quarter to basically end the game at that point. McGee had the hot hand during the third quarter surge by scoring 14 points in the first five minutes.8

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ONE : THE SEASONS tend their lead to 11. The Suns were not able to rebound from that stage, and never got closer than 10. Besides Jabbar and McAdoo, four other Lakers hit double-figure scoring. Magic Johnson hit for 20 points, James Worthy 17, Byron Scott 16, and Michael Cooper 11.12 5. May 23 at Los Angeles: The Suns held off elimination at the Forum by shooting an incredible 61 percent in a 126–121 win with Walter Davis leading the charge with a game-high 27 points. The Suns hit on 33 of 49 first half shots to take a 71–61 lead, and increased it to 100–87 going into the fourth quarter after sinking 12 of 16 shots. With 8:28 left in the game, the Lakers got off a 17–4 run led by Magic Johnson’s eight points, and Los Angeles was only four points off the lead with 3:31 to go in the game. With 39 seconds remaining, Bob McAdoo drove and scored to make it 122–121, and the Lakers were on the verge of not only coming back in the game, but clinching the series as well. Kyle Macy then ended the Lakers’ hopes of both by sending an 18-foot jumper through the rim to secure a Phoenix win.13 6. May 25 at Phoenix: The Suns gave the Lakers one heck of a run, but in the end, Los Angeles prevailed in a close one. With a 99–97 victory at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, the Lakers captured their fourth Western Conference title of the decade. A Magic Johnson basket with 4:15 left in the game put Los Angeles up 97–91. However, after five failed shot attempts, the Lakers found themselves tied at 97–97 when Walter Davis sank a 16-foot jump shot with 1:19 left in regulation. Fourteen seconds later, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar tossed the ball to Magic Johnson, who broke the tie with a layup. Phoenix’s last-ditch effort came when James Edwards missed a shot with two seconds left.14

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS VERSUS PHOENIX 1. May 12 at Los Angeles: For the sixth straight time, the Lakers captured a home playoff victory, this time by a 110–94 count. The Suns came out strong, and made the Lakers play catch up for most of the first half. Los Angeles finally managed to break through with a 12–2 run in the latter stages of the first half to take a 57–52 lead at the intermission. Throughout the second half, LA stepped up their defensive pressure and took a 78–68 lead into the fourth period. They then went on a 16–4 run to put more distance between themselves and Phoenix.9 2. May 15 at Los Angeles: The Lakers made it seven consecutive postseason home wins with a 118–102 win. Magic Johnson was extremely generous handing out assists. So much so in fact that he set a playoff record with 24. It was a great night all around for Los Angeles, as they built a big fourth quarter lead, and seven Lakers hit for double figures.10 3. May 18 at Phoenix: There was no place like home in regards to the Suns’ return to Phoenix. With Walter Davis hitting a career postseason-high of 34 points, the Suns won a high-scoring affair, 135–127.11 4. May 20 at Phoenix: The Lakers proved that no matter where the game was played, they could come out victorious. With Kareem Abdul-Jabbar lighting up the scoreboard with 31 points, and Bob McAdoo 23, Los Angeles won, 126–115, to take a commanding 3–1 series lead. The Suns made a game of it after the Lakers built an 18-point advantage in the third quarter. With 6:17 left in the game, Phoenix cut that deficit down to four points. Los Angeles then went on a 7–0 run in a minute and a half to ex-

NBA FINALS VERSUS BOSTON 1. May 27 at Boston: After their much anticipated matchup in the 1979 NCAA Championship Game, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird took their brilliant abilities to the NBA. By 1984, both players were firmly entrenched as superstars, and their exploits helped save the league during a period when interest was fading. It also helped that both went to storied franchises to continue their playing days, and that the teams were fierce rivals for many years prior to their arrival. However, after four seasons with Bird and Magic winning NBA titles, the championship was never decided in a head on collision course against each other. The thought of them slugging it out for the NBA crown made hardwood fanatics around the world crazy with anticipation. In 1984, the dream matchup came to be, as the Boston Celtics returned to the Finals after winning the title three years earlier, and the Lakers were back in an attempt to redeem themselves after being swept in the previous one. With all eyes glued to what was felt to be a sports classic in the making, the Celtics and Lakers renewed their NBA Finals rivalry after a 15-year absence. The all-time greatest NBA rivalry began with Boston opening up a 2–0 lead on a Larry Bird layup, and that was the last time they led all game. Showing no ill effects of flying cross country after playing two days earlier, the Lakers shot 73 percent from the field and had a 34–22 lead at the end of the first quarter, and a commanding 65–52 bulge by the half, and increased it to 19 in the third period. With Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson collecting their fourth fouls, James Worthy squared off against

ONE : THE SEASONS Kevin McHale and Larry Bird and still scored eight straight points. However, Boston closed the third quarter by outscoring the Lakers by 15 points. They achieved this by having Cedric Maxwell contain Worthy while his teammates scored six points to cut the lead to 11. Bird then scored the last eight points of the third quarter to cut the deficit to 92–88. With the Boston Garden crowd rocking the foundation at the start of the fourth quarter, Los Angeles quieted them down by scoring the first four points of the period. Boston’s center, Robert Parrish, then fouled out and the Celtics never came close to the lead again. The end result was a 115–109 Los Angeles victory. This was to be the “Bird and Magic Show,” but 37-year-old Kareem Abdul-Jabbar stole the show. While fighting off the effects of a migraine headache, Jabbar scored 32 points, had eight rebounds, five assists, and two steals.15 2. May 31 at Boston: The Celtics came out fired up after dropping the opener at the legendary Boston Garden. They jumped out to a 7–0 lead with Cedric Maxwell leading the charge by scoring five of Boston’s first 11 points. Magic Johnson managed to hold things together for LA, as he scored six straight points to help the Lakers close to within four. The Celtics then went on an 11–2 run to lead, 37–26, at the end of the first quarter. Boston built their lead back up to 13 with 4:22 left in the first half, and Los Angeles was hurting themselves by missing easy shots that just rolled off the rim. Jamaal Wilkes and James Worthy jumpstarted the Lakers by leading a 15–4 run at the end of the second period to cut their deficit to 61–59 at the half. In the third quarter, the Lakers stayed right with Boston, and took the lead on two occasions. Danny Ainge hit a pair of jump shots that allowed the Celtics to go into the fourth back on top with a 90–87 advantage. Los Angeles fought their way back on top, and led, 113–111, with 13 seconds left. After a called timeout, Worthy threw a pass in the direction of Byron Scott, but Gerald Henderson picked it off and turned it into a game-tying layup. The Lakers still had time for one final play, but Magic Johnson dribbled out the clock to send the game into overtime. Why Johnson did not attempt to score or pass the ball was a major topic of conversation after the game. In overtime, Scott Wedman’s baseline jumper with 14 seconds to go gave the Celtics a 122–121 lead, and then Larry Bird added two free throws with two seconds left to secure a seriestying 124–121 Boston win. Bird led the Celtics with 25 points, and Worthy’s 29 paced the Lakers.16 3. June 3 at Los Angeles: Any synopsis of this game should simply state that it was “Showtime” at it’s finest. Magic Johnson was the conductor of the Lakers’ famed fast-break attack during the 1980s, and he directed a work of perfection in a 137–104 slaughter to take a 2–1 series lead. In the process, Johnson handed out an NBA Finals record 21 assists, and recorded a triple-double by adding 14 points and 11 rebounds to his incredible performance. The Lakers jumped out to a quick 7–0 lead, and increased it to 18–4 with James Worthy pacing the attack with eight points. The Celtics refused to lie down at this stage, and fought back with a 14–0 run to go ahead in the early portion of the second quarter. The Lakers roared back with an 18–0 burst to begin the slow agony for the Celtics. Los Angeles then really poured it on, amassing an NBA Finals record of 47 points in the third quarter to take a 104–79 advantage into the fourth period. The Lakers also outrebounded Boston, 63–44, stole the ball seven times, and blocked six shots.17

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1983-84 4. June 6 at Los Angeles: Defense was not in fashion throughout the first quarter, as the Lakers jumped out to a 31–21 lead before the Celtics came back to go on top by one. Bob McAdoo hit a basket to end the wild opening stanza with LA having a slim 33–32 advantage. McAdoo’s basket started the Lakers on a 16–1 run that gave them a solid 47–33 lead. Once again, Boston started to mount a rally, but James Worthy made a statement that he was indeed “Big Game James” by sending a wicked slam dunk through the rim with Larry Bird guarding him to up the LA advantage to 56–44. Boston again gathered themselves and fought back only to have Worthy thwart the assault. He stole the ball and lit up the scoreboard with another dunk to put the Lakers back up by 10, and that was the margin that Los Angeles took into the third quarter, as they held a 68–58 lead. The third quarter became a brawling affair when the Celtics used brawn as a means to counter LA’s speed, with Larry Bird and Kevin McHale pounding away. McHale’s attempt at tackling Kurt Rambis during a fast-break resulted in punches flying. Then it was Bird’s turn to ignite the temper of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, which climaxed with shoving and yelling. During these incidents, Boston slowly regained their offensive prowess. Guard Gerald Henderson led Boston during the third quarter with 11 points, and the Celtics went into the fourth quarter only down, 90–88. The fourth period became a tug-of-war, as there were five ties and the lead changed hands four times. Los Angeles went on top, 113–108, with 55 seconds left, but then Boston scored five points to tie it up once again and force overtime. The Lakers had one final chance at victory in regulation. Magic Johnson fired a pass to Worthy with four seconds left, but Robert Parrish stole the ball. In overtime, the Lakers got out to an early lead, but then their offense went stagnant. Larry Bird hit a jump shot with a minute left, and then M.L. Carr stole a Worthy inbound pass and dunked it to preserve a 129–125 win. Bird led the Celtics with 29 points and 21 rebounds, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led all scorers with 32 points, and Magic Johnson had 11 rebounds and 17 assists.18 5. June 8 at Boston: This went down in history as “the Heat Game,” with the temperature in Boston Garden reaching 100 degrees. The Celtics took off their warm-up pants during pre-game shoot around, and seemed all right with the furnace-like conditions. After all, it was their home court and they were used to it. Larry Bird was as hot as the humidor-like atmosphere Boston Garden. He connected on 15 of 20 shot attempts for 34 points and grabbed 17 rebounds. Kevin McHale also was on fire with eight of Boston’s 12 points during a run that gave the Celtics a 38–30 advantage. The good news regarding McHale for the Lakers was that he had four fouls with eight minutes left in the first half and went to the bench. The Celtics took a 55–53 lead at the half, and then outscored LA, 66–50, in the second half to gain a 3–2 series lead with a 121–103 victory. James Worthy led the Lakers with 22 points, and Magic Johnson handed out 13 assists. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar suffered from the effects of the heat. He needed oxygen to help his breathing, and connected on just seven of 25 shot attempts.19 6. June 10 at Los Angeles: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar came back strong in the Forum. He scored 30 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a 119–108 Los Angeles victory that forced a seventh and deciding game. The Celtics were clicking on both ends of the court through the first half, and into the third quarter. Larry

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Bird seemed to be hitting on every shot he took, and finished with 28 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists. It was then that rookie Byron Scott came into the game to replace a limping Magic Johnson with Boston up, 84–73. After missing his first field goal attempt, Scott hit nothing but net to spark the Lakers on a 19–3 run. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Boston’s once impressive 11-point lead was chipped down to four. James Worthy then stepped up. He powered his way past Bird to cut the lead to two, and on the Lakers’ next trip down the court, Worthy rebounded his own missed shot, but was mauled by Danny Ainge. After tempers were cooled following Ainge’s move, Worthy responded by quickly hitting two free throws to tie the game. It was then Scott’s turn once again to bring the Forum crowd to their feet. He stole the ball and sent a reverse layup through the rim to give Los Angeles the lead. With the game later tied at 93– 93, Scott fired a three-pointer from the corner that caught nothing but net to give LA a 96–93 lead. The Lakers never trailed after that. This series was quickly becoming a brawl, as both teams did not care for each other. Boston’s use of muscle seemed to work in the latter stages of Game Four, and throughout the sweltering conditions of Game Five. However, in this game, the Lakers showed that they were not all flash and dash by matching the Celtics in the brawling department.20 7. June 12 at Boston: With all the signs pointing to an all out slugfest, none of that occurred in the 91 degree confines of Boston Garden. The lead changed hands frequently in the early going, and the first quarter ended in a 30–30 deadlock, but Boston’s game plan of working the ball inside was beginning to work well. James Worthy began the second period by flying through the air for an impressive slam dunk. Boston then hit for eight straight points, which helped them go into the second half with a 58–52 lead. Boston held a 99–85 lead in the fourth quarter, and then Los Angeles started a rally with seven minutes left. They cut the deficit to 101–93 with 4:10 remaining, and kept coming. With Boston clinging to a 105–102 advantage, Magic Johnson had the ball stripped away by Dennis Johnson, who went for a layup. Michael Cooper rejected the shot, but Magic Johnson once again had the ball taken away from him. Dennis Johnson then sank two free throws to give the Celtics some breathing room, and they went on to clinch their 15th NBA title with a 111–102 win. This was the eighth time in their history that the Celtics beat the Lakers for the championship. Cedric Maxwell, who was the main weapon in Boston’s power game to the inside, led the Celtics with 24 points. Dennis Johnson had 22 points, and Larry Bird, who averaged 27.4 points and 14 rebounds a game throughout the series, won the Finals MVP award. James Worthy led the Lakers with 21 points, and Magic Johnson dished out 15 assists.21

Individual Playoff Statistics Abdul-Jabbar — appeared in 21 games, played 767 minutes (36.5 avg.), scored 502 points (23.9 avg.), had 173 rebounds (8.2 avg.) and 79 assists (3.8 avg.) Cooper — appeared in 21 games, played 723 minutes (34.4 avg.), scored 238 points (11.3 avg.), had 82 rebounds (3.9 avg.) and 119 assists (5.7 avg.) Johnson — appeared in 21 games, played 837 minutes (39.9 avg.), scored 382 points (18.2 avg.), had 139 rebounds (6.6 avg.) and 284 assists (13.5 avg.)

ONE : THE SEASONS Kupchak — appeared in 9 games, played 69 minutes (7.7 avg.), scored 18 points (2.0 avg.), had 29 rebounds (3.2 avg.) and 2 assists (0.2 avg.) McAdoo—appeared in 20 games, played 447 minutes (22.4 avg.), scored 279 points (14.0 avg.), had 108 rebounds (5.4 avg.) and 12 assists (0.6 avg.) McGee — appeared in 17 games, played 370 minutes (21.8 avg.), scored 211 points (12.4 avg.), had 34 rebounds (2.0 avg.) and 23 assists (1.4 avg.) Nater — appeared in 17 games, played 146 minutes (8.6 avg.), scored 58 points (3.4 avg.), had 40 rebounds (2.4 avg.) and 1 assist (0.1 avg.) Rambis — appeared in 21 games, played 428 minutes (20.4 avg.), scored 141 points (6.7 avg.), had 121 rebounds (5.8 avg.) and 14 assists (0.7 avg.) Scott — appeared in 20 games, played 404 minutes (20.2 avg.), scored 171 points (8.6 avg.), had 37 rebounds (1.9 avg.) and 34 assists (1.7 avg.) Spriggs — appeared in 9 games, played 45 minutes (5.0 avg.), scored 25 points (2.8 avg.), had 9 rebounds (1.0 avg.) and 3 assists (0.3 avg.) Wilkes — appeared in 14 games, played 196 minutes (14.0 avg.), scored 63 points (4.5 avg.), had 26 rebounds (1.9 avg.) and 9 assists (0.6 avg.) Worthy — appeared in 21 games, played 708 minutes (33.7 avg.), scored 371 points (17.7 avg.), had 105 rebounds (5.0 avg.) and 56 assists (2.7 avg.)

1984-85 Head Coach: Pat Riley Assistant Coaches: Bill Bertka, Dave Wohl Regular Season Record: 62–20 1st place in the NBA Pacific Division (finished in first place by 20 games) Scored 118.2 points per game to rank 2nd out of 23 teams Allowed 110.9 points per game to rank 14th Led the league in field goals made (3,952), field goal percentage (.545%), and assists (2,575)

Review The “Showtime” era was in its prime, and the Lakers were stacked with future Hall of Famers. They were solid at every aspect, especially in outside shooting capabilities, where they set an NBA record by connecting on 54.5 percent of their field goal attempts.

Gone from the Previous Season Calvin Garrett — retired Eddie Jordan — traded to San Diego on October 16, 1983 Swen Nater — retired

Regular Season Individual Statistics 33 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — Center — 7-2, 225 lbs., appeared in 79 games, played 2,630 minutes (33.3 avg.), made 723 of 1,207 field goal attempts (.599%) and 289 of 395 free throws (.732%) for 1,735 points (22.0 avg.), had 622 rebounds (7.9 avg.) and 249 assists (3.2 avg.) 21— Michael Cooper — Guard/Forward — 6-5, 170 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,189 minutes (26.7 avg.), made 276 of 593 field goal attempts (.465%) and 115 of 133 free throws (.865%) for 702 points (8.6 avg.), had 255 rebounds (3.1 avg.) and 429 assists (5.2 avg.) 32 — Magic Johnson — Guard/Forward — 6-8, 215 lbs., appeared in 77 games, played 2,781 minutes (36.1 avg.), made 504 of 899 field goal

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attempts (.561%) and 391 of 464 free throws (.843%) for 1,406 points (18.3 avg.), had 476 rebounds (6.2 avg.) and 968 assists (12.6 avg.) 1— Earl Jones — Center — 7-0, 210 lbs., appeared in 2 games, played 7 minutes (3.5 avg.), made 0 of 1 field goal attempt 25 — Mitch Kupchak — Forward/Center — 6-9, 230 lbs., appeared in 58 games, played 716 minutes (12.3 avg.), made 123 of 244 field goal attempts (.504%) and 60 of 91 free throws (.659%) for 306 points (5.3 avg.), had 184 rebounds (3.2 avg.) and 21 assists (0.4 avg.) 12 — Ronnie Lester — Guard — 6-2, 175 lbs., appeared in 32 games, played 278 minutes (8.7 avg.), made 34 of 82 field goal attempts (.415%) and 21 of 31 free throws (.677%) for 89 points (2.8 avg.), had 26 rebounds (0.8 avg.) and 80 assists (2.5 avg.) 11— Bob McAdoo — Center/Forward — 6-9, 210 lbs., appeared in 66 games, played 1,254 minutes (19.0 avg.), made 284 of 546 field goal attempts (.520%) and 122 of 162 free throws (.753%) for 10.5 avg.), had 295 rebounds (4.5 avg.) and 67 assists (1.0 avg.) 40— Mike McGee — Guard/Forward — 6-5, 190 lbs., appeared in 76 games, played 1,170 minutes (15.4 avg.), made 329 of 612 field goal attempts (.538%) and 94 of 160 free throws (.588%) for 774 points (10.2 avg.), had 165 rebounds (2.2 avg.) and 71 assists (0.9 avg.) 43 — Chuck Nevitt — Center — 7-5, 217 lbs., appeared in 11 games, played 59 minutes (5.4 avg.), made 5 of 17 field goal attempts (.294%) and 2 of 8 free throws (.250%) for 12 points (1.1 avg.), had 20 rebounds (1.8 avg.) and 3 assists (0.3 avg.) 31— Kurt Rambis — Forward — 6-8, 213 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 1,617 minutes (19.7 avg.), made 181 of 327 field goal attempts (.554%) and 68 of 103 free throws (.660%) for 430 points (5.2 avg.), had 528 rebounds (6.4 avg.) and 69 assists (0.8 avg.) 4 — Byron Scott — Guard — 6-3, 195 lbs., appeared in 81 games, played 2,305 minutes (28.5 avg.), made 541 of 1,003 field goal attempts (.539%) and 187 of 228 free throws (.820%) for 1,295 points (16.0 avg.), had 210 rebounds (2.6 avg.) and 244 assists (3.0 avg.) 35 — Larry Spriggs — Forward — 6-7, 230 lbs., appeared in 75 games, played 1292 minutes (17.2 avg.), made 194 of 354 field goal attempts (.548%) and 112 o 146 free throws (.767%) for 500 points (6.7 avg.), had 227 rebounds (3.0 avg.) and 132 assists (1.8 avg.) 52 — Jamaal Wilkes — Forward/Guard — 6-6, 190 lbs., appeared in 42 games, played 761 minutes (18.1 avg.), made 148 of 303 field goal attempts (.488%) and 51 of 66 free throws (.773%) for 347 points (8.3 avg.), had 94 rebounds (2.2 avg.0 and 41 assists (1.0 avg.) 42 — James Worthy — Forward — 6-9, 225 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 2,696 minutes (33.7 avg.), made 610 of 1,066 field goal attempts (.572%) and 190 of 245 free throws (.776%) for 1,410 points (17.6 avg.), had 511 rebounds (6.4 avg.) and 201 assists (2.5 avg.)

League Leaders Kareem Abdul-Jabbar —field goal percentage (4th) Magic Johnson — assists (2nd), assists per game (2nd)

All-NBA Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — 2nd team selection Magic Johnson —1st team selection

All-Defensive Team Michael Cooper —1st team selection

All-Star Game Selections Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson

Regular Season Highlights Byron Scott leads the NBA with a 43.3 percent accuracy rate from three-point range to become the only Lakers player to ever achieve that feat. As a team, the Lakers set an NBA record by hitting on 54.5 percent of their field goal attempts.

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND VERSUS PHOENIX 1. April 18 at Los Angeles: The Lakers exploded for 45 points in the opening period, and never looked back in a 142–114 blowout win. Magic Johnson led the assault by dishing out 19 assists and scoring 18 points.1 2. April 20 at Los Angeles: The Lakers took a 2–0 series lead in a high-scoring affair that ended with a 147–130 victory. In a game that saw the Lakers go off on a 32–6 run, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 24 points, with 20 of them coming in the first half. Also topping the 20-point barrier for the Lakers were Bob McAdoo (22) and Byron Scott (21). Magic Johnson turned in another well-balanced performance by scoring 19 points and handing out 12 assists. Los Angeles trailed, 63–62, with two minutes left in the first half, and then surged to a 75–65 lead going into the third quarter and never looked back.2 3. April 23 at Phoenix: The Suns looked to avoid a sweep, and played the Lakers tough throughout the opening period. A pair of Magic Johnson free throws knotted the game at 25–25 to end the first quarter. The Lakers then got off a 15–4 run to start the second period, with Bob McAdoo getting seven of his 15 points during that surge. Mike McGee contributed six points during the run, and the Lakers were up, 40–29, with 8:32 left in the half. Phoenix closed to within eight, but James Worthy then hit for seven of his 23 points to put the Suns 10 points down at the half. The Lakers came out for the second half on fire, scoring 10 of the first 12 points in the third quarter. Phoenix then countered with an 18–6 run to go into the fourth quarter down, 86–77. Mike McGee rose to the challenge for the Lakers in the fourth quarter by scoring 11 of his 17 points. His three-point shot with 4:52 left in the game gave Los Angeles a 107–89 lead, and they sailed through the remaining minutes to prevail 119–103.3

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS VERSUS PORTLAND 1. April 27 at Los Angeles: Byron Scott connected on a near perfect 13 of 17 field goal attempts, and scored 12 of his 20 points in the first half, which helped the Lakers outscore Portland 40– 21 in the second quarter. That point production allowed Los Angeles to go into the halftime intermission with an incredible 73– 45 advantage. Portland never challenged, and the Lakers won their fourth straight postseason game, 125–101. Also helping in leading the well-balanced attack were Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, and Mike McGee, all scoring 16 points.4 2. April 30 at Los Angeles: Byron Scott lit up the scoreboard for 31 points, and the Lakers once again prevailed over Portland,

1984-85 this time by a 134–118 final count. Los Angeles held a slight 44– 41 lead early in the second period, and then went on an 18–0 tear, with Scott getting 10 of his points during the surge. Magic Johnson did his part by dishing out 18 assists throughout what was the Lakers’ fifth straight playoff win and their 21st consecutive home win.5 3. May 3 at Portland: The Trailblazers made the Lakers work for this one. However, in the end, the results were the same, as Los Angeles won, 130–126, to claim their sixth straight postseason victory and a commanding 3–0 series advantage. Going into the fourth quarter, it appeared that this game had the makings of another blowout. Portland fell behind, 103–92, but a late rally put them in position to win, as they were only down, 126–122. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar then iced the game by connecting on four free throws in a 48-second span. James Worthy led the Lakers with 28 points, and Magic Johnson set a playoff record with 15 assists in the first half, and finished the game with 23.6 4. May 5 at Portland: Future Laker Mychal Thompson provided the heroics for Portland in a 115–107 win that allowed the Trailblazers to extend the series for at least another game. In the final 30 seconds, Thompson scored six of his 17 points to secure the victory. Clyde Drexler added 15 points and 10 rebounds in a game that saw Portland score 32 of their points on 28 Los Angeles turnovers. For the Lakers, Magic Johnson came through with a brilliant performance consisting of 31 points and 13 assists.7 5. May 7 at Los Angeles: Magic Johnson once again had a fantastic game, but this time, his Lakers prevailed, 139–120, to clinch the series. Complements of Johnson’s 34-point, 19-assist performance, Los Angeles recorded their 22nd consecutive victory at home. Johnson also hit a milestone by dishing out 85 assists, which set a five-game playoff series record. Portland hung tough until the Lakers went on an 8–0 run late in the third quarter to go up, 100–80. From that stage on, the Trailblazers never challenged.8

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS VERSUS DENVER 1. May 11 at Los Angeles: The Lakers set team playoff records by hitting 64 percent of their shots, and scoring 80 first half points. They also extended their home court win streak to 23 with a convincing 139–122 victory to open defense of their Western Conference crown. Los Angeles came out sizzling right from the opening tipoff. They got out to a 15–2 lead, and were never threatened. After ending the first quarter with a 38–30 lead, the Lakers opened their advantage to 14 points before going on a 14– 0 run to take an 80–52 lead in to the halftime intermission. Seven players hit double figure scoring marks for the Lakers, with James Worthy’s 24 points pacing the attack. Mike McGee added 21 points, and Magic Johnson handed out 16 assists.9 2. May 14 at Los Angeles: Denver went on a 12–5 run in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter, which gave them a comfortable 102–91 lead. They continued to pour it on, and won, 136–114, to even the series up and snap the Lakers’ 23-home court win streak that began on February 1 against the New York Knicks. The Nuggets, led by Dan Issel’s 22 points, took advantage of turnovers and the Lakers’ sub-par shooting. Los Angeles also lost Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with six minutes left in the game after a tussle with Denver’s Danny Schayes brought about the second

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ONE : THE SEASONS technical foul on the Lakers’ captain, and cost him a fine of $750. Byron Scott led the Lakers with 22 points, and James Worthy added 17.10 3. May 17 at Denver: The Lakers were back on track with a trip to the Mile High City. With James Worthy scoring 28 points and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 27, the Lakers coasted to a 136– 118 victory that marked the ninth straight time since 1982 that Los Angeles left the thin air of Denver victorious. The Nuggets scored the game’s first basket, and that was the extent of their advantage. The Lakers jumped out to a 20–10 lead halfway through the opening period, but the Nuggets rallied to close to within 39–38 going into the second quarter. It was in the third period that the Lakers put major distance between themselves and their Denver adversaries by connecting on almost 80 percent of their field goal attempts.11 4. May 19 at Denver: The Lakers left McNichols Arena with a nail-biting 120–116 victory for their tenth straight win in the Mile High City. James Worthy scored 12 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, with the most crucial ones coming with 20 seconds left. After the ball bounced around in the air off multiple hands, Worthy managed to apply a tap on it that sent the ball through the rim to break a 116–116 deadlock. Los Angeles had 15 turnovers in the first half, but limited their mishaps to only five in the second half while shooting 57 percent from the outside to build their biggest lead at 110–102 with 5:35 remaining in the game. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar came through with a great showing that saw him hit for a game-high 29 points, and 12 rebounds, eight assists, and four blocked shots. Byron Scott chipped in with 26 points.12 5. May 22 at Los Angeles: The Lakers left in doubt as to who would represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals, thanks to a 153–109 mauling of the Nuggets that clinched their fourth straight Western Conference championship. Every player on the Lakers’ roster scored in this game, which saw the team come up nine points short of a franchise playoff record. The Lakers began their onslaught in the second period by running off 16 straight points, and led at the half, 76–53. They hit the century mark with five minutes still remaining in the third quarter, and went into the final stanza with a 114–81 lead. Magic Johnson obtained an individual milestone in the second quarter by dishing out his seventh assist of the game, which turned into a Michael Cooper basket on a break. It was the 970th assist of Johnson’s playoff career, and it moved him ahead of Jerry West on the alltime postseason list. For the game, Johnson had 19 assists and 19 points. James Worthy had 25 points and Byron Scott 21 to lead the Lakers’ scoring frenzy.13

NBA FINALS VERSUS BOSTON 1. May 27 at Boston: The Celtics’ joy at the expense of their long-time rivals was apparent when they won the previous NBA title in seven games. Boston’s Kevin McHale dubbed Magic Johnson “Tragic Johnson,” and Larry Bird loved the idea of Magic possibly suffering from sleepless nights over the defeat.14 The 1984 Finals was a series that the Lakers should have won, but it slipped away, which was the most painful thing to deal with regarding the series. Bird also did state that he wanted to give the Lakers another chance, and the following year, his challenge was made possible.15 The Lakers used their Finals loss in 1984 as an inspi-

ONE : THE SEASONS ration to get back and finally beat the Celtics. The collision course was set, as the teams finished with the best records of the regular season. Boston finished at 63–19, and Los Angeles 62–20. Unfortunately, all the opening game of the 1985 NBA Finals did was add to Boston’s glee, and placed another horrific chapter into the story of the Lakers’ torment at the hands of the Celtics. May 27, 1985 will forever be remembered as the “Memorial Day Massacre,” as the Celtics sent a message that they were indeed the league’s alpha dogs, and were not going to give that title up easily. Boston got out to a 16–10 lead, and then a 10–2 run increased it to 26– 12. The Lakers called a timeout, then scored six straight points, but the Celtics answered back to lead, 38–24, at the end of the first quarter. However, being down by 14 points at this stage was not as bad as it would get for the Lakers. Boston went on a 14–3 run at the beginning of the second quarter to go up, 52–27, and the Lakers never scored more than two points in a row. At the half, the game was virtually over, with the Celtics pounding the Lakers, 79–49. At the end of the third quarter it was 108–79, and when the final buzzer sounded to mercifully put an end to the Lakers torment, it went into the history book as a 148–114 Boston victory. The Celtics set a new NBA Finals record for most points scored in one game, breaking the old mark of 142 they set in 1965, which also came against the Lakers. They also set a team record by shooting 60.8 percent from the field, and Scott Wedman hit on all 11 of his shot attempts, and along with teammate Kevin McHale, led all scorers with 26 points. James Worthy led the Lakers with 20 points.16 2. May 30 at Boston: The Lakers came out strong in an attempt to erase the horrific memory of the “Memorial Day Massacre.” They jumped out to a 30–16 lead, but Boston responded with a 10–1 run that ended the first quarter with the Lakers up, 31–26. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar put the blame on himself for what happened to the Lakers in the opener, and looked to redeem himself after a 12-point, three-rebound performance in the first game. He was on the right track toward redemption by scoring eight points, grabbing nine rebounds, and dishing out five assists by halftime, which saw the Lakers up by a comfortable margin at 64–46. Jabbar finished with 30 points and 17 rebounds. The Celtics lost center Robert Parrish in the second quarter due to a bruised hip, which took away a great deal from their game. James Worthy and Michael Cooper played great defense on Larry Bird, limiting him to only eight points in the first half and none from the outside. Bird did manage to work out of his slump, and scored 22 of his 30 points in the second half. With Bird finding his range, the Celtics cut an 18-point deficit in half, and trailed, 79–70, in the third quarter. Jabbar hit a sky hook to end an 8–0 Boston run, and the Lakers began to rebuild their comfortable lead. They took an 87–75 advantage into the fourth quarter. Boston still stayed hungry, and cut the lead down to 100–96 before Michael Cooper hit a shot with two minutes left to provide a cushion. The Lakers then held the Celtics off down the stretch to even the series up with a 109–102 victory. In addition to Jabbar’s strong performance, the Lakers also received a solid performance from Michael Cooper, who hit on eight of nine shot attempts for 22 points, and Magic Johnson handed out 13 assists.17 3. June 2 at Los Angeles: Back at the friendly confines of the Fabulous Forum, it was the Lakers turn to produce a blowout victory. In a 136–111 win, the Lakers did everything right. They

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1984-85 came out and shot 54 percent from the field, outrebounded the Celtics, 49–37, and got great support off the bench. The bench outscored the Celtics’ reserves, 45–28, with Bob McAdoo leading the way with 19 points in a supporting role. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 26 points, had 14 rebounds, and seven assists, while James Worthy hit for a team-high 29 points. The Lakers also controlled Larry Bird. Even though he still scored 20 points, he was only able to hit on eight of 21 shot attempts. Despite the lopsided score in favor of the Lakers, Boston led, 29–25, after the first quarter, and 48–38 midway through the second period. The Lakers then went on a 28–10 run, and used that spurt to help them obtain a 65–59 lead at the half. The Lakers also proved that they could hand out punishment just like their Eastern Conference counterparts. They got physical with the Celtics, and there was quite a bit of pushing and fighting, which was not uncommon for two teams that had such a rivalry for so many years. In the second half, the Lakers shifted back to their “Showtime” glitz, and mauled Boston. They scored 71 points in the second half, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar became the all-time leading scorer in playoff history when he hit his 4,464th point to surpass another Lakers legend, Jerry West.18 4. June 5 at Los Angeles: With Magic Johnson scoring from inside and out to pace the attack, the Lakers built a 31–24 lead, and led at the end of the first quarter, 32–28. Kevin McHale then used power moves to the inside to begin a Boston comeback. Dennis Johnson tied the game with a jumper, and Larry Bird’s free throws put the Celtics up 34–32. Boston’s first half lead grew to six before the Lakers came back to cut the deficit to 59–58 at the half. The Celtics got off six straight points to start the third quarter, but Los Angeles used a 14–2 run that saw them score 10 straight points to put the Lakers back on top, 68–67. It also sparked them to a lead of eight for the biggest advantage of the game at 80–72. Like both teams did all game, the Celtics fought back with McHale muscling inside, and they cut the Lakers’ lead to 84–82 at the end of the third quarter. Los Angeles built their lead up to 90–83, and then Boston fired back with a 10–2 run to once again climb back on top, this time by a 93–92 margin. Bird then woke up, which spelled trouble for any opponent. He had two steals and scored seven straight points. The Lakers managed to regain the lead, and were up by as many as seven on two occasions. The Celtics kept coming, and with 33 seconds left in the game, Danny Ainge hit a jump shot that gave Boston a 105–103 lead. Magic Johnson tied things up with 19 seconds left after getting an offensive rebound off a Kareem Abdul-Jabbar missed shot. Magic then laid it in and Boston called a time out. Larry Bird then tossed the ball to Dennis Johnson, and he nailed a 29-foot jumper at the buzzer to pull out a thrilling 107–105 victory that evened the series up at two games apiece. Dennis Johnson finished with 29 points, Kevin McHale 28, and Larry Bird 26. Jabbar led the Lakers with 21 points.19 5. June 7 at Los Angeles: Looking to erase the stigma of being chokers like many felt they were in their previous Finals, the Lakers put that out of their minds and forged ahead. Boston got out to an early 17–14 lead, but the Lakers overcame it to end the first quarter with a 35–31 advantage. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led a Los Angeles run where he scored eight of the team’s 14 points. He used his famous skyhook and muscle to rebound and work inside. James Worthy chipped in with quick moves to the inside,

1985-86 and the Lakers as a team did a good job applying full court pressure. In the second quarter, Boston came back to tie the game at 44–44 with 6:22 left in the first half. The Lakers then got busy. They went on a 20–7 run, and took a commanding 64–51 lead into the second half. The Lakers were clicking on all cylinders, with Worthy leading the way with 19 points, Jabbar had 18, and Magic Johnson scored 10 points and dished out 11 assists. The Celtics lost head coach K. C. Jones in the second quarter after he was hit with two technical fouls and ejected. By the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Lakers were up, 95–81, but saw that bulge knocked down to four points multiple times, as they went stagnant. With just under four minutes left in the game, Los Angeles had a 107–103 lead. Michael Cooper hit for four of his 10 points in the quarter to end the team’s cold streak. The Lakers came alive at the right time to take to 115–105 lead with timing running out. Jabbar then added an exclamation point to the contest with a dunk as the clock showed 90 seconds. When the final buzzer sounded, the Lakers were officially one win away from beating the Celtics for the championship after recording a 120– 111 victory. Jabbar had a game-high 36 points, and added seven rebounds, seven assists, and three blocked shots, to his credit. Worthy finished with 33, Magic Johnson 26 points and 17 assists, and Kurt Rambis led the team with nine rebounds.20 6 — June 9 at Boston: The Lakers were 0–8 against the Boston Celtics in NBA Finals competition. However, history was insignificant to this group of purple and gold-clad hoopsters from the City of Angels. They looked to add their own chapter to the NBA history books, and did just that with a series-clinching 111– 100 victory. The Celtics struggled on offense early, but the Lakers could not seize the opportunity to jump all over them. Turnovers hampered the assault, but Los Angeles was still on top at the end of the first quarter, 28–26. Boston then got their offense going, and Larry Bird tied the game at 32–32 with a jumper. He then gave the Celtics a 38–37 lead with a layup. The first half remained close, and ended in a 55–55 deadlock. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar opened up the second half with a dunk, and Los Angeles took control of the game, and their destiny. They went on an 18–8 run that Boston never recovered from. The Celtics tried to stay close, but Danny Ainge and Dennis Johnson’s 20 percent shooting hampered the effort. The Lakers kept coming, and ended the third quarter with an 82–73 advantage. A mere 12 minutes now stood between the Lakers and their third NBA title in six seasons. However, they started the fourth quarter off on a cold streak, and the Celtics closed to with five points at 82–77. With 10:49 left, it appeared that Boston was going to do what they did over the previous eight NBA Finals against Los Angeles, find a way to prevail in the end. The Lakers would have none of it, and James Worthy exploded for a fast break dunk, and Jabbar sent one of his own dunks through the rim to boost the Lakers’ advantage to 86–78. The Celtics kept coming back, but the Lakers managed to hold them off in the end. This marked the first time that the Celtics ever lost an NBA championship on their home court. Jabbar led the Lakers with 29 points, and also had seven rebounds and four assists. For the series, he averaged 30.2 points, 11.3 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and two blocked shots, per game. For his efforts, he was presented with the NBA Finals MVP award. Magic Johnson recorded a triple-double with 14 points, 14 assists, and 10 rebounds, while James Worthy ended the game with 28 points.

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ONE : THE SEASONS With the Boston albatross finally lifted, the Lakers accomplished what many felt could not be done, except the men who made it happen on the parquet floor of Boston Garden with the whole world watching.21

Individual Playoff Statistics Abdul-Jabbar — appeared in 19 games, played 610 minutes (32.1 avg.), scored 416 points (21.9 avg.), had 154 rebounds (8.1 avg.) and 76 assists (4.0 avg.) Cooper — appeared in 19 games, played 501 minutes (26.4 avg.), scored 198 points (10.4 avg.), had 76 rebounds (4.0 avg.) and 93 assists (4.9 avg.) Johnson — appeared in 19 games, played 687 minutes (36.2 avg.), scored 333 points (17.5 avg.), had 134 rebounds (7.1 avg.) and 289 assists (15.2 avg.) Kupchak — appeared in 16 games, played 197 minutes (12.3 avg.), scored 75 points (4.7 avg.), had 48 rebounds (3.0 avg.) and 5 assists (0.3 avg.) Lester — appeared in 9 games, played 54 minutes (6.0 avg.), scored 19 points (2.1 avg.), had 8 rebounds (0.9 avg.) and 9 assists (1.0 avg.) McAdoo—appeared in 19 games, played 398 minutes (20.9 avg.), scored 217 points (11.4 avg.), had 86 rebounds (4.5 avg.) and 15 assists (0.8 avg.) McGee — appeared in 17 games, played 260 minutes (15.3 avg.), scored 190 points (11.2 avg.), had 36 rebounds (2.1 avg.) and 12 assists (0.7 avg.) Nevitt — appeared in 7 games, played 37 minutes (5.3 avg.), scored 10 points (1.4 avg.), had 6 rebounds (0.9 avg.) and 1 assist (0.1 avg.) Rambis — appeared in 19 games, played 375 minutes (19.7 avg.), scored 115 points (6.1 avg.), had 129 rebounds (6.8 avg.) and 17 assists (0.9 avg.) Scott — appeared in 19 games, played 585 minutes (30.8 avg.), scored 321 points (16.9 avg.), had 52 rebounds (2.7 avg.) and 50 assists (2.6 avg.) Spriggs — appeared in 16 games, played 230 minutes (14.4 avg.), scored 98 points (6.1 avg.), had 51 rebounds (3.2 avg.) and 33 assists (2.1 avg.) Worthy — appeared in 19 games, played 626 minutes (32.9 avg.), scored 408 points (21.5 avg.), had 96 rebounds (5.1 avg.) and 41 assists (2.2 avg.)

1985-86 Head Coach: Pat Riley Assistant Coaches: Bill Bertka, Randy Pfund Regular Season Record: 62–20 1st place in the NBA Pacific Division (finished in first place by 22 games) Scored 117.3 points per game to rank 1st out of 23 teams Allowed 109.5 points per game to rank 10th Led the league in field goals made (3,834), field goal percentage (.522%), assists (2,433), points scored (9,618), and points per game (117.3)

Review What else could be said about one of the greatest teams ever assembled. Apparently nothing derogatory, and if there were negative remarks, it was more than likely from rivals yearning to be in the Lakers’ position atop the NBA summit. Magic Johnson was in his prime as one of the greatest to play the game, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, despite being 38 years of age, was performing

ONE : THE SEASONS like someone in his twenties. James Worthy could do anything, from flying through the air for a thunderous dunk, or nailing a shot from the outside, all with the smoothest of moves. Add excellent shooter Byron Scott, the offensive and defensive prowess of Michael Cooper, and stellar rebounding from Kurt Rambis, into the mix, and the Lakers were without a doubt the league’s elite franchise of the 1980s. Coupled with this magnificent group was a high-quality rookie named A.C. Green. The team then took this collection of top-notch players and won a fifth straight division title with ease after starting off the season with a nearperfect 24–3 record.

Gone from the Previous Season Earl Jones — traded to San Antonio on October 9, 1985 Bob McAdoo — left to become a free agent and signed with Philadelphia on January 31, 1986 Jamaal Wilkes — waived by the Lakers on August 28, 1985

1985-86

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31— Kurt Rambis — Forward — 6-8, 213 lbs., appeared in 74 games, played 1,573 minutes (21.3 avg.), made 160 of 269 field goal attempts (.595%) and 88 of 122 free throws (.721%) for 408 points (5.5 avg.), had 517 rebounds (7.0 avg.) and 69 assists (0.9 avg.) 4 — Byron Scott — Guard — 6-3, 195 lbs., appeared in 76 games, played 2,190 minutes (28.8 avg.), made 507 of 989 field goal attempts (.513%) and 138 of 176 free throws (.784%) for 1,174 points (15.4 avg.), had 189 rebounds (2.5 avg.) and 164 assists (2.2 avg.) 35 — Larry Spriggs — Forward — 6-7, 230 lbs., appeared in 43 games, played 471 minutes (11.0 avg.), made 88 of 192 field goal attempts (.458%) and 38 of 49 free throws (.776%) for 214 points (5.0 avg.), had 81 rebounds (1.9 avg.) and 49 assists (1.1 avg.) 42 — James Worthy — Forward — 6-9, 225 lbs., appeared in 75 games, played 2,454 minutes (32.7 avg.), made 629 of 1,086 field goal attempts (.579%) and 242 of 314 free throws (.771%) for 1,500 points (20.0 avg.), had 387 rebounds (5.2 avg.) and 201 assists (2.7 avg.)

League Leaders Magic Johnson — assists (1st), assists per game (1st) James Worthy —field goal percentage (4th)

Regular Season Individual Statistics 33 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — Center — 7-2, 225 lbs., appeared in 79 games, played 2,629 minutes (33.3 avg.), made 755 of 1,338 field goal attempts (.564%) and 336 of 439 free throws (.765%) for 1,846 points (23.4 avg.), had 478 rebounds (6.1 avg.) and 280 assists (3.5 avg.) 21— Michael Cooper — Guard/Forward — 6-5, 170 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,269 minutes (27.7 avg.), made 274 of 606 field goal attempts (.452%) and 147 of 170 free throws (.865%) for 758 points (9.2 avg.), had 244 rebounds (3.0 avg.) and 466 assists (5.7 avg.) 45 — A.C. Green — Forward/Center — 6-9, 220 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 1,542 minutes (18.8 avg.), made 209 of 388 field goal attempts (.539%) and 102 of 167 free throws (.611%) for 521 points (6.4 avg.), 381 rebounds (4.6 avg.) and 54 assists (0.7 avg.) 34 — Petur Gudmundsson — Center — 7-2, 260 lbs., appeared in 8 games, played 128 minutes (16.0 avg.), made 20 of 37 field goal attempts (.541%) and 18 of 27 free throws (.667%) for 58 points (7.3 avg.), had 38 rebounds (4.8 avg.) and 3 assists (0.4 avg.) 23 — Jerome Henderson — Center/Forward — 6-11, 230 lbs., appeared in 1 game, played 3 minutes (3.0 avg.), made 2 of 3 field goal attempts (.667%) for 4 points (4.0 avg.), and had 1 rebound (1.0 avg.) 32 — Magic Johnson — Guard/Forward — 6-8, 215 lbs., appeared in 72 games, played 2,578 minutes (35.8 avg.), made 483 of 918 field goal attempts (.526%) and 378 of 434 free throws (.871%) for 1,354 points (18.8 avg.), had 426 rebounds (5.9 avg.) and 907 assists (12.6 avg.) 25 — Mitch Kupchak — Forward/Center — 6-9, 230 lbs., appeared in 55 games, played 783 minutes (14.2 avg.), made 1124 of 257 field goal attempts (.482%) and 84 of 112 free throws (.750%) for 332 points (6.0 avg.), 191 rebounds (3.5 avg.) and 17 assists (0.3 avg.) 12 — Ronnie Lester — Guard — 6-2, 175 lbs., appeared in 27 games, played 222 minutes (8.2 avg.), made 26 of 52 field goal attempts (.500%) and 15 of 19 free throws (.789%) for 67 points (2.5 avg.), had 10 rebounds (0.4 avg.) and 54 assists (2.0 avg.) 20— Maurice Lucas — Forward/Center — 6-9, 215 lbs., appeared in 77 games, played 1,750 minutes (22.7 avg.), made 302 of 653 field goal attempts (.462%) and 180 of 230 free throws (.783%) for 785 points (10.2 avg.), 566 rebounds (7.4 avg.) and 84 assists (1.1 avg.) 40— Mike McGee — Guard/Forward — 6-5, 190 lbs., appeared in 71 games, played 1,213 minutes (17.1 avg.), made 252 of 544 field goal attempts (.463%) and 42 of 64 free throws (.656%) for 587 points (8.3 avg.), had 140 rebounds (2.0 avg.) and 83 assists (1.2 avg.) 43—Chuck Nevitt—Center—7-5, 217 lbs., appeared in 4 games, played 25 minutes (6.3 avg.), made 3 of 11 field goal attempts (.273%) and 4 of 6 free throws (.667%0 for 10 points (2.5 avg.), had 7 rebounds (1.8 avg.) and 2 assists (0.5 avg.)

All-NBA Kareem Abdul-Jabbar —1st team selection Magic Johnson —1st team selection

All-Defensive Team Michael Cooper — 2nd team selection

All-Star Game Selections Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, James Worthy

Regular Season Highlights March 3 — In a 127–117 win over the Golden State Warriors, Kurt Rambis hauls in 11 offensive rebounds. The incredible popularity felt for Magic Johnson is proven when he becomes the first player in history to receive over one million votes in the balloting for the All-Star Game.

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND VERSUS SAN ANTONIO 1. April 17 at Los Angeles: The Lakers started off defending their NBA title in exceptional fashion against a Spurs’ team that came into this series winning only five of their last 26 regular season games. With Byron Scott leading the way with 24 points, and Magic Johnson handing out 18 assists, Los Angeles destroyed the Spurs, 135–88, on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 39th birthday. Jabbar added 16 points in a game that saw the Lakers take command early and just poured it on after that. They led by 22 points at the half, and punished the Spurs not only on the scoreboard, but for control of the boards, allowing San Antonio a mere four rebounds throughout the first half.1

1985-86 2. April 19 at Los Angeles: Another punishing performance was turned in by Los Angeles, this time by a 122–94 final. However, during the first half, the Spurs hung tough, holding a 43– 37 lead midway through the second quarter. Magic Johnson then stepped up and the Spurs never had a chance. The Lakers went on a 12–0 run, with Johnson scoring 10 of the team’s 16 points in the final six minutes of the first half to take a 53–49 lead into the third quarter. Byron Scott kept the heat up by scoring 14 third quarter points, and Los Angeles had total control of the game with an 86–67 lead at the beginning of the fourth period. Magic Johnson scored 30 points, James Worthy 24, and Byron Scott 20.2 3. April 23 at San Antonio: The Spurs ran into a purple and gold-clad juggernaut, and their season was put to rest, thanks to a 114–94 Lakers win. Los Angeles never fell behind at any time, and leading the charge in this series-clinching game was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with 25 points.3

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS VERSUS DALLAS 1. April 27 at Los Angeles: The Lakers were making their playoff run look easy. Despite a different opponent, the results were the same, as Los Angeles dominated Dallas, 130–116. The Mavericks had a bad shooting performance in the opening quarter, and the Lakers jumped at the chance to get an upper hand. By the time the third quarter was just a few minutes old, the Lakers were in total control by an 84–59 count. Dallas did manage to show some signs of life by putting together a 15–3 run that narrowed the gap to 13 points. Los Angeles then increased their bulge to 23 in the fourth quarter, and cruised to the win. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had 28 points, and Magic Johnson 14 assists to lead the charge.4 2. April 30 at Los Angeles: The Mavericks fought hard in this game. They took a 98–92 lead into the fourth quarter, but then the legendary pivot man, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, took charge. Jabbar scored 12 of his 26 points in the fourth period, with his famous skyhook tying things up at 108–108 with three minutes to play. After the teams traded baskets to keep the game deadlocked, Jabbar sank another skyhook to give Los Angeles a permanent lead, and they went on to win by a final score of 117–113. In addition to Jabbar, three other Lakers topped the 20-point mark. James Worthy finished with 23, Magic Johnson 21, and Byron Scott 20.5 3. May 2 at Dallas: Coming close to knocking off the NBA’s reigning kings two days earlier lit a fire in the Mavericks. Returning home for the next two games, Dallas won one the first, 110– 108, thanks to a three-point shot by Derek Harper with three seconds left in the game, in front of 17,007 at Reunion Arena. Harper also tied the game with an earlier three-pointer with 46 seconds to go. After Harper tied the game, Byron Scott nailed a threepoint shot to put Los Angeles back into the lead. Dallas cut the Lakers’ lead to one on a jump shot from Rolando Blackman with 20 ticks left on the clock. Blackman then fouled Michael Cooper, but he missed both free throw attempts. Following that, Mark Aguirre fired up a shot with time almost expired, but the ball went off the rim and found its way into Harper’s hands, and a split second later, he sank the winning basket. Harper finished the game

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ONE : THE SEASONS with 24 points, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led the Lakers with 28.6 4. May 4 at Dallas: Reunion Arena proved that home sweet home meant something, as the Mavericks tied the series up with another close finish, this time by a 120–118 final score. Mark Aguirre had 39 points for Dallas, but none of them were larger than the points he tallied on a baseline jumper with 38 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to give Dallas the lead for good. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar attempted to send the game into overtime, but his skyhook missed its mark as the game clock hit 0:00.7 5. May 6 at Los Angeles: Back at the Forum, the Lakers won, 116–113, to take a 3–2 series advantage. As winners of the previous two games, the Mavericks were now confident, and cut a 97–88 fourth quarter Los Angeles lead all the way down. With 2:28 to play, Derek Harper scored on a layup to deadlock the game at 107–107 before the Lakers prevailed down the stretch. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led the way with 34 points, and Magic Johnson added 29.8 6. May 8 at Dallas: A trip back to Reunion Arena not only gave the Lakers their first road win of the series, but allowed them to clinch the series as well. The Mavericks put up a valiant effort to tie the series up by coming back from 20 points down in the early stages of the second half. They just about made it all the way back, trailing by only one basket. With four minutes expired in the fourth quarter, Dallas was only behind by three points, and then the combination of Magic Johnson and James Worthy proved too much for the Mavericks to handle. The two future Hall of Famers teamed up for the Lakers’ following 11 points, and helped LA increase their lead to nine, and prevailed in the end by a 120–107 final score. It was now on to the Western Conference Finals, where the Lakers would be looking for their sixth trip to the NBA Finals in seven seasons.9

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS VERSUS HOUSTON 1. May 10 at Los Angeles: The only team to prevent the Lakers from appearing in all the NBA Finals up to this point of the 1980s were the Houston Rockets in 1981. The Lakers took their first step in making sure that the same thing did not happen five years later. With Kareem Abdul-Jabbar leading the way with a game-high 31 points, the Lakers won the opener, 119–107. Jabbar also added six rebounds and three blocked shots to his stellar performance. This proved to be the ninth time in 11 previous meetings dating back to the 1984-85 season that the Lakers defeated the Rockets. Jabbar scored 20 of his points in the first half, in which Los Angeles held a 64–58 going into the third quarter. Houston closed the gap to three points on three different occasions in the early going of the third quarter. Magic Johnson then scored 10 points in the quarter to help the Lakers increase their lead to 94–82 at the beginning of the fourth quarter. For the game, Johnson scored 26 points, and handed out 18 assists.10 2. May 13 at Los Angeles: Houston evened the series up with guard Lewis Lloyd pacing the Rockets. With help coming from Lloyd’s 10 points in the fourth quarter, Houston prevailed, 112–102. After the Rockets took the lead in the final two minutes of the first half, the Lakers were forced to play catch up the rest of the way. With 8:47 left in the fourth quarter, Los Angeles closed to within two points at 92–90. The Rockets then stiffened

ONE : THE SEASONS their defense, and Lloyd took over to seal the win. For the game, Lloyd had 24 points along with Ralph Sampson. Magic Johnson’s 24 points and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 21 led the Lakers.11 3. May 16 at Houston: Hakeem Olajuwon hit for a whopping 40 points, with 23 coming in the second half, and the Rockets were the first team during the postseason to gain a series lead over the Lakers, thanks to a 117–109 victory. Houston dominated the rebounding, 45–34, and took advantage of a rare occasion when the Lakers went bad very fast. Over the course of three minutes in the fourth quarter, Los Angeles missed three of four field goals, committed three turnovers, and only hit on two free throw attempts. Houston, in the meantime, got off a 9–2 run that allowed them to take a 114–107 lead with 1:20 left in the game. Despite their collapse, the Lakers played well enough to deadlock the game 13 times, and took a 91–90 advantage into the fourth quarter. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led the Lakers with 35 points, James Worthy added 26, and Magic Johnson scored 16 points and dished out 20 assists.12 4. May 18 at Houston: Things were fading fast for the Lakers, as they fell victim to the Rockets for the third straight time in this series. With Hakeem Olajuwon hitting for 35 points, grabbing eight rebounds, and blocking four shots, Houston won, 105–95. Up to the fourth quarter, the game was close, with the teams deadlocked six times and the lead changed hands on six different occasions as well. Houston then put distance between themselves and the Lakers in the infant stages of the fourth quarter by mounting an 11–4 run to lead, 91–83. Los Angeles was only able to cut the deficit down to four the rest of the way. Despite suffering from a cervical strain, James Worthy, who was not a sure bet to play in this game, came through for the Lakers. He played every minute, scored a team-high 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Magic Johnson also came through with another great showing by recording his third triple-double of the postseason with 20 points, 11 assists, and 12 rebounds.13 5. May 21 at Los Angeles: Since the 1969 Boston Celtics, 16 teams have attempted to win back-to-back NBA titles. The Lakers’ quest at repeating was thwarted by Houston in 1981, and five years later, the same Rockets once again stopped the purple and gold from trying for the coveted honor with a 114–112 victory. The Lakers were trying hard to avoid elimination, and held a 112– 109 lead on a 17-foot jump shot by Magic Johnson. Houston’s Robert Reid then countered with a three-pointer to deadlock the game with 15 seconds left. Byron Scott tried to win it for Los Angeles, but an 18-foot jumper missed the mark with four seconds to go. Ralph Sampson put an end to any thinking of a possible overtime period after taking an inbound pass from Rodney McCray. Sampson sent the ball toward the basket from 12 feet out, and it went through the rim as time expired to give Houston their only lead of the game. However, it was the only lead they needed to capture their second Western Conference title of the decade. The Lakers built a 72–58 lead after a 13–4 run early in the fourth quarter. Magic Johnson then fell victim to his fourth foul and had to retreat to the bench. Houston capitalized on the Lakers’ floor leader sitting on the bench in foul trouble by rallying back and eventually sending Los Angeles home for the season in heartbreaking fashion.14

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Individual Playoff Statistics Abdul-Jabbar — appeared in 14 games, played 489 minutes (34.9 avg.), scored 362 points (25.9 avg.), had 83 rebounds (5.9 avg.) and 49 assists (3.5 avg.) Cooper — appeared in 14 games, played 421 minutes (30.1 avg.), scored 136 points (9.7 avg.), had 46 rebounds (3.3 avg.) and 68 assists (4.9 avg.) Green — appeared in 9 games, played 106 minutes (11.8 avg.), scored 22 points (2.4 avg.) and had 16 rebounds (1.8 avg.) Gudmundsson — appeared in 12 games, played 111 minutes (9.3 avg.), scored 42 points (3.5 avg.), had 26 rebounds (2.2 avg.) and 3 assists (0.3 avg.) Johnson — appeared in 14 games, played 541 minutes (38.6 avg.), scored 302 points (21.6 avg.), had 100 rebounds (7.1 avg.) and 211 assists (15.1 avg.) Kupchak — appeared in 5 games, played 56 minutes (11.2 avg.), scored 20 points (4.0 avg.), had 15 rebounds (3.0 avg.) and 2 assists (0.4 avg.) Lucas—appeared in 14 games, played 319 minutes (22.8 avg.), scored 132 points (9.4 avg.), had 91 rebounds (6.5 avg.) and 10 assists (0.7 avg.) McGee — appeared in 6 games, played 28 minutes (4.7 avg.), scored 16 points (2.7 avg.), had 5 rebounds (0.8 avg.) and 2 assists (0.3 avg.) Rambis — appeared in 14 games, played 267 minutes (19.1 avg.), scored 67 points (4.8 avg.), had 83 rebounds (5.9 avg.) and 14 assists (1.0 avg.) Scott—appeared in 14 games, played 470 minutes (33.6 avg.), scored 224 points (16.0 avg.), had 55 rebounds (3.9 avg.) and 42 assists (3.0 avg.) Spriggs — appeared in 3 games, played 13 minutes (4.3 avg.), scored 20 points (6.7 avg.), had 7 rebounds (2.3 avg.) and 2 assists (0.7 avg.) Worthy — appeared in 14 games, played 539 minutes (38.5 avg.), scored 274 points (19.6 avg.), had 65 rebounds (4.6 avg.) and 45 assists (3.2 avg.)

1986-87 Head Coach: Pat Riley Assistant Coaches: Bill Bertka, Randy Pfund Regular Season Record: 65–17 (best record in the NBA) 1st place in the NBA Pacific Division (finished in first place by 16 games) Scored 117.8 points per game to rank 2nd out of 23 teams Allowed 108.5 points per game to rank 12th Led the league in 3-point percentage (.367%) and assists (2,428)

Review The Lakers were looking to rebound after falling short of another NBA Finals appearance. They came back with a vengeance and rolled to the second-best record in franchise history. Magic Johnson took over as the main offensive weapon, replacing 39-year-old Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was still effective as one of the league’s top pivot men.

Gone from the Previous Season Petur Gudmundsson — waived by the Lakers on March 18, 1986 Jerome Henderson — signed 10-day contract on March 10, 1986, but it was not extended. Mitch Kupchak — retired Ronnie Lester — traded to Seattle on October 2, 1986 Maurice Lucas — waived by the Lakers on September 26, 1986 Mike McGee — traded to Atlanta on June 17, 1986

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Chuck Nevitt — waived by the Lakers on November 23, 1985 Larry Spriggs — left to play in Europe

ONE : THE SEASONS

All-NBA Magic Johnson —1st team selection

Regular Season Individual Statistics 33 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — Center — 7-2, 225 lbs., appeared in 78 games, played 2,441 minutes (31.3 avg.), made 560 of 993 field goal attempts (.564%) and 245 of 3443 free throws (.714%) for 1,366 points (17.5 avg.), had 523 rebounds (6.7 avg.) and 203 assists (2.6 avg.) 24 — Adrian Branch — Forward/Guard — 6-7, 185 lbs., appeared in 32 games, played 219 minutes (6.8 avg.), made 48 of 96 field goal attempts (.500%) and 42 of 54 free throws (.778%) for 138 points (4.3 avg.), had 53 rebounds (1.7 avg.) and 16 assists (0.5 avg.) 43 — Frank Brickowski — Forward/Center — 6-9, 240 lbs., appeared in 37 games, played 404 minutes (10.9 avg.), made 53 of 94 field goal attempts (.564%) and 40 of 59 free throws (.678%) for 146 points (3.9 avg.), had 97 rebounds (2.6 avg.) and 12 assists (0.3 avg.) 21— Michael Cooper — Guard/Forward — 6-5, 170 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,253 minutes (27.5 avg.), made 322 of 736 field goal attempts (.438%) and 126 of 148 free throws (.851%) for 859 points (10.5 avg.), had 254 rebounds (3.1 avg.) and 373 assists (4.5 avg.) 45 — A.C. Green — Forward/Center — 6-9, 220 lbs., appeared in 79 games, played 2,240 minutes (28.4 avg.), made 316 of 587 field goal attempts (.538%), 220 of 282 free throws (.780%) for 852 points (10.8 avg.), 615 rebounds (7.8 avg.) and 84 assists (1.1 avg.) 32 — Magic Johnson — Guard/Forward — 6-8, 215 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 2,904 minutes (36.3 avg.), made 683 of 1,308 field goal attempts (.522%) and 535 of 631 free throws (.848%) for 1,909 points (23.9 avg.), had 504 rebounds (6.3 avg.) and 977 assists (12.2 avg.) 1—Wes Matthews—Guard—6-1, 170 lbs., appeared in 50 games, played 532 minutes (10.6 avg.), made 89 of 187 field goal attempts (.476%) and 29 of 36 free throws (.806%) for 208 points (4.2 avg.), had 47 rebounds (0.9 avg.) and 100 assists (0.5 avg.) 31— Kurt Rambis — Forward — 6-8, 213 lbs., appeared in 78 games, played 1,514 minutes (19.4 avg.), made 163 of 313 field goal attempts (.521%) and 120 of 157 free throws (.764%) for 446 points (5.7 avg.), had 453 rebounds (5.8 avg.) and 63 assists (0.8 avg.) 4 — Byron Scott — Guard — 6-3, 195 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,729 minutes (33.3 avg.), made 554 of 1,134 field goal attempts (.489%) and 224 of 251 free throws (.892%) for 1,397 points (17.0 avg.), had 286 rebounds (3.5 avg.) and 281 assists (3.4 avg.) 52 — Mike Smrek — Center — 7-0, 250 lbs., appeared in 35 games, played 233 minutes (6.7 avg.), made 30 of 60 field goal attempts (.500%) and 16 of 25 free throws (.640%) for 76 points (2.2 avg.), had 37 rebounds (1.1 avg.) and 5 assists (0.1 avg.) 55 — Billy Thompson — Forward — 6-7, 195 lbs., appeared in 59 games, played 762 minutes (12.9 avg.), made 142 of 261 field goal attempts (.544%) and 48 of 74 free throws (.649%) for 332 points (5.6 avg.), had 171 rebounds (2.9 avg.) and 60 assists (1.0 avg.) 43 — Mychal Thompson — Center/Forward — 6-10, 226 lbs., appeared in 33 games, played 680 minutes (20.6 avg.), made 129 of 269 field goal attempts (.480%) and 75 of 101 free throws (.743%) for 333 points (10.1 avg.),136 rebounds (4.1 avg.) and 28 assists (0.8 avg.) 42 — James Worthy — Forward — 6-9, 225 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,819 minutes (34.4 avg.), made 651 of 1,207 field goal attempts (.539%) and 292 of 389 free throws (.751%) for 1,594 points (19.4 avg.), had 466 rebounds (5.7 avg.) and 226 assists (2.8 avg.)

League Leaders Kareem Abdul-Jabbar —field goal percentage (5th) Magic Johnson — free throw attempts (5th), free throws made (5th), assists (1st), assists per game (1st) Byron Scott — free throw percentage (4th)

All-Defensive Team Michael Cooper —1st team selection

All-Star Game Selections Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, James Worthy

NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award Michael Cooper

NBA Most Valuable Player Award Magic Johnson

Regular Season Highlights Dec. 12 — With a 117–110 win, the Lakers end Boston’s 48game home winning streak. Dec. 23 — Magic Johnson scores a career-high 46 points in a 127–117 win over Sacramento. Feb. 4 — In a 128–92 blowout over Sacramento, the Lakers run off a 29–0 lead, and increase it to 40–4 at the end of the first quarter. The Lakers’ .902 winning percentage at home ties a team record as residents of Los Angeles that was first established in 1976-77 and 1979-80.

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND VERSUS DENVER 1. April 23 at Los Angeles: Nothing seemed to go wrong for the Lakers, as their huge margin of victory would attest. In a 128– 95 blowout, the Lakers fast break “Showtime” offensive attack clicked to perfection, and allowed them to tie a playoff record with 82 points in the first half. They achieved that honor in exciting fashion, as Magic Johnson’ s 80-foot bomb at the buzzer found the basket to give Los Angeles a 29-point advantage at the half. At one point in the second half, the Lakers were up, 111–64, and Denver never had a chance in this one. James Worthy paced the Lakers with 28 points, 21 of which he scored in the first half.1 2. April 25 at Los Angeles: Denver tried to step up the physical part of their game in an effort to tie the series up. However, all that the plan did was create 37 personal fouls called against them. The Lakers took total advantage of Denver’s errors, connecting on 49 of 55 free throw attempts in a 139–127 win. The 49 successful free throws set a team record and tied the Lakers for second place in NBA playoff history. The Lakers jumped out to an early 16–4 lead, and went into the second half up, 73–55. Denver got off a 13–7 run to start the third quarter that cut the

ONE : THE SEASONS Lakers’ advantage to 12 points. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was performing in the postseason for a record 16th year, added 13 of his 28 points in the third quarter to help increase the Lakers’ lead to 105–88 going into the fourth quarter. The Lakers received double-figure scoring from seven players. Besides Jabbar, Magic Johnson’s 21 points and James Worthy 19 led the attack.2 3. April 29 at Denver: After a 140–103 mauling at the hands of the Lakers, all Denver’s coach Doug Moe felt was that his team just got pounded over the course of three games by the favorite to win it all. The accolades were extremely warranted, as the Lakers led in this game by as much as 41 points, and all 12 Lakers scored, with Byron Scott’s 25 points and James Worthy’s 22 pacing the devastating fast break juggernaut from Los Angeles. This also proved to be the first time in Denver Nuggets’ history that they were swept in a playoff series.3

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS VERSUS GOLDEN STATE 1. May 5 at Los Angeles: At the beginning of this playoff series, the quartet of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Cooper, Magic Johnson, and Kurt Rambis had more postseason experience than the whole Golden State team put together. That experience played a huge factor in a 125–116 Los Angeles win. However, despite their huge disadvantage in playoff exposure, the Warriors hung tough with the Lakers throughout the first half, only trailing, 55– 52, going into the third quarter. It was then, in the 12 minutes throughout the third quarter, that Los Angeles exploded. They tallied 49 points, which set a playoff record for most points ever scored in the third quarter. That incredible 49-point total allowed the Lakers to outscore the Warriors by 26 points, and lead, 104– 75, going into the fourth quarter. James Worthy led the team with 28 points, Magic Johnson had 25 points and 12 rebounds, Michael Cooper and Byron Scott chipped in with 17 apiece, and A.C. Green finished with a solid performance that saw him score 13 points and grab 10 rebounds.4 2. May 7 at Los Angeles: The Lakers remained perfect in the postseason thanks in large part to the fourth quarter heroics of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The Lakers’ 40-year-old captain rose to the occasion, and showed players half his age why he was one of the game’s greatest. Jabbar led the team on a 16–4 run in the fourth quarter by scoring 12 of his 25 points to put some distance between the teams in what turned out to be a 116–101 Los Angeles victory. Magic Johnson added 23 points and James Worthy 20 for the victors.5 3. May 9 at Golden State: It appeared that the Lakers were not willing to make things easy on the opposition throughout the first six games of the ’87 postseason. A trip up the California coast provided Los Angeles with a 133–108 win that gave them an almost insurmountable 3–0 series lead. The Lakers had a 21–6 run in the first quarter led by 14 points from James Worthy, who finished with 28 for the game. The Warriors attempted a rally, and managed to close to within eight in the second period before the Lakers built their edge up to 20 points. Backup center Mychal Thompson had a great game when he was called upon to replace Kareem Abdul-Jabbar early in the second half. With only 15 seconds expired from the third quarter, Thompson came in after Jabbar collected his fourth foul, and responded by scoring 22 of

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1986-87 his 23 points throughout the second half. Magic Johnson added 20 points to the Lakers’ point production, and Michael Cooper, who connected on four three-pointers, chipped in with 19 points.6 4. May 10 at Golden State: Eric “Sleepy” Floyd appeared to be anything but tired, as he tore through the Lakers for 51 points in a 129–121 Golden State win. Floyd’s incredible performance helped the Warriors knock off the Lakers for the first time in the ’87 postseason, and prevented elimination via a sweep. It also allowed Floyd the opportunity to set a new playoff record for most points scored in a single quarter. He achieved the milestone by pumping in 29 points throughout the fourth quarter, and his yeoman’s effort was the reason the Warriors were still alive in the playoffs. Golden State was down, 102–88, going into the fourth quarter, and then Floyd went to work to provide the comeback and ultimately the victory. Byron Scott led the Lakers with 28 points, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar came in second with 27.7 5. May 12 at Los Angeles: There would be no more heroics for “Sleepy” Floyd, or any other Warriors, once the series shifted back to Los Angeles. With the Fabulous Forum serving as the venue, the Lakers wrapped up another playoff series, this time by a 118–106 final count. James Worthy led the team with 23 points, and Magic Johnson turned in a well-balanced game that saw him score 19 points and distribute 13 assists.8

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS VERSUS SEATTLE 1. May 16 at Los Angeles: It was now time for the Seattle Supersonics, who finished the regular season at 39–43, to stand in the way of the 65–17 top-seeded Lakers return to the NBA Finals after a one-year absence. Seattle was eager for the challenge of preventing the Lakers from going to the Finals, and fought hard to the end. However, in the end, the Lakers received 27 points from James Worthy, and Michael Cooper connected on three free throws in the closing minute and a half of the game to preserve a 92–87 win. The Lakers had built a 15-point lead in the third quarter, but the Supersonics came back to make things interesting. Los Angeles then rebuilt a double-digit lead by keeping Seattle from scoring for close to six minutes at the beginning of the fourth quarter to take an 85–72 lead. Seattle refused to give in, and went on an 11–2 run to close to within three points with 2:41 left to play. With the score at 89–85 with 1:42 left, Cooper hit on a free throw, and following two from Seattle’s Tom Chambers, Cooper sank two more foul shots in the last 10 seconds to seal the win.9 2. May 19 at Los Angeles: With James Worthy carrying the load in the first quarter, and Magic Johnson leading the charge in the fourth quarter, the Lakers prevailed, 112–104. “Big Game” James Worthy lived up to his moniker by opening the game with perfection. Throughout the opening stanza, none of Worthy’s shot attempts failed to miss their mark, and he recorded 19 points on eight field goals and three free throws. At the end of the first half, Worthy had 25 of his 30 points, and then allowed his fellow Lakers the opportunity to share the headlines. Los Angeles took the lead for good on a skyhook from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar that gave them a 60–59 advantage early in the third quarter. Seattle did not go away quietly, and stayed close until Magic Johnson scored 12 points in the fourth quarter, and a three-pointer from Michael Cooper with 2:42 left helped the Lakers keep a slight

1986-87 cushion down the stretch. Magic Johnson, the newly crowned NBA Most Valuable Player, lived up to his status by recording a triple-double consisting of 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.10 3. May 23 at Seattle: A change in venue did little to stop the Lakers, but the Supersonics took the game down to the wire. With James Worthy scoring a career playoff-best 39 points, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar adding 28 points and 10 rebounds, and Magic Johnson directing the offense, the Lakers won by the narrowest of margins, 122–121. The Supersonics started the fourth quarter off with a 10–2 run that helped cut a 97–88 Los Angeles lead down to 99–96 with eight and a half minutes to go. With five fouls on him, Magic Johnson was forced to the bench, but returned for the final eight minutes with the realization that one more foul would end his day. Undaunted by the possibility of fouling out, Johnson sparked the Lakers on a 9–2 run that upped the Lakers’ advantage to 118–110 with slightly over two minutes left to play. For the game, Johnson scored 19 points, dished out 11 assists, and hauled in seven rebounds. The Supersonics came back again, but Michael Cooper rejected a long shot attempt from Dale Ellis with the Lakers clinging to a 118–115 lead with close to a half a minute left to give LA a small amount of breathing room.11 4. May 25 at Seattle: The Supersonics gave the Lakers a good level of competition throughout the first three games. However, with the prospect of closing out the series with a sweep looming, the Lakers were not to be denied. Led by James Worthy’s game-high 26 points, A.C. Green 19 points and game-high 13 rebounds, and Magic Johnson’s 21-point, 12-assist performance, the Lakers came away with a convincing 133–102 victory. The Lakers got out to a 35–20 lead in the first quarter that grew to a 23-point advantage after a 22–5 run in the second quarter. On the other side, the Supersonics had 21 turnovers, and shot a mere 36 percent throughout the game.12

NBA FINALS VERSUS BOSTON 1. June 2 at Los Angeles: The Lakers came into the Finals fresh. They swept Seattle in the Western Conference Finals, while Boston battled a tough Detroit Pistons team over seven games to get to the Finals. They then had to travel across the country to open the NBA Finals in LA. The Lakers came into this game with a 12–1 postseason record, and continued their dominance with a 126–113 win against a weary Boston team. Los Angeles scored the game’s first nine points, limited Larry Bird to only two points in the first quarter, and used their fast break to destroy the Celtics. Midway through the second quarter, the Lakers were up by a 51– 30 count after hitting on 60 percent of their shots, and getting off 35 fast breaks, and the game was pretty much over by that point. The Celtics did close the gap to 103–90 in the fourth quarter. Michael Cooper then hit on a free throw and an exciting Coop-a-Loop basket, Byron Scott added a 20-foot jumper that was nothing but net, and any thoughts the Celtics had of pulling this one out were over. James Worthy scored a game-high 33 points, and Magic Johnson had 29 points, 13 assists, and eight rebounds.13 2. June 4 at Los Angeles: Robert Parrish came out strong for the Celtics. He scored 12 points and outrebounded the entire LA team seven to six in the first quarter. Despite Parrish’s effort, the Lakers still were on top at the end of the first quarter by a 38–

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ONE : THE SEASONS 34 count. The Lakers held a 47–42 lead midway through the second quarter. They then ran off 28 of the game’s next 42 points for a huge 75–46 halftime lead. In an attempt to stop Magic Johnson, the Lakers had to go to other weapons, and Michael Cooper responded to the challenge. On a 20–10 run, Cooper either scored or dished out an assist on every point. His eight assists in one quarter tied an NBA Finals record. Cooper then set a playoff record by connecting on six of seven three-pointers. The Celtics came rallied to close a 22-point deficit to 14 late in the third quarter, but Cooper sank a three-pointer to thwart any other threats. The Forum crowd of 17,505 began to chant “Sweep!, Sweep!” as the clock ticked away the final portion of a 141–122 LA victory. The Lakers were definitely on fire, scoring 267 points in two games. Byron Scott scored a team-high 24 points, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar added 23 points, and Magic Johnson scored 22 points and handed out 20 assists.14 3. June 7 at Boston: In the middle of the second quarter, the Lakers jumped out to a 39–30 lead. Boston then had good passing, and their shots began to hit the basket. Throughout the rest of the second quarter, the Celtics shot an incredible 81 percent, hitting on 17 of 21 attempts from the field to take a 60– 56 lead at the half. The Lakers crept back to within five points off the lead at 106–101 with 2:35 left. Thirty seconds later, Kevin McHale rebounded a Dennis Johnson miss and put it in to extend the Celtics’ advantage to a more comfortable seven points, and they went on to win, 109–103. This victory gave the Celtics a near perfect 85–2 record over the last 87 games in Boston Garden, and this was the 320th straight sell out in the legendary venue. Larry Bird led the Celtics with 30 points and 12 rebounds, while Magic Johnson scored 32 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and handed out nine assists. One of the unsung heroes for the Celtics was back up center Greg Kite. Kite entered the game in the first quarter after Robert Parrish got into foul trouble. Kite played 20 minutes, and though he did not score a single point, his contribution of nine rebounds proved huge in the absence of Parrish.15 4. June 9 at Boston: The Celtics gained control early with a balanced attack that saw them outrebound the Lakers and get four players to score in the double figures. The result was a 55– 47 Boston lead at the half. They increased it to a 16-point advantage with Larry Bird hitting for 12 points in the third quarter. The Lakers then staged a comeback that had them cut the Boston lead to 85–78 at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Los Angeles made it all the way back when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sent a skyhook through the rim to tie the game at 95–95 with 5:30 left to play. Over the next two minutes, the Celtics went on an 8–0 run, sparked by a pair of layups off the fast break and a solid defensive effort, to take a 103–95 lead into the final three minutes. Free throws by Mychal Thompson and Jabbar, mixed with a basket from Michael Cooper, got the Lakers to within three points. James Worthy then sent a fade-away from 10 feet out over Kevin McHale and Robert Parrish to cut the Boston lead to one. Los Angeles then took their first lead since the early portion of the opening quarter. With 29 seconds remaining, Jabbar scored to put the Lakers up, 104–103. Danny Ainge then found Larry Bird wide open, and Bird answered with a three-pointer to put Boston back on top, 106–104, with 12 seconds to go. The Lakers then took the ball up the court, and Jabbar was fouled and hit on one free throw to cut the deficit to one. Upon Jabbar’s missed free throw on his

ONE : THE SEASONS second attempt, Mychal Thompson and Kevin McHale went to get the loose ball. The ball went out of bounds, and it was ruled that McHale touched the ball last, so possession was given back to the Lakers with only seven seconds left. Magic Johnson took the inbound pass by the left sideline some 20 feet from the rim. Johnson then sent a running hook shot from seven feet away toward the basket that barely got by the hands of McHale and Robert Parrish. The shot found its mark with two seconds left to give the Lakers a 107–106 victory and a 3–1 series lead. This ending added to the already legendary status of Magic Johnson, who finished with 29 points, eight rebounds and five assists. James Worthy added 21 points.16 5. June 11 at Boston: Facing elimination, Boston head coach, K.C. Jones, decided to go to his bench more often in an effort to rest his starters so that they could be fresh down the stretch. The Celtics and Lakers fought to a 25–25 deadlock at the end of the first quarter, but a poor 38 percent from the field hampered the Lakers after that. With the Boston starters coming back in fresh, they took control of the game, and Danny Ainge hit a 40-footer at the buzzer to give Boston a 63–48 halftime advantage. Ainge’s long-range basket served as a prelude for disaster for the Lakers. Los Angeles did challenge twice in the third quarter, cutting the deficit to 79–71 with 4:30 remaining in the period. Once again, the Boston starters came back strong and took control the rest of the way. With the help of four three-pointers, the Celtics entered the fourth quarter with a commanding 96–77 bulge. A Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sky hook got the Lakers as close as 110–99 with four minutes left, but then Robert Parrish and Dennis Johnson scored to up the Boston lead to 116–99, and they went on to win by a very comfortable margin, 123–108. All five Boston starters scored 20 or more points. Dennis Johnson led the way with 25, and Danny Ainge hit on five of six three-point attempts. Magic Johnson led the Lakers with 29 points, and added 12 assists and eight rebounds to his day’s work. The champagne that was brought to Boston in anticipation of a Lakers victory had to be put on hold at least for three days until Game Six back in Los Angeles.17 6. June 14 at Los Angeles: The Lakers showed they had every weapon to be one of the greatest teams in the history of the NBA. With a combination of Hollywood glitz and hard-boiled defense, they clinched their fourth league championship of the decade with a 106–93 victory. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy kept the Lakers close in the first half, combining for 35 of the team’s 51 points. After trailing, 56–51, at the half, the Lakers regrouped and displayed one of the greatest defensive showings in NBA Finals history. Los Angeles got extremely tough in the third quarter, used speed and quickness to disrupt Boston’s flow, and they held the Celtics to a mere 12 points while they scored 30. The Celtics were only able to hit on 30 percent of their shots, and committed 11 turnovers. Meanwhile, the Lakers got off an 18–2 run in the first eight minutes of the third quarter, and built up an 81–68 lead going into the fourth quarter. When the final 12 minutes ticked away second by second, the Forum began to get louder and louder, and when the clock hit 0:00, the Lakers had defeated the Celtics for a second straight time in Finals competition, and in doing so, prevented their Boston nemesis from repeating as champions. Magic Johnson was selected the Finals MVP after he scored 16 points, had 19 assists, and eight rebounds.

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His 96 percent free throw shooting during this series (24 of 25), set an NBA Finals record for a six-game series. As a team, the Lakers set a six-game Finals record by shooting 51 percent from the field. Jabbar’s 32 points led the Lakers in scoring, and Mychal Thompson had 16 points and 10 rebounds off the bench.18

Individual Playoff Statistics Abdul-Jabbar — appeared in 18 games, played 559 minutes (31.1 avg.), scored 345 points (19.2 avg.), had 123 rebounds (6.8 avg.) and 36 assists (2.0 avg.) Branch — appeared in 11 games, played 42 minutes (3.8 avg.), scored 14 points (1.3 avg.), had 10 rebounds (0.9 avg.) and 5 assists (0.5 avg.) Cooper — appeared in 18 games, played 522 minutes (29.0 avg.), scored 234 points (13.0 avg.), had 59 rebounds (3.3 avg.) and 90 assists (5.0 avg.) Green — appeared in 18 games, played 505 minutes (28.1 avg.), scored 207 points (11.5 avg.), had 142 rebounds (7.9 avg.) and 11 assists (0.6 avg.) Johnson — appeared in 18 games, played 666 minutes (37.0 avg.), scored 392 points (21.8 avg.), had 139 rebounds (7.7 avg.) and 219 assists (12.2 avg.) Matthews — appeared in 12 games, played 61 minutes (5.1 avg.), scored 28 points (2.3 avg.), had 4 rebounds (0.3 avg.) and 9 assists (0.8 avg.) Rambis — appeared in 17 games, played 215 minutes (12.6 avg.), scored 79 points (4.6 avg.), had 67 rebounds (3.9 avg.) and 9 assists (0.5 avg.) Scott — appeared in 18 games, played 608 minutes (33.8 avg.), scored 266 points (14.8 avg.), had 62 rebounds (3.4 avg.) and 57 assists (3.2 avg.) Smrek — appeared in 10 games, played 33 minutes (3.3 avg.), scored 8 points (0.8 avg.) and had 7 rebounds (0.7 avg.) B. Thompson — appeared in 3 games, played 27 minutes (9.0 avg.), scored 14 points (4.7 avg.), had 6 rebounds (2.0 avg.) and 2 assists (0.7 avg.) M. Thompson — appeared in18 games, played 401 minutes (22.3 avg.), scored 158 points (8.8 avg.), had 88 rebounds (4.9 avg.) and 9 assists (0.5 avg.) Worthy — appeared in 18 games, played 681 minutes (37.8 avg.), scored 425 points (23.6 avg.), had 101 rebounds (5.6 avg.) and 63 assists (3.5 avg.)

1987-88 Head Coach: Pat Riley Assistant Coaches: Bill Bertka, Randy Pfund Regular Season Record: 62–20 (best record in the NBA) 1st place in the NBA Pacific Division (finished in first place by nine games) Scored 112.8 points per game to rank 5th out of 23 teams Allowed 107.0 points per game to rank 11th

Review Head coach Pat Riley guaranteed a repeat championship for Los Angeles, and the team looked to make good on the promise. They appeared headed in the right direction by finishing with the best record in the league, which allowed them to claim a seventh consecutive division title.

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Gone from the Previous Season Adrian Branch — traded to New Jersey on November 5, 1987 Frank Brickowski — traded to San Antonio on February 13, 1987

Regular Season Individual Statistics 33 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — Center — 7-2, 225 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 2,308 minutes (28.9 avg.), made 480 of 903 field goal attempts (.532%) and 205 of 269 free throws (.762%) for 1,165 points (14.6 avg.), had 478 rebounds (6.0 avg.) and 135 assists (1.7 avg.) 19 — Tony Campbell — Forward/Guard — 6-7, 215 lbs., appeared in 13 games, played 242 minutes (18.6 avg.), made 57 of 101 field goal attempts (.564%) and 28 of 39 free throws (.718%) for 143 points (11.0 avg.), had 27 rebounds (2.1 avg.) and 15 assists (1.2 avg.) 21— Michael Cooper — Guard/Forward — 6-5, 170 lbs., appeared in 61 games, played 1,793 minutes (29.4 avg.), made 189 of 482 field goal attempts (.392%), 97 of 113 free throws (.858%) for 532 points (8.7 avg.), 228 rebounds (3.7 avg.) and 289 assists (4.7 avg.) 45 — A.C. Green — Forward/Center — 6-9, 220 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,636 minutes (32.1 avg.), made 322 of 640 field goal attempts (.503%), 293 of 379 free throws (.773%) for 937 points (11.4 avg.), had 710 rebounds (8.7 avg.) and 93 assists (1.1 avg.) 32 — Magic Johnson — Guard/Forward — 6-8, 215 lbs., appeared in 72 games, played 2,637 minutes (36.6 avg.), made 490 of 996 field goal attempts (.492%) and 417 of 489 free throws (.853%) for 1,408 points (19.6 avg.), had 449 rebounds (6.2 avg.) and 858 assists (11.9 avg.) 3 — Jeff Lamp — Forward/Guard — 6-6, 195 lbs., appeared in 3 games, played 7 minutes (2.3 avg.), made 2 of 2 free throws (1.000%) for 2 points (0.7 avg.) 1— Wes Matthews — Guard — 6-1, 170 lbs., appeared in 51 games, played 706 minutes (13.8 avg.), made 114 of 248 field goal attempts (.460%) and 54 of 65 free throws (.831%) for 289 points (5.7 avg.), had 66 rebounds (1.3 avg.) and 138 assists (2.7 avg.) 31— Kurt Rambis — Forward — 6-8, 213 lbs., appeared in 70 games, played 845 minutes (12.1 avg.), made 102 of 186 field goal attempts (.548%) and 73 of 93 free throws (.785%) for 277 points (4.0 avg.), had 268 rebounds (3.8 avg.) and 54 assists (0.8 avg.) 4 — Byron Scott — Guard — 6-3, 195 lbs., appeared in 81 games, played 3,048 minutes (37.6 avg.), made 710 of 1,348 field goal attempts (.527%) and 272 of 317 free throws (.858%) for 1,754 points (21.7 avg.), had 333 rebounds (4.1 avg.) and 335 assists (4.1 avg.) 52 — Mike Smrek — Center — 7-0, 250 lbs., appeared in 48 games, played 421 minutes (8.8 avg.), made 44 of 103 field goal attempts (.427%) and 44 of 66 free throws (.667%) for 132 points (2.8 avg.), had 85 rebounds (1.8 avg.) and 8 assists (0.2 avg.) 55 — Billy Thompson — Forward — 6-7, 195 lbs., appeared in 9 games, played 38 minutes (4.2 avg.), made 3 of 13 field goal attempts (.231%) and 8 of 10 free throws (.800%) for 14 points (1.6 avg.), had 9 rebounds (1.0 avg.) and 1 assist (0.1 avg.) 43 — Mychal Thompson — Center/Forward — 6-10, 226 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 2,007 minutes (25.1 avg.), made 370 of 722 field goal attempts (.512%) and 185 of 292 free throws (.634%), had 489 rebounds (6.1 avg.) and 66 assists (0.8 avg.) 34 — Ray Tolbert — Forward — 6-9, 225 lbs., appeared in 14 games, played 82 minutes (5.9 avg.), made 16 of 28 field goal attempts (.571%) and 10 of 13 free throws (.769%) for 42 points (3.0 avg.), had 20 rebounds (1.4 avg.) and 5 assists (0.4 avg.) 20—Milt Wagner—Guard—6-5, 185 lbs., appeared in 40 games, played 380 minutes (9.5 avg.), made 62 of 147 field goal attempts (.422%) and 26 of 29 free throws (.897%) for 152 points (3.8 avg.), had 28 rebounds (0.7 avg.) and 61 assists (1.5 avg.) 42 — James Worthy — Forward — 6-9, 225 lbs., appeared in 75 games, played 2,655 minutes (35.4 avg.), made 617 of 1,161 field goal attempts (.531%) and 242 of 304 free throws (.796%) for 1,478 points (19.7 avg.), had 374 rebounds (5.0 avg.) and 289 assists (3.9 avg.)

ONE : THE SEASONS

League Leaders Magic Johnson — assists (3rd), assists per game (2nd)

All-NBA Magic Johnson —1st team selection

All-Defensive Team Michael Cooper —1st team selection

All-Star Game Selections Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, James Worthy

Regular Season Highlights Dec. 2 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar records his 787th straight game of scoring in double figures in a 117–104 loss to Portland. The streak came to an end two days later against his old team, the Milwaukee Bucks. April 20— Magic Johnson hands out 23 assists in a 114–107 victory over Dallas.

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND VERSUS SAN ANTONIO 1. April 29 at Los Angeles: The Lakers began their quest of being the first team since 1969 to repeat as champions with a 122– 110 win. After beating San Antonio in all five regular season meetings, the Lakers looked to extend that streak with the help of a 20–7 run in the first five and a half minutes of the second quarter. After building a 60–49 halftime lead, the Lakers cruised from there, with James Worthy leading the way with 22 points, and Kurt Rambis scoring a personal career playoff-best 19 points. Also finishing with 19 points for the Lakers were Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Byron Scott.1 2. May 1 at Los Angeles: After starting off slow, and trailing by 14 points, the Lakers began to connect and won, 130–112. Los Angeles came out shooting only 34.5 percent in the first quarter, but then hit on nearly 67 percent of their attempts the rest of the way. Allowing the Lakers to finish with a convincing decision was a 29–9 run in the final six minutes of the third quarter, and the first minute of the fourth, to put them in control at 100–83. Mychal Thompson scored 29 points, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 20, and the Lakers also received tremendous support off the bench from A.C. Green, who in a mere 24 minutes of work, finished with 12 points and nine rebounds.2 3. May 3 at San Antonio: The Lakers advanced to the next round with a 109–107 win, with Magic Johnson’s 25-point, 11assist performance and Mychal Thompson’s 23 points pacing the attack. The Spurs were up, 99–97, before Michael Cooper connected on a three-point shot that gave Los Angeles a 100–97 lead with 6:41 to go in the fourth quarter. San Antonio tied the game

ONE : THE SEASONS two minutes later at 102–102, and then “Big Game” James Worthy scored to put the Lakers in the lead for good.3

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS VERSUS UTAH 1. May 8 at Los Angeles: The Los Angeles defense started out this series leading the way. Utah was held to eight points, which was the lowest amount ever scored in one quarter throughout playoff history. The Lakers led 24–8 at the end of the first quarter, and then went on a 17–7 run over the first five minutes of the second period to going into the second half in total control with a 43–22 advantage. In the end, the Lakers prevailed, 110– 91, with James Worthy (23 points), and Magic Johnson (19 points) leading the way.4 2. May 10 at Los Angeles: The Utah Jazz’s visits to the Forum over the course of their previous 33 games were not that pleasant. They lost 31 of them, and were just coming off a convincing defeat. The odds were not on their side, but with Karl Malone’s 29 points, and a solid defensive effort, Utah evened the series up with a 101–97 win. The Jazz never fell behind by more than three points, and never looked back after Malone dunked with 4:37 left in the opening period. The Lakers made things interesting by connecting on four three-pointers in the span of one minute and 10 seconds, but it was not enough to keep their 13game home playoff-winning streak alive.5 3. May 13 at Utah: The Jazz kept their swagger going upon returning to the friendly confines of Salt Lake City by taking a 2–1 series lead with a 96–89 victory. Karl Malone finished with 29 points, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was held to six points. This was the first time in two years that the Lakers fell behind in a playoff series.6 4. May 15 at Utah: The Lakers evened the series up with the odds stacked against them coming into this game. Magic Johnson was hampered by some minor injuries, and James Worthy was having trouble finding the basket. However, these future Hall of Famers worked through their woes and got out of Utah with a 113–100 victory. Los Angeles fell behind by nine points three minutes into the third quarter. They then went on a 28–11 run that permanently gave the Lakers the lead. Worthy recovered from his shooting slump by scoring a team-high 29 points, and Johnson had 24. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar turned in a solid performance with 20 points and 11 rebounds.7 5. May 17 at Los Angeles: What a difference four days make. The Lakers were down 2–1 in the series, and four days later they were back in control thanks to a 111–109 win that brought them one game away from advancing to the next playoff round. Trailing 109–108 with 12 seconds left in the game, Michael Cooper scored on his only field goal of the game to put Los Angeles up by one point with seven seconds to go. James Worthy then picked off Utah’s inbounds pass and was fouled in the process. He sank one of his two free throws for the final point of the game.8 6. May 19 at Utah: With an impressive 108–80 victory, the Jazz forced this series to a seventh and deciding game. This 28point margin of defeat was the fourth worst in Lakers playoff history, and was led by Karl Malone (27 points) and Bobby Hansen (25 points). Byron Scott led the Lakers with 16 points. Utah took an 8–7 lead with just over eight minutes left in the first quarter,

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1987-88 and they never gave it up. They extended it to 31–13 at the end of the opening period, and had a 50–30 second quarter advantage when Los Angeles attempted to make a game of it. The Lakers went on a 10–2 run after Utah suffered from turnovers and missed shot opportunities. The Jazz then stormed back to build go into the half with a 56–42 lead.9 7. May 21 at Los Angeles: Utah’s visions of eliminating the defending NBA champions were put to rest, as the Lakers won, 109–98, behind Byron Scott’s 29 points, and the brilliant play of Magic Johnson. Johnson rose to the occasion by doing whatever was needed, which was nothing new for the floor general. Whether leading the fast-break, forcefully driving to the basket, or handing out assists, Magic was at his best. He finished with 23 points and 16 assists, and James Worthy hit for 23 points. The Lakers got out to a good first half lead, and prevented the Jazz from attempting a rally by playing solid defense and utilizing their incredible fast-break offense. This was the first time since 1977 that the Lakers won a playoff series that went the full seven games.10

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS VERSUS DALLAS 1. May 23 at Los Angeles: The Lakers took their first step toward another Western Conference title with a 113–98 win. Los Angeles opened up a 41–32 lead with three minutes expired in the second quarter. Dallas then went on a whopping 15–1 run to take a 47–42 lead with 4:22 left in the first half. Kareem AbdulJabbar jump-started the Lakers with a skyhook that got Los Angeles going on an 8–0 run that helped them take a 52–49 lead at the half. Los Angeles turned up their “Showtime” running attack in the third quarter, which opened up a 76–63 lead with 2:29 left in the period. Dallas cut the deficit to nine before the Lakers went back up by 15 and never felt pressure after that. James Worthy scored 28 points, Byron Scott 23, and Magic Johnson 19 to pace the Lakers.11 2. May 25 at Los Angeles: Led by Byron Scott’s 30 points, the Lakers coasted to a 123–101 win to take a 2–0 series lead. Twenty-one of Scott’s points came in the first half, which helped Los Angeles build a 59–48 advantage. The Lakers then upped their bulge to 72–56 at the beginning of the second half and they were in control from there.12 3. May 27 at Dallas: A change of venue was just what the Mavericks needed to overcome losses in the first two games by big margins. With Mark Aguirre scoring a game-high 23 points, Dallas won, 106–94, to give them their first playoff victory over Los Angeles in two years. Roy Tarpley also had a big game for Dallas with 21 points and 20 rebounds.13 4. May 29 at Dallas: Dallas wanted to earn respect in the matchup with the Lakers. They were quickly beginning to receive it, evening the series up with a 118–104 victory. Derek Harper was able to hit from anywhere on the court, and he finished with a career playoff-best 35 points. Mark Aguirre added 26 for Dallas. This game was a back-and-forth struggle well into the fourth quarter. Los Angeles led, 95–92, with 7:36 to go. Los Angeles then went cold during the following three and a half minutes, and Dallas capitalized by getting off a 10–0 run to produce some breathing room.14 5. May 31 at Los Angeles: Back in the City of Angels, the Lakers made it a series of home court advantage by beating Dallas

1987-88 convincingly, 119–102. The Mavericks hung tough in the first quarter, but then the Lakers got out to double-figure leads on multiple occasions. James Worthy paced the Los Angeles attack with 28 points and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar added 21. Dallas got out to a 10–4 lead with three minutes expired in the game. Momentum then swung drastically from that point on, as the Lakers got off on a 15–0 run. The Mavericks came back to close the deficit to 33–27 at the end of the first period, but by the third quarter, Los Angeles had built their lead to 23 points and coasted from there.15 6. June 2 at Dallas: A visit back to Dallas’ Reunion Arena meant only one thing in this series, and that was a Mavericks’ victory. Led by Mark Aguirre’s 23 points, and Rolando Blackman’s 22, the Mavericks forced a seventh and deciding game with a slim 105–103 win. Late in the game, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar nailed a skyhook to bring the Lakers to within two at 102–100. Aguirre then snagged an offensive rebound and laid it in to secure the win.16 7. June 4 at Los Angeles: The Mavericks never beat the Lakers at the Forum in a playoff game up to this stage of their existence, and that streak remained intact. With James Worthy scoring on bank shots and dazzling one-handed dunks, his 28 points paced the Lakers to a 117–102 win that gave Los Angeles the opportunity to be the first team to repeat as NBA champions since 1969. Worthy scored 14 of his points in the third quarter when Dallas was still hot on their heels. He scored two baskets within 15 seconds of each other to put Los Angeles up, 58–52, and rang up another bucket after he tipped the ball in to break a 63–63 tie. Magic Johnson added 24 points and Byron Scott 21. As a team, the Lakers set a playoff record of 53.4 shooting percentage over a seven-game series.17

NBA FINALS VERSUS DETROIT 1. June 7 at Los Angeles: The Lakers quest of being the first team since 1969 to repeat as champion hit a snag in the opener. In Detroit’s first experience in the NBA Finals, they shocked Los Angeles, 105–93, in front of a sold out Forum crowd for their fifth road playoff victory out of the last six. This marked the first time in three previous tries that the Pistons beat the Lakers, and the first time in seven years that Los Angeles lost the first game of a series played at the Forum. In the first half, the Pistons shot 61 percent, while the Lakers only connected on 34 percent of their attempts from the field. Detroit got out to an 8–0 lead, and increased it to a 57–40 advantage at the half. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was struggling in the first half, hitting for only four points, and James Worthy was hampered by a hip injury. However, Worthy came back into the game after the Lakers’ medical staff applied padding to protect his hip. It seemed to do the trick, because he scored 11 points after returning to action. The Lakers rallied to cut the deficit to single digits in the closing 1:22 of the fourth quarter, but Detroit then answered with five straight points to secure the win. Adrian Dantley led the game with 34 points. For the Lakers, Magic Johnson had 28 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds, and Byron Scott added 25 points.18 2. June 9 at Los Angeles: With the exception of their opening game defeat in the Finals, the Lakers averaged 108 points during the 1988 postseason. They got back on track in this game,

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ONE : THE SEASONS and scored their average in a 108–96 win that evened the series up. The Lakers took a 25–20 lead at the end of the first quarter, and went into the locker room at the half up, 49–39. The Lakers were up by 12 points in the second half, but Detroit rallied back to cut the deficit to 93–90 with three minutes left. Los Angeles then went on a 6–2 run to preserve the win. Despite a sore hip and knee, James Worthy came through with 26 points. Byron Scott connected on two three-pointer in the game and finished with 25 points. Magic Johnson, fighting off the effects of the flu, was scoreless in the first quarter, but came back strong, finishing with 22 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds.19 3. June 12 at Detroit: The Lakers returned to their original place of birth back in 1946 as the Detroit Gems. Forty-two years later, the Lakers of Los Angeles turned in a gem of a game, winning, 99–86, to take a 2–1 series lead. They also spoiled the city of Detroit’s first time hosting an NBA Finals game. Michigan native Magic Johnson came back home and scored 18 points, dished out 14 assists, and grabbed six rebounds in 40 minutes while still trying to shake off the flu he suffered with during the previous game. With over 39,000 fans inside the steamy hot Pontiac Silverdome, the Lakers had a slim 47–46 lead at the half. They then exploded at the beginning of the third quarter, with James Worthy scoring eight straight points. At the end of the same period, Los Angeles went on a 7–0 run to outscore the Pistons, 31–18, in the third quarter, and held a 72–58 advantage. While the Lakers hit on 57 percent of their shot attempts in the second half, and had their fast break clicking, Detroit only had a 34 percent success rate. James Worthy finished with a team-high 24 points and nine rebounds, and A.C. Green added 21 points and eight rebounds.20 4. June 14 at Detroit: The Pistons won their first-ever home game in NBA Finals competition by a convincing 111–86 final count. After the Lakers took an early lead, the Pistons came back to take a 58–51 halftime advantage. They outscored the Lakers in every quarter, and won the battle of the boards, 48–34. In this series-tying win, Detroit took advantage of Magic Johnson’s extended hiatus in the third quarter after the Lakers’ floor leader sat down due to having four fouls called on him. With Magic looking on as a spectator, the Pistons got off a 13–4 run midway through the third quarter, and used it to produce an 83–65 lead going into the final stanza. Magic finished with 23 points, six assists, and four rebounds in 34 minutes.21 5. June 16 at Detroit: The Pistons were on the verge of preventing the Lakers from becoming repeat champions after taking a 3–2 series lead with a 104–94 victory. In what was the final Pistons’ game ever played at the Pontiac Silverdome, Adrian Dantley scored 25 points to help Detroit overcome an early run by Los Angeles. The Lakers got out to a 12–0 lead right from the opening tipoff, and increased it to 15–2. The Pistons did not get rattled, and with time on their side, they knocked the deficit down to 30–27 by the end of the first quarter. Detroit finally overtook the Lakers with 7:18 left in the first half when Dantley hit for three points, and they increased their advantage to 59–50 going into the third quarter. Los Angeles narrowed the gap to 90–84 on a three-pointer by Byron Scott with 6:40 left in the fourth quarter. Detroit answered with baskets from Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars to go up by 10. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led all scorers with 26 points.22 6. June 19 at Los Angeles: By the slimmest of margins, the

ONE : THE SEASONS Lakers dreams of repeating as champions were kept alive when they won, 103–102, in front of a sold out Forum crowd. The Pistons got out to a 26–20 lead at the end of the first quarter, but Los Angeles roared back to outscore Detroit, 33–20, in the second period to take a 53–46 halftime lead. With the Lakers up, 56– 48, in the third quarter, Isiah Thomas kicked his already fantastic abilities up a notch. He scored Detroit’s next 14 points to cut the LA bulge down to six with five minutes left in the third quarter. Thomas then injured an ankle, but despite obvious pain, he forged on. With 3:44 left in the third period, the Lakers were holding an eight-point lead. Thomas then connected on 11 of his team’s next 15 points to give him an NBA Finals record of 25 scored in one quarter. His brilliant showing also allowed Detroit to take an 81–79 lead. The fourth quarter was a close battle between one franchise looking for its first league title, and the other looking to become the first in 17 years to repeat as champion. With 1:17 remaining in the game, Thomas nailed a jump shot for his 43rd point, which gave Detroit a 100–99 advantage. A James Worthy layup was blocked by defensive expert Dennis Rodman, and Joe Dumars then sank two free throws on Detroit’s next trip down the court to extend Detroit’s lead to 102–99 with 60 seconds to go. Byron Scott hit a 14-foot jumper with 45 seconds left to cut the Detroit lead to one. Thomas then missed on a rare occasion, and Worthy secured the rebound with 27 ticks left on the clock. Byron Scott got the ball to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and as he attempted his famed skyhook, his counterpart, Bill Laimbeer, committed his sixth personal foul. The Lakers’ captain then went to the foul line, and sank both free throws to give Los Angeles a 103–102 lead with 14 seconds remaining. Dumars missed a shot that Scott retrieved for the Lakers, who was then pushed out of bounds by Dennis Rodman. After Rodman’s action also caused a brawl, tempers were cooled and Byron Scott went to the foul line, but he missed both free throw attempts. However, those points were not needed, as Detroit sent an ill-fated rocket toss from midcourt as the buzzer sounded to even the series up and force a seventh and deciding game.23 7. June 21 at Los Angeles: The Fabulous Forum was the site of many incredible basketball moments for the Lakers. On this day, against a scrappy Detroit team, another chapter was added to the franchise’s stellar heritage, as they became the first team since 1969 to win back-to-back NBA championships. After falling behind 52–47 at the half, the Lakers nailed their first 10 shots of the second half to go on a 23–7 run. Byron Scott led the Lakers’ third quarter assault with 14 points. As a team, Los Angeles hit a sizzling 74 percent of their shots during the third quarter to take an 83–73 advantage into the fourth quarter. With 7:20 left in the game, a Mychal Thompson jumper increased the LA bulge to 94–79. Detroit was a tough, never-say-die group, and was hungry for their first NBA title. They refused to go away without a fight, and over the next five minutes, they went on a 19–6 run to cut the deficit to 100–98 with just over two minutes left to play. With 1:17 to go, Joe Dumars scored on a jumper to make it a 102–100 LA advantage. Magic Johnson was fouled by Dennis Rodman, and he hit a free throw to put Los Angeles now up by three. After both teams committed turnovers, Rodman missed a jump shot with 40 seconds remaining. Byron Scott grabbed the rebound and was fouled in the process. Scott hit both free throws to increase the Lakers’ lead to 105–100. Over the course of the

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next few possessions, Dumars scored on a layup, James Worthy sank a free throw, and Bill Laimbeer hit a 28-footer for three points, which cut Detroit’s deficit to 106–105 with only six seconds left. Magic Johnson then sent a heave toward A. C. Green, who laid it in for the final points of the season, and more importantly, it gave the Lakers a 108–105 win. James Worthy once again lived up to his moniker of “Big Game James.” He finished this deciding game with a triple-double consisting of 36 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists, for one of the greatest performances in NBA Finals’ history. For his incredible effort, Worthy was rightfully named the NBA Finals MVP award. With this victory, the Lakers clinched their fifth NBA championship of the 1980s to firmly establish themselves as the team of the decade, and one of the greatest teams the game has ever produced. This was also the Lakers’ first Game Seven victory in their NBA Finals appearances since their Minneapolis days, when the team won in 1954. After moving to Los Angeles, the Lakers were 0–5 in NBA Finals that went the full seven games until this dramatic series ended the drought.24

Individual Playoff Statistics Abdul-Jabbar — appeared in 24 games, played 718 minutes (29.9 avg.), scored 338 points (14.1 avg.), had 131 rebounds (5.5 avg.) and 36 assists (1.5 avg.) Campbell — appeared in 15 games, played 94 minutes (6.3 avg.), scored 47 points (3.1 avg.), had 10 rebounds (0.7 avg.) and 5 assists (0.3 avg.) Cooper — appeared in 24 games, played 588 minutes (24.5 avg.), scored 153 points (6.4 avg.), had 58 rebounds (2.4 avg.) and 66 assists (2.8 avg.) Green — appeared in 24 games, played 726 minutes (30.3 avg.), scored 239 points (10.0 avg.), had 175 rebounds (7.3 avg.) and 20 assists (0.8 avg.) Johnson—appeared in 24 games, played 965 minutes (40.2 avg.), scored 477 points (19.9 avg.), had 130 rebounds (5.4 avg.) and 303 assists (12.6 avg.) Matthews — appeared in 10 games, played 27 minutes (2.7 avg.), scored 12 points (1.2 avg.), had 1 rebound (0.1 avg.) and 2 assists (0.2 avg.) Rambis — appeared in 19 games, played 186 minutes (9.8 avg.), scored 51 points (2.7 avg.), had 51 rebounds (2.7 avg.) and 9 assists (0.5 avg.) Scott — appeared in 24 games, played 897 minutes (37.4 avg.), scored 470 points (19.6 avg.), had 100 rebounds (4.2 avg.) and 60 assists (2.5 avg.) Smrek — appeared in 8 games, played 34 minutes (4.3 avg.), scored 3 points (0.4 avg.) and had 6 rebounds (0.8 avg.) Thompson — appeared in 24 games, played 615 minutes (25.6 avg.), scored 232 points (9.7 avg.), had 170 rebounds (7.1 avg.) and 12 assists (0.5 avg.) Wagner — appeared in 5 games, played 14 minutes (2.8 avg.), scored 6 points (1.2 avg.), had 2 rebounds (0.4 avg.) and 3 assists (0.6 avg.) Worthy — appeared in 24 games, played 896 minutes (37.3 avg.), scored 506 points (21.1 avg.), had 139 rebounds (5.8 avg.) and 106 assists (4.4 avg.)

1988-89 Head Coach: Pat Riley Assistant Coaches: Bill Bertka, Randy Pfund Regular Season Record: 57–25 1st place in the NBA Pacific Division (finished in first place by two games)

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Scored 114.7 points per game to rank 5th out of 25 teams Allowed 107.5 points per game to rank 8th

Review All legends eventually have to retire from the game they love. Prior to this season, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar announced his plans to finish his illustrious career at the conclusion of the year. Throughout the league, the other NBA franchises paid homage to one of the game’s all-time greats. The two-time defending champs were still the toast of the pro circuit, and their dominance through the 1980s gave them the distinction of being “Team of the Decade.”

Gone from the Previous Season Wes Matthews — released Kurt Rambis—became free agent and signed with the Charlotte Hornets on July 28, 1988 Mike Smrek — traded to San Antonio on November 2, 1988 Billy Thompson — taken by Miami in the expansion draft on June 23, 1988 Ray Tolbert — waived by the Lakers on March 14, 1988 Milt Wagner — waived by the Lakers on October 24, 1988

ONE : THE SEASONS 43 — Mychal Thompson — Center/Forward — 6-10, 226 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 1,994 minutes (24.9 avg.), made 291 of 521 field goal attempts (.559%) and 156 of 230 free throws (.678%) for 738 points (9.2 avg.), had 467 rebounds (5.8 avg.) and 48 assists (0.6 avg.) 0—Orlando Woolridge—Forward—6-9, 215 lbs., appeared in 74 games, played 1,491 minutes (20.1 avg.), made 231 of 494 field goal attempts (.468%) and 253 of 343 free throws (.738%) for 715 points (9.7 avg.), had 270 rebounds (3.6 avg.) and 58 assists (0.8 avg.) 42 — James Worthy — Forward — 6-9, 225 lbs., appeared in 81 games, played 2,960 minutes (36.5 avg.), made 702 of 1,282 field goal attempts (.548%) and 251 of 321 free throws (.782%) for 1,657 points (20.5 avg.), had 489 rebounds (6.0 avg.) and 288 assists (3.6 avg.)

League Leaders Magic Johnson — free throws made (5th), free throw percentage (5th), assists (3rd), assists per game (2nd) James Worthy —field goal percentage (5th)

All-NBA Magic Johnson —1st team selection

All-Defensive Team A.C. Green — 2nd team selection

Regular Season Individual Statistics 33 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — Center — 7-2, 225 lbs., appeared in 74 games, played 1,695 minutes (22.9 avg.), made 313 of 659 field goal attempts (.475%) and 122 of 165 free throws (.739%) for 748 points (10.1 avg.), had 334 rebounds (4.5 avg.) and 74 assists (1.0 avg.) 19 — Tony Campbell — Forward/Guard — 6-7, 215 lbs., appeared in 63 games, played 787 minutes (12.5 avg.), made 158 of 345 field goal attempts (.458%) and 70 of 83 free throws (.843%) for 388 points (6.2 avg.), had 130 rebounds (2.1 avg.) and 47 assists (0.7 avg.) 21— Michael Cooper — Guard/Forward — 6-5, 170 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 1,943 minutes (24.3 avg.), made 213 of 494 field goal attempts (.431%) and 81 of 93 free throws (.871%) for 587 points (7.3 avg.), had 191 rebounds (2.4 avg.) and 314 assists (3.9 avg.) 45 — A.C. Green — Forward/Center — 6-9, 220 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,510 minutes (30.6 avg.), made 401 of 758 field goal attempts (.529%) and 282 of 359 free throws (.786%) for 1,088 points (13.3 avg.), had 739 rebounds (9.0 avg.) and 103 assists (1.3 avg.) 32 — Magic Johnson — Guard/Forward — 6-8, 215 lbs., appeared in 77 games, played 2,886 minutes (37.5 avg.), made 579 of 1,137 field goal attempts (.509%) and 513 of 563 free throws (.911%) for 1,730 points (22.5 avg.), had 607 rebounds (7.9 avg.) and 988 assists (12.8 avg.) 3 — Jeff Lamp — Forward/Guard — 6-6, 195 lbs., appeared in 37 games, played 176 minutes (4.8 avg.), made 27 of 69 field goal attempts (.391%) and 4 of 5 free throws (.800%) for 60 points (1.6 avg.), had 34 rebounds (0.9 avg.) and 15 assists (0.4 avg.) 31— Mark McNamara — Center/Forward — 6-11, 235 lbs., appeared in 39 games, played 318 minutes (8.2 avg.), made 32 of 64 field goal attempts (.500%) and 49 of 78 free throws (.628%) for 113 points (2.9 avg.), had 100 rebounds (2.6 avg.) and 10 assists (0.3 avg.) 14—David Rivers—Guard—6-0, 170 lbs., appeared in 47 games, played 440 minutes (9.4 avg.), made 49 of 122 field goal attempts (.402%) and 35 of 42 free throws (.833%) for 134 points (2.9 avg.), had 43 rebounds (0.9 avg.) and 106 assists (2.3 avg.) 4 — Byron Scott — Guard — 6-3, 195 lbs., appeared in 74 games, played 2,605 minutes (35.2 avg.), made 588 of 1,198 field goal attempts (.491%) and 195 of 226 free throws (.863%) for 1,448 points (19.6 avg.), had 302 rebounds (4.1 avg.) and 231 assists (3.1 avg.)

All-Star Game Selections Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, James Worthy

NBA Most Valuable Player Award Magic Johnson

Regular Season Highlights Nov. 9 to Jan. 20— The Lakers roll to 17 straight home victories at the Fabulous Forum. The streak started with a 128–110 win over Denver, and went to a January 20, 1989, victory against Dallas. Four days later, the New York Knicks ended the streak with a 122–117 win. Dec. 6 — Magic Johnson records 21 assists in a 111–102 win against the Los Angeles Clippers. March 20— Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s famous #33 is retired by the Lakers. April 1— Magic Johnson hauls in 16 defensive rebounds in a 114–108 overtime loss to Denver. April 23 — In the Lakers’ final regular season game, Magic Johnson hands out 21 assists in a 121–117 victory against Seattle.

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND VERSUS PORTLAND 1. April 27 at Los Angeles: Magic Johnson began the Lakers’ quest to “three-peat” by scoring 30 points and dishing out 16

ONE : THE SEASONS assists in a convincing 128–108 victory. Byron Scott added 29 points, and Mychal Thompson came off the bench to pump in 20. The Lakers were in command from early on. Portland did close to within five points of the lead midway through the third quarter, but Los Angeles then got off a 20–6 run to take a 95– 76 advantage into the fourth quarter.1 2. April 30 at Los Angeles: Magic Johnson scored 20 of his 35 points in the first half to allow the Lakers to take charge of this game. He also handed out 12 assists, and the Lakers prevailed, 113–105. James Worthy chipped in with 18 points, Mychal Thompson 15, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 15.2 3. May 3 at Portland: Portland took a 54–49 lead into the second half, and that was the extent of their highlight reel for this series. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sank nine of his 22 points in the third quarter to help the Lakers take the lead. Byron Scott then hit a three-pointer with 8:20 left in the third quarter to give the Lakers a lead they would not relinquish. Scott finished the game with 25 points, and James Worthy scored 24. The Lakers made it a perfect 18–0 in opening round playoff series since the league began its 16-team postseason arrangement in 1984.3

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS VERSUS SEATTLE 1. May 7 at Los Angeles: Seattle took an 81–80 lead into the fourth quarter. It was then that Magic Johnson and Mychal Thompson took over to produce a 113–102 victory. The Lakers took a lead that they never gave up when Johnson hit a jumper with 9:51 left in the game to ignite a 16–4 run. That surge gave the Lakers a 102–91 lead, and Seattle could not get closer than six points from that point on. Magic scored nine of his 21 points in the fourth, and Thompson 10 of his 16. James Worthy paced the Lakers throughout the game with 28 points and 12 rebounds.4 2. May 10 at Los Angeles: The Lakers scored the game’s first five points, and never fell behind in an easy 130–108 victory. Seattle tried to rally in the third quarter by cutting the deficit to 77–68, but then Los Angeles got off an 18–4 run to take a 95–72 lead into the fourth quarter. James Worthy led the Lakers with 30 points, A. C. Green scored 14 of his 16 points in the third quarter, Magic Johnson added 12 points and 12 assists, and despite a toe injury, Byron Scott chipped in with 16 points.5 3. May 12 at Seattle: The Supersonics made the Lakers work a little harder once the series shifted to Seattle, but Los Angeles still came away with a 91–86 win to take a commanding 3–0 series advantage. The Lakers only sank three baskets in the fourth period, but their ability at the free throw line made the difference. With 7:39 to play, Mychal Thompson scored the Lakers’ final field goal of the game to give Los Angeles an 81–68 lead. Seattle then went on a 12–0 run to cut the deficit to one point with 3:37 left. The final ten points scored by the Lakers came on free throws, with Magic Johnson and Michael Cooper getting four apiece.6 4. May 14 at Seattle: After trailing for a good portion of the game, the Lakers came back to win, 97–95. Not only did this win clinch the series, but it also gave Los Angeles their 12 straight playoff victory over Seattle since 1980. The Lakers struggled in the fourth quarter of their previous game, and their misfortune continued in the opening period of this contest. Los Angeles was only able to put 12 points on the board during the first quarter,

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1988-89 and fell behind by 29 points on two occasions in the second quarter. They were able to chip their deficit down to 54–43 at the half, and cut it down to 73–65 going into the fourth period. Los Angeles eventually made it all the way back and overtook the Supersonics on two Orlando Woolridge free throws to make it 82– 81 with 6:14 remaining in the game. From that point on, Seattle never had the lead again. Magic Johnson led the Lakers’ attack with 17 points and nine assists.7

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS VERSUS PHOENIX 1. May 20 at Los Angeles: The Lakers set an NBA playoff record by winning their 10th straight postseason game going back to the previous season’s Finals. They achieved this feat by beating the Suns, 127–119. The Lakers took a 91–89 lead into the fourth quarter. Nine seconds into the fourth quarter, Phoenix then took their first lead since the early portion of the opening period when a three-point shot by Kevin Johnson put the Suns up, 92–91. With 7:03 to go, the Suns were up, 100–99, until Magic Johnson nailed a 17-foot jumper to give the Lakers the lead for good. James Worthy led the Lakers with 32 points.8 2. May 23 at Los Angeles: Perfection was still on the side of the Lakers, as they won once again, this time, 101–95, with Byron Scott leading the way with 30 points. This marked the 19th straight time going back to 1984 that the Suns left the Forum with a loss. The Suns gave it their best. They led at the half, 55– 51, and held a 68–60 lead with 5:09 remaining in the third quarter. Los Angeles then went on a 30–12 run to take a 90–80 advantage into the final 4:35 of the game. The Suns cut it down to three with 43 seconds left, and then James Worthy scored on a layup with 25 seconds to go. Byron Scott added three free throws and the Lakers walked off the court victorious.9 3. May 26 at Phoenix: The Suns had a 105–104 lead with 38 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Mychal Thompson then went to the foul line and sank two free throws to put the Lakers in the lead. Following his successful free throws, Thompson blocked a shot and got fouled fighting for the rebound. Thompson went back to the foul line with 22 seconds to go, once again nailed both, and Los Angeles was now on top, 108–105. Michael Cooper connected on two free throws with eight seconds left to give the Lakers a 110–107 victory. This marked the first time after three failed attempts during the 1988-89 regular season that the Lakers left Phoenix’s Veterans Memorial Coliseum with a victory. James Worthy led the Lakers’ attack with 29 points.10 4. May 28 at Phoenix: The Lakers scored the first 11 points of the game and took an 89–76 lead into the fourth quarter. With 3:56 to go in the game, they held a 108–98 advantage and then Phoenix rallied back to make things interesting. The Suns cut the deficit to two points with 53 seconds to go. It was then the Lakers free throw shooting that pulled this one out. Michael Cooper and Magic Johnson hit two free throws each to make it 120–114 with 22 seconds remaining. Phoenix’s Kevin Johnson connected on a three-pointer to narrow the gap to three points before Magic sank two more free throws to secure a 122–117 win. With this sweep of the Suns, the Lakers recorded their 16th straight win going back to the regular season and extended their own playoff record of consecutive victories to 13. Five Lakers finished in double-figure scoring, with Byron Scott leading the team with 35 points. Magic

1988-89 Johnson added 21 points and 20 assists, and the Lakers bench provided 31 points, 13 rebounds, and seven blocked shots from the trio of Orlando Woolridge, Michael Cooper, and Mychal Thompson.11

NBA FINALS VERSUS DETROIT 1. June 6 at Detroit: In a rematch of the previous Finals, the Lakers were looking to win an unprecedented third straight NBA championship, while Detroit was still in search of their first. Just like a year earlier, Detroit’s “Bad Boys” captured the series opener, this time with a convincing 109–97 victory. In doing so, the Pistons recorded their 14th straight postseason game of holding an opponent under 100 points. This also brought an end to the Lakers’ 16-game winning streak including the regular season. Detroit never trailed after getting out to a 24–18 lead in the first quarter. They shot 55 percent from the field, and outrebounded Los Angeles 45–32. Detroit’s defense lived up to its reputation as one of the best in the league by holding Magic Johnson to only five points in the second half and 17 overall. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was held to only eight points, and none in the second half.12 2. June 8 at Detroit: Detroit got halfway to winning its first NBA title with a 108–105 victory. The Lakers came into this game hurting. Byron Scott was already hampered with a hamstring injury, and then Magic Johnson suffered one. Los Angeles led at the half, 62–56, and Johnson was leading the charge with 15 points, eight assists, and six rebounds. With 4:41 left in the third quarter, and the score tied at 75–75, Magic fell victim to a hamstring pull. Michael Cooper and Tony Campbell kept the Lakers going without two of their main weapons in Scott and Johnson. The Lakers went on a 17–9 run to extend their lead to 90–84 going into the fourth quarter. The Pistons then went on an 18–3 run at the start of the fourth quarter with a crowd of 21,454 inside the Palace of Auburn Hills. The Detroit defense clamped down on the Lakers, holding them without a field goal until Mychal Thompson scored one with 3:36 remaining. A.C. Green hit two free throws with 32 seconds left to cut the Detroit lead to 106– 104. The Lakers had a chance to tie with eight seconds to go. James Worthy was fouled, and hit his first free throw attempt, but missed the second one. Isiah Thomas then sank two free throws of his own with one second left to secure the win.13 3. June 11 at Los Angeles: The Detroit Pistons continued on their torrid march through the NBA Finals. With a 114–110 victory, the Pistons now had a commanding 3–0 series lead, of which no team has ever comeback from to win throughout Finals history. Magic Johnson attempted to play through his hamstring injury, while Byron Scott was still unable to take the court. However, in the game’s first five minutes, and the Lakers up, 11–8, Johnson was forced to leave after handing out one assist. That was all Magic’s hamstring would allow out of him. The Lakers still carried on like the champions they were, and only trailed the Pistons, 57–55, at the half. They even took an 88–86 lead in to the fourth quarter. The Pistons eventually took over the lead, and were up, 113–108, with 15 seconds left. The Lakers managed to close to within three points when David Rivers sank two free throws. Joe Dumars then lost the ball out of bounds, and possession was returned to Los Angeles with nine seconds left. The Lakers had time for one final play, but Dumars redeemed himself

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ONE : THE SEASONS for losing the ball out of bounds. As Rivers went up for a shot from eight feet away, Dumars swatted the ball away and then got control of it before it had a chance to go out of bounds. Dumars had a fantastic game that saw him lead all scorers with 31 points. In the third quarter, it appeared that he was the only Detroit player going against the Lakers. He scored 17 straight points and 21 overall during the period. Dennis Rodman lived up to his defensive expertise by grabbing 19 rebounds, and Vinnie Johnson scored 17 points, with 13 coming in the final stanza. The Lakers were led by James Worthy’s 26 points, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar turned in another great performance with 24 points and 13 rebounds.14 4. June 13 at Los Angeles: This game marked the end of one tremendous championship run and the dawn of another. The Detroit Pistons knew that history was on their side. No team ever came back from a 3–0 NBA Finals deficit, but if one team could, it would have been the “Showtime” Lakers. Leaving nothing to chance, the Pistons clinched the championship in the minimal amount of games necessary with a 105–97 victory. This game was the climax of the illustrious career of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and the Forum crowd gave the team captain numerous ovations during warm-ups and player introductions. With injuries hampering his teammates, James Worthy stepped up and played his heart out. He connected on 17 of 26 field goal attempts to finish with a game-high 40 points. The Lakers took a 35–23 lead going into the second quarter, but Detroit battled back to take a 55–49 halftime advantage. Los Angeles kept coming and with Worthy carrying the team, they went into the final quarter of the decade up by a 78–76 count. Detroit was not going to let up with so much on the line, and rallied back to take a 100–94 lead with 3:23 left to go. At that time, the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar left the court. The Forum crowd stood up and gave the legend an ovation for all that he had done for the organization through his time in the City of Angels. Jabbar did return for one final curtain call, and with 1:37 remaining, he spun around and nailed a bank shot for the final points of his stellar career. With 47 seconds left on the clock, Jabbar once again headed to the bench with an incredible applause engulfing the Forum. Joe Dumars led the Pistons with 23 points and was named the Finals MVP.15

Individual Playoff Statistics Abdul-Jabbar — appeared in 15 games, played 351 minutes (23.4 avg.), scored 167 points (11.1 avg.), had 59 rebounds (3.9 avg.) and 19 assists (1.3 avg.) Campbell — appeared in 9 games, played 106 minutes (11.8 avg.), scored 56 points (6.2 avg.), had 12 rebounds (1.3 avg.) and 6 assists (0.7 avg.) Cooper — appeared in 15 games, played 414 minutes (27.6 avg.), scored 115 points (7.7 avg.), had 40 rebounds (2.7 avg.) and 71 assists (4.7 avg.) Green — appeared in 15 games, played 502 minutes (33.5 avg.), scored 152 points (10.1 avg.), had 137 rebounds (9.1 avg.) and 18 assists (1.2 avg.) Johnson — appeared in 14 games, played 518 minutes (37.0 avg.), scored 258 points (18.4 avg.), had 83 rebounds (5.9 avg.) and 165 assists (11.8 avg.) Lamp — appeared in 5 games, played 14 minutes (2.8 avg.), scored 7 points (1.4 avg.), had 3 rebounds (0.6 avg.) and 1 assist (0.2 avg.) McNamara — appeared in 3 games, played 7 minutes (2.3 avg.), scored 3 points (0.3 avg.) and had 1 rebound (0.3 avg.)

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Rivers — appeared in 6 games, played 33 minutes (5.5 avg.), scored 15 points (2.5 avg.), had 4 rebounds (0.7 avg.) and 6 assists (1.0 avg.) Scott — appeared in 11 games, played 402 minutes (36.5 avg.), scored 219 points (19.9 avg.), had 45 rebounds (4.1 avg.) and 25 assists (2.3 avg.) Thompson — appeared in 15 games, played 377 minutes (25.1 avg.), scored 171 points (11.4 avg.), had 77 rebounds (5.1 avg.) and 11 assists (0.7 avg.) Woolridge—appeared in 15 games, played 276 minutes (18.4 avg.), scored 122 points (8.1 avg.), had 70 rebounds (4.7 avg.) and 17 assists (1.1 avg.) Worthy — appeared in 15 games, played 600 minutes (40.0 avg.), scored 372 points (24.8 avg.), had 101 rebounds (6.7 avg.) and 42 assists (2.8 avg.)

1989-90 Head Coach: Pat Riley Assistant Coaches: Bill Bertka, Jim Eyen, Randy Pfund Regular Season Record: 63–19 (best record in the NBA) 1st place in the NBA Pacific Division (finished in first place by four games) Scored 110.7 points per game to rank 6th out of 27 teams Allowed 103.9 points per game to rank 7th

Review After 14 seasons in a Lakers uniform, and 20 overall, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar called it a career. The team had Vlade Divac from Yugoslavia ready to fill the void created by the loss of the legendary pivot man, and he responded in fine fashion. With the reigning league Most Valuable Player Award winner Magic Johnson, James Worthy, and Byron Scott, still in the lineup, the Lakers did not miss a beat. In what would be Pat Riley’s final season coaching the team, LA went out and captured their ninth straight Pacific Division crown.

Gone from the Previous Season Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — retired Tony Campbell — became a free agent and signed with Minnesota on September 13, 1989 Jeff Lamp — released David Rivers — taken in the expansion draft by Minnesota — June 15, 1989

Regular Season Individual Statistics 24 — Steve Bucknall — Guard — 6-6, 215 lbs., appeared in 18 games, played 75 minutes (4.2 avg.), made 9 of 33 field goal attempts (.273%) and 5 of 6 free throws (.833%) for 23 points (1.3 avg.), had 7 rebounds (0.4 avg.) and 10 assists (0.6 avg.) 21— Michael Cooper — Guard/Forward — 6-5, 170 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 1,851 minutes (23.1 avg.), made 191 of 493 field goal attempts (.387%) and 83 of 94 free throws (.883%) for 515 points (6.4 avg.), had 227 rebounds (2.8 avg.) and 215 assists (2.7 avg.) 12—Vlade Divac—Center—7-1, 243 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 1,611 minutes (19.6 avg.), made 274 of 549 field goal attempts (.499%) and 153 of 216 free throws (.708%) for 701 points (8.5 avg.), had 512 rebounds (6.2 avg.) and 75 assists (0.9 avg.) 10— Larry Drew — Guard — 6-1, 170 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played

1,333 minutes (16.7 avg.), made 170 of 383 field goal attempts (.444%) and 46 of 60 free throws (.767%) for 418 points (5.2 avg.), had 98 rebounds (1.2 avg.) and 217 assists (2.7 avg.) 45 — A.C. Green — Forward/Center — 6-9, 220 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,709 minutes (33.0 avg.), made 385 of 806 field goal attempts (.478%), 278 of 370 free throws (.751%) for 1,061 points (12.9 avg.), had 712 rebounds (8.7 avg.) and 90 assists (1.1 avg.) 55 — Mike Higgins — Forward — 6-9, 220 lbs., appeared in 6 games, played 18 minutes (3.0 avg.), made 1 of 2 free throws (.500%) for 1 point (0.2 avg.), had 1 rebound (0.2 avg.) and 1 assist (0.2 avg.) 32 — Magic Johnson — Guard/Forward — 6-8, 215 lbs., appeared in 79 games, played 2,937 minutes (37.2 avg.), made 546 of 1,138 field goal attempts (.480%) and 567 of 637 free throws (.890%) for 1,765 points (22.3 avg.), had 522 rebounds (6.6 avg.) and 907 assists (11.5 avg.) 49 — Mel McCants — Forward — 6-8, 240 lbs., appeared in 13 games, played 65 minutes (5.0 avg.), made 8 of 26 field goal attempts (.308%) and 6 of 8 free throws (.750%) for 22 points (1.7 avg.), had 6 rebounds (0.5 avg.) and 2 assists (0.2 avg.) 31— Mark McNamara — Center/Forward — 6-11, 235 lbs., appeared in 33 games, played 190 minutes (5.8 avg.), made 38 of 86 field goal attempts (.442%) and 26 of 40 free throws (.650%) for 102 points (3.1 avg.), had 63 rebounds (1.9 avg.) and 3 assists (0.1 avg.) 55 — Jawann Oldham — Center — 7-0, 215 lbs., appeared in 3 games, played 9 minutes (3.0 avg.), made 2 of 3 field goal attempts (.667%) and 1 of 2 free throws (.500%) for 5 points (1.7 avg.), had 1 rebound (0.3 avg.) and 1 assist (0.3 avg.) 4 — Byron Scott — Guard — 6-3, 195 lbs., appeared in 77 games, played 2,593 minutes (33.7 avg.), made 472 of 1,005 field goal attempts (.470%) and 160 of 209 free throws (.766%) and 1,197 points (15.5 avg.), had 242 rebounds (3.1 avg.) and 274 assists (3.6 avg.) 43 — Mychal Thompson — Center/Forward — 6-10, 226 lbs., appeared in 70 games, played 1,883 minutes (26.9 avg.), made 281 of 562 field goal attempts (.500%) and 144 of 204 free throws (.706%) for 706 points (10.1 avg.), had 477 rebounds (6.8 avg.) and 43 assists (0.6 avg.) 3—Jay Vincent—Forward—6-7, 220 lbs., appeared in 24 games, played 200 minutes (8.3 avg.), made 41 of 78 field goal attempts (.526%) and 8 of 12 free throws (.667%) for 90 points (3.8 avg.), had 26 rebounds (1.1 avg.) and 10 assists (0.4 avg.) 0—Orlando Woolridge—Forward—6-9, 215 lbs., appeared in 62 games, played 1,421 minutes (22.9 avg.), made 306 of 550 field goal attempts (.556%), 176 of 240 free throws (.733%) for 788 points (12.7 avg.), had 185 rebounds (3.0 avg.) and 96 assists (1.5 avg.) 42 — James Worthy — Forward — 6-9, 225 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 2,960 minutes (37.0 avg.), made 711 of 1,298 field goal attempts (.548%) and 248 of 317 free throws (.782%) for 1,685 points (21.1 avg.), had 478 rebounds (6.0 avg.) and 288 assists (3.6 avg.)

League Leaders Magic Johnson — free throws made (4th), assists (2nd), assists per game (2nd) Orlando Woolridge —field goal percentage (5th)

All-NBA Magic Johnson —1st team selection James Worthy — 3rd team selection

All-Rookie Team Vlade Divac —1st team selection

All-Star Game Selections A.C. Green, Magic Johnson, James Worthy

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NBA Most Valuable Player Award Magic Johnson

NBA Coach of the Year Award Pat Riley

Regular Season Highlights Nov. 17 — Magic Johnson dishes out a team record 24 assists in a 119–105 win over Denver. This win extends the Lakers’ win streak to six and will go to nine in a row before it ends. Dec. 15 — In a 119–110 win over Boston, Magic Johnson hands out 21 assists. Jan. 6 — A.C. Green gets 11 offensive rebounds in a 133–131 loss to Golden State. Jan. 9 — Two months earlier, Magic Johnson recorded 24 assists, and on this date, he did it again. This time, however, it was in a 121–118 overtime loss to Phoenix. The Lakers record 60-plus wins for the fifth time in six seasons. The Lakers tie a team-record .902 home winning percentage as residents of Los Angeles that was first established in 1976-77, and tied in 1979-80, and 1986-87. Head coach Pat Riley has a milestone season in which he earned his 500th career victory, his 100th career playoff victory, and was name NBA Coach of the Year.

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND VERSUS HOUSTON 1. April 27 at Los Angeles: With James Worthy and Magic Johnson leading the offense, and Mychal Thompson controlling Houston’s star pivot man Hakeem Olajuwon, the Lakers won, 101–89, after being down by six points at the half. Worthy scored 34 points, Magic Johnson 23, and as a team, the Lakers played relentless defense, and left Olajuwon bleeding and in need of stitches in the second quarter.1 2. April 29 at Los Angeles: Houston Hakeem Olajuwon tied a playoff record by blocking 10 shots, and helped Houston build a 17-point halftime lead. However, just like in the previous game, James Worthy came through with a great performance and the Lakers rallied to win, 104–100. “Big Game James” connected for 32 points, and with one minute left to play, and the Lakers down by one point, he stole the ball and took it all the way to give Los Angeles the victory and a commanding 2–0 series lead.2 3. May 1 at Houston: Returning to Houston for at least the next two games allowed the Rockets to stave off elimination on their home court by winning 114–108. Sleepy Floyd scored 23 for Houston, and Magic Johnson was held to 17 points after he could only connect of five of 14 shots.3 4. May 3 at Houston: The Lakers hit 61.1 percent of their shots, while Houston only found the rim 42 percent of the time. The result was that the Lakers clinched yet another playoff series with a 109–88 victory. Vlade Divac had a great game in which

ONE : THE SEASONS he connected on seven of eight shot attempts, and grabbed six rebounds.4

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS VERSUS PHOENIX 1. May 8 at Los Angeles: The Lakers were riding a 21-game winning streak at home against the Suns coming into this series. However, streaks are made to be broken, and Phoenix accomplished this with a narrow 104–102 victory. The Lakers struggled down the stretch, failing to connect for one basket in the final three and a half minutes thanks to a tough Phoenix defense that did not allow two of the Lakers’ star players, Byron Scott and James Worthy, the opportunity to score in the fourth quarter.5 2. May 10 at Los Angeles: James Worthy scored 23 points to pace the Lakers in a 124–100 victory that evened the series up. After a lethargic showing two days earlier, the Lakers had their fast break working, outrebounded the Suns, 42–35, and built a 26-point lead early in the fourth quarter.6 3. May 12 at Phoenix: The Suns regained their composure following the blowout loss, and won, 117–103, to take a 2–1 series lead. Los Angeles reverted back to their shooting woes of the opening game by only hitting on only 47.6 percent of their shot attempts, and had trouble scoring off the fast break.7 4. May 13 at Phoenix: Magic Johnson gave it his all to try and even the series up by scoring a career playoff-high of 43 points. However, the Suns prevailed, 114–101, to close to within one victory of clinching the series. The Suns got out to a 36–22 first quarter lead, and despite Johnson’s yeoman’s effort, they held off the rest of the Lakers. At one point in the game, Magic was the only offensive threat the Lakers had, as he scored 11 straight points while his teammates struggled.8 5. May 15 at Los Angeles: The Lakers jumped out to a 35– 20 first quarter lead with Magic Johnson leading the charge. He connected on eight of 10 shot attempts for 19 points in the opening stanza, and finished the game with 43 points. But the Suns remained focused, overcame a 15-point deficit, and clinched the series with a 106–103 victory. This ended the Lakers’ four-year run as Western Conference champions, and also served as the final game that Pat Riley coached for the team.9

Individual Playoff Statistics Cooper — appeared in 9 games, played 173 minutes (19.2 avg.), scored 23 points (2.6 avg.), had 24 rebounds (2.7 avg.) and 25 assists (2.8 avg.) Divac — appeared in 9 games, played 175 minutes (19.4 avg.), scored 82 points (9.1 avg.), had 48 rebounds (5.3 avg.) and 10 assists (1.1 avg.) Drew — appeared in 7 games, played 51 minutes (7.3 avg.), scored 12 points (1.7 avg.), had 2 rebounds (0.3 avg.) and 4 assists (0.6 avg.) Green — appeared in 9 games, played 252 minutes (28.0 avg.), scored 106 points (11.8 avg.), had 81 rebounds (9.0 avg.) and 9 assists (1.0 avg.) Johnson — appeared in 9 games, played 376 minutes (41.8 avg.), scored 227 points (25.2 avg.), had 57 rebounds (6.3 avg.) and 115 assists (12.8 avg.) McCants — appeared in 2 games and played 5 minutes (2.5 avg.) McNamara — appeared in 2 games, played 5 minutes (2.5 avg.), scored 2 points (1.0 avg.) and had 1 rebound (0.5 avg.)

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Scott — appeared in 9 games, played 325 minutes (36.1 avg.), scored 121 points (13.4 avg.), had 37 rebounds (4.1 avg.) and 23 assists (2.6 avg.) Thompson — appeared in 9 games, played 225 minutes (25.0 avg.), scored 58 points (6.4 avg.), had 39 rebounds (4.3 avg.) and 2 assists (0.2 avg.) Vincent — appeared in 3 games and played 8 minutes (2.7 avg.) Woolridge—appeared in 9 games, played 199 minutes (22.1 avg.), scored 106 points (11.8 avg.), had 23 rebounds (2.6 avg.) and 10 assists (1.1 avg.) Worthy — appeared in 9 games, played 366 minutes (40.7 avg.), scored 218 points (24.2 avg.), had 50 rebounds (5.6 avg.) and 27 assists (2.6 avg.)

1990-91 Head Coach: Mike Dunleavy Assistant Coaches: Bill Bertka, Jim Eyen, Randy Pfund Regular Season Record: 58–24 2nd place in the NBA Pacific Division (finished five games out of first place) Scored 106.3 points per game to rank 13th out of 27 teams Allowed 99.6 points per game to rank 2nd

Review Before the season began, Pat Riley informed the team that he would not return as coach. Mike Dunleavy was hired to replace Riley, and despite winning only two of their first seven games, the Lakers easily rallied to finish in the upper echelon of the league.

Gone from the Previous Season Steve Bucknall — waived by the Lakers on March 5, 1990 Michael Cooper — waived by the Lakers on August 15, 1990 Mike Higgins — waived by the Lakers on March 5, 1990 Mel McCants — released Mark McNamara — traded to San Antonio on September 25, 1990 Jawann Oldham — waived by the Lakers on March 24, 1990 Jay Vincent — retired Orlando Woolridge — traded to Denver on August 3, 1990

games, played 2,164 minutes (26.4 avg.), made 258 of 542 field goal attempts (.476%), 223 of 302 free throws (.738%) for 750 points (9.1 avg.), had 516 rebounds (6.3 avg.) and 71 assists (0.9 avg.) 32 — Magic Johnson — Guard/Forward — 6-8, 215 lbs., appeared in 79 games, played 2,933 minutes (37.1 avg.), made 466 of 976 field goal attempts (.477%) and 519 of 573 free throws (.906%) for 1,531 points (19.4 avg.), had 551 rebounds (7.0 avg.) and 989 assists (12.5 avg.) 14 — Sam Perkins — Forward/Center — 6-9, 235 lbs., appeared in 73 games, played 2,504 minutes (34.3 avg.), made 368 of 744 field goal attempts (.495%) and 229 of 279 free throws (.821%) for 983 points (13.5 avg.), had 538 rebounds (7.4 avg.) and 108 assists (1.5 avg.) 4 — Byron Scott — Guard — 6-3, 195 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,630 minutes (32.1 avg.), made 501 of 1,051 field goal attempts (.477%) and 118 of 148 free throws (.797%) for 1,191 points (14.5 avg.), had 246 rebounds (3.0 avg.) and 177 assists (2.2 avg.) 34 —Tony Smith—Guard —6-3, 185 lbs., appeared in 64 games, played 695 minutes (10.9 avg.), made 97 of 220 field goal attempts (.441%) and 40 of 57 free throws (.702%) for 234 points (3.7 avg.), had 71 rebounds (1.1 avg.) and 135 assists (2.1 avg.) 20— Terry Teagle — Forward/Guard — 6-5, 195 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 1,498 minutes (18.3 avg.), made 335 of 757 field goal attempts (.443%), 145 of 177 free throws (.819%) for 815 points (9.9 avg.), had 181 rebounds (2.2 avg.) and 82 assists (1.0 avg.) 30— Irving Thomas — Forward — 6-8, 225 lbs., appeared in 26 games, played 108 minutes (4.2 avg.), made 17 of 50 field goal attempts (.340%) and 12 of 21 free throws (.571%) for 46 points (1.8 avg.), had 31 rebounds (1.2 avg.) and 10 assists (0.4 avg.) 43 — Mychal Thompson — Center/Forward — 6-10, 226 lbs., appeared in 72 games, played 1,077 minutes (15.0 avg.), made 113 of 228 field goal attempts (.496%), 62 of 88 free throws (.705%) for 288 points (4.0 avg.), 228 rebounds (3.2 avg.) and 21 assists (0.3 avg.) 42 — James Worthy — Forward — 6-9, 225 lbs., appeared in 78 games, played 3,008 minutes (38.6 avg.), made 716 of 1,455 field goal attempts (.492%) and 212 of 266 free throws (.797%) for 1,670 points (21.4 avg.), had 356 rebounds (4.6 avg.) and 275 assists (3.5 avg.)

League Leaders Vlade Divac —field goal percentage (5th) Magic Johnson — free throws made (5th), free throw percentage (5th), assists (2nd), assists per game (2nd)

All-NBA Magic Johnson —1st team selection James Worthy — 3rd team selection

Regular Season Individual Statistics 35 — Tony Brown — Forward/Guard — 6-6, 185 lbs., appeared in 7 games, played 27 minutes (3.9 avg.), made 2 of 3 field goal attempts (.667%) for 5 points (0.7 avg.), had 4 rebounds (0.6 avg.) and 3 assists (0.4 avg.) 41— Elden Campbell — Center — 6-11, 215 lbs., appeared in 52 games, played 380 minutes (7.3 avg.), made 56 of 123 field goal attempts (.455%) and 32 of 49 free throws (.653%) for 144 points (2.8 avg.), had 96 rebounds (1.8 avg.) and 10 assists (0.2 avg.) 12—Vlade Divac—Center—7-1, 243 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,310 minutes (28.2 avg.), made 360 of 637 field goal attempts (.565%) and 196 of 279 free throws (.703%) for 921 points (11.2 avg.), had 666 rebounds (8.1 avg.) and 92 assists (1.1 avg.) 10— Larry Drew — Guard — 6-1, 170 lbs., appeared in 48 games, played 496 minutes (10.3 avg.), made 54 of 125 field goal attempts (.432%) and 17 of 22 free throws (.773%) for 139 points (2.9 avg.), had 34 rebounds (0.7 avg.) and 118 assists (2.5 avg.) 45 — A.C. Green — Forward/Center — 6-9, 220 lbs., appeared in 82

All-Star Game Selections Magic Johnson, James Worthy

Regular Season Highlights Nov. 6 — Magic Johnson gets 22 assists in a 125–123 loss to Portland. Dec. 16 — In a 115–112 win over Indiana, Magic Johnson hands out 21 assists. The Lakers put together a 16-game winning streak from January 9 through February 5 for the second longest in team history. April 11— In a 110–95 win over Utah, Magic Johnson is a perfect 18 of 18 from the free throw line.

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April 15 — In a 112–106 home win over Dallas, Magic Johnson hands out his 9,888th career assist to pass Oscar Robertson and become the all-time assist leader in NBA history.

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND VERSUS HOUSTON 1. April 25 at Los Angeles: Byron Scott played 39 minutes and scored a team high 20 points in the Lakers’ opening playoff game. However, his most important shot came with 3.5 seconds left in the game. Scott’s attempt just beat the 24-second clock, and Los Angeles won, 94–92. Vlade Divac scored 17 points and had 11 rebounds, while Magic Johnson also added 17 points and dished out 10 assists. This game was close throughout, as the Lakers clung to a narrow 51–50 lead at the half, and were only up by five going into the fourth quarter. After playing only four minutes, Terry Teagle got ejected in the second quarter when he got into a fight with Dave Jamerson over a rebound.1 2. April 27 at Los Angeles: The Lakers took a 2–0 series lead with a 109–98 win. Like in the first game, this one was close, with Los Angeles holding a 74–70 advantage going into the fourth quarter. The Lakers then scored 35 points in the fourth quarter to pull away. James Worthy scored a team-high 29 points, Vlade Divac connected for 23 points, hauled in 10 rebounds, and Magic Johnson scored 13 points and handed out a whopping 21 assists.2 3. April 30 at Houston: Trying in vain to avoid elimination on their home court, the Rockets got out to a 46–39 first half lead. They were unable to sustain the lead, as the Lakers came back in the second half to sweep the series with a 94–90 win. Magic Johnson led the comeback by scoring 24 of his 38 points in the second half. James Worthy scored 22 points, and despite only hitting for eight points, Byron Scott once again came up big down the stretch. Scott sank a 17-foot jumper with 54 seconds left to tie the game, and then added the go-ahead points with a 19-footer from the outside as the clock showed 16 seconds remaining.3

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS VERSUS GOLDEN STATE 1. May 5 at Los Angeles: The Warriors trio of Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond, and Chris Mullin had the moniker of “Run TMC.” However, Mullin was lost for this game with a sprained knee, and despite 33 points from Hardaway, Golden State was beaten by the “Showtime” Lakers, 126–116. Los Angeles got out to a 10-point lead at the end of the first quarter and was never threatened. This gave the Lakers their 11th straight win in playoff competition over the Warriors at the Forum since 1969. Magic Johnson recorded a triple-double with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 17 assists. Byron Scott led the Lakers with 27 points, and James Worthy added 25.4 2. May 8 at Los Angeles: The Lakers had a 67–58 halftime lead, and then Chris Mullin took control of the game in the third quarter that saw the Warriors score 41 points. Mullin scored 17 of his team-high 41 points, and Golden State prevailed in the closing seconds, 125–124. With this win, Golden State snapped

ONE : THE SEASONS an 11-game postseason losing streak to Los Angeles at the Forum. Despite this loss, Magic Johnson turned in his postseason careerbest with 44 points. He just missed recording a triple-double with 12 rebounds and nine assists.5 3. May 10 at Golden State: The superstar trio of Magic Johnson, James Worthy, and Byron Scott helped the Lakers take a 2–1 series lead with a 115–112 victory. Worthy led the Lakers with 36 points, Scott added 23 and had a team playoff record seven steals, and Magic chipped in with 15 points and handed out 15 assists. Los Angeles got out to a 35–24 first quarter lead, and used that 11-point advantage to carry them the rest of the game. The Warriors outscored the Lakers in the second and third quarter, and tied them in the fourth, but they could not totally recover from the double-digit deficit suffered in the opening stanza.6 4. May 12 at Golden State: The Lakers held the Warriors’ famed “Run TMC” to a combined 57 points in a 123–107 win that gave Los Angeles a commanding 3–1 series lead. Byron Scott was nursing a bruised knee, but showed no ill effects by scoring 21 points and recording a career playoff-best 11 rebounds. Sam Perkins led the team with 27 points, and Magic Johnson turned in another solid performance that included 21 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds.7 5. May 14 at Los Angeles: The Lakers were trying to clinch, and Golden State was attempting to stay alive in a venue that was not kind to them for many years. After four quarters, the game went into overtime tied at 108–108. The Lakers then outscored the Warriors by five points to clinch the series with a 124–119 victory. Magic Johnson’s triple-double of 28 points, 14 rebounds, and 12 assists paced the victors. James Worthy added 25 points, and Los Angeles received solid bench strength from Terry Teagle (17 points) and Elden Campbell (11 points).8

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS VERSUS PORTLAND 1. May 18 at Portland: Vlade Divac struggled against his counterpart Kevin Duckworth, for three quarters. Divac, however, saved the best for last. He scored eight of his 12 points in the fourth quarter, blocked a shot, and stole the ball twice to help the Lakers win the series opener, 111–106. Portland led, 92– 80, at the beginning of the fourth quarter, and then the Lakers rallied back. Divac sank an eight-foot jumper on the Lakers’ first offensive trek of the quarter to get to within 10 points. Terry Teagle and Sam Perkins then scored before a Divac basket off the fast break reduced Portland’s lead to 92–88. The Lakers kept coming, as Divac closed the gap to two points, and then Byron Scott nailed a three-pointer to put Los Angeles up, 93–92. For the quarter, the Lakers totally dominated the Trailblazers, outscoring them, 31–14. James Worthy led the team with 28 points, Byron Scott added 19, Sam Perkins 18, and Magic Johnson dished out 21 assists while ringing up 15 points.9 2. May 21 at Portland: The Trailblazers flexed their muscle, and outrebounded the Lakers, 51–28, which helped Portland even the series with a 109–98 victory. The 28 rebounds tied a team playoff low. Despite their disadvantage in the rebounding department, the Lakers kept it close throughout three quarters, only trailing, 81–77, going into the final period. The Trailblazers then made some distance in the final 12 minutes, outscoring the Lakers,

ONE : THE SEASONS 28–21, to pull out the win. Portland’s Terry Porter scored a gamehigh 26 points, while James Worthy’s 21 led the Lakers.10 3. May 24 at Los Angeles: The Lakers entered the third quarter with a 43–40 lead in what was a low-scoring first half. Los Angeles then took control of the game, and Vlade Divac and Magic Johnson teamed up to put the exclamation point on their third quarter surge. With the Lakers up, 59–47, the Forum crowd erupted when Johnson threw a pass covering the entire court that Divac hauled in and turned into a layup. The Lakers kept the pressure on the rest of the way, and in the end, they prevailed, 106–92, to take a 2–1 series lead. James Worthy led all scorers with 25 points, Sam Perkins added 18, and Magic finished with 19 assists and 14 points.11 4. May 26 at Los Angeles: The Lakers jumped out to a 32– 23 lead at the end of the first quarter and never looked back. Playing what was regarded as one of their best games of the season, the Lakers beat Portland in every category that mattered and won, 116–95, to take a 3–1 series lead and one victory away from another NBA Finals appearance. Magic Johnson led the Lakers with 22 points, and recorded nine rebounds and nine assists while Vlade Divac added 20 points.12 5. May 28 at Portland: The Trailblazers opened up a close game in the third quarter, outscoring the Lakers, 28–18, and staved off elimination with a 95–84 victory. Portland outdueled the Lakers for control of the boards with a 52–33 edge, and was led by Jerome Kersey’s 20 points. Magic Johnson’s 29 points led all scorers.13 6. May 30 at Los Angeles: Portland native A. C. Green helped the Lakers wrap up another Western Conference championship by a narrow 91–90 margin. Green came off the bench, and gave the Lakers 23 solid minutes by scoring eight of his 15 points in the first half. Green sank a three-pointer at the end of the first quarter to help give the Lakers a 28–17 lead. Portland battled back to outscore Los Angeles at the end of every other period, but they fell just short at the end. Sam Perkins led all scorers with 26 points, and Magic Johnson scored 25 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out eight assists. This was the ninth time in Magic’s illustrious 12 seasons that he guided the Lakers into the NBA Finals.14

NBA FINALS VERSUS CHICAGO 1. June 2 at Chicago: The Lakers and Chicago Bulls met four times prior to the 1991 NBA Finals. The Bulls were in the Western Conference from their inception in 1966 through the 1980 season, and lost every time they faced Los Angeles in the postseason. The 1991 edition of the Lakers hoped to add to their spotless playoff record against the Windy City as the opening game of the Finals got underway. This was built up as a matchup between Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan, who was well on his way to becoming revered by many as the greatest to every grace the professional ranks. Chicago had been knocking on the door of an NBA Finals berth, but could not get past the Detroit Pistons. In 1991, the Bulls finally defeated the two-time defending champion Pistons to gain their first-ever conference title. Michael Jordan’s first experience in the NBA Finals started out successfully, as he scored 15 points, grabbed three rebounds, and handed out five assists in the first quarter. Despite his dominant start, the

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1990-91 Lakers stayed close, and only trailed the Bulls, 30–29, after the first 12 minutes of play. The second quarter played out the same as the first, with the Lakers staying right on Chicago’s heels, and going into the intermission only down, 53–51. Magic Johnson did not even try a shot from field goal range in the second quarter, but came out in the third period ready to fire away. He made up for lost time by landing two straight from three-point range, and helped the Lakers gain their biggest lead of the game. The Lakers outscored the Bulls, 24–15, in the third quarter, and went into the fourth quarter with a 75–68 advantage. Jordan rallied the Bulls back by connecting for 13 points, and two free throws by Scottie Pippen allowed the Bulls to regain the lead at 91–89 down the stretch. With the game clock down to 14 seconds, Sam Perkins nailed a three-pointer to put the Lakers up, 92–91. Jordan attempted to work his magic, but a 17-foot jump shot came close, but did not connect. Byron Scott then added a point with a free throw to finish the scoring in an exciting opener won by the Lakers 93–91. The matchup between Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan lived up to its billing. Magic recorded the 29th triple-double of his postseason career with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists, while Jordan scored a game-high 36 points, and added eight rebounds and 12 assists to his day’s work. James Worthy and Sam Perkins also turned in great performances, as the former North Carolina teammates shared team-high scoring honors with 22 points apiece.15 2. June 5 at Chicago: Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Horace Grant combined for 70 percent of the Bulls offensive production, and Chicago evened the series up with a convincing 107– 86 victory. Jordan scored a game-high 33 points, and added seven rebounds and 13 assists to his day’s work. Pippen scored 20 points, dished out 10 assists, and Grant hit for 20 points as well. Grant carried the Bulls in the first half, scoring 14 points, while Jordan had trouble finding the basket. Jordan was too good to go cold for long, and after only producing two points in the first 20 minutes of the game, he got busy making up for lost time by connecting on 13 straight shots. The Lakers stayed close in the first half, and were only down 48–43 going into the third quarter. The Bulls then outscored the Lakers by 12 points in the third quarter thanks to hot shooting that saw them sink 17 of 20 field goal attempts. Jordan was forced to the bench with foul trouble, but came back in with Chicago in total control. At that stage they were up by 16 points, and Jordan then helped the Bulls add to that bulge when the team went on an 11–0 run. James Worthy led the Lakers with 24 points, Vlade Divac had 16, and Magic Johnson once again came close to a triple-double. He finished with 14 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds.16 3. June 7 at Los Angeles: The Lakers were outrebounded 46–29, but still managed to have a 67–54 lead in the third quarter, thanks to an 18–2 run that took them from three points down to a double-figure advantage. The Bulls worked their way back, and a 20–7 run allowed them to tie the score at 74–74 early in the fourth quarter. With 1:07 left in regulation, the Bulls were up by three points, and Sam Perkins then cut the deficit to one with 39 seconds remaining. After Vlade Divac put the Lakers back on top by two, Michael Jordan displayed his greatness by nailing a jump shot with 3.4 seconds to send the game into overtime with the score 92–92. The overtime period was all Chicago, as they scored eight straight points to take control and secure a

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104–96 win. Jordan finished with a game-high 29 points, and Sam Perkins led the Lakers with 25. Magic Johnson added 22 points, six rebounds, and 10 assists.17 4. June 9 at Los Angeles: The Lakers were looking to even the series up, and took a small step to achieving that goal by taking a slim 28–27 lead into the second quarter. The Chicago defense then picked up the tempo, flustering the “Showtime” Lakers into shooting only 37 percent from the field. Michael Jordan and company then kicked up their offense, outscoring the Lakers, 47–30, throughout the second and third quarters to pull away. The end result was a 97–82 Chicago victory that put the Bulls one game away from capturing their first NBA championship. Michael Jordan once again took game-high scoring honors, this time with 28 points while also handing out 13 assists. Vlade Divac led the Lakers with 27 points, and Magic Johnson had 22 points, 11 assists, and six rebounds.18 5. June 12 at Los Angeles: The tremendous “Showtime” era began on October 12, 1979, and the curtain was officially brought down on it as the final buzzer ended this game. With a 108–101 victory, with the City of Angels serving as the backdrop, the Bulls closed out the series, the “Showtime” era, and began a new chapter in NBA history with Michael Jordan marveling crowds as the final decade of the millennium progressed. Facing elimination at the Forum, the Lakers attempted to at least force a Game Six. They stayed close throughout the first three quarters, and went into the final period deadlocked with the Bulls at 70–70. The Lakers kept coming, and held a 93–90 lead in the fourth quarter. Chicago then got off a 9–0 run, and John Paxson took over in the final four minutes to secure the Bulls’ first-ever NBA championship. Paxson connected on five baskets in four minutes to score 10 of his 20 points down the stretch. Scottie Pippen led all scorers with 32 points, and added 13 rebounds and seven assists to his final statistics. Michael Jordan finished with 30 points and 10 assists, and was named the MVP of the Finals. Sam Perkins led the Lakers with 22 points, and Magic Johnson finished with his 30th career postseason triple-double by scoring 16 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, and handing out 20 assists. Amidst the bedlam that followed the final buzzer, Magic worked his way through the crowd to find Michael Jordan and congratulate him on his first NBA title. This exchange would also prove to be a changing of the guard, with Johnson passing his league alpha dog status over to Jordan.19

Individual Playoff Statistics Campbell — appeared in 14 games, played 138 minutes (9.9 avg.), scored 57 points (4.1 avg.), had 29 rebounds (2.1 avg.) and 3 assists (0.2 avg.) Divac — appeared in 19 games, played 609 minutes (32.1 avg.), scored 252 points (13.3 avg.), had 127 rebounds (6.7 avg.) and 21 assists (1.1 avg.) Drew — appeared in 18 games, played 116 minutes (6.4 avg.), scored 35 points (1.9 avg.), had 8 rebounds (0.4 avg.) and 21 assists (1.2 avg.) Green — appeared in 19 games, played 400 minutes (21.1 avg.), scored 124 points (6.5 avg.), had 102 rebounds (5.4 avg.) and 9 assists (0.5 avg.) Johnson — appeared in 19 games, played 823 minutes (43.3 avg.), scored 414 points (21.8 avg.), had 154 rebounds (8.1 avg.) and 240 assists (12.6 avg.) Perkins — appeared in 19 games, played 752 minutes (39.6 avg.), scored

ONE : THE SEASONS 336 points (17.7 avg.), had 157 rebounds (8.3 avg.) and 33 assists (1.7 avg.) Scott — appeared in 18 games, played 678 minutes (37.7 avg.), scored 237 points (13.2 avg.), had 57 rebounds (3.2 avg.) and 29 assists (1.6 avg.) Smith — appeared in 7 games, played 40 minutes (5.7 avg.), scored 14 points (2.0 avg.), had 3 rebounds (0.4 avg.) and 2 assists (0.3 avg.) Teagle — appeared in 18 games, played 274 minutes (15.2 avg.), scored 119 points (6.6 avg.), had 28 rebounds (1.6 avg.) and 11 assists (0.6 avg.) Thomas — appeared in 3 games, played 5 minutes (1.7 avg.) and had 2 points (0.7 avg.) Thompson — appeared in 8 games, played 42 minutes (5.3 avg.), scored 4 points (0.5 avg.) and had 9 rebounds (1.1 avg.) Worthy — appeared in 18 games, played 733 minutes (40.7 avg.), scored 379 points (21.1 avg.), had 73 rebounds (4.1 avg.) and 70 assists (3.9 avg.)

1991-92 Head Coach: Mike Dunleavy Assistant Coaches: Bill Bertka, Jim Eyen, Randy Pfund Regular Season Record: 43–39 6th place in the NBA Pacific Division (finished 14 games out of first place) Scored 100.4 points per game to rank 24th out of 27 teams Allowed 101.5 points per game to rank 5th

Review The final curtain abruptly came crashing down on the illustrious “Showtime” era when its leader, Magic Johnson retired on November 7, 1991, after testing positive for the HIV virus. Johnson did appear in the NBA All-Star Game a few months later, and received the game’s MVP award. As for the regular season, the Lakers never recovered from the departure of their magnanimous floor general. They fell swiftly in the division rankings, and battled to secure the eighth and final playoff berth.

Gone from the Previous Season Tony Brown — waived by the Lakers on December 6, 1990 Larry Drew — waived by the Lakers on October 2, 1991 Magic Johnson — retired Irving Thomas — waived by the Lakers on October 30, 1991 Mychal Thompson — waived by the Lakers on October 2, 1991

Regular Season Individual Statistics 6 — Chucky Brown — Forward — 6-7, 214 lbs., appeared in 36 games, played 381 minutes (10.6 avg.), made 55 of 118 field goal attempts (.466%) and 25 of 41 free throws (.610%) for 135 points (3.8 avg.), had 76 rebounds (2.1 avg.) and 23 assists (0.6 avg.) 7 — Demetrius Calip — Guard — 6-1, 165 lbs., appeared in 7 games, played 58 minutes (8.3 avg.), made 4 of 18 field goal attempts (.222%) and 2 of 3 free throws (.667%) for 11 points (1.6 avg.), had 5 rebounds (0.7 avg.) and 12 assists (1.7 avg.) 41— Elden Campbell — Center — 6-11, 215 lbs., appeared in 81 games, played 1,876 minutes (23.2 avg.), made 220 of 491 field goal attempts (.448%) and 138 of 223 free throws (.619%) for 578 points (7.1 avg.), had 423 rebounds (5.2 avg.) and 59 assists (0.7 avg.)

ONE : THE SEASONS 12—Vlade Divac—Center—7-1, 243 lbs., appeared in 36 games, played 979 minutes (27.2 avg.), made 157 of 317 field goal attempts (.495%) and 86 of 112 free throws (.768%) for 405 points (11.3 avg.), had 247 rebounds (6.9 avg.) and 60 assists (1.7 avg.) 45 — A.C Green — Forward/Center — 6-9, 220 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,902 minutes (35.4 avg.), made 382 of 803 field goal attempts (.476%), 340 of 457 free throws (.744%) for 1,116 points (13.6 avg.), had 762 rebounds (9.3 avg.) and 117 assists (1.4 avg.) 54 — Jack Haley — Center/Forward — 6-10, 240 lbs., appeared in 49 games, played 394 minutes (8.0 avg.), made 31 of 84 field goal attempts (.369%) and 14 of 29 free throws (.483%) for 76 points (1.6 avg.), had 95 rebounds (1.9 avg.) and 7 assists (0.1 avg.) 25 — Keith Owens — Forward — 6-7, 225 lbs., appeared in 20 games, played 80 minutes (4.0 avg.), made 9 of 32 field goal attempts (.281%) and 8 of 10 free throws (.800%) for 26 points (1.3 avg.), had 15 rebounds (0.8 avg.) and 3 assists (0.2 avg.) 14 — Sam Perkins — Forward/Center — 6-9, 235 lbs., appeared in 63 games, played 2,332 minutes (37.0 avg.), made 361 of 803 field goal attempts (.450%) and 304 of 372 free throws (.817%) for 1,041 points (16.5 avg.), had 556 rebounds (8.8 avg.) and 141 assists (2.2 avg.) 43 — Cliff Robinson — Forward — 6-9, 220 lbs., appeared in 9 games, played 78 minutes (8.7 avg.), made 11 of 27 field goal attempts (.407%) and 7 of 8 free throws (.875%) for 29 points (3.2 avg.), had 19 rebounds (2.1 avg.) and 9 assists (1.0 avg.) 4 — Byron Scott — Guard — 6-3, 195 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,679 minutes (32.7 avg.), made 460 of 1,005 field goal attempts (.458%) and 244 of 291 free throws (.838%) for 1,218 points (14.9 avg.), had 310 rebounds (3.8 avg.) and 226 assists (2.8 avg.) 34 —Tony Smith—Guard —6-3, 185 lbs., appeared in 63 games, played 820 minutes (13.0 avg.), made 113 of 283 field goal attempts (.399%) and 49 of 75 free throws (.653%) for 275 points (4.4 avg.), had 76 rebounds (1.2 avg.) and 109 assists (1.7 avg.) 2—Rory Sparrow—Guard—6-2, 175 lbs., appeared in 42 games, played 471 minutes (11.2 avg.), made 57 of 143 field goal attempts (.399%) and 8 of 13 free throws (.615%) for 124 points (3.0 avg.), had 27 rebounds (0.6 avg.) and 79 assists (1.9 avg.) 20— Terry Teagle — Forward/Guard — 6-5, 195 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 1,602 minutes (19.5 avg.), made 364 of 805 field goal attempts (.452%) and 151 of 197 free throws (.766%) for 880 points (10.7 avg.), had 183 rebounds (2.2 avg.) and 113 assists (1.4 avg.) 3 — Sedale Threatt — Guard — 6-2, 175 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 3,070 minutes (37.4 avg.), made 509 of 1,041 field goal attempts (.489%) and 202 of 2443 free throws (.831%) for 1,240 points (15.1 avg.), had 253 rebounds (3.1 avg.) and 593 assists (7.2 avg.) 42 — James Worthy — Forward — 6-9, 225 lbs., appeared in 54 games, played 2,108 minutes (39.0 avg.), made 450 of 1,007 field goal attempts (.447%) and 166 of 204 free throws (.814%) for 1,075 points (19.9 avg.), had 305 rebounds (5.6 avg.) and 252 assists (4.7 avg.)

League Leaders James Worthy — minutes per game (4th)

All-Star Game Selections Magic Johnson, James Worthy

Regular Season Highlights Feb. 16 — In a ceremony during a game with the Boston Celtics at the Forum, Magic Johnson’s #32 is retired by the Lakers. The Celtics won the game, 114–107. Feb. 20— In a 105–103 loss to Seattle, A.C. Green sets a team record by playing in his 456th straight game.

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March 13 — The legendary announcer Chick Hearn calls his 2,500th straight Lakers game, with it coming in Cleveland. The Cavaliers beat the Lakers, 109–107. The Lakers set an NBA record by making their 16th straight postseason appearance.

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND VERSUS PORTLAND 1. April 23 at Portland: The Trailblazers exploded from the opening tipoff, and owned a commanding 75–41 lead at the half. The Lakers managed to rally by outscoring Portland, 33–18, in the third quarter, but that first half deficit was too great to overcome. With four players scoring over 20 points, the Trailblazers won, 115–102. Byron Scott and Terry Teagle shared game-high honors for Los Angeles with 22 points.1 2. April 25 at Portland: In another convincing fashion, the Trailblazers romped, 101–79, to take a 2–0 series lead. Six players scored in double figures for Portland. The Trailblazers took a nine-point lead at the end of the first quarter, and increased it to 13 going into the second half. Portland kept pouring it on, and went into the fourth quarter with a 23-point advantage. The only advantage the Lakers were able to get was when they outscored Portland in the final stanza by one point. Byron Scott led the Lakers with 16 points.2 3. April 29 at Los Angeles: The Forum had been a place of many incredible moments for the Lakers and this game was no different. The Lakers did not want it to be the site of a sweep by Portland. LA took the Trailblazers the distance, then into overtime, but LA prevailed in the end, 121–119. Vlade Divac was the hero of this one by nailing a three-point play with 27 left in overtime to pull out the win. For the game, Divac scored 18 points, and Terry Teagle led the team with 26 points, Sedale Threatt added 24, and Byron Scott 22.3 4. May 3 at Los Angeles: The Lakers held off elimination via the sweep, but could not prevent the Trailblazers from winning the series. Portland blew open a close game early in the second quarter, and went on to win with ease, 102–76, in a series that they dominated throughout. Clyde “the Glide” Drexler led the Trailblazers with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and Sedale Threatt paced the Lakers with 17 points.4

Individual Playoff Statistics Brown — appeared in 3 games, played 44 minutes (14.7 avg.), scored 19 points (6.3 avg.), had 11 rebounds (3.7 avg.) and 2 assists (0.7 avg.) Campbell — appeared in 4 games, played 117 minutes (29.3 avg.), scored 40 points (10.0 avg.), had 25 rebounds (6.3 avg.) and 6 assists (1.5 avg.) Divac — appeared in 4 games, played 143 minutes (35.8 avg.), scored 39 points (9.8 avg.), had 22 rebounds (5.5 avg.) and 15 assists (3.8 avg.) Green — appeared in 4 games, played 153 minutes (38.3 avg.), scored 51 points (12.8 avg.), had 36 rebounds (9.0 avg.) and 7 assists (1.8 avg.) Haley — appeared in 2 games, played 12 minutes (6.0 avg.), scored 2 points (1.0 avg.), had 1 rebound (0.5 avg.) and 1 assist (0.5 avg.) Robinson — appeared in 3 games, played 24 minutes (8.0 avg.), scored 11 points (3.7 avg.), had 6 rebounds (2.0 avg.) and 1 assist (0.3 avg.)

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Scott — appeared in 4 games, played 148 minutes (37.0 avg.), scored 75 points (18.8 avg.), had 10 rebounds (2.5 avg.) and 14 assists (3.5 avg.) Smith — appeared in 4 games, played 40 minutes (10.0 avg.), scored 7 points (1.8 avg.), had 2 rebounds (0.5 avg.) and 5 assists (1.3 avg.) Sparrow — appeared in 3 games, played 16 minutes (5.3 avg.), scored 5 points (1.7 avg.), had 1 rebound (0.3 avg.) and 4 assists (1.3 avg.) Teagle — appeared in 4 games, played 126 minutes (31.5 avg.), scored 70 points (17.5 avg.), had 13 rebounds (3.3 avg.) and 8 assists (2.0 avg.) Threatt — appeared in 4 games, played 162 minutes (40.5 avg.), scored 59 points (14.8 avg.), had 8 rebounds (2.0 avg.) and 17 assists (4.3 avg.)

1992 –93 Head Coach: Randy Pfund Assistant Coaches: Bill Bertka, Larry Drew, Chet Kammerer Regular Season Record: 39–43 5th place in the NBA Pacific Division (finished 23 games out of first place) Scored 104.2 points per game to rank 17th out of 27 teams Allowed 105.5 points per game to rank 14th

Review Magic Johnson looked to return to the Lakers, but decided against it following the exhibition season. It was felt the reasoning behind his decision stemmed from players throughout the league expressing fear about contracting the HIV virus from him. Mike Dunleavy left the team to take the job of head coach and vice president of basketball operations with the Milwaukee Bucks. Assistant coach Randy Pfund was elevated to head coach, but the Lakers appeared to be on the downside of their glory days. They finished below .500 for the first time since 1976, but still managed to make the playoffs as the eighth seed to extend their NBA record to 17 consecutive postseason appearances.

Gone from the Previous Season Chucky Brown — released Demetrius Calip — waived by the Lakers on December 6, 1991 Jack Haley — waived by the Lakers Keith Owens — released Cliff T. Robinson — released Rory Sparrow — released Terry Teagle — released

Regular Season Individual Statistics 00— Benoit Benjamin — Center — 7-0, 250 lbs., appeared in 28 games, played 306 minutes (10.9 avg.), made 52 of 108 field goal attempts (.481%) and 22 of 37 free throws (.595%) for 126 points (4.5 avg.), had 96 rebounds (3.4 avg.) and 10 assists (0.4 avg.) 30— Alex Blackwell — Forward — 6-6, 250 lbs., appeared in 27 games, played 109 minutes (4.0 avg.), made 14 of 42 field goal attempts (.333%) and 6 of 8 free throws (.750%) for 34 points (1.3 avg.), had 23 rebounds (0.9 avg.) and 7 assists (0.3 avg.) 41 Elden Campbell — Center — 6-11, 215 lbs., appeared in 79 games, played 1,551 minutes (19.6 avg.), made 238 of 520 field goal attempts (.458%) and 130 of 204 free throws (.637%) for 606 points (7.7 avg.), had 332 rebounds (4.2 avg.) and 48 assists (0.6 avg.)

ONE : THE SEASONS 35 — Doug Christie — Guard/Forward — 6-6, 200 lbs., appeared in 23 games, played 332 minutes (14.4 avg.), made 45 of 106 field goal attempts (.425%) and 50 of 66 free throws (.758%) for 142 points (6.2 avg.), had 51 rebounds (2.2 avg.) and 53 assists (2.3 avg.) 5 — Duane Cooper — Guard — 6-1, 185 lbs., appeared in 65 games, played 645 minutes (9.9 avg.), made 62 of 158 field goal attempts (.392%) and 25 of 35 free throws (.714%) for 156 points (2.4 avg.), had 50 rebounds (0.8 avg.) and 150 assists (2.3 avg.) 12—Vlade Divac—Center—7-1, 243 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,525 minutes (30.8 avg.), made 397 of 819 field goal attempts (.485%) and 235 of 341 free throws (.689%) for 1,050 points (12.8 avg.), had 729 rebounds (8.9 avg.) and 232 assists (2.8 avg.) 53 — James Edwards — Center/Forward — 7-0, 225 lbs., appeared in 52 games, played 617 minutes (11.9 avg.), made 122 of 270 field goal attempts (.452%), 84 of 118 free throws (.712%) for 328 points (6.3 avg.), had 100 rebounds (1.9 avg.) and 41 assists (0.8 avg.) 45 — A.C. Green — Forward/Center — 6-9, 220 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,819 minutes (34.4 avg.), made 379 of 706 field goal attempts (.537%), 277 of 375 free throws (.739%) for 1,051 points (12.8 avg.), had 711 rebounds (8.7 avg.) and 116 assists (1.4 avg.) 1— Anthony Peeler — Guard — 6-4, 208 lbs., appeared in 77 games, played 1,655 minutes (21.5 avg.), made 297 of 634 field goal attempts (.468%) and 162 of 206 free throws (.786%) for 802 points (10.4 avg.), had 179 rebounds (2.3 avg.) and 166 assists (2.2 avg.) 14 — Sam Perkins — Forward/Center — 6-9, 235 lbs., appeared in 49 games, played 1,589 minutes (32.4 avg.), made 242 of 527 field goal attempts (.459%), 184 of 222 free throws (.829%) for 673 points (13.7 avg.), had 379 rebounds (4.2 avg.) and 128 assists (2.6 avg.) 4 — Byron Scott — Guard — 6-3, 195 lbs., appeared in 58 games, played 1,678 minutes (28.9 avg.), made 296 of 659 field goal attempts (.449%) and 156 of 184 free throws (.848%) for 792 points (13.7 avg.), had 134 rebounds (2.3 avg.) and 157 assists (2.7 avg.) 34 —Tony Smith—Guard —6-3, 185 lbs., appeared in 55 games, played 752 minutes (13.7 avg.), made 133 of 275 field goal attempts (.484%) and 62 of 82 free throws (.756%) for 330 points (6.0 avg.), had 87 rebounds (1.6 avg.) and 63 assists (1.1 avg.) 3 — Sedale Threatt — Guard — 6-2, 175 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,893 minutes (35.3 avg.), made 522 of 1,028 field goal attempts (.508%) and 177 of 215 free throws (.823%) for 1,235 points (15.1 avg.), had 273 rebounds (3.3 avg.) and 564 assists (6.9 avg.) 42 — James Worthy — Forward — 6-9, 225 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2359 minutes (28.8 avg.), made 510 of 1,142 field goal attempts (.447%) and 171 of 211 free throws (.810%) for 1,221 points (14.9 avg.), had 247 rebounds (3.0 avg.) and 278 assists (3.4 avg.)

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND VERSUS PHOENIX 1. April 30 at Phoenix: The Suns sputtered in the second quarter, only ringing up 13 points after holding a six-point lead at the end of the opening period. Phoenix found their way back and the teams played a close one throughout the remainder of the game. The Suns got out to a 101–96 lead in the closing minutes, but the Lakers overcame a 103–101 deficit with 1:29 to play, and won the opener, 107–103 behind Sedale Threatt’s 35 points and Byron Scott’s 22.1 2. May 2 at Phoenix: The Lakers won Game 2 by a score of 86–81 that gave Los Angeles a 2–0 series lead. The Lakers got into the playoffs with the worst record, while the 62–20 Suns possessed the best. Despite the drastic difference in final records, the Lakers refused to bow under to the powerful Suns led by that season’s NBA MVP Charles Barkley. After Phoenix went on an

ONE : THE SEASONS 18–6 run to take a 10-point lead in the third quarter, Los Angeles roared back on a 10–3 run to cut the deficit to 78–72 with six minutes left to play. The Suns went cold in the final period, scoring a mere 11 points while the Lakers put 21 points up to secure the win. Vlade Divac led the Lakers with 19 points and 13 points in this low-scoring affair. Byron Scott added 17 and Elden Campbell 15.2 3. May 4 at Los Angeles: With the series returning to Los Angeles, things looked good for the Lakers to pull off what many felt would be the impossible at the start of this postseason. Phoenix was looking to redeem themselves and play like a team favored to win it all. The Suns led at the end of every quarter except the final one, but in the end, they narrowly escaped a sweep with a 107–102 victory led by a 27-point, 11-rebound performance from Charles Barkley. The Lakers fought back from a 14-point deficit to close to within one point with 19 seconds left as a sold out Forum crowd chanted “Sweep, sweep!” Unfortunately, the Suns prevailed to fight at least another day. Vlade Divac paced the Lakers with a game-high 30 points.3 4. May 6 at Los Angeles: The Lakers once again failed to take advantage of the friendly confines of the Forum, and this time the Suns won in convincing fashion, 101–86, to tie the series and force a deciding game back in Arizona. Phoenix slowly built on a narrow lead that had them in front, 43–39, at the half. They then increased their bulge to 11 points at the end of three quarters, and cruised to the final buzzer with Charles Barkley leading the attack with a game-high 28 points and 11 rebounds. Vlade Divac led the Lakers with 17 points, and he hauled down 12 rebounds.4 5. May 9 at Phoenix: The Suns came all the way back from the jaws of defeat. The Lakers looked like a version of their “Showtime” days by getting off a 13–0 run in the first quarter led by Elden Campbell’s nine points. The Suns remained steadfast in their quest, and tied the game at 24–24 at the end of the first quarter. They then held a one-point lead at the half, and extended it to seven going into the fourth period. The Lakers then outscored the Suns, 24–17, to tie the game at 95–95. With two seconds left in regulation, Byron Scott almost sent the Suns home for the season, but his three-point attempt hit the rim, and the game was sent into overtime. The Suns then scored 17 points in overtime, while holding Los Angeles to nine, and won, 112–104. Charles Barkley led all scorers with 31 points, and he secured 14 rebounds, and James Worthy, who became the 12th player in NBA history to amass 3,000 career playoff points, led the Lakers with 24 points.5

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49 points (9.8 avg.), had 73 rebounds (14.6 avg.) and 13 assists (2.6 avg.) Scott — appeared in 5 games, played 177 minutes (35.4 avg.), scored 68 points (13.6 avg.), had 11 rebounds (2.2 avg.) and 9 assists (1.8 avg.) Smith — appeared in 5 games, played 73 minutes (14.6 avg.), scored 34 points (6.8 avg.), had 8 rebounds (1.6 avg.) and 2 assists (0.4 avg.) Threatt — appeared in 5 games, played 205 minutes (41.0 avg.), scored 90 points (18.0 avg.), had 17 rebounds (3.4 avg.) and 40 assists (8.0 avg.) Worthy — appeared in 5 games, played 148 minutes (29.6 avg.), scored 69 points (13.8 avg.), had 17 rebounds (3.4 avg.) and 13 assists (2.6 avg.)

1993-94 Head Coach: Randy Pfund (27–37), Bill Bertka (1–1), Magic Johnson (5–11) Assistant Coaches: Bill Bertka, Larry Drew, Chet Kammerer, Michael Cooper Regular Season Record: 33–49 5th place in the NBA Pacific Division (finished 30 games out of first place) Scored 100.4 points per game to rank 17th out of 27 teams Allowed 104.7 points per game to rank 19th

Review James Worthy was the last regular member of the “Showtime” era still with the team, but his days were coming to an end. This proved to be Worthy’s final season, and his swan song did not end with a victory parade. For the second straight year, the Lakers finished with a losing record, and Randy Pfund was relieved of his coaching duties after 64 games. Magic Johnson attempted to instill new life into the organization by assuming the headcoaching job for the remainder of the season. Johnson was not able to create a spark, and the team missed out on a playoff berth for the first time in 18 seasons.

Gone from the Previous Season Benoit Benjamin — traded to New Jersey on June 21, 1993 Alex Blackwell — contract expired and Lakers did not resign him Duane Cooper — waived by the Lakers on November 4, 1993 A.C. Green — contract expired and Lakers did not resign him Sam Perkins — traded to Seattle on February 22, 1993 Byron Scott — contract expired and Lakers did not resign him

Individual Playoff Statistics

Regular Season Individual Statistics

Campbell — appeared in 5 games, played 178 minutes (35.6 avg.), scored 70 points (14.0 avg.), had 42 rebounds (8.4 avg.) and 7 assists (1.4 avg.) Christie — appeared in 5 games, played 39 minutes (7.8 avg.), scored 9 points (1.8 avg.), had 4 rebounds (0.8 avg.) and 6 assists (1.2 avg.) Cooper — appeared in 2 games, played 4 minutes (2.0 avg.), had 2 rebounds (1.0 avg.) and 1 assist (0.5 avg.) Divac — appeared in 5 games, played 167 minutes (33.4 avg.), scored 90 points (18.0 avg.), had 47 rebounds (9.4 avg.) and 28 assists (5.6 avg.) Edwards — appeared in 3 games, played 14 minutes (4.7 avg.), scored 6 points (2.0 avg.) and had 2 rebounds (0.7 avg.) Green — appeared in 5 games, played 220 minutes (44.0 avg.), scored

31—Sam Bowie—Center/Forward—7-1, 235 lbs., appeared in 25 games, played 556 minutes (22.2 avg.), made 75 of 172 field goal attempts (.436%) and 72 of 83 free throws (.867%) for 223 points (8.9 avg.), had 131 rebounds (5.2 avg.) and 47 assists (1.9 avg.) 41— Elden Campbell — Center — 6-11, 215 lbs., appeared in 76 games, played 2,253 minutes (29.6 avg.), made 373 of 808 field goal attempts (.462%) and 188 of 273 free throws (.689%) for 934 points (12.3 avg.), had 519 rebounds (6.8 avg.) and 86 assists (1.1 avg.) 8 — Doug Christie — Guard/Forward — 6-6, 200 lbs., appeared in 65 games, played 1,515 minutes (23.3 avg.), made 244 of 562 field goal attempts (.434%) and 145 of 208 free throws (.697%) for 672 points (10.3 avg.), had 235 rebounds (3.6 avg.) and 136 assists (2.1 avg.)

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12—Vlade Divac—Center—7-1, 243 lbs., appeared in 79 games, played 2,685 minutes (34.0 avg.), made 453 of 895 field goal attempts (.506%) and 208 of 303 free throws (.686%) for 1,123 points (14.2 avg.), had 851 rebounds (10.8 avg.) and 307 assists (3.9 avg.) 53 — James Edwards — Center/Forward — 7-0, 225 lbs., appeared in 45 games, played 469 minutes (10.4 avg.), made 78 of 168 field goal attempts (.464%) and 54 of 79 free throws (.684%) for 210 points (4.7 avg.), had 65 rebounds (1.4 avg.) and 22 assists (0.5 avg.) 40— Antonio Harvey — Forward/Center — 6-11, 225 lbs., appeared in 27 games, played 247 minutes (9.1 avg.), made 29 of 79 field goal attempts (.367%) and 12 of 26 free throws (.462%) for 70 points (2.6 avg.), had 59 rebounds (2.2 avg.) and 5 assists (0.2 avg.) 23 — Reggie Jordan — Guard — 6-4, 195 lbs., appeared in 23 games, played 259 minutes (11.3 avg.), made 44 of 103 field goal attempts (.427%) and 35 of 51 free throws (.686%) for 125 points (5.4 avg.), had 67 rebounds (2.9 avg.) and 26 assists (1.1 avg.) 30— George Lynch — Forward — 6-8, 218 lbs., appeared in 71 games, played 1,762 minutes (24.8 avg.), made 291 of 573 field goal attempts (.508%) and 99 of 166 free throws (.596%) for 681 points (9.6 avg.), had 410 rebounds (5.8 avg.) and 96 assists (1.4 avg.) 1— Anthony Peeler — Guard — 6-4, 208 lbs., appeared in 30 games, played 923 minutes (30.8 avg.), madder 176 of 409 field goal attempts (.430%) and 57 of 71 free throws (.803%) for 423 points (14.1 avg.), had 109 rebounds (3.6 avg.) and 94 assists (3.1 avg.) 18 — Kurt Rambis — Forward — 6-8, 213 lbs., appeared in 50 games, played 635 minutes (12.7 avg.), made 59 of 114 field goal attempts (.518%) and 46 of 71 free throws (.648%) for 164 points (3.3 avg.), had 189 rebounds (3.8 avg.) and 32 assists (0.6 avg.) 26 — Danny Schayes — Center/Forward — 6-11, 235 lbs., appeared in 5 games, played 133 minutes (10.2 avg.), made 14 of 38 field goal attempts (.368%) and 8 of 10 free throws (.800%) for 36 points (2.8 avg.), had 34 rebounds (2.6 avg.) and 8 assists (0.6 avg.) 34 —Tony Smith—Guard —6-3, 185 lbs., appeared in 73 games, played 1,617 minutes (22.2 avg.), made 272 of 617 field goal attempts (.441%) and 85 of 119 free throws (.714%) for 645 points (8.8 avg.), had 195 rebounds (2.7 avg.) and 148 assists (2.0 avg.) 3—Sedale Threatt—Guard—6-2, 175 lbs., appeared in 81 games, played 2,278 minutes (28.1 avg.), made 411 of 852 field goal attempts (.482%) and 138 of 155 free throws (.890%) for 965 points (11.9 avg.), had 153 rebounds (1.9 avg.) and 344 assists (4.2 avg.) 9—Nick Van Exel—Guard—6-1, 170 lbs., appeared in 81 games, played 2,700 minutes (33.3 avg.), made 413 of 1,049 field goal attempts (.394%) and 150 of 192 free throws (.781%) for 1,099 points (13.6 avg.), had 238 rebounds (2.9 avg.) and 466 assists (5.8 avg.) 7 — Trevor Wilson — Forward — 6-7, 210 lbs., appeared in 5 games, played 126 minutes (25.2 avg.), made 19 of 39 field goal attempts (.487%) and 13 of 25 free throws (.520%) for 51 points (10.2 avg.), had 28 rebounds (5.6 avg.) and 12 assists (2.4 avg.) 42 — James Worthy — Forward — 6-9, 225 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 1,597 minutes (20.0 avg.), made 3340 of 838 field goal attempts (.406%) and 100 of 135 free throws (.741%) for 812 points (10.2 avg.), had 181 rebounds (2.3 avg.) and 154 assists (1.9 avg.)

League Leaders Sedale Threatt — free throw percentage (4th)

All-Rookie Team Nick Van Exel — 2nd team selection

Regular Season Highlights Nov. 16 — In a 116–114 double-overtime victory, Vlade Divac gets 13 offensive rebounds against the Los Angeles Clippers.

ONE : THE SEASONS

1994-95 Head Coach: Del Harris Assistant Coaches: Bill Bertka, Michael Cooper, Larry Drew, Kurt Rambis Regular Season Record: 48–34 3rd place in the NBA Pacific Division (finished 11 games out of first place) Scored 105.1 points per game to rank 7th out of 27 teams Allowed 105.3 points per game to rank 21st

Review With a new coach in Del Harris, and new names creating headlines in the morning newspapers, the Lakers improved by 15 games, and were once again back in the playoffs. Nick Van Exel, Eddie Jones, and Cedric Ceballos, rose up to lead the team back toward the top of the division.

Gone from the Previous Season Doug Christie — traded to New York on October 13, 1994 James Edwards — became free agent and signed with Portland on September 19, 1994 Reggie Jordan — released Danny Schayes — released Trevor Wilson — waived by the Lakers on December 7, 1993 James Worthy — retired

Regular Season Individual Statistics 31—Sam Bowie—Center/Forward—7-1, 235 lbs., appeared in 67 games, played 1,225 minutes (18.3 avg.), made 118 of 267 field goal attempts (.442%) and 68 of 89 free throws (.764%) for 306 points (4.6 avg.), had 288 rebounds (4.3 avg.) and 118 assists (1.8 avg.) 41— Elden Campbell — Center — 6-11, 215 lbs., appeared in 73 games, played 2,076 minutes (28.4 avg.), made 360 of 785 field goal attempts (.459%) and 193 of 290 free throws (.666%) for 913 points (12.5 avg.), had 445 rebounds (6.1 avg.) and 92 assists (1.3 avg.) 23 — Cedric Ceballos — Forward — 6-6, 190 lbs., appeared in 58 games, played 2,029 minutes (35.0 avg.), made 497 of 977 field goal attempts (.509%) and 209 of 292 free throws (.716%) for 1,261 points (21.7 avg.), had 464 rebounds (8.0 avg.) and 105 assists (1.8 avg.) 7 — Lester Conner — Guard — 6-4, 180 lbs., appeared in 2 games, played 5 minutes (2.5 avg.) and made 2 of 2 free throws for 2 points (1.0 avg.) 24 — Lloyd Daniels — Guard — 6-7, 205 lbs., appeared in 25 games, played 541 minutes (21.6 avg.), made 71 of 182 field goal attempts (.390%) and 20 of 25 free throws (.800%) for 185 points (7.4 avg.), had 56 rebounds (2.2 avg.) and 36 assists (1.4 avg.) 12 — Vlade Divac — Center — 7-1, 2443 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 2,807 minutes (35.1 avg.), made 485 of 957 field goal attempts (.507%) and 297 of 382 free throws (.777%) for 1,277 points (16.0 avg.), had 829 rebounds (10.4 avg.) and 329 assists (4.1 avg.) 40— Antonio Harvey — Forward/Center — 6-11, 225 lbs., appeared in 59 games, played 572 minutes (9.7 avg.), made 77 of 176 field goal attempts (.438%) and 24 of 45 free throws (.533%) for 179 points (3.0 avg.), had 102 rebounds (1.7 avg.) and 23 assists (0.4 avg.) 25 — Eddie Jones — Guard/Forward — 6-6, 190 lbs., appeared in 64 games, played 1,981 minutes (31.0 avg.), made 342 of 744 field goal attempts (.460%) and 122 of 169 free throws (.722%) for 897 points (14.0 avg.), had 249 rebounds (3.9 avg.) and 128 assists (2.0 avg.) 8 — Randolph Keys — Forward/Guard — 6-7, 195 lbs., appeared in 6 games, played 83 minutes (13.8 avg.), made 9 of 26 field goal attempts

ONE : THE SEASONS (.346%) and 2 of 2 free throws (1.000%) for 20 points (3.3 avg.), had 17 rebounds (2.8 avg.) and 2 assists (0.3 avg.) 30— George Lynch — Forward — 6-8, 218 lbs., appeared in 56 games, played 953 minutes (17.0 avg.), made 138 of 295 field goal attempts (.468%) and 62 of 86 free throws (.721%) for 341 points (6.1 avg.), had 184 rebounds (3.3 avg.) and 62 assists (1.1 avg.) 2 — Anthony Miller — Forward — 6-9, 225 lbs., appeared in 46 games, played 527 minutes (11.5 avg.), made 70 of 132 field goal attempts (.530%) and 47 of 76 free throws (.618%) for 189 points (4.1 avg.), had 152 rebounds (3.3 avg.) and 35 assists (0.8 avg.) 1— Anthony Peeler — Guard — 6-4, 208 lbs., appeared in 73 games, played 1,559 minutes (21.4 avg.), made 285 of 659 field goal attempts (.432%) and 102 of 128 free throws (.797%) for 756 points (10.4 avg.), had 168 rebounds (2.3 avg.) and 122 assists (1.7 avg.) 18 — Kurt Rambis — Forward — 6-8, 213 lbs., appeared in 26 games, played 195 minutes (7.5 avg.), made 18 of 35 field goal attempts (.514%) and 8 of 12 free throws (.667%) for 44 points (1.7 avg.), had 34 rebounds (1.3 avg.) and 16 assists (0.6 avg.) 34 — Tony Smith — Guard — 6-3, 185 lbs., appeared in 61 games, played 1,024 minutes (16.8 avg.), made 132 of 309 field goal attempts (.427%) and 44 of 63 free throws (.698%) for 340 points (5.6 avg.), had 107 rebounds (1.8 avg.) and 102 assists (1.7 avg.) 3 — Sedale Threatt — Guard — 6-2, 175 lbs., appeared in 59 games, played 1.384 minutes (23.5 avg.), made 217 of 437 field goal attempts (.497%) and 88 of 111 free throws (.793%) for 558 points (9.5 avg.), had 124 rebounds (2.1 avg.) and 248 assists (4.2 avg.) 9—Nick Van Exel—Guard—6-1, 170 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 2,944 minutes (36.8 avg.), made 465 of 1,107 field goal attempts (.420%) and 235 of 300 free throws (.783%) for 1,348 points (16.9 avg.), had 223 rebounds (2.8 avg.) and 660 assists (8.3 avg.)

League Leaders Nick Van Exel — assists (5th)

All-Rookie Team Eddie Jones —1st team selection

All-Star Game Selections Cedric Ceballos

NBA Coach of the Year Award Del Harris

NBA Executive of the Year Award Jerry West

Regular Season Highlights Dec. 13 — Nick Van Exel connects for a team record of eight three-pointers in a 115–108 win against Dallas. Dec. 20—Cedric Ceballos scored 50 points in a 108–95 victory over Minnesota.

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Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND VERSUS SEATTLE 1. April 27 at Seattle: The Lakers were back in the playoffs after a one-year absence. Their failure to make a postseason appearance in the previous year was the first time since 1976 that the Lakers went home following their regular season finale. Their return to the playoffs occurred with the city of Seattle serving as the backdrop, and the Supersonics spoiled the Lakers’ rejuvenation with a 96–71 rout. The 71 points were the lowest scored by the Lakers in their postseason history. Nick Van Exel was the only Lakers’ player to show any signs of life in the Tacoma Dome, as he scored 29 points, which was well over one third of the Lakers’ total offensive production. Seattle never trailed at the end of any quarter, and were led by Shawn Kemp’s 21 points.1 2. April 29 at Seattle: The Lakers came back strong in this game, holding a 43–36 lead at the half. The Supersonics rallied back to take a 71–69 advantage into the fourth quarter. Los Angeles was not going to be denied, and went on a 14–2 run before a power outage forced the game, and the Lakers’ momentum, to be put on hold for 24 minutes. When play was resumed, the Lakers managed to hang on long enough to secure a close 84– 82 victory that evened the series. Cedric Ceballos led the Lakers with 25 points, and was followed by Vlade Divac’s 17.2 3. May 1 at Los Angeles: With a sold out Forum crowd cheering them on, the Lakers jumped out to a 34–22 first quarter lead and held off Seattle, 105–101, to take a 2–1 series lead. Cedric Ceballos led the Lakers with 24 points, Nick Van Exel added 23, and Vlade Divac had a solid game that consisted of 20 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots.3 4. May 4 at Los Angeles: The Forum was the site for another series-clinching victory for the Lakers, as they closed out Seattle’s season with a 114–110 win. Los Angeles battled back from a ninepoint deficit at the start of the second quarter. Going into the fourth quarter, Los Angeles trailed by eight, but outscored the Supersonics, 32–20, in the final stanza to eliminate Seattle. Nick Van Exel led all scorers with 34 points, and Vlade Divac had 23 points and 11 rebounds.4

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS VERSUS SAN ANTONIO 1. May 6 at San Antonio: The Lakers came out playing tough, winning the battle of the boards by a 47–40 count, but a 33-point, 11-rebound performance from David Robinson helped the Spurs to a 110–94 opening game victory. The teams were deadlocked at the end of the first quarter, and San Antonio used the second period to outscore the Lakers by 10 to take control, which they never gave up. Elden Campbell had a good game for Los Angeles, with 29 points and 10 rebounds, and Vlade Divac added 25 points and 11 rebounds.5 2. May 8 at San Antonio: The Spurs capitalized on the Lakers’ poor 39.1 percent shooting, and won in overtime, 97–90. The Lakers had a chance to win it at the end of regulation, but Vlade Divac missed two free throws with four seconds left to force overtime. The Spurs then outscored the Lakers, 14–7, in the extra period to take a 2–0 series lead. Dennis Rodman, never known as

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an offensive weapon, hit for 22 points to tie David Robinson for team-high honors. Rodman was known for his defensive skills, and lived up to that reputation by hauling in a whopping 22 rebounds. Elden Campbell turned in another great performance despite the loss, as he connected for a game-high 25 points and 18 rebounds.6 3. May 12 at Los Angeles: Vlade Divac redeemed himself after missing two free throws that could have won the game four days earlier. With the series shifting back to Los Angeles, Divac scored 14 points, hauled in 13 rebounds, and connected on four of six free throws to help the Lakers prevail, 92–85. Cedric Ceballos, who had struggled in the first two games, hitting on only 26.7 percent of his shots, came alive. He scored 22 points, hauled in 10 rebounds, and had four steals. The Lakers got out to a 28– 11 first quarter lead, which allowed them a big cushion for the rest of the game. David Robinson led the Spurs with 34 points and 13 rebounds.7 4. May 14 at Los Angeles: The Lakers picked a bad time to go cold in this series, and fell behind three games to one after a dismal 80–71 loss. The Spurs did not do much better, as both teams had low-scoring quarters. The Spurs used a 27–17 first quarter advantage to carry them throughout the game. In the other periods, they only produced 19, 15, and another 19 points. The Lakers had their worst quarter in the third, when they were only able to land 12 points. David Robinson was the main weapon for San Antonio, with 26 points and 22 rebounds. For the lethargic Lakers, Vlade Divac led the team with 14 points, and reserve George Lynch led the team in rebounding with eight.8 5. May 16 at San Antonio: The Lakers extended their season for at least one more game thanks to a 98–96 victory. Nick Van Exel’s heroics were the reason for the Lakers getting to play another day. With 10.2 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Van Exel sank a three-pointer to tie the game. He then did the same thing with 0.5 seconds left in overtime to produce the victory. He led the team with 22 points, and Cedric Ceballos added 20. At first, things looked bleak for Los Angeles, who had not won at the Alamodome in six previous games. They went cold, not scoring a field goal for ten and a half minutes. The only thing that kept them alive was their free throw shooting. The Lakers led after every quarter but the fourth, when they were only able to put 12 points on the board.9 6. May 18 at Los Angeles: The Spurs clinched their first trip to the Western Conference Finals since 1983 with a 100–88 victory. Leading the series-clinching win was David Robinson, who scored 31 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. Dennis Rodman led the battle of the boards with 16 rebounds, and Sean Elliott added 26 points. The Spurs got out to a 24–18 first quarter lead, but the Lakers fought back to make it only a three-point San Antonio advantage at the half. The Spurs built an 11-point bulge heading into the fourth and just maintained their lead from that stage on. Elden Campbell led the Lakers with 21 points.10

Individual Playoff Statistics Bowie — appeared in 10 games, played 135 minutes (13.5 avg.), scored 21 points (2.1 avg.), had 33 rebounds (3.3 avg.) and 3 assists (0.3 avg.) Campbell—appeared in 10 games, played 376 minutes (37.6 avg.), scored

ONE : THE SEASONS 157 points (15.7 avg.), had 73 rebounds (7.3 avg.) and 16 assists (1.6 avg.) Ceballos — appeared in 10 games, played 340 minutes (34.0 avg.), scored 142 points (14.2 avg.), had 61 rebounds (6.1 avg.) and 18 assists (18 avg.) Divac — appeared in 10 games, played 388 minutes (38.8 avg.), scored 156 points (15.6 avg.), had 85 rebounds (8.5 avg.) and 31 assists (3.1 avg.) Harvey — appeared in 3 games, played 4 minutes (1.3 avg.) and had 1 rebound (0.3 avg.) Jones — appeared in 10 games, played 286 minutes (28.6 avg.), scored 87 points (8.7 avg.), had 32 rebounds (3.2 avg.) and 20 assists (2.0 avg.) Lynch — appeared in 10 games, played 136 minutes (13.6 avg.), scored 44 points (4.4 avg.), had 30 rebounds (3.0 avg.) and 7 rebounds (0.7 avg.) Miller — appeared in 4 games, played 15 minutes (3.8 avg.), had 6 rebounds (1.5 avg.) and 1 assist (0.3 avg.) Peeler — appeared in 10 games, played 268 minutes (26.8 avg.), scored 89 points (8.9 avg.), had 28 rebounds (2.8 avg.) and 25 assists (2.5 avg.) Smith — appeared in 6 games, played 27 minutes (4.5 avg.), scored 9 points (1.5 avg.), had 3 rebounds (0.5 avg.) and 3 assists (0.5 avg.) Threatt — appeared in 1 game, played 11 minutes (11.0 avg.), scored 2 points (2.0 avg.) and had 2 assists (2.0 avg.) Van Exel—appeared in 10 games, played 464 minutes (46.4 avg.), scored 200 points (20.0 avg.), had 38 rebounds (3.8 avg.) and 73 assists (7.3 avg.)

1995-96 Head Coach: Del Harris Assistant Coaches: Bill Bertka, Michael Cooper, Larry Drew, Kurt Rambis Regular Season Record: 53–29 2nd place in the NBA Pacific Division (finished 11 games out of first place) Scored 102.9 points per game to rank 7th out of 29 teams Allowed 98.5 points per game to rank 13th

Review Magic Johnson returned to the team as a player in late January, and helped a talented group consisting of Nick Van Exel, Eddie Jones, Elden Campbell, and Cedric Ceballos, to a more Lakers-like finish in the standings. The team had a brief problem with Ceballos, who disappeared for five days. He stated that he had to tend to a personal issue, but it was felt that he went away due to having his playing time cut upon the return of Magic Johnson. Despite the disruption in team chemistry, the Lakers coasted to a postseason berth.

Gone from the Previous Season Sam Bowie — retired Lester Conner — released Lloyd Daniels — waived by the Lakers on April 11, 1995 Antonio Harvey—taken in the expansion draft by Vancouver on June 24, 1995 Randolph Keys — contract expired and the Lakers did not resign him Kurt Rambis — contract expired and the Lakers did not resign him.

ONE : THE SEASONS He was resigned on October 6, 1995 and then waived on October 31, 1995 Tony Smith — contract expired and the Lakers did not resign him

Regular Season Individual Statistics 43 — Corie Blount — Forward — 6-9, 240 lbs., appeared in 57 games, played 715 minutes (12.5 avg.), made 79 of 167 field goal attempts (.473%) and 25 of 44 free throws (.568%) for 183 points (3.2 avg.), had 170 rebounds (3.0 avg.) and 42 assists (0.7 avg.) 41— Elden Campbell — Center — 6-11, 215 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,699 minutes (32.9 avg.), made 447 of 888 field goal attempts (.503%) and 249 of 349 free throws (.713%) for 1,143 points (13.9 avg.), had 623 rebounds (7.6 avg.) and 182 assists (2.2 avg.) 23 — Cedric Ceballos — Forward — 6-6, 190 lbs., appeared in 78 games, played 2,628 minutes (33.7 avg.), made 638 of 1,203 field goal attempts (.530%) and 329 of 409 free throws (.804%) for 1,656 points (21.2 avg.), had 536 rebounds (6.9 avg.) and 119 assists (1.5 avg.) 12—Vlade Divac—Center—7-1, 243 lbs., appeared in 79 games, played 2,470 minutes (31.3 avg.), made 414 of 807 field goal attempts (.513%) and 189 of 295 free throws (.641%) for 1,020 points (12.9 avg.), had 679 rebounds (8.6 avg.) and 261 assists (3.3 avg.) 32 — Magic Johnson — Guard/Forward — 6-8, 215 lbs., appeared in 32 games, played 958 minutes (29.9 avg.), made 137 of 294 field goal attempts (.466%) and 172 of 201 free throws (.856%) for 468 points (14.6 avg.), had 183 rebounds (5.7 avg.) and 220 assists (6.9 avg.) 25 — Eddie Jones — Guard/Forward — 6-6, 190 lbs., appeared in 70 games, played 2.184 minutes (31.2 avg.), made 337 of 685 field goal attempts (.492%) and 136 of 184 free throws (.739%) for 893 points (12.8 avg.), had 233 rebounds (3.3 avg.) and 246 assists (3.5 avg.) 4 — Frankie King — Guard — 6-1, 185 lbs., appeared in 6 games, played 20 minutes (3.3 avg.), made 3 of 11 field goal attempts (.273%) and 1 of 3 free throws (.333%) for 7 points (1.2 avg.), had 2 rebounds (0.3 avg.) and 2 assists (0.3 avg.) 34 — George Lynch — Forward — 6-8, 218 lbs., appeared in 76 games, played 1,012 minutes (13.3 avg.), made 117 of 272 field goal attempts (.430%) and 53 of 80 free throws (.663%) for 291 points (3.8 avg.), had 209 rebounds (2.8 avg.) and 51 assists (0.7 avg.) 2 — Anthony Miller — Forward — 6-9, 225 lbs., appeared in 27 games, played 123 minutes (4.6 avg.), made 15 of 35 field goal attempts (.429%) and 6 of 10 free throws (.600%) for 36 points (1.3 avg.), had 25 rebounds (0.9 avg.) and 4 assists (0.1 avg.) 1— Anthony Peeler — Guard — 6-4, 208 lbs., appeared in 73 games, played 1,608 minutes (22.0 avg.), made 272 of 602 field goal attempts (.452%) and 61 of 86 free throws (.709%) for 710 points (9.7 avg.), had 137 rebounds (1.9 avg.) and 117 assists (1.6 avg.) 24 — Fred Roberts — Forward/Center — 6-10, 218 lbs., appeared in 33 games, played 317 minutes (9.6 avg.), made 48 of 97 field goal attempts (.495%) and 22 of 28 free throws (.786%) for 122 points (3.7 avg.), had 47 rebounds (1.4 avg.) and 26 assists (0.8 avg.) 7 — Derek Strong — Forward — 6-8, 220 lbs., appeared in 63 games, played 746 minutes (11.8 avg.), made 72 of 169 field goal attempts (.426%) and 69 of 85 free throws (.812%) for 214 points (3.4 avg.), had 178 rebounds (2.8 avg.) and 32 assists (0.5 avg.) 3 — Sedale Threatt — Guard — 6-2, 175 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 1,6878 minutes (20.6 avg.), made 241 of 526 field goal attempts (.458%) and 54 of 71 free throws (.761%) for 596 points (7.3 avg.), had 95 rebounds (1.2 avg.) and 269 assists (3.3 avg.) 9—Nick Van Exel—Guard—6-1, 170 lbs., appeared in 74 games, played 2,513 minutes (34.0 avg.), made 396 of 950 field goal attempts (.417%) and 163 of 204 free throws (.799%) for 1,099 points (14.9 avg.), had 181 rebounds (2.4 avg.) and 509 assists (6.9 avg.)

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League Leaders Elden Campbell — had 212 blocked shots during the season (4th)

Regular Season Highlights Dec. 10— In an 87–82 win over Detroit, a ceremony was held to retire James Worthy’s number #42. Jan. 30— Magic Johnson returns to the Lakers as a player for the remainder of the season. The Lakers go on to win their fourth straight game, 128–118, over Golden State. The Lakers earn their 21st season of 50-plus victories.

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND VERSUS HOUSTON 1. April 25 at Los Angeles: The Rockets quest to win a third straight NBA title started off well. With Hakeem Olajuwon leading all scorers with 33 points, Houston won, 87–83. The Lakers gave the defending champions a run for the victory by battling throughout. They only trailed by a point at the half, and took a 66–65 lead into the fourth quarter. This game marked the postseason return of Magic Johnson, who scored 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in 36 minutes of work. Cedric Ceballos led the Lakers with 22 points.1 2. April 27 at Los Angeles: The magic was back, and the Lakers responded with a 104–94 win that evened the series up. In 31 minutes of work, Magic Johnson produced a game-high 26 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out five assists. Eddie Jones scored 20 points and hauled in 11 rebounds on a day that saw the Lakers improve their outside shooting from 34.9 percent to 44.6 percent. The Lakers took a commanding 24–11 first quarter lead to control the game the rest of the way.2 3. April 30 at Houston: The Lakers looked to take a series lead, and were only down by a point at the half, and five going into in the fourth quarter. Los Angeles then picked the most inopportune time to go cold. Over a span of six minutes and nineteen seconds, the Lakers failed to score. Meanwhile, the defending champion Rockets went on a 13–0 run that proved to be the difference in a 104–98 Houston victory. Hakeem Olajuwon led Houston with a game-high 30 points. Despite their fourth quarter meltdown, the Lakers had six of eight players who saw action score in double figures, with Elden Campbell leading the way with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Magic Johnson chipped in with 13 assists, nine rebounds, and seven points.3 4. May 2 at Houston: The Rockets took care of the first roadblock in their path toward a third straight NBA title by clinching the series with a 102–94 victory. Hakeem Olajuwon scored 25 points and hauled in 11 rebounds to lead the Rockets in a game that never saw them outscored in any of the four quarters. Cedric Ceballos tied Olajuwon for game-high honors with 25 points, and he had 12 rounds to complete his solid performance. In what was the final game of Magic Johnson’s incredible career, he played 30 minutes, scored eight points, had five rebounds, and just as many assists.4

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Individual Playoff Statistics Campbell — appeared in 4 games, played 129 minutes (32.3 avg.), scored 48 points (12.0 avg.), had 32 rebounds (8.0 avg.) and 8 assists (2.0 avg.) Ceballos — appeared in 4 games, played 142 minutes (35.5 avg.), scored 76 points (19.0 avg.), had 33 rebounds (8.3 avg.) and 5 assists (1.3 avg.) Divac — appeared in 4 games, played 115 minutes (28.8 avg.), scored 36 points (9.0 avg.), had 30 rebounds (7.5 avg.) and 8 assists (2.0 avg.) Johnson — appeared in 4 games, played 135 minutes (33.8 avg.), scored 61 points (15.3 avg.), had 34 rebounds (8.5 avg.) and 26 assists (6.5 avg.) Jones — appeared in 4 games, played 155 minutes (38.8 avg.), scored 69 points (17.3 avg.), had 21 rebounds (5.3 avg.) and 6 assists (1.5 avg.) Lynch — appeared in 2 games, played 15 minutes (7.5 avg.), scored 4 points (2.0 avg.), had 3 rebounds (1.5 avg.) and 1 assist (0.5 avg.) Peeler — appeared in 3 games, played 72 minutes (24.0 avg.), scored 28 points (9.3 avg.), had 8 rebounds (2.7 avg.) and 3 assists (1.0 avg.) Roberts — appeared in 1 game, played 3 minutes (3.0 avg.) and had 3 rebounds (3.0 avg.) Threatt — appeared in 4 games, played 57 minutes (14.3 avg.), scored 10 points (2.5 avg.), had 3 rebounds (0.8 avg.) and 4 assists (1.0 avg.) Van Exel — appeared in 4 games, played 137 minutes (34.3 avg.), scored 47 points (11.8 avg.), had 16 rebounds (4.0 avg.) and 27 assists (6.8 avg.)

1996-97 Head Coach: Del Harris Assistant Coaches: Bill Bertka, Larry Drew, Kurt Rambis Regular Season Record: 56–26 2nd place in the NBA Pacific Division (finished one game out of first place) Scored 100.0 points per game to rank 8th out of 29 teams Allowed 95.7 points per game to rank 12th Led the league in blocked shots (575)

Review It seemed that the Lakers had the knack for landing some of the top pivot men in the game since the late 1960s. First there was Wilt Chamberlain, and then Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. As the team was heading into the new millennium, they acquired the league’s dominant big man once again, this time bringing Shaquille O’Neal into the purple and gold fold. Even when O’Neal missed 31 games due to a knee injury, the Lakers quickly went up the top of the rankings as a true contender for the NBA title with him at center. Also joining the Lakers was high school superstar Kobe Bryant, who along with O’Neal would create a new dynasty in Los Angeles.

Gone from the Previous Season Vlade Divac — traded to the Charlotte Hornets on July 11, 1996 Magic Johnson — retired for the second time in career (first was in 1991) Frankie King — released George Lynch — traded to Vancouver on July 16, 1996 Anthony Miller — released Anthony Peeler — traded to Vancouver on July 16, 1996 Fred Roberts — released

ONE : THE SEASONS Derek Strong — released Sedale Threatt — released

Regular Season Individual Statistics 43 — Corie Blount — Forward — 6-9, 240 lbs., appeared in 58 games, played 1,009 minutes (17.4 avg.), made 92 of 179 field goal attempts (.514%) and 56 of 83 free throws (.675%) for 241 points (4.2 avg.), had 276 rebounds (4.8 avg.) and 35 assists (0.6 avg.) 8 — Kobe Bryant — Guard — 6-6, 200 lbs., appeared in 71 games, played 1,103 minutes (15.5 avg.), made 176 of 422 field goal attempts (.417%) and 136 of 166 free throws (.819%) for 539 points (7.6 avg.), had 132 rebounds (1.9 avg.) and 91 assists (1.3 avg.) 41— Elden Campbell — Center — 6-11, 215 lbs., appeared in 77 games, played 2,516 minutes (32.7 avg.), made 442 of 942 field goal attempts (.469%) and 263 of 370 free throws (.711%) for 1,148 points (14.9 avg.), had 615 rebounds (8.0 avg.) and 126 assists (1.6 avg.) 23 — Cedric Ceballos — Forward — 6-6, 190 lbs., appeared in 8 games, played 279 minutes (334.9 avg.), made 34 of 83 field goal attempts (.410%) and 13 of 15 free throws (.867%) for 86 points (10.8 avg.), had 53 rebounds (6.6 avg.) and 15 assists (1.9 avg.) 2 — Derek Fisher — Guard — 6-1, 200 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 921 minutes (11.5 avg.), made 104 of 262 field goal attempts (.397%) and 79 of 120 free throws (.658%) for 309 points (3.9 avg.), had 97 rebounds (1.2 avg.) and 119 assists (1.5 avg.) 5 — Robert Horry — Forward — 6-9, 220 lbs., appeared in 22 games, played 676 minutes (30.7 avg.), made 75 of 165 field goal attempts (.455%) and 28 of 40 free throws (.700%) for 203 points (9.2 avg.), had 118 rebounds (5.4 avg.) and 556 assists (2.5 avg.) 6—Eddie Jones—Guard/Forward—6-6, 190 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 2,998 minutes (37.5 avg.), made 473 of 1,081 field goal attempts (.438%), 276 of 337 free throws (.819%) for 1,374 points (17.2 avg.), had 326 rebounds (4.1 avg.) and 270 assists (3.4 avg.) 12 — Jerome Kersey — Forward — 6-7, 215 lbs., appeared in 70 games, played 1,766 minutes (25.2 avg.), made 194 of 449 field goal attempts (.432%) and 71 of 118 free throws (.602%) for 476 points (6.8 avg.), had 363 rebounds (5.2 avg.) and 89 assists (1.3 avg.) 35 — Joe Kleine — Center — 6-11, 255 lbs., appeared in 8 games, played 30 minutes (0.3 avg.), made 2 of 8 field goal attempts (.250%) and 2 of 2 free throws (1.000%) for 6 points (0.8 avg.) and had 9 rebounds (1.1 avg.) 40— Travis Knight — Center — 7-0, 235 lbs., appeared in 71 games, played 1,156 minutes (16.3 avg.), made 140 of 275 field goal attempts (.509%) and 62 of 100 free throws (.620%) for 342 points (4.8 avg.), had 319 rebounds (4.5 avg.) and 39 assists (0.5%) 7 — Larry Krystkowiak — Forward/Center — 6-9, 220 lbs., appeared in 11 games, played 11 minutes (3.7 avg.), made 1 of 2 field goal attempts (.500%) and 1 of 2 free throws (.500%) for 3 points (1.0 avg.), had 5 rebounds (1.7 avg.) and 3 assists (1.0 avg.) 24 — George McCloud — Guard/Forward — 6-6, 205 lbs., appeared in 23 games, played 286 minutes (12.4 avg.), made 34 of 96 field goal attempts (.354%) and 6 of 9 free throws (.667%) for 95 points (4.1 avg.), had 36 rebounds (1.6 avg.) and 17 assists (0.7 avg.) 34 — Shaquille O’Neal — Center — 7-1, 325 lbs., appeared in 51 games, played 1,941 minutes (38.1 avg.), made 552 of 991 field goal attempts (.557%) and 232 of 479 free throws (.484%) for 1,336 points (26.2 avg.), had 640 rebounds (12.5 avg.) and 159 assists (3.1 avg.) 20— Rumeal Robinson — Guard — 6-2, 195 lbs., appeared in 15 games, played 126 minutes (8.4 avg.), made 17 of 48 field goal attempts (.354%) and 5 of 8 free throws (.625%) for 45 points (3.0 avg.), had 10 rebounds (0.7 avg.) and 13 assists (0.9 avg.) 45 — Sean Rooks — Center — 6-10, 250 lbs., appeared in 69 games, played 735 minutes (10.7 avg.), made 87 of 185 field goal attempts (.470%) and 91 of 130 free throws (.700%) for 265 points (3.8 avg.), had 163 rebounds (2.4 avg.) and 42 assists (0.6 avg.) 4 — Byron Scott — Guard — 6-3, 195 lbs., appeared in 79 games, played

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1,440 minutes (18.2 avg.), made 163 of 379 field goal attempts (.430%) and 127 of 151 free throws (.841%) for 526 points (6.7 avg.), had 118 rebounds (1.5 avg.) and 99 assists (1.3 avg.) 9—Nick Van Exel—Guard—6-1, 170 lbs., appeared in 79 games, played 2,937 minutes (37.2 avg.), made 432 of 1,075 field goal attempts (.402%) and 165 of 200 free throws (.825%) for 1,206 points (15.3%), had 226 rebounds (2.9 avg.) and 672 assists (8.5 avg.)

League Leaders Eddie Jones — had 189 steals during the season (4th), averaged 2.4 steals per game (4th) Shaquille O’Neal —field goal percentage (4th), averaged 2.9 blocked shots per game (3rd)

All-NBA Shaquille O’Neal — 3rd team selection

All-Rookie Team Kobe Bryant — 2nd team selection

All-Star Game Selections Eddie Jones, Shaquille O’Neal

Regular Season Highlights Nov. 20— A ceremony was held during a game with Utah to retire Gail Goodrich’s #25. The Lakers lost to the Jazz, 113– 97. Nov. 22 — In a 96–86 win over San Antonio, Shaquille O’Neal grabs 21 rebounds. Jan. 5 —In a 95–82 win, Nick Van Exel dishes out 23 assists against Vancouver. Jan. 24 — Travis Knight gets 11 offensive rebounds in a 114– 97 win against Golden State. March 14 — Corie Blount gathers in 12 offensive rebounds in a 97–95 loss to the LA Clippers. April 17 — Shaquille O’Neal scores 42 points in a 108–99 victory against Sacramento.

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND VERSUS PORTLAND 1. April 25 at Los Angeles: The acquisition of Shaquille O’Neal paid off in high dividends as the “Diesel” powered his way over and around the Trailblazers. He scored a career playoffbest 46 points in a runaway 95–77 Los Angeles victory. O’Neal also hauled in 11 rebounds, and Elden Campbell scored 20 points to finish second on the team in that category. The Lakers led, 43– 40, at the half, and used a 12-point scoring advantage in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.1 2. April 27 at Los Angeles: The “Diesel” continued on his assault through the Trailblazers in a 107–93 win that gave the

1996-97 Lakers a commanding 2–0 lead in the best-of-five series. With a sold out Forum crowd cheering their Lakers on, O’Neal scored a game-high 30 points. Los Angeles outscored Portland in every quarter but the second, when they only put up 16 points. Portland took advantage of their opponent’s temporary woes by rallying from a seven-point deficit at the start of the second quarter to gain a 51–49 lead at the half. Los Angeles got back on track in the second half, outscored Portland, 58–42, and sailed to an easy win.2 3. April 30 at Portland: The Trailblazers jumped all over the Lakers in the first half, building a 23-point halftime lead that increased to 31. The Lakers managed to make up some ground in the fourth quarter by outscoring Portland, 32–14. However, it was not enough to overcome the huge deficit they put themselves in, and Portland prevailed, 98–90, to ward off elimination. Kenny Anderson led all scorers with 30 points for Portland, and Shaquille O’Neal tallied a team-high 29 points and 12 rebounds for the Lakers.3 4. May 2 at Portland: Jerome Kersey had scored many points as a member of the Portland Trailblazers in his 11 years with the team. However, it was the two that he put in against his old team that will forever embrace him with Lakers fans. With 1:17 remaining in the game, Shaquille O’Neal missed a shot and Kersey was right there to tip it in and gave Los Angeles a lead they never relinquished. With the 95–91 victory, the Lakers wrapped up the series. Shaquille O’Neal and Elden Campbell each scored 27 points to share game-high honors. Portland played tough throughout the entire game, and took a 74–68 lead into the final period, which saw the Lakers outscore Portland by 10 points.4

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS VERSUS UTAH 1. May 4 at Utah: Karl Malone’s 23 points and 13 rebounds paced the Jazz in a 93–77 victory to open the series. On the other side, the Lakers went cold in the second half. They could not sink an outside shot for almost four and a half minutes, and only connected on nine of 41 attempts from the field in the second half. Nick Van Exel led the team with 23 points, and Shaquille O’Neal, like the rest of the team as a whole, struggled. He only landed six of 16 shot attempts for a well-below Shaq standard of 17 points, but he did manage to secure 12 rebounds for the lethargic Lakers.5 2. May 6 at Utah: With 19,911 looking on at Utah’s Delta Center, Nick Van Exel was wedged between Jazz legends Karl Malone and John Stockton with 2.1 seconds left in the game and the Lakers trailing by two points. From 25 feet away, Van Exel released the ball as time was all but gone. Unfortunately, the ball never found its mark, and the Lakers lost a heart breaker, 103– 101. The real heart breaker was that Malone hacked Van Exel, but the foul was never called, which in turn could have allowed the Lakers’ guard to go to the free throw line. The Lakers fumed over the botched call as expected, but to no avail. This controversial finish overshadowed a record-setting performance by Robert Horry, who connected on an NBA playoff record seven straight three-pointers, which was how he amassed his total of 21 points for the game. Shaquille O’Neal led the Lakers with 25 points and 12 rebounds, and Karl Malone, despite his alleged last second foul on Van Exel, took home game-high honors with 31 points.6

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3. May 8 at Los Angeles: The Jazz shot a dismal 13.6 percent from the field throughout the first half, and the Lakers jumped at the opportunity to capitalize on their misfortunes. In the friendly confines of the Fabulous Forum, Los Angeles got out to a 49–36 lead at the half and coasted to a convincing 104–84 victory over a Utah team that came into this game as winners of 29 out of their previous 31 games. With Shaquille O’Neal playing only 18 minutes due to foul trouble, and then getting ejected from the game after drawing a double-technical foul, 18-year-old Kobe Bryant emerged as the team’s high scorer. Playing just 19 minutes, the teenage phenom scored 19 points, with Nick Van Exel coming in second with 17. Before his ejection, Shaq had 11 points and 10 rebounds.7 4. May 10 at Los Angeles: The Jazz returned to their winning ways with Karl Malone’s 42 points leading the way in a 110–95 victory that put Utah one win away from clinching the series. The Jazz outscored the Lakers in every quarter to produce their double-digit win. Shaquille O’Neal finally put together a game befitting of his superstar status in this series despite the loss. Playing 43 minutes, O’Neal pumped in 34 points, secured 11 rebounds, dished out four assists, and blocked six shots.8 5. May 12 at Utah: Back at the Delta Center, the Jazz needed overtime to bounce the Lakers from the playoffs. With Karl Malone once again providing the heroics, Utah clinched the series with a 98–93 victory. For the game Malone scored a game-high 32 points while grabbing 20 rebounds. Also starring for the Jazz were John Stockton with 24 points and 10 assists, and Bryon Russell with 22 points. The Lakers had to play without Shaquille O’Neal down the stretch in regulation and in overtime after he fouled out with 6:34 to play in the fourth quarter. Before his departure, O’Neal scored 23 points and hauled in 13 rebounds. The game went into overtime tied at 89–89. The Lakers then made only one of 10 shots in the overtime period, with Kobe Bryant missing on a trio of three-pointers that hit nothing but air. Los Angeles was led in the scoring column by Nick Van Exel, who shrugged off personal problems with coach Del Harris to pump in 26 points.9

Individual Playoff Statistics Blount — appeared in 3 games, played 8 minutes (2.7 avg.), scored 3 points (1.0 avg.), had 2 rebounds (0.7 avg.) and 1 assist (0.3 avg.) Bryant — appeared in 9 games, played 133 minutes (14.8 avg.), scored 74 points (8.2 avg.), had 11 rebounds (1.2 avg.) and 11 assists (1.2 avg.) Campbell—appeared in 9 games, played 278 minutes (30.9 avg.), scored 106 points (11.8 avg.), had 39 rebounds (4.3 avg.) and 9 assists (1.0 avg.) Fisher — appeared in 6 games, played 34 minutes (5.7 avg.), scored 8 points (1.3 avg.), had 3 rebounds (0.5 avg.) and 6 assists (1.0 avg.) Horry — appeared in 9 games, played 279 minutes (31.0 avg.), scored 60 points (6.7 avg.), had 48 rebounds (5.3 avg.) and 13 assists (1.4 avg.) Jones — appeared in 9 games, played 283 minutes (31.4 avg.), scored 101 points (11.2 avg.), had 31 rebounds (3.4 avg.) and 29 assists (3.2 avg.) Kersey — appeared in 9 games, played 210 minutes (23.3 avg.), scored 49 points (5.4 avg.), had 48 rebounds (5.3 avg.) and 14 assists (1.6 avg.) Knight — appeared in 9 games, played 93 minutes (10.3 avg.), scored 19 points (2.1 avg.), had 18 rebounds (2.0 avg.) and 3 assists (0.3 avg.) O’Neal — appeared in 9 games, played 326 minutes (36.2 avg.), scored

ONE : THE SEASONS 242 points (26.9 avg.), had 95 rebounds (10.6 avg.) and 29 assists (3.2 avg.) Rooks — appeared in 8 games, played 54 minutes (6.8 avg.), scored 14 points (1.8 avg.), had 12 rebounds (1.5 avg.) and 1 assist (0.1 avg.) Scott — appeared in 8 games, played 134 minutes (16.8 avg.), scored 51 points (6.4 avg.), had 12 rebounds (1.5 avg.) and 11 assists (1.4 avg.) Van Exel — appeared in 9 games, played 353 minutes (39.2 avg.), scored 130 points (14.4 avg.), had 31 rebounds (3.4 avg.) and 58 assists (6.4 avg.)

1997-98 Head Coach: Del Harris Assistant Coaches: Bill Bertka, Larry Drew, Kurt Rambis Regular Season Record: 61–21 2nd place in the NBA Pacific Division (tied Seattle record-wise for first place, but lost division title due to a tiebreaker. Finished in first place tie by five games) Scored 105.5 points per game to rank 1st out of 29 teams Allowed 97.8 points per game to rank 20th Led the league in free throw attempts (2,743), points scored (8,652) and points per game (105.5)

Review The Lakers were unbeatable at the beginning of the season, getting out to an 11–0 record before Shaquille O’Neal suffered a stomach muscle injury that kept him out of action for 20 games. However, 19-year-old Kobe Bryant stepped up to play well beyond his years, and emerged from the experience a bona-fide star. The team also earned an accolade not seen in the league in 15 seasons, as four members of the Lakers went to the All-Star Game. Helping to earn the team that distinction were Kobe Bryant, Eddie Jones, Shaquille O’Neal, and Nick Van Exel.

Gone from the Previous Season Cedric Ceballos — traded to Phoenix on January 10, 1997 Jerome Kersey — became a free agent and signed with Seattle on September 24, 1997 Joe Kleine — traded to New Jersey on February 20, 1997 Travis Knight — became a free agent and signed with Boston on July 7, 1997 Larry Krystkowiak — after signing two 10-day contracts with the Lakers (February 24 and March 5, 1997), career came to an end George McCloud — became a free agent and signed with Phoenix on September 2, 1997 Rumeal Robinson — traded to Phoenix on January 10, 1997 Byron Scott — second stint with the Lakers ended with retirement, but he went over to Greece to play final season of pro basketball in 199798

Regular Season Individual Statistics 20— Jon Barry — Guard — 6-4, 195 lbs., appeared in 49 games, played 374 minutes (7.6 avg.), made 38 of 104 field goal attempts (.365%) and 27 of 29 free throws (.931%) for 121 points (2.5 avg.), had 37 rebounds (0.8 avg.) and 51 assists (1.0 avg.) 23 — Mario Bennett — Forward — 6-6, 235 lbs., appeared in 45 games, played 354 minutes (7.9 avg.), made 80 of 135 field goal attempts

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(.593%) and 16 of 44 free throws (.364%) for 177 points (3.9 avg.), had 126 rebounds (2.8 avg.) and 18 assists (0.4 avg.) 43 — Corie Blount — Forward — 6-9, 240 lbs., appeared in 70 games, played 1,029 minutes (14.7 avg.), made 107 of 187 field goal attempts (.572%) and 39 of 78 free throws (.500%) for 253 points (3.6 avg.), had 298 rebounds (4.3 avg.) and 37 assists (0.5 avg.) 8 —Kobe Bryant —Guard —6-6, 200 lbs., appeared in 79 games, played 2,056 minutes (26.0 avg.), made 391 of 913 field goal attempts (.428%) and 363 of 457 free throws (.794%) for 1,220 points (15.4 avg.), had 242 rebounds (3.1 avg.) and 199 assists (2.5 avg.) 41— Elden Campbell — Center — 6-11, 215 lbs., appeared in 81 games, played 1,784 minutes (22.0 avg.), made 289 of 624 field goal attempts (.463%) and 237 of 342 free throws (.693%) for 816 points (10.1 avg.), had 455 rebounds (5.6 avg.) and 78 assists (1.0 avg.) 2 — Derek Fisher — Guard — 6-1, 200 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 1,760 minutes (21.5 avg.), made 164 of 378 field goal attempts (.434%) and 115 of 152 free throws (.757%) for 474 points (5.8 avg.), had 193 rebounds (2.4 avg.) and 333 assists (4.1 avg.) 17 — Rick Fox — Forward/Guard — 6-7, 230 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,709 minutes (33.0 avg.), made 363 of 771 field goal attempts (.471%), 171 of 230 free throws (.743%) for 983 points (12.0 avg.), had 358 rebounds (4.4 avg.) and 276 assists (3.4 avg.) 5 — Robert Horry — Forward — 6-9, 220 lbs., appeared in 72 games, played 2,192 minutes (30.4 avg.), made 200 of 420 field goal attempts (.476%) and 117 of 169 free throws (.692%) for 536 points (7.4 avg.), had 542 rebounds (7.5 avg.) and 163 assists (2.3 avg.) 25 — Eddie Jones — Guard/Forward — 6-6, 190 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 2,910 minutes (36.4 avg.), made 486 of 1,005 field goal attempts (.484%), 234 of 306 free throws (.765%) for 1,349 points (16.9 avg.), 302 rebounds (3.8 avg.) and 246 assists (3.1 avg.) 34 — Shaquille O’Neal — Center — 7-1, 325 lbs., appeared in 60 games, played 2,175 minutes (36.3 avg.), made 670 of 1,147 field goal attempts (.584%), 359 of 681 free throws (.527%) for 1,699 points (28.3 avg.), had 681 rebounds (11.4 avg.) and 142 assists (2.4 avg.) 45—Sean Rooks—Center—6-10, 250 lbs., appeared in 41 games, played 425 minutes (10.4 avg.), made 46 of 101 field goal attempts (.455%) and 47 of 79 free throws (.595%) for 139 points (3.4 avg.), had 118 rebounds (2.9 avg.) and 24 assists (0.6 avg.) 24 — Shea Seals — Guard — 6-5, 210 lbs., appeared in 4 games, played 9 minutes (2.3 avg.), made 1 of 8 field goal attempts (.125%) and 2 of 4 free throws (.500%) for 4 points (1.0 avg.) and had 4 rebounds (1.0 avg.) 9—Nick Van Exel—Guard—6-1, 170 lbs., appeared in 64 games, played 2,053 minutes (32.1 avg.), made 311 of 743 field goal attempts (.419%) and 136 of 172 free throws (.791%) for 881 points (13.8 avg.), had 194 rebounds (3.0 avg.) and 442 assists (6.9 avg.)

League Leaders Shaquille O’Neal —field goal percentage (1st), free throw attempts (3rd), points per game (2nd)

All-NBA Shaquille O’Neal —1st team selection

All-Defensive Team Eddie Jones — 2nd team selection

All-Star Game Selections Kobe Bryant, Eddie Jones, Shaquille O’Neal, Nick Van Exel

Regular Season Highlights Nov. 28 — Eddie Jones gets eight steals in a 105–95 loss to Philadelphia. Feb. 10— In a 117–105 loss to Portland, Shaquille O’Neal scores the 10,000th point of his career. That milestone allowed O’Neal to tie former Lakers great Jerry West for ninth place alltime as the quickest to reach that plateau. March 18 — In a 99–93 win over Phoenix, Shaquille O’Neal hauls in a season-high 22 rebounds. April 2 — Shaquille O’Neal scores a season-high 50 points in a 117–106 victory over New Jersey.

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND VERSUS PORTLAND 1. April 24 at Los Angeles: The Trailblazers were ranked near the bottom of the league in committing turnovers. In this opening playoff game, they turned the ball over within a span of four out of five possessions, and the Lakers took advantage of those errors to pull out a 104–102 victory. Despite their turnover woes, the Trailblazers kept the game close, and were down, 97– 95, with under a minute left in the fourth quarter. Nick Van Exel then sunk a three-pointer with 30 seconds left to give LA some breathing room with a 100–95 lead. A pair of free throws by Arvydas Sabonis, and a three-point shot from Gary Grant made things interesting in the closing seconds. However, Eddie Jones came through for the Lakers by nailing two points with 4.2 seconds to preserve the win. Shaquille O’Neal led all scorers with 30 points.1 2. April 26 at Los Angeles: The Lakers pulled away in the third quarter after holding a narrow 54–52 lead at the half. They outscored the Trailblazers, 35–23, in the third quarter, and held on for a 108–99 victory that gave them a convincing 2–0 series lead. Rick Fox tied Portland’s Isaiah Rider for game-high scoring honors with 24 points, and Eddie Jones added 21 points for the Lakers.2 3. April 28 at Portland: The Lakers were the worst team in the league when it came to success at the free throw line. Once again, their woes continued, and in the end, it proved to be their downfall in a 99–94 Portland win. The Lakers could only connect on 19 of 35 free throws in a game that saw Los Angeles clinging to a 72–69 lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Portland then outscored the Lakers by eight points in the final 12 minutes to fight off elimination. Shaquille O’Neal might have had his troubles at the free throw line, hitting on only four of 12, but he still had a solid game. Shaq scored 36 points and grabbed 16 rebounds.3 4. April 30 at Portland: With Portland’s Rose Garden serving as the venue, the Lakers clinched yet another playoff series in their long and proud history. With the duo of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant pacing the attack, Los Angeles went on to a 110– 99 victory. O’Neal scored a game-high 31 points, secured 15 rebounds, and blocked four shots, while Bryant tallied 22 points in 36 minutes of work. Los Angeles took a commanding 56–40 lead into the locker room at the half, and it was more than enough to hold off Portland throughout the second half.4

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WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS VERSUS SEATTLE 1. May 4 at Seattle: Another team from the Great Northwest provided the opposition for the Lakers. Despite going the distance against the young, upstart Minnesota Timberwolves in the opening round, the Supersonics still had enough energy in them to pull off a 106–92 win against Los Angeles. The Lakers came into this series as winners of 25 of their past 29 games, but a 15– 3 run by Seattle did the trick. The Lakers’ performance appeared to be one of peaks and valleys. They scored 32 points in the opening period, but were outscored, 33–18, in the second. They then rallied in the third quarter to outscore Seattle by 13 points, but then when it meant the most, they could only put 13 points on the board in the final stanza. Gary Payton led the Supersonics with 25 points, and Shaquille O’Neal earned game-high honors with 27 points and added 11 rebounds.5 2. May 6 at Seattle: In convincing fashion, the Lakers evened the series up with a 92–68 victory. With the Supersonics hitting a dismal 32.9 percent from the field, the Lakers set a new team record for the fewest points allowed in a playoff game. The old record was 70 set by Golden State on April 21, 1973. Shaquille O’Neal was at his dominant best, scoring a game-high 26 points, securing 10 rebounds, and rejecting four Seattle shot attempts. Eddie Jones added 23 points in a game that saw the Lakers down, 26–19, at the end of the first quarter. The Supersonics then failed to score more than 19 points at the end of the other three periods.6 3. May 8 at Los Angeles: With the series shifting to the Forum, the Lakers treated a sellout crowd to another victory, this time by a 119–103 count. Once again the Lakers were behind at the end of the first quarter, this time, 28–27. They then got on track, and led, 56–51, at the half, and 87–74 at the end of three periods. Shaquille O’Neal’s 30-point, 10-rebound performance paced the Lakers, and Eddie Jones came in a close second in the scoring department with 29. Nick Van Exel also topped the 20point club, scoring 22 in only 29 minutes of playing time.7 4. May 10 at Los Angeles: Eddie Jones had the magic touch against the Supersonics, and in a 112–100 victory, he scored a career playoff-best 32 points with a packed Forum crowd looking on. Shaquille O’Neal once again brought home game-high scoring honors with 39 points, and the Lakers now had a 3–1 series lead going back to Seattle for the next game.8 5. May 12 at Seattle: Since the second game of this series, the Lakers won by an average of 17 points a game. They came close to that average with a 110–95 victory that clinched the series, and sent the Lakers to their first Western Conference Finals appearance since 1991. The Lakers built a 17-point lead going into the second quarter, which was more than enough to hold off Seattle the rest of the way. Shaquille O’Neal showed why he was the most dominant pivot man of his time by finishing with 31 points, nine rebounds, and eight blocked shots.9

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS VERSUS UTAH 1. May 16 at Utah: The Lakers quickly went from dominant to dismal within a span of four days. The defending Western Conference champion Utah Jazz simply dismantled the Lakers

ONE : THE SEASONS with a resounding 112–77 win. Over the course of 422 playoff games in Lakers history up to this time, this one was the worst. Utah jumped out to a 24–13 first quarter lead and just kept pouring it on with their home fans cheering them on. They increased their bulge to an impressive 61–35 at the half, and the game was virtually over at that point. Karl Malone led the Jazz with 29 points and 10 rebounds, while Shaquille O’Neal tallied a teamhigh 19 points for Los Angeles.10 2. May 18 at Utah: The Lakers came out and made it a closer game, but the results were the same, as Utah took a 2–0 series lead with a 99–95 win. Los Angeles stayed close in this one, and held a 71–70 advantage going into the fourth quarter. The Jazz then used a 13–1 run to take an 85–76 lead into the final 6:24. Karl Malone paced the Jazz with 33 points, and Shaquille O’Neal redeemed himself from his subpar game two days earlier by scoring 31 points.11 3. May 22 at Los Angeles: Things were fading quickly for the Lakers in this series, as they fell behind 3–0 with a 109–98 defeat. The Lakers were regarded as the hottest team in the playoffs coming into this series, but the Jazz cooled them down, with Karl Malone leading the way with a 26-point, 10-rebound performance. Shandon Anderson helped the Jazz by scoring 11 of 13 points in the fourth quarter after the Lakers came into the final stanza only trailing by three. This third straight loss to the Jazz offset an incredible day for Shaquille O’Neal, who finished with a game-high 39 points and 15 rebounds.12 4. May 24 at Los Angeles: The Jazz did not want to keep the Lakers hanging around, and swept them by a score of 96–92 to retain their Western Conference title. Utah led at the half, 47– 38, and went into the fourth quarter up, 67–57. The Lakers gave it their all in the final 12 minutes, putting up 35 points in an attempt to ward off elimination on their home court, but Utah stayed close down the stretch to hold them off. Karl Malone’s 32point, 14-rebound game led the victors, while Shaquille O’Neal’s 38 points led all scorers.13

Individual Playoff Statistics Barry — appeared in 7 games, played 18 minutes (2.6 avg.) and had 2 rebounds (0.3 avg.) Bennett — appeared in 4 games, played 10 minutes (2.5 avg.), scored 4 points (1.0 avg.) and had 6 rebounds (1.5 avg.) Blount — appeared in 12 games, played 209 minutes (17.4 avg.), scored 31 points (2.6 avg.), had 64 rebounds (5.3 avg.) and 7 assists (0.6 avg.) Bryant — appeared in 11 games, played 220 minutes (20.0 avg.), scored 96 points (8.7 avg.), had 21 rebounds (1.9 avg.) and 16 assists (1.5 avg.) Campbell—appeared in 13 games, played 180 minutes (13.8 avg.), scored 68 points (5.2 avg.), had 45 rebounds (3.5 avg.) and 8 assists (0.6 avg.) Fisher — appeared in 13 games, played 278 minutes (21.4 avg.), scored 78 points (6.0 avg.), had 25 rebounds (1.9 avg.) and 49 assists (3.8 avg.) Fox — appeared in 13 games, played 428 minutes (32.9 avg.), scored 142 points (10.9 avg.), had 58 rebounds (4.5 avg.) and 51 assists (3.9 avg.) Horry — appeared in 13 games, played 422 minutes (32.5 avg.), scored 112 points (8.6 avg.), had 84 rebounds (6.5 avg.) and 40 assists (3.1 avg.) Jones — appeared in 13 games, played 476 minutes (36.6 avg.), scored 221 points (17.0 avg.), had 51 rebounds (3.9 avg.) and 32 assists (2.5 avg.)

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O’Neal — appeared in 13 games, played 501 minutes (38.5 avg.), scored 396 points (30.5 avg.), had 132 rebounds (10.2 avg.) and 38 assists (2.9 avg.) Rooks — appeared in 4 games, played 11 minutes (2.8 avg.), scored 4 points (1.0 avg.) and had 1 rebound (0.3 avg.) Van Exel—appeared in 13 games, played 367 minutes (28.2 avg.), scored 151 points (11.6 avg.), had 32 rebounds (2.5 avg.) and 54 assists (4.2 avg.)

1998-99 Head Coach: Del Harris (6–6), Bill Bertka (1–0), Kurt Rambis (24–13) Assistant Coaches: Bill Bertka, Larry Drew, Kurt Rambis, Dave Wohl Regular Season Record: 31–19 (Strike Shortened Season) 2nd place in the NBA Pacific Division (finished four games out of first place) Scored 99.0 points per game to rank 2nd out of 29 teams Allowed 96.0 points per game to rank 25th Led the league in field goal percentage (.468%)

Review From July 1, 1998 until January 20, 1999, the NBA players were on strike. This was the third time in league history that a lockout occurred, and on this occasion, the strike revolved around owners looking for changes in the league’s salary cap system. When the players returned to work, the regular season was reduced to 50 games. It seemed that the Lakers might have fared better being away from each other a little longer, as confrontations were commonplace in the early going with the team having difficulties getting wins. In an effort to instill some new life, Del Harris, who could not seem to get the Lakers all the way back to championship status, was relieved of his coaching duties and replaced with former player Kurt Rambis. To make things interesting in a season already in a somewhat chaotic mode, the Lakers brought in NBA wildman par-excellence, Dennis Rodman. Rodman had been known to teeter on the edge of controversy due to his wild, eccentric antics that entertained some and enraged others. On February 23, 1999, Rodman came to the City of Angels with five NBA titles behind him and top-notch rebounding skills. The experiment only lasted six weeks before Rodman was released on April 15. This frenzy-like ride called the 1998-99 season was also the final one in which the Lakers called the Forum home. At the beginning of the new season, they would move into the newly built Staples Center.

Gone from the Previous Season Jon Barry — became a free agent and signed with Sacramento on January 22, 1999 Mario Bennett — became a free agent and signed with Chicago on January 30, 1999 Shea Seals — released Nick Van Exel — traded to Denver on June 24, 1998

Regular Season Individual Statistics 43 — Corie Blount — Forward — 6-9, 240 lbs., appeared in 14 games, played 162 minutes (11.6 avg.), made 13 of 33 field goal attempts

1998-99 (.394%) and 6 of 12 free throws (.500%) for 32 points (2.3 avg.), had 46 rebounds (3.3 avg.) and 2 assists (0.1 avg.) 8 —Kobe Bryant —Guard —6-6, 200 lbs., appeared in 50 games, played 1,896 minutes (37.9 avg.), made 362 of 779 field goal attempts (.465%) and 245 of 292 free throws (.839%) for 996 points (19.9 avg.), had 264 rebounds (5.3 avg.) and 190 assists (3.8 avg.) 41— Elden Campbell — Center — 6-11, 215 lbs., appeared in 17 games, played 325 minutes (19.1 avg.), made 44 of 101 field goal attempts (.436%) and 38 of 62 free throws (.613%) for 126 points (7.4 avg.), had 96 rebounds (5.6 avg.) and 8 assists (0.5 avg.) 2 — Derek Fisher — Guard — 6-1, 200 lbs., appeared in 50 games, played 1,131 minutes (22.6 avg.), made 99 of 263 field goal attempts (.376%) and 60 of 79 free throws (.759%) for 296 points (5.9 avg.), had 91 rebounds (1.8 avg.) and 197 assists (3.9 avg.) 17 — Rick Fox — Forward/Guard — 6-7, 230 lbs., appeared in 44 games, played 944 minutes (21.5 avg.), made 148 of 330 field goal attempts (.448%) and 66 of 89 free throws (.742%) for 394 points (9.0 avg.), had 89 rebounds (2.0 avg.) and 89 assists (2.0 avg.) 12 — Derek Harper — Guard — 6-4, 185 lbs., appeared in 45 games, played 1,120 minutes (24.9 avg.), made 120 of 291 field goal attempts (.412%) and 26 of 32 free throws (.813%) for 309 points (6.9 avg.), had 67 rebounds (15 avg.) and 187 assists (4.2 avg.) 5 — Robert Horry — Forward — 6-9, 220 lbs., appeared in 38 games, played 744 minutes (19.6 avg.), made 667 of 146 field goal attempts (.459%) and 34 of 46 free throws (.739%) for 188 points (4.9 avg.), had 152 rebounds (4.0 avg.) and 56 assists (1.5 avg.) 7 — Sam Jacobson — Guard/Forward — 6-4, 215 lbs., appeared in 2 games, played 12 minutes (6.0 avg.), made 3 of 5 field goal attempts (.600%) and 2 of 2 free throws (1.000%) for 8 points (4.0 avg.), and had 3 rebounds (1.5 avg.) 6—Eddie Jones—Guard/Forward—6-6, 190 lbs., appeared in 20 games, played 724 minutes (36.2 avg.), made 96 of 227 field goal attempts (.423%) and 59 of 80 free throws (.738%) for 271 points (13.6 avg.), had 76 rebounds (3.8 avg.) and 61 assists (3.1 avg.) 40— Travis Knight — Center — 7-0, 235 lbs., appeared in 37 games, played 525 minutes (14.2 avg.), made 67 of 130 field goal attempts (.515%) and 22 of 29 free throws (.759%) for 156 points (4.2 avg.), had 128 rebounds (3.5 avg.) and 31 assists (0.8 avg.) 10— Tyronn Lue — Guard — 6-0, 175 lbs., appeared in 15 games, played 188 minutes (12.5 avg.), made 28 of 65 field goal attempts (.431%) and 12 of 21 free throws (.571%) for 75 points (5.0 avg.), had 6 rebounds (0.4 avg.) and 25 assists (1.7 avg.) 34 — Shaquille O’Neal — Center — 7-1, 325 lbs., appeared in 49 games, played 1,705 minutes (34.8 avg.), made 510 of 885 field goal attempts (.576%) and 269 of 498 free throws (.540%) for 1,289 points (26.3 avg.), had 525 rebounds (10.7 avg.) and 114 assists (2.3 avg.) 21— Ruben Patterson — Forward — 6-5, 224 lbs., appeared in 24 games, played 144 minutes (6.0 avg.), made 21 of 51 field goal attempts (.412%) and 22 of 31 free throws (.710%) for 65 points (2.7 avg.), had 30 rebounds (1.3 avg.) and 2 assists (0.1 avg.) 11— J.R. Reid — Forward — 6-9, 247 lbs., appeared in 25 games, played 473 minutes (18.9 avg.), made 44 of 108 field goal attempts (.407%) and 38 of 53 free throws (.717%) for 126 points (5.0 avg.), had 99 rebounds (4.0 avg.) and 23 assists (0.9 avg.) 41— Glen Rice — Forward — 6-7, 215 lbs., appeared in 27 games, played 985 minutes (36.5 avg.), made 171 of 396 field goal attempts (.432%) and 77 of 90 free throws (.856%) for 472 points (17.5 avg.), had 99 rebounds (3.7 avg.) and 71 assists (2.6 avg.) 73 — Dennis Rodman — Forward — 6-7, 210 lbs., appeared in 23 games, played 657 minutes (28.6 avg.), made 16 of 46 field goal attempts (.348%) and 17 of 39 free throws (.436%) for 49 points (2.1 avg.), had 258 rebounds (11.2 avg.) and 30 assists (1.3 avg.) 45 — Sean Rooks — Center — 6-10, 250 lbs., appeared in 36 games, played 315 minutes (8.8 avg.), made 32 of 79 field goal attempts (.405%) and 34 of 48 free throws (.708%) for 98 points (2.7 avg.), had 72 rebounds (2.0 avg.) and 9 assists (0.3 avg.)

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League Leaders Shaquille O’Neal — points scored (1st), points per game (2nd), field goal attempts (5th), field goals made (1st), field goal percentage (1st), free throw attempts (1st)

All-NBA Kobe Bryant — 3rd team selection Shaquille O’Neal — 2nd team selection

All-Defensive Team Eddie Jones — 2nd team selection

Regular Season Highlights With a 115–100 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on February 25, 1999, the Lakers begin a 10-game winning streak that goes through an 89–78 win against Golden State.

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND VERSUS HOUSTON 1. May 9 at Los Angeles: Shaquille O’Neal finished with 27 points and 11 rebounds, but none of that was as important as what he did with seconds remaining. The Lakers won, 101–100, thanks to O’Neal rejecting a Cuttino Mobley layup to preserve the win. The Lakers only had the scoring advantage in one quarter, but used it to carry them throughout the second half. Houston held a 22–15 lead going into the second quarter, but Los Angeles hammered them, 37–19, to take a comfortable 52–41 halftime advantage. From there the game was nip and tuck until Shaq’s massive frame swatted Mobley’s shot attempt at the end. Glen Rice led all scorers with 29 points, and Derek Fisher added 20 for the Lakers.1 2. May 11 at Los Angeles: This time out, the Lakers did not rely on late heroics to prevail. They jumped out to a huge 31–12 lead in the first quarter and never looked back in a 110–98 victory that put the Lakers in command of this series. While Los Angeles was smothering Houston with great defense, Shaquille O’Neal was busy compiling a game-high 28 points.2 3. May 13 at Houston: Two old pros who had their share of headlines in their illustrious careers once again saw their names atop the sports page. Scottie Pippen set a career-best playoff high of 37 points and 13 rebounds, while Charles Barkley scored 30 points and grabbed 23 rebounds. With these greats leading the charge, Houston held off elimination with a 102–88 victory. The Rockets overcame a seven-point deficit at the end of the first quarter, and outscored the Lakers by 17 points in the second period to take control after that. Shaquille O’Neal had 26 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Lakers.3 4. May 15 at Houston: Scottie Pippen and Charles Barkley once again led the Rockets with 19 and 20 respectively, but it was not enough to hold off the Lakers. With a 98–88 win, Los Angeles clinched the series and looked ahead to the Western Conference Semifinals. Shaquille O’Neal lived up to his one of his many

ONE : THE SEASONS monikers, on this occasion “the Diesel,” as he steamrolled his way through the Rockets for 37 points and 11 rebounds. He also handed out three assists and blocked three shots. Kobe Bryant added an excellent outing with 24 points, six rebounds, eight assists, three steals and two blocked shots.4

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS VERSUS SAN ANTONIO 1. May 17 at San Antonio: The Spurs’ defense prevented Shaquille O’Neal from displaying his usual dominance, and with the Lakers’ main weapon under control, San Antonio took the first game, 87–81. Throughout the game, the ball was knocked away from O’Neal, or the defense kept him a good distance away from the basket. He still managed to score 21 points and secure 15 rebounds. Also adding 21 points for the Lakers were Glen Rice and Kobe Bryant. Despite having three players score 20 or more points, the Lakers as a team only shot 38 percent from the field. Tim Duncan was the main weapon for the Spurs, as he earned game-high scoring honors with 25 points.5 2. May 19 at San Antonio: Kobe Bryant temporarily silenced the Alamodome throng by hitting for a three-pointer with 36.9 seconds left in the game to give the Lakers a 76–75 lead. However, another emerging star in a San Antonio uniform allowed the hometown faithful to erupt a short time later. With 8.4 seconds left on the game clock, Tim Duncan sank the go-ahead basket that eventually led to a 79–76 Spurs victory and a 2–0 series advantage. The Spurs got out to a comfortable 10-point lead at the end of the first quarter only to have the Lakers come back to cut the deficit to 44–41 at the half. The teams virtually played even throughout the second half, with the outcome decided in the exciting final seconds. Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 28 points, and Tim Duncan paced the Spurs with 21.6 3. May 22 at Los Angeles: Back in Los Angeles, the Lakers looked to get back into this series, but with Tim Duncan’s 37 points leading the charge, the Spurs took a commanding 3–0 series advantage with a 103–91 win. It was a close contest until down the stretch, when the Spurs scored the final 13 points of the game to pull away. Glen Rice led the Lakers with 24 points. Despite the great defensive effort applied on Shaquille O’Neal, he still found the rim for 22 points and 15 rebounds. Unfortunately, he was ineffective at crunch time, when he was held to only five points in the fourth quarter, and none in the closing four and a half minutes.7 4 — May 23 at Los Angeles: The Spurs wasted little time gaining entry into the Western Conference Finals, as they swept Los Angeles with a 118–107 victory in the final Lakers game in the Fabulous Forum. Despite all the incredible memories created by the Lakers within the confines of the Inglewood structure for over 30 years, this was not one of them. The Spurs jumped out to a 35–29 first quarter lead, and extended it to a 65–51 bulge at the half. The Lakers rallied in the third period to go into the final quarter only down, 86–84. San Antonio then ended any hopes of late heroics from the Lakers by outscoring them by nine points to pull away for the win. Tim Duncan led the Spurs with 33 points and 14 rebounds. Shaquille O’Neal led all scorers with 36 points, and he hauled in 14 rebounds before the Forum went silent for the last time in Lakers history.8

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Individual Playoff Statistics Bryant — appeared in 8 games, played 315 minutes (39.4 avg.), scored 158 points (19.8 avg.), had 55 rebounds (6.9 avg.) and 37 assists (4.6 avg.) Fisher—appeared in 8 games, played 238 minutes (29.8 avg.), scored 78 points (9.8 avg.), had 29 rebounds (3.6 avg.) and 39 assists (4.9 avg.) Fox — appeared in 8 games, played 181 minutes (22.6 avg.), scored 53 points (6.6 avg.), had 22 rebounds (2.8 avg.) and 12 assists (1.5 avg.) Harper — appeared in 7 games, played 113 minutes (16.1 avg.), scored 30 points (4.3 avg.), had 10 rebounds (1.4 avg.) and 15 assists (2.1 avg.) Horry — appeared in 8 games, played 177 minutes (22.1 avg.), scored 40 points (5.0 avg.), had 36 rebounds (4.5 avg.) and 11 assists (1.4 avg.) Knight — appeared in 3 games, played 10 minutes (3.3 avg.), scored 3 points (1.0 avg.), had 5 rebounds (1.7 avg.) and 1 assist (0.3 avg.) Lue — appeared in 3 games, played 33 minutes (11.0 avg.), scored 14 points (4.7 avg.), had 2 rebounds (0.7 avg.) and 6 assists (2.0 avg.) O’Neal—appeared in 8 games, played 315 minutes (39.4 avg.), scored 213 points (26.6 avg.), had 93 rebounds (11.6 avg.) and 18 assists (2.3 avg.) Patterson — appeared in 3 games and played 5 minutes (1.7 avg.) Reid — appeared in 8 games, played 178 minutes (22.3 avg.), scored 26 points (4.7 avg.), had 42 rebounds (5.3 avg.) and 3 assists (0.4 avg.) Rice — appeared in 7 games, played 307 minutes (43.9 avg.), scored 128 points (18.3 avg.), had 27 rebounds (3.9 avg.) and 11 assists (1.6 avg.) Rooks — appeared in 7 games, played 48 minutes (6.9 avg.), scored 9 points (1.3 avg.), had 2 rebounds (0.3 avg.) and 3 assists (0.4 avg.)

1999-2000 Head Coach: Phil Jackson Assistant Coaches: Bill Bertka, Jim Cleamons, Frank Hamblen, Tex Winter Regular Season Record: 67–15 (best record in the NBA) 1st place in the NBA Pacific Division (finished in first place by eight games) Scored 100.8 points per game to rank 6th out of 29 teams Allowed 92.3 points per game to rank 6th Led the league in defensive rebounds (2,738) and total rebounds (3,855)

Review The Lakers hired legendary head coach Phil Jackson, who was one year removed from leading the Chicago Bulls to their sixth NBA championship of the 1990s. The Lakers were hoping that Jackson and his famed “Triangle Offense” could work the same magic in the City of Angels. With the Staples Center as their new home, it appeared that Jackson’s leadership was working, as the Lakers started off with a 25–5 record, and became the first NBA team to record three winning streaks of 10 or more games in a single season.

Gone from the Previous Season Corie Blount — waived by the Lakers on March 10, 1999 Elden Campbell — traded to the Charlotte Hornets on March 10, 1999 Derek Harper — traded to Detroit on September 21, 1999 Eddie Jones — traded to the Charlotte Hornets on March 10, 1999 Ruben Patterson — became a free agent and signed with Seattle on August 10, 1999 J.R. Reid — became a free agent and signed with Milwaukee on August 20, 1999

1999-2000 Dennis Rodman — waived by the Lakers on April 15, 1999 Sean Rooks — traded to Dallas on September 1, 1999

Regular Season Individual Statistics 8 —Kobe Bryant —Guard —6-6, 200 lbs., appeared in 66 games, played 2,524 minutes (38.2 avg.), made 554 of 1,183 field goal attempts (.468%) and 331 of 403 free throws (.821%) for 1,485 points (22.5 avg.), had 416 rebounds (6.3 avg.) and 323 assists (4.9 avg.) 11— John Celestand — Guard — 6-4, 178 lbs., appeared in 16 games, played 185 minutes (11.6 avg.), made 15 of 45 field goal attempts (.333%) and 5 of 6 free throws (.833%) for 37 points (2.3 avg.), had 11 rebounds (0.7 avg.) and 20 assists (1.3 avg.) 2 — Derek Fisher — Guard — 6-1, 200 lbs., appeared in 78 games, played 1,803 minutes (23.1 avg.), made 167 of 483 field goal attempts (.346%) and 105 of 145 free throws (.724%) for 491 points (6.3 avg.), had 143 rebounds (1.8 avg.) and 216 assists (2.8 avg.) 17 — Rick Fox — Forward/Guard — 6-7, 230 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 1,473 minutes (18.0 avg.), made 206 of 498 field goal attempts (.414%) and 63 of 78 free throws (.808%) for 534 points (6.5 avg.), had 198 rebounds (2.4 avg.) and 138 assists (1.7 avg.) 3 — Devean George — Guard/Forward — 6-8, 220 lbs., appeared in 49 games, played 345 minutes (7.0 avg.), made 56 of 144 field goal attempts (.389%) and 27 of 41 free throws (.659%) for 155 points (3.2 avg.), had 75 rebounds (1.5 avg.) and 12 assists (0.2 avg.) 45 — A.C. Green — Forward/Center — 6-9, 220 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 1,929 minutes (23.5 avg.), made 173 of 387 field goal attempts (.447%) and 66 of 95 free throws (.695%) for 413 points (5.0 avg.), had 486 rebounds (5.9 avg.) and 80 assists (1.0 avg.) 4—Ron Harper—Guard/Forward—6-6, 185 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 2,042 minutes (25.5 avg.), made 212 of 531 field goal attempts (.399%), 100 of 147 free throws (.680%) for 557 points (7.0 avg.), had 337 rebounds (4.2 avg.) and 270 assists (3.4 avg.) 5 — Robert Horry — Forward — 6-9, 220 lbs., appeared in 76 games, played 1,685 minutes (22.2 avg.), made 159 of 363 field goal attempts (.438%) and 89 of 113 free throws (.788%) for 436 points (5.7 avg.), had 361 rebounds (4.8 avg.) and 118 assists (1.6 avg.) 7 — Sam Jacobson — Guard/Forward — 6-4, 215 lbs., appeared in 3 games, played 18 minutes (6.0 avg.), made 5 of 9 field goal attempts (.556%) and 0 of 2 free throws (.000) for 10 points (3.3 avg.), had 1 rebound (0.3 avg.) and 2 assists (0.7 avg.) 40— Travis Knight — Center — 7-0, 235 lbs., appeared in 63 games, played 410 minutes (6.5 avg.), made 46 of 118 field goal attempts (.390%) and 17 of 28 free throws (.607%) for 109 points (1.7 avg.), had 129 rebounds (2.0 avg.) and 23 assists (0.4 avg.) 10— Tyronn Lue — Guard — 6-0, 175 lbs., appeared in 8 games, played 146 minutes (18.3 avg.), made 19 of 39 field goal attempts (.487%) and 6 of 8 free throws (.750%) for 48 points (6.0 avg.), had 12 rebounds (1.5 avg.) and 17 assists (2.1 avg.) 34 — Shaquille O’Neal — Center — 7-1, 325 lbs., appeared in 79 games, played 3,163 minutes (40.0 avg.), made 956 of 1,665 field goal attempts (.574%), 432 of 824 free throws (.524%) for 2,344 points (29.7 avg.), had 1,078 rebounds (13.6 avg.) and 299 assists (3.8 avg.) 41— Glen Rice — Forward — 6-7, 215 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 2,530 minutes (31.6 avg.), made 421 of 980 field goal attempts (.430%) and 346 of 396 free throws (.874%) for 1,272 points (15.9 avg.), had 327 rebounds (4.1 avg.) and 176 assists (2.2 avg.) 16 — John Salley — Forward/Center — 6-11, 230 lbs., appeared in 45 games, played 303 minutes (6.7 avg.), made 25 of 69 field goal attempts (.362%) and 21 of 28 free throws (.750%) for 71 points (1.6 avg.), had 65 rebounds (1.4 avg.) and 26 assists (0.6 avg.) 20— Brian Shaw — Guard — 6-6, 190 lbs., appeared in 74 games, played 1,249 minutes (16.9 avg.), made 123 of 322 field goal attempts (.382%) and 41 of 54 free throws (.759%) for 305 points (4.1 avg.), had 216 rebounds (2.9 avg.) and 201 assists (2.7 avg.)

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League Leaders Shaquille O’Neal — minutes per game (4th), field goals made (1st), field goal attempts (4th), field goal percentage (1st), free throw attempts (1st), rebounds (2nd), rebounds per game (2nd), points scored (1st), points per game (1st), had 239 blocked shots during the season (3rd), averaged 3.0 blocks per game (3rd)

All-NBA Kobe Bryant — 2nd team selection Shaquille O’Neal —1st team selection

All-Defensive Team Kobe Bryant —1st team selection Shaquille O’Neal — 2nd team selection

All-Star Game Selections Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal

NBA Most Valuable Player Award Shaquille O’Neal

Regular Season Highlights Nov. 26 — In a 103–80 win against the New Jersey Nets, A.C. Green plays in his 1,042nd consecutive game to establish a new NBA all-time record. March 6 — Shaquille O’Neal scores 61 points in a 123–103 win against the Los Angeles Clippers. April 18 — Shaquille O’Neal hauls in 12 offensive rebounds in a 112–102 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Shaquille O’Neal becomes the first player since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1976-77 to finish the regular season in the top three league-wide in points scored, rebounds, field goal percentage, and blocked shots.

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND VERSUS SACRAMENTO 1. April 23 at Los Angeles: The Lakers showed why they were the alpha dogs of the pro circuit at the dawn of the new millennium. In their postseason opener, the favorites to win it all lived up to that billing with a 117–107 victory. Shaquille O’Neal truly was “Superman” by pumping in a playoff career-high 46 points. He also dominated on the defensive side with 17 rebounds, two steals, and five blocked shots. Kobe Bryant added 23 points for the Lakers. Los Angeles seized control of this contest in the second quarter, and held a 65–55 lead at the half. The Kings managed to stay close throughout the second half, but never came within six points of taking the lead.1 2. April 27 at Los Angeles: This time around, it was Kobe Bryant who scored a playoff career-high. The rising superstar hit

ONE : THE SEASONS for 32 points, while Shaquille O’Neal chipped in with 23 points and 19 rebounds, and the Los Angeles defense smothered Sacramento. The end result was a resounding 113–89 victory that put the Lakers in total control of the best-of-five series. With 18,997 on hand at the Staples Center, Los Angeles got out to a 35–24 lead and never looked back. This marked the fifth straight time, including the regular season and playoffs, that the Kings fell victim to the Lakers.2 3. April 30 at Sacramento: Something happened on the Lakers’ way to steamrolling their way through the playoffs. Up north from Tinseltown, in the Arco Arena located in the state capital, the Kings pierced through the Lakers’ armor, and came away with a 99–91 win to fight off elimination. Poor free throw shooting (16 of 32), coupled with an 18–2 run by the Kings in the fourth quarter, did the Lakers in. Los Angeles was ahead, 71–66, entering the final 12 minutes, and then Sacramento hit for 33 points compared to LA’s 20, to pull out the win. Kobe Bryant attempted to carry the team himself in the fourth quarter by scoring 16 of his playoff career-high 35 points in the final stanza. Chris Webber led the Kings with 29 points, 14 rebounds, and eight assists.3 4. May 2 at Sacramento: Arco Arena was a happy place right from the opening tipoff through the final buzzer, as the hometown Kings not only held off elimination once again, but were right back in the hunt to advance in the postseason. With six players scoring in double figures against a lethargic LA defense, Sacramento evened the series up with a 101–88 win. With the exception of Kobe Bryant’s 32 points, and Shaquille O’Neal’s 25, the only other Lakers player to hit double figures was Glen Rice (17 points). Despite his 25 points, O’Neal struggled, as he connected on only 18 of 44 shot attempts in the two losses after his brilliant opening game performance. The Kings got out to a 27–18 first quarter lead, and held their advantage after every period.4 5. May 5 at Los Angeles: The Staples Center was rocking prior to tipoff, and in the end, the crowd had reason to be exuberant, as their Lakers walked away with a convincing 113–86 victory after two sub-par performances in Sacramento. Shaquille O’Neal returned to his Superman-like form by hitting on 15 of 24 field goal attempts, and finished with a game-high 32 points, 18 rebounds, and three blocked shots. The Kings never had a chance in this one. Los Angeles ended the first quarter with an 11-point advantage, and just kept building on it. By the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Lakers had it virtually wrapped up with a 99–62 lead.5

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS VERSUS PHOENIX 1. May 7 at Los Angeles: Shaquille O’Neal scored 37 points, had 14 rebounds, and blocked four shots. Kobe Bryant added 25 points, six rebounds, and three blocked shots. When their dynamic duo was through tearing up the Suns, the result was an easy 105–77 mauling. The teams were evenly matched throughout the first 12 minutes, but after the opening quarter ended in an 18–18 deadlock, the Lakers slowly pulled away. They led, 46–41, at the half, and then outscored the Suns, 59–36, in the second half.6 2. May 10 at Los Angeles: The crowd of 18,997 inside the Staples Center were treated to a heart-pounding 97–96 victory

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that the Lakers pulled out in the final seconds. Shaquille O’Neal had a tremendous performance that saw him score 38 points and secure 20 rebounds. However, it was Kobe Bryant who stole the headlines. Phoenix held a one-point lead with 20 seconds left to play. Bryant then went to work. As the clock ticked away the remaining precious seconds, Bryant weaved his way to the foul line, avoided two defenders, and hit nothing but net from 14 feet out with 2.6 seconds left to secure the win. For the game, Bryant had 15 points, but none of them compared to his final two.7 3. May 12 at Phoenix: The Suns started off well in an attempt to get back into the series. They ended the first quarter up by 10 points, but then the Lakers struck back. They outscored Phoenix, 34–22, in the second quarter, to take a two-point lead at the half. The game stayed close down the stretch, as Phoenix held a 95–94 lead with 2:50 left in the fourth period. Los Angeles then went on a 10–5 run to pull out a 105–99 win. Shaquille O’Neal scored 37 points, and had 17 rebounds. Kobe Bryant added 25 points, and Robert Horry provided 15 points off the bench.8 4. May 14 at Phoenix: The Suns started off strong, and took a commanding 71–48 lead into the second half. They maintained control of the game the rest of the way, and the Lakers never threatened. Five Phoenix players scored in double figures, with Clifford Robinson’s 32 points pacing the attack in a 117–98 win. Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 24 and 23 points respectively.9 5. May 16 at Los Angeles: The Lakers regrouped, played excellent defense, and the end result was a convincing 87–65 win that clinched the series. Los Angeles played such great defense that the Suns were not able to successfully nail down their tenth field goal until midway through the third quarter. The game was over for the most part at the half, as the Lakers had a 49–23 advantage after the Suns could only muster up nine points in the second quarter. They went into the fourth quarter with a mere 40 points to their credit. Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 17 points, and Shaquille O’Neal added 15 points and secured 21 rebounds.10

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS VERSUS PORTLAND 1. May 20 at Los Angeles: The Lakers were one series away from their NBA Finals appearance in nine years. In this opening game, they sent a statement that they were the team to beat after a 109–94 victory. The score was deadlocked at 26–26 in the opening quarter, and then the Lakers destroyed Portland in the second period. With bench players Robert Horry, Brian Shaw, and Rick Fox leading the assault, Los Angeles outscored the Trailblazers by 22 points to blow the game open. Shaquille O’Neal completely dominated the game. He scored a game-high 41 points, secured 11 rebounds, dished out seven assists, and blocked five shots.11 2. May 22 at Los Angeles: The Lakers were only down by three points at the half, but then disaster struck. Portland scored 28 points in the third quarter, and Los Angeles tied the team’s all-timer playoff low of eight points in one period. In the end, the Trailblazers romped to a 106–77 victory to even the series. Rasheed Wallace led the Portland attack with 29 points, and Shaquille O’Neal led the dismal Lakers with 23 points.12 3. May 26 at Portland: The series shifted to Portland’s Rose

Garden, and the Trailblazers were treating their fans to what appeared to be a win. They were up by 14 points in the third quarter, but then went cold. Meanwhile, the Lakers rallied back by outscoring Portland, 27–16, in the third period. The game remained close down the stretch, and Los Angeles pulled it out with a 93–91 win after Portland failed to connect on their last three trips down the court. Shaquille O’Neal had 26 points and 12 rebounds, while Kobe Bryant added 25 points.13 4. May 28 at Portland: The Lakers hit on 31 of 34 free throws, and their .912 percent from the line powered them to a 103–91 victory that gave Los Angeles a 3–1 series lead. The Trailblazers had a 10-point lead in the first quarter cut in half by the end going into the third period. The Lakers then outscored Portland, 34–19, in the third quarter to take control of the game and the series. Shaquille O’Neal had 25 points and 11 rebounds, and Glen Rice chipped in with 21 points for the Lakers.14 5. May 30 at Los Angeles: The setting seemed just right for Los Angeles to clinch the series. Up 3–1, and playing at the Staples Center, created the perfect situation. However, Portland got out to a 53–45 lead at the half, and built it up to a 13-point advantage going into the final 12 minutes. Los Angeles managed to outscore the Trailblazers, 21–16, in the final period, but it was not enough in a 96–88 Portland victory. Rasheed Wallace and Scottie Pippen led the Portland attack with 22 points each. Shaquille O’Neal had a great game despite the loss, as he led all scorers with 31 points and had 21 rebounds.15 6. June 2 at Portland: Just five days earlier, the Trailblazers were all but eliminated. Now they were rejuvenated after a 103– 93 win allowed them to come all the way back to even the series up. Portland seized control early, taking a 26–15 lead at the end of the first quarter, and carried that momentum to the final buzzer. Steve Smith led Portland with 26 points, and four other Trailblazers hit double-figure scoring, with Bonzi Wells getting 20 points in just 19 minutes off the bench. Kobe Bryant took home game-high scoring honors with 33 points, but the loss obliterated any joy felt by his point production total.16 7. June 4 at Los Angeles: The Lakers had their backs to the wall late in the game. With 10:28 left to play, they trailed, 75– 60. Los Angeles then rose up in the Staples Center to stop Portland on 10 straight trips toward the basket. Meanwhile, the Lakers outscored Portland, 31–13, in the fourth quarter to pull out a series-clinching 89–84 victory. With this win, the Lakers were on their way to the NBA Finals for the first time in nine years. They also owned a piece of NBA history that will never be matched. Going back to their Minneapolis days, the Lakers are the only franchise in history to make an appearance in the championship series in every decade since the 1940s. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers’ assault with 25 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, and four blocked shots.17

NBA FINALS VERSUS INDIANA 1. June 7 at Los Angeles: Larry Bird and his Boston Celtics against the Magic Johnson–led Lakers was the greatest rivalry the NBA ever produced. Thirteen years had passed since Bird and Magic clashed in the NBA Finals. As the new millennium was six months old, Larry Bird was back to take on his west coast nemesis once again. However, this time around, he was a head coach, and

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the team he brought into the NBA Finals was from his home state of Indiana. Bird led the Indiana Pacers to an Eastern Conferencebest 56–26 record that included a 25-game winning streak in the newly opened Conseco Fieldhouse. This matchup between the two best teams started off with the Lakers on fire. They connected on 15 of 20 shot attempts in the opening quarter to take a 33–18 lead after the initial 12 minutes of the championship series. The Pacers came out hitting on only seven of 20 attempts, but came back in the second period thanks to bench support from Austin Croshere. Croshere came in and scored nine points and hauled in four rebounds to help the Pacers outscore the Lakers, 25–22, in the second period. They still trailed by 12 points going into the second half, but closed to within six in the early part of the third quarter. The Lakers then rebuilt their lead back up to 12 with scores from Shaquille O’Neal, Robert Horry, and Rick Fox. Indiana refused to give up, and made it a two-point game later in the third quarter. This was the only time the Lakers truly felt threatened in this game, but they once again got their advantage back up to six points at the end of the third quarter. In the opening minutes of the fourth period, Shaquille O’Neal scored on a dunk shot, and dished out two assists to get the Lakers back on top by double figures. Los Angeles then reverted back to their first quarter fire, as they ended the game with a 33–18 run that gave them a comfortable 104–87 lead at the buzzer. Shaquille O’Neal was at his all-time best in this game. He scored 43 points, secured 19 rebounds, handed out four assists, and blocked three shots. He was so dominant that he outscored the other four Los Angeles starters combined by 10 points.18 2. June 9 at Los Angeles: This time the Pacers came out and finished the first quarter on even ground with the Lakers. The teams were deadlocked at 28–28 going into the second quarter, and Los Angeles would have to go the rest of the way without Kobe Bryant. The rising superstar injured his ankle after attempting his only shot of the game with 3:26 remaining in the opening stanza. He came down and landed on the foot of Indiana’s Jalen Rose, and was limping upon rising to his feet. Bryant left the game after scoring two points, but his teammates rose to the challenge without him. Led by Shaquille O’Neal, Ron Harper, and Glen Rice, the Lakers took a 52–49 halftime lead. The Pacers kept things interesting, but Los Angeles took the lead for good with 2:53 remaining in the third quarter when O’Neal sank a free throw. Rice then nailed his fourth three-point shot of the game, which helped the Lakers take a 73–69 lead into the final period. With slightly under five minutes to go in the game, the Pacers finished off a 6–0 run that got them close to the lead. Rice then hit another three-pointer to give the Lakers an 89–84 lead, and Indiana never got within three points of the lead after that. The Lakers won, 111–104, and were halfway to their first NBA title in 12 years. Shaquille O’Neal once again showed why he was the premier pivot man. He finished with 40 points, 24 rebounds, and three blocked shots, while Ron Harper and Glen Rice added 21 points apiece.19 3. June 11 at Indiana: The Pacers were dominant at home throughout the year, posting an incredible 36–5 record inside Conseco Fieldhouse. With 18,345 fans cheering on their Pacers, the team responded by going on an 11–2 run in the first quarter, and used that to take a 23–15 lead at the end of the first quarter. Indiana kept coming on strong, and they nailed a sizzling 61 per-

ONE : THE SEASONS cent of their field goal attempts in the second quarter to lead, 53– 42, at the end of the first half. The Lakers, suffering the effects of playing without Kobe Bryant, rallied early in the third quarter by closing to within five points of the lead after the Pacers had five fouls called on them in the first three minutes of the second half. The Pacers answered with a 23–8 run that returned major control of the game back over to them. The Lakers once again came back, and after Ron Harper hit a three-pointer with 14.8 seconds left in the game, the Pacers’ lead was cut to three points at 94–91. Reggie Miller then seal the game by hitting on a pair of free throws, and Indiana went on to win, 100–91, and cut the Lakers’ advantage in the series to 2–1. Reggie Miller finished with 33 points for the Pacers, and shared game-high scoring honors with Shaquille O’Neal.20 4. June 14 at Indiana: The Pacers were ready to tie the series up. They started on their way to achieving that goal by hitting on eight of their first 10 shot attempts, with Rik Smits sinking four straight baskets. The Pacers led the Lakers, 33–23, at the end of the first quarter, and things were looking bleak for Los Angeles as the game headed toward halftime. Kobe Bryant returned to action, but his ankle was still ailing him. He only mustered up six points in the first half, and collected his third foul in the second quarter. Shaquille O’Neal was also in foul trouble, joining Bryant with three fouls. Despite these woes, the Lakers managed to outscore the Pacers, 28–21, in the second period, and close to within three points of the lead at 54–51 at the end of the first half. Kobe Bryant was charged with his fourth foul in the opening minute of the second half, but coach Phil Jackson left him in. As a thank you to his coach, Bryant nailed three straight shots. With four minutes expired from the clock in the third quarter, Los Angeles took their first lead of the game at 62–60 when Glen Rice hit a three-pointer. Helped by Bryant’s 10 points in the third quarter, the Lakers went into the final 12 minutes of regulation with an 80–77 advantage. The lead changed hands five times in a span of four minutes during the fourth quarter. Reggie Miller was on fire for the Pacers, and gave his team a 101–99 lead with 3:17 left by connecting on his fifth straight basket, this one coming from three-point range. The Lakers came back to take the lead, but Sam Perkins scored on a three-point shot with 35 seconds left to tie the game. With 2.3 seconds left, O’Neal missed an eight-foot hook shot, and the game went into overtime tied at 104–104. The Lakers were then forced to play without the services of O’Neal, after “Superman” fouled out with 2:33 remaining in the overtime period. Kobe Bryant then carried the team by hitting on three clutch shots to pull out a 120–118 win and give the Lakers a commanding 3–1 series lead. O’Neal and Bryant were once again the dominant twosome. Shaq scored 36 points, and secured 21 rebounds, while Kobe hit for 28 points. Reggie Miller, who missed a last second three-point shot in the closing seconds, finished with 35 for Indiana.21 5. June 16 at Indiana: No team ever came back from a 3–1 deficit in NBA Finals history. However, the Pacers looked to become the first, and took a giant step in that direction by annihilating the Lakers, 120–87. With Larry Bird as Indiana’s coach, thoughts of Boston’s “Memorial Day Massacre,” in which the Celtics destroyed the Lakers, 148–114, in the opening game of the 1985 Finals, had to come to mind. The friendly confines of Conseco Fieldhouse definitely gave the Pacers a solid jolt of home

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karma, as Indiana executed their offensive scheme to near perfection, and did not miss the basket on many occasions. They connected on a sizzling 57 percent of their field goal attempts, and jumped out to a 39–28 lead at the end of the first quarter. They shot a perfect six for six from three-point range, with 75 percent of their shots hitting the mark in the opening quarter. The Pacers never allowed the Lakers any remote chance in this game. They increased their advantage to 19 points at the half, and never let up until they were up by 33 at the final buzzer. Jalen Rose led the Pacers with 32 points, and Shaquille O’Neal’s 35 points led all scorers, and was almost half of the Lakers’ total offensive production.22 6. June 19 at Los Angeles: The Pacers felt that they had the makings of a team coming back from the brink to beat the odds of a 3–1 deficit and emerge as champions. They came into Game Six at the Staples Center with renewed swagger, and led most of the way in this one. Indiana led, 26–24, at the end of the first quarter, and by 56–53 at the half. Going into the fourth period, the Pacers held an 84–79 advantage, but the Lakers kept it close despite Indiana’s surges to keep a distance. With three minutes expired in the fourth quarter, Brian Shaw got a steal off Jalen Rose, and Shaquille O’Neal scored to give the Lakers their first lead since the first quarter. Rick Fox added a three-point shot a short time later, and the Lakers were up, 94–90. Three and a half minutes later, Jalen Rose tied the game at 103–103 with a threepointer as the clock showed 5:04 left in the fourth quarter. Robert Horry then scored to put the Lakers in the lead with 4:48 left, and they never saw themselves behind again. With 1:56 left, the Lakers were up, 110–107, and Austin Croshere was fouled and his two free throws brought Indiana to within one point of the lead. Glen Rice then hit a pair of free throws for Los Angeles, and a short time later, Kobe Bryant secured his first-ever NBA title and the team’s 12th all-time and seventh since moving to Los Angeles in 1960. With 13 seconds left, Bryant sank two free throws to give the Lakers a 114–109 lead. After Dale Davis set a dunk through the rim for Indiana to cut the advantage to three points with 5.4 seconds remaining, Bryant again strolled to the foul line and nailed a pair of free throws to clinch what went into the record books as a 116–111 series-clinching victory. Shaquille O’Neal scored 41 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and blocked four shots. He produced one of the greatest performances in NBA Finals history, and was an easy choice when the Finals MVP award was voted on. This MVP award capped off an incredible year for O’Neal, in which he was also honored as the 1999-2000 NBA MVP of the regular season, and the All-Star Game MVP. Kobe Bryant chipped in with 26 points, and Glen Rice added 16 to round out the Lakers’ top scorers in the clinching victory.23

Individual Playoff Statistics Bryant — appeared in 22 games, played 857 minutes (39.0 avg.), scored 465 points (21.1 avg.), had 98 rebounds (4.5 avg.) and 97 assists (4.4 avg.) Fisher — appeared in 21 games, played 322 minutes (15.3 avg.), scored 99 points (4.7 avg.), had 22 rebounds (1.0 avg.) and 41 assists (2.0 avg.) Fox — appeared in 23 games, played 331 minutes (14.4 avg.), scored 100 points (4.3 avg.), had 38 rebounds (1.7 avg.) and 28 assists (1.2 avg.) George — appeared in 9 games, played 45 minutes (5.0 avg.), scored 22

2000-01 points (2.4 avg.), had 10 rebounds (1.1 avg.) and 2 assists (0.2 avg.) Green — appeared in 23 games, played 429 minutes (18.7 avg.), scored 90 points (3.9 avg.), had 96 rebounds (4.2 avg.) and 13 assists (0.6 avg.) Harper — appeared in 23 games, played 643 minutes (28.0 avg.), scored 198 points (8.6 avg.), had 85 rebounds (3.7 avg.) and 73 assists (3.2 avg.) Horry — appeared in 23 games, played 618 minutes (26.9 avg.), scored 175 points (7.6 avg.), had 123 rebounds (5.3 avg.) and 58 assists (2.5 avg.) Knight — appeared in 14 games, played 48 minutes (3.4 avg.), scored 18 points (1.3 avg.) and had 5 rebounds (0.4 avg.) O’Neal—appeared in 23 games, played 1000 minutes (43.5 avg.), scored 707 points (30.7 avg.), had 355 rebounds (15.4 avg.) and 71 assists (3.1 avg.) Rice — appeared in 23 games, played 766 minutes (33.3 avg.), scored 285 points (12.4 avg.), had 92 rebounds (4.0 avg.) and 48 assists (2.1 avg.) Salley — appeared in 18 games, played 78 minutes (4.3 avg.), scored 17 points (0.9 avg.), had 22 rebounds (1.2 avg.) and 4 assists (0.2 avg.) Shaw — appeared in 22 games, played 408 minutes (18.5 avg.), scored 119 points (5.4 avg.), had 51 rebounds (2.3 avg.) and 67 assists (3.0 avg.)

2000-01 Head Coach: Phil Jackson Assistant Coaches: Bill Bertka, Jim Cleamons, Frank Hamblen, Tex Winter Regular Season Record: 56–26 1st place in the NBA Pacific Division (finished in first place by one game) Scored 100.6 points per game to rank 3rd out of 29 teams Allowed 97.2 points per game to rank 23rd

Review The defending champs bolstered their defense by acquiring power forward Horace Grant and center Greg Foster, both of whom played for Jackson in Chicago and were well-schooled in his “Triangle Offense.” Throughout the first half of the season, the Lakers suffered through multiple injuries, with a huge loss coming when Derek Fisher was forced to miss 62 games with a broken foot. With the playoffs looming, the defending champs began to get healthy, and surged into the postseason on an eightgame winning streak.

Gone from the Previous Season John Celestand — released A.C. Green — waived by the Lakers on June 28, 2000 Sam Jacobson — waived by the Lakers on November 12, 1999 Travis Knight — traded to New York on September 20, 2000 Glen Rice — traded to New York on September 20, 2000 John Salley — retired

Regular Season Individual Statistics 8 —Kobe Bryant —Guard —6-6, 200 lbs., appeared in 68 games, played 2,783 minutes (40.9 avg.), made 701 of 1,510 field goal attempts (.464%) and 475 of 557 free throws (.853%) for 1,938 points (28.5 avg.), had 399 rebounds (5.9 avg.) and 338 assists (5.0 avg.)

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2 — Derek Fisher — Guard — 6-1, 200 lbs., appeared in 20 games, played 709 minutes (35.5 avg.), made 77 of 187 field goal attempts (.412%) and 50 of 62 free throws (.806%) for 229 points (11.5 avg.), had 59 rebounds (3.0 avg.) and 87 assists (4.4 avg.) 40— Greg Foster — Forward/Center — 6-11, 240 lbs., appeared in 62 games, played 451 minutes (7.3 avg.), made 56 of 133 field goal attempts (.421%) and 10 of 14 free throws (.714%) for 125 points (2.0 avg.), had 112 rebounds (1.8 avg.) and 32 assists (0.5 avg.) 17 — Rick Fox — Forward/Guard — 6-7, 230 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,291 minutes (27.9 avg.), made 287 of 646 field goal attempts (.444%), 95 of 122 free throws (.779%) for 787 points (9.6 avg.), had 325 rebounds (4.0 avg.) and 262 assists (3.2 avg.) 3 — Devean George — Guard/Forward — 6-8, 220 lbs., appeared in 59 games, played 593 minutes (10.1 avg.), made 64 of 207 field goal attempts (.309%) and 39 of 55 free throws (.709%) for 182 points (3.1 avg.), had 110 rebounds (1.9 avg.) and 19 assists (0.3 avg.) 54 — Horace Grant — Forward/Center — 6-10, 215 lbs., appeared in 77 games, played 2,390 minutes (31.0 avg.), made 263 of 569 field goal attempts (.462%), 131 of 169 free throws (.775%) for 657 points (8.5 avg.), had 545 rebounds (7.1 avg.) and 121 assists (1.6 avg.) 4—Ron Harper—Guard/Forward—6-6, 185 lbs., appeared in 47 games, played 1,139 minutes (24.2 avg.), made 127 of 271 field goal attempts (.469%) and 34 of 48 free throws (.708%) for 307 points (6.5 avg.), had 166 rebounds (3.5 avg.) and 113 assists (2.4 avg.) 5 — Robert Horry — Forward — 6-9, 220 lbs., appeared in 79 games, played 1,587 minutes (20.1 avg.), made 147 of 380 field goal attempts (.387%) and 59 of 83 free throws (.711%) for 407 points (5.2 avg.), had 296 rebounds (3.7 avg.) and 128 assists (1.6 avg.) 10— Tyronn Lue — Guard — 6-0, 175 lbs., appeared in 38 games, played 468 minutes (12.3 avg.), made 50 of 117 field goal attempts (.427%) and 19 of 24 free throws (.792%) for 130 points (3.4 avg.), had 32 rebounds (0.8 avg.) and 45 assists (1.2 avg.) 35 — Mark Madsen — Forward — 6-9, 240 lbs., appeared in 70 games, played 641 minutes (9.2 avg.), made 55 of 113 field goal attempts (.487%) and 26 of 37 free throws (.703%) for 137 points (2.0 avg.), had 152 rebounds (2.2 avg.) and 24 assists (0.3 avg.) 14 — Stanislav Medvedenko — Forward — 6-10, 250 lbs., appeared in 7 games, played 39 minutes (5.6 avg.), made 12 of 25 field goal attempts (.480%) and 7 of 12 free throws (.583%) for 32 points (4.6 avg.), had 9 rebounds (1.3 avg.) and 2 assists (0.3 avg.) 34 — Shaquille O’Neal — Center — 7-1, 325 lbs., appeared in 74 games, played 2,924 minutes (39.5 avg.), made 813 of 1,422 field goal attempts (.572%), 499 of 972 free throws (.513%) for 2,125 points (28.7 avg.), had 940 rebounds (12.7 avg.) and 277 assists (3.7 avg.) 12 — Mike Penberthy — Guard — 6-3, 185 lbs., appeared in 53 games, played 851 minutes (16.1 avg.), made 92 of 222 field goal attempts (.414%) and 28 of 31 free throws (.903%) for 267 points (5.0 avg.), had 63 rebounds (1.2 avg.) and 71 assists (1.3 avg.) 7 — Isaiah Rider — Guard — 6-5, 215 lbs., appeared in 67 games, played 1,206 minutes (18.0 avg.), made 201 of 472 field goal attempts (.426%) and 71 of 83 free throws (.855%) for 507 points (7.6 avg.), had 156 rebounds (2.3 avg.) and 111 assists (1.7 avg.) 20— Brian Shaw — Guard — 6-6, 190 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 1,833 minutes (22.9 avg.), made 164 of 411 field goal attempts (.399%) and 51 of 64 free throws (.797%) for 421 points (5.3 avg.), had 304 rebounds (3.8 avg.) and 258 assists (3.2 avg.)

League Leaders Kobe Bryant — points per game (4th) Shaquille O’Neal —field goals made (1st), field goal percentage (1st), free throws made (5th), free throw attempts (1st), rebounds (4th), rebounds per game (3rd), points scored (3rd), points per game (3rd), had 204 blocked shots during the season (4th), averaged 2.8 blocks per game (4th)

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All-NBA Kobe Bryant — 2nd team selection Shaquille O’Neal —1st team selection

All-Defensive Team Kobe Bryant — 2nd team selection Shaquille O’Neal — 2nd team selection

All-Star Game Selections Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal

Regular Season Highlights Nov. 22 — In a 111–91 win against Golden State, Shaquille O’Neal became the 85th player in NBA history to score 15,000 career points. Dec. 6 — In a 125–121 overtime loss to the Golden State Warriors, Kobe Bryant scored 51 points.

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND VERSUS PORTLAND 1. April 22 at Los Angeles: The Lakers came out strong in their defense of the NBA title. They jumped out to a 30–19 lead at the end of the first quarter. After struggling through an 18–3 run by Portland, the Lakers pulled away with Kobe Bryant scoring 12 of his game-high 28 points in the final seven and a half minutes of a 106–93 Los Angeles victory. Shaquille O’Neal scored 24 points and secured 20 rebounds, while Derek Fisher chipped in with 21 points.1 2. April 26 at Los Angeles: This time out, the Lakers trailed by four points at the end of the first quarter. They used the second quarter to make their move, outscoring the Trailblazers, 30–17, and won in commanding fashion, 106–88. The Lakers shot a sizzling 51.7 percent from the field, with Shaquille O’Neal leading the attack. He scored a game-high 32 points, and added 12 rebounds, five assists, and one blocked shot. Kobe Bryant added 25 points, and Rick Fox 19 to help put the Lakers up 2–0 in the best-of-five series.2 3. April 29 at Portland: The Lakers left Portland’s Rose Garden smelling like roses. They wrapped the series up in a threegame sweep, and continued on a winning streak that reached 11 straight thanks to a 99–86 victory. Los Angeles was ahead, 54– 47, at the half, matched Portland point for point in the third quarter, and then outscored them by six in the final stanza. Shaquille O’Neal was the dominant force for LA, as his 25 points led the team and tied Portland’s duo of Damon Stoudamire and Steve Smith for game-high honors. O’Neal also hauled in 15 rebounds, Kobe Bryant added 22 points, Derek Fisher 17, and the defending champs moved on to the next round of postseason action.3

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS VERSUS SACRAMENTO 1. May 6 at Los Angeles: Simply stated, Shaquille O’Neal was the most dominating force in the NBA during this time. “The

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Diesel” turned in one of the greatest single-game performances in playoff history. In a 108–105 win, O’Neal scored 44 points, grabbed 21 rebounds, dished out four assists, and blocked seven shots. The other half of LA’s dynamic duo, Kobe Bryant, finished with 29 points. Sacramento held a narrow 54–53 halftime lead, but the Lakers used a 31–24 point advantage in the third quarter to carry them to a fourth straight postseason victory of this year’s playoffs.4 2. May 8 at Los Angeles: Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant teamed up for over two-thirds of the Lakers’ point production in a 96–90 victory. O’Neal scored 43 points and Bryant 27. Shaq added 20 rebounds to become the first player in postseason history to score 40 points and secure 20 rebounds in one game. As in Game One, this contest was close at the half, but Los Angeles exploded in the third quarter. Going into the second half, the game was knotted at 43–43. The Lakers then outscored the Kings, 31– 13, with Shaq and Kobe combining for 22 points in the period. Sacramento made a run in the fourth quarter, but the Lakers held them off down the stretch.5 3. May 11 at Sacramento: The series shifted up north to the state capital, but Sacramento could not take advantage of being at home. The Lakers jumped out to a 29–19 first quarter lead, and despite scoring only 36 points in the second and third quarters, they came back to outscore the Kings, 38–27, in the final period to record a convincing 103–81 victory. This time it was Kobe Bryant who captured game-high scoring honors with 36 points. Shaquille O’Neal dominated the boards by hauling in 18 rebounds and added 21 points to his day’s work.6 4. May 13 at Sacramento: The defending champs hit on 53.8 percent of their field goal attempts, and the Lakers swept their second straight series with a 119–113 win. Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal continued to be the league’s premier one-two punch. Bryant turned in one of his greatest performances that consisted of 48 points and 16 rebounds, and O’Neal scored 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Derek Fisher chipped in with 20 points to help the victors. The Kings put up a fight to stay alive, and had a 59–53 halftime advantage while shooting 51.2 percent from the field. The Lakers used the fourth quarter to make their move down the stretch by outscoring Sacramento, 39–29, and in the end, they sent the Kings home for the season.7

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS VERSUS SAN ANTONIO 1. May 19 at San Antonio: The Lakers continued on with a spotless postseason record after a 104–90 victory over the Spurs. Los Angeles wasted little time establishing their utter dominance by getting out to a 24–17 first quarter lead. San Antonio suffered through 11 turnovers during the first half, with the main reason being a tough LA defensive showing. The Lakers led by nine at the half, and had no trouble securing their 16th straight win and eighth in postseason play. Kobe Bryant’s hot hand continued throughout this game, as he finished with 45 points and 10 rebounds. Shaquille O’Neal added 28 points and 11 rebounds in a game that saw Los Angeles hit for 51.1 percent of their shots from field goal range.8 2. May 21 at San Antonio: Tim Duncan scored 25 of his 40 points for San Antonio in the first half, and the Spurs led by 14 at

2000-01 one stage. Going into the second half, the Spurs held a 46–38 advantage, but at the final buzzer, it all went for nothing. The Lakers came back to win their 17th straight, this time by an 88– 81 final count. The Spurs’ final lead of the game was 76–75 in the fourth quarter. Los Angeles then finished the game with a 13– 5 run that Kobe Bryant capped off with a three-pointer as the clock showed just over one minute remaining to be played. Bryant led the Lakers with 28 points, and Shaquille O’Neal came in second with 19 points, and he also had 14 rebounds. In a losing effort, Tim Duncan had a great showing that consisted of 40 points, 15 rebounds, three assists, and four blocked shots.9 3. May 25 at Los Angeles: Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal once again showed the world why they were the ultimate one-two punch in the NBA during the early 2000s. They combined for 71 points between them, falling just one shy of what the entire Spurs team finished with. The result was an overwhelming 111–72 Lakers victory that gave them an almost invincible 3– 0 series lead. Los Angeles was so dominant that they shot a dismal 29 percent from the field in the second quarter and still were up by ten points at the half. The Spurs managed to pull to within seven points off the lead with 8:39 left in the third quarter, but that was the closest they would get from that point on. The Lakers went on a 37–12 run that they finished up midway through the fourth quarter, and when it was complete, Los Angeles was in command by a 98–66 margin.10 4. May 27 at Los Angeles: Instead of prolonging the inevitable, the Lakers put the Spurs out of their misery, sending them into the offseason via a 111–82 mauling. Kobe Bryant started out on fire, as he nailed his first six shot attempts, and the Lakers had a 14-point bulge to work with. Los Angeles had built up a 64–40 lead at the end of the first half. The closest the Spurs got after that was being down by 17 in the third quarter. Derek Fisher led the Lakers with 28 points thanks to hot shooting that included hitting on six of seven three-point attempts. For the game, Fisher connected on 11 of the 13 shots he sent toward the rim. Shaquille O’Neal added 26 points and 10 rebounds, while Bryant chipped in with 24 points and 11 assists.11

NBA FINALS VERSUS PHILADELPHIA 1. June 6 at Los Angeles: The 2001 NBA Finals conjured up memories of Magic Johnson and his “Showtime” Lakers against Julius “Dr. J” Erving and the 76ers. Los Angeles and Philadelphia squared off three times in the early 1980s for the pro circuit’s ultimate prize, with the Lakers winning on two of the three occasions. In 2001, eighteen years removed from the last time these franchises met in the NBA Finals, the 76ers looked to even the championship series up at two apiece. Twenty seemed to be the magic number for the Lakers as they entered this series. This marked the 20th time the Lakers would appear in the NBA Finals since moving to Los Angeles in 1960, and they were looking to extend their winning streak to 20 straight with a victory in the opener. The Los Angeles faithful inside the Staples Center seemed confident that their beloved Lakers would not only keep their winning steak alive and well, but repeat as champions in a convincing manner. Even before the opening tipoff, the chant of “Sweep!” echoed throughout the building. The Lakers seemed to be ready to oblige the crowd by starting off on the right path.

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They scored 16 consecutive points, and got out to an 18–5 lead with Rick Fox hitting for 15 of his 19 points in the game’s initial 13 minutes. The 76ers did not rattle under the force of the west coast juggernaut. They came back to close to within one point at the end of the first quarter, with Los Angeles holding a slim 23– 22 advantage. Led by Allen Iverson’s hot hand, and a tough defense that pressured LA, the 76ers outscored the Lakers, 34– 27, in the second quarter to take a 56–50 lead at the end of the first half. Los Angeles rallied back to go into the fourth quarter only down by two. In a low scoring fourth period that saw Los Angeles win out 17–15, the Lakers regained the lead with 1:57 left on a dunk by Shaquille O’Neal. Philadelphia’s Eric Snow ended LA’s short burst of joy 19 seconds later by knotting the game at 94–94 and forcing overtime. The Lakers quickly jumped out to a 99–94 advantage in the overtime period, but Philadelphia did not crumble. Allen Iverson scored seven points in a 13–2 run, and the 76ers became the first team to defeat the Lakers in this postseason with a 107–101 victory. Iverson finished with 48 points, and Shaquille O’Neal topped the Lakers with 44 points. Iverson and O’Neal became only the second players from opposite teams to reach the 40-point barrier in NBA Finals competition. Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley were the first pair back in 1993.12 2. June 8 at Los Angeles: The Lakers were still the reigning champions, and looked to keep the NBA crown in the City of Angels. Like so many times throughout their games together, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant did the damage for the Lakers. Kobe scored 31 points, and Shaq did his best to even the series by scoring 28 points, securing 20 rebounds, handing out nine assists, and tying an NBA Finals record with eight blocked shots. The 76ers held a 13–10 lead in the first quarter before the Lakers came back to take a 25–24 advantage into the second period. Philadelphia kept coming, and despite a big half from O’Neal (17 points and 13 rebounds), and Kobe Bryant (16 points), the game remained tight, with Los Angeles holding a slim 49–47 edge going into the second half. The Lakers maintained their advantage for a good portion of the third quarter, with O’Neal recording five of his blocks during those 12 minutes. A Derek Fisher threepointer near the end of the third quarter allowed Los Angeles a 10-point bulge going into the fourth period. The Lakers increased their lead to 12 early in the final stanza, but the 76ers rallied with a 13–3 run to close the gap to 89–86 with two and a half minutes left. Fisher then hit a three-pointer to give LA a six-point edge with just over two minutes remaining. O’Neal sank a hook shot with 28 seconds left to give the Lakers an eight-point lead, and it secured a 98–89 series-tying victory.13 3. June 10 at Philadelphia: Kobe Bryant returned to his hometown of Philadelphia, but in the end, the City of Brotherly Love was not too pleased with their native son. He finished the game with a team-high 32 points, and the Lakers took a 2–1 series advantage with a 96–91 win. The first quarter ended in a 25–25 deadlock, but then Bryant scored 16 of his points in the second quarter to assist Los Angeles to a 55–45 halftime edge. From the second quarter on, Los Angeles never trailed, even though the 76ers stayed close to the end. The Lakers were clinging to an 86– 84 lead with 2:21 remaining in the fourth quarter. They then were dealt a major handicap when Shaquille O’Neal fouled out. Upon his departure, O’Neal had scored 30 points, secured 12 rebounds, and blocked four shots. A short time later, Kevin Ollie hit a three-

ONE : THE SEASONS pointer to put Philadelphia within one point at 89–88. Robert Horry was left unattended in the corner, and delivered a threepointer of his own with 47 seconds left to give the Lakers a fourpoint lead and more of a cushion. In just 24 minutes of playing time, Horry scored 15 points. Allen Iverson led all scorers with 35 points.14 4. June 13 at Philadelphia: In the most convincing fashion up to this time in the series, the Lakers won by a comfortable 100–86 margin. Los Angeles got out to a 22–14 lead at the end of the first quarter, and extended it to 51–37 by halftime. Shaquille O’Neal’s rebounding skills allowed the Lakers to get out fast, as he secured five offensive rebounds that resulted in nine points during the opening period. Throughout the second half, Los Angeles kept at least a 10-point distance between themselves and the 76ers. They even got up to a 20-point bulge late in the third quarter, and took a commanding 77–59 advantage into the fourth period. O’Neal was once again at his best. He scored a team-high 34 points, and hauled in 14 rebounds, while Kobe Bryant just missed a triple-double. He had 19 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists, as the Lakers were closing in on another NBA championship by holding a 3–1 series lead. Despite the loss, Allen Iverson continued to stand out for the 76ers, this time by scoring a gamehigh 35 points.15 5. June 15 at Philadelphia: The champagne flowed and another Larry O’Brien Trophy was added to the Lakers’ collection of championship hardware. The 2001 trophy also will represent an incredible journey that saw the Lakers register a 15–1 postseason record for an NBA playoff all-time best .938 winning percentage. In this 108–96 series clinching victory, Shaquille O’Neal paced the attack with 29 points, 13 rebounds, and five blocked shots. For his efforts throughout the series, O’Neal was selected as the Finals MVP for the second straight time. Kobe Bryant finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists, while Derek Fisher hit for six three-pointers to finish with 18 points, and Rick Fox added 20 points. Philadelphia looked like they were ready to extend the series right from the start, as the scrappy 76ers got out to a 16–10 lead with Allen Iverson hit on four of his first five shot attempts. Iverson finished with a game-high 37 points. Rick Fox then connected on two three-pointers to tie the game, but the 76ers came back to lead, 27–24, at the end of the first quarter. The Lakers built a nine-point lead toward the end of the second period, but Iverson rallied the 76ers by scoring six straight points to close the gap to a 52–48 Los Angeles advantage by the end of the first half. The Lakers then turned their game up a notch in the third quarter, with Derek Fisher nailing a three-pointer, and Bryant hitting on two shots to extend the Lakers’ lead to 59–49. From that stage on, all the 76ers could do was play catch-up. After the Lakers had increased their lead to 19 points, the 76ers gave it one final effort to rally even though defeat was becoming more of a reality with the passing of each second off the game clock. With 1:14 left, Philadelphia cut the lead to 100–93. Derek Fisher then put a stop to any visions of grandeur that the City of Brotherly Love might have conjured up when he sent a threepointer through the hoop with 51 seconds remaining to make the score 103–93.16

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Individual Playoff Statistics Bryant — appeared in 16 games, played 694 minutes (43.4 avg.), scored 471 points (29.4 avg.), had 116 rebounds (7.3 avg.) and 97 assists (6.1 avg.) Fisher — appeared in 16 games, plated 576 minutes (36.0 avg.), scored 215 points (13.4 avg.), had 61 rebounds (3.8 avg.) and 48 assists (3.0 avg.) Foster — appeared in 1 game, played 3 minutes (3.0 avg.) and had 1 rebound (1.0 avg.) Fox — appeared in 16 games, played 573 minutes (35.8 avg.), scored 160 points (10.0 avg.), had 79 rebounds (4.9 avg.) and 57 assists (3.6 avg.) George — appeared in 7 games, played 27 minutes (3.9 avg.), scored 14 points (2.0 avg.), had 5 rebounds (0.7 avg.) and 1 assist (0.1 avg.) Grant — appeared in 16 games, played 423 minutes (26.4 avg.), scored 96 points (6.0 avg.), had 96 rebounds (6.0 avg.) and 19 assists (1.2 avg.) Harper — appeared in 6 games, played 42 minutes (7.0 avg.), scored 13 points (2.2 avg.), had 8 rebounds (1.3 avg.) and 4 assists (0.7 avg.) Horry — appeared in 16 games, played 382 minutes (23.9 avg.), scored 94 points (5.9 avg.), had 83 rebounds (5.2 avg.) and 31 assists (1.9 avg.) Lue — appeared in 15 games, played 131 minutes (8.7 avg.), scored 29 points (1.9 avg.), had 10 rebounds (0.7 avg.) and 10 assists (0.7 avg.) Madsen — appeared in 13 games, played 48 minutes (3.7 avg.), scored 5 points (0.4 avg.), had 10 rebounds (0.8 avg.) and 4 assists (0.3 avg.) O’Neal — appeared in 16 games, played 676 minutes (42.3 avg.), scored 487 points (30.4 avg.), had 247 rebounds (15.4 avg.) and 51 assists (3.2 avg.) Shaw — appeared in 16 games, played 290 minutes (18.1 avg.), scored 70 points (4.4 avg.), had 55 rebounds (3.4 avg.) and 43 assists (2.7 avg.)

2001-02 Head Coach: Phil Jackson Assistant Coaches: Jim Cleamons, Frank Hamblen, Kurt Rambis, Tex Winter Regular Season Record: 58–24 2nd place in the NBA Pacific Division (finished three games out of first place) Scored 101.3 points per game to rank 3rd out of 29 teams Allowed 94.1 points per game to rank 10th

Review The two-time defending champions came out at the start of the season like they were the ultimate world-beaters. They won 16 of their first 17 games, but then Derek Fisher and Shaquille O’Neal suffered injuries that hampered the amazing juggernaut. They posted a 17–12 record following their magnificent start, and with O’Neal troubled by a foot problem during most of the second half of the season, the Lakers fell into second place in the division.

Gone from the Previous Season Greg Foster — traded to Milwaukee on June 28, 2001 Horace Grant—became a free agent and signed with Orlando on July 19, 2001 Ron Harper — retired Tyronn Lue—became a free agent and signed with Washington on July 18, 2001

2001-02 Isiah Rider — became a free agent and signed with Denver on October 1, 2001

Regular Season Individual Statistics 8 —Kobe Bryant —Guard —6-6, 200 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 3.063 minutes (38.3 avg.), made 749 of 1,597 field goal attempts (.469%) and 488 of 589 free throws (.829%) for 2,019 points (25.2 avg.), had 441 rebounds (5.5 avg.) and 438 assists (5.5 avg.) 11— Joe Crispin — Guard — 6-0, 180 lbs., appeared in 6 games, played 27 minutes (4.5 avg.), made 3 of 12 field goal attempts (.250%) and 4 of 5 free throws (.800%) for 10 points (1.7 avg.), had 1 rebound (0.2 avg.) and 2 assists (0.3 avg.) 2 — Derek Fisher — Guard — 6-1, 200 lbs., appeared in 70 games, played 1,974 minutes (28.2 avg.), made 274 of 666 field goal attempts (.411%) and 94 of 111 free throws (.847%) for 786 points (11.2 avg.), had 146 rebounds (2.1 avg.) and 181 assists (2.6 avg.) 17 — Rick Fox — Forward/Guard — 6-7, 230 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,289 minutes (27.9 avg.), made 255 of 605 field goal attempts (.421%) and 70 of 85 free throws (.824%) for 645 points (7.9 avg.), had 389 rebounds (4.7 avg.) and 283 assists (3.5 avg.) 3 — Devean George — Guard/Forward — 6-8, 220 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 1,759 minutes (21.5 avg.), made 215 of 523 field goal attempts (.411%), 85 of 126 free throws (.675%) for 581 points (7.1 avg.), had 303 rebounds (3.7 avg.) and 111 assists (1.4 avg.) 5 — Robert Horry — Forward — 6-9, 220 lbs., appeared in 81 games, played 2,140 minutes (26.4 avg.), made 183 of 460 field goal attempts (.398%) and 108 of 138 free throws (.783%) for 550 points (6.8 avg.), had 479 rebounds (5.9 avg.) and 232 assists (2.9 avg.) 10— Lindsey Hunter — Guard — 6-2, 170 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 1,616 minutes (19.7 avg.), made 187 of 490 field goal attempts (.382%) and 20 of 40 free throws (.500%) for 473 points (5.8 avg.), had 121 rebounds (1.5 avg.) and 129 assists (1.6 avg.) 35 — Mark Madsen — Forward — 6-9, 240 lbs., appeared in 59 games, played 650 minutes (11.0 avg.), made 66 of 146 field goal attempts (.452%) and 35 of 54 free throws (.648%) for 167 points (2.8 avg.), had 162 rebounds (2.7 avg.) and 44 assists (0.7 avg.) 6 — Jelani McCoy — Center — 6-10, 245 lbs., appeared in 21 games, played 104 minutes (5.0 avg.), made 12 of 21 field goal attempts (.571%) and 2 of 8 free throws (.250%) for 26 points (1.2 avg.), had 25 rebounds (1.2 avg.) and 7 assists (0.3 avg.) 14 — Stanislav Medvedenko — Forward — 6-10, 250 lbs., appeared in 71 games, played 729 minutes (10.3 avg.), made 145 of 304 field goal attempts (.477%) and 41 of 62 free throws (.661%) for 331 points (4.7 avg.), had 158 rebounds (2.2 avg.) and 43 assists (0.6 avg.) 34 — Shaquille O’Neal — Center — 7-1, 325 lbs., appeared in 67 games, played 2,422 minutes (36.1 avg.), made 712 of 1,229 field goal attempts (.579%), 398 of 717 free throws (.555%) for 1,822 points (27.2 avg.), had 715 rebounds (10.7 avg.) and 200 assists (3.0 avg.) 12 — Mike Penberthy — Guard — 6-3, 185 lbs., appeared in 3 games, played 12 minutes (4.0 avg.), made 1 of 2 field goal attempts (.500%) and 3 of 4 free throws (.750%) for 5 points (1.7 avg.), had 2 rebounds (0.7 avg.) and 2 assists (0.7 avg.) 23 — Mitch Richmond — Guard — 6-5, 215 lbs., appeared in 64 games, played 709 minutes (11.1 avg.), made 100 of 247 field goal attempts (.405%) and 42 of 44 free throws (.955%) for 260 points (4.1 avg.), had 94 rebounds (1.5 avg.) and 57 assists (0.9 avg.) 20— Brian Shaw — Guard — 6-6, 190 lbs., appeared in 58 games, played 631 minutes (10.9 avg.), made 61 of 173 field goal attempts (.353%) and 18 of 26 free throws (.692%) for 169 points (2.9 avg.), had 112 rebounds (1.9 avg.) and 89 assists (1.5 avg.) 52 — Samaki Walker — Forward — 6-9, 240 lbs., appeared in 69 games, played 1,655 minutes (24.0 avg.), made 187 of 365 field goal attempts (.512%) and 86 of 129 free throws (.667%) for 460 points (6.7 avg.), had 481 rebounds (7.0 avg.) and 64 assists (0.9 avg.)

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League Leaders Kobe Bryant —field goals made (2nd), field goal attempts (4th), free throws made (5th), free throw attempts (5th), points scored (3rd) Shaquille O’Neal —field goals made (5th), field goal percentage (1st), free throw attempts (1st), points per game (2nd)

All-NBA Kobe Bryant —1st team selection Shaquille O’Neal —1st team selection

All-Defensive Team Kobe Bryant — 2nd team selection

All-Star Game Selections Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal

Regular Season Highlights Dec. 5 — Shaquille O’Neal scores a season-high 46 points in a 98–94 win against the Dallas Mavericks. The win also allowed the Lakers to extend a winning streak to nine, and gave them a near-perfect record of 16–1. Dec. 16 — Chick Hearn, the legendary voice of the Los Angeles Lakers, broadcasts his record setting 3,338th straight Lakers game, which was a 101–85 win over Golden State at home. Jan. 14 — Kobe Bryant scores 56 points in a 120–81 win over the Memphis Grizzles.

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND VERSUS PORTLAND 1. April 21 at Los Angeles: The quest for a third straight NBA title began with the Portland Trailblazers standing in the way. Portland gave their long-time rivals a game for a while, but in the end, the Lakers prevailed, 95–87. Kobe Bryant got the hot hand in key moments, and finished with 34 points, seven rebounds, and three blocked shots. When the Lakers were struggling in the first quarter, Bryant sparked them by hitting for the team’s final eight points of the opening stanza. He then scored on a layup in the third quarter that gave the Lakers a 52–50, and it sparked a 9–0 run by LA. Kobe then added a reverse layup and a foul shot that expanded the Lakers’ bulge to nine points with 5:07 left in the game, and Portland never challenged after that. Shaquille O’Neal also played up to his brilliant self, as he hit on 10 of 17 shots, scored 25 points, and hauled in nine rebounds while leading a defense that smothered the Trailblazers.1 2. April 25 at Los Angeles: The Lakers were making their bid for another championship look easy, as they won, 103–96, to take a commanding 2–0 lead in the best-of-five-series. Los Angeles opened up an 18–8 advantage and never relinquished the lead. Portland did make a valiant effort to rally by cutting the LA lead to six with 1:43 left. Shaquille O’Neal continued to be the

ONE : THE SEASONS premier dominant force in the league, as his power game allowed him to score 31 points and haul in 14 rebounds. Kobe Bryant finished second on the team with 19 points, and had six rebounds, five assists, and two steals.2 3. April 28 at Portland: The Lakers dominance in the new millennium continued, as they swept the Trailblazers by a slim 92–91 margin. This win gave the Lakers their 19th playoff victory in the last 20, and was the seventh straight over Portland in postseason competition. Los Angeles was down, 90–86, with 12.7 seconds remaining when Kobe Bryant nailed a three-pointer to bring the Lakers to within one. Portland’s Scottie Pippen connected on one of two free throws to make it 91–89 with 10.8 seconds left. It was then time for Robert Horry to make his mark in Lakers’ history. After taking a pass from Bryant, Horry drilled a three-pointer with 2.1 seconds showing on the clock to seal the win and lock up the series. Bryant led the Lakers with 25 points, Shaquille O’Neal came in second with 21 points, and he hauled in 11 rebounds.3

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS VERSUS SAN ANTONIO 1. May 5 at Los Angeles: Shaquille O’Neal had stitches, Kobe Bryant a sore knee, and the Lakers’ one-two punch still managed to subdue the Spurs in the opening game of the semifinals, 86–80. The Lakers took a 73–71 lead on two O’Neal free throws in the fourth quarter with just over four minutes left, and never surrendered it. The Spurs cut the lead to one with 1:13 to play, but O’Neal delivered a thunderous slam-dunk after Robert Horry lofted a pass to him. Bruce Bowen missed on a three-point attempt that would have tied the game, and then Bryant hit a jump shot with 24 seconds left to ice it. O’Neal led the Lakers with 23 points and Bryant had 20 in the team’s 20th playoff win out of their last 21.4 2. May 7 at Los Angeles: Streaks are made to be broken, and the Lakers’ incredible post season run of 20 wins against one mere loss came to an end on this date with an 88–85 San Antonio victory. Other playoff streaks that ended with this loss were 18 straight wins against Western Conference foes going back to 2000, 18 consecutive victories in the Staples Center, and five straight against the Spurs. Los Angeles got out to a 21–15 first quarter lead, but then saw it vanish after the Spurs went on a 9–0 run, and stayed on fire, taking a 16-point lead into the half. The Lakers surged back to close the gap to four points in the third quarter before Tim Duncan sank some of his game-high 27 points to give San Antonio a 73–65 advantage going in to the fourth period. The Lakers made a solid run at the Spurs in the fourth, as they chipped away a 21-point lead, cutting it to 85–84 with a minute and a half remaining. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 26 points, and Shaquille O’Neal came in second with 19.5 3. May 10 at San Antonio: The Lakers still had one more streak in tack, and that was a 10-game road winning streak compliments of a 99–89 win that gave LA a 2–1 series lead. The duo of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal were at their best in this game that saw the Lakers play solid defense and produce a fluid offensive attack. Bryant nailed a game-high 31 points, and O’Neal scored 22 and hauled in 15 rebounds.6 4. May 12 at San Antonio: The Lakers continued to be re-

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lentless in their pursuit of another title. Thanks to late surge by the Lakers, and a cold spell by the Spurs, Los Angeles extended their road-winning streak to 11 with an 87–85 victory that put them up in the series by a commanding 3–1 advantage. San Antonio held an 84–74 lead with just over six minutes left in the game. Over the course of their next six attempts, the Spurs came up with nothing, and the Lakers seized their opportunity. Within one minute, the Lakers hit on five of six shots, and worked their way back to even at 85-all with 2:05 left. Los Angeles got the win when Kobe Bryant got an offensive rebound off a Derek Fisher miss, and then tossed in a shot over Tim Duncan for the clincher. Bryant finished with 28 points, and Shaquille O’Neal had another stellar performance that included 22 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and three blocked shots.7 5. May 14 at Los Angeles: The Lakers’ hot streak on the road carried over the Staples Center, as they closed out this series with a 93–87 win that saw neither team go over the century mark throughout the five games. Kobe Bryant led a fourth quarter charge that saw him score 10 of his 26 points to help the Lakers advance to their third straight Western Conference Finals by outscoring the Spurs, 31–21, in the final period. With 2:22 left in the game, Bryant hit a bank shot that put Los Angeles in the lead for good. Despite being slowed by injuries, Shaquille O’Neal still had 21 points, 11 rebounds, and six blocked shots.8

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS VERSUS SACRAMENTO 1. May 18 at Sacramento: It was a battle between representatives from the state capital and the glam capital. In the opening round of the Western Conference Finals, glam won out, as the Lakers finished on top, 106–99. Los Angeles hit a sizzling 67 percent of their shots from the field in the first quarter, and got out to a 36–22 lead that helped them throughout the rest of the game. During the first 12 minutes of this game, the Lakers nailed three three-pointers, forced five turnovers, and ended the quarter with Kobe Bryant stealing the ball and slamming in a dunk in the closing seconds. Bryant finished the game with 30 points, and Shaquille O’Neal scored 26 points, had nine rebounds, and four blocked shots.9 2. May 20 at Sacramento: This time the state capital representatives won, 96–90, to even the series up as the venue shifted down to Los Angeles for the next two games. Kobe Bryant was suffering the effects of food poisoning, but started off the game well. He came out fast, scoring nine points in the first quarter to help the Lakers take a 26–25 lead into the second period. Bryant then sat on the bench at the start of the second quarter, and after the Kings got off an 8–0 run, he went back in. Shaquille O’Neal rose to the occasion with his comrade not feeling 100 percent. “The Diesel” powered his way through the Kings’ defense for 15 of the Lakers’ next 17 points to give them a 43–42 advantage. The Kings then came back with Peja Stojakovic hitting a jump shot that gave Sacramento a 51–50 lead, which they never relinquished. The Lakers trailed by 12 with 7:14 left in the game and Bryant on the bench. Bryant was regarded as the best fourth quarter player in the league, and he mustered up enough energy to try and bring his team back. He did nail a three-pointer with 12.5 seconds remaining to pull the Lakers to within three points, but

2001-02 it was not enough on this day. Despite fighting the effects of food poisoning, Bryant still scored a very respectable 22 points, and Shaq led all scorers with 35 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.10 3. May 24 at Los Angeles: The Kings came into this game as losers of five straight postseason games at the Staples Center. Mike Bibby and Chris Webber changed all that by combining for 50 points to help the Kings take a 2–1 series lead with a 103–90 win. Sacramento jumped out to a 17-point lead in the first quarter, and built it up to 27 by the fourth. The Lakers, who finished the game with a 36 percent outside shooting percentage, came to life in the fourth quarter with the score at 83–56 and the Staples Center crowd booing. The two-time defending NBA champs then staged a valiant rally that saw Kobe Bryant score 16 points in the game’s final nine and a half minutes. After the Lakers scored 14 points within a span of only 52 seconds, they were within striking distance at 87–75 with 7:08 to play. They kept on fighting, and closed the gap to 98–87 with just under four minutes to play, but the huge deficit they found themselves in early proved too much to overcome at the end. They just ran out of time attempting to make up ground. Chris Webber led all scorers with 26 points, and Mike Bibby added 24. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 22 points, and Shaquille O’Neal scored 20 points and hauled in 19 rebounds.11 4. May 26 at Los Angeles: This series was back to even, as the Lakers won by the narrow margin of 100–99. Just like in the previous game, the Kings jumped out to a huge lead. At one point, they were up, 50–26, in the first half. The Lakers then began a comeback, and cut the 24-point deficit to seven going into the fourth quarter. With 1:39 to play, the Lakers had pulled to within three points at 96–93. Former Lakers pivot man Vlade Divac hit a jumper for the Kings, and then Bryant added a basket. After a Sacramento missed shot, Shaquille O’Neal sank two free throws with 26 seconds left. Divac then made one of two free throws with 11.8 seconds to play and Sacramento clinging to a 99–97 lead. It was then time for Robert Horry to add his name to those of Lakers lore. Horry had the hot hand for Los Angeles in the fourth quarter, nailing 11 of his 18 points during the final 12 minutes. Bryant and O’Neal missed their shots, and then Divac slapped a rebound out of the direction of the basket. Luck was on the Lakers’ side, because the ball went right to Horry, who put up a three-pointer at the buzzer to win the game. Shaq led all scorers with 27 points, and had 18 rebounds and three blocked shots, while Bryant tossed in 25 points and recorded three blocks as well. Also helping immensely in the win was the fact that the Lakers were able to secure 25 offensive rebounds throughout the game, with seven coming in the critical fourth quarter.12 5. May 28 at Sacramento: Once again it was the Chris Webber–Mike Bibby show, as the two combined for 52 points in a 92–91 Sacramento victory. The loss overshadowed a great performance by the tandem of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, who combined for 58 points, with Shaq getting 30 and Kobe 28 points. The Lakers were up, 91–88, down the stretch, but could not pull it out after the Kings scored the game’s last four points to squeak by the defending champs. Los Angeles came out hot, landing 65 percent of their shots in the first quarter to lead 33– 27. The Kings came back in the second quarter, outscoring the Lakers, 24–13, and led by as many as ten in the third quarter. The Lakers rallied to make the game close down to the wire, but

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suffered a huge blow when Shaquille O’Neal fouled out with 3:22 left to play after scoring 28 points and grabbing seven rebounds. Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 30 points.13 6. May 31 at Los Angeles: Facing elimination at home, the Lakers rallied back from a 56–52 halftime deficit to win, 106– 102, with Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant both having incredible performances. Shaq scored 41 points and hauled in 17 rebounds, while Bryant added 31 points and 11 rebounds for the victors. The Kings scored the last ten points of the second quarter to take the lead and momentum into the intermission, but could not continue it. The Lakers took a slim 76–75 lead into the fourth quarter, and managed to hold off the Kings despite not scoring from the field for almost six minutes. They made up the difference at the foul line, where they hit for 18 points, four coming from Bryant in the final 19.8 seconds.14 7. June 2 at Sacramento: This tough series came down to a showdown at Arco Arena in the state capital. The Kings were looking to go to the NBA Finals for the first time in 51 years when they were based in Rochester, New York. The Lakers, on the other hand, were looking to return to the Finals after an absence of a mere 52 weeks. One of them would have the opportunity, and in the end, it was the purple and gold-clad defending champs that emerged from the hardwood fracas by a 112–106 final count in overtime. The tandem of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant solidified their place among the game’s greatest duos by giving it everything they had to the point of total fatigue. O’Neal scored 35 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and rejected four shots, while playing 50 minutes. Bryant scored 30 points, had 10 rebounds, seven assists, and two steals. The game was a nip-and-tuck affair throughout. The Kings took a one-point lead down the stretch on a Mike Bibby 20-foot jumper, and Bryant answered with two free throws to give the Lakers a one-point advantage. O’Neal then added a free throw, and Bibby two to tie the score at 100–100 with 8.2 seconds left in regulation. O’Neal missed on a 14-foot jump shot that Bryant and Robert Horry attempted to tap into the basket, but the buzzer sounded to force overtime. In the extra period, the Lakers put distance between themselves and the Kings by scoring the last eight points to pull out the hard-fought, series-clinching victory that earned the franchise a third straight Western Conference title.15

NBA FINALS VERSUS NEW JERSEY 1. June 5 at Los Angeles: Byron Scott returned to the place of his glory days as a player. However, this time he entered the NBA Finals as coach of the New Jersey Nets. Scott’s welcome home party, and the Nets’ first-ever NBA Finals appearance were greeted by the powerful force known as “the Diesel.” Shaquille O’Neal showed no mercy on Scott’s Nets, and obliterated them for 36 points. He also hauled in 16 rebounds and blocked four shots, as the Lakers took the opening game, 99–94. The Lakers played like the defending champs they were, by jumping out to a 29–14 first quarter lead. Los Angeles continued to abuse the Nets, extending their lead to 42–19 in the second quarter. New Jersey seemed to come alive after that, and outscored the Lakers, 17–6, to go into the second half down, 48–36. The third quarter saw New Jersey sink multiple three-pointers to narrow the LA lead to 60–56 at the midway point of the period. Kobe Bryant

ONE : THE SEASONS scored 11 of his 22 points in the third quarter to build the Lakers’ advantage back up to 72–63 going into the fourth period. The Nets came back, and closed to within three points on two separate occasions, but Shaq hit on four of six free throws in the closing minutes to keep the Nets a safe distance away down the stretch.16 2. June 7 at Los Angeles: From the opening tipoff to the final buzzer, the Lakers led, and in the end, they took a 2–0 series lead with an easy 106–83 victory. Shaquille O’Neal was his dominant self once again, as he recorded his fifth career 40-plus point game in Finals competition. O’Neal finished with 40 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists. Kobe Bryant came in second with 24 points. The Lakers took a 49–43 lead into the second half. Despite shooting only 30.6 percent from the field, and having star Jason Kidd not score a point in the first half, the Nets were able to stay close thanks to the shooting of Kerry Kittles and Richard Jefferson. Kidd was able to find his mark in the third quarter, scoring 11 of his 17 points during the period. The Nets got to within eight points of the lead with half the period left to play. The Nets then missed on nine straight shot attempts, and the Lakers built up a 77–61 lead going into the fourth quarter. An 11–0 run by New Jersey got them back in the hunt, as they only trailed by seven. O’Neal then took over, first with a thunderous slam dunk, and then two free throws that made it an 85–77 contest. Derek Fisher had the hot hand for Los Angeles in the fourth quarter. He scored 10 of his 12 points over the span of seven minutes to help the Lakers pull away.17 3. June 9 at New Jersey: In their first time hosting an NBA Finals, the Nets gave it their best shot, but in the end, it was not enough. Behind 36 points from Kobe Bryant, and 35 from Shaquille O’Neal, the Lakers won, 106–103, to build an insurmountable 3–0 series advantage. The Lakers got out to a 31–23 first quarter lead. New Jersey fought their way back, and took an 84–78 lead in the latter stages of the third quarter, which was sparked by a 14–0 run that saw Jason Kidd score six points and hand out two assists. With 6:44 left in the game, the Lakers mounted a comeback. Devean George hit on two free throws and a dunk, and Bryant scored a basket to cut the Nets’ lead to 94– 93 with 4:39 remaining. Following a Jason Kidd jump shot, O’Neal tossed in a pair of free throws, and Robert Horry nailed a three-pointer with 3:04 left that gave the Lakers a lead they never gave up. After Kidd drilled a three-pointer with 5.2 seconds left, Rick Fox iced it for Los Angeles by hitting on two free throws.18 4. June 12 at New Jersey: The Los Angeles Lakers won their ninth NBA title as representatives of the City of Angels, and their 14th overall, thanks to a 113–107 series-clinching victory inside Continental Airlines Arena. In this series sweep, Phil Jackson surpassed former Lakers coach Pat Riley as the all-time leader with 156 postseason victories. Jackson also tied Boston’s Red Auerbach for most championships as a coach with nine. The Nets came out strong in this one, gaining a 34–27 first quarter advantage, but Los Angeles came back to take a narrow 58–57 lead into the second half. New Jersey refused to go away quietly, and went on a 7–0 run in the fourth quarter to take an 87–84 lead. The Lakers answered quickly and efficiently with a 22–10 run that sealed the victory. Kobe Bryant nailed a three-pointer to tie the game at 87– 87, and the Lakers were off to a third straight NBA title. Shaquille O’Neal led the Lakers with 34 points, and he also hauled in 10

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rebounds and dished out four assists en route to his third straight NBA Finals Most Valuable Player award. Kobe Bryant added 25 points for the champions. Unbeknownst to anyone in the Lakers’ family, this ended up being the final game ever called by legendary announcer Chick Hearn, who passed away on August 5, 2002.19

Individual Playoff Statistics Bryant — appeared in 19 games, played 833 minutes (43.8 avg.), scored 506 points (26.6 avg.), had 111 rebounds (5.8 avg.) and 87 assists (4.6 avg.) Fisher — appeared in 19 games, played 649 minutes (34.2 avg.), scored 193 points (10.2 avg.), had 62 rebounds (3.3 avg.) and 52 assists (2.7 avg.) Fox — appeared in 19 games, played 652 minutes (34.3 avg.), scored 186 points (9.8 avg.), had 102 rebounds (5.4 avg.) and 64 assists (3.4 avg.) George — appeared in 19 games, played 327 minutes (17.2 avg.), scored 95 points (5.0 avg.), had 68 rebounds (3.6 avg.) and 11 assists (0.6 avg.) Horry — appeared in 19 games, played 703 minutes (37.0 avg.), scored 176 points (9.3 avg.), had 154 rebounds (8.1 avg.) and 61 assists (3.2 avg.) Hunter — appeared in 18 games, played 132 minutes (7.3 avg.), scored 36 points (2.0 avg.), had 7 rebounds (0.4 avg.) and 10 assists (0.6 avg.) Madsen — appeared in 7 games, played 10 minutes (1.4 avg.) and had 2 rebounds (0.3 avg.) Medvedenko—appeared in 7 games, played 21 minutes (3.0 avg.), scored 6 points (0.9 avg.) and had 4 rebounds (0.6 avg.) O’Neal — appeared in 19 games, played 776 minutes (40.8 avg.), scored 541 points (28.5 avg.), had 239 rebounds (12.6 avg.) and 54 assists (2.8 avg.) Richmond — appeared in 2 games, played 4 minutes (2.0 avg.), scored 3 points (1.5 avg.) and had 1 assist (0.5 avg.) Shaw — appeared in 19 games, played 238 minutes (12.5 avg.), scored 55 points (2.9 avg.), had 35 rebounds (1.8 avg.) and 30 assists (1.6 avg.) Walker — appeared in 19 games, played 240 minutes (12.6 avg.), scored 62 points (3.3 avg.), had 78 rebounds (4.1 avg.) and 4 assists (0.2 avg.)

2002-03 Head Coach: Phil Jackson Assistant Coaches: Jim Cleamons, Frank Hamblen, Kurt Rambis, Tex Winter Regular Season Record: 50–32 2nd place in the NBA Pacific Division (finished nine games out of first place) Scored 100.4 points per game to rank 4th out of 29 teams Allowed 98.0 points per game to rank 23rd

Review For the first time since coming to Los Angeles, the Lakers were without the legendary radio announcer Chick Hearn, who passed away two months before the start of the season. The threetime defending champion Lakers also had to overcome problems on the court, as they lost nine of their first 12 games with Shaquille O’Neal recovering from surgery on his toe. When O’Neal did come back, he was not in shape, and the team suffered from the premier pivot man not being at his best. The Lakers managed to

2002-03 reach the .500 mark by February 4, while in the midst of a sevengame winning streak. They continued to improve and put together two more lengthy winning streaks that each reached six games. While the Lakers were gaining steam, Kobe Bryant supplied the team with a nine-game streak in which he scored 40 or more points a game. In the end, the Lakers rallied to finish with 50 wins, which was the 26th time in franchise history that the team reached or surpassed that victory total.

Gone from the Previous Season Joseph Crispin — waived by the Lakers on November 25, 2001 Lindsey Hunter — traded to Toronto on July 26, 2002 Jelani McCoy — became a free agent and signed with Toronto on September 27, 2002 Mike Penberthy — waived by the Lakers on November 10, 2001 Mitch Richmond — retired

Regular Season Individual Statistics 8 —Kobe Bryant —Guard —6-6, 200 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 3,401 minutes (41.5 avg.), made 868 of 1,924 field goal attempts (.451%) and 601 of 713 free throws (.843%) for 2,461 points (30.0 avg.), had 564 rebounds (6.9 avg.) and 481 assists (5.9 avg.) 2 — Derek Fisher — Guard — 6-1, 200 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,829 minutes (34.5 avg.), made 339 of 775 field goal attempts (.437%) and 100 of 125 free throws (.800%) for 863 points (10.5 avg.), had 239 rebounds (2.9 avg.) and 298 assists (3.6 avg.) 17 — Rick Fox — Forward/Guard — 6-7, 230 lbs., appeared in 76 games, played 2,181 minutes (28.7 avg.), made 262 of 621 field goal attempts (.422%) and 52 of 69 free throws (.754%) for 681 points (9.0 avg.), had 323 rebounds (4.3 avg.) and 253 assists (3.3 avg.) 3 — Devean George — Guard/Forward — 6-8, 220 lbs., appeared in 71 games, played 1,613 minutes (22.7 avg.), made 180 of 461 field goal attempts (.390%), 83 of 105 free throws (.790%) for 492 points (6.9 avg.), had 286 rebounds (4.0 avg.) and 92 assists (1.3 avg.) 5 — Robert Horry — Forward — 6-9, 220 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 2,343 minutes (29.3 avg.), made 184 of 476 field goal attempts (.387%) and 103 of 134 free throws (.769%) for 522 points (6.5 avg.), had 514 rebounds (6.4 avg.) and 233 assists (2.9 avg.) 35 — Mark Madsen — Forward — 6-9, 240 lbs., appeared in 54 games, played 781 minutes (14.5 avg.), made 69 of 163 field goal attempts (.423%) and 36 of 61 free throws (.590%) for 174 points (3.2 avg.), had 159 rebounds (2.9 avg.) and 38 assists (0.7 avg.) 14 — Stanislav Medvedenko — Forward — 6-10, 250 lbs., appeared in 58 games, played 620 minutes (10.7 avg.), made 112 of 258 field goal attempts (.434%) and 31 of 43 free throws (.721%) for 255 points (4.4 avg.), had 141 rebounds (2.4 avg.) and 18 assists (0.3 avg.) 30— Tracy Murray — Forward — 6-7, 225 lbs., appeared in 30 games, played 193 minutes (6.4 avg.), made 23 of 71 field goal attempts (.324%) and 7 of 9 free throws (.778%) for 61 points (2.0 avg.), had 23 rebounds (0.8 avg.) and 12 assists (0.4 avg.) 34 — Shaquille O’Neal — Center — 7-1, 325 lbs., appeared in 67 games, played 2,535 minutes (37.8 avg.), made 695 of 1,211 field goal attempts (.574%), 451 of 725 free throws (.622%) for 1,841 points (27.5 avg.), had 742 rebounds (11.1 avg.) and 206 assists (3.1 avg.) 12—Jannero Pargo—Guard—6-1, 175 lbs., appeared in 33 games, played 342 minutes (10.4 avg.), made 37 of 93 field goal attempts (.398%) and 4 of 4 free throws (1.000%) for 85 points (2.6 avg.), had 37 rebounds (1.1 avg.) and 39 assists (1.2 avg.) 21— Kareem Rush — Guard — 6-6, 215 lbs., appeared I 76 games, played 872 minutes (11.5 avg.), made 96 of 244 field goal attempts (.393%) and 16 of 23 free throws (.696%) for 227 points (3.0 avg.), 94 rebounds (1.2 avg.) and 68 assists (0.9 avg.)

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0— Soumaila Samake — Center — 7-0, 230 lbs., appeared in 13 games, played 77 minutes (5.9 avg.), made 10 of 24 field goal attempts (.417%) and 2 of 2 free throws (1.000%) for 22 points (1.7 avg.), had 23 rebounds (1.8 avg.) and 4 assists (0.3 avg.) 20— Brian Shaw — Guard — 6-6, 190 lbs., appeared in 71 games, played 900 minutes (12.7 avg.), made 101 of 261 field goal attempts (.387%) and 10 of 15 free throws (.667%) for 250 points (3.5 avg.), had 119 rebounds (1.7 avg.) and 103 assists (1.5 avg.) 52 — Samaki Walker — Forward — 6-9, 240 lbs., appeared in 67 games, played 1,243 minutes (18.6 avg.), made 115 of 274 field goal attempts (.420%) and 66 of 101 free throws (.653%) for 296 points (4.4 avg.), had 368 rebounds (5.5 avg.) and 64 assists (1.0 avg.)

League Leaders Kobe Bryant—minutes played (2nd), minutes per game (4th), field goals made (1st), field goal attempts (2nd), free throws made (2nd), free throw attempts (5th), points scored (1st), points per game (2nd), had 181 steals during the season (3rd) Shaquille O’Neal—field goal percentage (2nd), free throw attempts (4th), points per game (4th)

All-NBA Kobe Bryant —1st team selection Shaquille O’Neal —1st team selection

All-Defensive Team Kobe Bryant —1st team selection Shaquille O’Neal — 2nd team selection

All-Star Game Selections Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal

Regular Season Highlights Jan. 7 — In a 119–98 win over Seattle, Kobe Bryant sets an NBA record by connecting on 12 three-point field goals. Feb. 12 — Kobe Bryant scores 51 points in a 113–102 win against Denver. Feb. 18 — In a double-overtime, 106–99, win against Houston, Kobe Bryant scores 52 points. March 21— In a 104–96 victory over Boston, Shaquille O’Neal scores 40 points and hauls in 20 rebounds. March 28 — Kobe Bryant scores 55 points against Washington. April 4 — Shaquille O’Neal grabs a team-record 14 offensive rebounds against Memphis. This 102–101 win extends the Lakers’ win streak to three, and it will reach six before ending on April 13. Kobe Bryant averaged 30 points a game to join fellow Lakers greats Elgin Baylor and Jerry West as the only players in team history to reach that plateau over the course of a single season. Also during the season, Kobe Bryant became the youngest player in NBA history to reach 10,000 career points at 24 years, 193 days. That record eventually fell to LeBron James in 2008 while with Cleveland, who accomplished the feat at 23 years and 59 days.

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Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND VERSUS MINNESOTA 1. April 20 at Minnesota: The Lakers began their quest to become the first team since the Boston Celtics of the 1960s to win four straight NBA championships. They started on their journey in fine fashion, by dominating the Minnesota Timberwolves, 117– 98. Los Angeles hit an incredible 61.4 percent on their shots from the field and built a 66–52 lead at the half. Minnesota came back to close the deficit to 80–76 with 2:49 left in the third period. Led by Shaquille O’Neal’s eight points, the Lakers went on a 12– 0 run over the span of four minutes to put the game out of reach. For the game, O’Neal had 32 points and 10 rebounds, while Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 39 points.1 2. April 22 at Minnesota: Minnesota got even with the Lakers with a 119–91 victory. The Timberwolves outscored the Lakers in all four quarters, and were led by Kevin Garnett, who turned in one of the greatest individual playoff performances. He scored 35 points, secured 20 rebounds, dished out seven assists, had two steals, and blocked one shot. Troy Hudson also had a spectacular game by leading all scorers with 37 points, and handing out 10 assists. Both Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal scored 27 points, but the rest of the team had trouble finding the basket, as no other Lakers hit for double-figure scoring.2 3. April 24 at Los Angeles: Back at the Staples Center, the Timberwolves were gaining some headlines after knocking off the Lakers for the second straight time to take a 2–1 series lead. Minnesota outscored the Lakers in the first three quarters, and held an 80–71 lead going into the fourth period. The Lakers managed to pull even at 101–101 at the buzzer to force overtime. The Timberwolves then pulled it out in overtime, 114–110, without star Kevin Garnett. Garnett, who led all scorers with 33 points, fouled out in the early stages of overtime. Troy Hudson added 27 for Minnesota. Once again, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal led the Lakers. Bryant had 30 points, and O’Neal 28. This loss snapped a 17-game winning streak dating back to February 1st at the Staples Center for the Lakers.3 4. April 27 at Los Angeles: With their backs to the wall, the Lakers rallied after being outscored in the first three quarters to win, 102–97. After being drained from his grandfather’s death during the first part of this series, Shaquille O’Neal turned in his best performance up to this point of the postseason. He scored 34 points and hauled in 23 rebounds. Kobe Bryant added 32 points despite pain in his right shoulder. The Lakers made their move in the fourth quarter, scoring 31 points with Bryant leading the way with nine. Minnesota held an 87–82 lead with 6:34 remaining in the game, and then the Lakers got off six straight points to gain the advantage, which they never relinquished. Devean George scored the go-ahead points with 4:40 left on the clock.4 5. April 29 at Minnesota: All that being down 2–1 to the Timberwolves did was apparently make them angry. After as final buzzer sounded in this game, the Lakers left Minnesota with a resounding, 120–90, victory to their credit. The Lakers built on a 28–25 first quarter lead by hitting on 54 percent of their shots from the field, and outdueled Minnesota, 44–36, in the rebound-

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ing department. They also nailed 12 three-pointers. Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 32 points, and Shaquille O’Neal added 27 points and 11 rebounds. Derek Fisher also chipped in with a solid performance of 24 points.5 6. May 1 at Los Angeles: The Lakers erased a 30–25 first quarter Minnesota lead after the Timberwolves made only five baskets in the second period. The Lakers scored 22 points to take a 47–43 lead at the half. Los Angeles then came out in the second half with a 10–2 run, but Minnesota answered with nine straight points at the end of the third quarter to cut the Lakers’ advantage to 69–63. Kobe Bryant came out for the fourth quarter sizzling, as he connected on five straight shots he took to outscore the entire Minnesota team, 10–2. Bryant’s hot hand got the Lakers on an 18–2 run that sealed the game, and the series, with a 101–85 win. This marked the 13th straight playoff series won by the Lakers, and the 25th consecutive one for coach Phil Jackson.6

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS VERSUS SAN ANTONIO 1. May 5 at San Antonio: Despite great performances from Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, the Lakers only shot 39 percent from the field, and in the end, that hurt them. With Tim Duncan’s 25 points leading the attack, the Spurs took the opening game, 87–82. San Antonio built on a four-point first quarter lead, and capitalized on the Lakers’ failure to produce 20 points at the end of the first three quarters. Bryant sparked Los Angeles in the fourth quarter with 13 of his game-high 37 points, and the Lakers scored 30 in the final stanza. O’Neal had 24 points and 21 rebounds before fouling out in the closing minutes of the game.7 2. May 7 at San Antonio: The Spurs were halfway to clinching the series after an impressive 114–95 victory gave them a 2– 0 series lead. San Antonio jumped out to a commanding 31–18 first quarter lead, and controlled the game from there. This was the first time that Los Angeles trailed 2–0 in a playoff series since the Spurs did it to them in 1999. Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal each had 27 points, and Bruce Bowen also had 27 to lead the Spurs.8 3. May 9 at Los Angeles: By almost the same score, the Lakers got one in the win column with a 110–95 victory. The Lakers quickly found their rhythm, getting out to a 19–4 lead. Devean George appeared not to be suffering any long term effects from a sprained ankle injured in the first game. He hit two straight jump shots, and then nailed a three-pointer to score nine of his 13 points in the game’s first nine minutes. The Spurs rallied back to close to within 36–30 in the second quarter, but Los Angeles got off a 14–6 run to extend their lead to 50–36 at the half. The Lakers continued to pound away at the Spurs, with Kobe Bryant scoring nine points in the third quarter, and 10 more in the opening minute and a half of the fourth to give the Lakers a commanding 91–69 lead. Bryant finished with a game-high 39 points, and added 21 points and 16 rebounds.9 4. May 11 at Los Angeles: The Lakers came back from a 46– 39 halftime deficit to win, 99–95, and even the series up at two games apiece. Los Angeles went on a 12–3 run at the end of the second quarter, and continued on their hot streak in the third. With just over three minutes left in the quarter, the Lakers erased a 64–55 deficit with a 16–3 run that gave them a 71–67 lead.

2002-03 They then matched the Spurs point for point in the fourth quarter to secure the win. Kobe Bryant paced the Lakers with 35 points, and Shaquille O’Neal added 29 points and 17 rebounds.10 5. May 13 at San Antonio: The Spurs got out to a 29–18 first quarter lead, and took advantage of the Lakers poor play throughout most of the game. Near the end of the third quarter, the Spurs held a huge 25-point advantage, and then the Lakers took off on a run that saw them outscore San Antonio 41–18 in a span of fourteen-and-a-half minutes. Kobe Bryant nailed a pair of three-pointers at the end of the third quarter, and then poured in 13 points, three of which were three-pointers, and the Lakers were within striking distance. Robert Horry then sent a threepointer toward the basket in the closing seconds, but the ball went in and out as the buzzer sounded to end a 96–94 San Antonio victory. Bryant led all scorers with 39 points, and Shaquille O’Neal had 20 points and 12 rebounds.11 6. May 15 at Los Angeles: The streak was over, as the Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs for the first time in four years. The Spurs advanced, thanks to a convincing 110–82 victory led by Tim Duncan’s 37 points and Tony Parker’s 27. In the closing minutes, the Lakers were down by 25 points, and defeat was apparent at that stage. In appreciation for all that the Lakers had given their fans over the past three years, the Staples Center throng stood and gave them an ovation. The Spurs blew open a close game in the third quarter with a 10–0 run that was sparked by eight points from Duncan. The Spurs continued to lay it on, outscoring the Lakers, 32–13, in the final quarter. Shaquille O’Neal scored 31 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Lakers, and Kobe Bryant added 20 points in the team’s season finale.12

Individual Playoff Statistics Bryant — appeared in 12 games, played 531 minutes (44.3 avg.), scored 385 points (32.1 avg.), had 61 rebounds (5.1 avg.) and 62 assists (5.2 avg.) Fisher — appeared in 12 games, played 424 minutes (35.3 avg.), scored 153 points (12.8 avg.), had 36 rebounds (3.0 avg.) and 22 assists (1.8 avg.) Fox — appeared in 4 games, played 79 minutes (19.8 avg.), scored 24 points (6.0 avg.), had 6 rebounds (1.5 avg.) and 7 assists (1.8 avg.) George — appeared in 11 games, played 318 minutes (28.9 avg.), scored 88 points (8.0 avg.), had 49 rebounds (4.5 avg.) and 24 assists (2.2 avg.) Horry — appeared in 12 games, played 373 minutes (31.1 avg.), scored 67 points (5.6 avg.), had 80 rebounds (6.7 avg.) and 37 assists (3.1 avg.) Madsen — appeared in 12 games, played 169 minutes (14.1 avg.), scored 33 points (2.8 avg.), had 28 rebounds (2.3 avg.) and 12 assists (1.0 avg.) Medvedenko—appeared in 9 games, played 73 minutes (8.1 avg.), scored 34 points (3.8 avg.), had 18 rebounds (2.0 avg.) and 1 assist (0.1 avg.) O’Neal — appeared in 12 games, played 481 minutes (40.1 avg.), scored 324 points (27.0 avg.), had 178 rebounds (14.8 avg.) and 44 assists (3.7 avg.) Pargo — appeared in 11 games, played 129 minutes (11.7 avg.), scored 23 points (2.1 avg.), had 9 rebounds (0.8 avg.) and 14 assists (1.3 avg.) Rush — appeared in 9 games, played 64 minutes (7.1 avg.), scored 30 points (3.3 avg.), had 3 rebounds (0.3 avg.) and 2 assists (0.2 avg.) Shaw — appeared in 12 games, played 215 minutes (17.9 avg.), scored 38 points (3.2 avg.), had 38 rebounds (3.2 avg.) and 24 assists (2.0 avg.) Walker — appeared in 9 games, played 49 minutes (5.4 avg.), scored 4 points (0.4 avg.), had 13 rebounds (1.4 avg.) and 2 assists (0.2 avg.)

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2003-04 Head Coach: Phil Jackson Assistant Coaches: Jim Cleamons, Frank Hamblen, Kurt Rambis, Tex Winter Regular Season Record: 56–26 1st place in the NBA Pacific Division (finished in first place by one game) Scored 98.2 points per game to rank 3rd out of 29 teams Allowed 94.3 points per game to rank 16th Led the league in free throw attempts (2,352)

Review Coming into the Lakers’ fold prior to the season were future Hall of Famers Gary Payton and Karl Malone. After years of battling the Lakers, Payton and Malone decided to join the team, with the hopes of winning a coveted championship ring toward the end of their illustrious careers. With Malone and Payton now paired with Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, it was felt that this edition of the Lakers possessed the greatest group of starters every assembled at one time. However, bliss was not the order of the day for this incredible lineup. Kobe Bryant was involved in a sexual assault trial in Colorado, as well as a war of words with Shaquille O’Neal that caused much tension as it went on. Despite the distractions, the Lakers lived up to their hype by starting off at 18–3. Unfortunately, the momentum hit a roadblock when Karl Malone suffered a knee injury and was lost for 39 games. O’Neal also missed time due to an injury, and Payton had trouble getting used to the “Triangle Offense.” The Lakers then posted a sub-average 13–16 record over two months, but pulled together to win 14 of their final 17 games, and clinched their 18th division title on the final day of the regular season.

Gone from the Previous Season Robert Horry — became a free agent and signed with San Antonio on July 24, 2003 Mark Madsen — became a free agent and signed with Minnesota on July 28, 2003 Tracy Murray — became a free agent and signed with Portland on September 15, 2003 Soumalia Samake — waived by the Lakers on December 6, 2002 Brian Shaw — retired Samaki Walker — became a free agent and signed with Miami on August 2, 2003

Regular Season Individual Statistics 8 —Kobe Bryant —Guard —6-6, 200 lbs., appeared in 65 games, played 2,447 minutes (37.6 avg.), made 516 of 1,178 field goal attempts (.438%) and 454 of 533 free throws (.852%) for 1,557 points (24.0 avg.), had 359 rebounds (5.5 avg.) and 330 assists (5.1 avg.) 1—Maurice Carter—Guard—6-5, 210 lbs., appeared in 4 games, played 50 minutes (12.5 avg.), made 5 of 14 field goal attempts (.357%) and 11 of 12 free throws (.917%) for 22 points (5.5 avg.), had 3 rebounds (0.8 avg.) and 2 assists (0.5 avg.) 7—Brian Cook—Forward—6-9, 234 lbs., appeared in 35 games, played 442 minutes (12.6 avg.), made 67 of 141 field goal attempts (.475%) and 21 of 28 free throws (.750%) for 155 points (4.4 avg.), had 101 rebounds (2.9 avg.) and 20 assists (0.6 avg.)

ONE : THE SEASONS 2 — Derek Fisher — Guard — 6-1, 200 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 1,769 minutes (21.6 avg.), made 203 of 576 field goal attempts (.352%) and 122 of 153 free throws (.797%) for 580 points (7.1 avg.), had 152 rebounds (1.9 avg.) and 187 assists (2.3 avg.) 17 — Rick Fox — Forward/Guard — 6-7, 230 lbs., appeared in 38 games, played 846 minutes (22.3 avg.), made 73 of 186 field goal attempts (.392%) and 22 of 30 free throws (.733%) for 183 points (4.8 avg.), had 102 rebounds (2.7 avg.) and 98 assists (2.6 avg.) 3 — Devean George — Guard/Forward — 6-8, 220 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 1,951 minutes (23.8 avg.), made 233 of 571 field goal attempts (.408%) and 73 of 96 free throws (.760%) for 604 points (7.4 avg.), had 332 rebounds (4.0 avg.) and 112 assists (1.4 avg.) 54 — Horace Grant — Forward/Center — 6-10, 215 lbs., appeared in 55 games, played 1,106 minutes (20.1 avg.), made 92 of 224 field goal attempts (.411%) and 39 of 54 free throws (.722%) for 223 points (4.1 avg.), had 233 rebounds (4.2 avg.) and 71 assists (1.3 avg.) 11— Karl Malone — Forward — 6-9, 250 lbs., appeared in 42 games, played 1,373 minutes (32.7 avg.), made 193 of 400 field goal attempts (.483%) and 168 of 225 free throws (.747 5) for 554 points (13.2 avg.), had 367 rebounds (8.7 avg.) and 163 assists (3.9 avg.) 14 — Stanislav Medvedenko — Forward — 6-10, 250 lbs., appeared in 68 games, played 1,442 minutes (21.2 avg.), made 237 of 537 field goal attempts (.441%), 89 of 116 free throws (.767%) for 563 points (8.3 avg.), had 343 rebounds (5.0 avg.) and 57 assists (0.8 avg.) 34 — Shaquille O’Neal — Center — 7-1, 325 lbs., appeared in 67 games, played 2,464 minutes (36.8 avg.), made 554 of 948 field goal attempts (.584%) and 331 of 676 free throws (.490%) for 1,439 points (21.5 avg.), had 769 rebounds (11.5 avg.) and 196 assists (2.9 avg.) 12—Jannero Pargo—Guard—6-1, 175 lbs., appeared in 13 games, played 63 minutes (4.8 avg.), made 6 of 16 field goal attempts (.375%) for 14 points (1.1 avg.), had 6 rebounds (0.5 avg.) and 11 assists (0.8 avg.) 20—Gary Payton—Guard—6-4, 180 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,825 minutes (34.5 avg.), made 482 of 1,024 field goal attempts (.471%) and 180 of 252 free throws (.714%) for 1,199 points (14.6 avg.), had 342 rebounds (4.2 avg.) and 449 assists (5.5 avg.) 21—Kareem Rush—Guard—6-6, 215 lbs., appeared in 72 games, played 1,244 minutes (17.3 avg.), made 190 of 432 field goal attempts (.440%) and 31 of 52 free throws (.596%) for 459 points (6.4 avg.), had 97 rebounds (1.3 avg.) and 59 assists (0.8 avg.) 9 — Bryon Russell — Forward — 6-7, 225 lbs., appeared in 72 games, played 945 minutes (13.1 avg.), made 98 of 244 field goal attempts (.402%) and 50 of 65 free throws (.769%) for 289 points (4.0 avg.), had 146 rebounds (2.0 avg.) and 71 assists (1.0 avg.) 31— Jamal Sampson — Forward/Center — 6-11. 235 lbs., appeared in 10 games, played 130 minutes (13.0 avg.), made 11 of 23 field goal attempts (.478%) and 7 of 12 free throws (.583%) for 29 points (2.9 avg.), had 52 rebounds (5.2 avg.) and 7 assists (0.7 avg.) 5 — Ime Udoka — Forward — 6-6, 215 lbs., appeared in 4 games, played 28 minutes (7.0 avg.), made 3 of 9 field goal attempts (.333%) and 2 of 4 free throws (.500%) for 8 points (2.0 avg.), had 5 rebounds (1.3 avg.) and 2 assists (0.5 avg.) 4 — Luke Walton — Forward — 6-8, 235 lbs., appeared in 72 games, played 730 minutes (10.1 avg.), made 65 of 153 field goal attempts (.425%) and 31 of 44 free throws (.705%) for 174 points (2.4 avg.), had 127 rebounds (1.8 avg.) and 113 assists (1.6 avg.)

League Leaders Kobe Bryant — free throws made (3rd), free throw attempts (5th), points per game (4th) Shaquille O’Neal —field goal percentage (1st), free throw attempts (1st)

All-NBA Kobe Bryant —1st team selection Shaquille O’Neal —1st team selection

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All-Defensive Team Kobe Bryant —1st team selection

All-Star Game Selections Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal

Regular Season Highlights Nov. 28—At age 40, Karl Malone becomes the oldest player in NBA history to obtain a triple-double in a 103–87 win over San Antonio. He achieved the milestone by scoring 10 points, collecting 11 rebounds, and dishing out 10 assists. Feb. 11—A 17-foot bronze statue of the great Earvin “Magic” Johnson is dedicated at the Staples Center. It shows Johnson dribbling a basketball with his right hand while the left hand has an index finger pointing, as if directing a fast break during the “Showtime” era that Johnson ran to perfection. On March 13, the Lakers defeated the Chicago Bull, 88–81, to start an 11-game winning streak that goes through April 2 with a 97–96 victory over Seattle. March 15 — Shaquille O’Neal grabs 12 offensive rebounds against his old team, the Orlando Magic. The Lakers won it in overtime, 113–110. March 21— In a 104–103 overtime win against Milwaukee, Shaquille O’Neal records a career-high 25 rebounds.

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND VERSUS HOUSTON 1. April 17 at Los Angeles: With a final score reminiscent more of a high school game, the Lakers got by the Rockets, 72– 71. The score reflected poor shooting by both teams, with Houston’s 38.2 percent outdoing the Lakers’ 32.9 percent. The third quarter proved to be the worst, as Los Angeles only scored two points in an eight-minute span, and the quarter ended with Houston outscoring the Lakers 17–9. It was also a good defensive game, and a battle between two premier centers, Shaquille O’Neal and Yao Ming. In what O’Neal later claimed to be an ugly game, he outdueled Yao in the statistics department. O’Neal finished with a game-high 20 points and 17 rebounds, while the 7' 6" Yao had 10 points and 11 rebounds. Shaq also won the game. The Rockets were clinging to a 71–70 lead with 17.4 seconds left. Kobe Bryant sent a three-point attempt toward the rim, but it did not get near its destination. However, it landed in Shaq’s hands, and “the Diesel” dunked it for the game winner. That winning basket was O’Neal’s only successful shot of the second half.1 2. April 19 at Los Angeles: Shaquille O’Neal finished with a career postseason-low of seven points. Fortunately for the Lakers, the rest of the team carried Los Angeles to a 98–84 victory and a 2–0 series lead. Kobe Bryant scored a game-high 36 points, and Karl Malone added 17 points. The Lakers were on the losing end of a 46–44 halftime score, but then Bryant connected for 17 points in the third quarter to allow the Lakers to pull away after outscoring the Rockets, 30–18, in the period.2

2003-04 3. April 23 at Houston: The Lakers got 11 of their first 15 points from Shaquille O’Neal. It appeared at the stage of the game that the league’s dominant pivot man was well on his way to a career day. However, he did not get the opportunity to make anything else happen until he scored another 10 points in the fourth quarter. Even though O’Neal led the Lakers in scoring with 25 points, he was not at all pleased with apparently being a forgotten factor in the second and third quarters. The Rockets got out to a 56–45 halftime lead, and stayed right with the Lakers until the final buzzer secured a 102–91 victory. Los Angeles came close on a shot by Kobe Bryant that made it a 90–86 Houston advantage. The Rockets then went on a 7–0 run to keep the Lakers a safe distance away from the lead. Houston’s star of the game was guard Steve Francis, who finished with 27 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists. Also helping the cause for Houston were Yao Ming with 18 points and 10 rebounds and Cuttino Mobley had 21 points. Derek Fisher set a milestone when he scored the 125th three-pointer of his postseason career for the most in Lakers history.3 4. April 25 at Houston: The 40-year-old Karl Malone might have been in the twilight of his stellar pro career, but he performed like he did in his prime. He scored 30 points, hauled in 13 rebounds, and the Lakers prevailed, 92–88, to take a 3–1 series lead. Los Angeles had built up a 14-point lead in the latter part of the third quarter, but they then hit a cold spell that allowed Houston to make a run at a win. In an eight-minute span during the fourth quarter, the Lakers failed to land a successful shot from field goal range. Los Angeles made 15 trips down the court on offense and each time they came up empty. This allowed the Rockets to outscore LA, 22–12, in the fourth quarter and eventually force overtime. Kobe Bryant had trouble finding the rim throughout regulation, hitting on only seven of 21 field goal attempts. He did, however, save his best for last. He scored six of the Lakers’ 11 points in overtime to help pull out the win. Bryant finished with 18 points, and Shaquille O’Neal had 17 points and 12 rebounds.4 5. April 28 at Los Angeles: The Lakers outscored the Rockets, 25–9, in the third quarter, and used that success over those 12 minutes to carry them to a lopsided 97–78 series-clinching victory. At one stage of this game, the Lakers got off a 33–7 run. Kobe Bryant led the assault by finishing with a game-high 31 points, and added six rebounds and 10 assists to his day’s accomplishments. Karl Malone chipped in with 18 points, nine rebounds and five assists, while Shaquille O’Neal had 12 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and four blocked shots.5

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS VERSUS SAN ANTONIO 1. May 2 at San Antonio: The next stop for the Lakers on their journey through the postseason was San Antonio and a series against the defending NBA champions. The Spurs came into this series on a 15-game winning streak, and continued it with an 88– 78 win in the opener of this series. Both teams started the game off having trouble finding the basket, and connected on only six of the game’s first 20 shot attempts. The score at the half was 41– 34 in favor of the Spurs, but then the Lakers came to life in the third quarter. They outscored San Antonio, 32–21, to take a 65– 62 advantage into the fourth quarter. During the third quarter,

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the 32 points put up by the Lakers were the most they scored in one quarter of the postseason up to this game, and Kobe Bryant led the charge by hitting for 12 of his game-high 31 points. The Lakers then had 10 turnovers in the fourth quarter, and Tim Duncan scored 12 of his team-high 30 points to help the Spurs get the win.6 2. May 5 at San Antonio: The winning streak reached 17 straight for the Spurs thanks to Tony Parker and Tim Duncan leading the way in a 95–85 San Antonio victory that gave them a 2–0 series lead. Parker scored a team-high 30 points, and Duncan added 24, in a game that saw the Spurs get out to a commanding 33–17 first quarter lead, and went into halftime up, 61– 45. The Spurs went cold in the third period and the Lakers outscored them, 23–12, to get back in to the game. With half of the fourth quarter left, Los Angeles fought their way back to being only down by two at 80–78. The Spurs then went on a 9–3 run that prevented the Lakers’ dream of a comeback to materialize. Shaquille O’Neal led all scorers with 32 points and added 15 rebounds to his day’s work.7 3. May 9 at Los Angeles: The Lakers finally put one in the win column, and in doing so, snapped the Spurs’ 17-game winning streak with a convincing 105–81 victory. Los Angeles got out to a 28–16 lead at the end of the opening quarter, and never looked back. They hit on 57 percent of their shot attempts, while the Spurs were only able to connect on 34 percent of their field goal tries. San Antonio had a mini rally that brought a 23-point Lakers advantage down to 12 with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Los Angeles then put up 10 straight points to thwart any chances the Spurs might have had. With this win, the Lakers prevented Phil Jackson from suffering the first three-game losing streak of his illustrious postseason coaching career. Shaquille O’Neal outscored two of the Spurs’ biggest scoring threats combined. Shaq finished with 28 points, while Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan scored 27 together. O’Neal also had 15 rebounds, and an incredible eight blocked shots. Kobe Bryant added 22 points, and Gary Payton 15.8 4. May 11 at Los Angeles: The series went back to even ground as the Lakers once again prevailed. Led by a 42-point performance from Kobe Bryant, and 28 from Shaquille O’Neal, the Lakers won, 98–90. They overcame a 53–43 halftime deficit by once again dominating the third quarter as they had in the first three games. With Kobe and Shaq scoring a combined 23 points out of the team’s 31 in the quarter, they held the Spurs to 16, and took a 74–69 advantage into the fourth quarter. The Spurs pulled to within three points of the lead in the early going of the final stanza, but Bryant had a reputation for elevating his game even more in the fourth quarter. He once again lived up to that rep by scoring 15 of his points in the fourth quarter, and 10 of the Lakers’ final 11.9 5. May 13 at San Antonio: The Lakers took an early 24–18 advantage, and carried it into the second half. Up by 42–35 going into the third quarter, the Lakers went on a 17–4 run in the third quarter to take a 59–43 lead with four minutes remaining in the period. The Lakers then hit a major roadblock by producing only 15 points throughout the remainder of the game. The Spurs, meanwhile, went in a 28–9 run to take a 71–68 lead with a mere 2:14 left on the clock. Los Angeles came back to take a 72–71 lead as the clock was ticking down to under 10 seconds left. Tim Dun-

ONE : THE SEASONS can then sent a jumper over Shaquille O’Neal with four-tenths of a seconds left to give San Antonio a 73–72 advantage. With all eyes on Kobe Bryant, assuming he was going to attempt a shot, it was Derek Fisher who took it. With Bryant double-teamed, Fisher got the ball from 18 feet away. He spun around and fired a shot over Manu Ginobili at the buzzer. The shot hit its mark, and the Lakers took a 3–2 series lead with a 74–73 victory complements of Derek Fisher. Bryant led all scorers with 22 points, and Tim Duncan paced the Spurs with 21 points and 21 rebounds.10 6. May 15 at Los Angeles: The Spurs’ reign as champions came to an end as the Lakers recorded their fourth straight win over the Spurs. After losing the first two games of this series, the Lakers rallied back to advance in the postseason by beating the Spurs, 88–76. Los Angeles got solid performances from their top stars. Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 26 points, 12 of which came in the fourth quarter when the game was still in the balance. With the Spurs in front, 58–57, in the early portion of the final period, Bryant hit on two free throws, and Derek Fisher sank a threepointer. Their combined five points allowed the Lakers to enjoy the lead all the way until the final buzzer sounded. Shaquille O’Neal provided dominant defensive work, as he hauled in 19 rebounds and blocked five shots in addition to scoring 17 points. Karl Malone and Gary Payton did whatever was needed, but their biggest contributions came by limiting San Antonio scoring threats Tim Duncan and Tony Parker to a mere 29 points combined.11

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS VERSUS MINNESOTA 1. May 21 at Minnesota: Since coming into the NBA as an expansion team in 1989, the Timberwolves made the postseason in consecutive years from 1997 through 2004, but never advanced beyond the opening round until this year. With an all-time teambest 58–24 record, the Timberwolves were ready for the challenge facing them against the team that left Minnesota for Los Angeles 44 years earlier. In their first experience in the Western Conference Finals, the former residents of Minnesota did not go easy on the new-comers, as the Lakers prevailed, 97–88. Minnesota’s main weapon was Kevin Garnett, a 6'11" power forward and the 2004 NBA MVP. In an attempt to neutralize Garnett’s effectiveness, the Lakers double-teamed him whenever he had the ball. Karl Malone and Kobe Bryant gave an outstanding effort to double up on the dangerous Garnett, and limited him to only 16 points. Despite containing Garnett, the Timberwolves got out to a slim 24–23 lead at the end of the first quarter, but the Lakers came back to take a 46–44 lead by the end of the first half. Minnesota’s Latrell Sprewell caught fire in the third quarter by hitting for 11 of his team-high 23 points to help the Timberwolves deadlock the game at 67–67 with three minutes left in the quarter. Led by two straight three-pointers from Derek Fisher, the Lakers went on an 11–0 run to go into the fourth period with a 78–67 advantage. Minnesota once again came back, this time closing to with four points at 92–88 before Fisher once again hit a three-pointer with 58 seconds left to secure this opening game. The incredible tandem of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant teamed up to score over 50 percent of the Lakers’ total point production. O’Neal scored 27 points, added 18 rebounds, five assists, and four blocked

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shots, while Bryant had 23 points. Karl Malone chipped in with 17 points, and Derek Fisher 14.12 2. May 23 at Minnesota: Shaquille O’Neal had a poor shooting day, finishing with 14 points, and Karl Malone and Gary Payton each battled through foul trouble to combine for a mere 13 points between them. Kobe Bryant attempted to carry the Lakers on his back, but in the end, the Timberwolves played harder, and sent a Target Center crowd home happy after a series-tying 89–71 victory. Minnesota lost Sam Cassell almost right from the start due to back problems, but Wally Szczerbiak picked up the pace with nine points in the first quarter to help the Timberwolves gain a 32–24 advantage at the end of the first quarter. Kobe Bryant attempted to keep the Lakers in this one by accounting for 14 of the Lakers’ opening quarter points, and 25 of the teams first 46 points. In the end, Kobe finished with a game-high 27 points, but his valiant efforts alone could not keep the Timberwolves from going into the second half with a commanding 51– 37 advantage. The Lakers made the game somewhat interesting by cutting the Minnesota lead to seven with 1:04 remaining in the third quarter. The Timberwolves then hit for five points to once again increase their lead to double digits, and never allowed the Lakers to cut the deficit down below that level throughout the remainder of the game. The Lakers’ total point production of 71 equaled an all-time team low in playoff competition since coming out to Los Angeles in 1960.13 3. May 25 at Los Angeles: Everything seemed to click for the Lakers upon their return to the Staples Center. They shot 51.5 percent from the field, moved the ball extremely well, and received double-figure scoring from their starting five. The end result was a 100–89 victory that put the Lakers up 2–1 in the series. Gary Payton delivered the first spark to the Lakers by scoring 14 points in an opening quarter won by the Lakers, 24–17. Los Angeles built a 44–35 halftime advantage despite Kobe Bryant not scoring a single point in the first half. Bryant made up for his lethargic beginning by producing 22 points in the second half. Wally Szczerbiak kept the Timberwolves competitive in the third quarter by hitting for 14 straight points to close the Lakers’ edge to 66– 64 near the end of the third quarter. The Lakers took a five-point advantage into the fourth quarter, and extended it to 17 points thanks in part to consecutive three-pointers from Bryant. With 4:46 left in the game, and the Lakers holding a 91–74 lead, Minnesota attempted one final surge. With two three-pointers from Latrell Sprewell, and one from Kevin Garnett, the Timberwolves cut the lead down to eight with just under three minutes remaining in the game. It then became a contest of fouling Shaquille O’Neal at any opportunity in an effort to get the ball back. O’Neal’s poor free throw shooting abilities gave hope to the Timberwolves that if he missed on the free throws, Minnesota could slowly chip down the deficit and prevail in the end. The “Hacka-Shaq” method proved to work in the Lakers’ favor on this occasion, as the big man nailed two of his four from the foul line to thwart Minnesota’s plans for coming back. The plan to foul O’Neal did not work, and it also allowed him the chance to become the career postseason leader in free throws attempted with 1,768, surpassing the legendary Michael Jordan in the process. O’Neal and Bryant tied for team-high scoring honors with 22 points apiece, Gary Payton added 18, Devean George 12, and Karl Malone 11. Malone also did another great job defending Kevin

2003-04 Garnett. Despite getting 22 points, Garnett struggled through a scoreless period of close to 17 minutes, and fouled out of the game.14 4. May 27 at Los Angeles: Phil Jackson had history on his side, and in quite lopsided fashion. When a team he coached had a series lead, his overall record was 43–0 up to this time. The Lakers looked to keep their coach’s spotless record intact by going up 3–1 in this series after a 92–85 victory. Minnesota started off in good shape by holding a lead for most of the first half. The Lakers then went on a 15–5 run near the end of the second quarter to take a 45–40 lead into halftime. The Timberwolves narrowed the gap to 56–54 with 6:12 left in the third quarter, but 18 points from Kobe Bryant in the period allowed the Lakers to increase their advantage to 75–60 going into the fourth quarter. Bryant led all scorers with 31 points, while Shaquille O’Neal had 19 points, 19 rebounds, and three blocked shots. Karl Malone almost had a triple-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists.15 5. May 29 at Minnesota: A return to the Target Center helped the Timberwolves stay alive in their quest for the franchise’s first-ever NBA Finals appearance. With Kevin Garnett’s 30 points and 19 rebounds leading the way, Minnesota managed to hold off elimination with a 98–96 victory. Los Angeles came out playing like a team that wanted nothing more than to wrap the series up. They built a 10-point advantage in the first quarter, and held a 40–33 lead with 3:33 left in the first half. The Timberwolves then roared back by scoring 13 straight points to claim a 46–40 halftime bulge. Minnesota increased their lead to 73–63 going into the fourth quarter. The Lakers closed the gap to six points with 3:20 left, but the Timberwolves were not going to be denied. The only reason the game ended so close was the fact that Derek Fisher hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to create the illusion of a tightly fought contest. The Timberwolves used double-team defense on Kobe Bryant, but he still managed to produce a teamhigh 23 points, while Shaquille O’Neal, Karl Malone, and Derek Fisher, all finished with 17 points.16 6. May 31 at Los Angeles: A return trip back to the Land of a Thousand Lakes was not on the Lakers’ itinerary. They wanted to end this series in the friendly confines of the Staples Center, and accomplished just that with a 96–90 victory, which allowed them access to their 22nd NBA Finals since becoming residents of Los Angeles in 1960. The Lakers were up, 28–17, at the end of the first quarter, but then the Timberwolves came back to end the first half only trailing by two points at 48–46. Minnesota then held the lead for the good portion of the third quarter, and took a 68–67 advantage into the fourth period. It was then that an unsung hero in Kareem Rush took over to capture the attention of Lakers faithful everywhere. Up to this time in the series, Rush only put up 16 shot attempts, and had a 25 percent success rate from three-point range. He more than made up for lost time in this clinching victory. He first nailed a three-pointer to give the Lakers the lead in the early going of the fourth quarter, and then hit another one with 6:50 left to give Los Angeles a six-point lead. Another one with 3:22 to go extended the Lakers’ bulge to 10 points, and they were on the way to closing out yet another series. In all, Rush hit for six three-pointers to give him 18 points for the game. Shaquille O’Neal led the Lakers with 25 points and 11 rebounds, while Kobe Bryant came in second with 20 points.17

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NBA FINALS VERSUS DETROIT 1. June 6 at Los Angeles: Since last winning back-to-back NBA titles in 1989 and 1990, the Detroit Pistons lost some of their luster, and suffered through six losing seasons. By the 200102 season, they began to return to their championship-level status by posting consecutive 50-win seasons, and made it to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2003. By 2004, they were ready to make it to the next level, and achieved it. As for the Lakers, it seemed like old times. After missing out on the Finals the previous year, they were back for the fourth time out of the last five seasons. Phil Jackson was looking to become the first coach to win 10 NBA championships, and his counterpart, Larry Brown, was looking to capture his first after 26 seasons in the business. Brown was the coach of the Philadelphia 76ers back in 2001 when Jackson and the Lakers won their second of three straight NBA titles, and Brown was hoping to even the score this time out. Chauncey Billups did his best right from the start to get Brown toward his first championship ring as an NBA head coach by scoring 11 of the Pistons’ 22 opening quarter points. Detroit led by three after the initial period was in the books, but the Lakers came back to take a slim 41–40 advantage into the second half with Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant pacing the attack. O’Neal had 20 points by end of the first half, and Bryant 12. Billups then scored nine points in the third quarter to help lead the Pistons to a 64–58 bulge heading into the fourth quarter. Los Angeles never had a chance to get closer, and the Pistons took the first game with an 87–75 victory. O’Neal and Bryant combined to score virtually all of the Lakers’ point production. O’Neal scored 34 points, and Bryant added 25, but no one else finished in double figures. Even though O’Neal and Bryant had good production, they had to work hard for it. Detroit had a stellar defense, and held the Lakers to 34 total points in the second half, and forced O’Neal into turning the ball over six times. He did manage to connect on 13 of his 16 shot attempts, but the Pistons still did not allow O’Neal to get his hands on the ball as much as he wanted to. Bryant had a tough time against the defense, and had to take 27 shots to score 25 points. The Lakers turned the ball over 16 times, and suffered their first home playoff loss after winning nine straight.18 2. June 8 at Los Angeles: Throughout NBA Finals history, no team ever came back to win the series after dropping the first two games at home. Thanks to Kobe Bryant, that statistic did not become an issue. With 2.1 seconds remaining in regulation, Bryant hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 89–89 and force overtime. He remained hot in overtime by scoring four points and handing out two assists to lead the Lakers to a 99–91 seriestying victory. Bryant finished with a game-high 33 points, with 14 of them coming in the fourth period and in overtime. Shaquille O’Neal added 29 points, to once again join Bryant as the only two Lakers to score in double figures. The opening quarter saw both teams working hard on defense, and the first 12 minutes ended with the Lakers up, 18–16. The Lakers almost lost Karl Malone with a sprained knee in the second quarter. The same injury kept Malone out of 40 games during the regular season, but with a chance to win his first-ever NBA title on the line, he battled through it and continued on. The Lakers outscored the Pistons by eight points in the second quarter, and took a 44–36 lead into the halftime intermission. The Lakers increased their lead to 10

ONE : THE SEASONS with 5:30 left in the third quarter, and then Chauncey Billups got the hot hand for Detroit, and hit for 12 of Detroit’s next 18 points to cut the Los Angeles lead down to 68–66. With 9:36 left in the fourth quarter, the Pistons moved ahead, 71–68, but the Lakers came back to reclaim the lead at 75–71 with 6:37 to go in regulation. It was now time for the Pistons to return volley, and climbed back into what appeared to be a comfortable lead. With 47 seconds left, Detroit was up by a score of 89–83, but Shaq and Kobe had other ideas on how the outcome was going to be. After Kobe missed on a three-pointer attempt, Shaq secured the offensive rebound, put it back up and scored. He was also fouled in the process and connected on the free throw to make it an 89– 86 Detroit advantage with 35 seconds left. It was half a minute later that Bryant tossed in his game-tying shot to add another chapter in Lakers lore.19 3. June 10 at Detroit: In 627 postseason games up to this stage in their history, the Lakers never had a lower point total than the 68 they put up in this one. On a night that saw the Lakers connect on only six of 27 three-point attempts, the Pistons easily took a 2–1 series lead with an 88–68 victory. The Pistons’ defense was impressive, and just like in the two previous games, only Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant hit for double-figure scoring. Shaq was not getting the ball in his hands, and his 14 points in this game saw his production dwindle down after scoring 34 and 29 points in the first two games. Bryant added 11 points to the lethargic Lakers, and it appeared that the team was coming apart. Shaq and Kobe were not the most congenial to each other to put it mildly, and Karl Malone and Derek Fisher were suffering with knee problems. This game saw the Lakers’ offense never produce more than 19 points in one quarter, and the final buzzer served as a merciful end to this dismal showing.20 4. June 13 at Detroit: Things did not improve for the Lakers, as an 88–80 loss put them in a terrible jam. This was uncharted territory for team that won three straight NBA titles at the start of the decade. It was also unfamiliar for Phil Jackson, who never lost an NBA Finals in nine trips. Shaquille O’Neal’s game-high 36 points, and Kobe Bryant’s 20 once again produced the only two in a Lakers jersey to score in double figures. Their combined total of 56 points allowed Los Angeles to be fairly competitive in this game. The Lakers held a 22–21 lead at the end of the first quarter, but Detroit came back to claim a 41–39 halftime edge. The Lakers tied the game at 56–56 going into the fourth quarter, but once again the Pistons came back. They outscored the Lakers, 32–24, in the final stanza to take a 3–1 series lead.21 5. June 15 at Detroit: The debacle that was the Lakers’ bid to capture their fourth NBA title of the decade came to an end after the Pistons secured a third NBA championship for the Motor City with a 100–87 victory. After a close first quarter that saw the Pistons with a 25–24 lead, they poured it on throughout the second and third quarters to cruise to the championship. Detroit built a 55–45 halftime advantage, and expanded it to 82–59 at the end of the third quarter. By then it was all over, and the celebration was well underway for the Pistons. The Lakers outscored Detroit, 28–18, in the final period, but by then it was anticlimactic. Richard Hamilton led Detroit with 21 points, and Ben Wallace added 18 points and secured 22 rebounds. Chauncey Billups averaged 21 points a game, and for his efforts, he was selected as the Finals MVP. As for the Lakers, Kobe Bryant led the

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team with 24 points, and Shaquille O’Neal came in second with 20 points. For the only time throughout this series, other Lakers besides O’Neal and Bryant scored in double figures, with Stanislav Medvedenko and Derek Fisher each finishing with 10 points apiece. This game was also the final chapter in one of the greatest times in Lakers history. The trio of coach Phil Jackson, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kobe Bryant’s time together came to an end at the final buzzer. One month after this series went into the history books, O’Neal was traded to the Miami Heat, and Jackson left the team.22

Individual Playoff Statistics Bryant — appeared in 22 games, played 973 minutes (44.2 avg.), scored 539 points (24.5 avg.), had 104 rebounds (4.7 avg.) and 121 assists (5.5 avg.) Cook — appeared in 13 games, played 45 minutes (3.5 avg.), scored 12 points (0.9 avg.), had 12 rebounds (0.9 avg.) and 1 assist (0.1 avg.) Fisher — appeared in 22 games, played 506 minutes (23.0 avg.), scored 166 points (7.5 avg.), had 56 rebounds (2.5 avg.) and 49 assists (2.2 avg.) Fox — appeared in 16 games, played 145 minutes (9.1 avg.), scored 18 points (1.1 avg.), had 23 rebounds (1.4 avg.) and 18 assists (1.1 avg.) George — appeared in 22 games, played 470 minutes (21.4 avg.), scored 121 points (5.5 avg.), had 50 rebounds (2.3 avg.) and 11 assists (0.5 avg.) Malone — appeared in 21 games, played 798 minutes (38.0 avg.), scored 242 points (11.5 avg.), had 185 rebounds (8.8 avg.) and 72 assists (3.4 avg.) Medvedenko — appeared in 21 games, played 237 minutes (11.3 avg.), scored 83 points (4.0 avg.), had 53 rebounds (2.5 avg.) and 10 assists (0.5 avg.) O’Neal — appeared in 22 games, played 918 minutes (41.7 avg.), scored 473 points (21.5 avg.), had 291 rebounds (13.2 avg.) and 55 assists (2.5 avg.) Payton — appeared in 22 games, played 773 minutes (35.1 avg.), scored 171 points (7.8 avg.), had 72 rebounds (3.3 avg.) and 116 assists (5.3 avg.) Rush — appeared in 22 games, played 315 minutes (14.3 avg.), scored 82 points (3.7 avg.), had 16 rebounds (0.7 avg.) and 17 assists (0.8 avg.) Russell — appeared in 6 games, played 16 minutes (2.7 avg.), had 1 rebound (0.2 avg.) and 2 assists (0.3 avg.) Walton — appeared in 17 games, played 134 minutes (7.9 avg.), scored 32 points (1.9 avg.), had 22 rebounds (1.3 avg.) and 26 assists (1.5 avg.)

2004-05 Head Coach: Rudy Tomjanovich (24–19), Frank Hamblen (10–29) Assistant Coaches: Chris Bodaken, Frank Hamblen, Melvin Hunt, Larry Smith, Mike Wells, Kurt Rambis, Brian Shaw Regular Season Record: 34–48 4th place in the NBA Pacific Division (finished 28 games out of first place) Scored 98.7 points per game to rank 12th out of 30 teams Allowed 101.7 points per game to rank 27th

Review The Lakers went through major changes as the midway part of decade came upon the scene. Shaquille O’Neal was traded to

2004-05 the Miami Heat, thus leaving Kobe Bryant as the true team leader, and head coach Phil Jackson retired following the 2004 NBA Finals loss to Detroit. Under new coach Rudy Tomjanovich, the Lakers started out with a 9–8 record, but things were slowly declining. Struggling to stay close to playing .500 ball, the Lakers lost Kobe Bryant for one month due to an ankle injury suffered in mid–January. Then, with the team five games above .500 in the first few days of February, Tomjanovich resigned as coach due to health concerns. Assistant coach Frank Hamblen assumed control of the coaching reins, but the team could only muster ten more wins throughout the remainder of the season, and fell out of playoff contention for the first time since 1994.

Gone from the Previous Season Maurice Carter — waived by the Lakers on October 14, 2003 Derek Fisher — became a free agent and signed with Golden State on July 16, 2004 Rick Fox — traded to Boston on August 6, 2004 Horace Grant — retired Karl Malone — retired Shaquille O’Neal — traded to Miami on July 14, 2004 Jannero Pargo — waived by the Lakers on January 7, 2004 Gary Payton — traded to Boston on August 6, 2004 Bryon Russell—became a free agent and signed with Denver on October 6, 2004 Jamal Sampson — taken by the Charlotte Bobcats in the expansion draft on June 22, 2004 Ime Udoka — waived by the Lakers on October 23, 2003

Regular Season Individual Statistics 9 — Chucky Atkins — Guard — 5-11, 160 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,903 minutes (35.4 avg.), made 388 of 910 field goal attempts (.426%) and 163 of 203 free throws (.803%) for 1,115 points (13.6 avg.), had 197 rebounds (2.4 avg.) and 358 assists (4.4 avg.) 15 — Tony Bobbitt — Guard — 6-4, 190 lbs., appeared in 2 games, played 12 minutes (6.0 avg.), made 2 of 5 field goal attempts (.400%) for 5 points (2.5 avg.) and had 3 rebounds (1.5 avg.) 5—Tierre Brown—Guard—6-2, 189 lbs., appeared in 76 games, played 1,066 minutes (14.0 avg.), made 124 of 348 field goal attempts (.356%) and 59 of 75 free throws (.787%) for 333 points (4.4 avg.), had 93 rebounds (1.2 avg.) and 155 assists (2.0 avg.) 8 —Kobe Bryant —Guard —6-6, 200 lbs., appeared in 66 games, played 2,689 minutes (40.7 avg.), made 573 of 1,324 field goal attempts (.433%) and 542 of 664 free throws (.816%) for 1,819 points (27.6 avg.), had 392 rebounds (5.9 avg.) and 398 assists (6.0 avg.) 1—Caron Butler—Forward—6-7, 217 lbs., appeared in 77 games, played 2,746 minutes (35.7 avg.), made 441 of 991 field goal attempts (.445%) and 275 of 319 free throws (.862%) for 1,195 points (15.5 avg.), had 450 rebounds (5.8 avg.) and 146 assists (1.9 avg.) 43 — Brian Cook — Forward — 6-9, 234 lbs., appeared in 72 games, played 1,087 minutes (15.1 avg.), made 176 of 422 field goal attempts (.417%) and 28 of 37 free throws (.757%) for 458 points (6.4 avg.), had 216 rebounds (3.0 avg.) and 35 assists (0.5 avg.) 12 — Vlade Divac — Center — 7-1, 243 lbs., appeared in 15 games, played 130 minutes (8.7 avg.), made 13 of 31 field goal attempts (.419%) and 8 of 12 free throws (.667%) for 34 points (2.3 avg.), had 32 rebounds (2.1 avg.) and 19 assists (1.3 avg.) 3 — Devean George — Guard/Forward — 6-8, 220 lbs., appeared in 15 games, played 306 minutes (20.4 avg.), made 37 of 104 field goal attempts (.356%) and 15 of 20 free throws (.750%) for 110 points (7.3 avg.), had 53 rebounds (3.5 avg.) and 14 assists (0.9 avg.)

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55 — Brian Grant — Forward — 6-9, 254 lbs., appeared in 69 games, played 1,136 minutes (16.5 avg.), made 103 of 209 field goal attempts (.493%) and 57 of 79 free throws (.722%) for 263 points (3.8 avg.), had 257 rebounds (3.7 avg.) and 34 assists (0.5 avg.) 20— Jumaine Jones — Forward — 6-8, 218 lbs., appeared in 76 games, played 1,830 minutes (24.1 avg.), made 210 of 486 field goal attempts (.432%) and 55 of 75 free throws (.733%) for 577 points (7.6 avg.), had 398 rebounds (5.2 avg.) and 65 assists (0.9 avg.) 14 — Stanislav Medvedenko — Forward — 6-10, 250 lbs., appeared in 43 games, played 423 minutes (9.8 avg.), made 71 of 156 field goal attempts (.455%) and 23 of 28 free throws (.821%) for 165 points (3.8 avg.), had 79 rebounds (1.8 avg.) and 13 assists (0.3 avg.) 31—Chris Mihm—Center—7-0, 265 lbs., appeared in 75 games, played 1,870 minutes (24.9 avg.), made 280 of 552 field goal attempts (.507%) and 175 of 258 free throws (.678%) for 735 points (9.8 avg.), had 502 rebounds (6.7 avg.) and 50 assists (0.7 avg.) 7 — Lamar Odom — Forward — 6-10, 220 lbs., appeared in 64 games, played 2,320 minutes (36.3 avg.), made 366 of 774 field goal attempts (.473%) and 207 of 298 free throws (.695%) for 975 points (15.2 avg.), had 653 rebounds (10.2 avg.) and 238 assists (3.7 avg.) 21—Kareem Rush—Guard—6-6, 215 lbs., appeared in 14 games, played 91 minutes (6.5 avg.), made 4 of 20 field goal attempts (.200%) and 2 of 2 free throws (1.000%) for 12 points (0.9 avg.), had 10 rebounds (0.7 avg.) and 3 assists (0.2 avg.) 18—Sasha Vujacic—Guard—6-7, 193 lbs., appeared in 35 games, played 403 minutes (11.5 avg.), made 33 of 117 field goal attempts (.282%) and 18 of 19 free throws (.947%) for 101 points (2.9 avg.), had 62 rebounds (1.8 avg.) and 51 assists (1.5 avg.) 4 — Luke Walton — Forward — 6-8, 235 lbs., appeared in 61 games, played 768 minutes (12.6 avg.), made 74 of 180 field goal attempts (.411%) and 34 of 48 free throws (.708%) for 198 points (3.2 avg.), had 142 rebounds (2.3 avg.) and 93 assists (1.5 avg.)

League Leaders Kobe Bryant — minutes per game (5th), points per game (2nd)

All-NBA Kobe Bryant — 3rd team selection

All-Star Game Selections Kobe Bryant

2005-06 Head Coach: Phil Jackson Assistant Coaches: Frank Hamblen, Kurt Rambis, Brian Shaw, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Craig Hodges Regular Season Record: 45–37 3rd place in the NBA Pacific Division (finished nine games out of first place) Scored 99.4 points per game to rank 7th out of 30 teams Allowed 96.9 points per game to rank 15th

Review Phil Jackson returned as head coach, and Kobe Bryant’s incredible shooting prowess garnered headlines throughout the sea-

ONE : THE SEASONS son, and the Lakers seemed to back on course. They improved by 11 games and were back in the playoffs.

Gone from the Previous Season Chucky Atkins — traded to Washington on August 2, 2005 Tony Bobbitt — waived by the Lakers on November 1, 2004 Tierre Brown — became a free agent and signed with Toronto in October of 2005 Caron Butler — traded to Washington on August 2, 2005 Vlade Divac — waived by the Lakers on October 6, 2005 Jumaine Jones — traded to Charlotte on October 26, 2005 Kareem Rush — traded to Charlotte on December 6, 2004

Regular Season Individual Statistics 54 — Kwame Brown — Forward — 6-11, 270 lbs., appeared in 72 games, played 1,978 minutes (27.5 avg.), made 204 of 388 field goal attempts (.526%), 128 of 235 free throws (.545%) for 536 points (7.4 avg.), had 473 rebounds (6.6 avg.) and 72 assists (1.0 avg.) 8 —Kobe Bryant —Guard —6-6, 200 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 3,277 minutes (41.0 avg.), made 978 of 2,173 field goal attempts (.450%) and 696 of 819 free throws (.850%) for 2,832 points (35.4 avg.), had 425 rebounds (5.3 avg.) and 360 assists (4.5 avg.) 17 — Andrew Bynum — Center — 7-0, 285 lbs., appeared in 46 games, played 338 minutes (7.3 avg.), made 33 of 82 field goal attempts (.402%) and 8 of 27 free throws (.296%) for 74 points (1.6 avg.), had 80 rebounds (1.7 avg.) and 9 assists (0.2 avg.) 43 — Brian Cook — Forward — 6-9, 234 lbs., appeared in 81 games, played 1,535 minutes (19.0 avg.), made 261 of 511 field goal attempts (.511%) and 84 of 101 free throws (.832%) for 642 points (7.9 avg.), had 274 rebounds (3.4 avg.) and 74 assists (0.9 avg.) 3 — Devean George — Guard/Forward — 6-8, 220 lbs., appeared in 71 games, played 1,542 minutes (21.7 avg.), made 170 of 425 field goal attempts (.400%) and 58 of 86 free throws (.674%) for 448 points (6.3 avg.), had 274 rebounds (3.9 avg.) and 68 assists (1.0 avg.) 11— Devin Green — Guard — 6-7, 210 lbs., appeared in 27 games, played 135 minutes (5.0 avg.), made 6 of 28 field goal attempts (.214%) and 13 of 21 free throws (.619%) for 25 points (0.9 avg.), had 24 rebounds (0.9 avg.) and 7 assists (0.3 avg.) 24 —Jim Jackson—Guard —6-6, 220 lbs., appeared in 13 games, played 92 minutes (7.1 avg.), made 9 of 31 field goal attempts (.290%) for 22 points (1.7 avg.), had 12 rebounds (0.9 avg.) and 4 assists (0.3 avg.) 2—Aaron McKie—Guard—6-5, 209 lbs., appeared in 14 games, played 121 minutes (8.6 avg.), made 3 of 12 field goal attempts (.250%) and 1 of 2 free throws (.500%) for 7 points (0.5 avg.), had 20 rebounds (1.4 avg.) and 11 assists (0.8 avg.) 14 — Stanislav Medvedenko — Forward — 6-10, 250 lbs., appeared in 2 games, played 6 minutes (3.0 avg.), made 1 of 2 field goal attempts (.500%) for 2 points (1.0 avg.) and had 1 assist (0.5 avg.) 31—Chris Mihm—Center—7-0, 265 lbs., appeared in 59 games, played 1,541 minutes (26.1 avg.), made 230 of 459 field goal attempts (.501%) and 144 of 201 free throws (.716%) for 604 points (10.2 avg.), had 373 rebounds (6.3 avg.) and 61 assists (1.0 avg.) 7 — Lamar Odom — Forward — 6-10, 220 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 3,221 minutes (40.3 avg.), made 445 of 925 field goal attempts (.481%) and 216 of 313 free throws (.690%) for 1,186 points (14.8 avg.), had 738 rebounds (9.2 avg.) and 443 assists (5.5 avg.) 1— Smush Parker — Guard — 6-4, 190 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,773 minutes (33.8 avg.), made 348 of 779 field goal attempts (.447%) and 125 of 180 free throws (.694%) for 941 points (11.5 avg.), had 271 rebounds (3.3 avg.) and 302 assists (3.7 avg.) 9 — Laron Profit — Guard/Forward — 6-5, 204 lbs., appeared in 25 games, played 279 minutes (11.2 avg.), made 40 of 84 field goal at-

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tempts (.476%) and 21 of 24 free throws (.875%) for 104 points (4.2 avg.), had 43 rebounds (1.7 avg.0 and 15 assists (0.6 avg.) 21— Ronny Turiaf— Forward — 6-10, 249 lbs., appeared in 23 games, played 161 minutes (7.0 avg.), made 15 of 30 field goal attempts (.500%) and 15 of 27 free throws (.556%) for 45 points (2.0 avg.), had 37 rebounds (1.6 avg.) and 8 assists (0.3 avg.) 18—Sasha Vujacic—Guard—6-7, 193 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 1,449 minutes (17.7 avg.), made 108 of 312 field goal attempts (.346%) and 46 of 52 free throws (.885%) for 321 points (3.9 avg.), had 159 rebounds (1.9 avg.) and 139 assists (1.7 avg.) 23 — Von Wafer — Guard — 6-5, 210 lbs., appeared in 16 games, played 73 minutes (4.6 avg.), made 6 of 38 field goal attempts (.158%) and 6 of 8 free throws (.750%) for 20 points (1.3 avg.), had 8 rebounds (0.5 avg.) and 4 assists (0.3 avg.) 4 — Luke Walton — Forward — 6-8, 235 lbs., appeared in 69 games, played 1,333 minutes (19.3 avg.), made 135 of 328 field goal attempts (.412%) and 57 of 76 free throws (.750%) for 345 points (5.0 avg.), had 247 rebounds (3.6 avg.) and 156 assists (2.3 avg.)

League Leaders Kobe Bryant — minutes played (5th), minutes per game (5th), field goals made (1st), field goal attempts (1st), free throws made (1st), free throw attempts (2nd), points per game (1st)

All-NBA Kobe Bryant —1st team selection

All-Defensive Team Kobe Bryant —1st team selection

All-Star Game Selections Kobe Bryant

Regular Season Highlights Dec. 20— Kobe Bryant scores 62 points in a 112–90 victory against Dallas. Jan. 7 — In a 112–109 win over the Los Angeles Clippers, Kobe Bryant scores 50 points. He duplicates the feat against Portland on April 14, a game in which the Lakers win, 110–99. Jan 11— In a 113–103 loss to Portland, Kobe Bryant begins a streak that will reach 62 successful free throws. The streak will go over the course of six games to January 22 in a 122–104 win against Toronto. Jan. 16 — Kobe Bryant scores 51 points in a 100–92 win against Miami, and duplicates that figure in a 107–96 loss to Phoenix on April 7. Jan. 22 — In a 122–104 victory, Kobe Bryant scores a teamrecord 81 points against the Toronto Raptors. Lamar Odom becomes the seventh player in Lakers history to accomplish back-to-back triple doubles. On April 11, in a 111– 100 win against Golden State, Odom scored 15 points, hauled in 13 rebounds, and dished out 10 assists. In the Lakers’ next game on April 14, in a 110–99 win over Portland, Odom had 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists.

2005-06

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND VERSUS PHOENIX 1. April 23 at Phoenix: The Suns welcomed the Lakers back to the postseason after a year’s absence by defeating them 107– 102. Phoenix exploded for 39 points in the first quarter, and held a 14-point advantage in the second period before the Lakers began to chip away at the deficit. Los Angeles cut the lead to eight at the half, and tied it up at 75–75 at the end of the third quarter. After failing to score 20 or more points in the second and third quarters, the Suns came back strong in the final 12 minutes. They scored 32 points, and Steve Nash hit a three-pointer with 1:07 left after the Lakers closed to within three. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 22 points, and shared game-high honors with Phoenix’s Tim Thomas. Lamar Odom finished with 21 points and Luke Walton added 19 points for Los Angeles.1 2. April 26 at Phoenix: The Lakers used the second quarter as a catalyst to a 99–93 victory. With a narrow two-point lead going into the second period, the Lakers outscored Phoenix, 29– 16, to hold the lead for the rest of the way. The Suns did get hot in the third quarter, closing to within 61–58 after a 20–6 run. The Lakers then scored six straight points, with Bryant getting four, to build up their lead. Raja Bell had a chance to tie the game with 1:13 left, and the Suns down, 92–89, but he missed. This was the first time in the past nine attempts that the Lakers beat Phoenix with Steve Nash in a Suns’ uniform. Kobe Bryant tied Steve Nash for game-high scoring honors with 29 points. He also collected 10 rebounds and dished out seven assists. Lamar Odom added 21 points, seven rebounds, and five assists for the victors.2 3. April 28 at Los Angeles: By virtually the same score, the Lakers once again prevailed, this time with a 99–92 victory. The Suns were not that good at controlling opposing big men in the paint. Phil Jackson was very well aware of this, and decided to attack that weakness. Jackson’s plan worked exceptionally well, as Los Angeles’ frontcourt of Lamar Odom, Luke Walton, and Kwame Brown absolutely dominated the boards. In the paint, the Lakers outdueled the Suns in points scored (58–30), and in rebounds (53–34). Odom hauled in 17 rebounds, Brown 11, Walton 10, and all five starters hit for double-figure scoring, with Smush Parker pacing the victors with 18 points.3 4. April 30 at Los Angeles: The number 99 appeared to be a lucky one for the Lakers in this series, as they once again hit that total, and prevailed in overtime, 99–98. Kobe Bryant, like so many times throughout his legendary career, rose to the forefront for the Lakers. With the Suns up, 90–88, in the closing seconds, Phoenix’s Steve Nash, a master basketball player, and the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, committed his only turnover of the game. Nash slipped, and Smush Parker stole the ball near the sideline. He then slapped the ball in the direction of Devean George at midcourt. George got the ball to Bryant, who put a move on Raja Bell to sink a game-tying layup with 0.7 seconds left in regulation. In the overtime period, Luke Walton tied up Nash, forcing a jump ball. Walton’s actions eventually led to Bryant nailing a 17-foot jump shot in the final second of overtime to pull out the win that gave the Lakers a comfortable 3–1 series lead. Lamar

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Odom led all scorers with 25 points, and Bryant was second with 24.4 5. May 2 at Phoenix: The heart-breaking loss two days earlier seemed to spark a fire in the Suns, and they outscored the Lakers in every quarter to produce a 114–97 victory to stay alive in the series. Phoenix had six players hit for double-digit scoring, with Boris Diaw leading the way. Diaw lived up to his status as the reigning NBA Most Improved Player Award winner by scoring 25 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, and dishing out nine assists. Also hitting the 20-point club for the Suns were Steve Nash (22 points) and Shawn Marion (21 points). Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 29 points, and Lamar Odom turned in a solid performance despite the loss with 18 points, 15 rebounds, and six assists.5 6. May 4 at Los Angeles: Kobe Bryant left it all on the court, giving everything he had to help the Lakers clinch the series. He scored 50 points, secured seven rebounds, handed out five assists, and stole the ball three times. However, it was not enough, as the Suns evened the series up at three games apiece with a 126–118 win in overtime. With 29 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Lakers were up, 105–102. Tim Thomas then nailed a three-pointer to send the game into overtime. Phoenix then played like a team possessed, scoring 21 points in the extra period. Bryant tried in vain to keep the Lakers close by scoring 12 of the team’s last 13 points. Lamar Odom also tried his best to help the Lakers in this one by nearly hitting a triple double. He finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists. The Suns had four players score 20plus points, with Steve Nash leading the way with 32.6 7. May 6 at Phoenix: The Lakers had history on their side coming into this deciding seventh game. Throughout their long and stellar heritage, they had a spotless 26–0 record in series that they led three games to one. Apparently, the Suns were not much for allowing the Lakers to continue that perfect mark, and ended their season in a convincing manner via a 121–90 blowout. The Lakers seemed to break down totally, suffering through poor shooting and sloppy defense. The Suns felt little remorse for their Los Angeles counterparts, and took complete advantage of their woes. Phoenix jumped out to a resounding 32–15 lead in the first quarter and never looked back. Seven players on the Phoenix roster scoring in double figures, with Leandro Barbosa’s 26 points leading the team. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 24 points in what turned out to be one of the worst playoff series defeats in team history.7

Individual Playoff Statistics Brown — appeared in 7 games, played 225 minutes (32.1 avg.), scored 90 points (12.9 avg.), had 46 rebounds (6.6 avg.) and 7 assists (1.0 avg.) Bryant — appeared in 7 games, played 314 minutes (44.9 avg.), scored 195 points (27.9 avg.), had 44 rebounds (6.3 avg.) and 36 assists (5.1 avg.) Bynum — appeared in 1 game and played 2 minutes (2.0 avg.) Cook — appeared I 7 games, played 78 minutes (11.1 avg.), scored 44 points (6.3 avg.), had 22 rebounds (3.1 avg.) and 8 assists (1.1 avg.) George — appeared in 7 games, played 121 minutes (17.3 avg.), scored 37 points (5.3 avg.), had 16 rebounds (2.3 avg.) and 4 assists (0.6 avg.) Jackson — appeared in 3 games, played 21 minutes (7.0 avg.), scored 4 points (1.3 avg.), had 3 rebounds (1.0 avg.) and 2 assists (0.7 avg.) McKie — appeared in 1 game and played 8 minutes (8.0 avg.)

ONE : THE SEASONS Odom—appeared in 7 games, played 314 minutes (44.9 avg.), scored 134 points (19.1 avg.), had 77 rebounds (11.0 avg.) and 34 assists (4.9 avg.) Parker — appeared in 7 games, played 258 minutes (36.9 avg.), scored 62 points (8.9 avg.), had 21 rebounds (3.0 avg.) and 11 assists (1.6 avg.) Turiaf— appeared in 3 games, played 25 minutes (8.3 avg.), scored 11 points (3.7 avg.) and had 7 rebounds (2.3 avg.) Vujacic — appeared in 7 games, played 129 minutes (18.4 avg.), scored 42 points (6.0 avg.), had 17 rebounds (2.4 avg.) and 6 assists (0.9 avg.) Walton — appeared in 7 games, played 235 minutes (33.6 avg.), scored 85 points (12.1 avg.), had 45 rebounds (6.4 avg.) and 12 assists (1.7 avg.)

2006-07 Head Coach: Phil Jackson Assistant Coaches: Jim Cleamons, Frank Hamblen Regular Season Record: 42–40 2nd place in the NBA Pacific Division (finished 19 games out of first place) Scored 103.3 points per game to rank 5th out of 30 teams Allowed 103.4 points per game to rank 25th

Review The Lakers climb back into contention for an NBA title hit a snag during this season. The team had to start the year off with superstar Kobe Bryant recuperating from off-season knee surgery. In addition to Bryant’s lost time, as a whole, the Lakers suffered through a total of 228 man-games lost because of various injuries throughout the year. In this season that saw much turmoil, Phil Jackson endured the first six-game losing streak of his coaching career in February. The Lakers then won three straight before giving Jackson another unwanted present, which was a seven-game losing streak at the beginning of March. The Lakers managed to pull things together down the stretch to make the playoffs, but this was by far a very un–Phil Jackson–like season, and changes loomed on the horizon to get the team back on a championship level.

Gone from the Previous Season Devean George — became a free agent and signed with Dallas on August 1, 2006 Devin Green — waived by the Lakers on October 30, 2006 Jim Jackson — retired Stanislav Medvedenko — waived by the Lakers on March 6, 2006 Laron Profit — waived by the Lakers on January 17, 2006 Von Wafer — waived by the Lakers on October 26, 2006

Regular Season Individual Statistics 54 — Kwame Brown — Forward — 6-11, 270 lbs., appeared in 41 games, played 1,132 minutes (27.6 avg.), made 143 of 242 field goal attempts (.591%), 59 of 134 free throws (.440%) for 345 points (8.4 avg.), had 244 rebounds (6.0 avg.) and 75 assists (1.8 avg.) 24 — Kobe Bryant — Guard — 6-6, 200 lbs., appeared in 77 games, played 3,140 minutes (40.8 avg.), made 813 of 1,757 field goal attempts (.463%) and 667 of 768 free throws (.868%) for 2,430 points (31.6 avg.), had 439 rebounds (5.7 avg.) and 413 assists (5.4 avg.)

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17 — Andrew Bynum — Center — 7-0, 285 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 1,793 minutes (21.9 avg.), made 247 of 443 field goal attempts (.558%) and 143 of 214 free throws (.668%) for 637 points (7.8 avg.), had 484 rebounds (5.9 avg.) and 94 assists (1.1 avg.) 43 — Brian Cook — Forward — 6-9, 234 lbs., appeared in 65 games, played 1,018 minutes (15.7 avg.), made 185 of 408 field goal attempts (.453%) and 34 of 47 free throws (.723%) for 4450 points (6.9 avg.), had 215 rebounds (3.3 avg.) and 65 assists (1.0 avg.) 6 — Maurice Evans — Guard — 6-5, 220 lbs., appeared in 76 games, played 1,732 minutes (22.8 avg.), made 234 of 542 field goal attempts (.432%) and 122 of 155 free throws (.787%) for 638 points (8.4 avg.), had 221 rebounds (2.9 avg.) and 74 assists (1.0 avg.) 5 — Jordan Farmar — Guard — 6-2, 180 lbs., appeared in 72 games, played 1,090 minutes (15.1 avg.), made 124 of 294 field goal attempts (.422%) and 27 of 38 free throws (.711%) for 320 points (4.4 avg.), had 119 rebounds (1.7 avg.) and 137 assists (1.9 avg.) 2—Aaron McKie—Guard—6-5, 209 lbs., appeared in 10 games, played 131 minutes (13.1 avg.), made 11 of 17 field goal attempts (.647%) for 22 points (2.2 avg.), had 18 rebounds (1.8 avg.) and 13 assists (1.3 avg.) 7 — Lamar Odom — Forward — 6-10, 220 lbs., appeared in 56 games, played 2,202 minutes (39.3 avg.), made 319 of 681 field goal attempts (.468%) and 198 of 283 free throws (.700%) for 890 points (15.9 avg.), had 547 rebounds (9.8 avg.) and 270 assists (4.8 avg.) 1— Smush Parker — Guard — 6-4, 190 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,457 minutes (30.0 avg.), made 342 of 785 field goal attempts (.436%) and 113 of 175 free throws (.646%) for 907 points (11.1 avg.), had 206 rebounds (2.5 avg.) and 228 assists (2.8 avg.) 10— Vladimir Radmanovic — Forward — 6-10, 227 lbs., appeared in 55 games, played 986 minutes (17.9 avg.), made 134 of 316 field goal attempts (.424%) and 53 of 73 free throws (.726%) for 361 points (6.6 avg.), had 180 rebounds (3.3 avg.) and 66 assists (1.2 avg.) 21— Ronny Turiaf— Forward — 6-10, 249 lbs., appeared in 72 games, played 1,087 minutes (15.1 avg.), made 147 of 268 field goal attempts (.549%) and 89 of 134 free throws (.664%) for 383 points (5.3 avg.), had 259 rebounds (3.6 avg.) and 63 assists (0.9 avg.) 18—Sasha Vujacic—Guard—6-7, 193 lbs., appeared in 73 games, played 935 minutes (12.8 avg.), made 105 of 268 field goal attempts (.392%) and 43 of 49 free throws (.878%) for 313 points (4.3 avg.), had 107 rebounds (1.5 avg.) and 64 assists (0.9 avg.) 4 — Luke Walton — Forward — 6-8, 235 lbs., appeared in 60 games, played 1,982 minutes (33.0 avg.), made 264 of 557 field goal attempts (.474%) and 108 of 145 free throws (.745%) for 684 points (11.4 avg.), had 302 rebounds (5.0 avg.) and 257 assists (4.3 avg.) 3—Shammond Williams—Guard—6-1, 201 lbs., appeared in 30 games, played 345 minutes (11.5 avg.), made 35 of 86 field goal attempts (.407%) and 4 of 6 free throws (.667%) for 94 points (3.1 avg.), had 40 rebounds (1.3 avg.) and 31 assists (1.0 avg.)

League Leaders Kobe Bryant—minutes played (2nd), minutes per game (4th), field goals made (1st), field goal attempts (1st), free throws made (1st), free throw attempts (1st), points scored (1st), points per game (1st)

All-NBA Kobe Bryant —1st team selection

All-Defensive Team Kobe Bryant —1st team selection

All-Star Game Selections Kobe Bryant

2006-07

Regular Season Highlights Nov. 17 — At 19 years and 11 days, Andrew Bynum became the youngest player in team history to produce a double-double. In a 107–100 victory over Toronto, Bynum got his milestone with 20 points and 14 rebounds. Nov. 30— Kobe Bryant scores 52 points in a 132–102 win against Utah. Dec. 15 — Kobe Bryant scores 53 points in a 112–101 double-overtime win against Houston. He then duplicates the feat against the same Houston Rockets on March 30, in which the Lakers loss in overtime, 107–104. Dec. 29 — In a game that took three overtime periods to decide a winner, Kobe Bryant scores 58 points against Charlotte. The Bobcats defeated the Lakers in the lengthy contest by a final score of 133–124. Jan. 7 — Phil Jackson wins his 900th career game. He achieved this milestone in 1,264 games to become the fastest in history to reach that plateau. Jackson’s milestone came in a 101– 98 win over the Dallas Mavericks, and it ended their 13-game winning streak in the process. Jan. 31— In a 111–98 victory over intense rival Boston, Kobe Bryant finishes with 43 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists. March 16—In a 116–111 overtime win against Portland, Kobe Bryant scores 65 points. March 18 — Kobe Bryant scores 50 points in a 109–102 win over Minnesota. He duplicates that number of points three more times over the next month against NO/Oklahoma City (March 23), Los Angeles Clippers (April 12), and Seattle (April 15) March 22 — Kobe Bryant scores 60 points in a 121–119 victory against Memphis.

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND VERSUS PHOENIX 1. April 22 at Phoenix: In a rematch from the previous postseason, the Lakers attempted to even the score with the Phoenix Suns. The Suns had other ideas, and extended their playoff win streak against the Lakers to four by a 95–87 final count. In the first half, the Lakers looked like world-beaters, as everything clicked in their arsenal. Kobe Bryant looked like he could not miss a shot, the defense did an excellent job holding Phoenix down, and the Lakers took a 48–39 lead at the end of the first half. The Lakers moved ahead by 12 points with just over two minutes expired in the third quarter, and then Phoenix came alive. The Suns found a way to break through the LA defense, and scored 35 points in the third period to close to within three points of the lead going in to the fourth quarter. Phoenix then scored 21 points to only 10 for the Lakers in the final 12 minutes. Bryant finished with 39 points, and Lamar Odom had 17 points and 16 rebounds, while Leandro Barbosa led the Suns with 26 points.1 2. April 24 at Phoenix: Things went from bad to worse for the Lakers, as the Suns played almost flawless basketball in a 126– 98 rout. Going into the third quarter, the Suns basically had the game wrapped up with a 68–47 advantage, which were the most

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points allowed by the Lakers in one half throughout the 200607 season. Leandro Barbosa led the Suns with 26 points, and Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 15 points.2 3. April 26 at Los Angeles: In the first two minutes of this game, the Lakers were already in an 11–0 hole, and by the end of the first quarter, were down, 31–17. They then refused to give in to defeat, and battled their way to claim a 95–89 victory. They began their comeback in the second quarter, and outscored Phoenix, 31–20, to close the deficit to 51–48 at the half. The game stayed very close until the final two minutes. With the game tied at 89–89, the Lakers got two points from Lamar Odom and four from Kobe Bryant while preventing the Suns from scoring any. After the previous game in which he tried to get his teammates more involved in the scoring, Bryant took charge and led all scorers with 45 points. Lamar Odom chipped in with 18 points and 16 rebounds, and Kwame Brown had 19 points.3 4. April 29 at Los Angeles: The Lakers found themselves in a deep hole after a 113–100 Phoenix victory. They were down three games to one in the series, and not as healthy as the Suns. Some of the Lakers had nagging injuries, while the Suns appeared fresh. The Lakers seemed to lose their defensive magic that they had in the previous game, and Phoenix took advantage of that by scoring no less than 25 points in any of the four quarters. Amar’e Stoudemire led the Suns with 27 points, and Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 31 points.4 5. May 2 at Phoenix: One year earlier, the Suns rallied back from a 3–1 series deficit to beat the Lakers. Los Angeles had an opportunity to do the same to the Suns, but it was not to be. Phoenix got out to a comfortable 64–52 halftime lead en route to a 119–110 victory, but the Lakers did not go down without a fight. They rallied back to close within two points with 1:30 left in the third quarter. However, that was as far as they got to overtaking the Suns, but did give it a yeoman’s effort until the end. Kobe Bryant had 34 points, and Lamar Odom 33. To add insult to injury, the Lakers tied a team playoff low with only seven assists.5

Individual Playoff Statistics Brown — appeared in 5 games, played 133 minutes (26.6 avg.), scored 43 points (8.6 avg.), had 28 rebounds (5.6 avg.) and 1 assist (0.2 avg.) Bryant — appeared in 5 games, played 215 minutes (43.0 avg.), scored 164 points (32.8 avg.), had 26 rebounds (5.2 avg.) and 22 assists (4.4 avg.) Bynum — appeared in 5 games, played 55 minutes (11.0 avg.), scored 20 points (4.0 avg.) and had 23 rebounds (4.6 avg.) Cook — appeared in 5 games, played 51 minutes (10.2 avg.), scored 18 points (3.6 avg.) and had 6 rebounds (1.2 avg.) Evans — appeared in 5 games, played 82 minutes (16.4 avg.), scored 25 points (5.0 avg.), had 8 rebounds (1.6 avg.) and 3 assists (0.6 avg.) Farmer — appeared in 5 games, played 114 minutes (22.8 avg.), scored 32 points (6.4 avg.), had 14 rebounds (2.8 avg.) and 8 assists (1.6 avg.) Odom — appeared in 5 games, played 192 minutes (38.4 avg.), scored 97 points (19.4 avg.), had 65 rebounds (13.0 avg.) and 11 assists (2.2 avg.) Parker — appeared in 5 games, played 59 minutes (11.8 avg.), scored 9 points (1.8 avg.), had 7 rebounds (1.4 avg.) and 3 assists (0.6 avg.) Turiaf— appeared in 4 games, played 48 minutes (12.0 avg.), scored 17 points (4.3 avg.), had 12 rebounds (3.0 avg.) and 1 assist (0.3 avg.) Vujacic — appeared in 4 games, played 43 minutes (10.8 avg.), scored 11 points (2.8 avg.), had 4 rebounds (1.0 avg.) and 3 assists (0.8 avg.)

ONE : THE SEASONS Walton — appeared in 5 games, played 128 minutes (25.6 avg.), scored 36 points (7.2 avg.), had 21 rebounds (4.2 avg.) and 13 assists (2.6 avg.) Williams — appeared in 4 games, played 80 minutes (20.0 avg.), scored 18 points (4.5 avg.), had 3 rebounds (0.8 avg.) and 7 assists (1.8 avg.)

2007-08 Head Coach: Phil Jackson Assistant Coaches: Jim Cleamons, Frank Hamblen Regular Season Record: 57–25 1st in the NBA Pacific Division (finished in first place by two games) Scored 108.6 points per game to rank 4th out of 30 teams Allowed 101.3 points per game to rank 19th Led the league in defensive rebounds (2,722)

Review Kobe Bryant expressed a desire to be traded due to the team’s lack of recent success. His request never took place, and he came into the season with a renewed commitment to be a team player. With Kobe more focused, the Lakers got out to a 19–11 start, and were in a race with Phoenix for the top spot in the division. After reaching an impressive 25–11 record, Andrew Bynum suffered a season-ending knee injury. The Lakers then lost five of their next eight games without Bynum’s services, and the team looked to bolster its lineup and make a run at the title. They traded Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, and the draft rights to Marc Gasol, and two first round draft picks, for Memphis’ Pau Gasol. The move improved the team quickly, as Gasol meshed very well with Kobe Bryant. As a result, the Lakers ended the season on a hot streak, winning 22 of their remaining 27 games.

Gone from the Previous Season Kwame Brown — traded to Memphis on February 1, 2008 Brian Cook — traded to Orlando on November 20, 2007 Javaris Crittenton — traded to Memphis on February 1, 2008 Maurice Evans — traded to Orlando on November 20, 2007 Aaron McKie — traded to Memphis on February 1, 2008 William “Smush” Parker — became a free agent and signed with Miami on July 26, 2007 Ronny Turiaf— became a free agent and signed with Golden State on July 9, 2008 Shammond Williams — after one-year contract expired he went to play in Europe

Regular Season Individual Statistics 3 — Trevor Ariza — Forward — 6-8, 200 lbs., appeared in 24 games, played 431 minutes (18.0 avg.), made 55 of 105 field goal attempts (.524%) and 41 of 60 free throws (.683%) for 156 points (6.5 avg.), had 84 rebounds (3.5 avg.) and 36 assists (1.5 avg.) 54 — Kwame Brown — Forward — 6-11, 270 lbs., appeared in 23 games, played 509 minutes (22.1 avg.), made 53 of 103 field goal attempts (.515%) and 26 of 64 free throws (.406%) for 132 points (5.7 avg.), had 131 rebounds (5.7 avg.) and 28 assists (1.2 avg.) 24—Kobe Bryant—Guard—6-6, 200 lbs., appeared I 82 games, played 3,192 minutes (38.9 avg.), made 775 of 1,690 field goal attempts

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(.459%) and 623 of 742 free throws (.840%) for 2,323 points (28.3 avg.), had 517 rebounds (6.3 avg.) and 441 assists (5.4 avg.) 17 — Andrew Bynum — Center — 7-0, 285 lbs., appeared in 35 games, played 1,008 minutes (28.8 avg.), made 189 of 297 field goal attempts (.636%) and 82 of 118 free throws (.695%) for 460 points (13.1 avg.), had 356 rebounds (10.2 avg.) and 61 assists (1.7 avg.) 43—Brian Cook—Forward—6-9, 234 lbs., appeared in 6 games, played 70 minutes (11.7 avg.), made 4 of 21 field goal attempts (.190%) and 4 of 4 free throws (1.000%) for 14 points (2.3 avg.), had 10 rebounds (1.7 avg.) and 3 assists (0.5 avg.) 1— Javaris Crittenton — Guard — 6-5, 200 lbs., appeared in 22 games, played 171 minutes (7.8 avg.), made 26 of 53 field goal attempts (.491%) and 19 of 28 free throws (.679%) for 72 points (3.3 avg.), had 21 rebounds (1.0 avg.) and 18 assists (0.8 avg.) 6—Maurice Evans—Guard—6-5, 220 lbs., appeared in 7 games, played 96 minutes (13.7 avg.), made 9 of 28 field goal attempts (.321%) and 12 of 15 free throws (.800%) for 31 points (4.4 avg.), had 9 rebounds (1.3 avg.) and 12 assists (1.7 avg.) 5 — Jordan Farmar — Guard — 6-2, 180 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 1,690 minutes (20.6 avg.), made 291 of 631 field goal attempts (.461%) and 53 of 78 free throws (.679%) for 749 points (9.1 avg.), had 183 rebounds (2.2 avg.) and 225 assists (2.7 avg.) 2 — Derek Fisher — Guard — 6-1, 200 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,249 minutes (27.4 avg.), made 339 of 777 field goal attempts (.436%) and 166 of 188 free throws (.883%) for 956 points (11.7 avg.), had 170 rebounds (2.1 avg.) and 239 assists (2.9 avg.) 16—Pau Gasol—Forward/Center—7-0, 227 lbs., appeared in 27 games, played 918 minutes (34.0 avg.), made 196 of 333 field goal attempts (.589%) and 116 of 147 free throws (.789%) for 508 points (18.8 avg.), had 211 rebounds (7.8 avg.) and 95 assists (3.5 avg.) 28 — Didier Ilunga-Mbenga — Center — 7-0, 245 lbs., appeared in 26 games, played 196 minutes (7.5 avg.), made 30 of 61 field goal attempts (.492%) and 4 of 10 free throws (.400%) for 64 points (2.5 avg.), had 41 rebounds (1.6 avg.) and 6 assists (0.2 avg.) 11— Coby Karl — Guard — 6-5, 215 lbs., appeared in 17 games, played 71 minutes (4.2 avg.), made 9 of 26 field goals (.346%) and 8 of 10 free throws (.800%) for 30 points (1.8 avg.), had 14 rebounds (0.8 avg.) and 9 assists (0.5 avg.) 31—Chris Mihm—Center—7-0, 265 lbs., appeared in 23 games, played 278 minutes (12.1 avg.), made 32 of 95 field goal attempts (.337%) and 18 of 27 free throws (.667%) for 82 points (3.6 avg.), had 77 rebounds (3.3 avg.) and 13 assists (0.6 avg.) 14 — Ira Newble — Forward — 6-7, 220 lbs., appeared in 6 games, played 31 minutes (5.2 avg.), made 3 of 9 field goal attempts (.333%) for 7 points (1.2 avg.), had 11 rebounds (1.8 avg.) and 3 assists (0.5 avg.) 7 — Lamar Odom — Forward — 6-10, 220 lbs., appeared in 77 games, played 2,921 minutes (37.9 avg.), made 417 of 795 field goal attempts (.525 5) and 229 of 328 free throws (.698%) for 1,094 points (14.2 avg.), had 819 rebounds (10.6 avg.) and 273 assists (3.5 avg.) 10— Vladimir Radmanovic — Forward — 6-10, 227 lbs., appeared in 65 games, played 1,483 minutes (228 avg.), made 198 of 437 field goal attempts (.453%) and 52 of 65 free throws (.800%) for 543 points (8.4 avg.), had 215 rebounds (3.3 avg.) and 123 assists (1.9 avg.) 21— Ronny Turiaf— Forward — 6-10, 249 lbs., appeared in 78 games, played 1,458 minutes (18.7 avg.), made 188 of 397 field goal attempts (.474%) and 140 of 186 free throws (.753%) for 516 points (6.6 avg.), had 306 rebounds (3.9 avg.) and 128 assists (1.6 avg.) 18—Sasha Vujacic—Guard—6-7, 193 lbs., appeared in 72 games, played 1,279 minutes (17.8 avg.), made 219 of 482 field goal attempts (.454%) and 76 of 91 free throws (.835%) for 632 points (8.8 avg.), had 154 rebounds (2.1 avg.) and 72 assists (1.0 avg.) 4 — Luke Walton — Forward — 6-8, 235 lbs., appeared in 74 games, played 1,729 minutes (23.4 avg.), made 215 of 478 field goal attempts (.450%) and 77 of 109 free throws (.706%) for 535 points (7.2 avg.), had 291 rebounds (3.9 avg.) and 218 assists (2.9 avg.)

2007-08

League Leaders Kobe Bryant —field goals made (2nd), field goal attempts (1st), free throws made (2nd), free throw attempts (4th), points scored (1st), points per game (2nd), had 151 steals during the season (5th)

All-NBA Kobe Bryant —1st team selection

All-Defensive Team Kobe Bryant —1st team selection

All-Star Game Selections Kobe Bryant

NBA Most Valuable Player of the Year Award Kobe Bryant

Regular Season Highlights Jan. 17 — Lamar Odom hauls in 13 offensive rebounds in a 106–98 loss to Phoenix. March 2 — In a 108–104 overtime victory against Dallas, Kobe Bryant scores 52 points. March 28 — Kobe Bryant scores 53 points in a 114–111 loss to Memphis.

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND VERSUS DENVER 1. April 20 at Los Angeles: The Lakers hoped to redeem themselves following early exits from the postseason over the previous two seasons. They took a big step toward that goal by opening the postseason with a 128–114 victory. With Denver concentrating on stopping Kobe Bryant, it allowed Pau Gasol the opportunity to take center stage. Gasol scored a game-high 36 points, grabbed 16 rebounds, and handed out eight assists. Denver’s plan to stop Bryant only worked temporarily, as he was held to four points in the first half. He rolled in the second half, scoring 28 of the Lakers 70 points. The Nuggets only trailed by two points at the half, but then Los Angeles exploded for 39 points in the third quarter while holding Denver to 22, to take a commanding 97–78 lead in to the final 12 minutes. An 11–2 run by Denver closed the Lakers’ advantage to 101–91 with just over eight minutes left in the fourth quarter. Bryant then took over by scoring 18 points in eight minutes to preserve the win. Lamar Odom also had a solid game for Los Angeles, with 17 points, 14 rebounds, six assists, and two steals.1 2. April 23 at Los Angeles: This game started off wildly as Kobe Bryant was on fire right from the opening tipoff, hitting on

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eight of 10 shot attempts in the first quarter. His 20 points in the opening stanza helped Los Angeles erase a six-point deficit and go on to lead, 33–32, at the end of the first quarter. The Lakers then seized control of the game in the second quarter, outscoring the Nuggets, 26–17, to take a 59–49 lead at the half. Both teams finished with 30 points in the third quarter, but the Lakers outscored Denver by five in the final period to win, 122–107. Bryant finished with a game-high 49 points, had 10 assists, four rebounds, one steal, and one blocked shot. Pau Gasol scored 18 points and had 10 rebounds. Luke Walton also added 18 points to his day’s work.2 3. April 26 at Denver: The Lakers were definitely on a mission to advance in the playoffs for the first time in four years. They took a giant step by beating Denver, 102–84, to take a commanding 3–0 series lead. Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 22 points, and four other Lakers scored in double figures. Luke Walton had 15 points, Pau Gasol and Derek Fisher 14 apiece, and Lamar Odom chipped in with 12. The Lakers also played excellent defense, holding Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson, the league’s third and fourth leading scorers, to a total of 31 points between them. The Lakers held a 56–46 halftime lead, and then built it up to a 22-point advantage going in to the fourth quarter after outscoring the Nuggets, 30–18, in the third quarter.3 4. April 28 at Denver: For the first time in four years, the Lakers won a playoff series. They achieved this in fine fashion, with a series sweep thanks to a 107–101 victory in the Mile High City. The Lakers had a 10-point halftime lead cut to two at the start of the final quarter after only scoring 15 in the third period. With just over two and a half minutes left in the fourth quarter, Denver was closing in, but a Kobe Bryant assist to Luke Walton resulted in a three-pointer that gave LA a 100–96 advantage. Bryant led all scorers with 31 points, Pau Gasol added 21, and Lamar Odom once again came through with a solid performance that consisted of 14 points and 12 rebounds.4

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS VERSUS UTAH 1. May 4 at Los Angeles: The Lakers continued on their march through the early stages of the postseason by recording their fifth straight win by a 109–98 final count. The Lakers wasted little time taking control of the game. They took the lead in the opening quarter and never relinquished it. The Jazz did mount a rally in the second half after the Lakers had built a 19-point bulge by the third quarter. A 15–3 run allowed the Jazz to close in. With 2:39 left in the game, they were within striking distance with a deficit of only five points. Los Angeles then made up some ground in a mere 68 seconds when Pau Gasol sank three baskets, and Kobe Bryant hit a free throw. Bryant finished with a game-high 38 points, and set a new team record in the process. He hit on 21 of his points from the foul line, and in doing so, moved one up on Magic Johnson and Jerry West in the record books.5 2. May 7 at Los Angeles: Kobe Bryant received his NBA Most Valuable Player award in a ceremony prior to tipoff. He then went out and lived up to the award by hitting for a gamehigh 34 points in a 120–110 win. With the Lakers down by a point in the opening quarter, Bryant scored six points in a 13–0 run that put Los Angeles on top for the rest of the game. They led by 14 at the half, and were only remotely threatened when the Jazz

ONE : THE SEASONS closed to within 99–94 halfway through the fourth period. Sasha Vujacic then hit a 21-foot jumper, and Derek Fisher nailed a threepointer to once again boost the LA advantage to double figures. Fisher finished with 22 points, Pau Gasol 20, and Lamar Odom scored 19 points and secured 16 rebounds for the Lakers.6 3. May 9 at Utah: The series shifted to Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City, where the Jazz posted a league-best 37– 4 home record. They lived up to their home court dominance by beating the Lakers for the first time in the playoffs, 104–99, behind a 27-point performance by Carlos Boozer. Kobe Bryant was his usual fantastic self with a game-high 34 points, but as a team, the Lakers committed 18 turnovers and made just 27 percent of their three-point shots.7 4. May 11 at Utah: The Jazz continued their home court magic, this time winning in overtime, 123–115, to tie the series at 2–2. Deron Williams led the Jazz with 29 points and 14 assists. Kobe Bryant, despite having painful back spasms suffered early in the game, still managed to record a game-high 33 points and dish out 10 assists. The Lakers’ bench players, who were some of the best in the game, produced very little, which hurt the team in the end. They only hit on 14 of 25 free throws, and were dominated, 39–16, in the scoring column by Utah’s bench performers. The game was deadlocked, 108–108, at the end of regulation, and then Utah doubled the Lakers point production in the overtime period to walk away as winners.8 5. May 14 at Los Angeles: Throughout this series, the home team walked off the court as victors, and this game proved no exception. An unlikely hero emerged for the Lakers early in the form of Vlade Radmanovic. In this series, he averaged 5.5 points per game, but in the opening quarter, he exploded for 10 of his 15 points to help the Lakers take a 25–16 lead. The Lakers never fell behind in this one, even though the Jazz tied it up on four occasions, and LA finished with a 111–104 win to take a 3–2 series lead. Even though Kobe Bryant was still suffering the effects of back pain, he scored 26 points, grabbed six rebounds, and handed out seven assists. Lamar Odom finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Pau Gasol, after starting off with no points going into the second quarter, found his mark and produced 21 points.9 6. May 16 at Utah: Energy Solutions Arena was supposed to be a safe haven for the Jazz, but the Lakers wanted to return to Los Angeles not having to play a deciding seventh game. They then went out in one of the toughest places for a road team in play in, and clinched the series with a 108–105 victory. The Lakers took a 62–43 lead into the second half, but the Jazz fought their way back by outscoring the Lakers, 35–22, in the fourth quarter. Kobe Bryant saved the day for LA by hitting on 12 of his gamehigh 34 points in the final five minutes of the game to keep the Utah behind. The Jazz had closed to within three with only seconds remaining, but a long-range attempt by Kyle Korver never had a chance to take flight, as the buzzer sounded to send the Jazz home for the season. Pau Gasol turned in a solid performance with 17 points, 13 rebounds, two assists, and four blocked shots.10

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS VERSUS SAN ANTONIO 1. May 21 at Los Angeles: The Spurs came into this series one step away from returning to the NBA Finals in an attempt

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to defend their league crown. It appeared that San Antonio was on the right track toward that goal. Halfway through the third quarter, the Spurs held a 20-point advantage, and the Staples Center throng must have contemplated heading for the exits. San Antonio’s surge to their commanding bulge started with the game tied at 33–33. They then began pulling away, building a 51–43 lead at the half. The Spurs increased their advantage to 65–45 after the Lakers hit a major cold spell, as they were only able to score two points in the first six minutes of the second half. It was then that anyone thinking about leaving the Staples Center stayed in their seats. Kobe Bryant scored nine points, and Pau Gasol eight, during a 20–7 run that cut the deficit to 72–65 going in to the fourth quarter. The Spurs then came completely unglued. They only hit on three of 21 shot attempts, and put a mere 13 points on the board. Los Angeles took advantage of their opponent’s misfortunes and prevailed, 89–85. Lamar Odom deadlocked the game at 81–81 with 3:17 remaining, and Bryant hit a free throw 35 seconds later to put the Lakers in the lead for the first time. Tim Duncan tied it at 85–85 with 41 seconds to go, and a nine-foot jump shot by Bryant with 23 ticks left on the clock returned the lead to the Lakers. Bryant finished with 27 points to lead the Lakers, and Tim Duncan, despite the loss, produced a tremendous game that saw him score 30 points and pull down 18 rebounds.11 2. May 23 at Los Angeles: The Spurs collapse in the final quarter of Game One carried over two days later. The Lakers seized the opportunity to pounce on the defending champions, and came away with a 101–71 blowout victory. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 22 points in only 36 minutes. Lamar Odom finished with a solid 20-point, 12-rebound performance, and the Lakers were now halfway to their first NBA Finals berth in four years. Los Angeles never fell behind in this one, but Tim Duncan tied it up at 37–37 with slightly over two minutes remaining in the first half. The Lakers then went on a 9–0 run to close out the half. Bryant came out on fire in the third quarter, hitting for seven points in the opening two minutes, and the Lakers up by as many as 16 points. The Lakers then finished out the final 12 minutes by outscoring the Spurs, 27–14, to record the lopsided victory.12 3. May 25 at San Antonio: Only 14 teams out of 222 throughout NBA history have rallied to win a series after being down 2–0 up to this game. The Spurs knew the odds were stacked against them, but they were still the champions, and did not want to give their reign up without a fight. Back in the friendly confines of the AT&T Center, the Spurs overcame a 24–21 first quarter deficit to win convincingly, 103–84, behind a 30-point performance from Manu Ginobili. Ginobili scored 14 of his points in the second quarter, and San Antonio put 28 points on the board while holding the Lakers to only 15, and built a 49–39 lead going into the second half. With an eight-point advantage gong into the fourth quarter, the Spurs then virtually put the game away with a 12–4 run. Kobe Bryant shared game-high by scoring 30 points.13 4. May 27 at San Antonio: The Lakers looked to hold off the Spurs from getting back into this series. They achieved that with a narrow 93–91 victory that saw them never give up the lead for the fourth time in their previous six games. Los Angeles got out to a 14-point lead in the first quarter, but the Spurs fought their way back at the foul line, where they were perfect, hitting on 17 of 17 free throw attempts. With 2:10 left in the half, San

2007-08 Antonio tied the game at 45–45. Kobe Bryant then did whatever was needed to make some distance between the teams. He hit a jumper, dunked off the fast break, or passed to a fellow Laker, and Los Angeles went into the second half with a 53–47 lead. However, the Spurs kept coming back, and tied the game three times in the third period. The Lakers managed to once again hold the Spurs at bay, and took a 77–70 advantage into the final 12 minutes. It appeared that the Lakers had the game all but wrapped up with a mere 56 seconds left and sporting a 93–86 lead. Manu Ginobili sank a three-pointer, and Lamar Odom was called for goaltending to make the game a little tighter with 28 seconds left. With 2.1 seconds left, the Spurs tried for the win, but a threepoint attempt by Brent Barry missed its mark, and the Lakers were now up in the series three games to one. Bryant led the Lakers with 28 points and 10 rebounds, and Pau Gasol finished with a double-double of 10 points and just as many rebounds. Tim Duncan once again showed the world why he was one of the league’s premier performers by taking game-high scoring honors with 30 points, and added 17 rebounds to his statistics.14 5. May 29 at Los Angeles: The Lakers decided that the Spurs would not be the 23rd team in NBA history to rally from a 2–0 deficit by clinching this series with a 100–92 victory. The Spurs did come out giving a valiant effort to ward off elimination. They led, 28–15, at the end of the first quarter, after the Lakers shot a meager 29.2 percent on seven of 24 attempts. Facing a 33–16 deficit, the Lakers woke up thanks to three baskets from Jordan Farmar. An 11–2 run near the end of the first half allowed the Lakers to close San Antonio’s advantage to 48–42 going into the third quarter. The Spurs got the lead back up to 10, but then the Lakers cranked up the defensive pressure, and went off on a 19– 8 run led by nine points from Kobe Bryant that gave LA their first lead since the early stages of the opening quarter. With two minutes expired in the fourth period, Tim Duncan gave the Spurs a 68–67 lead, which as the last time San Antonio would enjoy being on top for the season. Luke Walton put the Lakers in the lead for good with a three-pointer. Bryant then kicked his game up even higher if that was all possible. In the closing three and a half minutes, Bryant scored 10 of his game-high 39 points to keep the Spurs at a distance down the stretch. Paul Gasol was dominant in the battle for control of the boards, as he pulled down 19 rebounds in addition to his 12 points, five assists, and four blocked shots. Tony Parker led the Spurs with 23 points, but the big story for San Antonio was Tim Duncan’s triple-double, consisting of 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists.15

NBA FINALS VERSUS BOSTON 1. June 5 at Boston: Twenty-one years passed since the Lakers and Boston Celtics faced each other for the championship. Gone were the days of the storied matchups between Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain, or Magic Johnson against Larry Bird. Replacing these legendary hardwood figures was a new class of future Hall of Famers in the likes of Boston’s Paul Pierce and Kobe Bryant, who hoped to add to the lineage of this classic sports rivalry. Right from the opening tipoff, this intense clash of longtime rivals seemed to follow the same manner of all the others, which would have made all those who donned the colors of these elite organizations beam with pride. This 11th edition of the

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Boston–Los Angeles NBA Finals matchup started with players from both sides battling for loose balls and going after anyone attempting a shot not wearing the same jersey. The Celtics managed to gain a slight edge when Ray Allen nailed a three-pointer to give Boston a 19–14 lead. The Lakers were not to be outdone, and they came back to close the gap to 23–21 at the end of the first quarter. The Lakers got off a 14–6 run in the second quarter, and outscored the Celtics 30–23, which helped them take a 51– 46 lead into the locker room at halftime. Drama unfolded with 6:49 left in the third quarter when Paul Pierce drove into the lane and fellow Celtic Kendrick Perkins barreled into him from behind. Pierce crashed to the court in severe pain and was carted off to the locker room in a wheelchair after two teammates carried him off the floor. The collective hearts of Celtic Nation all gasped at what happened to their leader. However, almost two minutes later, Pierce came back onto the court with his knee wrapped. His injury was ruled a strained knee and that he could return to the game, with his teammates and 18,000 Boston faithful cheering him on, Pierce nailed two three-pointers in 22 seconds to help the Celtics gain a 77–73 advantage at the end of the third quarter. Boston expanded their lead to eight points in the early going of the fourth quarter, but the Lakers cut the deficit to four when Sasha Vujacic and Derek Fisher scored. Once again, Pierce sparked the Celtics, this time by hitting on a jump shot and a pair of free throws to up the Boston advantage to 90–82. Kevin Garnett then sealed the victory a short time later by slamming in a wicked dunk, and the Celtics took the first game by a score of 98–88. Garnett tied Kobe Bryant for game-high scoring honors with 24 points, and also hauled in 13 rebounds. Pierce added 22 points and the other member of Boston’s “Big Three,” Ray Allen, chipped in with 19 points.16 2. June 8 at Boston: The Lakers looked to even the series up before going home to LA, and ended the first 12 minutes with a 22–20 lead. Los Angeles had a reputation for having a strong bench, but in this game, the reserves were struggling, and Boston jumped at the opportunity to make some distance between themselves and the Lakers. They went on a 10–0 run at the beginning of the second quarter, but the Lakers, despite not playing up to their usual selves, still managed to hang tough, and only trailed, 41–37. It was then that the Celtics got off on another run, this time outscoring the Lakers 13–5 to take a 54–42 lead into the second half. That burst was helped along by three-pointers from Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. The Celtics kept the momentum going in the third quarter, and with a 15–2 run, Boston extended their lead to 83–61 going into the fourth quarter. The Lakers were down 95–71 with eight minutes left to play, and then erupted on a 31–9 run that closed the gap to 104–102 with 38.4 seconds left. Kobe Bryant led the assault by scoring 13 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter. Pierce then came through by sinking a pair of free throws, and then he blocked a three-point attempt from Sasha Vujacic. James Posey then hit on two free throws with 12.6 seconds left to secure a 108–102 Boston victory. The Lakers definitely put a major scare in the Celtics, and just simply ran out of time. Bryant’s 30 points were a game-high, and Boston’s “Big Three” accounted for 62 points, with Paul Pierce leading the way with 28, and Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen both finishing with 17 apiece. Reserve Leon Powe turned in a great performance that produced 21 points in 15 minutes on the court.17

ONE : THE SEASONS 3. June 10 at Los Angeles: The Celtics came out to Los Angeles with history on their side. They were a spotless 7–0 when leading in NBA Finals’ competition two games to none, and the Lakers had never been able to win in the NBA Finals after being down 2–0. Either the Celtics were going to remain perfect, or the Lakers would add a new chapter to their illustrious heritage. Los Angeles made their first move in changing what happened to them in the past by winning, 87–81. The Lakers carried their momentum from the final eight minutes of Game Two into this matchup, with Kobe Bryant’s game-high 36 points leading the way. This game was close throughout the first three periods, with the Celtics leading, 62–60, going into the final stanza. The Lakers went up by a 73–68 count, but the Celtics came back, and only trailed, 83–78, with 1:28 left. Bryant hit a 19-foot jump shot that gave the Lakers an 85–78 advantage before Eddie House made Lakers fans everywhere squeamish by connecting on a threepointer to close to within four. Bryant, like so many times in the past, came through in the end. After getting in to the lane, he connected on a shot with 38 seconds left to preserve the win.18 4. June 12 at Los Angeles: Coming into this game, the Lakers were 9–0 in the postseason, and winners of 15 straight in the Staples Center. The Celtics were not impressed by the karma omitting from the Staples Center, and ended both streaks with a 97–91 win that put them up 3–1 in the series. However, it did not look good for the Celtics from the opening tipoff through the end of the first half. The Lakers got out to an incredible 35–14 lead at the end of the first quarter. At one point in the first quarter, they were up 26–7, and well on their way to absolutely destroying the Celtics. By the end of the first half, the Lakers had a 58–40 advantage and it seemed that the game was pretty much over. Nobody informed the Celtics of this, and they set out to do what was felt to be an impossible feat. The Lakers were leading, 70– 50, midway through the third quarter, when Boston’s Rajon Rondo (sprained ankle) and Kendrick Perkins (strained shoulder) exited the game. Boston coach Doc Rivers inserted smaller but highly qualified shooters Eddie House and James Posey. The Celtics then began a tremendous comeback. A 21–3 run cut the deficit all the way down to 73–71 at the end of the third quarter, with Paul Pierce’s nine points leading the charge. The Lakers were outscored, 31–15, in the third quarter, and it was all downhill for them in the remaining 12 minutes. The Celtics first tied the game at 73–73 with 9:05 left in the game on a Leon Powe jump shot. Kobe Bryant tried in vain to stop the onslaught by scoring six points over a three minute span, but Eddie House came right back to land an 18-foot jumper to give Boston their first lead of the game at 84–83 with just over four minutes remaining. Los Angeles trailed the rest of the way, and in the end, the Celtics recorded the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history. Before Boston achieved this unthinkable rally, no team had ever come back from being down by 15 or more points in the first quarter. To do it against the Lakers only added to the lore that was already abundant in this classic NBA Finals rivalry. Paul Pierce led all scorers with 20 points, and Lamar Odom paced the shocked Lakers with 19 points and 10 rebounds.19 5. June 15 at Los Angeles: With their backs to the walls, and facing elimination, the Lakers once again jumped out to an early lead. However, this time they were in control when the final buzzer sounded to end a 103–98 Los Angeles win. Kobe Bryant

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started off strong by scoring 15 points in the first quarter to help the Lakers get out to a 39–22, but once again, the Celtics came back. Looking to end this series in five games, Boston outscored the Lakers, 30–16, in the second quarter to cut the deficit to 55– 52 by the end of the first half. After the Lakers got their lead up to 19 points in the second quarter, the Celtics went on a 15–0 run paced by 11 points from Paul Pierce. Lamar Odom was finally able to get points on the board for Los Angeles with a layup after the team went seven minutes without lighting up the scoreboard. With 8:26 left in the third quarter, Rajon Rondo sent a 19-foot jump shot through the rim to give the Celtics a 62–60 lead. This time the Lakers refused to crumble. Pau Gasol returned the lead back to the Lakers for good by first hitting a turnaround jumper, and then a three-pointer. Kobe Bryant’s 25 points paced the Lakers. Also turning in solid performances for Los Angeles were Lamar Odom (20 points, 11 rebounds, and four blocked shots) and Pau Gasol (19 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, and two blocked shots). Game-high honors went to Boston’s Paul Pierce, who appeared to be unstoppable on his way to scoring 38 points.20 6. June 17 at Boston: The Celtics returned home to Beantown, and then treated the Boston faithful with a resounding beat down of the Lakers. En route to their 17th NBA championship, the Celtics pounded the Lakers 131–92 in the series-clincher. This 39-point deficit came close to the all-time NBA Finals record of 42 set by the Utah Jazz in 1998 against the Chicago Bulls. The Lakers managed to keep the game close, trailing, 32–29, with seven minutes to play in the first half. Then everything went terribly wrong. They were outscored in the second quarter, 34–15, and trailed by 23 points at the half. Boston just kept coming in relentless pursuit of their first NBA title in 22 years. All Los Angeles could do was hope that the final minutes ticked off as fast as possible. Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen shared game-high scoring honors with 26 points, and the other member of Boston’s “Big Three,” Paul Pierce, finished with 17 points and 10 assists. Pierce, a native of Los Angeles, was also selected as the NBA Finals MVP. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 22 points.21

2008-09 301 points (14.3 avg.), had 209 rebounds (10.0 avg.) and 62 assists (3.0 avg.) Radmanovic — appeared in 21 games, played 481 minutes (22.9 avg.), scored 168 points (8.0 avg.), had 80 rebounds (3.8 avg.) and 31 assists (1.5 avg.) Turiaf— appeared in 19 games, played 187 minutes (9.8 avg.), scored 38 points (2.0 avg.), had 27 rebounds (1.4 avg.) and 5 assists (0.3 avg.) Vujacic — appeared in 21 games, played 456 minutes (21.7 avg.), scored 171 points (8.1 avg.), had 46 rebounds (2.2 avg.) and 16 assists (0.8 avg.) Walton — appeared in 21 games, played 353 minutes (16.8 avg.), scored 125 points (6.0 avg.), had 55 rebounds (2.6 avg.) and 41 assists (2.0 avg.)

2008-09 Head Coach: Phil Jackson Assistant Coaches: Jim Cleamons, Frank Hamblen Regular Season Record: 65–17 1st place in the NBA Pacific Division (finished in first place by 19 games) Scored 106.9 points per game to rank 3rd out of 30 teams Allowed 99.3 points per game to rank 13th Led the league in rebounds (3,602)

Review After returning to the NBA Finals the previous season, and losing, only sparked the Lakers’ desire to get back and win it all this time around. If the beginning of the season was any indication of their desire, then the rest of the league was in definite trouble. Los Angeles came out by winning 14 of their first 15 games, and was at 42–10 by the All-Star Game. Andrew Bynum suffered a knee injury during the season, but the team kept going without the assistance of one of their big men. They led the Pacific Division from the opening tipoff of the first regular season game until the final buzzer ended the year in April. They then cruised into the playoffs on a mission to bring another NBA crown back to Los Angeles after seven years.

Individual Playoff Statistics Ariza — appeared in 8 games, played 45 minutes (5.6 avg.), scored 17 points (2.1 avg.), had 11 rebounds (1.4 avg.) and 1 assist (0.1 avg.) Bryant — appeared in 21 games, played 863 minutes (41.1 avg.), scored 633 points (30.1 avg.), had 119 rebounds (5.7 avg.) and 117 assists (5.6 avg.) Farmar — appeared in 21 games, played 360 minutes (17.1 avg.), scored 119 points (5.7 avg.), had 33 rebounds (1.6 avg.) and 27 assists (1.3 avg.) Fisher — appeared in 21 games, played 663 minutes (31.6 avg.), scored 215 points (10.2 avg.), had 47 rebounds (2.2 avg.) and 52 assists (2.5 avg.) Gasol — appeared in 21 games, played 836 minutes (39.8 avg.), scored 354 points (16.9 avg.), had 195 rebounds (9.3 avg.) and 83 assists (4.0 avg.) Karl — appeared in 1 game, played 2 minutes (2.0 avg.) and had 1 assist (1.0 avg.) Ilunga-Mbenga — appeared in 7 games, played 30 minutes (4.3 avg.), scored 10 points (1.4 avg.) and had 9 rebounds (1.3 avg.) Mihm — appeared in 1 game and played 3 minutes (3.0 avg.) Newble — appeared in 1 game and played 1 minutes (1.0 avg.) Odom — appeared in 21 games, played 786 minutes (37.4 avg.), scored

Gone from the Previous Season Coby Karl — released Chris Mihm — traded to Memphis on February 18, 2009 Ira Newble — became a free agent and went to play in Europe Vladimir Radmanovic — traded to Charlotte on February 7, 2009 Ronny Turiaf— became a free agent and signed with Golden State on July 9, 2008

Regular Season Individual Statistics 3 — Trevor Ariza — Forward — 6-8, 200 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 1,998 minutes (24.4 avg.), made 274 of 596 field goal attempts (.460%) and 120 of 169 free throws (.710%) for 729 points (8.9 avg.), had 352 rebounds (4.3 avg.) and 145 assists (1.8 avg.) 12 — Shannon Brown — Guard — 6-4, 205 lbs., appeared in 18 games, played 136 minutes (7.6 avg.), made 22 of 42 field goal attempts (.524%) and 8 of 9 free throws (.889%) for 58 points (3.2 avg.), had 20 rebounds (1.1 avg.) and 10 assists (0.6 avg.) 24 — Kobe Bryant — Guard — 6-6, 200 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,960 minutes (36.1 avg.), made 800 of 1,712 field goal attempts

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(.467%) and 483 of 564 free throws (.856%) for 2,201 points (26.8 avg.), had 429 rebounds (5.2 avg.) and 399 assists (4.9 avg.) 17 — Andrew Bynum — Center — 7-0, 285 lbs., appeared in 50 games, played 1,446 minutes (28.9 avg.), made 281 of 502 field goal attempts (.560%) and 152 of 215 free throws (.707%) for 714 points (14.3 avg.), had 398 rebounds (8.0 avg.) and 71 assists (1.4 avg.) 5 — Jordan Farmar — Guard — 6-2, 180 lbs., appeared in 65 games, played 1,192 minutes (18.3 avg.), made 161 of 412 field goal attempts (.391%) and 45 of 77 free throws (.584%) for 416 points (6.4 avg.), had 117 rebounds (1.8 avg.) and 155 assists (2.4 avg.) 2 — Derek Fisher — Guard — 6-1, 200 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,441 minutes (29.8 avg.), made 292 of 688 field goal attempts (.424%) and 110 of 130 free throws (.846%) for 814 points (9.9 avg.), had 188 rebounds (2.3 avg.) and 261 assists (3.2 avg.) 16—Pau Gasol—Forward/Center—7-0, 227 lbs., appeared in 81 games, played 2,999 minutes (37.0 avg.), made 592 of 1,045 field goal attempts (.567%) and 343 of 439 free throws (.781%) for 1,528 points (18.9 avg.), had 780 rebounds (9.6 avg.) and 284 assists (3.5 avg.) 28 — Didier Ilunga-Mbenga — Center — 7-0, 245 lbs., appeared in 23 games, played 181 minutes (7.9 avg.), made 27 of 57 field goal attempts (.474%) and 7 of 8 free throws (.875%) for 61 points (2.7 avg.), had 31 rebounds (1.3 avg.) and 9 assists (0.4 avg.) 31—Chris Mihm—Center—7-0, 265 lbs., appeared in 18 games, played 105 minutes (5.8 avg.), made 15 of 40 field goal attempts (.375%) and 6 of 7 free throws (.857%) for 36 points (2.0 avg.), had 34 rebounds (1.9 avg.) and 10 assists (0.6 avg.) 6 — Adam Morrison — Forward — 6-8, 205 lbs., appeared in 8 games, played 44 minutes (5.5 avg.), made 4 of 12 field goal attempts (.333%) and 1 of 2 free throws (.500%) for 10 points (1.3 avg.), had 8 rebounds (1.0 avg.) and 3 assists (0.4 avg.) 7 — Lamar Odom — Forward — 6-10, 220 lbs., appeared in 78 games, played 2,316 minutes (29.7 avg.), made 346 of 703 field goal attempts (.492%) and 160 of 257 free throws (.623%) for 885 points (11.3 avg.), had 637 rebounds (8.2 avg.) and 204 assists (2.6 avg.) 21— Josh Powell — Forward — 6-9, 225 lbs., appeared in 60 games, played 703 minutes (11.7 avg.), made 106 of 239 field goal attempts (.444%) and 38 of 50 free throws (.760%) for 250 points (4.2 avg.), had 176 rebounds (2.9 avg.) and 27 assists (0.5 avg.) 10— Vladimir Radmanovic — Forward — 6-10, 227 lbs., appeared in 46 games, played 771 minutes (16.8 avg.), made 95 of 214 field goal attempts (.444%) and 23 of 27 free throws (.852%) for 273 points (5.9 avg.), had 117 rebounds (2.5 avg.) and 38 assists (0.8 avg.) 18—Sasha Vujacic—Guard—6-7, 193 lbs., appeared in 80 games, played 1,293 minutes (16.2 avg.), made 155 of 401 field goal attempts (.387%) and 70 of 76 free throws (.921%) for 461 points (5.8 avg.), had 135 rebounds (1.7 avg.) and 113 assists (1.4 avg.) 4 — Luke Walton — Forward — 6-8, 235 lbs., appeared in 65 games, played 1,166 minutes (17.9 avg.), made 134 of 307 field goal attempts (.436%) and 41 of 57 free throws (.719%) for 326 points (5.0 avg.), had 180 rebounds (2.8 avg.) and 177 assists (2.7 avg.) 9 — Sun Yue — Guard — 6-9, 205 lbs., appeared in 10 games, played 28 minutes (2.8 avg.), made 3 of 11 field goal attempts (.273%) for 6 points (0.6 avg.) and had 2 assists (0.2 avg.)

League Leaders Kobe Bryant —field goals made (2nd), field goal attempts (2nd), points scored (3rd), points per game (3rd) Pau Gasol —field goal percentage (5th)

All-NBA Kobe Bryant —1st team selection

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All-Star Game Selections Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol

Regular Season Highlights Dec. 25 — The Lakers presented coach Phil Jackson with a special Christmas gift. Thanks to a 92–83 home win against the Boston Celtics, Jackson became the 6th to reach 1,000 career victories, and did it quicker than anyone else in league history. This win also snapped a 19-game winning streak for Boston, which was the longest in their illustrious history. Feb. 2 — Kobe Bryant scores 61 points in a 126–117 win against New York. At the time, the Lakers’ record is 38–9, and they are in the middle of a seven-game winning streak after their trip to New York’s famed Madison Square Garden. April 9 — Pau Gasol gets 11 offensive rebounds against Denver. This 116–102 victory gave the Lakers their fifth straight win with three games left in the regular season.

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND VERSUS UTAH 1. April 19 at Los Angeles: Like every team at the start of the playoffs, the Lakers were focused in their attempt to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy with champagne showers raining down. The Lakers had the joy of experiencing that scenario many times. However, at the end of the previous year’s NBA Finals, Los Angeles fell short to their long-time nemesis, the Boston Celtics. At the dawn of a new postseason, the Lakers were ready to get back to the Finals and capture the glory that escaped them at the conclusion of the 2008 season. They started off well on their quest by defeating the Jazz, 113–110, in the postseason opener. The Lakers exploded out of the blocks, and built a 30–19 lead going into the second quarter, and expanded it to a whopping 62–40 bulge by halftime. Utah came out for the second half with renewed vigor, and cut the deficit to nine points on multiple occasions. When the Jazz sliced the Lakers’ lead down to single digits, Kobe Bryant answered back in any way he could. Whether scoring or handing out assists, Bryant was the focal point in holding the Jazz at bay. He finished with a team-high 24 points, four rebounds, eight assists, two steals, and one blocked shot, and the Lakers were up by a comfortable 113–100 lead at the final buzzer. Trevor Ariza added 21 points for the Lakers, and Pau Gasol chipped in with 20.1 2. April 21 at Los Angeles: The Lakers once again came out on fire, making an incredible 85.7 percent of their shots in the first quarter. Hitting on 18 of 21 attempts, the Lakers scored 41 points in the opening stanza. Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom never missed a shot attempt in the first period, and teamed up for a combined 19 points. Los Angeles continued to build on their lead, and had a 66–46 advantage with just under two minutes remaining in the first half. The Jazz then sprang to life with a run that produced 14 points at the end of the second quarter and carried over into the third quarter. On seven occasions, Utah chipped the lead down to six, but was never able to overthrow LA, and

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the Lakers went up 2–0 in the series after a 119–109 victory. This was Phil Jackson’s 195th career playoff win, which was the most of all-time in the NBA coaching ranks. Kobe Bryant scored 26 points, secured six rebounds, and handed out nine assists to pace the Lakers. Pau Gasol added 22 points, and Lamar Odom 19 off the bench.2 3. April 23 at Utah: The Jazz took control of this game early by outscoring the Lakers, 26–17, in the opening quarter, and held a 43–35 advantage at the end of the first half. Los Angeles began the second half with a 15–1 run, and eventually outscored Utah, 31–17, to go into the final quarter holding a 68–60 advantage. The game took on the likeness of a boxing match, with the fighters slugging it out in the middle of the ring as the decision hung in the balance. This was the case in the last two minutes of this game. Both teams matched up point for point, but in the end, Utah’s Deron Williams sank a 15-foot jump shot that gave the Jazz an 88–86 victory. Kobe Bryant attempted to pull out a win, but a long-range three-pointer missed its mark as the buzzer sounded. Utah got an outstanding performance from Carlos Boozer, who set a team postseason record with 22 rebounds. He also scored a game-high 23 points. Lamar Odom led the Lakers with 21 points and added 14 rebounds to his day’s work. Pau Gasol finished with 20 points and Kobe Bryant 18.3 4. April 25 at Utah: Kobe Bryant had some trouble finding his shooting rhythm in the previous game. He more than made up got it by accounting for LA’s first 11 points, and finished with a game-high 38 points in a 108–94 Lakers victory that gave them a 3–1 series lead. Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom added doubledouble performances, which saw Gasol score 13 points and secure 10 rebounds, while Odom had 10 points and 15 rebounds. The Jazz took a 25–20 lead into the second quarter, and increased their advantage to seven points before the Lakers erupted. Los Angeles went on a 20–2 run that gave them a lead they never relinquished. The Jazz closed to within five points on two occasions in the third quarter, but a solid defensive effort by Los Angeles held Utah to only 16 points throughout the period.4 5. April 27 at Los Angeles: The Lakers sent the Jazz into the offseason thanks to a 107–96 victory. Kobe Bryant’s game-high 31-point performance doubled the output of Utah’s highest scorer, Paul Milsap, who finished with 16 points. Lamar Odom had a solid game that consisted of 26 points, 15 rebounds, and three blocked shots. Pau Gasol chipped in with 17 points and 11 rebounds. After the first quarter ended in a 26–26 tie, the Lakers delighted the Staples Center crowd by outscoring the Jazz, 30– 17, that was helped along by a 14–3 run. Los Angeles smelled victory, and continued pouring it on, building an 80–56 lead with 2:20 left in the third quarter. With victory virtually assured, it appeared Los Angeles let up a bit on defense, and Utah took advantage of it. They cut the deficit down to 95–89 with 3:43 left to play in the fourth quarter. Foul shooting then helped the Lakers secure the win down the stretch.5

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS VERSUS HOUSTON 1. May 4 at Los Angeles: The Lakers were able to rest for one full week after defeating the Jazz in the opening round. Unfortunately, it did not help, as they shot 44.3 percent from the

2008-09 field, including a dismal two of 18 from three-point range. Houston connected on 51.4 percent of their opportunities, and with Yao Ming leading the way with 28 points and 10 rebounds, the Rockets prevailed in the opener, 100–92. With Kobe Bryant hitting on only four of 11 shot attempts in the first half, the Lakers still managed to keep the game close, trailing by only 43–40 at the end of the first half in a very physical clash. Houston expanded its lead to 59–50 halfway through the third quarter. It was then that Kobe Bryant got his hot hand back, accounting for 11 of the Lakers’ following 14 points. With Bryant’s effort, Los Angeles was able to cut the deficit down to three points by the end of the third quarter. Shannon Brown sank two free throws that allowed LA the opportunity to take a 77–76 lead with close to eight minutes left in the fourth quarter. The Rockets stormed back with nine straight points to regain a lead they never gave up. Bryant, despite a slow start, came back strong to lead all scorers with 32 points.6 2. May 6 at Los Angeles: After a home loss in the opener, the Lakers came back to even the series with a 111–98 victory. Kobe Bryant proved why he was one of the premier players in NBA history. Quite a bit of his hardwood mastery occurred in the postseason, and his 40-point performance in this game added to his legacy. Pau Gasol had a solid game consisting of 22 points, 14 rebounds, and four blocked shots. Right from the opening tipoff, Bryant set the tone that he was going to be a force. He scored 15 points to help the Lakers take a 39–25 lead into the second quarter. Houston answered back with a big second quarter that saw them outscore Los Angeles, 32–18, to deadlock the game at 57–57 going into the third period. Kobe Bryant landed a threepointer with 4.5 seconds remaining in the first half to take the game into halftime knotted up. The Lakers came out strong in the second half by going on a 16–4 run to re-establish control of the game. Tempers erupted later in the third quarter when Houston’s Luis Scola got into a verbal disagreement with Lamar Odom and Luke Walton. Derek Fisher then took things to another level by sending his body and elbow into Scola on the following possession. Fisher’s actions caused the referee to call the LA guard with a flagrant foul, and ejected Fisher with the Lakers up by a score of 86–75. Fisher also received a one-game suspension that took effect in Game Three of this series. Tempers again flared when Kobe Bryant sent an elbow toward Ron Artest. Bryant’s reaction was payback for being knocked around by Artest during the game. Artest displayed his anger after being called for a foul by going after Bryant. The end result was Artest’s ejection from the game with seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.7 3. May 8 at Houston: Kobe Bryant came out firing. In the first quarter, he hit five of six shots for 11 points, and the Lakers were up, 30–28, at the end of the first quarter. The Lakers then went cold in the second quarter, and fell behind by three points with two minutes remaining in the first half. Two Houston turnovers helped Los Angeles, and they parlayed them into a 50– 48 halftime advantage. The Lakers outscored the Rockets by ten points during the second half to pull out a 108–94 victory and take a 2–1 series lead. The Rockets cut the deficit to 90–84 with 4:15 remaining in the game, but they never got closer than that down the stretch. Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 33 points, which allowed him the chance to move past Larry Bird, and into sixth place all-time with 3,928 career points in the postseason. Lamar Odom added 16 points and 13 rebounds, while three other

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Lakers hit double-figure scoring. Pau Gasol and Trevor Ariza finished with 13 points apiece, and Jordan Farmar chipped in with 12 points. Los Angeles also had a great showing defensively with 11 steals and nine blocked shots.8 4. May 10 at Houston: Houston’s main weapon, Yao Ming, was lost for the rest of the series with a fractured foot suffered in the previous game. The loss of their star player seemed to serve as a rallying cry for the Rockets, as they won, 99–87, to even the series up at two games apiece. Houston came out fast, getting off to a 9–0 start, and Los Angeles was never able to come back. The lead increased to 26–9 with 3:34 remaining in the opening quarter. The Rockets built a 29-point lead with an 83–54 advantage going into the fourth quarter. With the game virtually over by this point, the Lakers won the fourth quarter by a 33–16 margin, but it did little to effect the dominant performance shown by the Rockets. Houston’s Aaron Brooks led all scorers with 34 points, and Pau Gasol’s 30 points topped the Lakers.9 5. May 12 at Los Angeles: The Lakers came home to the Staples Center, and got a major case of revenge on the Rockets. After Houston got out to a 13–6 first quarter lead, the Lakers answered with a 17–6 run at the end of the quarter to take a 35–24 lead. In the opening quarter, Kobe Bryant paced the Lakers with 12 points. The Rockets then fell victim to a Los Angeles onslaught that saw the Lakers hold Houston to a mere 15 points in both the second and third quarters while they scored 59 points during that same time. After that barrage, the Lakers built an invincible 94– 54 lead to coast to the final buzzer. The end result was a 118–78 LA victory, and it tied for the worst postseason defeat in the history of the Rockets’ franchise. On the other side, this was the largest margin of victory enjoyed by the Lakers in the playoffs since a 135–88 mauling over of the San Antonio Spurs on April 17, 1986. Kobe Bryant finished with a game-high 26 points, and Pau Gasol came in second with 16 points. Gasol also had 13 rebounds and three blocked shots.10 6. May 14 at Houston: It was back to Houston, and the Rockets staved off elimination, and forced a seventh and deciding game with a 95–80 victory. The Lakers had a poor showing on the defensive side of things, and the Rockets took advantage of this ordeal. They exploded out to a whopping 21–3 lead in the first quarter, with Luis Scola serving as the main weapon with 14 points and seven rebounds. Scola finished the game with 24 points and 12 rebounds. The Lakers were able to get going somewhat, but the opening stanza still went into the books with Houston out in front by a comfortable 27–15 margin. The Rockets increased their advantage to 52–36 going into the third quarter. The Lakers came out for the second half like a totally different team, doing to the Rockets what was done to them in the first quarter. Kobe Bryant led an assault by scoring seven of his gamehigh 32 points, as the Lakers went on a 16–2 run to cut Houston’s lead down to 54–52. The Rockets regained their composure, and extended their lead to 74–65 heading into the fourth quarter. The closest the Lakers came to taking the lead in the final stanza occurred after Pau Gasol scored on a layup to make it a 79–71 Houston advantage. Aaron Brooks scored eight of his 26 points in the closing four minutes to allow the Rockets to secure the series-tying win.11 7. May 17 at Los Angeles: With the possibility of going home for the season happening on their home court, the Lakers

ONE : THE SEASONS came out fired up to end this deciding game early. Pau Gasol led all scorers with 21 points, grabbed 18 rebounds and blocked three shots, to lead the Lakers to a dominant 89–70 victory that sent them in to the Western Conference Finals. Gasol connected on 10 of the 19 shots he attempted, and completely outplayed the Rockets at the inside game. Trevor Ariza did his part in the Lakers’ quest for victory by scoring nine points in the opening quarter that saw LA get out to a 13–2 lead. The Rockets never were in this game, and the Lakers built a 51–31 halftime advantage, and the game appeared to be locked up for Los Angeles. The lead increased to 30 points before the Lakers virtually shut things down, thus allowing the Rockets to ring up 12 points at the conclusion of the fourth quarter to make the game appear a little closer in the record books. The Lakers limited the Rockets to shooting only 36.8 percent from the field, outrebounded them 55–33, and recorded 10 blocked shots.12

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS VERSUS DENVER 1. May 19 at Los Angeles: Since coming into the NBA in 1976 after a fairly successful nine years in the American Basketball Association, the Denver Nuggets made two previous trips to the Western Conference Finals in 1978 and 1985. The Lakers knocked Denver out of the playoffs in 1985, and hoped to repeat the feat 24 years later. As for the Lakers, this postseason marked the 29th time since the team moved to Los Angeles in 1960 that they reached a division or conference finals round. Experience at this level of the postseason obviously swung heavily on the side of the Lakers, but at the start, it was the Nuggets that performed like they had been in this situation many times over. Denver got out to a 27–14 lead with under two minutes remaining in the opening quarter. The Lakers managed to wake up, and with 1:09 left in the first half, Los Angeles gained their first lead of the game when Derek Fisher nailed a last-second three-pointer from the corner to give the Lakers a 55–54 halftime advantage. In the third quarter, the greatest lead either team could get was five points. Los Angeles went on a 9–0 run in which Derek Fisher scored seven straight points to take a 70–66 lead. Denver refused to be outdone, and finished the third quarter off with a 10–4 surge to go into the fourth quarter with a 76–74 advantage. Denver was able to hold the lead for a good portion of the final period. However, Kobe Bryant was known to provide late heroics, and he built on that reputation yet again. Kobe scored 18 of the Lakers’ 31 fourth quarter points, and dished out an assist to Derek Fisher, who nailed a three-pointer after getting the ball from Bryant, to give LA a 97–96 lead with 2:30 remaining. The lead grew to 103– 99 before Denver’s Chauncey Billups hit a three-pointer to bring the Nuggets to within one point of the lead with six seconds left. Bryant then connected on two free throws to clinch a 105–103 Los Angeles victory. Kobe Bryant and Denver’s Carmelo Anthony put on a scoring extravaganza. Bryant finished with a game-high 40 points, and Anthony came in a close second with 39. Pau Gasol continued to be a rebounding force by finishing with 14. The closest to him in that category was Lamar Odom with eight. Gasol also scored 13 points, handed out three assists, blocked two shots, and had one steal.13 2. May 21 at Los Angeles: Reversal of fortune was the order of the day, with the Nuggets winning by almost the exact same

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score that the Lakers did in Game One. With Carmelo Anthony hitting for a game-high 34 points, and Chauncey Billups finishing with 27 points, the Nuggets captured a 106–103 win to even the series up. The Lakers had no trouble displaying their prowess as a championship contender in the early stages. They got out to a 31–23 lead at the end of the first quarter, and expanded their advantage to 14 points with seven minutes left in the first half. Carmelo Anthony then carried the Nuggets by hitting the team’s next 13 points. The Lakers were still in control, both on the scoreboard with a 53–40 advantage, and in offensive rebounding. It appeared that Los Angeles was well on the way to a win with 2:40 left in the half. Things then went bad for the Lakers inside the Staples Center. Denver went on a 14–2 run that allowed them to cut the deficit to 55–54 by halftime, and give them a strong case of momentum going into the remainder of the game. The team finished the third quarter in a 26–26 deadlock, and the Lakers still clung to an 81–80 lead heading into the final 12 minutes of regulation. Linas Kleiza then sent a three-point shot through the rim to lift the Nuggets to their first lead since the early stages of the opening stanza. Los Angeles remained in control, and got off an 11–2 run that allowed the Lakers to take their final lead of the game with 5:22 left. Kobe Bryant managed to tie the game up twice down the stretch, with the second time coming as the clock showed a mere 54 seconds left on it. Derek Fisher had the knack for pulling out victories, but this time, his ability to do so fell short when he missed on a three-point attempt at the buzzer that would have sent the game into overtime. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 32 points, Trevor Ariza finished with 20 points, and Pau Gasol had 17 points and 17 rebounds as the Lakers packed up and headed to continue the series in the Mile High City.14 3. May 23 at Denver: The Lakers came out of this game with the exact amount points they scored in their previous one. However, this time around, they won, 103–97, to take a 2–1 series lead, and snap Denver’s 16-game home winning streak that started on March 11. The Lakers got out to a 12–11 lead in the opening minutes, but Denver ended the first quarter with a 28–26 advantage. The Nuggets doubled their lead to four points at the end of the first half by a 52–48 count. The Lakers could have taken a lead into the second half, but terrible free throw shooting hurt them. They were only able to convert on nine of 17 foul shots in the first half, and missed on 14 of 45 for the game. After Los Angeles tied the game at 52–52 early in the third quarter, the Nuggets went on a swift surge that took them to a 60–53 lead, and they eventually hung on to end the quarter with a 79–71 advantage. It was then Kobe Bryant time, and the Lakers’ floor leader took control in the final 12 minutes. He scored 13 points in the fourth quarter, and put the Lakers on top permanently with a three-pointer to make the score 96–95 with 1:08 left to play. Bryant then added five points coming on free throws to secure the victory with seconds remaining. Kobe Bryant finished with a game-high 41 points, and Pau Gasol chipped in with 20 points and 11 rebounds.15 4. May 25 at Denver: The Nuggets came back with a vengeance, outscored the Lakers at the end of every quarter, and evened the series up with a 120–101 win. Denver dominated the rebounding category, 58–40, and their bench players outscored LA’s reserves, 42–24. J.R. Smith supplied Denver with 24 points in close to 29 minutes of action, and Linas Kleiza added 10 points

2008-09 in 13 minutes to spark the team with bench support. Smith and Kleiza’s efforts were more appreciated, as star performer Carmelo Anthony was hampered with a stomach ailment and sprained ankle. Chauncey Billups tied Smith with a team-high 24 points, and Kobe Bryant earned game-high honors with 34 points.16 5. May 27 at Los Angeles: The Lakers came home, and inside the confines of the Staples Center, they beat the Nuggets, 103–94, to take a 3–2 series lead, and in need of only one more win to clinch an NBA Finals berth. Los Angeles used an aggressive defense, and was able to feed the ball to their big men close to the basket. The results were 19 points for Lamar Odom and 14 for Pau Gasol. Both men also hit for double-doubles, as Odom had 14 rebounds and Gasol 10. Kobe Bryant led the team with 22 points. For only the fourth time in NBA postseason history did the game end in a tie throughout three quarters. The teams went into the fourth quarter deadlocked at 76–76. The Lakers managed to tie the game up heading into the fourth quarter by going on a 21–3 run that carried over into the final period, and helped to erase Denver’s final lead of the game, which was 73–66 with five minutes left in the third period. The Lakers began the fourth quarter by continuing on their scoring spree that ended with them ringing up the period’s first 11 points. After their tremendous 21– 3 run was complete, they led, 87–76, with eight minutes left in the game. The Nuggets cut the deficit to 96–91 with 1:24 remaining, but a Lamar Odom basket and foul shot ended Denver’s hopes of a rally to victory.17 6. May 29 at Denver: The Lakers left the Mile High City with their tickets stamped to a 24th NBA Finals appearance since moving to Los Angeles. Hitting on a sizzling 57.3 percent of their outside shots, the Lakers cruised to a 119–92 series-clinching victory. Kobe Bryant was his brilliant self, connecting on 12 of 20 shot attempts to help him finish with a game-high 35 points. He also grabbed six rebounds and dished out 10 assists. The big men, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom, also came through with solid showings. Gasol had 20 points and 12 rebounds, while Odom finished with 20 points and eight rebounds. The Lakers got out to a 25– 20 lead at the end of the first quarter thanks in large part to Trevor Ariza’s 10 points. Denver managed to claim a hold on the lead at 33–32 close to the halfway mark of the second period. The Lakers answered back with a 21–7 run that saw Kobe Bryant score 11 points, and Los Angeles ended the first half with a 53–40 advantage. Denver fought to stay close, but each time they tried, the Lakers responded to keep a nice cushion between themselves and the Nuggets.18

NBA FINALS VERSUS ORLANDO 1. June 4 at Los Angeles: The Orlando Magic under coach Stan Van Gundy finished the season as champions of the Southeast Division with a 59–23 record. They then beat the Philadelphia 76ers in the opening round of the playoffs before eliminating the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics. It was then on to defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Cavaliers finished with the best record in the league, and were heavy favorites to win the NBA title before the Magic crushed that dream. Orlando was making their second trip to the NBA Finals. Their first appearance came with Shaquille O’Neal as the main weapon, and 14 years later the force behind the Magic

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was 6-11, 240 center and the 2009 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award winner, Dwight Howard. The Magic was swept by the Houston Rockets in the 1995 NBA Finals, and after the opening game of the 2009 Finals, they remained winless. With Kobe Bryant finishing with 40 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists, the Lakers never gave the Magic a chance after the early going of the second quarter, and won by a convincing 100–75 margin. The Lakers cut off the paint with excellent defense, thus taking away the effectiveness of Dwight Howard, and the rest of Orlando’s players had trouble finding the basket from the outside, having only a 35.1 percent success rate from that range, after earning a reputation for having some of the best field outside shooters in the league. Orlando ended the first quarter with a 24–22 lead, and owned a 33–28 advantage in the second period before the Lakers exploded. Kobe Bryant scored 12 of his 18 first half points in the closing minutes of the second quarter, and the Lakers outscored the Magic, 31–19, in the period to take a 53–43 lead into the second half. Bryant remained on fire throughout the third quarter, scoring 18 points while limiting the entire Orlando team to just 15 for the period. The end result was a commanding 82– 58 Los Angeles bulge going into the final quarter. Assisting Kobe Bryant in the destruction of Orlando was Pau Gasol, who finished with 16 points and eight rebounds, and Lamar Odom, who gave solid support off the bench. In close to 32 minutes on the court, Odom scored 11 points and secured 14 rebounds.19 2. June 7 at Los Angeles: Orlando came close to snapping their five-game losing streak in NBA Finals’ competition, but they still succumbed in the end. With a 101–96 overtime victory, the Lakers extended Orlando’s losing streak to six straight in the Finals, and were halfway to their tenth NBA title as representatives of the city of Los Angeles. Neither team fared well when it came to lighting up the scoreboard in the first quarter, as the opening period ended in a 15–15 tie. The Lakers took a 40–35 lead into the second half, and the Magic outscored Los Angeles, 30–23, in the third quarter to take a 65–63 lead into the final 12 minutes of regulation. Kobe Bryant had 11 of the Lakers’ 25 fourth quarter points, and seven of their final nine. Lamar Odom also had a good showing in the fourth quarter by scoring eight points. With nine seconds left in regulation, the score was tied at 88–88, and Bryant looked to keep his hot shooting hand active. However, as he was attempting a jump shot, Hedo Turkoglu came from behind Bryant to block the shot. With 0.5 seconds left, Courtney Lee missed a shot for Orlando to force overtime. Pau Gasol led the Lakers in the overtime period by scoring seven of the team’s 13 points. Los Angeles trailed, 91–90, and then went on a 7–0 run to take the lead for good. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 29 points, and he grabbed four rebounds, and dished out eight assists. Pau Gasol finished with a double-double consisting of 24 points and 10 rebounds while Lamar Odom chipped in with 19 points and eight rebounds.20 3. June 9 at Orlando: The wait for Orlando was finally over. After six straight NBA Finals losses, the Magic won their firstever championship round game by a final count of 108–104. Amway Arena was rocking with 17,461 in attendance, as the Magic connected on 40 of 64 field goal attempts for a sizzling 62.5 percent accuracy rate, and Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis each finished with a team-high 21 points. Howard added 14 rebounds and two blocked shots to his day’s work. Kobe Bryant

ONE : THE SEASONS started off the game on fire, hitting for 17 points in a first quarter won by the Lakers, 31–27. Orlando then took control in the second quarter, and led at the end of the first half, 59–54. The Magic extended their lead to 91–82 with 7:55 remaining in the fourth quarter, which was the largest advantage they had on the Lakers up to this time in the series. Los Angeles stayed focused, and tied the game at 99–99 on two Pau Gasol free throws. With 28 seconds remaining, the Lakers were down, 106–102, and they failed to connect on four straight three-pointers. Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 31 points, and Pau Gasol finished with 23 points.21 4. June 11 at Orlando: Over the course of three hours and eight minutes of action, the Lakers assumed control of this series, and held a 3–1 series lead after a 99–91 overtime victory. Orlando got out to what appeared to be a convincing 49–37 halftime advantage, but the Lakers used a big third quarter to get back into contention. Trevor Ariza paced the Lakers’ comeback by scoring 13 points of the team’s 30 third quarter points against 14 for Orlando. Going into the fourth quarter, Los Angeles saw themselves in the lead at 67–63. The Magic came back to reclaim their earlier advantage, and held an 87–84 lead with 11 seconds remaining in regulation. Kobe Bryant then fouled Dwight Howard while he was attempting to dunk the ball. Fortunately for LA, Howard failed to convert on his free throws. The Lakers then turned to one of the game’s greatest clutch shooters of his time, Derek Fisher. He did not disappoint Lakers fans everywhere, but the 17,000-plus inside Armway Arena failed to find joy in the site of Fisher nailing a three-pointer with 4.6 seconds left to tie the game at 87–87 and force overtime. Rashard Lewis started Orlando off right in overtime by connecting on a three-pointer. Bryant came back with two baskets, and the score did not change until a Dwight Howard free throw knotted the game up at 91–91 with 1:27 left. Derek Fisher was called upon again, and he responded by hitting another three-pointer with 31.3 seconds left in overtime to give the Lakers the lead for good. Up this time in his career, Fisher had 40 three-pointers in six NBA Finals appearances to rank third in league history behind Robert Horry (56) and Michael Jordan (42). Fisher finished with 12 points, Kobe Bryant finished with a game-high 32 points, and Pau Gasol and Trevor Ariza each had 16 points. Dwight Howard set an NBA Finals record with nine blocked shots, and he also hauled in an impressive 21 rebounds in addition to his 16 points. Hedo Turkoglu led the Magic with 25 points.22 5. June 14 at Orlando: Phil Jackson became the all-time leader with 10 NBA championships as a head coach, Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher earned their fourth title. Also, the rafters inside the Staples Center would soon be decorated with the Los Angeles Lakers’ tenth NBA championship banner, all thanks to a 99–86 series-clinching victory. Including the team’s Minneapolis years, this was the 15th NBA title earned by the franchise. The Magic tried their best to avoid elimination on their home court by getting out to a 15–6 lead, and held on to take a two-point lead in to the second quarter. The Lakers then started on a 16–0 run after being down, 40–36, and the Magic’s postseason adventure was all but over at that stage. Los Angeles took a 56–46 lead into the second half, and entered what turned out to be the final 12 minutes of the season up by a comfortable 76–61 margin. Kobe Bryant scored a game-high 30 points, and was selected as the NBA Finals MVP. Lamar Odom recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10

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rebounds, as did Pau Gasol, who finished with 14 points and 15 rebounds.23

Individual Playoff Statistics Ariza — appeared in 23 games, played 722 minutes (31.4 avg.), scored 260 points (11.3 avg.), had 97 rebounds (4.2 avg.) and 54 assists (2.3 avg.) Brown — appeared in 21 games, played 276 minutes (13.1 avg.), scored 103 points (4.9 avg.), had 25 rebounds (1.2 avg.) and 13 assists (0.6 avg.) Bryant — appeared in 23 games, played 940 minutes (40.9 avg.), scored 695 points (30.2 avg.), had 123 rebounds (5.3 avg.) and 126 assists (5.5 avg.) Bynum — appeared in 23 games, played 400 minutes (17.4 avg.), scored 144 points (6.3 avg.), had 86 rebounds (3.7 avg.) and 10 assists (0.4 avg.) Farmar — appeared in 20 games, played 260 minutes (13.0 avg.), scored 94 points (4.7 avg.), had 28 rebounds (1.4 avg.) and 33 assists (1.7 avg.) Fisher — appeared in 22 games, played 635 minutes (28.9 avg.), scored 176 points (8.0 avg.), had 45 rebounds (2.0 avg.) and 49 assists (2.2 avg.) Gasol — appeared in 23 games, played 931 minutes (40.5 avg.), scored 420 points (18.3 avg.), had 249 rebounds (10.8 avg.) and 58 assists (2.5 avg.) Ilunga-Mbenga — appeared in 7 games, played 16 minutes (2.3 avg.), scored 2 points (0.3 avg.) and had 3 rebounds (0.4 avg.) Odom — appeared in 23 games, played 735 minutes (32.0 avg.), scored 283 points (12.3 avg.), had 210 rebounds (9.1 avg.) and 42 assists (1.8 avg.) Powell — appeared in 14 games, played 73 minutes (5.2 avg.), scored 29 points (2.1 avg.), had 17 rebounds (1.2 avg.) and 4 assists (0.3 avg.) Vujacic — appeared in 23 games, played 250 minutes (10.9 avg.), scored 69 points (3.0 avg.), had 32 rebounds (1.4 avg.) and 12 assists (0.5 avg.) Walton — appeared in 21 games, played 332 minutes (15.8 avg.), scored 80 points (3.8 avg.), had 52 rebounds (2.5 avg.) and 45 assists (2.1 avg.)

2009-10 Head Coach: Phil Jackson Assistant Coaches: Jim Cleamons, Frank Hamblen, Brian Shaw, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Craig Hodges Regular Season Record: 57–25 1st place in the NBA Pacific Division (finished in first place by three games) Scored 101.7 points per game to rank 12th out of 30 teams Allowed 97.0 points per game to rank 14th

Review The defending champions strengthened their defense up by signing Ron Artest to bolster an already solid unit. The Lakers proved they were the league’s alpha dogs, as they started their 50th season in Los Angeles with a 23–4 record. The team suffered through some injuries, such as a strained Achilles for Andrew Bynum, and sore knees and a broken finger by Kobe Bryant, but they forged ahead. After winning seven straight games in March, the Lakers hit a bit of a snag down the stretch by winning only

2009-10 four of their final 11 regular season games. The Lakers had amassed such a commanding lead in the division early in the season that they were able to withstand the late slump to come out with the best record in the Western Conference.

Gone from the Previous Season Trevor Ariza — became a free agent and signed with Houston on July 3, 2009 Sun Yue — waived by the Lakers on July 31, 2009

Regular Season Individual Statistics 37 — Ron Artest — Forward — 6-6, 244 lbs., appeared in 77 games, played 2,605 minutes (33.8 avg.), made 306 of 740 field goal attempts (.414%) and 128 of 186 free throws (.688%) for 845 points (11.0 avg.), had 331 rebounds (4.3 avg.) and 234 assists (3.0 avg.) 12 — Shannon Brown — Guard — 6-4, 205 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 1,700 minutes (20.7 avg.), made 253 of 592 field goal attempts (.427%) and 99 of 121 free throws (.818%) for 667 points (8.1 avg.), had 183 rebounds (2.2 avg.) and 108 assists (1.3 avg.) 24 — Kobe Bryant — Guard — 6-6, 200 lbs., appeared in 73 games, played 2,835 minutes (38.8 avg.), made 716 of 1,569 field goal attempts (.456%) and 439 of 541 free throws (.811%) for 1,970 points (27.0 avg.), had 391 rebounds (5.4 avg.) and 365 assists (5.0 avg.) 17 — Andrew Bynum — Center — 7-0, 285 lbs., appeared in 65 games, played 1,977 minutes (30.4 avg.), made 392 of 688 field goal attempts (.570%) and 193 of 261 free throws (.739%) for 977 points (15.0 avg.), had 541 rebounds (8.3 avg.) and 68 assists (1.0 avg.) 1—Jordan Farmar—Guard—6-2, 180 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 1,474 minutes (18.0 avg.), made 224 of 515 field goal attempts (.435%) and 57 of 85 free throws (.671%) for 591 points (7.2 avg.), 131 rebounds (1.6 avg.) and 127 assists (1.5 avg.) 2 — Derek Fisher — Guard — 6-1, 200 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,227 minutes (27.2 avg.), made 212 of 558 field goal attempts (.380%) and 113 of 132 free throws (.856%) for 615 points (7.5 avg.), had 170 rebounds (2.1 avg.) and 201 assists (2.5 avg.) 16—Pau Gasol—Forward/Center—7-0, 227 lbs., appeared in 65 games, played 2,403 minutes (37.0 avg.), made 452 of 844 field goal attempts (.536%), 286 of 362 free throws (.790%) for 1,190 points (18.3 avg.), 734 rebounds (11.3 avg.) and 218 assists (3.4 avg.) 28 — Didier Ilunga-Mbenga — Center — 7-0, 245 lbs., appeared in 49 games, played 355 minutes (7.2 avg.), made 48 of 103 field goal attempts (.466%) and 9 of 19 free throws (.474%0 for 105 points (2.1 avg.), had 87 rebounds (1.8 avg.) and 8 assists (0.2 avg.) 6 — Adam Morrison — Forward — 6-8, 205 lbs., appeared in 31 games, played 241 minutes (7.8 avg.), made 32 of 85 field goal attempts (.376%) and 5 of 8 free throws (.625%) for 74 points (2.4 avg.), had 32 rebounds (1.0 avg.) and 18 assists (0.6 avg.) 7 — Lamar Odom — Forward — 6-10, 220 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,585 minutes (31.5 avg.), made 342 of 739 field goal attempts (.463%) and 140 of 202 free throws (.693%) for 882 points (10.8 avg.), had 802 rebounds (9.8 avg.) and 267 assists (3.3 avg.) 21— Josh Powell — Forward — 6-9, 225 lbs., appeared in 63 games, played 581 minutes (9.2 avg.), made 71 of 194 field goal attempts (.366%) and 20 of 31 free throws (.645%) for 169 points (2.7 avg.), had 116 rebounds (1.8 avg.) and 35 assists (0.6 avg.) 18—Sasha Vujacic—Guard—6-7, 193 lbs., appeared in 67 games, played 575 minutes (8.6 avg.), made 66 of 164 field goal attempts (.402%) and 28 of 33 free throws (.848%) for 185 points (2.8 avg.), had 79 rebounds (1.2 avg.) and 41 assists (0.6 avg.) 4 — Luke Walton — Forward — 6-8, 235 lbs., appeared in 29 games, played 272 minutes (9.4 avg.), made 30 of 84 field goal attempts (.356%) and 2 of 4 free throws (.500%) for 69 points (2.4 avg.), had 38 rebounds (1.3 avg.) and 40 assists (1.4 avg.)

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League Leaders Kobe Bryant —field goals made (5th), field goal attempts (2nd), points scored (5th), points per game (4th) Andrew Bynum —field goal percentage (5th)

All-NBA Kobe Bryant —1st team selection Pau Gasol — 3rd team selection

All-Defensive Team Kobe Bryant —1st team selection

All-Star Game Selections Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol

Regular Season Highlights Feb. 1— With 4:14 left in the third quarter against Memphis on the road, in what turned out to be a 95–93 loss to the Grizzles, Kobe Bryant scored on a breakaway dunk to surpass Jerry West’s career point total of 25,192 to become the Lakers’ all-time leading scorer. Feb. 3—With a 99–97 win over the Charlotte Bobcats, head coach Phil Jackson became the Lakers’ all-time leader in victories with 534. The old record was 533, set by Pat Riley from 1981 to 1990.

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND VERSUS OKLAHOMA CITY 1. April 18 at Los Angeles: From 1967 to 2008, the team was known as the Seattle Supersonics, and during their time in the Emerald City, they waged many memorable games against the Lakers. Beginning with the 2008-09 season, the team relocated, and became known as the Oklahoma City Thunder. In their first year as the Thunder, the team won 23 games, and the following year, they more than doubled their victory total. Finishing with a 50–32 record, the Thunder qualified for the playoffs with the best record of the modern postseason era for an eighth seeded team. The task now facing them in their first playoff experience as the Oklahoma City Thunder was to eliminate the defending world champion Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers came out playing like the champions they were. Powering the ball inside the paint to their big men, and connecting on 54 percent of their shot attempts, allowed the Lakers to take a commanding 27–13 lead at the end of the first quarter. Los Angeles never trailed in this opening clash, and built their lead to as much as 17 points in the second period. The Thunder did rally back to make things interesting, as they cut the Lakers’ advantage down to 47–39 by the end of the first half. They remained competitive, but never got closer than six points, and the Lakers prevailed, 87–79. Kobe Bryant paced the Lakers with 21 points, and Pau Gasol turned in a solid

ONE : THE SEASONS game consisting of 19 points, 13 rebounds, and three blocked shots. Andrew Bynum also provided the Lakers with a good showing in his first game back after missing the last 13 of the regular season. In 30 minutes of work, Bynum scored 13 points, secured 12 rebounds, and blocked four shots.1 2. April 20 at Los Angeles: Kobe Bryant was a classic case of the walking wounded. A broken finger, tender knee, and painful ankle made things uncomfortable for the superstar, but there was a reason why he was held in such high esteem. Playing through obvious pain, the leader of the Lakers forged ahead. When the final buzzer sounded, Bryant had a game-high 39 points, and the Lakers had a 2–0 series lead after a 95–92 victory. Pau Gasol also had a solid showing with 25 points and 12 rebounds. The Lakers came out right from the beginning, and held a 26–18 lead at the end of the first quarter. Oklahoma City did not crumble, and fought their way back to a 47–45 halftime advantage by playing tough defense, accounting for nine blocked shots in the first half, and they finished the game with 17. The game was close throughout, with the Thunder in the lead on three occasions. With 15 seconds left in the fourth quarter of a game filled with many errors and turnovers, Kobe Bryant only hit on one of two free throws with the Lakers clinging to a 94–92 lead. Kevin Durant failed to connect on a three-pointer, and after Pau Gasol sank a free throw, Jeff Green attempted a last second threepoint shot that missed.2 3. April 22 at Oklahoma City: History was made in the Sooner State, as the Thunder won their first-ever playoff game, 101–96, to close the gap in this series to a 2–1 Los Angeles advantage. Kevin Durant led all scorers with 29 points, and Kobe Bryant paced the Lakers with 24, while Pau Gasol hit for 17 points and hauled in 15 rebounds. Los Angeles was hot at the beginning, as they scored the game’s first 10 points, and never relinquished the lead until the end of the third quarter. The Thunder rallied back to deadlock the game at 74–74, and then they went on an 8–0 run. Kevin Durant’s defensive effort on Kobe Bryant in the fourth period prohibited him from making one of his famous comebacks. Durant was so effective in guarding the Lakers’ floor general, that Kobe could only connect on two of 12 shot attempts in the final stanza. Despite Bryant’s limited scoring in the fourth quarter, the Lakers were still able to knot things up at 80–80, but the Thunder just kept adding points to stay on top.3 4. April 24 at Oklahoma City: The Thunder enjoyed their first-ever playoff victory, and gave their fans an encore performance. With a 110–89 win paced by Kevin Durant’s 22 points, Oklahoma City evened the series up at 2–2. The Thunder used a 14–3 run in the opening quarter to build a 29–17 lead, had leads of double figures throughout the game, and outdueled the Lakers in the rebounding department. Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol both scored 13 points to lead the Lakers.4 5. April 27 at Los Angeles: Home court advantage has always been something to strive for come playoff time in the world of sports. It was once again proven to be a factor in this series, as the home team walked off their court victorious in the first four games. The Lakers continued the trend by taking a 3–2 series lead with a resounding 111–87 victory at the Staples Center. The tandem of Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum carried Los Angeles on this day, with Gasol leading all scorers with 25 points and 11 rebounds, while Bynum finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds.

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The Lakers jumped on the Thunder early, going on a 14–1 run to start the game. Bynum scored eight of his points during that surge, and the Lakers built a 31–16 lead at the end of the first quarter. The lead increased to 21 by halftime, and the Lakers led by 33 points at one stage. Kobe Bryant appeared to be healing from his injuries, and worked three quarters of this game, in which he scored 13 points and handed out seven assists.5 6. April 30 at Oklahoma City: For the first time in this series, the visiting team prevailed, and in the case of the Lakers, it also proved to be the series clincher. Los Angeles took a 53–47 lead in to the third quarter, but then Oklahoma City ran their fast break attack very well, and outscored the Lakers, 26–23. Kobe Bryant was able to neutralize the Thunder’s offensive bursts by scoring 16 of his game-high 32 points in the third quarter. Derek Fisher then did his part by nailing a three-pointer with 16 seconds left in the quarter to lift the Lakers to a 76–73 advantage heading into the fourth period. The Thunder looked to extend this series to the limit by going on a 10–0 run that gave them a 94–91 lead with 2:30 left in the game. Kobe Bryant then sank a basket to cut the lead to one. Bryant then looked to add to his stellar reputation of producing fantastic finishes. He sent the game’s final shot toward the rim. His baseline jump shot failed to find its mark, but teamwork definitely paid off. Pau Gasol came in, hauled in the offensive rebound, and put the ball through the rim with five tenths of a second remaining to pull out a 95–94 victory with a stunned Oklahoma City crowd looking on. Gasol had 18 rebounds for the game, and the most important one of his career at the end.6

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS VERSUS UTAH 1. May 2 at Los Angeles: The defending champs were ready to take on their next obstacle on the road to another NBA crown. With Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol leading the way, the Lakers opened this series with a 104–99 victory. Bryant scored 31 points to lead all scorers, and Gasol finished with 25 points, 12 rebounds, and five blocks. Andrew Bynum suffered a slight cartilage tear in his right knee in the series clinching victory over Oklahoma City, and was not able to perform at full capacity. He did manage to play 25 minutes, and scored eight points, and secured 10 rebounds. Lamar Odom stepped up to fill the void created by Bynum’s injury, and had a solid showing in 31 minutes of action. He scored nine points, hauled in 12 rebounds, and blocked two shots. Two of his points put the Lakers up by three with 49 seconds left to play. Los Angeles enjoyed having the lead for the bulk of three periods. Going into the fourth quarter, they were up, 81–73, and then Utah answered back with an 8–1 surge that closed the deficit to one point at 82–81. The Jazz then scored another four straight points to take an 85–82 lead. With four minutes remaining, it became Kobe Bryant time, as he connected for seven points to assist the Lakers in getting their advantage back. A good defensive effort clamped down on the Jazz to limit them to only one successful field goal in the last four minutes of the game. This was Phil Jackson’s 103rd postseason victory as coach of the Lakers, and it allowed him the opportunity to be at the top of the team’s all-time list in that category, surpassing Pat Riley in the process.7

2009-10 2. May 4 at Los Angeles: Basketball is a big man’s game for the most part. The Lakers proved this when their three tallest players completely dominated the Jazz. Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol stood seven feet tall, and Lamar Odom 6'10". This trio of big men teamed up for 50 points between them, secured 44 rebounds, and rejected nine Utah shot attempts. Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 30 points, and the Lakers were half way to clinching this series after a 111–103 victory. Utah came out after the opening tipoff to take the lead, but it was short-lived. Los Angeles finished the quarter with a 27–23 advantage, and never saw the Jazz overthrow them for the rest of the game. Utah made things exciting by closing the gap to 98–94 with five minutes left in the fourth quarter. What followed was written many times in Lakers lore. Kobe Bryant took control of the game by sinking nine points in the closing minutes to allow his team to pull away.8 3. May 8 At Utah: It always proves to be better entertainment when a sporting event provides excitement. It is twice as exciting to witness a favorite team pull out a victory. Such was the case for Lakers fans worldwide, as Los Angeles survived a down-to-the-wire thrill ride in Utah by a final score of 111–110. This win gave the Lakers a commanding 3–0 series lead. Lamar Odom proved his worth in the closing minutes of this game after the Lakers were trailing by four points with just under three minutes left to play in the fourth quarter. He sank a pair of free throws, and then connected on a three-point shot to put LA up by a count of 103–102. The Jazz came back to take a 106–103 lead with 54 seconds remaining before the Lakers pulled out an 8–2 surge helped along by three-pointers from Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher. The Lakers never relinquished the lead from that stage on, but the game still hung in the balance in the closing seconds. After receiving an inbounds pass, Derek Fisher was thrown to the court and could not get the ball. The referees did not call a foul on the play, and the Jazz had one last chance to either tie or pull out a last-second victory. Utah’s Deron Williams sent a long-distance jump shot toward the basket, but it missed. Wesley Matthews got his hand on the ball and tipped it while the buzzer sounded to end the game, but the ball refused to go through the rim and the Lakers prevailed by the slimmest of margins. Kobe Bryant took game-high scoring honors with 35 points, and like so many times before, he carried the team when it was needed the most. While the rest of the team was having trouble finding the basket in the first quarter, Bryant hit for the Lakers’ initial nine points of the game, and then delivered another nine points down the stretch in the fourth quarter. Ron Artest and Derek Fisher each scored 20 points, and Pau Gasol finished with 14 points and 17 rebounds.9 4. May 10 at Utah: During the Lakers’ glorious championship run at the beginning of the decade, it was the tandem of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant who teamed up to wreck havoc on opponents. As the new decade was upon the NBA, Bryant was still doing his absolute best to send the opposition home with a loss. In Game Four of this series, Bryant had a new partner to help him not only win convincingly, but clinch another playoff series for Los Angeles. With the duo of Bryant and Pau Gasol scoring 65 between them, the Lakers cruised to a 111–96 win. Gasol led all scorers with 33 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, while Kobe came in a close second with 32 points. The Lakers

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got out to a 29–24 lead at the end of the first quarter, and then increased their advantage to 22 points with 1:57 remaining in the first half. The Jazz looked to rally in front of their Utah faithful, and managed to cut the LA lead down to 70–65 with 3:18 left in the third quarter. Bryant then nailed a jump shot, and Lamar Odom rang up a three-pointer to put more distance between the teams, and the Jazz never challenged after that.10

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS VERSUS PHOENIX 1. May 17 at Los Angeles: Even with a tender knee that saw him miss practice over the previous week, Kobe Bryant still rose to the challenge of the postseason like so many times in the past. The Suns were unable to stop Bryant, as he successfully sank shots from all over the court. When the game was over, Kobe nailed 13 out of 23 shot attempts in 35 minutes of work to produce a gamehigh 40 points in a 128–107 Lakers victory. Pau Gasol added 21 points, and Lamar Odom finished with 19 points and just as many rebounds. As a team, the Lakers connected on eight of 17 threepoint attempts, and outrebounded the Suns, 42–34. Despite the lopsided finish, Phoenix got out to an 11–6 lead in the first quarter. It was after that when the Suns’ misfortunes grew by leaps and bounds. Lamar Odom started the Lakers on their way toward a win by scoring seven points, and LA gained the lead with 3:25 remaining in the first quarter, and never gave up their advantage. Los Angeles held a 35–26 lead at the end of the opening stanza, and by the end of the third quarter, in which Bryant scored 21 points, they were up by 14, and cruised through the fourth period. The Lakers were in such control that Bryant sat down for good with only three minutes expired in the fourth quarter with his 30-plus points a game streak at six straight.11 2. May 19 at Los Angeles: In an attempt to prevent Kobe Bryant from lighting up the scoreboard at a steady pace like in the series opener, the Suns applied double teaming techniques on the superstar. With two opponents covering him, Bryant decided to share the wealth of scoring by assisting his teammates. He dished out a career postseason high 13 assists in addition to scoring 21 points in a 124–112 victory. Every other Los Angeles starter also scored in double figures, with Pau Gasol taking home a gamehigh 29 points. Ron Artest finished with 18 points, Lamar Odom 17, and Andrew Bynum 13. The Lakers had their shooting groove going well, as they hit on eight of 17 three-point attempts, while the Suns could only make five of 22. Los Angeles led 36–24 at the end of the first quarter, but the Suns chipped away at the deficit under the teams were deadlocked at 90–90 going into the fourth quarter. The Lakers then outran, outshot, and clamped down better on defense than Phoenix in the final 12 minutes. With Gasol leading the way with 14 points in the final period, the Lakers outscored the Suns, 34–22, to secure a 2–0 series advantage.12 3. May 23 at Phoenix: On the way to winning the first two games of this series, the Lakers were able to utilize their big men inside the paint. However, this time around, the Suns shifted to a zone defense that inhibited the Lakers’ attempt to work the ball inside to Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol, and Lamar Odom, like they wanted to. This forced Los Angeles to work almost exclusively from the outside, and they were only able to connect on nine of 32 three-pointers. Of the three big men, Gasol had a solid

ONE : THE SEASONS showing with 23 points and nine rebounds, but could not stop Amare Stoudemire, who finished with a game-high 42 points. Bynum had four fouls called on him in the early going, and left the game after scoring two points in only eight minutes of work. Playing 35 minutes, Odom had trouble finding the basket, scored only 10 points, and eventually fouled out. The Suns also had problems with shots from way outside, but they charged toward the rim with reckless abandon, and in the process, drew fouls, of which they converted on 37 of 42 free throw attempts. Kobe Bryant, on the other hand, had a tremendous game with 36 points, nine rebounds, and 11 assists. However, it was not enough to keep the Lakers’ win streak going in the series, and they lost to Phoenix, 118–109. At the beginning of the game, Bryant hit on almost every shot he attempted. He sank seven of nine attempts in the opening stanza for 15 of the Lakers’ 32 points. Los Angeles led by three at the end of the first quarter, but then the Suns went from a one-on-one defensive scheme to the zone, and slowly suffocated the Lakers’ plan of attack. The Suns outscored Los Angeles, 25–15, in the second quarter, to take a 54–47 halftime lead. The Lakers managed to outscore the Suns by five points in the third period, but Phoenix outdueled Los Angeles, 32–25, in the fourth quarter, to come away with their first win of the series.13 4. May 25 at Phoenix: The Suns were looking to tie the series, an incredible second quarter gave them the momentum to forge ahead and win, 115–106. The teams were deadlocked at 23– 23 going into the second period. It was then that the Suns put together one of the best quarters in playoff history. They scored 41 points, and in the process, connected on seven of 10 from threepoint range. Despite their tremendous accuracy during this 12 minutes, the Lakers were able to hang right with them, thanks to Kobe Bryant. Undaunted by his opponent’s surge, Bryant managed to counterbalance Phoenix’s point production by scoring 15 points in the second quarter to keep Los Angeles in the game, as they only trailed, 64–55, at the end of the first half. Bryant finished with a game-high 38 points by hitting on 15 of 22 shot attempts, and added seven rebounds and 10 assists to his day’s work. He also set a personal milestone by amassing 4,785 career postseason points, which allowed him to pass Karl Malone, and move into fourth place all-time in that category. With Kobe adding 16 of his points in the third quarter, the Lakers were able to knot the game up at 81–81 with 2:20 remaining in the third quarter. Los Angeles had an 887–85 advantage in the early stages of the fourth quarter, but an 18–3 run by the Suns allowed them to never be overthrown on the scoreboard for the remainder of the game.14 5. May 27 at Los Angeles: Back at the Staples Center, the Lakers looked to regain control of the series after dropping two straight in Phoenix. With Kobe Bryant once again coming through big, the Lakers won, 103–101, to take a 3–2 series lead, and move one game away from a return trip to the NBA Finals. Bryant led all scorers with 30 points, and hauled in 11 rebounds, dished out nine assists, and blocked four shots. Derek Fisher added 22 points, and Pau Gasol 21. However, it was Ron Artest who saved his best, right before the final buzzer sounded. Artest had two points in 31 minutes on the court, as he could only muster one successful basket in eight attempts. With 3.5 seconds left in the game, Bryant fired a shot that failed to connect with the

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basket, but it did connect with Artest’s hands with the score knotted at 101–101. He sent the ball back up, and this time it went through the basket to secure the victory as the buzzer sounded.15 6. May 29 at Phoenix: The Lakers looked to break the tradition of the home team winning up to this stage of the series. With Kobe Bryant once again taking home game-high scoring honors, the Lakers prevailed, 111–103, and clinched the series to gain entry into their 25th NBA Finals since moving to Los Angeles in 1960. Bryant scored 37 points, and Ron Artest, fresh off his last second heroics from two days earlier, finished with a career playoff best of 25 points by connecting on 10 of 16 shot attempts. In a high scoring first quarter, the Lakers edged out the Suns, 37– 34. Los Angeles then took a comfortable 65–43 advantage into the second half, and looked to be in complete control. With a 91–74 lead going into the final 12 minutes, the Lakers had to be thinking about travel plans for the NBA Finals. Phoenix, however, looked to put those plans on hold by taking one last run at victory. The Suns got off a 16–4 run that cut the deficit to 95–90 halfway through the fourth quarter. Close to four minutes later, Steve Nash sank a shot to bring Phoenix to within three points off the lead at 99–96. It was then, with 2:18 remaining, that Kobe Bryant rose to legendary heights once again. He nailed a 21-foot jump shot, and made good on a pair of free throws to give the Lakers a little more breathing room. When it was all said and done, Bryant scored nine of his 37 points in the final two minutes. This was Bryant’s 75th postseason game with 30 or more points, which allowed him to share second place all-time with former Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He surpassed another Lakers great in Jerry West to gain that second place status.16

NBA FINALS VERSUS BOSTON 1. June 3 at Los Angeles: For half of their existence in Los Angeles, the Lakers found themselves in the NBA Finals. No other team in history can boast of such an accolade after 50 years in one city. In their 25 Finals appearances representing the City of Angels, the Lakers squared off against the Boston Celtics 11 times, with the last one coming two years ago. The Celtics held a commanding 8–2 advantage over the Lakers going into this series. Boston looked to regain the title they owned two years earlier, and the Lakers came into this clash with dreams of repeating as rulers of the pro circuit. One team would be able to accomplish their goals, and this game provided the first step toward the NBA’s two-foot-tall symbol of seasonal greatness, the coveted Larry O’Brien Trophy. This series of long-time fierce rivals started off in true Celtics-Lakers fashion. Ron Artest and Paul Pierce crashed to the floor with the game still in the infant stages battling for control near the basket. Technical fouls were charged against both players, and this was not the lone incident in the first 12 minutes of the 2010 Finals. In the first quarter alone, 18 personal fouls were called. When the opening quarter went into the record books, the Lakers were up, 26–21. The Lakers were having their way against the Boston defense, as they had no trouble en route to the rim. They were able to register 48 points in the paint, while limiting the Celtics to 30, and won the rebounding battle with a 42–31 edge. The Lakers extended their lead to 50–41 at the end of the first half. Kobe Bryant then scored 14 of his game-high 30 points in the third quarter to allow the Lakers to build a whopping

2009-10 84–64 advantage heading into the fourth quarter. This was the 11th time in the past 12 games that Bryant scored 30 or more points in a game. Boston rallied somewhat in the fourth period by going on a 10–2 run, but the Lakers held them off long enough to win by a 102–89 final count. Pau Gasol did a great job on Kevin Garnett, limiting him to only 16 points and four rebounds. Most of the points Garnett scored were from outside due to Gasol’s strong defensive presence under the rim. Gasol finished with 14 rebounds and 23 points. If history is any indicator, then it was only a matter of a few days before a second straight NBA title was theirs. For Phil Jackson had a streak of 47 straight playoff series wins after a team he coached captured the opening game.17 2. June 6 at Los Angeles: Boston’s Ray Allen only played 27 minutes in the opening game due to getting into foul trouble in the early going, and could only muster up 12 points. Three days later, Allen was ready for redemption, and in the end, he achieved it. In the first half alone, Allen nailed seven three-pointers to give him 27 points. He then added another one in the third quarter to establish a new NBA Finals record. In the end, Allen finished with a game-high 32 points, and the Celtics tied the series up with a 103–94 victory. Despite the loss, the Lakers also owned a piece of Finals history by setting a new record with 14 blocked shots as a team. Andrew Bynum led the team with seven, Pau Gasol added six, and Shannon Brown one. With Allen’s hot shooting hand pacing the attack, the Celtics got out to a 54–48 halftime advantage. The Lakers rallied back to tie the game at 72–72 going into the fourth quarter. The Celtics then pulled away by scoring 31 points, while limiting the Lakers to 22, in the final period. In addition to Ray Allen’s big day, Rajon Rondo recorded a tripledouble for the Celtics by scoring 19 points, securing 12 rebounds, and handing out 10 assists. Gasol led the Lakers in scoring with 25 points, and Kobe Bryant, who played with five fouls since the early stages of the fourth quarter, tied Bynum for second place on the team with 21 points.18 3. June 8 at Boston: The series shifted to Beantown for the next three games, and the cross-country trek did not seem to bother the Lakers, as they prevailed with 18,624 in attendance by a final score of 91–84. Kobe Bryant, who scored 25 of his gamehigh 29 points in the first three quarters, led the Lakers’ attack. He also preformed extremely well on defense. Los Angeles jumped out to a 26–17 first quarter advantage, and held a 52–40 halftime edge. The Lakers increased their lead to 17 points, but the Celtics came roaring back to close to within 68–67 as the clock showed nearly nine minutes still remaining in the fourth quarter. Derek Fisher will always be remembered as a top-level performer in the postseason, and he built on that reputation to help the Lakers to a 2–1 series advantage. He scored 11 points in the closing minutes of the game to give the Lakers a slight cushion down the stretch. He placed an exclamation mark on the proceedings by taking a rebound off a Ray Allen miss and traveling down the court for a basket. He also drew a foul, sank the free throw, and a Boston comeback was just wishful thinking by the Celtics’ faithful. Fisher finished the game with 16 points, Pau Gasol added 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Lamar Odom, who only produced eight points in 37 minutes combined from the first two games, came up with 12 points.19 4. June 10 at Boston: The tug-of-war continued as the Celtics evened the series at two games apiece with a 96–89 victory.

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Boston’s bench strength provided a big edge in this win, as the Celtics’ reserves outscored the Lakers’ bench, 36–18. The credit for such dominant bench strength went to Nate Robinson, and Glen Davis. Robinson scored 12 points in only 17 minutes of the bench, and Davis controlled the battle of the paint against LA’s big men, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. Davis also found time to produce 18 points in 22 minutes of work. The Lakers’ other big man, Andrew Bynum, saw action for only 12 minutes due to a sore knee. The Lakers were holding a slim 62–60 lead heading into the fourth quarter, but dreams of walking off the court with a 3–1 series advantage were quickly thwarted by the home team. The Celtics got off a 14–4 run at the start of the final stanza, which proved to be the end for the Lakers on this day. Kobe Bryant attempted to keep the Lakers in the game by scoring 12 of the team’s 27 fourth quarter points. He sank three free throws with just over one minute left to play that reduced the Boston lead to 90–84, which still gave LA an opportunity to pull out a win. However, Rajon Rondo lived up to his reputation as the league’s premier ball stealer by grabbing a ball intended for Lamar Odom, and scoring on a layup that put the game out of reach for Los Angeles. Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 19 points, and Kobe Bryant earned top scoring honors with 33 points.20 5. June 13 at Boston: The Celtics took their first lead of the series, and were now only one game away from dethroning the Lakers as NBA champions after a 92–86 victory. Paul Pierce led an attack with 27 points that saw the Celtics hit on 56.3 percent of their shot attempts, while the Lakers only succeeded on 39.7 percent of theirs. The Celtics also controlled the inside game, outscoring the Lakers in the paint by a 46–32 margin. The Lakers had a terrible go of it trying to connect throughout the first half, but despite their poor shooting, they were only down, 45–39, at the end of the first half. Boston started the third period with a mini surge that produced five points. It was then that Kobe Bryant looked to once again carry the Lakers toward victory. He produced the Lakers’ next 19 points all in a span of seven minutes, but the rest of the team still had trouble finding the rim. The Celtics were able to keep up with point production right along with Bryant, and despite Kobe’s gallant effort, the Lakers still trailed by nine points going into the fourth quarter. The Lakers did manage to close to within five points down the stretch on three free throws by Bryant, who finished with a game-high 39 points. The only other member of the Lakers to produce double-figure scoring was Pau Gasol, who had 12 points in addition to his 12 rebounds.21 6. June 15 at Los Angeles: The Celtics were just a minimum of four quarters away from hoisting their 18th championship banner toward the rafters of Boston’s TD Garden. However, before a freshly constructed 2010 NBA championship banner could be sent to TD Garden’s 100 Legends Way address, the Celtics had to clinch in the City of Angels. The Staples Center was also ready to have a fifth championship banner earned in it’s confines raised to the rafters, and the Lakers took a giant step toward that goal by mauling Boston, 89–67, to send the series to a seventh and deciding game. The Celtics’ point production in this game tied the 1998 Utah Jazz for second place all-time for fewest points scored in one game throughout NBA Finals history. Ironically, Phil Jackson was the victorious coach each time, as his Chicago Bulls beat the Jazz in 1998. This absolute thrashing was a true team effort, as the Lakers started out focused on the task at hand,

ONE : THE SEASONS and continued on their quest until the final buzzer, while Boston only connected on 33.3 percent of their shots. Los Angeles got out to a 28–18 first quarter lead, and built a 51–31 advantage by the end of the first half. The game was virtually over by that time. Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 26 points. He also had 11 rebounds, three assists, and four steals. Pau Gasol just missed out on a triple-double with 17 points, 13 rebounds, and nine assists. He also had three blocked shots. Ron Artest scored 15 points, and Lamar Odom hauled in 10 rebounds to go along with his eight points.22 7. June 17 at Los Angeles: For the fifth time in this classic sports rivalry, the Lakers and Celtics would square off in a seventh and deciding game to determine the NBA championship. The Lakers had a lethargic 32.5 shooting percentage, and connected on a mere four of 20 attempts from three-point range. However, they secured 23 offensive rebounds, and outdueled the Celtics for total rebounds by a 53–40 margin. They also never gave up, pouring every last ounce of effort a team could muster over the course of a deciding game. In the end, the Lakers gutted out an 83–79 victory that gave them their 16th overall NBA title, and the 11th while representing the city of Los Angeles. Kobe Bryant had one of his worst shooting performances, but still managed to finish with game-high honors. That’s how great a player he is. Kobe only connected on six of 24 field goal attempts, and failed to hit on all six of his shots from three-point range. He did manage to hit on 11 of 15 free throw tries to give him his 23 points. For the series, Bryant averaged 28.6 points per game, and that secured him the honor of being named the NBA Finals MVP for the second straight year, and helped him earn a fifth NBA championship ring. While Kobe was having difficulty finding the basket, his support system carried the team. Ron Artest scored 20 points, and had five steals. Pau Gasol finished with 19 points, 18 rebounds, four assists, and two blocked shots. Derek Fisher added 10 points, and Lamar Odom seven, to round out the Lakers’ top scorers. The Celtics jumped out to a 23–14 lead at the end of the first quarter, but the Lakers close the gap to 40–34 by halftime. Los Angeles chipped the deficit down to 57–53 going into the fourth quarter. The Lakers then made it all the way back with 7:28 left to play when Ron Artest had a three-point play that deadlocked the game at 61–61. Ray Allen then sank three free throws to give Boston a 64–61 advantage. Derek Fisher nailed a three-point shot to once again tie the score, and then Kobe Bryant added four straight points. The Celtics kept coming on strong just like the Lakers, as each team refused to buckle under to the other one’s wrath. With Pau Gasol battling hard for control of the boards, Bryant and Sasha Vujacic nailing foul shots, and Ron Artest connecting on a three-pointer, Los Angeles won out in the end to present coach Phil Jackson with his fifth NBA championship with the Lakers, and 11th overall.23

Individual Playoff Statistics Artest — appeared in 23 games, played 839 minutes (36.5 avg.), scored 258 points (11.2 avg.), had 91 rebounds (4.0 avg.) and 49 assists (2.1 avg.) Brown — appeared in 23 games, played 324 minutes (14.1 avg.), scored 113 points (4.9 avg.), had 29 rebounds (1.3 avg.) and 20 assists (0.9 avg.)

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Bryant — appeared in 23 games, played 923 minutes (40.1 avg.), scored 671 points (29.2 avg.), had 138 rebounds (6.0 avg.) and 126 assists (5.5 avg.) Bynum — appeared in 23 games, played 561 minutes (24.4 avg.), scored 198 points (8.6 avg.), had 159 rebounds (6.9 avg.) and 12 assists (0.5 avg.) Farmar — appeared in 23 games, played 301 minutes (13.1 avg.), scored 105 points (4.6 avg.), had 27 rebounds (1.2 avg.) and 32 assists (1.4 avg.) Fisher — appeared in 23 games, played 754 minutes (32.8 avg.), scored 237 points (10.3 avg.), had 58 rebounds (2.5 avg.) and 64 assists (2.8 avg.) Gasol — appeared in 23 games, played 913 minutes (39.7 avg.), scored 450 points (19.6 avg.), had 255 rebounds (11.1 avg.) and 81 assists (3.5 avg.) Ilunga-Mbenga — appeared in 3 games, played 12 minutes (4.0 avg.), scored 5 points (1.7 avg.), had 5 rebounds (1.7 avg.) and 1 assist (0.3 avg.) Morrison — appeared in 2 games, played 13 minutes (6.5 avg.), scored 8 points (4.0 avg.), had 5 rebounds (2.5 avg.) and 1 assist (0.5 avg.) Odom — appeared in 23 games, played 667 minutes (29.0 avg.), scored 222 minutes (9.7 avg.), had 198 rebounds (8.6 avg.) and 46 assists (2.0 avg.) Powell — appeared in 13 games, played 40 minutes (3.1 avg.), scored 9 points (0.7 avg.), had 6 rebounds (0.5 avg.) and 1 assist (0.1 avg.) Vujacic — appeared in 10 games, played 76 minutes (7.6 avg.), scored 31 points (3.1 avg.), had 8 rebounds (0.8 avg.) and 5 assists (0.5 avg.) Walton — appeared in 16 games, played 96 minutes (6.0 avg.), scored 18 points (1.1 avg.), had 8 rebounds (0.5 avg.) and 14 assists (0.9 avg.)

2010-11 Head Coach: Phil Jackson Assistant Coaches: Jim Cleamons, Frank Hamblen, Chuck Person, Brian Shaw, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Craig Hodges Regular Season Record: 57–25 1st place in the NBA Pacific Division (finished in first place by 17 games) Scored 101.5 points per game to rank 9th out of 30 teams Allowed 95.4 points per game to rank 8th

Review The legendary Phil Jackson announced that this season was going to be his last. In an attempt to send one of the greatest coaches in all of professional sports history into retirement with a 12th championship was the goal. The two-time defending champions appeared to be steadfast in their quest by winning 13 of their first 15 games even though Andrew Bynum was inactive for the first part of the season recuperating from knee surgery. Kobe Bryant also was hampered by knee discomfort that caused him to miss practice sessions, but he still was one of the best to ever play, come game time. The Lakers remained steady throughout the first few months of the season, and then won 17 of 18 games from late February through April 1. They then hit a snag down the stretch, losing five straight before winning their final two games. In Phil Jackson’s final regular season game as coach, the Lakers beat the Sacramento Kings on the road in overtime, 116– 108. When it was all said and done, the Lakers captured their 27th division championship in 51 seasons in Los Angeles, and qualified for the playoffs for the 47th time.

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Gone from the Previous Season Jordan Farmer — became a free agent and signed with New Jersey on July 14, 2010 Didier Ilunga Mbenga — became a free agent and signed with New Orleans on October 13, 2010 Adam Morrison — became a free agent and signed with Washington on September 25, 2010 Josh Powell — became a free agent and signed with Atlanta on July 26, 2010 Sasha Vujacic — traded to New Jersey on December 15, 2010

Regular Season Individual Statistics 15—Ron Artest—Forward—6-6, 244 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,410 minutes (29.4 avg.), made 261 of 658 field goal attempts (.397%) and 92 of 136 free throws (.676%) for 697 points (8.5 avg.), had 267 rebounds (3.3 avg.) and 175 assists (2.1 avg.) 9 — Matt Barnes — Forward — 6-7, 235 lbs., appeared in 53 games, played 1,020 minutes (19.2 avg.), made 131 of 279 field goal attempts (.470%) and 60 of 77 free throws (.779%) for 356 points (6.7 avg.), had 228 rebounds (4.3 avg.) and 71 assists (1.3 avg.) 5 — Steve Blake — Guard — 6-3, 172 lbs., appeared in 79 games, played 1,581 minutes (20.0 avg.), made 110 of 306 field goal attempts (.359%) and 26 of 30 free throws (.867%) for 319 points (4.0 avg.), had 156 rebounds (2.0 avg.) and 170 assists (2.2 avg.) 12 — Shannon Brown — Guard — 6-4, 205 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 1,568 minutes (19.1 avg.), made 273 of 643 field goal attempts (.425%) and 92 of 101 free throws (.911%) for 712 points (8.7 avg.), had 157 rebounds (1.9 avg.) and 96 assists (1.2 avg.) 24 — Kobe Bryant — Guard — 6-6, 200 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,779 minutes (33.9 avg.), made 740 of 1,639 field goal attempts (.451%) and 483 of 583 free throws (.828%) for 2,078 points (25.3 avg.), had 419 rebounds (5.1 avg.) and 388 assists (4.7 avg.) 17 — Andrew Bynum — Center — 7-0, 285 lbs., appeared in 54 games, played 1,500 minutes (27.8 avg.), made 237 of 413 field goal attempts (.574%) and 138 of 209 free throws (.660%) for 612 points (11.3 avg.), had 508 rebounds (9.4 avg.) and 73 assists (1.4 avg.) 45 — Derrick Caracter — Forward — 6-9, 275 lbs., appeared in 41 games, played 215 minutes (5.2 avg.), made 32 of 66 field goal attempts (.485%) and 17 of 23 free throws (.739%) for 81 points (2.0 avg.), had 43 rebounds (1.0 avg.) and 7 assists (0.2 avg.) 3 — Devin Ebanks — Forward — 6-9, 215 lbs., appeared in 20 games, played 118 minutes (5.9 avg.), made 21 of 51 field goal attempts (.412%) and 18 of 23 free throws (.783%) for 62 points (3.1 avg.), had 27 rebounds (1.4 avg.) and 2 assists (0.1 avg.) 2 — Derek Fisher — Guard — 6-1, 200 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,297 minutes (28.0 avg.), made 206 of 529 field goal attempts (.389%) and 83 of 103 free throws (.806%) for 558 points (6.8 avg.), had 152 rebounds (1.9 avg.) and 224 assists (2.7 avg.) 16—Pau Gasol—Forward/Center—7-0, 227 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 3,037 minutes (37.0 avg.), made 593 of 1,120 field goal attempts (.529%) and 354 of 430 free throws (.823%) for 1,541 points (18.8 avg.), had 836 rebounds (10.2 avg.) and 273 assists (3.3 avg.) 10— Trey Johnson — Guard — 6-5, 218 lbs., appeared in 1 game, played 13 minutes (13.0 avg.), made 2 of 3 field goal attempts (.667%) and 2 of 2 free throws (1.000%) for 6 points (6.0 avg.) 7 — Lamar Odom — Forward — 6-10, 220 lbs., appeared in 82 games, played 2,639 minutes (32.2 avg.), made 473 of 893 field goal attempts (.530%) and 166 of 246 free throws (.675%) for 1,180 points (14.4 avg.), had 710 rebounds (8.7 avg.) and 249 assists (3.0 avg.) 50— Theo Ratliff— Center/Forward — 6-10, 225 lbs., appeared in 10 games, played 71 minutes (7.1 avg.), made 1 of 6 field goal attempts (.167%) and 0 of 2 free throws (.000%) for 2 points (0.2 avg.), had 13 rebounds (1.3 avg.0 and 3 assists (0.3 avg.) 1— Joe Smith — Forward — 6-10, 225 lbs., appeared in 12 games, played

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44 minutes (3.7 avg.), made 2 of 12 field goal attempts (.167%) and 2 of 2 free throws (1.000%) for 6 points (0.5 avg.), had 18 rebounds (1.5 avg.) and 3 assists (0.3 avg.) 18 — Sasha Vujacic — Guard — 6-7, 193 lbs., appeared in 11 games, played 54 minutes (4.9 avg.), made 8 of 23 field goal attempts (.348%) and 1 of 2 free throws (.500%) for 20 points (1.8 avg.), had 4 rebounds (0.4 avg.) and 5 assists (0.5 avg.) 4 — Luke Walton — Forward — 6-8, 235 lbs., appeared in 54 games, played 484 minutes (9.0 avg.), made 38 of 116 field goal attempts (.328%) and 7 of 10 free throws (.700%) for 91 points (1.7 avg.), had 67 rebounds (1.2 avg.) and 62 assists (1.1 avg.)

League Leaders Kobe Bryant —field goals made (3rd), field goal attempts (1st), points scored (3rd), points per game (5th) Pau Gasol — rebounds (5th)

All-NBA Kobe Bryant —1st team selection Pau Gasol — 2nd team selection

All-Defensive Team Kobe Bryant —1st team selection

All-Star Game Selections Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol

Sixth Man of the Year Award Lamar Odom

Regular Season Highlights With a 112–110 victory on October 26 over the Houston Rockets on opening day, the Lakers go on to win their first eight games. The streak ends with a 99–94 win over Minnesota on November 9. After two losses, the Lakers go on a five-game winning streak to give them an almost spotless record of 13–2 to begin the season with. The Lakers would also put together other winning streaks through the season that reached six, seven, eight, and nine games. On March 12, the Lakers defeated the Dallas Mavericks, 96– 91, to start a nine-game winning streak that went through a 96– 85 win at Utah on April 1.

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND VERSUS NEW ORLEANS 1. April 17 at Los Angeles: Surfing, days at the beach, and the Lakers in the postseason. These three things appeared to be constant reminders that spring and summer were on the horizon in Los Angeles. For the 47th time since moving to LA in 1960,

ONE : THE SEASONS the Lakers were gearing up for a postseason run. On this occasion, the team would be facing the New Orleans Hornets for the first time in postseason history. Under coach Monty Williams, the Hornets improved by nine games from the previous season to finish at 46–36 and in third place in the Southwest Division. With star point guard Chris Paul leading the attack, the Hornets came out to the Staples Center and defeated the defending champs, 109–100, to open the series. The Lakers took a 17–16 lead with just over three minutes remaining in the opening quarter. Besides tying the game on a few occasions, Los Angeles never regained the lead after that. The Hornets were supposed to be no match for the Lakers after they lost one of their key players, 6' 9" power forward David West, to a season-ending knee injury in late March. Despite losing one of their big men, the Hornets performed large. Chris Paul lived up to his All-Star billing by providing the Hornets with the right move at the right time to counter anything the Lakers did. He finished with 33 points, seven rebounds and 14 assists. Kobe Bryant tried to keep the Lakers in the game by leading all scorers with 34 points, but 16 turnovers that New Orleans converted into 17 points hurt the effort. Ron Artest also turned in a good game for LA, as he hit a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.1 2. April 20 at Los Angeles: Kobe Bryant will undoubtedly be remembered for many quality aspects on the basketball court. Point production will definitely be at the top of the list when his full body of work is discussed. However, in this game, it was his defensive skills that earned him attention. Focusing on stopping the Hornets’ Chris Paul from having his way with the Lakers like in the series opener, Bryant hounded his All-Star counterpart. Bryant only took 10 tries from the field, and scored 11 points, but he prevented Paul from doing damage by running all over the court in pursuit. Paul did score 20 points and dish out nine assists, but his numbers were down from the previous encounter, and the Lakers won, 87–78. The first quarter ended in a 23–23 tie, and then the Lakers began to take command of the game. They outscored the Hornets by six points in the second quarter, and never relinquished the lead after that. In this low-scoring affair, Andrew Bynum led the Lakers with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Lamar Odom added 16 points, and Ron Artest 15, to help the Lakers even the series up before heading to New Orleans for the next two games.2 3. April 22 at New Orleans: Pau Gasol had two sub-par performances during this series, in which he scored a mere eight points in each game. With the series shifting to “the Big Easy,” Gasol was back on track, and Kobe Bryant returned to doing what he did best, lighting up the scoreboard. Bryant finished with a game-high 30 points, Gasol added 17 points and 11 rebounds, and the Lakers took a 2–1 series lead with a 100–86 victory. The Lakers opened up a 30–23 lead at the end of the first quarter, and expanded their advantage to nine points by halftime. The Hornets outscored the Lakers in the third quarter by two points, but LA took control in the fourth period to pull out the win.3 4. April 24 at New Orleans: Chris Paul had one of the best postseason games in history, while the Lakers had trouble connecting from field goal range, shooting 43.1 percent, and hitting on only four of 18 from three-point range for a 22.2 percent accuracy rate. Paul recorded a triple-double with 27 points, 13 rebounds, and 15 assists for the Hornets, who tied the series up at

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2–2 with a 93–88 win. The Lakers took a 25–22 lead into the second quarter, but then New Orleans came back to gain an advantage they would not give up. The Hornets led by four at halftime, and continued on a 20–3 run that carried over into the second half. New Orleans increased their bulge to nine points in the third quarter, but Kobe Bryant tried hard to keep the Lakers in the game. He scored 14 of his 17 points in the third quarter to keep Los Angeles close, and the game was deadlocked on a few occasions.4 5. April 26 at Los Angeles: Kobe Bryant suffered a sprained ankle near the end of the previous game, and his availability was in question for Game Five. What was not up for discussion was how Bryant performed in this game. In only 29 minutes on the court, Bryant sparked the Lakers from the second quarter on, and Los Angeles came away with a convincing 106–90 victory to take a 3–2 series advantage. The Hornets looked like they would not miss a shot opportunity in the opening period, as they connected on 84.2 percent of their field goal attempts, and were up, 32–23, at the end of the first quarter. It was then time for the Lakers to show off their offensive prowess. They got off to a 10–0 run to start the second quarter, and took a one-point lead. After Willie Green returned the advantage back over to New Orleans, Kobe Bryant caught fire. He scored 12 of the Lakers’ following 21 points, and Los Angeles took a 54–51 lead at the end of the first half, and never fell behind after that. The Lakers dominated the boards, securing 42 rebounds to only 25 for the Hornets, with Andrew Bynum’s 10 rebounds leading the team. Bryant led the Lakers with 19 points, Bynum added 18, and Pau Gasol chipped in with 16 points and eight rebounds. Also hitting for double figure scoring were Derek Fisher and Lamar Odom, who each finished with 13 points.5 6. April 28 at New Orleans: The Lakers left no doubt that they were still the reigning champs, and once again won in convincing fashion. With Kobe Bryant’s 24 points, coupled with a dominant team effort in controlling the boards, Los Angeles cruised to a 98–80 series-clinching victory. The Lakers led at the end of every quarter, and had at least a 10-point advantage for a good portion of the third quarter. They sealed the game early in the fourth quarter by going on a 9–0 run that put the Lakers in a very comfortable 78–59 lead. With the game under control, Bryant was able to take some pressure off his tender ankle for the bulk of the fourth quarter. The Lakers had a 43–30 edge in rebounds, with Andrew Bynum leading in that category with 12. Bynum also added 18 points and two blocked shots to finish with a solid performance.6

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS VERSUS DALLAS 1. May 2 at Los Angeles: Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks had been regarded as top contenders numerous times, but they were never able to claim a league championship. However, with Nowitzki’s 28 points and 14 rebounds leading the assault, the Mavericks took their first step in moving toward that illusive goal of league supremacy after a narrow 96–94 victory. Dallas led by two points at the end of the first quarter, but the Lakers stormed back to outscore the Mavericks, 30–19, in the second period, to lay claim to a 53–44 halftime bulge. Los Angeles came

2010-11 out for the second half in excellent shape, getting off a 7–0 run to extend their lead to 60–44, and everything appeared to be going well for them. The Mavericks did not fold under the pressure, and proceeded to put together a 20–6 run to get right back into the game. The Lakers held a 94–91 lead after a Kobe Bryant jump shot with 59 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Dallas closed to within one point with 40 seconds left, and then Pau Gasol fouled Nowitzki, who put the Mavs in the lead for good by sinking a pair of free throws. Bryant attempted to pull out a win like so many times throughout his illustrious career, but his three-point shot at the buzzer failed to go through the rim. Bryant led all scorers with 36 points to give him his 81st career playoff game with 30 or more points. Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol both achieved double-doubles. Odom finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Gasol had 15 points and 11 rebounds.7 2. May 4 at Los Angeles: The Lakers were hoping to add their name to the record books, but it was not in a manner that they desired. In the history of the NBA, a mere three teams had the ability to come back in a best-of-seven playoff series and win it after dropping the first two on their home court. That was the situation the Lakers saw themselves in after a 93–81 Dallas victory gave the Mavericks a 2–0 series lead with the festivities now shifting over to Dallas for at least the next two games. With excellent defense, and team leader Dirk Nowitzki scoring 24 points, the Mavs had control of this game from the first quarter on. They started off with a 26–20 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Lakers made things interesting in the second period by cutting the gap to 51–49 by halftime, but then Dallas outscored the Lakers, 42–32, in the second half to assume control of this series. The Lakers played a very sub-par game. They allowed the Mavericks to slice through their defense, and on offense, the Lakers could only muster up two of 20 from three-point range. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 23 points, Andrew Bynum finished with a solid game consisting of 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Pau Gasol added 13 points and 10 rebounds.8 3. May 6 at Dallas: The Lakers had total control of the paint, and the proof was their 56–20 point advantage over the Mavericks in that category. Everything else was going right for the Lakers, as they led, 85–78, with 5:07 remaining in the fourth quarter. It was there that things went downhill for the two-time defending champs. Dallas proceeded to go on a 20–7 run that began with a three-pointer from Dirk Nowitzki. The end result was a 98–92 Dallas victory. With Nowitzki pacing Dallas with a game-high 32 points, the Mavericks were perched on the verge of knocking the Lakers out of the playoffs, as they held an almost invincible 3–0 series lead. The Lakers held a 51–47 halftime lead, and continued to play well until Dallas’ surge at the end. Andrew Bynum led the Lakers with 21 points and 10 rebounds, Lamar Odom scored 18 points, and Kobe Bryant finished with 17 points. The Lakers also had to play without the services of Ron Artest, who was suspended for this game after a hard foul on Dallas’ J.J. Barea in Game Two.9 4. May 8 at Dallas: No team had ever come back to win a series after being down 3–0. The Lakers looked to become the first-ever to accomplish the almost-impossible feat, but in the end, they did not even come close to taking the first step toward the goal, and this marked the 99th time a team fell by way of the sweep in NBA postseason history. In what was Phil Jackson’s final

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coaching assignment of his illustrious career, the Lakers were pounded into oblivion, 122–86, thus sending Jackson into retirement earlier than many expected. This proved to be the only time in Jackson’s 20 years as a head coach that he suffered a series sweep. Despite the way Jackson’s final game went, he was still the greatest to ever coach. His all-time playoff coaching record consisted of 229 victories against 104 losses, a .688 percent winning percentage, and 11 championship rings. The game started off relatively close, as the Mavericks held a slight, 27–23 lead at the end of the first quarter. It was in the second quarter that things completely crumbled for the Lakers. Dallas’ Jason Terry led an assault that saw him nail five three-pointers during the second quarter. Terry ended the quarter with 20 points, and he himself outscored the entire Lakers team, which were only able to produce 16 points throughout the second quarter. Terry finished the game with 32 points, and tied a postseason record with nine three-pointers. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers in scoring with 17 points. The Mavericks also entered the record books as a team. They tied playoff records with 11 three-pointers in the first half, and 20 throughout the game. The Mavericks outscored the Lakers, 36–16, in the second quarter, to basically end the game at halftime, as they held an almost insurmountable 63–39 advantage. The teams finished the third quarter with 23 points apiece, and then Dallas won the fourth and final quarter of Phil Jackson’s coaching career, 36– 24. The Mavericks would eventually go on to win their first-ever NBA championship one month later. As for the Lakers, it was now the end of their reign as champions, and their first 50 years representing the city of Los Angeles were entered into the record books.10

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Individual Playoff Statistics Artest — appeared in 9 games, played 287 minutes (31.9 avg.), scored 95 points (10.6 avg.), had 41 rebounds (4.6 avg.) and 20 assists (2.2 avg.) Barnes — appeared in 10 games, played 131 minutes (13.1 avg.), scored 36 points (3.6 avg.), had 28 rebounds (2.8 avg.) and 5 assists (0.5 avg.) Blake — appeared in 9 games, played 145 minutes (16.1 avg.), scored 20 points (2.2 avg.), had 14 rebounds (1.6 avg.) and 20 assists (2.2 avg.) Brown — appeared in 10 games, played 166 minutes (16.6 avg.), scored 72 points (7.2 avg.), had 19 rebounds (1.9 avg.) and 7 assists (0.7 avg.) Bryant — appeared in 10 games, played 354 minutes (35.4 avg.), scored 228 points (22.8 avg.), had 34 rebounds (3.4 avg.) and 33 assists (3.3 avg.) Bynum — appeared in 10 games, played 320 minutes (32.0 avg.), scored 144 points (14.4 avg.), had 96 rebounds (9.6 avg.) and 8 assists (0.8 avg.) Fisher — appeared in 10 games, played 325 minutes (32.5 avg.), scored 82 points (8.2 avg.), had 27 rebounds (2.7 avg.) and 36 assists (3.6 avg.) Gasol — appeared in 10 games, played 358 minutes (35.8 avg.), scored 131 points (13.1 avg.), had 78 rebounds (7.8 avg.) and 38 assists (3.8 avg.) Johnson — appeared in 3 games, played 12 minutes (4.0 avg.), scored 3 points (1.0 avg.), had 4 rebounds (1.3 avg.) and 1 assist (0.3 avg.) Odom — appeared in 10 games, played 286 minutes (28.6 avg.), scored 121 points (12.1 avg.), had 65 rebounds (6.5 avg.) and 21 assists (2.1 avg.) Ratliff—appeared in 1 game, played 1 minute (1.0 avg.) and had 1 rebound (1.0 avg.) Smith — appeared in 5 games, played 11 minutes (2.2 avg.) and had 1 rebound (0.2 avg.) Walton — appeared in 1 game, played 4 minutes (4.0 avg.) and had 1 rebound (1.0 avg.)

Two

ALL-TIME GREATS Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Legendary college coach John Wooden achieved and sustained a level of greatness while mentoring the UCLA Bruins that will never be equaled. The “Wizard of Westwood” led the Bruins to 10 NCAA championships, including seven in a row and nine in ten seasons. Along the way to compiling an incredible .813 winning percentage over 40 years in the business, and collecting a vast amount of championship hardware, Wooden saw many of his charges reach the summit of their sport as professionals. Among the many who brought everlasting fame onto the Westwood campus during stellar careers, Lew Alcindor was one of the best to don UCLA blue and gold. Not only was he one of the greatest performers on the scholastic, collegiate, or professional levels, but he achieved accolades under two names as well. For the first 24 years of his existence, he went by his birth name of Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor, Jr. By May of 1971, the world was then introduced to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar after his conversion to Islam. A legend by any name is still a legend, and the basketball icon will never be forgotten as long as time exists. On April 16, 1947, the future basketball icon came into the world to parents Ferdinand and Cora Alcindor. With his father standing 6' 3" tall, and his mother near six feet, it came as no surprise when their son began growing at a steady pace. At age three, the family moved out of Harlem and into Manhattan, where the Catholic-raised Alcindor attended St. Jude School.1 At age nine, the young Alcindor was already 5' 8" in height, and it was at this time that he began working on a maneuver, which assisted the New York hoopster on his path to greatness. It was the hook shot, or more commonly referred to as the “sky hook.” During this experimental process, the move felt comfortable to Alcindor, and through practice, he made it into a devastating scoring weapon.2 Four years later, at 13 years of age, the now 6' 8" teenager was capable of slamming home an easy two-pointer via the way of a dunk. His domination of the hardwood solidified a life-long reputation as a true legend, and made him the most sought after scholastic basketball product of the time. The next phase of Alcindor’s path to greatness occurred on 161 West 61st Street in New York City. Located on this piece of Big Apple real estate was Power Memorial Academy, an all-boy Catholic high school opened in 1931. By the end of the 1930s,

Power’s basketball program began to earn the prestige as a force to be reckoned with. However, nothing ever matched the impact that a 6'10" freshman had on the program when he first entered the building in the fall of 1961. By the time Lew Alcindor graduated in 1965, he helped the Power Memorial Panthers carve out a path of destruction that made the institution of higher learning one of the most storied programs in scholastic history.3 With the ability to dunk both frontwards and backwards, send a hook shot toward the basket with deadly accuracy, and land shots from the outside, Alcindor was the main weapon on coach Jack Donohue’s team that won three straight New York City Catholic championships and had a 71-game unbeaten streak. He was also an exceptional student. As a sophomore, he averaged 19 points a game on the way to guiding the Panthers to a spotless 27–0 record, and became the first sophomore to be selected to the Parade All-America Team. In his junior campaign of 1963-64, Alcindor once again anchored an undefeated team while pumping in 26 points a game. The scholastic phenomenon and the Power Memorial hardwood juggernaut’s prowess reached far and wide, as they gained the coveted title of number one team in the country.4 With the national spotlight shining brighter each day, Alcindor did not disappoint. By his final stand as leader of the Panthers, the team was riding a 71-game winning streak and he was averaging 33 points a game. The incredible winning streak came to an end on January 30, 1965, when Maryland’s DeMatha Catholic High School shocked the world with a 46–43 win in which Alcindor only scored 16 points. This was the only time in his final three seasons at Power Memorial that the team suffered a loss. He completed his high school career by establishing New York City records with 2,067 points and 2,002 rebounds while leading the team to an overall 95–6 slate in his four seasons.5 Without a doubt, Lew Alcindor was at the top of every college recruiter’s wish list, but only one campus in the country would get the bragging rights to land him. The initial rise to the top of the collegiate basketball world executed by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) under coach John Wooden, ran parallel with the dominance of the Lew Alcindor-led Power Memorial team of the early 1960s. In that regard, it only seemed fitting that the two-time defending NCAA champions and the most sought after schoolboy basketball player of his time merge into a supreme union that would allow both factions to continue on legendary courses.

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Alcindor arrived at the Westwood campus on the heels of UCLA’s second consecutive national championship led by Gail Goodrich. One day, their numbers would hang side-by-side from the rafters of the Fabulous Forum and later the Staples Center as testaments to their greatness as Lakers. However, in 1965, Alcindor was looking to carry the championship torch lit by Goodrich and the other departing Bruins who set a superior standard for all those who followed. After making the 2,800-mile trek clear across the country, the 18-year-old New York native did not disappoint, as he made an immediate impact on the UCLA Bruins. At this time in history, incoming freshmen were prohibited from participating on the varsity level. If that rule were not in effect, Alcindor would have become an instant starter as an 18-year-old. Unfortunately, the rule was in place, but this did not mean that Alcindor could not impress his new Westwood colleagues the very first time he suited up in the blue and gold. Pauley Pavilion is the home of the Bruins’ basketball team, and over the decades, its confines have played host to many exciting moments. On November 27, 1965, the first-ever event in the new facility pitted the defending NCAA champion Bruins’ varsity against the Alcindor-led freshman squad in a scrimmage. The preseason polls had UCLA perched on the summit of the college basketball circuit for the 1965-66 campaign, and they were heavily picked as an odds on favorite to bring a third NCAA title back to Los Angeles. They definitely appeared invincible, but Alcindor and company seemed undaunted, beating the varsity, 75– 60, with the freshman from Power Memorial leading the charge with 31 points, 21 rebounds, and seven blocked shots.6 After beating the nation’s top team so handily, the rest of the season seemed like a cakewalk, and it was. The freshman team cruised to a perfect 21–0 slate with Alcindor averaging 33 points a game and snagging 21 rebounds.7 The big man had arrived, and the next three years on the Westwood campus would prove to be the stuff of legends. Right out of the starting gate, Alcindor left nothing to chance. If he had any doubters of his ability, any negativity was quickly thwarted. In his first-ever varsity contest, Alcindor set a team record by pumping in 56 points. He added 61 in a later game that season, finished the year by averaging 29 points a game, and 15.5 rebounds a game en route to a spotless 30–0 record. They climaxed the season with a national championship win over Dayton by the count of 79–64. The 1966-67 UCLA team is regarded by many to be the greatest in history.8 Amidst all the celebration of such a dominant year, the NCAA decided to slow down the Alcindor-led Bruins. The organization banned the use of the dunk shot following the 1967 season because of Alcindor’s utter dominance with it as a weapon. The rule was overturned in 1976.9 Undaunted by the new rule, Alcindor shifted to another force in his arsenal that he had worked on since he was an adolescent. The hook shot replaced the dunk, and in Alcindor’s case, it was eventually given the name of “the Sky Hook” thanks to Milwaukee Bucks’ radio announcer Eddie Doucette during Lew’s tenure in Brew City.10 The “Sky Hook” was a devastating shot that was virtually impossible to guard against. The 7' 2" Alcindor would move to his right, set his feet, leap high off his left foot, and then gracefully send the ball on an arc toward the basket while his left arm extended out to guard against a defender getting close. It became

TWO : ALL-TIME GREATS his trademark shot, and helped him compile points at a feverish pace until his retirement in the late 1980s. He also became ambidextrous with the shot, which allowed him to attack from different angles to totally mix up defenders.11 With his “Sky Hook” working miracles, the Bruins were once again in the driver’s seat in the race for another title. A setback occurred on UCLA’s quest when Alcindor suffered a scratched cornea on his left eye in a January 12, 1968 game against California. The injury forced Alcindor out of the next two games. He returned to action in time to play the Houston Cougars led by future NBA star Elvin Hayes.12 This game was billed as the “Game of the Century,” as both teams were the elite of the ’67-68 season. Played in the Houston Astrodome on January 20, 1968, this game was the first regular season college basketball game to be televised to a national audience. With Hayes leading the way with 39 points and 15 rebounds, and Alcindor held to 15 points, Houston ended UCLA’s 47-game winning streak by a final score of 71–69.13 It appeared at the time that UCLA was no longer the alpha dog in college hoops, but come tournament time, the Bruins barked the loudest once again. With Alcindor at 100 percent, the Bruins ripped the Cougars apart in the NCAA semi-final game, 101–69, and then blasted North Carolina by a 78–55 count in the championship game. Alcindor had the opportunity to play on the United States Olympic team in 1968, but declined in protest for the way African Americans were being treated in the United States.14 A third straight NCAA championship came home to Westwood under Alcindor’s watch in 1968-69. A lone loss to cross town rival USC was the only blemish on the season. In Alcindor’s three varsity campaigns, UCLA went 88–2, and he scored 2,325 points (26.4 average), grabbed 1,367 rebounds (15.5 average), and owned many of the team’s records. He earned All-American First Team honors three times (1967–69), was selected the USBWA College Player of the Year in 1967 and 1968, won the Naismith College Player of the Year Award in 1969, and was bestowed the NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Valuable Player Award three times (1967–69). Up to this time in his career, counting high school, Alcindor’s overall record as a player was an incredible 183–8.15 It was now time to conquer the top level of competition after dominating the two previous ones. The Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks were expansion teams in 1968-69, and as is always the case for new franchises, they took a beating. The Suns finished at 16–66 and the Bucks at 27–55. Being the two worst teams record-wise, they would receive the top two draft picks. A coin toss was performed to see which cellar dweller earned the right to pick first. The Bucks came out on top, and immediately picked Lew Alcindor. He was also selected by the New York Nets of the American Basketball Association, but they bid too low for his services, and he was on his way to Milwaukee. He also turned down one million dollars to play for the Harlem Globetrotters.16 In his first season in the NBA, Alcindor looked to continue on with his winning ways. The Bucks started off with three straight wins, but by the seventh game of the season, they recorded their fourth loss, which was one more than Alcindor had in six combined years while in high school and college. The impact the rookie had on the Bucks was swift, however,

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as the second-year franchise exploded to a 56–26 record and a second place finish in the Eastern Division. The 29-win improvement was a definite reflection of Alcindor’s talents. He finished with the second best scoring average (28.8 points per game), was third in rebounds with a 14.5 per game average, and easily took home the 1969-70 NBA Rookie of the Year Award.17 To complement their star big man, the Bucks gained one of the best guards in the game’s history when they traded with the Cincinnati Royals for Oscar Robertson. The ten-year veteran provided the Bucks with solid leadership and great playmaking abilities. Together, Robertson and Alcindor blitzed through the 197071 NBA schedule to finish with a league-topping 66–16 regular season record. Not suffering from any sophomore jinx, Alcindor dominated the league by winning his first scoring crown thanks to a 31.7 points per game average, and took home the ultimate piece of hardware the pro circuit offers, with that being the NBA Most Valuable Player Award. Not resting on their laurels in the postseason, Alcindor, Robertson, and rest of the Bucks, crushed every opponent en route to a 12–2 playoff record and brought the NBA championship crown to the Brew City in only their third year of existence. After beating the San Francisco Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers four games to one in two playoff rounds leading up to the championship clash, the Bucks then swept the Baltimore Bullets in four straight to clinch the league title. On the way to the crown, Alcindor pumped in 31, 27, 23, and 27 respectively against the Bullets to secure the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award for himself.18 On May 1, 1971, one day after clinching the NBA title, the name Lew Alcindor ceased to exist. The name that once dominated scoring columns and sports page headlines was changed to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.19 Raised a Catholic, Jabbar gravitated toward, and became a member of the Muslim faith while at UCLA. He looked to link himself to a past prior to slavery in the United States. Many who were brought into slavery were Muslims, and a good percentage of them took on the slave owners surname upon being emancipated. Jabbar found out that his birth name was linked to a French planter named Alcindor, who brought his ancestors over to America.20 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the adopted Muslim name given to the basketball superstar, and it translated to generous, noble, powerful servant of God.21 There was a backlash by many fans regarding Jabbar’s conversion, even though it was nobody’s business what faith a person holds in their hearts. However, the negativity displayed by the public sector made Jabbar, who was considered not that congenial in the first place, extremely standoffish. All the public should have cared about was his ability to entertain, and that he did. In 1971-72, he secured his second straight league MVP award by leading the circuit with a 34.8 point per game average.22 Despite recording a spectacular 63–19 record, the Bucks failed to repeat as champions when they lost to the Lakers in the Western Conference finals. In 1974, a third NBA Most Valuable Player Award came Jabbar’s way after he helped the Bucks to a 59–23 record and the team’s fourth straight division title. Along the way, he finished among the league leaders in points per game average (27.0), rebounds (14.5), blocked shots (283), and field goal percentage (.539). The Bucks managed to advance to their second championship round appearance, and took the

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Boston Celtics the distance, but lost out in the end four games to three. Injuries were not a hampering factor for Jabbar throughout his illustrious tenure in the Association, but in 1974, he was burdened by two of them. During a preseason game, he was scratched in the eye, and in frustration, he punched the basket support, breaking his hand in the process. Forced to the sidelines for the team’s first 16 games, Jabbar returned to action with his trademark protective goggles that became just as synonymous with him as the “Sky Hook.”23 By 1975, Jabbar informed the Bucks that he wanted to be traded. With one year remaining on his contract, he was set to leave after the 1974-75 season either way. He wanted to satisfy the cultural craving he so yearned for in his hometown of New York City. The Knicks appeared to be the frontrunner for Jabbar’s talents, but Lakers’ owner Jack Kent Cooke also wanted him in Los Angeles. The Lakers always had a marquee performer, and with the retirement of Jerry West, the team was in search of a new superstar. Jabbar was that person, and on June 16, 1975, the City of Angels once again became the destination for the game’s premier big man. The Lakers gave up center Elmore Smith, David Meyers, Junior Bridgeman, and Brian Winters for Jabbar.24 Just like he had done ten years earlier upon his initial arrival in Los Angeles with UCLA, Jabbar dominated. He finished second in scoring (27.7 ppg), and led the league with 16.9 rebounds per games and 4.12 blocked shots per game. Despite the team falling below .500 at 40–42 and failing to make the playoffs for the second straight year, the league still bestowed the 197576 Most Valuable Player Award on Jabbar for the fourth time in his young stellar career.25 The following season saw the Lakers return to familiar territory, finishing with a league-best record of 53–29, and making it all the way to the Western Conference finals before succumbing to the Portland Trailblazers. Jabbar led the NBA in field goal percentage, and ranked near the top in rebounds, blocked shots, and points scored. For his efforts, he received his fifth NBA Most Valuable Player Award, which tied him with Boston’s Bill Russell for the most in league history.26 The following two seasons saw Jabbar maintain his level of excellence, but he could not get the team into the championship round, with the Seattle Supersonics thwarting their hopes in 1978 and 1979. Just like in Milwaukee prior to the Bucks championship run when the team acquired Oscar Robertson, the Lakers had the same approach. Just like Robertson, the new arrival was a guard, and his name was Earvin “Magic” Johnson, a rookie coming hot off the heels of capturing the 1979 NCAA championship as the nucleus of the Michigan State Spartans. Much like Jabbar did in Milwaukee, Johnson instilled a shot of adrenaline into the Lakers. With Johnson running the floor, and Jabbar doing his usual yeoman’s effort, the Lakers finally returned to the NBA throne after an eight-year absence. Jabbar also became the sole record holder for receiving NBA Most Valuable Player Awards, as he earned the sixth of his career by averaging 24.8 points per game and 10.8 rebounds per game. Unfortunately, a severe twisted ankle prevented Jabbar from partaking in game six of the championship series against Philadelphia with the Lakers up three games to two. It also prevented him from obtaining his second NBA Finals MVP

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Award, which he was well on pace to earn throughout the first five games. Magic Johnson carried the load with Jabbar nursing his ankle injury, and the Lakers closed out the series in game six.27 Over the course of the 1980s, Jabbar continued to provide the Lakers with solid play as the man in the middle during the incredibly successful “Showtime” era. Despite being in his midto-late 30s during the bulk of the “Showtime” era, Jabbar’s stamina was incredible. Through an excellent physical fitness program, he was in better shape than people half his age, and this allowed him to keep up with the fast break, flash and dash style that the Lakers exhibited throughout the 1980s with Magic Johnson running the floor. As team captain of this phenomenal collection of hardwood talent, Jabbar provided strong leadership, and earned the distinction of becoming the NBA’s all-time leading scorer on April 5, 1984 when he sent a “Sky Hook” into the basket for his 31,420th point to surpass the great Wilt Chamberlain. He also helped the Lakers win four more NBA titles (1982, 1985, 1987, 1988), and make three more trips to the championship round (1983, 1984, 1989). In the 1985 finals against the Boston Celtics, Jabbar led the Lakers to a 4–2 series win. It was the first time that the Lakers defeated the Celtics in a championship series after eight previous failures. In the deciding game at Boston Garden, Jabbar pumped in 29 points, and the 38-year-old legend captured his second NBA Finals MVP Award. This was also the first time that the Celtics ever lost a deciding game of a championship series in the hallowed confines of Boston Garden. Jabbar decided that the 1988-89 season would be his swan song at age 42, after 20 seasons in the NBA, ten of which saw him play in the NBA Finals. Along the way, Jabbar amassed 38,387 points (24.6 avg.) and 17,440 rebounds (11.2 avg.). Besides holding the NBA record for most career points, he also resides on top of the pro summit for most minutes played (57,446), most field goals made (15,837), most field goals attempted (28,307), most All-Star game selections (19) and most All-Star games played in (18). He also scored 40 or more points 70 times in regular season games.28 On March 20, 1989, his number 33 was retired by the Lakers. The Milwaukee Bucks also retired his number 33, and on May 15, 1995, the name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was added to the honor roll of those worthy enough to be enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was also an easy choice to be one of the 50 greatest players selected by the NBA on the league’s golden anniversary in 1996-97.29 Jabbar was also accredited with being a best-selling author and actor in motion pictures and television. A desire to coach allowed him opportunities with the Los Angeles Clippers and Seattle Supersonics to serve as an assistant. In 2002 he was the head coach of the Oklahoma Storm of the United States Basketball League, and with his expertise, the team won the championship. After working as a scout for the New York Knicks, Jabbar returned to the Lakers as a special assistant in 2005 under head coach Phil Jackson.30 Whatever role Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has performed on life’s path, he emerged a champion. His overall success on the hardwood, regardless of the level of competition, will more than likely never be duplicated. His performances were true masterpieces, and the sport of basketball and its fans will forever be indebted to the yeoman effort given by this legend year in and year out.

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Elgin Baylor Each generation of pro basketball aficionados has had the opportunity to marvel at those who took ball-handling skills to new levels. Before LeBron James and Kobe Bryant there was Michael Jordan, and prior to that, Julius “Dr. J” Erving amazed crowds throughout the 1970s and early 80s. Let us now turn the clock back a bit farther to the beginning of President Kennedy’s “Days of Camelot” and the Lakers’ journey westward. Going into the City of Angels along with the Lakers was their star forward, Elgin Baylor, who paved the way for the future phenoms mentioned above. The forefather of ball-handling wizardry was born in Washington, D.C., on September 16, 1934. The sport of basketball seemed like a right of passage in the Baylor household, as two of Elgin’s brothers also played. Nicknamed “Rabbit,” Baylor first honed his hoop skills as an adolescent at the Southwest Boys Club and while attending Brown Junior High School. The Washington, D.C. area has had a strong lineage when it comes to scholastic basketball, and Elgin Baylor is one of reasons, as he became a three-time All-City player while at two different high schools.1 Phelps High School was Baylor’s first stop on his hardwood quest for greatness. During the 1951 and 1952 seasons, he set a single-game scoring record for the D.C. area by pumping in 44 points. He averaged 18.5 points per game in his first year at Phelps, and followed that up with a 27.6 average.2 It was then that Baylor’s schooling and scholastic sports career came to a temporary, but abrupt stop. Despite his wizardry with a basketball in his hands, in the classroom, Baylor struggled. His grades were bad, he felt discouraged by his poor academic standing, and decided to quite school. He went to work in a furniture store after leaving Phelps, but kept his basketball skills sharp by playing in a recreational league.3 Baylor’s basketball career looked to be headed solely to amateur status in recreational leagues while he punched a time clock, with his talents eventually becoming another “whatever became of ” saga. Knowing that an education was the way to lift himself up toward greater feats, Baylor decided to return to school and forge ahead in the classroom until he got things right. This time around Baylor took his talents to Spingarn High School, and the Mighty Green Wave was glad to have him. In his senior year of high school, Baylor stood at 6'5" and weighed 190 pounds. He took advantage of his physical stature by dominating the scholastic scene in and around the nation’s capital. He set a D.C. record by ringing up an incredible 63 points in a game against his previous school, Phelps. In eight league contests during the 1953-54 season, Baylor averaged a whopping 36.1 points per game. When it came time for accolades, he cashed in, as he was named 1st team All-Metropolitan, and won the SSA’s Livingstone Trophy, which honored the area’s top basketball player.4 Baylor’s tremendous accomplishments on the court should have had college recruiters trying to lure him to their campuses. However, due to a poor academic record, colleges were not interested. It was at this time that a friend named Warren Williams stepped in to obtain an athletic scholarship for Baylor at the College of Idaho. Baylor accepted the offer, and headed off to the “Gem State,” where he would play football and basketball.5 With Baylor leading the way by averaging 31.3 points and

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18.9 rebounds per game, the 1954-55 Idaho Coyotes finished the season with a 23–4 record that consisted of a spotless 15–0 mark in the Northwest Conference. This team, coached by Sam Vokes, is regarded as the greatest basketball team in the history of the school’s program. Unfortunately, Baylor’s time in Idaho was reduced to this incredible lone season. The school decided to cut back on scholarships, and Baylor was one of the players denied the assistance. With his future once again in question, fate stepped in. A Seattle, Washington, auto dealer named Ralph Monroe was involved in a new amateur basketball program, and sought out Baylor to play for him. The deal consisted of Baylor playing for Monroe’s AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) team while he enrolled at Seattle University and worked on his grades.6 On May 26, 1955, Seattle coach Al Brightman released a statement that Baylor would be playing for the Chieftains in the 1956-57 season.7 Until that time, the 20-year-old D.C. native son honed his skills clear across the country for Westside Ford in an AAU league. He did not disappoint his Great Northwest sponsor Ralph Monroe, as he averaged 30 points and 19 rebounds per game while amazing spectators with gravity-defying jump shots.8 When he was ready to play for Brightman at Seattle, the wait was well worth it. He led the Chieftains to the 1958 NCAA Championship Game, but came up short against Kentucky. Despite the loss, Baylor’s performance was the stuff of legends. In his final two games of the tournament, Baylor scored 48 points and grabbed 41 rebounds to earn the Final Four Most Valuable Player Award. In his three seasons of college basketball, Baylor averaged 31.3 points and 19.1 rebounds per game en route to second team All-American honors in 1957, and first team selection in 1958.9 With one more year of college eligibility remaining, Baylor decided to turn professional when the downtrodden Minneapolis Lakers offered him $20,000 with the hope that the electrifying forward could help keep the franchise from folding. The Lakers were looking for a big name to lure customers through the turnstiles. Team management felt that Baylor’s leaping ability and shooting prowess could draw crowds to marvel at his exploits.10 When Baylor entered the NBA, every team in the league had the same approach. Get the rebound, run down the floor, and get off a quick running jump shot or a one-handed set shot. Also included in this routine game plan was the absence of any dunk shot.11 The league and its fans were quickly baptized into this new era of basketball when Baylor did things no one had witnessed prior to his arrival. His jumping ability and gravity-defying hang time allowed him the option to either get off a shot or pass. His signature move was to power his way into the key, go airborne, plow his way through the defense, lay the ball in with a tremendous move and draw the foul to get to the charity stripe. He was also a devastating rebounder, who possessed power and finesse, and became one of the most complete players of all-time.12 The patriarch of hang time did not disappoint, as the Lakers improved from 19 wins to 33 in 1958-59, and Baylor brought home the NBA Rookie of the Year Award after averaging 24.9 points and 15.5 rebounds per game, and was only the third rookie up to that time in history to earn All-NBA recognition. Prior to

Elgin Baylor Baylor’s arrival, Alex Groza and Bob Pettit were the only other first-year players to grace the All-NBA first team. He also came away from the 1959 All-Star Game with the Most Valuable Player Award. His impact on the league was incredible, as he possessed both finesse and power.13 He also led the Lakers to their first championship round appearance in five years. Despite his valiant effort throughout his rookie season, Baylor could not lift the Lakers up past the Boston Celtics, who won the championship round in a four game sweep. This also marked the first time that the Lakers and Celtics squared off for the league crown in what would become one of professional sports greatest rivalries. Baylor liked the city of Minneapolis, and managed to perform up to high standards in the area for two seasons despite having to play for three head coaches in that short time frame. The 1959-60 Lakers produced a 25–50 record, interest in the team was dismal at best, even with Baylor’s skills, and the team owners decided to bolt for the sun and fun of Los Angeles at the start of Baylor’s third season. The change of scenery did not have any effect on the talented forward’s performance. In the Lakers initial year in the City of Angels, Baylor and rookie Jerry West began their trek to become one of the greatest tandems in NBA history. Their exploits earned Baylor the nickname of “Mr. Inside” due to his powerful thrusts into the lane, and West was dubbed “Mr. Outside” for his great shooting ability from farther away. This duo assisted the Lakers in gaining popularity in their new surroundings where the sport of basketball was not that revered by scribes from the four daily newspapers circulating throughout Los Angeles at the time. All the attention fell on the Dodgers and Rams, but with the incredible moves of Baylor and West, the Lakers slowly began to get noticed. Within a few years, the Lakers were sharing the headlines with their Southland forefathers. In the Lakers inaugural season in Los Angeles, Baylor burned up the nets for an all-time franchise high 34.8 points per game average. He also set a then-NBA single game scoring record on November 15, 1960 when he tallied 71 points against the New York Knicks.14 Baylor and West also guided the Lakers into the Western Division finals, but they fell one game short of a trip to the championship series by losing four games to three to the St. Louis Hawks. In 1961-62, Baylor only played 48 games when he was called up for reserve military duty at an Army base in Washington State, and then joined the Lakers on weekends.15 Despite his hectic schedule, Baylor performed up to his magnificent self. He averaged 38.9 points, 18.6 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game. The Lakers finished with a 54–26 record, and made their first NBA Finals appearance representing the city of Los Angeles. The Lakers almost brought a championship to their new town, but the Boston Celtics kept the NBA crown in Beantown thanks to a 4–3 series victory, which was their fourth in a row. In game 5, Baylor made the champions look like a high school team, as he set a singlegame playoff record with 61 points.16 The following year, Baylor became the first player in NBA history to finish a regular season in the top five scoring average (34.0), rebounds (14.3), assists (4.8) and free throw percentage (.837). The Lakers completed the season with a 53–27 record, and made their second straight trip to the NBA Finals against the

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Celtics. This time, Boston won the series four games to two for their fifth title in a row. Two consecutive second place finishes in the Finals started to weigh heavily on the Lakers, as their rivalry with Boston was beginning to intensify. Adding to Baylor’s burden were nagging knee injuries that started during the 1965 Western Division playoffs. April 3, 1965 marked the first game of the Western Division Finals against the Baltimore Bullets. The Lakers eventually won the series in six games, but lost Baylor for the remainder of the playoffs, which included another loss to the Celtics in the NBA Finals. As Baylor went up for a shot, he heard his knee crack and pop.17 Following that devastating knee injury, Baylor continued to be a vital contributor to the Lakers, but was never the same. His numbers over the following seasons were top-notch for most players, but Baylor was a cut above most. He never again topped the 30.0 points per game plateau. He averaged 26.6 ppg in 1966-67, 26.0 the following year, 24.8 in 1968-69, and 24.0 in 1969-70. During that stretch, Baylor helped the Lakers advance to the NBA Finals three more times, only to lose out each time in his quest for a coveted championship ring. In all, Los Angeles went to the Finals seven times with Baylor. The 1970-71 season only saw the perennial All-Pro play two games due to consistent knee problems and a damaged Achilles tendon.18 Baylor came back for the start of the 1971-72 season, but could no longer play up to the standards expected of him.19 Being the consummate professional, he felt just hanging on for one more year would hamper the team more than help it. On November 5, 1971, five games in to the 1971-72 season, Baylor walked away from the game as the third all-time leading scorer in NBA history (23,149 points), and the number two rebounding forward (11,463).20 Unfortunately, right after his retirement, the Lakers began a 33-game winning streak en route to a then-record 69 wins and finally reached the summit of the pro circuit by being crowned world champions. Over the course of his 14-year career, Elgin Baylor played in 846 games, averaging 27.4 points and 13.5 rebounds per game. Despite never winning a league championship, he played up to his usual stellar self, giving everything he had, as his 27.0 points and 12.9 rebounds per game average in 134 playoff games will attest. He was a fixture on the All-Star Game roster, gaining that honor 11 times, and earned All-NBA First Team recognition 10 times. With one of the greatest careers of all time completed, it was a no brainer that the name Elgin Baylor would grace the sport’s hallowed shrine in Springfield, Massachusetts. That time came in 1977 when Baylor was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Over the next twenty years, top honors continued to roll in for “Mr. Inside,” as he was elected to the NBA’s 35th Anniversary team, the NBA’s 50th Anniversary team, and had his famed #22 retired by the Lakers on November 9, 1983.21 Following his playing days, Baylor continued in the game as a coach and executive. In 1974, he started off as an assistant coach with the New Orleans Jazz, assuming the head coaching reins in the final game of the season. He remained with the Jazz throughout the 1978-79 season, and then retired after compiling an 86–135 record.22 It was then back to the City of Angels, when he was hired

TWO : ALL-TIME GREATS as the Vice President of Basketball Operations for the Los Angeles Clippers on April 15, 1986. He remained with the Clippers for 22 seasons, with the team only having two winning campaigns during his tenure. However, in 2005-06, under his watch, the Clippers finished with a 47–35 record, and won their first playoff series since 1976 when the team was based in Buffalo, New York. For his efforts in building that team, Baylor was honored with the NBA Executive of the Year Award.23 Prior to the start of the 2008-09 season, Baylor was terminated by the Clippers. In February of 2009, the 74-year Hall of Famer sued the team and the NBA for $2,000,000 on the grounds of unlawful termination based on age and race discrimination. On March 30, 2011, a jury voted against Baylor by a 12–0 count.24

Kobe Bryant Almost 42 years to the day after Lakers legend Wilt Chamberlain took his first breath in the City of Brotherly Love, Kobe Bryant came into the world on August 23, 1978. In time, Bryant’s exploits while representing the City of Angels in the Association, would equal and surpass those of his Lakers forefather. Basketball was in the genes of the future superstar, as his father, Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, was a member of the Philadelphia 76ers at the time of Kobe’s birth. One of three children, and the only son, born to Joe and his wife, Kobe was raised Roman Catholic.1 When Kobe was five, his father had just finished up his eighth NBA season, with stops in San Diego and Houston following Philadelphia. The next year, Joe Bryant decided to go to Italy to continue his professional basketball career. The adolescent Kobe adapted very well to his new environment, making the most out of the experience. He became multi-lingual, speaking Italian and Spanish, and played soccer. However, even though he was a very good soccer player, basketball seemed to be his calling.2 Kobe began playing basketball at age three, and traveled back to the United States to play in summer leagues. As if fate were already playing a huge role in the younger’s future, his favorite team was the Los Angeles Lakers while growing up. Kobe returned permanently to America in 1991 upon his father’s retirement from basketball, and the family returned to the Philadelphia area.3 Ardmore, Pennsylvania, is a suburb located on Philadelphia’s west side and home of Lower Merion High School, and is ranked in the upper echelon among all American high schools.4 Through these halls walked Kobe Bryant from the fall of 1992 until graduation day in 1996. During that time, he elevated the Aces’ basketball program to national prominence, and added his name to the long heritage of roundball greats that honed their skills in the City of Brotherly Love. As a freshman, Bryant so impressed the coaching staff, that he won a spot on the varsity team. The team did not make headlines for their prowess, but over the next three seasons, they got a major share of the ink in the sports page. From 1993-94 through 1996, the Aces posted a 77–13 record with Bryant performing at all five positions. Prior to his senior year, he won the senior Most Valuable Player Award at the Adidas ABCD Camp. This served

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as a precursor for things to come, as Bryant’s 1995-96 season was one of the greatest in Philadelphia’s scholastic history.5 The 1995-96 Lower Merion Aces ran off a 31–3 record and won their first state championship in 53 years with Bryant leading coach Greg Downer’s charges. He averaged 30.8 points per game, 12 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 4.0 steals, and 3.8 blocked shots. When Bryant stepped off the court upon completion of his final game, he held the title as southeastern Pennsylvania’s all-time leading scorer with 2,883 career points. In doing so, he rose above fellow Philly scholastic legends, Lionel “L-Train” Simmons, who played seven seasons with the Sacramento Kings, and the great Wilt Chamberlain.6 Bryant proved to be the most dominant player in the nation, as the sterling accolades presented to him at the end of the season would attest. He was the recipient of the 1996 Naismith High School Player of the Year Award, Gatorade National Player of the Year, a McDonald’s All-American, and a USA Today All-USA First Team selection. On top of his incredible basketball skills, Bryant possessed intelligence, earned a solid B average and a 1,080 on his SAT’s. Blessed with brains and athletic tools, he could have gone to virtually any college in the country. There were speculations that he might have chosen LaSalle University where his father served as an assistant coach at the time, or nearby Villanova.7 In the spring of 1996, the 6' 6", 190-pound 17-year-old, donned in a sport coat, stepped up to a podium in the Lower Merion gym and transmitted his future plans through a microphone. Instead of going the college route to the NBA, he decided to jump into the Association, making himself eligible for the draft on June 26, 1996.8 He claimed later that if he had gone to college, Duke University would have been it.9 With Bryant’s decision made, he went out to peddle his wares before draft day. In Los Angeles, he worked out against former Lakers Larry Drew and Michael Cooper, with General Manager Jerry West coming away extremely confident in the high school prodigy’s abilities. He then set a plan in motion to obtain Bryant for the Lakers.10 The Charlotte Hornets owned the 13th overall pick of the 1996 draft and had no interest in drafting Bryant. It was then that West and the Hornets worked out a deal. On June 25, 1996, the day prior to the draft, the Lakers decided to trade veteran center Vlade Divac to Charlotte for the rights to their first round selection. When it came time for the Hornets to pick, the Lakers informed them to select Bryant five minutes before they picked, thus making the Philadelphia teenager the first guard to ever be drafted out of high school. Five days later, on July 1, 1996, Divac was sent to Charlotte for the Lakers’ right to obtain the Hornets’ first round draft pick.11 When the 1996-97 season got underway, Bryant was the youngest player to ever suit up for an NBA game. His claim to that record has since been broken by Jermaine O’Neal and his Lakers teammate Andrew Bynum. Throughout his rookie year, Bryant was used primarily off the bench playing behind established performers, Eddie Jones and Nick Van Exel. Initially, the rookie guard’s opportunities were very scarce, but as the year progressed, he saw more chances on the floor than on the bench.12 As his minutes per game rose to a season average of 15.5 per

Kobe Bryant game, so too did his status throughout the league. During AllStar weekend, he became the youngest at 18 years of age to win the Slam Dunk Contest, and he was honored with selection onto the NBA’s All-Rookie second team. In the 71 games he played in, Bryant started in six, and averaged 7.6 points per game.13 With his initial NBA baptismal under fire complete, the young phenom would continue to grow into what would become a legend. Even though he only started in one game throughout his second year, his playing time increased by almost half of that of the previous season, as he appeared in 79 games, averaging 26.0 minutes per game. When the Lakers went to a quicker, smaller lineup, Bryant switched over to small forward, which allowed him to be on the floor with the guards he typically played behind. His points per game average doubled to 15.4, and he came away from the 1997-98 season as runner-up for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award, and earned a spot on the All-Star team, becoming the youngest player to ever start in the mid-season classic.14 By his third season, Bryant exited the old millennium as a star on the rise, and finished the first decade of the new one as a bona fide hoop icon. The 1998-99 season saw Bryant elevated to the team’s regular starting guard after Eddie Jones and Nick Van Exel were traded. In a strike-shortened season that consisted of only 50 games, the 21-year-old started every game, and averaged 19.9 points per game. His performance was so impressive that the Lakers decided to sign their young superstar-in-the-making to a $70 million contract extension that covered six years.15 A run at an NBA championship had become commonplace around Los Angeles since the “Showtime” era of the 1980s. However, not since 1991, when they lost to Phil Jackson’s Bulls in the Finals, had the Lakers come close to sipping victory champagne. They made the playoffs in each of Bryant’s first three seasons, advancing to the second round twice and to the Western Conference Finals in 1998, where they were swept by Utah in four straight games. The talent to break through was definitely in Los Angeles, with the emergence of Bryant and the acquisition of big man parexcellence Shaquille O’Neal, who at times had a rocky relationship with Bryant. They both arrived in Los Angeles in 1996, with O’Neal already logging in four solid seasons in Orlando. The two had opposite personalities, with O’Neal being very outgoing, while the 18-year-old Bryant stayed to himself, learning as much about the game as he could and trying to adjust to his new surroundings. They also wanted their hands on the ball as much as possible.16 The Chicago Bulls were the rulers of the NBA throughout the 1990s, winning six championships with Phil Jackson as head coach. By the turn of the century, Kobe Bryant was already being compared to Michael Jordan, whom Jackson mentored in the Windy City. It almost seemed that Jackson was then meant to travel to the west coast and guide the second coming of Michael Jordan. Not only did Jackson come to the City of Angels, but along with Bryant and O’Neal, helped to create another “team of the decade.” On June 16, 1999, Phil Jackson became head coach of the Lakers, and installed his famed Triangle Offense, which would utilize the lighting quick moves of Bryant and the power of O’Neal into a hardwood juggernaut. With the wealth being spread

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around with the new offense, both Bryant and O’Neal each rose to superstar status and they managed to co-exist for the most part. Over the course of the next three seasons, Bryant, O’Neal, and Jackson, all were the toast of Lakers Universe, and the envy of the entire league. However, this incredible run did not start off well for Bryant, who was out of action for the first six weeks of the 1999-2000 season after suffering a hand injury in the preseason. He more than made up for his lost time by starting in 62 of the 66 games he played in, averaging 22.5 points per game en route to helping Los Angeles to a 67–15 regular season finish. He was selected to the All-NBA Second Team, the All-Defensive First Team, and to his second All-Star Game.17 Come playoff time, the Lakers finally broke free from the shackles that prevented them from reaching the Finals. In game seven of the Western Conference Finals against Portland, Bryant pumped in 25 points, collected 11 rebounds, and lobbed a scoring pass to O’Neal that sealed the series for the Lakers. In the 2000 NBA Finals, an ankle injury early in game two forced Bryant to miss the remainder of that contest and the next one. Coming back in game four, he scored 22 second half points and hit three clutch shots down the stretch in a 120–118 overtime win that gave the Lakers a 3–1 series lead over the Indiana Pacers. The Lakers then wrapped up the series five days later, on June 19, 2000, in the Staples Center.18 Not to rest on his laurels, Bryant entered the 2000-01 season in great shape, having worked on his game to great extent during the off-season. He started in all 68 games he played in, and averaged 28.5 points per game. He once again made the All-NBA Second Team, and earned a spot on the All-Defensive Second Team. He also was selected for his second straight All-Star Game, and would have a spot reserved on the team through 2011 and counting. Unfortunately, Bryant and O’Neal were having trouble getting along. It was reported that Bryant was not sharing the ball with his teammates, and words like selfish were now being linked to him. Bryant felt that the team’s defense was an issue and not his elevated position on offense. O’Neal then shot back insults, and before too long, the chemistry between the two key members of the defending champs was very strained. In the second half of the season, the two once again worked out their differences long enough to make a solid run at another title. The Lakers finished the regular season with 56 wins, but then ripped through the playoffs with an almost spotless 15–1 record, culminated by their second consecutive NBA title, this time over the Philadelphia 76ers, four games to one.19 The following 2001-02 season saw Bryant play in and start 80 games. The 23-year-old was now firmly established as the elite of the league, and one of the most recognizable sports figures in the world. He averaged 25.2 points per game, and received the first of eight All-NBA First Team selections. He also repeated as a member of the All-NBA Defensive Second Team, and brought home the first of four All-Star Game Most Valuable Player awards. The others came in 2007, 2009, and 2011. As a team, the Lakers “three-peated,” winning the 2002 NBA championship in a four game sweep over the New Jersey Nets in the Finals. For the Finals, Bryant averaged 26.8 points per game, and became the youngest player in the history of the league to win three championships.20 In 2002-03, the Lakers attempted to do what no team since the Boston Celtics of the 1960s had been able to accomplish, with

TWO : ALL-TIME GREATS that being to win four straight NBA championships. Things looked bleak early on in their quest of history. After 30 games, their record was 11–19, and O’Neal suffered a toe injury that forced him to the sidelines. Phil Jackson then turned to his 24-year-old star, Kobe Bryant, to pull his charges out of the doldrums and make a run at history. He told Bryant to be more aggressive, and the young man followed his mentor’s orders perfectly. He started in all 82 regular season games, and averaged 30.0 points per game. Throughout the month of February, 2003, he smoked the nets by ringing up 40 or more points in nine straight games to finish the month with a 40.6 points per game average. He also had career-high averages in rebounds (6.9), assists (5.9), and steals (2.2) up to that time in his six pro seasons. His effort earned him a second straight All-NBA First Team selection, and a third place finish in the league MVP voting. His yeoman’s effort also helped guide the Lakers to a 50–32 finish. Unfortunately, the bid for a fourth NBA title ended when the Lakers succumbed to the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference semifinals in six games.21 In 2003-04, the Lakers brought in stars Karl Malone and Gary Payton to boost an already talented team even more. A run at another championship seemed a good bet, but Bryant was forced to miss some games due to court appearances stemming from an alleged sexual assault charge.22 The case was dropped, and Bryant went back to work. Starting in 64 of 65 games he appeared in, Bryant averaged 24.0 points per game, received another All-NBA First Team nomination, earned All-Defensive First Team honors, and clinched the Pacific Division title for Los Angeles with a last second three-point shot against Portland to send the game into overtime. He then nailed another three-pointer in the second overtime period with no time remaining to finish off a 105–104 victory. The Lakers did live up to their status as a championship contender, and reached the NBA Finals for the fourth time in five seasons. However, even with all their weaponry, Los Angeles fell victim to the Detroit Pistons in five games. Even though Bryant had an impressive 22.6 points per game average in the Finals, he hit on only 35.1 percent of his outside shots.23 The 2004-05 campaign saw major changes in the Lakers, as O’Neal was traded to the Miami Heat, and Phil Jackson’s contract was not renewed. The Lakers almost lost Bryant as well, when the Los Angeles Clippers presented a deal to him. Instead, with O’Neal now gone, Bryant decided to assume the absolute alpha dog role with the Lakers by signing a seven-year contract. With all eyes now on him, and the pressure of rebuilding his reputation following the previous year’s sexual assault charge, Bryant went out and produced a second place finish among league scorers with a 27.6 points per game average under coach Rudy Tomjanovich for 43 games, and his replacement Frank Hamblen, who guided the team the rest of the way to a dismal 34–48 finish. This was the first and only time in Bryant’s career that the Lakers did not make the playoffs.24 With the disastrous 2004-05 season in the books and a distant memory, Bryant and the Lakers looked to regain their championship form. On June 15, 2005, Phil Jackson was rehired as head coach of the Lakers in an attempt to resurrect the dynasty he built, and Bryant followed suit. He went ballistic on the rim, rapping off 62 points in just three quarters against the Dallas Mavericks. Going into the final stanza, he had outscored the entire

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Dallas team, who had 61 points up to that time, and became the only player to ever do that through three quarters since the 24second shot clock was introduced.25 On the night of January 22, 2006, Bryant joined the upper echelon of scoring icons when he lit up the scoreboard for 81 points in a game against Toronto, which set a team record first established by Elgin Baylor’s 71 points in a 1960 game. It also ranked him second all-time behind Wilt Chamberlain’s untouchable 100-point night in 1962 while with the Philadelphia Warriors.26 During the same month, Bryant became the first player in 42 years to produce four straight games of 45 points or more. At the conclusion of the regular season, Bryant was the owner of two more team records, with the most 40-plus point games (27), and most points scored in a season (2,832). His 35.4 points per game average earned him the league scoring title and a fourth place finish in the NBA Most Valuable Player race. He also regained a spot on both the All-NBA and All-Defensive First Teams, positions he would not relinquish through the 2010-11 season. As a team, the return of Jackson helped the Lakers improve to 45–37. In the playoffs, after building a 3–1 opening series lead over the Phoenix Suns, the Lakers fell apart, and lost in seven games even though Bryant averaged 27.9 points per game. In the off-season, Bryant had knee surgery and came back ready to play. He also had a new number. In high school, his original number was 24, and then he wore 33. When he came to the Lakers, George McCloud wore #24 and #33 was Kareem AbdulJabbar’s old number and retired by the team. Therefore, Bryant settled on #8 until the opportunity arose for him to don #24 once again at the dawn of the 2007-08 season.27 En route to his second straight scoring title (31.6 ppg), Bryant became the second player in league history to record four consecutive 50-plus point games, and capped the regular season off with an overall total of ten in which he topped the 50-point plateau. His scoring wizardry could not elevate the Lakers in the playoffs, however, as the Phoenix Suns bounced them out of the post-season for the second straight year in the first round, this time by a four games to one margin. He also found himself caught up in problems stemming from on-the-court infractions. In a January 28, 2007 game against San Antonio, Bryant’s elbow blasted opponent Manu Ginobili in the face, for which the league gave him a one-game suspension. It was regarded by the league that Bryant used what was termed “unnatural motion” that caused his elbow to strike his opponent. Another such incident occurred on March 6, 2007 in a game against Minnesota’s Marko Jaric. The next day, another one-game suspension was handed down. Three days later, following his enforced day off, Bryant was charged with a flagrant foul after his elbow once again introduced itself to an opponent’s face, this time Kyle Korver, then with the Philadelphia 76ers, was the recipient. None of these infractions seemed to sway the public in a negative direction where Bryant was concerned, as his #24 jersey became the best-selling NBA garment in this country and in China.28 The 2007-08 season proved to be an incredible year for Bryant on an individual basis, as he became the youngest player at 29 years and 122 days to compile 20,000 career points on December 23, 2007 at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks. He would also go on to become the youngest to ever reach 23,000, 24,000, 25,000, 26,000, and 27,000 career points.29

Kobe Bryant A total tear of a ligament in the pinky finger of his shooting hand suffered on February 5, 2008, did not slow him down. He decided against surgery until after the season was complete, and eventually had it worked on in September 2008. Until that time, Bryant started in all 82 regular season games, averaged 28.3 points per game, 6.3 rebounds, and 5.4 assists, and his leadership helped the Lakers back to the top of the Pacific Division with a 57–25 record. Kobe also guided Los Angeles back to the NBA Finals for the first time in four years, but not before being named the recipient of the 2007-08 NBA Most Valuable Player Award after years of hovering near the top of the final voting polls.30 In the playoffs, the Lakers wrapped up the Western Conference title with series wins over Denver, Utah, and the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs. For the first time since 1987, the Lakers faced their long-time rivals, the Boston Celtics in the Finals, only to lose in six games. It was then on to represent the United States in the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games, where Bryant and a host of other NBA superstars brought home the gold medal.31 Getting to his fifth NBA Finals and losing, only made Bryant more determined to return and complete his quest for another championship ring. The Lakers made a solid case for themselves that they were the team to beat in 2008-09, as they started out with an incredible 21–3 record. Los Angeles finished at 65–17 for the best record in the Western Conference. Bryant once again started in all 82 games, averaged 26.8 points per game, and finished behind Cleveland’s LeBron James in the race for the NBA Most Valuable Player Award.32 Despite not bringing home the MVP trophy again, Bryant walked away from the 2008-09 season as champion for the fourth time in his career. He led the Lakers to series wins over Utah, Houston, and Denver, to capture a second straight Western Conference crown. In the NBA Finals against the Orlando Magic, Bryant proved his alpha dog status by tearing up the Magic for a 32.4 points per game average, and not only hoisting another Larry O’Brien championship trophy, but the Finals MVP one as well. He also averaged 7.4 assists and 5.6 rebounds, as the Lakers won the series four games to one. Not since Michael Jordan in the 1990s had a player from the winning team averaged 30 or more points, five rebounds, and five assists, in the Finals.33 The Lakers repeated as NBA champions in 2009-10, with Bryant, as usual, leading the assault on the rest of the Association. Throughout the regular season, he nailed numerous last second shots to pull out wins. Not even a fracture in his right index finger slowed him down, as he became the youngest player in history to reach 25,000 career points. This season also saw Bryant surpass the legendary Jerry West as the Lakers’ all-time leading scorer.34 When the 2009-10 playoffs rolled around, the Lakers were the top team out west, and lived up to that ranking. They got past Oklahoma City, Utah, and Phoenix to win their third consecutive Western Conference championship. It was then on to the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics. Two years earlier, the Celtics beat LA for the title, but this time around it was different. However, the Lakers had to work extremely hard to repeat as rulers of the NBA. In game seven of the Finals, the Lakers were down by 13 points in the third quarter, and then Bryant went to work. He scored ten of his game-high 23 points in the final quarter, and the Lakers pulled out an 83–79 victory. He also added

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15 rebounds and brought home his second NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award. This fifth championship proved to be the best for Bryant, because it came against the Lakers’ biggest rivals.35 The quest for a third straight title in 2010-11 ended when the Lakers lost out to eventual champions, the Dallas Mavericks, in the second round of the playoffs. For the season, Bryant continued to play at a high level, averaging 25.3 points per game, while starting in every contest. As time rolls on, Kobe Bryant will come to the end of his career, but there is still a lot of talent left in this Lakers legend as the team heads into its next fifty years in the City of Angels.

Wilt Chamberlain The city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has been the birthplace of many influential people from all fields of endeavor. On August 21, 1936, it was once again the site where greatness drew a first breath. For on that summer day, Wilton Norman Chamberlain, the fourth of eleven children, was born to parents William and Olivia, both of whom provided a loving, close-knit environment. It was hard for anyone close to Chamberlain during his formative years to imagine that he would one day rise to such legendary athletic supremacy. He was a sickly adolescent who almost died from pneumonia, and was forced to miss one complete year of schooling while ailing.1 In time, Chamberlain’s health had a reversal of fortune, and sports began to interest him. Despite being close to seven feet tall at an early age, he was not captivated by basketball. He felt that the sport was not very masculine, and decided to partake in track and field. Wilt’s tall stature allowed him to get excellent spring in his step, and he was able to high jump 6' 6" and broad jump 22' at a time when those marks were considered incredible feats. His long stride also guided him to dominance in the 440-yard and 880-yard dashes.2 Eventually, Chamberlain’s reservations regarding basketball changed. Philadelphia was considered a basketball town, and four of Wilt’s closest friends while growing up were highly smitten by the sport. Also helping to push Chamberlain closer to his life’s legacy was having the Haddington Recreation Center a mere 10minute stroll from his house.3 With the guidance of some older players who were soon to embark on college careers, Wilt became one of the best to ever grace the Haddington court. He then branched out, playing in summer leagues and gaining more knowledge and recognition. It was then on to Shoemaker Junior High, and from there, “the Castle on the Hill,” Overbrook High School, on Lancaster Avenue in West Philadelphia.4 Overbrook had gained a sterling reputation as a premier basketball school during a twenty-year span covering the 1940s and into the ’60s. The Panthers had many stellar performers, and captured nine Public League titles in 13 years, with Chamberlain helping to add championship hardware to the school’s trophy case. Towering over the opposition, and coupled with strength, Wilt quickly established himself as a wrecking machine. He not only kept the scoreboard operator busy, but struck fear into anyone

TWO : ALL-TIME GREATS in his path. As a sophomore in 1953, Chamberlain averaged 31 points per game, and Overbrook won a league championship. Two more league titles followed in 1954 and 1955, as did victories in the Philadelphia city championship games. Over Chamberlain’s three varsity seasons, he compiled an incredible 37.4 points per game average, became Philadelphia’s all-time leading scorer with 2,252 career points, and led Overbrook to a 56– 3 record.5 The opportunities to continue his basketball career were not scarce, as more than 200 universities had the name Chamberlain at the top of their wish lists. When you want something done right, go to the best. This cliché held true for the seven-foot teenage prodigy when he chose the University of Kansas, whose program was mentored by “the Father of Basketball Coaching,” Phog Allen. Allen was in his late 60s at the time he recruited Chamberlain, and had served as the Jayhawks head coach since 1919. He had compiled the most victories as a college coach, won an NCAA title in 1952, and brought home a runner-up finish the following season. He also guided the 1952 United States Olympic team to a gold medal.6 The arrival of Chamberlain had the town of Lawrence, Kansas, looking forward to some exciting years with the 7' 2" Philadelphia native on the floor. Despite the town still being segregated at the time of his arrival, Chamberlain refused to obey signs claiming that African Americans could not eat in the same restaurants as Caucasians. Nobody was going to tell this giant of a man that he could not eat a meal wherever he wanted to. He was not looking for problems, but just wanted to be treated equally.7 Chamberlain did not disappoint the Jayhawk faithful, and became one of the Sunflower State’s greatest sports figures. He set the trend for what he could accomplish right from the start. In his very first game, the freshman giant squared off against the highly ranked varsity team. He made the upperclassmen look like high school freshman, as he totally controlled the game, racking up 42 points, grabbing 29 rebounds, and rejecting four shot attempts. The big man had arrived, and despite his dominance, Chamberlain would have to endure his college career without the man who recruited him. The great force of Chamberlain, coupled with the mentoring from Phog Allen, would have been a dream tandem long talked about in the annals of collegiate hoops. However, Wilt would still make an incredible impact on the college ranks in the late 1950s, but had to do it without Allen. At the end of Chamberlain’s freshman season of 1955-56, Allen, age 70, was forced to retire under guidelines set by the university.8 Seeing that Allen did not coach the freshman team, he never had the chance to have Chamberlain play under him. The disappointment of not getting the chance to play for the legendary Allen weighed heavily on Wilt, and he became aloof with new coach Dick Harp, and the relationship was not a pleasant one.9 Despite his displeasure with the new coaching regime, Wilt played up to his spectacular best. In his first game as a varsity player, he scored 52 points and hauled in 31 rebounds to set new collegiate records in both categories against Northwestern on December 3, 1956. On the way to leading the Jayhawks to a 24–3 record and second place in the NCAA Tournament, Chamberlain averaged 29.6 points and 18.9 rebounds per game to earn First Team All-

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American honors. In the NCAA championship game against North Carolina, Wilt was triple-teamed and the Tar Heels prevailed in triple overtime, 54–53, in what is still thought to be the greatest championship game in college history. It was also around this time that Chamberlain established a finger roll layup and fade away jumper that became synonymous with him. He also worked on his passing and shot blocking abilities to make himself even more of a threat than he already was.10 Chamberlain’s passion for track and field was still prevalent while at Kansas. He clocked in at 10.9 seconds in the 100-yard dash, threw the shot put 56 feet, triple jumped over 50 feet, and captured the Big Seven high jump title three times.11 In his junior basketball season of 1957-58, Chamberlain still was the collegiate world’s premier pivot man, as he averaged 30.1 points and 17.5 rebounds per game to once again find his way onto the First Team All-American list. However, the game at the college level lost its luster for him. In an attempt to keep the ball away from Wilt, opponents had at least three players swarming on him, and incorporated what was known as freeze-ball, which had the opposing team basically playing catch and toss with each other. This was years before the 24-second shot clock was used in the college game, so a team could hold onto the ball for as long as possible. Wilt grew tired of chasing the other team, trying to get the ball back with multiple defenders hanging on him in the process. In a true testament to his greatness, despite all the obstacles thrown at him, Chamberlain still recorded incredible numbers.12 After finishing the season at 18–5, Wilt decided that his days of college basketball were over. He wanted to turn professional, and with his dominance of the college game, it seemed that he was more than ready to take the next step. The only thing holding him back was that at the time, the NBA did not bring players into the league that did not complete their last year of college academics. With one year of college still remaining, Chamberlain was therefore ineligible to enter the NBA. He would have sit out a year until the league would deem him eligible to enter the draft. In an effort to make money while waiting to join the NBA, Chamberlain became a member of the world famous Harlem Globetrotters, signing with them in 1958 for a then-impressive sum of $50,000. His impact on the team was so well received that the Globetrotters retired his #13 in 2000. After one year traveling the world with the Globetrotters, Chamberlain was ready to embark on one of the most dominant NBA careers of all time.13 On March 31, 1959, the Philadelphia Warriors selected Chamberlain in the 1st round, and third overall pick, of the college draft. On October 24, 1959, the fury that was Wilt was unleashed onto the NBA, and over the course of the next 14 seasons, his legacy would be firmly entrenched for as long as basketball is played.14 In his first outing as a member of the Association, Wilt established himself as a major force. In a 118–109 victory over the New York Knicks, he scored 43 points and grabbed 28 rebounds.15 It seemed the perfect scenario for a player of his stature and ability to debut in the behemoth metropolis of New York City. The Warriors jumped out to a 3–0 record, and then, on Saturday, November 7, 1959, the dream matchup between two of the greatest pivot men to ever suit up, came to be in the hallowed confines of Boston Garden. For on that day in early November, in one of the

Wilt Chamberlain most-storied venues in America’s sports history, the first-ever matchup between Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell occurred. Russell was the league’s top center and a winner. He led the University of San Francisco to two NCAA championships (195556), and helped the United States bring home the gold medal at the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games before winning his first of 11 NBA championships with the Celtics in 1957. The Russell vs. Chamberlain battles became one of the greatest rivalries in history, and their duels usually involved some type of championship implications hanging in the balance. In their initial clash, Wilt finished with 30 points and Russell 28, but the Celtics brought Wilt his first loss as a pro by a 115–106 final count.16 The loss to Russell and the Celtics did little to stop the Philadelphia juggernaut, as Wilt stormed through his first NBA campaign, helping the Warriors improve from 32 wins the previous year to a record of 49–26. He averaged 37.6 points and 27 rebounds to set new league records in both. In just his 56th game of the 1959-60 season, Wilt broke the all-time regular season scoring record with his 2,102nd point. The old record of 2,101 points was set by Bob Pettit over 72 games. Chamberlain then went on to win both the 1960 NBA Rookie of the Year Award, and the 1960 NBA Most Valuable Player Award, and feat that was only established by one other player in history, Wes Unseld in 196869. Wilt also took home the MVP trophy from the 1960 All-Star Game. The only matter left for Chamberlain to sweep all the accolades was the coveted NBA championship crown. After beating the Syracuse Nationals in the opening round of the playoffs, only the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics stood in Wilt’s way of gaining an NBA Finals berth. In the end, like in so many future clashes, Bill Russell and his Celtics took Wilt out of the championship equation, this time winning the series four games to two. The Celtics then went on to repeat as league champions. With the greatest rookie season ever recorded in NBA history, Chamberlain then shocked the basketball world by stating that he wanted to retire. Despite his many accomplishments throughout the year, Wilt grew weary of constant abuse. In an effort to stop him, opponents double and triple-teamed him, and nailed him with vicious hits. He was also the focal point of much verbal abuse from opposing fan bases and was not beloved by many media outlets. It might have appeared that Chamberlain’s physical presence made him Teflon-coated, where nothing could stick to him. However, despite his stature and incredible athletic prowess, underneath he was still a human being with feelings. An increase in monetary gains can make a bad situation better, and such was the case of Chamberlain’s premature notion of ending his career. He was offered an increase of salary to $65,000, which made all the negativity seem minute.17 In his second season, Wilt came back with a vengeance, outdoing his rookie performance. He scored 3,033 points, to become the first player in history to reach that plateau, and up through the 2011 season, is the only one to ever amass 2,000 or more rebounds in a single season by snagging 2,149 in 1960-61. He easily repeated as NBA scoring and rebounding champ with 38.4 points and 27.2 rebounds per game. Come playoff time, he once again came up short, this time making an early exit after the Syracuse Nationals swept the Warriors in the opening round. The 1961-62 season served as quite possibly the greatest

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individual one in history. If Wilt’s accomplishments in his first two seasons were not enough to make one gasp, then his third sortie through the league would make anyone breathless. Counting overtime games, he averaged 48.5 minutes per game, playing 3,882 out of 3,890 throughout the year. He scored 4,029 points, to become the only player to ever pierce that barrier, and hauled in 2,052 rebounds. On the night of March 2, 1962, in a game against the New York Knicks held in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Wilt added to his Paul Bunyan–like status by scoring 100 points. It is claimed that records are made to be broken, but this one might never be touched. When the 1961-62 season went into the history books, Wilt averaged an astounding 50.4 points per game, and 25.7 rebounds, both topping the league. To add to this incredible season, Wilt set the All-Star Game scoring record by sinking 42 points. The albatross known as the Boston Celtics once again had a firm grip on Wilt, as they foiled another attempt to gain entry into the NBA Finals with a hard-fought seven game series’ victory. The 1962-63 season saw Wilt and Warriors exit the torment of the Eastern Division dominance held by the Boston Celtics. The team was sold to a group of San Francisco business magnates, and relocated clear across the country and into the Western Division, and became known as the San Francisco Warriors. The change of scenery did not slow Wilt down, as his 44.8 points and 24.3 rebounds per game allowed him to lead the league in both categories for the fourth straight year. As a team, some of Wilt’s key supporting cast did not want to travel the great distance and disrupt their families, and the Warriors fell to 31–49 and failed to make the playoffs. Paul Arizin retired to avoid the move, and Tom Gola requested a trade back to the east coast, which he got when he went to the New York Knicks.18 In 1963-64, the Warriors were back in the race for a title thanks to new coach Alex Hannum and a top rookie prospect named Nate Thurmond. Along with these new additions, Wilt and the Warriors finished atop the Western Division standings with a 48–32 record. Chamberlain led the league in scoring with a 36.9 points per game average, but failed to clinch his fifth straight rebounding title despite producing 22.3 per game. The most important news surrounding the Warriors was the fact that they finally gained entry into the NBA Finals with Wilt as their floor leader, beating the St. Louis Hawks in seven games to win the Western Division championship. The only thing that now stood in Wilt’s way of an NBA title was his nemesis from Beantown, Bill Russell. The Celtics were looking to earn their sixth straight championship, and achieved it with relative ease, beating San Francisco four games to one. The Warriors could not build on the success of their previous season. By the middle of January, 1965, they were at 11–33, and on an 11-game losing streak, not to mention suffering from financial woes. The Syracuse Nationals had relocated to Philadelphia in 1963, and were renamed the 76ers. The opportunity arose for Wilt to leave the west coast and head back to his native state on January 15, 1965, when he became a member of a promising group of players with the 76ers.19 At the end of the season, he averaged a league-leading 34.7 points per game and 22.9 rebounds per game. The 76ers earned a playoff spot, and beat the Cincinnati Royals in the first round of the playoffs to once again set up a confrontation with the Boston Celtics.

TWO : ALL-TIME GREATS Even though he changed uniforms, nothing improved for Wilt against Bill Russell and Boston, despite a tough seven-game battle. In the series-clinching game seven, Wilt laid it all on the line, scoring 30 points and grabbing 32 rebounds. After he sank two free throws and sent a thunderous dunk through the rim against Russell, the 76ers were only down by one point with five seconds to go. It was then that the 76ers became part of Boston’s long and stellar heritage when John Havlicek stole an inbound pass to secure the victory that would eventually lead to Boston’s seventh consecutive NBA crown. The 76ers had come so close to knocking off the Celtics, and looked to build on that as the 1965-66 season came along. For the seventh and final time of his career, Wilt led the league with a points per game average of 33.5, and also secured his fifth rebounding title with a 24.6 average en route to his second NBA Most Valuable Player Award. Philadelphia finished with a record of 55–26 to top the Eastern Division final standings, and knocked Boston out of a first place finish for the first time since 1957. That proved to be the catalyst for a determined Boston team that many felt were about to be dethroned as champion. It only took the Celtics five games to rid themselves of the 76ers, and they went on to win their eighth straight NBA title, and ninth over ten seasons. During this series, there was much made about Chamberlain’s attitude, as he did not show up for practice and could not be reached. He set up residence in New York and commuted to Philadelphia. He was also a late sleeper, and seeing that he was the star of the team, coach Dolph Schayes did not want to disturb him, and scheduled late afternoon practices to accommodate Wilt. This did not sit too well with the rest of the team, who wanted to get practice out of the way early. Despite all the drama, Chamberlain played well in this series, especially in game five by scoring 46 points and grabbing 34 rebounds.20 Before the 1966-67 season, Alex Hannum, who coached Chamberlain in San Francisco, replaced Schayes. Hannum was also not afraid to tell Chamberlain what was on his mind, even if it bruised the massive ego of the superstar. He laid out the problems he saw, and Chamberlain approached his mentor with respect. Hannum wanted Chamberlain to start carrying himself as a member of a team, and if that could be achieved, this group had the making of a championship-caliber team.21 With Hannum showing the big man who ran the show, Chamberlain and company got down to business, and at one point had a near-perfect record of 46–4. They finished the year at 68– 13, with Wilt averaging 24.1 points and a league-high 24.2 rebounds per game. At season’s end, Wilt also secured his third NBA Most Valuable Player Award. Once again the Celtics were perched and ready to win their ninth straight NBA title with the explosive 76ers standing in their way. Vindication took eight seasons, but Wilt finally overthrew Bill Russell in a championship situation. Wilt played superb at both ends of the floor, and the 76ers prevailed in five games to capture the Eastern Division title. It was then on to Wilt’s second attempt in the NBA Finals, this time against the San Francisco Warriors. The 76ers wrapped the series up in six games, and Chamberlain finally was crowned a member of an NBA championship team. The reigning NBA champions once again finished with a league-best regular season record, this time at 62–20, with Wilt

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winning his third straight NBA Most Valuable Player Award, and fourth overall, after averaging 24.3 points and 23.8 rebounds. However, amidst all the sterling accolades for both the team and Wilt personally, trouble was brewing yet again. Chamberlain and Philadelphia owner Irv Kosloff got into a dispute about Wilt being promised 25 percent ownership of the 76ers upon his retirement as a player. Wilt claimed that a deal between deceased owner Ike Richman and himself had been established. Upon Richman’s death a few years earlier, Chamberlain approached Kosloff with the news even though there was no documented proof of Chamberlain’s claim. Kosloff refused to go along with the request, and a very angry Chamberlain threatened to take his talents to the American Basketball Association. Just like after his rookie season, when Wilt contemplated retirement, money was presented and the problem went away. He was given a one-year deal of $250,000, and with that kind of money earned in the 1960s, it put Wilt among the elite of the social circles.22 The quest for a repeat of an NBA crown did not come, as the Celtics regained their championship form, and beat the 76ers in a seven game series. The most shocking thing about this series was the fact that the 76ers became the first team in history to lose a series after leading it three games to one. The disheartening loss was the end for Chamberlain in Philadelphia. There were a few assumptions behind Wilt’s desire to leave the City of Brotherly Love. One was that he was still upset over Kosloff refusing to give him part ownership. Another was Wilt wanted to go to the ABA after coach Alex Hannum departed for the west coast to guide the Oakland Oaks of the ABA. Yet another idea stemmed from Wilt wanting to mingle among the rich and famous of Hollywood. Whatever the reasoning, a deal was struck on July 9, 1968 that sent Wilt to the Los Angeles Lakers, thus making it the first time that a league MVP from the previous season was traded.23 Since moving to Los Angeles in 1960, the Lakers had made five trips to the NBA Finals, and each time they fell short to the Boston Celtics. It was felt by many that with a star pivot man to complement the superstar tandem of Elgin Baylor and Jerry West, the Lakers might have won a few, if not all, of those title matchups against Bill Russell and company. Their quest for a big man brought the Lakers the game’s premier center. With Chamberlain now added to an already talented team, championship fever was at its peak in Los Angeles. His arrival also helped at the turnstiles, as ticket sales went up over 10 percent. However, right from the start, Wilt and new Lakers coach Butch Van Breda Kolff, had a tumultuous relationship to say the least. Both men had huge egos, and each threw verbal jabs at the other, which kept the scribes in the Southland loaded with material for the daily newspapers. The coach complained that Wilt did not give his all in practice, was too concerned about his individual stats, and never showed the coach any respect amongst other things. Chamberlain summed up his opinion by claiming that Van Breda Kolff was “the dumbest and worst coach ever.”24 Over the course of the 1968-69 season, Van Breda Kolff benched Wilt, who was never placed in that position throughout his career. Through all the havoc, Chamberlain and the Lakers managed to produce a very successful season. The Lakers finished atop the Western Division with a 55–27 record, and despite having the lowest points per game average of his career up to this

Wilt Chamberlain time at 20.5, Wilt still led the league by averaging 21.1 rebounds per game. Come playoff time, the Lakers began on their muchanticipated quest for the illusive NBA title that escaped them throughout the decade. After eliminating the San Francisco Warriors in six games in the opening round, the Lakers made easy work of the Atlanta Hawks, clinching their fifth Western Division title of the decade, four games to one. The Boston Celtics were a gray beard team by this time, but managed to qualify for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Division with a 48–34 record. The defending champions looked at the 1968-69 post-season as one final hurrah for their dynasty. After beating the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Division Semifinals four games to one, Boston took on the up-and-coming New York Knicks in the Eastern Division Finals. The Celtics clinched the series in six games to set up one final Bill Russell/Wilt Chamberlain matchup with some type of championship implications on the line. The Lakers took the first two games, and it looked like the City of Angels was finally on the right track to witness its first NBA title. The Celtics might have been old, but pride kicked in, and one final shot at glory sparked the old timers. They evened the series up at two games apiece, with Chamberlain getting lambasted in the media for not playing up to his potential and allowing Russell to control him with ease. In the fifth game, the Lakers won, 117–104, to come within one game of clinching the series, and Chamberlain played better, scoring 13 points and hauling in 31 rebounds with Russell on his back. Boston then tied the series up with a 99–90 victory in which Wilt only tallied eight points. With it all coming down to one deciding game at the Forum, the Lakers trailed by 15 points going in to the fourth quarter. Los Angeles rallied, but Wilt wrenched his knee securing a rebound halfway through the quarter, and took himself out of the game. Wilt’s replacement, Mel Counts, and Jerry West, connected on key shots that brought the Lakers to within one at 103–102. Chamberlain felt that he was ready to return with the game hanging in the balance, but apparently Butch Van Breda Kolff decided that the team was doing better without him. Boston then clamped down on defense, the Lakers suffered some severe turnovers, and the Celtics hung on to win their 11th NBA title in 13 seasons by a 108–106 final count.25 Chamberlain was highly criticized for not playing through the injury at such a crucial time. It was even claimed that he used the injury as an excuse to get out the game. It was felt that if he were driven to win, then he would have found any way to get back on the floor.26 This sour ending to the season also began the decline of Butch Van Breda Kolff, whose own ego would not give in to Wilt’s when it was claimed that the big man wanted to return to action. Either way the incident was spun, the Lakers once again suffered a heartbreaking defeat on basketball’s biggest stage. Two weeks after the NBA Finals, Van Breda Kolff resigned to take over the coaching reins of the Detroit Pistons, leaving Wilt to be the sole whipping boy regarding the closing minutes of Game Seven. Van Breda Kolff ’s replacement, Joe Mullaney, was the opposite of his predecessor in the handling of Chamberlain. He stroked the big man’s ego and Wilt appeared to be happy with his new mentor.27 However, Wilt’s second year with the Lakers ended quickly. In the ninth game of the season, he tore up his knee and was lost for the year. He was determined to come back

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by season’s end, and worked hard at rehab to accomplish his goal. With three games to go in the regular season, Wilt held true to his word, and in 12 games of work, he averaged 27.3 points and 18.4 rebounds per game. Another trip to the NBA Finals awaited the Lakers, their third straight, and for the first time since moving to Los Angeles, they would not have to face the Boston Celtics in the championship round. Boston’s replacement as rulers of the Eastern Division was the New York Knicks. Instead of facing Bill Russell, Chamberlain had to contend with Willis Reed, the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player. With his knee still tender, Wilt’s movement was hampered against Reed, who was a good outside shooter, and Chamberlain’s effort to get to Reed in an attempt to block his shots did not produce success for the Lakers’ pivot man. In the first game, Reed took advantage of Wilt’s shortcomings and lit him up for 37 points in a 124–112 New York victory. Chamberlain managed to rally in Game Two, scoring 19 points, hauling in 24 rebounds, and blocked a shot by Reed in the closing seconds to preserve a 105–103 LA win. With the series tied up at 2–2, Willis Reed suffered what was considered a series-ending thigh muscle injury in Game Five. This was thought to be a huge advantage for the Lakers’ faithful, who felt that Wilt could now overpower Reed’s seldomused backups. Despite the loss of Reed, the Knicks still won, 107– 100, to close to within one game of clinching the title after trailing by 13 points at the half. The rest of the Knicks rallied to make up for the loss of their fallen leader, and clamped down on Wilt in the second half, allowing him only three shot attempts. With their backs to the wall, the Lakers came back to tie the series and force a seventh game after Chamberlain dominated the contest by scoring 45 points. After Wilt’s incredible Game Six performance, it was felt that the deciding game would just be a formality, and the Lakers would win with their big man in the middle leading them without Willis Reed in New York’s lineup. Reed, however, managed up enough intestinal fortitude and played. The Knicks played inspired basketball after that, and easily won the title with a 113– 99 victory. The NBA Finals MVP award went to Reed, and Chamberlain was once again blasted in the media, this time for his inability to overpower his banged up opponent. The fact that Chamberlain was still trying to heal completely from his own severe knee injury produced no sympathy in the wake of another NBA Finals defeat.28 The good news about the 1970-71 season was that Chamberlain did not get roasted for his championship round performance, due to the fact that the Lakers never made it that far. However, Chamberlain was praised for how he performed against the man who would become his heir apparent at the pivot position, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, then known as Lew Alcindor. The young rising superstar’s Milwaukee Bucks Beat Chamberlain’s Lakers in the Western Conference Finals four games to one. The crafty old veteran hung tough against a high quality opponent 10 years his junior, and the newly crowned league MVP. Wilt had games of 22, 26, and 24 points during the series, and showed that he still had something left to offer. Following the 1970-71 season, Joe Mullaney was let go as coach and replaced by former Boston Celtics’ shooting guard, Bill Sharman. Sharman inherited a Lakers team getting older and frus-

TWO : ALL-TIME GREATS trated by losing the big games.29 The environment was one that might have scared off many coaches, but not Sharman. He was a winner at every stop he made as a player and coach in the pros, and was not about to succumb to defeatism in Los Angeles. He wanted to win a title with the Lakers, and believed that he had the players to make it happen. It was no secret that Wilt’s attitude toward coaches was extremely hard line, but like Alex Hannum, Sharman was no pushover. After assuming the coaching reins of the Lakers, Sharman set up a meeting with Wilt over lunch. He wanted Chamberlain to focus more on rebounding and defense to get the ball into teammates hands to start a fast break attack. This worked very well for Sharman’s old teammate and Chamberlain adversary Bill Russell to the tune of 11 championships. Sharman possessed a strong personality and intense approach that impressed and convinced Wilt to go along with the new plan despite some reservations.30 Chamberlain finished the 1971-72 season with a league-leading 19.2 rebounds per game average, and with the lowest points per game average of his career at 14.8. He did what Sharman requested, earned All-NBA Defensive First Team honors, and the end result was nothing short of amazing. Nine games into the season, Elgin Baylor called it quits due to severe knee problems. Upon Baylor’s retirement, Chamberlain was named team captain and the Lakers went off on a record-setting 33-game winning streak, finished the year with a then-record 69 wins, and romped through the playoffs. On May 7, 1972, all the demons of seasons past were cast away, as the Lakers were finally world champions after beating the New York Knicks four games to one in the NBA Finals. Wilt was at his best against the Knicks, leaving no doubt as to his desire to win a championship with Los Angeles. In the fourth game of the series, he also showed his grit, as he broke his right hand, but came out for the next game with his hand heavily padded.31He then proceeded to score 24 points and haul in 29 rebounds in what proved to be the series clincher. For his efforts, Wilt was awarded the 1972 NBA Finals MVP award. The following season, Wilt and company returned to the Finals against the Knicks, but this time, New York won it all in five games. For the season, Chamberlain averaged 13.2 points and 18.6 rebounds in what proved to be his final year in the NBA. The San Diego Conquistadors of the ABA acquired Wilt’s services in 1973 as a player/coach. The Lakers did not want to go along with the deal, and filed a successful lawsuit against Chamberlain that prohibited him from playing for San Diego due to the fact that he owed them an option year. It was well documented in his Lakers contract, so he could not suit up. His coaching experience had him assign the bulk of responsibilities onto his assistant Stan Albeck. Wilt did not seem to have the attention span or patience needed to be a coach for long. He had just written his autobiography, and was consumed with promoting it rather than dealing with the team. After a 37–47 finish, Wilt was done with coaching and life in basketball.32 Following his retirement, Wilt threw himself very heavily into volleyball, becoming president of the International Volleyball Association in 1974. His impact on the sport was so great that he was enshrined into the Volleyball Hall of Fame.33 He remained in good shape after retiring, and competed in some marathons, in addition to writing another book in 1997, and starred in the

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movie Conan the Destroyer in 1984. Chamberlain lived until October 12, 1999, when he passed away in his Bel Air, California, residence of congestive heart failure at the age of 63.34 It was claimed that Wilt was not a leader or a follower, and he developed a reputation for not getting along with coaches. It was also claimed that he emerged from all the negativity cast upon his character as one of professional basketball’s greatest icons. In 1,045 games over his 14 seasons in the NBA, Chamberlain scored a then-record 31,419 points (30.1 per game) and 23,924 rebounds (22.9 per game). He earned 13 All-Star Game nominations, 10 All-NBA honors, and was a three-time league MVP. He was voted one of the 50 greatest NBA players of all time, had his #13 retired by the Lakers on November 9, 1983, and was enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978.35

Michael Cooper With the Fabulous Forum faithful chanting “Coooop,” the 6'5" guard with trademark socks pulled up high just below the knees, flies through the air and slams home a two-pointer to complete the Coop-a-Loop, an electrifying move to the basket that will forever be part of Lakers lore. Michael Cooper was born on April 15, 1956, in Los Angeles, California. At the beginning of his life, it seemed doubtful that he would ever be able to run and jump with the skill that he displayed. For at the age of two, he tore open one of his knees on a coffee table that required 100 stitches to close. Due to this severe injury, Cooper had to wear a leg brace for close to eight years, and the only thing that his family hoped for at the time was for young Michael to walk properly, let alone perform as a top-notch professional athlete. However, in time, the leg healed and the young Californian was ready to seek out a sport that he liked.1 His mother and other relatives strongly encouraged Cooper to attempt sports. He first gravitated toward baseball because he had an uncle that played professionally in the Negro Leagues. Having a ball whipped toward him while he stood at home plate did not set too well with the youngster, and needless to say, the allure of the diamond quickly faded. He attempted football, but after being flipped in the air while jumping up for a pass caused him to land on his head, Cooper decided that the gridiron was not the field of dreams for him.2 Seeking refuge in the confines of a gym, Cooper tried out for the junior varsity basketball team at Pasadena High School. He was cut that year and the following one as well. Undaunted, and armed with solid support from his family, Cooper went back as a six-foot tall junior. The third time proved to be the charm, as he made the junior varsity squad as a junior, and advanced to the varsity for his senior campaign.3 With the assistance of his varsity coach, George Terian, the coachable and humble Cooper learned the basics of basketball and life lessons as well. By his senior year, the 6' 4" future pro’s hardwood skills improved with each game. He developed into a complete performer who shared the ball and played tremendous defense. His leadership guided the Pasadena High Bulldogs to the 1973 Pacific League title, as he topped the team in rebounding and field goal percentage. Against El Rancho High School in the

Michael Cooper title game, a trademark Michael Cooper fashion statement was born, and will forever be remembered by Lakers fans everywhere. His grandmother had poor eyesight and could not tell her grandson apart from the other hoopsters. Against El Rancho, Cooper raised his socks up to his knees as a beacon to his grandmother so she knew where he was on the court at all times.4 Surprisingly, the all-around solid performer did not receive any major college offers. Just like when he was cut twice in high school, Cooper refused to look at the experience as a roadblock. He decided to stay within close proximity of his family by attending Pasadena City College. The decision was an excellent one for the Lancers’ program, as coach Joseph Barnes would attest to by praising Cooper as the best player he ever mentored.5 Pasadena City College played in the highly competitive Metropolitan Conference, but the local standout with number 20 embossed on his cardinal red and gold jersey, rose to the challenge. Cooper jumped out to a league-leading 21.5 points per game average, and had the Lancers sitting on top of the conference. Unfortunately, on an academic level, the freshman was not at the head of the class. His status on the court quickly made Cooper a popular figure on campus, and the attention bestowed on the 18year-old quickly made his studies secondary to basketball and a social life.6 At this stage, coach Barnes stepped in. Despite the immediate impact Cooper had on the program, both individual and team, the coach decided to make his star freshman ineligible due to his poor grades. Cooper realized that he was the only one who could get himself out of the academic doldrums. The opportunity to obtain a college education was his for the taking, so he focused his attention on the classroom, and through hard work, he got his grades back up. It was then that he was allowed back on the court.7 As a sophomore, Michael returned to the Lancers a smarter, wiser collegian in both the classroom and on the hardwood, where he averaged 20.2 points per game. He finished up at Pasadena City College with 1,070 career points, which still ranks him in the upper echelon in that category among Lancers past and present. It was at this time that talk began about Cooper having a legitimate opportunity in the pros.8 Cooper’s next stop in preparation for the pro circuit came when he left his native California for the first time by heading to the University of New Mexico. This time, donning a cherry and silver jersey, Cooper’s change of address did not slow his momentum down. In his senior season of 1977-78, he earned first team All-Western Conference by averaging 16.3 points per game, 5.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists. He also helped guide the Lobos to a conference title in 1978. His efforts over the course of two seasons at New Mexico were stellar enough to place him the university’s Hall of Fame in 1992.9 The prediction of Cooper reaching the highest level of competition came true when the Los Angeles Lakers selected him in the third round, and 60th pick overall, in the 1978 draft, thus allowing him to return to the Golden State. However, Cooper’s pro career was in jeopardy right from the start. After the draft, he tore a knee ligament in a summer league game, which severely limited his play to only seven minutes throughout his rookie season.10 The following year saw Cooper come into training camp at

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100 percent and ready to make his mark on one of the game’s most storied franchises. This time around, Cooper might have been healthy, but the Lakers were stocked with guards, two of which were not going anywhere soon to make room for the second-year local prospect. Norm Nixon was established as the floor leader at point guard, and rookie phenom Magic Johnson just arrived from East Lansing, Michigan, after leading the Michigan State Spartans to the NCAA championship. Coach Jack McKinney had a decision to make to either keep Cooper or fellow second-year man Ron Carter. In the end, McKinney decided to keep Cooper, and his quest for Lakers immortality began.11 Over the next 12 seasons, Cooper was a mainstay on a dynasty created in the Fabulous Forum. Even though most of his career involved him coming off the bench instead of starting, Cooper seized the opportunity by becoming one of the Association’s most coveted sixth men. Whatever was asked of him he did with true professionalism. From running the offense, sinking three-pointers, or covering some of the game’s top-level performers, Cooper was always ready to jump right into the action at any given moment. At 6'5", 170 pounds, he was one of the thinnest players, but also one of the quickest. He was regarded as one of the greatest defenders of the 1980s, and the Lakers relied on that skill to guard some of the game’s top-level performers. His prowess on defense earned him eight All-Defensive Team selections, the 1987 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award, and the ultimate testament to his abilities from a legend. Boston’s Larry Bird, despite being in constant competition with the Lakers for the NBA crown year after year, still was able to speak the praise of a rival’s talents by claiming Cooper was the toughest challenge he ever had to go against.12 His defensive talents were without a doubt a strong attribute, but it was an offensive play that will forever make his name part of Lakers’ lore. The Coop-a-Loop saw Michael use his blazing speed toward the rim while either Norm Nixon or Magic Johnson tossed an alley-oop pass in the direction of the basket. Cooper would then spring into the air and palm the perfectly thrown ball and slam it through for a two-pointer without himself or the Spalding hitting the hardwood. It was an exciting play and perfect for the flash-and-dash of the “Showtime” era in Los Angeles. In fact, it was probably the most remembered single play in the “Showtime” repertoire. Even though he almost lost out on a roster spot in 1979, and came off the bench more often than not, Cooper stood tall on a roster of legends. Along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson, Cooper earned five NBA championship rings during the team’s heyday of the 1980s. After 12 glorious seasons, however, the end of the line came for Cooper following the 1989-90 campaign when he was waived by Los Angeles. He played one final season of pro basketball in Italy before coming back to the States with coaching aspirations. His desire to coach and the opportunity to do so merged when Lakers General Manager Jerry West hired him as a special assistant in the early 1990s. He then worked as an assistant coach for former teammate Magic Johnson and his successor Del Harris. He left the Lakers’ fold in 1999 to serve as head coach of the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, and guided them to league crowns in 2001 and 2002. In 2009, he was named head coach of the women’s team at the University of Southern California.13

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Gail Goodrich California dreaming was always a reality for Gail Goodrich. The native Californian never had to leave the “Wonder City of the West” to establish himself as a top-notch master of the hardwood. Two constants were prevalent throughout Los Angeles in the early to mid–1960s. One was the Beach Boys recording hit songs related to surfing, cars, and California Girls, while the other was that Gail Goodrich had a hand in leading a team to a basketball championship. One of the Southland’s most storied hardwood heroes, Gail Goodrich, Jr., was introduced to the world on April 23, 1943, in Los Angeles. His father was a stellar performer for the University of Southern California, and before too long, his offspring proved that basketball was an inherited trait that would eventually lead the Californian to everlasting immortality. However, at the beginning of his hoop dreams, Goodrich’s stature possessed a concern. At slightly over five feet tall, and tipping the scales at 100 pounds, physically, Goodrich was not a prospect that instantly started a coach drooling like Pavlov’s dogs.1 John H. Francis Polytechnic High School, a district of the San Fernando Valley, is located 15 miles outside of downtown Los Angeles. It was here that Goodrich first realized that his hoop dreams might materialize into something special. He eventually grew to 6'1", and worked hard to become a force for head coach Nelson Burton. With a mixture of strong competitiveness, fantastic court vision, and ball handling wizardry, the left-handed shooting guard had the blue and gold-clad Parrots of Roscoe Blvd. rolling up wins. In his senior year of 1961, Goodrich played a major role in securing championship hardware for John H. Francis when the team won the Los Angeles city title. He averaged 23.2 points a game throughout the regular season, and showed his grit as a competitor in a 52–37 win against Manual Arts High School in the city title game. He broke an ankle in the third quarter, had it taped, and came back to finish the game and lead his team with 29 points.2 When it was time to start planning a course of action at the next level, Goodrich looked to follow in his father’s footsteps by playing at USC. However, the Trojans’ interest in the next generation of Goodrich men was scarce at best. Across town, in Westwood, UCLA’s legendary coach John Wooden was perched on the verge of his glorious reign as mentor of the Bruins, and he wanted the sharp-shooting guard. When he arrived on the Westwood campus, the Bruins did not have a permanent home. They played at Men’s Gym until the Fire Marshal declared it unsafe for a crowd over 1,300. They also performed at Pan Pacific Auditorium, the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, and other gyms throughout the area. Regardless of what venue the Bruins tipped off in, the end result was usually a win, with Goodrich leading the way for Wooden’s charges.3 In the final analysis of Goodrich’s collegiate days at UCLA, it was nothing short of spectacular. He became UCLA’s all-time leading scorer with 1,690 points, averaging 21.5 points per game in his junior year, and 24.6 as a senior. He was bestowed with All-America status following both those campaigns, and shared the 1965 National Collegiate Basketball Player of the Year Award

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with Princeton’s Bill Bradley. If that were not enough, Goodrich added two NCAA championships in 1964 and 1965 to his resume, and helped the Bruins compile a 78–11 record during his tenure, including a spotless 30–0 slate in 1963-64. He was co-captain of the 1964-65 squad that finished 28–2, and like a true leader, he scored a then UCLA record 42 points in a 91–80 victory over number one ranked Michigan in the NCAA Championship Game. His regular season average of 24.8 points a game still tops UCLA’s record book for most by a guard.4 Detractors are commonplace in any field of endeavor. However, refusing to listen to such negativity, and driving to succeed, is the greatest retribution. Gail Goodrich strove to prove any doubters wrong, and in the end, rose to the pinnacle of his profession. Deemed too small for a big-time college program, he became one of the greatest to play at one of the elite basketball schools in history. It was apparent that Goodrich’s body of work created an impressive resume that others were only capable of dreaming about. He then stood at the threshold of the ultimate challenge, the world of professional athletics, and once again faced negative feedback. The same old jargon was being thrown around claiming the 6'1" guard would not be sturdy enough to partake in the grind of the pro game. Once again, Goodrich knocked down the barriers cast in his path. Over the course of the next fourteen years, he earned AllPro honors, All-Star selection, became an integral member of one of the greatest championship teams ever assembled, was bestowed immortality with induction into the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame, and had his number retired by the Lakers. His incredible run for the accolades presented to him in the NBA began when the Lakers made him their 1st round selection, and 10th pick overall, of the 1965 draft. His professional debut came on October 16, 1965, and throughout his rookie campaign, Goodrich saw action in 65 games, and averaged 7.8 points per game on a team that made it to the NBA Finals, but lost to the Boston Celtics four games to three. The following year saw Goodrich play 352 minutes over the course of 77 games and average 12.4 points a game. In 1967-68, he increased his minutes to 395 in 79 games and sank an average of 13.8 points per game.5 On a team consisting of some of the game’s best performers, Goodrich was able to get quite a bit of experience, and was on the cusp of breaking out into a star himself. Unfortunately, at the time, his hometown team was not going to be the location he would emerge as a legitimate talent in. In 1968, the Phoenix Suns joined the NBA as an expansion team, and looked to fill their roster with players from other teams around the league. Goodrich was selected by Phoenix in the expansion draft, and off he went to the Grand Canyon State to play outside of Los Angeles for the first time in his career.6 The move allowed Goodrich the opportunity to become a full-time starter for the first time in his young career, and also a crowd favorite. In 81 games, the sharp-shooting guard registered an impressive 23.8 points per game average to rank sixth among his fellow Association hoopsters and first on the Phoenix team. His 6.4 assist average put him in the seventh spot in that category, and he was chosen to play in the 1969 All-Star Game. Not resting on his laurels, Goodrich continued to flourish in Phoenix. The 1969-70 campaign once again saw him top the

Gail Goodrich team in both points per game average (20.0) and assists per game (7.5). By the start of the super seventies, the Lakers realized that having Goodrich in their purple and gold attire beat playing against him. For this reason, the Lakers shipped Mel Counts off to Phoenix in a trade that brought the left-handed hot shot guard affectionately referred to as “Stumpy” back to Los Angeles on May 20, 1970.7 From the 1970-71 season, through America’s bicentennial in 1976, Goodrich averaged over 20 points a game, and rode a path of success that made his name synonymous with greatness. In 1971-72, Goodrich was an All-Star Game selection, and a starting guard on one of the greatest teams ever assembled. It was in that season that the Lakers finally broke through the championship barrier cast before them since arriving in Los Angeles 12 years earlier. Averaging a team high 25.9 points a game, Goodrich, and fellow Hall of Famers Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain, ran off a 33-game winning streak en route to a then-record 69 wins against a mere 13 defeats. They then disposed of three opponents to capture the NBA title. With the victory in the finals, Goodrich was able to complete a championship trifecta by reaching the roundball summit on the high school, collegiate, and professional level, all in the same city. Two years removed from winning the title, Goodrich had his best professional season in 1973-74. He earned First Team All-NBA honors, was selected for another All-Star Game, and rang up 25.3 points per game to rank fourth in the league. He also led the NBA in free throw attempts and in free throws made. After his 22.6 points per game average allowed Goodrich the opportunity to top the Lakers for the fourth straight year in that category in 1974-75, he shifted from a shooting guard and assumed the duties of a playmaking guard the following year. With Goodrich setting things up, and Lucius Allen shooting, the Lakers were able to steady a rocky ship and finish at 40–42, which was a ten game improvement over the previous season. On August 6, 1976, Goodrich’s run with the Lakers came to an end when he signed a three-year deal with the New Orleans Jazz. However, he still had an impact on the Los Angeles organization without ever playing for them again. Seeing that he signed with another team, the Lakers were to receive the Jazz’s top spots in the 1977, 1978, and 1979 drafts. New Orleans was not very good, luckily for the Lakers. After finishing with the worst record in 1978-79, they owned the first overall pick of the 1979-80 draft, which meant that the Lakers owned it. With that pick, Los Angeles selected Magic Johnson, who would lead the Lakers over the next decade to incredible accomplishments.8 In Goodrich’s first year in the “Big Easy,” a damaged Achilles Heel ended his season after 27 games. After recovering from surgery, Goodrich worked his way through rehab, training hard to re-establish himself as a factor among his fellow teammates. His effort paid off with him shooting a career-high .495 from field goal range. At age 36, the 1978-79 proved to be Goodrich’s NBA swan song. He retired after playing in 74 games and averaging 12.7 points a game.9 When the Los Angeles native’s 14-season pro career was complete, he registered 19,181 points for an 18.6 average over the course of 1,031 games. He made the All-Star team five times (1969, 1972– 75), was First Team All-NBA once (1973-74), and retired ranked 11th in scoring on the all-time list and 10th in assists (4,805). He

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also appears in the top ten among his fellow Lakers in many alltime team categories. His 13,044 points while a member of the Lakers place him 6th all-time. In assists (2,863) and free throws made (2,830), he stands at 7th, and his 687 games played ranks him 9th.10 In 1996, the legacy that Gail Goodrich created was honored with his enshrinement into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. That year also brought him the honor of having his #25 jersey retired by the Lakers on November 20. Seven years later, his high school #12 was retired, and the following year, UCLA retired his #25.11

Harold “Happy” Hairston The name Harold “Happy” Hairston is synonymous with athletic achievements that span five cities from the scholastic level to the professional ranks. A complete ballplayer that averaged 14.8 points per game and 10.3 rebounds for slightly over a decade in the NBA, Hairston also earned the honor of being a pivotal player on one of the greatest single-season teams in history. Born on May 31, 1942, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the future Laker went to Atkins High School, where his prowess began to blossom, whether it was by lacing up spikes, cleats, or Chuck Taylors. He distinguished himself as a Tar Heel State schoolboy legend in three sports, earning everlasting immortality when he was an easy selection for the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County High School Sports Hall of Fame in 1983. In the fall, Hairston played end on the Football team that went undefeated one year. As a stellar forward in basketball, he helped his Atkins teammates win the 1959 state championship. The spring saw Hairston perform as a first baseman on teams that won three consecutive Western District baseball championships in 1958, 1959, and 1960.1 Standing 6' 6", Hairston’s athletic career could have taken him into any of the sports he excelled in. However, New York University made his decision a lot easier by offering him a fouryear scholarship in basketball. So off he went to the Empire State to further his education and basketball career. In his three seasons on the varsity squad (1962–64), Hairston and fellow teammate Barry Kramer devoured the opposition and NYU’s records books as well. By the time their stay on the Greenwich Village campus was complete, the violet and white-clad hoopsters owned virtually every scoring record. Hairston concluded his collegiate career with 1,346 points (21 points per game average), shot an incredible 51.8 percent from the field, and led the Violets in rebounding all three of his varsity campaigns. His accomplishments easily earned him induction into NYU’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 1981.2 With two Hall of Fame careers secured in North Carolina and New York, Hairston looked to continue his basketball career at the professional level. The Cincinnati Royals made that dream come true on May 4, 1964, when they selected Hairston in the 4th round of the draft. He saw a good share of action in three full seasons in the Queen City, averaging 6.1 points per game in his rookie year, and 14.1 and 14.9 the following two.3 On February 1, 1968, the Royals shipped Hairston off to De-

TWO : ALL-TIME GREATS troit in a trade. In his lone full season with the Pistons, Hairston really came into his own. Playing in 81 games, he averaged 18.1 points and 11.8 rebounds a game.4 The Lakers had enjoyed much success with rebounder parexcellence Rudy LaRusso for the majority of the 1960s. By 1968 LaRusso traveled north to San Francisco to provide the Warriors with his specialty. The Lakers looked to obtain another dominant power forward rebounding machine and found it in Detroit. In the early stages of the 1969-70 season, Los Angeles got their power forward via trade. On November 27, 1969, Hairston packed his bags and headed 2,300 miles to the golden coast. The move to the City of Angels provided Hairston with the opportunity to team up with some of the greatest basketball players in history. Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Gail Goodrich, and for a short time, Elgin Baylor. However, with all that talent, the Lakers were still in search of the elusive championship crown. In 1971-72, the team finally put all the pieces together, and in the process, mowed their way through the league to capture the NBA title. Hairston was a tough defender with solid leaping ability who did not mind mixing it up under the boards, and during the Lakers’ initial run at their first crown in Los Angeles, he teamed up with the great Wilt Chamberlain to utterly dominate opponents when going after the coveted Spalding. En route to a 33-game winning streak and a then-record 69 regular season wins, Chamberlain hauled down a league-leading 1,572 rebounds, and Hairston came in 11th with 1,045.5 In his three remaining seasons in the pros, Hairston led the Lakers in rebounds in 1973-74 with 13.5 per game, and on November 15, 1974, he registered an NBA record 13 defensive boards against Philadelphia. On October 21, 1975, the Lakers waived Hairston, thus bringing the curtain down on an outstanding body of hardwood work. His 4,885 rebounds in a Los Angeles uniform affords him the right to be ranked among the top in team history, and his career total of 8,019 places him 57th all-time in NBA history as of 2011. The fierce competitor also topped the Lakers in field goal percentage throughout his final two seasons (1974 and 1975).6 Being in the entertainment capital of the world enabled Hairston to try his hand at acting, and he was given the chance to sell his thespian wares on some of the most popular shows of the 1970s. Sanford and Son, Happy Days, Fame, and Knots Landing were some of the shows that appeared on his resume.7 Life after basketball provided Hairston with the opportunity to make a difference in children’s lives. He established the Happy Hairston Youth Foundation in the Los Angeles area, and with monetary assistance from the Hollywood set, he helped children from broken homes get college educations.8 The consummate team player who did whatever was asked of him, and did it well, was taken away too soon from the world. After a three-year battle with prostate cancer, the once dominant power forward succumbed to the disease on May 1, 2001, at age 58.9

Earvin “Magic” Johnson A true benchmark for greatness is when an individual, regardless of their field of endeavor, makes the difficult look easy.

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In the roundball universe, there have been a select few whose prowess with a Spalding caused an adoring public to gaze upon what they just witnessed with wide-eyed wonderment. It could have been claimed that something magical had been performed, and throughout the 1980s, it was, by a six-foot, nine-inch, 220 pound hardwood wizard known forever as Earvin “Magic” Johnson. One of the greatest to ever play the game of basketball, Magic was the conductor of a runaway freight train known as “Showtime” that devastated opponents with speed and athleticism en route to five NBA championships under Johnson’s watch. The magical journey that captivated the masses across the hardwood landscape began on August 14, 1959 in Lansing, Michigan. Earvin Johnson, Jr., grew up in a large family that resided in a three-bedroom house. His father worked two jobs to support his large family. He hauled trash at dawn, and then went to work at General Motors, while Mrs. Johnson earned a paycheck as a school custodian. It was this solid work ethic that would serve the future Lakers icon well.1 When passion and athleticism come together, the union creates devastating effects on those that oppose such a juggernaut. In this case, the enthusiasm and drive displayed by Johnson with a basketball in his hands, quickly made the youngster realize that reaching the professional level was more than a dream. From dawn until dusk, Johnson worked on his game. There were times when his mother came outside with food to make sure her son ate. Even before going to school, he was outside, and when it snowed, he shoveled out the area around the basket so he could practice.2 When it came time to play in high school, Johnson was more than ready. On the west side of town, Sexton High School had a tradition in basketball that consisted of multiple state championships. Johnson looked forward to being a part of the “Big Red,” and having his name attached to the school’s legacy. However, desegregation was an experiment occurring in many cities during this time, and Lansing was one of them affected. Sexton had a predominately black enrollment, and Everett High School a white one. To create racial balance, students were bused from one to the other. Johnson’s dream of wearing the red, white, and black of Sexton was not to be, as he was one of the many bused five miles to Everett.3 The experiment at first was a harsh one for Johnson, as the races did not speak to each other, and fights occurred frequently. His passion for basketball allowed Johnson to rise above the racial issues, and prove that the color of a person’s skin should not diminish his contribution to whatever field of endeavor they pursue. It did not take his athletic ability or outgoing personality long to make him accepted. His newfound status among the Everett student body earned him such high regard that when racial tensions did arise, the principal looked to Johnson to help alleviate any further escalation.4 In his first game sporting a red, white, and light blue uniform of the Everett Vikings, Johnson’s performance for coach George Fox was so magical that Lansing State Journal sports writer Fred Stabley, Jr., scribed one of the most memorable monikers ever attached to an athlete. Against heavily favored Parkside High, the 15-year-old Johnson recorded a triple double by scoring 36 points, grabbing 16 rebounds, and dishing out 16 assists, in a 19-point victory for Everett. His ball-handling skills and court presence

Earvin “Magic” Johnson made him the consummate team player. Upon witnessing this incredible performance, Stabley christened the young man Earvin “Magic” Johnson. Initially, Johnson thought the nickname was silly, but when he kept hearing it from people around the area, he started to embrace it. He enjoyed the attention it brought him, and fed off of it. Johnson then went out onto the court to live up to being “Magic.” It elevated his game even more, and his #32 became the focal point of spectators and recruiters alike, as he began receiving multiple letters of interests from college programs every day.5 In his junior year of 1975-76, Johnson led Everett to the state semifinals before losing. Despite the loss, Johnson pumped in 30 points and gathered in nine rebounds. He was named the most valuable player in his conference, and the recipient of the UPI’s Michigan Prep Player of the Year Award.6 In the summer prior to his senior year, Johnson’s close friend and teammate, Reggie Chastaine, was killed in a car accident. The Everett Vikings made a commitment to win the state championship for Chastaine. The team went 27–1, and beat Birmingham Brother Rice in overtime, 62–56, in the state title game. During this quest for the state crown, Johnson averaged 28.8 points and 16.8 rebounds per game over the course of the season. His scholastic career was then climaxed by being selected the UPI National Prep Basketball Player of the Year.7 When it came time to select a college, Johnson could have written his own ticket to virtually any campus in the country. Despite the desire of countless programs across the country to have Johnson suit up for them, he chose to continue working his magic in his own backyard. After rounding out all of his options down to Michigan and Michigan State, he decided on East Lansing, and don the green and white of the MSU Spartans. Trading in his #32 for #33, his presence had immediate benefits on the Michigan State program. Prior to his arrival, MSU basketball had moderate success at best. When Johnson got his hands on the ball as a freshman, he became the driving force that allowed the Spartans to rise to national prominence. At 6' 9", he could have played center, but coach Jud Heathcote used him at guard.8 There was no stagnant moment in Johnson’s transition to the college ranks, as he led the Big Ten Conference in assists per game (7.4), finished in a third place tie in scoring (17.0), and sixth in rebounds (7.9). His play and charisma made Heathcote’s charges the talk of the state and beyond its borders. With Magic running the floor, the Spartans finished the regular season at 25– 5, including a 13-game winning streak, and brought the 1977-78 Big Ten championship trophy home to East Lansing. They advanced to the NCAA Tournament Regional Finals before bowing out to eventual champion Kentucky.9 The 1978-79 season proved to be the major turning point in making Johnson a superstar on the rise. He guided the Spartans to another Big Ten title with a 21–6 record, averaged 17.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 8.4 assists per game, and the NCAA championship. The Spartans’ opponent for the title game was the undefeated Indiana State Sycamores led by the pride of French Lick, Indiana, Larry Bird. The spotlight shined on the matchup between two of the top college basketball talents, Bird and Magic, and the national interest in this game allowed it to receive a 24.1

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Nielsen Rating, which was the all-time high for any basketball game, college or professional.10 On March 26, 1979, in Salt Lake City, Utah, with a national television audience gripped to the action, Magic Johnson and his fellow Spartans clamped down on Bird, forcing him into a poor shooting night, and won, 75–64. Bird still managed to score 24 points despite going seven of 21 from the field, and played very well on defense. Unfortunately, the Sycamores relied heavily on Bird’s scoring to carry the team. Magic, on the other hand, did his usual act of feeding his teammates the ball, rebounding, and scoring 24 points. His performance earned Johnson the Most Outstanding Player Award, and ignited a rivalry with Larry Bird that will forever remain the best of all-time.11 When the game clock in Salt Lake City hit zero, Magic Johnson’s quest for championships on both the high school and collegiate levels was realized. He decided to declare himself eligible for the draft after only two seasons at Michigan State, but he was more than ready to take the next step. The Spartans’ record the year before Magic arrived was 12–15. In his two seasons there, the team reached immediate success, and after he left, it took three years for the program to regain a winning record. Magic’s presence was that intense. The New Orleans Jazz owned the rights to the number one pick of the 1979 draft. However, it was former Lakers guard Gail Goodrich that allowed his former team to reap the benefits of obtaining one of the best to ever play the game. The Jazz traded their number one pick of the 1979 draft three years earlier for the rights to Goodrich. The Jazz then went out and produced the worst record in the league during the 1978-79 season, which earned them the right to select first in the following draft. Seeing that Los Angeles owned the rights to New Orleans’ first overall pick, they used it to select Michigan State University phenom, Magic Johnson.12 It was now time for Johnson to leave the Great Lakes State and head to the golden coast and the bright lights of Hollywood. It seemed to be the perfect fit for such a charismatic superstar athlete to wind up among the Tinsel town elite. He dominated the scholastic and collegiate scenes, and was more than ready to embark on his bid to not only rise to the summit of the pro circuit, but also conquer it with an exciting brand of hardwood mastery. Over the next decade, Johnson and the Lakers would catapult to superstardom, creating a dynasty in the City of Angels whose legacy will never diminish with the passage of time. Johnson would also personally become a corporate giant within a corporate giant. In the beginning of his rise to legendary status, Johnson was just excited and in awe of his new surroundings in Los Angeles, and to get the opportunity to play along side his idol, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The Lakers were a team in transition as the 1980s approached. They had a new owner in Dr. Jerry Buss, and a new head coach in Jack McKinney, who suffered a near-fatal bicycle accident only 14 games into the season, and was replaced by assistant Paul Westhead for the rest of the year. They had moderate success in the latter half of the 1970s, but were not in the NBA Finals for six years. The Lakers seemed to have a clean slate to work with, and with Magic Johnson added to an already talented group including Jabbar and guard Norm Nixon, the future looked promising. On

TWO : ALL-TIME GREATS Friday, October 12, 1979, Magic Johnson took to the floor for his regular season debut as a professional. In a thrilling 103–102 win over the San Diego Clippers, Jabbar sank the deciding basket with a hook shot. As the buzzer sounded to give the Lakers their first in the win column, Johnson’s enthusiasm was uncontrollable. He began hugging and high-fiving anyone in a Lakers purple away jersey as if the team just clinched the NBA title. It was only the first of 82 regular season games, but Johnson did not care. His zest for the game was too great to keep it bottled up, and he quickly won the hearts of basketball fans everywhere.13 His passion did not end there, but only increased with each game. The 6' 9" point guard brought an incredible array of skills that captivated spectators worldwide. His mission was to direct a fast-paced tempo style of offense with his brand of ball-handling mastery. No look passes coming off the fast break, accurate passes from half court, especially the famed Coop-a-loop to Michael Cooper, dazzling assists that came while spinning his body, and unbelievable rocket shots through double or triple coverage, all became the norm. It also defined an era known as “Showtime.” With this exciting, winning style of basketball, the action became more than a game. It was a Las Vegas–like production of precision mixed with athleticism. The wins began to add up, and with this happening in the entertainment capital of the world, it rose to legendary proportions throughout the 1980s and will never be forgotten. Johnson was also a top-notch scorer and rebounder, which allowed him to become the complete basketball player and ring up triple-doubles at a steady pace throughout his career. In his rookie season of 1979-80, Johnson averaged 18.0 points a game, 7.7 rebounds, and 7.3 assists in 77 games. He made the All-Rookie Team and started in the All-Star Game. The Rookie of the Year Award looked like a lock for the Magic Man from LA. However, clear across the country in Boston, Larry Bird brought home that accolade. The Lakers completed the regular season with the second best record in the league. Their 60–22 record fell one win shy of Boston’s 61–21 slate. All the buzz come playoff time was if Magic and Bird would continue their rivalry in their first NBA outings. The collision course appeared to be going in that direction, as both rookies led their respective teams into the conference finals. On April 27, all the guessing came to a conclusion when the Philadelphia 76ers clinched the Eastern Conference Finals by a four games to one margin over the Boston Celtics. Over in the west, the Lakers held up their end by advancing to the NBA Finals with a 4–1 series win over the Seattle Supersonics. The magic continued for the 20-year-old from Lansing, Michigan. With the Lakers taking a 3–2 series lead into Philadelphia, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the preeminent center of the league, and reigning regular season NBA Most Valuable Player Award winner, succumbed to an ankle injury in Game Five. Jabbar stayed back in Los Angeles to give the ankle extra rest while the rest of his teammates traveled to the City of Brotherly Love. If the 76ers tie the series up, then it was felt that Jabbar would be rested and healed in time for the seventh and deciding game. It was then that the Magic Man turned on his winning smile, and cranked up his game even more than his usual high-octane tempo. It was on this night that Magic Johnson truly emerged as an icon. Coach Westhead made the decision to place Johnson at center to fill in for the injured Jabbar. At 6' 9" he was the tallest

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point guard to ever play the position, but at center going against 6'11", 252-pound veteran Darryl “Chocolate Thunder” Dawkins and the rest of a playoff-tested team including the great Julius “Dr. J.” Erving, it looked like Johnson needed a little extra magic. That, in turn, is what the 20-year hoop wonder mustered up, as he brought the curtain down on Philly’s championship dreams, and raised the curtain on the “Showtime” Lakers’ run at a dynasty.14 He turned in one of the all-time greatest individual performances by scoring 42 points, grabbing 15 rebounds, dishing out seven assists, and stealing the ball three times, in a resounding 123–107 series-clinching victory. Unanimously voted the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award, Johnson joined an elite fraternity of four players who won back-to-back championships on the college level and then in the pros. The NBA was now his kingdom, and he embraced it with his award-winning smile and talent. He became a media and marketing giant, and the masses loved him. The NBA was stagnant prior to Johnson coming into the league, and losing its fan base due to what many felt was thuggery, rumors of rampant drug use among the players, and too much individualism. Johnson changed all that with his fresh, outgoing personality, and the ability to spread the ball around. His rivalry with Larry Bird, who was also a consummate team player, also added to renewed fan interest and these men virtually placed the league on their backs and saved it. With the previous two years filled with unbelievable thrills, it was wondered what the Magic Man would do for an encore. Unfortunately, early in the 1980-81 season, Johnson tore the cartilage in his left knee and was lost for 45 games. Naturally, he was emotionally down, but worked hard to rehabilitate the knee, and rejoined his teammates late in the regular season. Even though he only played in 37 games, Magic still led the league with a 3.4 steals per game average. With Johnson sidelined, Norm Nixon assumed his role as floor leader, which he held until the arrival of the “Magic Show” the previous year. When Johnson returned, Nixon had to give control back to him, and that caused a riff between the two. Both men said derogatory things, which spilled over into the newspapers. Before too long, the playoffs rolled around with the Lakers looking to defend their crown. With the chemistry not working as it should, Los Angeles was beaten in the first round of the playoffs by a sub .500 Houston Rockets team.15 With the wheels coming off the wagon, team owner Dr. Jerry Buss stepped in to resolve the situation. It was Nixon who would be sent away via trade and not the new marquee star point guard. Nixon knew that things were going well in LA, and decided to go along with things for the good of the team. The duo of Johnson and Nixon worked out their differences, and became the premier guard combination over the next two seasons.16 Over those next two seasons, the Lakers rolled to their second NBA championship in three years with the 1981-82 league crown coming back to the City of Angels after a year’s absence. The following season, the Lakers made it back to the NBA Finals only to be swept by the Philadelphia 76ers. During these two seasons, Johnson almost became the second player in NBA history to average a triple-double. He came close to matching Oscar Robertson’s incredible feat by averaging 18.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, and

Earvin “Magic” Johnson 9.5 assists per game throughout the 1981-82 season. In doing so, he became the third player in history, along with Oscar Robertson and Wilt Chamberlain, to score at least 700 points, grab 700 rebounds, and dish out 700 assists in the same season. He also led the league with a 2.7 steals per game average.17 The following year, he was just as tremendous, averaging 16.8 points a game, 8.6 rebounds, and a league-leading 10.5 assists. His selection to the All-Star team in 1982 marked the beginning of ten straight times in which he suited up for the game. The only time he missed out was in 1981,when his knee injury forced him to bow out. In 1982, he earned second team All-NBA honors, and starting in 1983, was selected to the first team nine consecutive times. He also was honored with his second NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award in 1982. Magic followed up his second championship season with another stellar performance. Throughout the 1982-83 season, Johnson excelled at every facet of the game, and almost averaged the first triple double since Oscar Robertson achieved it in 196162. Magic averaged 16.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 10.5 assists to lead the Lakers to another division title with a 58–24 record. He then helped Los Angeles gain their third NBA Finals berth in his first four seasons. Unfortunately, injuries to James Worthy, Norm Nixon, and Bob McAdoo, hurt the team. The Philadelphia 76ers took full advantage of the Lakers’ misfortunes, and swept them in four straight, despite a valiant effort by Magic to carry the team. In four games, he averaged 19 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 12.5 assists. Johnson rebounded from his first NBA Finals loss with consistent brilliance. He averaged 17.6 points, 13.1 assists, and 7.3 rebounds to once again snag headlines from coast to coast. However, it was the 1984 NBA Finals that earned the bulk of the media’s attention. Once again, Magic’s wizardry helped to put the Lakers into the Finals, this time against Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics. This was the first time in fifteen years that the two most storied NBA franchises squared off for the league’s top prize. Six previous times, the Lakers came away empty against the Celtics in the Finals, but this time, more heat was added to this fierce rivalry when Magic and Bird faced each other in championship play, for the first time since the 1979 NCAA title game. All the hype surrounding this series did not disappoint. The NBA’s two elite teams battled to a seventh game, with the Celtics once again outlasting the Lakers to bring the championship to Beantown. The Lakers took the opening game, and were leading, 113–111, in the second game with 18 seconds remaining. Boston’s Gerald Henderson then stole a pass from James Worthy and scored on a layup to tie the game. Magic then made a rare error by just dribbling out the remaining seconds instead of trying to go for the win. The Celtics won in overtime, 124–121, to even the series.18 Magic answered the challenge after his mishap by handing out 21 assists in a 137–104 mauling of the Celtics to give the Lakers a 2–1 series lead. Three days later, Johnson was at his spectacular best, tallying 11 rebounds and 17 assists that helped the Lakers hold a five-point lead with under a minute to go in regulation. Things then went bad for Magic. One of his passes was taken by Boston’s center Robert Parrish, and they capitalized on the error to tie the game, and eventually won in overtime, 129–125.19

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The Celtics took a 3–2 series lead with a 121–103 win in which Johnson’s rival Larry Bird sank 34 points. The Lakers then evened things up with a 119–108 victory to force a seventh and deciding game. In the final game, Magic once again suffered the effects of an error. With his team down by three in the closing minute, Magic had the ball stolen by Dennis Johnson, which proved to be the dagger through the heart for the Lakers. With this win, the rivalry between Magic and Bird was even, as both phenoms each owned two championship rings up to this stage of their legendary careers. The only thing to do after shaking off a heart-breaking loss is to seek redemption. Magic Johnson was one of the greatest competitors in American sports history, and he lived up to that status one year later in a rematch with Bird. Johnson turned in another All-Pro-level season throughout the 1984-85 season. He recorded 18.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 12.6 assists, to once again reign as one of the league’s best. However, the regular season was just a springboard for a trip to the post-season. With Johnson’s leadership, the Lakers finished at 62–20, one game behind the Celtics for the best overall record. The first three rounds of the playoffs proved no contest for Johnson and the Lakers. They ran off an 11–2 record to clinch a berth in their fifth NBA Finals in six years. Their opponent would once again be the Boston Celtics, but this time, all the demons of the past that tormented the Lakers against Boston, were exonerated. With Magic dishing out double figure assists at a steady pace, and running the fast break offense like the All-Pro he was, the Lakers beat the Celtics for the first time in their championship matchups. With three championship rings now in his possession, and his legacy already firmly established among the all-time greats, Johnson continued on with his illustrious career. In 1985-86, Johnson averaged 18.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 12.6 assists, but the Lakers failed in their bid to repeat as champions, as the Houston Rockets thwarted their dream with a 4–1 series victory in the Western Conference Finals. In 1987, the Lakers were back in the NBA Finals, and Magic Johnson turned in possibly his best overall season. He finished with a career-high 23.9 points per game, and 6.3 rebounds, and 12.2 assists on the way to guiding the Lakers to a 65–17 regular season record. Johnson was awarded for his incredible effort by earning his first NBA Most Valuable Player Award. He then helped LA rout Denver 3–0, Golden State 4–1, and Seattle 4–0 in the Western Conference Finals to once again return to the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics. Both Magic and his rival Larry Bird each had three championships, and this series would prove to be the tiebreaker. This series turned out to be the Magic Johnson show, as the general of “Showtime” led the Lakers to a 4–2 series victory by amassing 26.2 points per game, 8.0 rebounds, and 13.0 assists against Boston to easily win his third NBA Finals Award. Magic was now at the top of his game, if that was all possible after all the incredible accolades that came his way up to this point of his career. In a quest to become the first team to repeat as champions since the Celtics in 1969, the Lakers finished with a fourth straight 60-plus win season. Magic led the pace by compiling a 19.6 point, 6.2 rebound, and 11.9 assist average. The playoffs were a struggle for the Lakers after a three game sweep of San Antonio

TWO : ALL-TIME GREATS in the opening round. The Utah Jazz and Dallas Mavericks took Magic and the Lakers to the limit of seven games before LA prevailed. In the NBA Finals, the Lakers faced a new nemesis in the Detroit Pistons, who took the defending champs the distance. The Lakers, however, managed to hold off the young upstarts, four games to three, to capture back-to-back championships and the fifth of Magic’s nine seasons. The final season of the Lakers’ unbelievable decade of excellence climaxed with their eighth trip to the NBA Finals. Unfortunately, the Detroit Pistons proved to be too much for the Lakers. A quest for a third straight championship ended when the Pistons swept Los Angeles, four games to none, to secure their first-ever NBA title for the Motor City. Despite seeing his dreams of a sixth NBA title fall by the wayside, Magic Johnson’s body of work during the 1988-89 season was award winning. On his way to earning his second NBA Most Valuable Player Award, Johnson averaged 22.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 12.8 assists per game. After 20 seasons in the game, the legendary Kareem AbdulJabbar called it a career following the 1989 Finals, thus being the first integral member of the “Showtime” era to retire. With Jabbar’s departure, Johnson took on even more of a leadership role. This extra responsibility was nothing new to Magic, and he responded by bringing home his third NBA MVP award after averaging 22.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 11.5 assists per game on a team that finished the regular season with a league leading 63–19 record. In their drive for a fourth consecutive trip to the NBA Finals, the Lakers seemed like a lock to achieve that goal. However, after defeating Houston 3–1 in the opening round of the playoffs, they lost four games to one in the next series against the Phoenix Suns. Head coach Pat Riley was the next to depart from the Southland following the 1990 playoff loss to Phoenix. Mike Dunleavy was hired as head coach, and with Magic Johnson leading the way by averaging 19.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 12.5 assists per game, the Lakers returned to the NBA Finals for the ninth time in Magic’s twelve seasons. In a much-publicized matchup between Johnson and the Chicago Bulls’ Michael Jordan, the 1991 championship series had the making of a classic. However, after winning Game One, the Lakers fell victim to Jordan and the Bulls in the next four games, losing the series and a bid at a sixth title under Johnson’s leadership. Unbeknownst at the time, Magic Johnson’s phenomenal 12year reign as the NBA’s master playmaker came to an abrupt stop on November 7, 1991. For on that Thursday late in the year, Johnson announced to the world that he was HIV-positive after a blood test for a life insurance policy confirmed he had the virus. He immediately announced his retirement from basketball, due to the possibility of spreading the virus through open cuts. He then set an agenda for himself to use his charisma and status as a world-renowned celebrity to help promote HIV prevention and safe sex practices.20 Although he was retired, Johnson’s popularity with the masses earned him the fan vote for a starting position in the 1992 NBA All-Star Game. There was concern from some players around the league about contracting HIV if Johnson got cut, but he faced his detractors head on, and once again emerged a champion.21 In a 153–113 victory, Johnson pumped in 25 points, dished

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out nine assists, and hauled in five rebounds to earn the All-Star Game MVP Award. With the game clock ready to hit zero, Magic dished out one final dose of his court wizardry by nailing a threepoint shot. At the conclusion, both benches came out to embrace him as the crowd rose in ovation. It was around this time that the Lakers officially retired his #32 in a ceremony on February 16, 1992.22 He then added an Olympic gold medal to his bulging trophy case at the 1992 Summer Games in Barcelona, Spain, as a member of the famed “Dream Team” that consisted of NBA superstars including Michael Jordan and Larry Bird. With the success of his All-Star Game performance and Olympic triumph still fresh, Magic felt that he could return to action with the Lakers for the 1992-93 season. On September 29, 1992, Magic announced his plans of once again taking the court at the Fabulous Forum. However, one month later, he decided to retire again after it was claimed that there was still fear brewing among some of his fellow players about the spread of HIV.23 The game of basketball was what made Magic Johnson a worldwide icon, and having to walk away from his passion well before his time, only burned inside of him. His desire to partake in some facet of the game was extinguished when he took over as head coach of the Lakers toward the end of the 1993-94 season after the firing of Randy Pfund. After a 5–11 record as interim coach, Johnson walked away from the mentoring aspect of the game, and secured 5 percent ownership of the Lakers for himself.24 The allure of the court still beckoned him, and for one final encore, he suited up for 32 games during the 1995-96 season, and started in nine of the contests. Despite being away from the game as an active player on a consistent basis for close to five years, the magic was still in Johnson, this time while playing the forward position. In his first game against inner state rival Golden State, he scored 19 points, handed out 10 assists, and hauled in eight rebounds. For the season, Magic averaged 14.6 points, 6.9 assists, and 5.7 rebounds. After a first round playoff loss to Houston, Johnson permanently retired. Over the course of his incredible career, Johnson averaged 19.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 11.2 assists per game. It came as a surprise to no one that Johnson was selected as one of the NBA’s 50 greatest players of all-time in 1997, and was enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002.25 When he was finished dazzling the basketball world, he took the same level of passion into the business world. His ventures are vast, and highly successful. Included in Magic Johnson Enterprises are movie theaters, Starbucks coffee shops, Burger King restaurants, and fitness centers. He also had a brief run as a talk show host in 1998. In October 2010, Johnson sold his shares in the Lakers after 16 years and five more championships. As of 2011, he serves as a studio analyst for ESPN during NBA telecasts.26Earvin “Magic” Johnson’s presence still radiates the same charisma and power that it did since he electrified all those who witnessed his skills on the hardwood.

Rudy LaRusso In the world of athletics, brute force and finesse create a valuable tandem. When mixed just right, the results can equal a steady

Rudy LaRusso dose of success. In the early years of the Lakers time in Los Angeles, Rudy LaRusso supplied brute force and fellow forward Elgin Baylor the finesse. While Baylor glided up and down the court, soaring through the air in what appeared to be suspended animation, LaRusso was crashing the boards to give his superstar contemporary the ball and headlines in the daily newspapers. Brooklyn’s Bedford Avenue is the longest street in the storied borough. It stretches slightly over 10 miles long and covers 132 city blocks. Scattered throughout its vicinity over the course of generations have stood classic works of architecture that helped make Brooklyn’s mystique a part of Americana. One of these structures is James Madison High School, located at 3787 Bedford Avenue. From within the confines of this scholastic institution came Nobel Prize winners, high-ranking members of the legal system, well-renowned musicians, and professional athletes, with one of them becoming an NBA enforcer in the City of Angels.1 Born Rudolph Anton LaRusso on November 11, 1937, this Brooklyn native came to be known throughout the NBA as a tough, hard-nosed defensive menace over the course of a 10-year professional career. While an adolescent, basketball began to take hold of the sixth grader. Each day LaRusso honed his skills on the playgrounds of Brooklyn, and during summer vacations, he would play until the sky was dark and the streetlights served as the sole illumination. As a freshman, he tried out for his high school team as a sixfooter, but then something happened. A growth spurt prior to his sophomore year allowed Rudy to grow into an imposing 6' 7", 225-pounder. It was at this time that Rudy LaRusso’s roundball journey began gaining momentum while sporting the black and gold colors of the James Madison Knights. Under Brooklyn coaching icon Harry “Jammy” Moskowitz, LaRusso flourished, helping the Knights gain a berth in the 1955 PSAL Championship Game. His efforts on the scholastic hardwood were acknowledged with induction into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame. He also conquered the classroom as an honor student and tremendous artist.2 After being bestowed All-City recognition as a center, LaRusso was ready to test his hardwood moxie 277 miles north of Brooklyn in Hanover, New Hampshire. Dartmouth College is the smallest of all Ivy League schools, but LaRusso helped make the Big Green a lot larger during the winter months of 1958 and 1959. During these consecutive campaigns, LaRusso helped power Dartmouth to the Ivy League crown, and earned All-Ivy League honors twice. His collegiate rebounding skills were legendary. His name still tops the Dartmouth record books for rebounds in a single game (32), season (503), and career (1,239), and is only one of two in school history to score 1,000 career points and haul in 1,000 rebounds. He also appears in the Ivy League record annals for single season and career rebounds. When the Ivy League decided upon a Silver Anniversary Team in 1981, Rudy LaRusso was a slam dunk choice.3 The crown jewel of athlete competition is gaining acceptance into the pro ranks. The English major from Dartmouth did just that, as the Minneapolis Lakers selected him in the second round (12th overall pick) of the 1959 NBA draft. Never missing a beat from the college game to the pros, LaRusso secured a starting job in his rookie season, averaging 13.7 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, which was close to his career mark of 9.4 per game.4

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After one year in the Land of a Thousand Lakes, LaRusso packed up his Pontiac Bonneville and traveled out to Los Angeles with the Lakers. In fact, along with teammate Hot Rod Hundley, LaRusso was the first to arrive in LA. He embraced the “Wonder City of the West,” and never left it. The Southland also embraced Rudy, and over the course of the following seven seasons, he performed with passion and the fans loved it. Rebounding was his specialty, and his rough and tumble style of play accounted for many, and earned him the moniker “Roughhouse Rudy” from Boston’s legendary announcer Johnny Most.5 With LaRusso controlling the battle of the boards, teammates Jerry West and Elgin Baylor were able to get their hands on the ball more often than the opposition, which proved devastating. The incredible offensive tandem rang up points at a steady pace thanks in part to LaRusso’s aggressive play to secure rebounds. This is not to claim that he couldn’t put one through the net. That was hardly the case, as his 15.6 points per game career average will attest. In 1961–62, the first season the Lakers went to the finals while in Los Angeles, LaRusso stepped up his offensive prowess while Elgin Baylor served in the Army and only played in 48 games. In one game he scored 50 points, and his 17.2 points per game average ranked him 19th in the league. His rebounding ability did not suffer, as he set a career-high with 10.4 rebounds a game, and proved to be the total team player. He also made the All-Star Team for the first time, and followed that up with two more selections during the 1963 and 1966 seasons while with the Lakers.6LaRusso was also the team jokester, keeping everyone loose and laughing until he laced up his Chuck Taylors. Then it was all business for the enforcer. He also got the acting bug while in the film capital of the world, earning a cameo appearance as Agent Michaels on the hit television show Gilligan’s Island, in an episode entitled “Bang! Bang! Bang!,” which aired on April 10, 1967.7 Success came quick and often for the Lakers. They were perennial challengers for the NBA crown each season of LaRusso’s tenure, and it was due to this that the fan base in Los Angeles became, and still are, so ravenous about their beloved Lakers. Unfortunately, the Lakers never sat on the Association’s throne during Rudy’s seven campaigns. Four times they advanced to the finals (1962, 1963, 1965, 1966) against the Boston Celtics, and despite coming extremely close on a few occasions, the dynasty from Beantown prevailed. Rudy’s tremendous journey serving the Lakers came to an abrupt climax on January 10, 1967, when he was traded to the Detroit Pistons without any discussion. With free agency not coming into play at this time, athletes were at the mercy of their leagues. LaRusso did not want to leave Los Angeles and his pregnant wife. Instead, he decided to retire even though he still had the desire and a few good years left in him. National Basketball Association President Walter Kennedy took matters into his own hands, and suspended LaRusso for not complying with the deal. Rudy returned volley by filing a lawsuit against the league, feeling that he would be ostracized from joining any of the other NBA organizations.8 Within two years, free agency rose to the forefront and became commonplace in the world of professional sports when baseball player Curt Flood went to court under similar conditions that LaRusso found himself in and won a monumental decision

TWO : ALL-TIME GREATS that all future athletes embrace year after year. However, in LaRusso’s case, he came to realize prior to the 1967-68 season that he just wanted to play basketball and not drag out a legal conflict. The San Francisco Warriors allowed LaRusso an opportunity to resume his career, and managed to work out the glitches regarding his residency. He was able to live in Los Angeles and fly up to San Francisco every day for practice then return home by midafternoon.9 Over the next two seasons, Rudy provided the Warriors with solid play. Throughout the 1967-68 campaign, he pumped in a career-high 21.8 points per game to finish eighth in the NBA’s scoring category. The 1968-69 season proved to be LaRusso’s swan song, but he left a stellar 10-year career in fine fashion, averaging 20.7 points and 8.3 rebounds a game. In both his seasons with the Warriors he made the All-Star team, and earned a spot on the league’s first-ever All-Defensive Team (2nd team selection).10 The trailblazer for all future power forwards to emulate hung up his Chuck Taylors for good at the end of the 1960s, with his name securely embossed among his fellow Los Angeles alumni in the team’s record books. For even after all this time, Rudy LaRusso’s name is still mentioned in the all-time career rebounding category. His success on the court followed him into the public sector. During his playing career, LaRusso became highly successful as an investment banker, and continued in that profession after his basketball days were over. He also became a sports agent, and served as general manager of the Los Angeles Aztecs professional soccer team in late 1970s. Rudy LaRusso died on July 10, 2004, after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease at age 66.11

Norm Nixon Norm Nixon came to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1977 while the team was beginning its climb back to respectability after two sub-par campaigns. Two years later, the Georgia native was a major contributor at the dawn of “Showtime,” and emerged from the City of Angels as a two-time champion and Lakers great. On October 11, 1955, Norman Ellard Nixon was the third of three boys born to parents Elmer and Mary Jo in Macon, Georgia. Long before he graced the arenas of the NBA, Nixon was displaying his athletic abilities in the Peach State at the scholastic level.1 Southwest High School had a large enrollment, which allowed the Patriots to have a vast talent pool to choose from when it came to sports. Nixon, however, rose above all of his fellow athletes to become one of the most renowned scholastic stars in Georgia history. The 6'2" Nixon filled his autumn days and nights as an All-State defensive back and running back. His skills on the football field even allowed him to receive offers of free agent tryouts with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys prior to his NBA days. This served as a true testament to Nixon’s athletic abilities that two of the top Super Bowl contenders at the time were interested in him.2 Southwest head basketball coach Don Richardson made sure his players were schooled well on the game, and also stressed good work habits. They responded to their coach’s approach by winning

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the 1973 Georgia state championship with All-State point guard Norm Nixon leading the charges. Just for good measure, Nixon added a regional track title to his impressive resume by clearing 6'5" in the high jump. In addition to his athletic merits, he also excelled in academics, served as senior class president, and found the time to play the trumpet.3 The multi-talented 1973 graduate of Southwest High School set his sights on continuing both his studies and athletic career on the next level. The city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, lured the Georgia standout up north, and over the next four years, Nixon made the “Steel City” glad to have him. A private Catholic institution of higher learning nestled on a bluff looking down on the city of Pittsburgh, Duquesne University served as Nixon’s stepping stone to the NBA. He played all four years for the red and blue-clad Dukes. In 104 games, Nixon scored 1,805 points (17.2 avg.), set a school career record with 577 assists (5.5 avg.), and averaged four rebounds a game. He earned first team All-Eastern Eight Conference honors, and his magnificent efforts were immortalized when Duquesne retired his number 10 jersey on January 27, 2001. The stellar moment of his collegiate days came when he helped the 15–15 Dukes rolled to an Eastern Eight tournament championship by defeating that season’s conference alpha dog, Villanova, in the 1977 title game. The win allowed Duquesne to advance to the NCAA tournament.4 The professional circuit never looked at Duquesne as a hot bed for recruiting, but Nixon’s abilities could not be ignored. Clear across the country in sunny Los Angeles, the buzz about the gifted point guard was heard. On June 10, 1977, the Lakers made Nixon their first round draft pick, and 22nd player selected overall. One week after his 22nd birthday, the pride of Macon, Georgia, made his professional debut on October 18, 1977.5 Lakers great Jerry West was Nixon’s coach in his first two seasons in Los Angeles, and was driven to make the point guard from Duquesne get the most out of his talents. Nixon did not see West’s actions toward him as looking to get the most out of him, but a way for the coach to release frustration on a young player rather than lash out at an experienced veteran. Due to this, the duo had a less than congenial alliance. Nixon did work extremely hard at his craft, and reaped the rewards of hard work by emerging as a skilled ball handler and point guard. He also had quickness, was a strong jumper, and a solid defender. Overall, Nixon was a complete ballplayer, and one of the original members of the “Showtime” era.6 In his second season of 1978-79, Norm tied New Jersey’s Eddie Jordan for the league’s top honors with 201 steals and 105 total games played, counting regular season and the playoffs. He also tried his hand at acting, like some of his fellow Lakers before and after him. In 1979, he appeared in the film, The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh along with NBA superstars Julius Erving and Los Angeles comrade Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.7 Following the 1978-79 season, Jerry West stepped down from coaching to focus on front office duties. This appeared to be a reprieve for Nixon, but it did not last long. For his emotions would once again be toyed with going into the 1979-80 season. In the 1979 college draft, the Lakers selected Magic Johnson out of Michigan State as the number one overall pick. The talent possessed by Johnson only comes along so often, and he landed

Norm Nixon in the same locker room as Norm Nixon. Johnson had incredible abilities that allowed him to become one of the best point guards in history. The Los Angeles coaching staff knew this and looked for Nixon to give up some of his ball handling duties to the 6' 9" rookie phenomenon. Despite having to give up more control of running the floor to Johnson, Nixon’s numbers were up from the previous season. His points per game average improved from 17.1 to 17.6, he led the league in minutes played (3,226), minutes per game (39.3 avg.), and led the team with 7.8 assists per game. The NixonJohnson experiment seemed to work out perfectly, as the Lakers won the 1979-80 NBA championship. The following year, Magic Johnson missed 45 games after knee surgery. Nixon resumed his role as main ball handler, but upon Johnson’s return, the team was forced to re-adjust themselves back over to Johnson’s leadership. This made for strained relations between Johnson and Nixon. The tension naturally did not help the team’s chemistry, and it showed as the Lakers reign as champions ended abruptly with a first round playoff loss to the sub.500 Houston Rockets.8 Los Angeles owner Jerry Buss knew the feud brewing between two of top stars was crippling the team. He had to stop it quick and brought the two together to discuss the matter. It came down to the fact that if Nixon and Johnson could not co-exist in a harmonious fashion, then Nixon would be gone. Nixon knew that the Lakers had a good thing going, and decided to make the best of things for the good of the team. The tandem then went on to become one of the best backcourt duos, and the result paid off with another NBA title in 1981-82.9 The Lakers made their third trip in four years to the NBA finals the following season, but were swept by the Philadelphia 76ers in four straight. This proved to be the last time Nixon wore a Lakers jersey. Right before the start of the 1983-84 season tipped off, he was traded to the San Diego Clippers on October 16 for the draft rights to guard Byron Scott. Nixon’s talents south of Los Angeles continued to stand out, as he led the league in assists (914), and regular season games played (82) in 1983-84. The next season he made the All-Star team, but after the 1985-86 season, the remaining years of his career saw his name on the injured list instead of in the sports page. Up to this time, Nixon was virtually indestructible, having played in 715 of 725 games over the span of nine campaigns. That ended when he stepped in a hole while playing softball in New York City’s Central Park in July of 1986, causing major damage to the tendon above his left knee.10 This forced Nixon to the sidelines for the entire 1986-87 season. The following year a ruptured right Achilles tendon suffered during practice did him in for the season. At the conclusion of the 1988-89 season, Norm Nixon announced his retirement after scoring 12,065 points (15.7 avg.), and getting 6,386 assists (8.3 avg.) in 768 games. His assist amount still ranks him in the top 25 of all-time in NBA history. After retiring from the NBA in March of 1989, he did play for two months in April and May for Scavolini Pesaro of the Italian League.11 He then focused his attention on becoming a sports and entertainment agent, involved himself in other business interests, and did radio announcing for the Clippers. He also served as an analyst for NBA post-game shows in the mid–2000s, and was then hired by Fox Sports West to do studio work for Lakers’ home games.12

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Shaquille O’Neal Los Angeles in the 1980s saw Superman’s alter ego, Clark Kent, crashing the boards for the Lakers with frenzied fury in the form of Kurt Rambis. A decade later, it was the “Man of Steel” himself who obliterated the opposition on both ends of the court while donning a #34 Lakers jersey and going by the name of Shaquille O’Neal. He also went by other nicknames during his career, including “the Big Aristotle,” “the Diesel,” and “the Big Cactus.”1 The NBA’s premier alpha dog, who grew into an imposing 7'1", 330-pound mountain of humanity, was born on March 6, 1972, in the Garden State of New Jersey. His biological father, Joseph Toney, was a talented All-State guard on the high school level in New Jersey. Unfortunately, a drug problem stripped away what might have been a chance at a better life for Toney. His problem eventually led him to serve prison time when Shaquille was a toddler, and there was never a relationship between Toney and his son. In time, O’Neal’s mother married Phillip Harrison, a career Army Reserve sergeant who Shaquille always regarded as his father.2 As a member of a military family, Shaq had to travel to Army bases that Phillip Harrison was assigned to. During his adolescence and teenage years, O’Neal lived on bases in his native New Jersey, Georgia, Germany, and Texas. It is hard to fathom, but the man who would carve out a future Hall of Fame pro career had trouble with athletic skills early on. O’Neal’s frame began to grow skyward at a rapid pace, and by the time he was 13, he stood at 6'5". He had problems adapting to the growth spurts at first, which might have caused a bit of awkwardness in movement, and hindered his abilities in athletics. Instead, O’Neal found the time to engage in minor troublesome activities. When the pranks began to teeter on infractions that could have led to serious penalties, O’Neal realized that sports were the way to express himself.3 Unfortunately, he was still trying to get acclimated with his towering frame, and did not succeed at first. As stellar as his future in pro basketball would become, as a 14-year-old, he was cut from the 9th grade team. It was then that Shaq’s skills and coordination slowly began to catch up with his growth spurts. Through hard work on his game, and a newfound ability in basketball, the 7'1" O’Neal was ready to make up for lost time and devour the opposition at every level of competition he entered.4 It is claimed that everything is bigger in Texas. In the late 1980s, this definitely held true at Robert G. Cole High School in San Antonio. During this time, a Lone Star State legend was created by the name of Shaquille O’Neal after his father was given an assignment at Ft. Sam Houston in Texas. O’Neal led the Cougars to a 68–1 record during his time there. As a senior, he absolutely dominated the high school hardwood scene by averaging 32 points, 22 rebounds, and eight blocked shots per game en route to leading the Cougars to a spotless 36–0 record and the 1989 Class “AAA” state championship. He was an easy choice when the prestigious McDonald’s All-American High School Team was selected in 1989.5 If at all possible, he never stopped improving his skills even though he was now officially considered a premier player and top

TWO : ALL-TIME GREATS college prospect. The Louisiana State Tigers won out over the many programs hoping that O’Neal would grace their gyms during a collegiate career. Dale Brown was a coaching legend at LSU, and since arriving at the Baton Rouge campus in 1972, he put together some impressive squads. However, the 1989-90 team was considered the greatest of them all. With a roster that included four future NBA first round draft picks in Chris Jackson, Stanley Roberts, Geert Hammink, and Shaq, this team went into the season ranked number two in the pre-season polls. They finished the year with a 23–9 record, but could not get past Georgia Tech in the second round of the NCAA tournament.6 Going in to the 1990-91 season, Chris Jackson and Stanley Roberts departed to join the pro ranks, thus leaving towering Shaq O’Neal as the alpha dog of the Tigers. Prior to that season, O’Neal played for the South team at the National Sports Festival, and averaged 24.5 points and 13.8 rebounds throughout the tournament. He also worked hard at his physical conditioning during that summer. The dominant pivot man then responded very well to the challenge of being a team leader. He helped LSU to a 20win season and a share of the Southeastern Conference championship. He was selected First Team All-American, the 1991 SEC Player of the Year, 1991 National Player of the Year by the Associated Press, UPI, and Sports Illustrated, and led the country with a 14.7 rebounds-per-game average. In 1992, O’Neal once again earned All-American First Team honors, and brought home his second straight SEC Most Valuable Player of the Year Award. The Tigers finished with 22 wins, and O’Neal averaged 14.0 rebounds per game to finish second nationally in that category. He was also runner-up for the Naismith and Wooden awards, presented to the top college player each year, and became the first athlete in LSU history to win the Southeastern Conference Athlete of the Year Award. In three seasons as LSU’s center, he set a school and SEC record with 412 blocked shots, and was one of only three LSU basketball players to have their number retired by the university. He also earned a place in the LSU Hall of Fame. On September 8, 2011, LSU was still honoring the big man. For on that late summer Thursday, a 900-pound statue of O’Neal slam-dunking a basketball was unveiled on the campus.7 Following his junior season, O’Neal decided to leave college life behind and opt for an NBA career after averaging 21.6 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game. He did return to finish his education eight years later, receiving a Bachelor of Arts Degree in General Studies in 2000.8 Once O’Neal decided to become eligible for the 1992 NBA draft, it did not take long before his name was called. On June 24, 1992, the Orlando Magic had the opportunity to make him that year’s number one overall pick and seized it. He then went out to Los Angeles to work with Magic Johnson in an attempt to hone his skills even more. The 20-year-old tower of power did not disappoint the Orlando fans. He appeared and started in 81 games, averaged 22.2 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks per game. His presence helped Orlando to a 20-win improvement from the previous season, became the first rookie selected to the All-Star team since Michael Jordan in 1985, and easily won the 1993 NBA Rookie of the Year award.9 To prove that his first year was no fluke, O’Neal came out strong for his second season, leading the league in field goal per-

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centage (60 percent), and finished second in the league with a 29.4 points per game average. The Magic won 50 games and earned their first playoff berth in team history. In 1994-95, O’Neal captured the NBA scoring title by averaging 29.3 points per game, and the Magic won 57 games, and advanced all the way to the NBA Finals. Despite being swept by the Houston Rockets in the championship series, O’Neal’s reputation as an NBA superstar was firmly entrenched. The following year, Shaq missed 28 games due to injuries, but still averaged 26.6 points and 11 rebounds per game. Orlando once again went deep into the playoffs, losing to the Chicago Bulls, winners of 72 regular season games, in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Bulls were coached by Phil Jackson at the time, and within a few years, would help O’Neal to multiple titles. After the 1996 playoffs, O’Neal became a free agent, and headed to the golden coast when he signed a contract with the Los Angeles Lakers on July 18, 1996.10 Not only did he sign a staggering $120 million dollar contract with the Lakers, but was also afforded the opportunity to be right in the heart of the entertainment capital of the world, where he hoped to strive as an actor and recording star. He had already starred in the film Blue Chips in 1994, and achieved more success once in Los Angeles. He appeared in the films Kazaam, Freddy Got Fingered, Good Burger, and Steel, and released five rap albums. He also established himself as a businessman, where he owned a record label and clothing line.11 Prior to the start of his first season in Los Angeles, and his success off the court, O’Neal helped the United States’ basketball team obtain Olympic gold at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games. It was then down to business on the hardwood of the Fabulous Forum, where his change to a purple and gold jersey did not slow him down. He played and started in 51 games, and averaged 38 minutes, 26.2 points, and 12.5 rebounds per game to earn AllNBA Third Team honors. He was the only player during the 1996-97 season to average 25 or more points and 10 rebounds. A hyper-extended left knee on February 12 forced him to miss the All-Star Game and 28 regular season contests. The Lakers finished the season at 56–26, and in second place in the Pacific Division. Shaq returned for the playoffs, saw action in all nine of the Lakers’ post-season games, averaged 26.9 points per game, and rang up seven double-double performances. Unfortunately, his efforts only got the Lakers into the Western Conference Semifinals, where they lost to the Utah Jazz in five games.12 An abdominal strain limited O’Neal to 60 games, 57 of which were starts, during the 1997-98 season. When he was completely healthy, Shaq was virtually unstoppable. For the first time in his career, he was named All-NBA First Team after averaging 36.3 minutes, 28.3 points, and 11.4 rebounds per game. His numbers earned him the status as the lone NBA player from this season to finish in the top ten in scoring, field goal percentage, and blocked shots. The Lakers were back on top of the Pacific Division thanks to O’Neal’s dominance and the emergence of guard Kobe Bryant. Los Angeles finished with a 61–21 record, and made it to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in seven years, with O’Neal leading the way by averaging 30.5 points and 10.2 rebounds in 13 playoff games.13 The Utah Jazz was still the elite team of the conference, and defended their crown by sweeping the Lakers in four straight, one round shy of the NBA Finals.

Shaquille O’Neal Coming so close to the NBA Finals gave the Lakers status as one of the teams predicted to win the championship. A strike limited the NBA season to 50 games, and head coach Del Harris was fired in February of 1999 with the team at 6–6. It was felt that the team had gone stagnant under Harris and needed a spark. Long-time assistant Bill Bertka won one game, and then Kurt Rambis took over to go 24–13 to finish with a 31–19 record and second place in the division. Shaq carried the load during the year, as he played in every game, and started in 49 of them. He averaged 26.3 points, and 10.7 rebounds per game to earn AllNBA Second Team honors while leading the league in points scored (1,289), free throw attempts (498), field goals made (511), and field goal percentage (.576). He also hit a milestone by registering his 12,000th career point during the year. The playoffs once again ended in disappointment regardless of Shaq’s yeoman effort that saw him average 26.6 points and 11.6 rebounds in eight games. In the Lakers’ final year of the millennium, they succumbed to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Semi-finals four games to none after finishing off the Houston Rockets, 3–1, in the opening round.14 The fortunes of Shaq, Kobe Bryant, and the rest of the lucky ones to be on the Lakers’ roster at the dawn of the new millennium, changed drastically when Phil Jackson was hired as coach after leading the Chicago Bulls to six championships during the 1990s. With Jackson instilling a winning attitude and installing his famed triangle offense, Shaq and Kobe both rose to the heights of NBA elitism. O’Neal played in and started in 70 games, averaged 29.7 points, and 13.6 rebounds per game en route to AllNBA First Team honors, and All-NBA Defensive Second Team. He led the league in scoring average and field goal percentage, and was the first player since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1976-77 to finish the year among the top three performers in points scored, rebounds, field goal percentage, and blocked shots. The Lakers cruised to a 67–15 record, and then ran off a 15–8 mark in the post-season to capture the 2000 NBA championship. In 23 playoff games, O’Neal averaged a whopping 30.7 points, and 15.4 rebounds per game, and brought home the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award. He also won the MVP of that year’s All-Star Game, thus becoming only the third player in history to win MVP honors during the regular season, Finals, and All-Star Game.15 The victory ride continued for the Lakers, as they won backto-back titles after posting a 56–26 regular season record, and a near spotless 15–1 slate in the post-season. O’Neal was the king of his domain, and truly living up to his “Superman” moniker. He played in 74 games, and started in each. His 28.7 points, and 12.7 rebounds per game average gained him All-NBA First Team, and All-NBA Defensive First Team honors. The 2000-01 season also saw O’Neal become the 85th player in history to reach 15,000 career points. He then smoked the opposition in the playoffs, averaging 30.4 points, and 15.4 rebounds per game. With such a dominant force controlling both ends of the floor, the Lakers swept their first three playoff opponents, and lost only once in the NBA Finals to the Philadelphia 76ers, in which O’Neal was honored by once again, being chosen as the Finals MVP.16 Winning two straight championships was a dream come true, but three consecutive ones seemed almost surreal. However, the

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Lakers did just that in 2002 despite O’Neal suffering from some woes. Prior to the start of training camp, Shaq had surgery on the small toe of his left foot, and it hampered him during the season. In January 2002, he was involved in an on court fight with some players from the Chicago Bulls. It occurred when a blatant foul led to Shaq punching Chicago center Brad Miller. More players got involved, and in the end, O’Neal was given a three-game suspension and fined $15,000.17 The Lakers finished the season at 58–24, and went on to post a 15–4 record in a playoff run that resulted in their third straight championship, this time over the New Jersey Nets in a four-game sweep. O’Neal once again rose above the crowd, winning his third straight NBA Finals MVP after averaging 36.3 points and 12.3 rebounds against the Nets. He set an NBA Finals record with 145 points, which was the most ever scored by an individual in a four-game series.18 In the regular season, Shaq started in 66 of the 69 games he played in, earned All-NBA First Team honors after averaging 27.2 points, and 10.7 rebounds per game, and led the league in field goal percentage for the fifth consecutive year. He also was voted to his ninth straight All-Star Game, but could not play due to his toe injury. In an attempt to fix his toe, he once again had surgery before training camp, and missed the first 12 games of the 2002-03 season.19 The Lakers started slow out of the gate, posting a subpar 11–19 record near the halfway mark of the season. They did manage to rally, finishing with a 50–32 record, but only got as far as the Western Conference Semi-finals, where they lost to the eventual NBA champion San Antonio Spurs, four games to two. Shaq’s toe healed enough to allow the big man to once again perform up to an elite level, as he earned All-NBA First Team and All-NBA Defensive Second Team honors. In 66 starts out of 67 games played, O’Neal averaged 27.5 points, and 11.1 rebounds per game. In the playoffs, he was just as good. Over the course of 12 post-season contests, he averaged 27.0 points, and 14.0 rebounds. In an attempt to bolster the team in 2003–04, the Lakers went out and signed quality free agents Karl Malone and Gary Payton, each of whom were nearing the end of their careers and still looking for championship glory. Shaq proved instrumental in getting the team to obtain Malone and Payton, and the Lakers were once again kings of the Western Conference and headed to their fourth NBA Finals in five seasons. Unfortunately, the glorious ending that was hoped for ended quickly, as the Detroit Pistons disposed of the Lakers in the Finals four games to one. As for O’Neal, he started in all 67 games he appeared in, averaged 21.5 points, and 11.5 rebounds per game, and made the All-NBA First Team for a fifth straight time, and led the league in field goal percentage for the seventh time. In 22 playoff games, Shaq averaged 21.5 points and 13.2 rebounds. This proved to be his final season in Los Angeles. Phil Jackson left as coach following the Finals, and O’Neal’s relationship with Kobe Bryant was strained after both threw insults at each other in what became major fodder for the local sportswriters. O’Neal felt that the team was focusing their attention on making Bryant happy regardless of how it affected the organization as a whole. There were also negative comments made toward O’Neal from team general manager Mitch Kupchak about Shaq’s future status with the Lakers.20

TWO : ALL-TIME GREATS Things reached a point where O’Neal just plain wanted out of town, and he quickly got his wish granted.21 One month after the Finals, on July 14, 2004, the Lakers traded O’Neal to the Miami Heat, where he was now employed by former Lakers coach Pat Riley. One year later, with Riley directing from the sidelines, and rising superstar Dwyane Wade assisting him, O’Neal placed a fourth NBA championship ring on his hand after the Miami Heat secured the 2005-06 title with a four games to two series win over the Dallas Mavericks. O’Neal then went to the Phoenix Suns in February 2008 by way of a trade, where he remained until the end of the 2009 season. It was then on to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who were one of the top teams with LeBron James leading the charge. The addition of O’Neal brought one of the game’s most powerful pivot men into the fold. The Cavs finished with a league-best 61–21 record, and Shaq played in and started in 53 games. He produced a solid season at the age of 37 by averaging 12.0 points and 6.7 rebounds in 23.4 minutes per game. The Cavs quest for the coveted NBA crown escaped them after the Boston Celtics eliminated them in six games in the Eastern Conference Semi-finals. It was then on to one final stand for O’Neal, this time with Boston. On August 4, 2010, he signed with the Celtics and despite nagging injuries, the 38-year Shaq played in 37 games and started in 36 of them. He gave the Celtics 20.3 minutes per game, and averaged 9.2 points and 4.8 rebounds. Boston finished the year at 56–26, and won the Atlantic Division championship. They then lost to the Miami Heat, and former teammates Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, four games to one. On Friday, June 3, 2011, from his home gymnasium in Orlando, Florida, O’Neal bid farewell to the game he dominated on every level for 20-plus years.22 He played in 1,207 regular season games, and 216 playoff contests, over 19 NBA seasons, scored 28,596 points (23.7 per game), and hauled in 13,099 rebounds (10.9 per game). He earned 15 All-Star Game nominations, eight All-NBA First Team honors, won one NBA regular season MVP award, three NBA Finals MVP awards, is the proud owner of four NBA championship rings, and was elected as one of the NBA’s 50 greatest performers in the league’s Golden Anniversary celebration in 1996. In addition to his prowess on the basketball court, O’Neal has used his celebrity to serve his fellow man as a tireless community activist, and helped out many charities over the years.23 With his famed “Black Tornado” move, which saw him post up on a defender, turn around, and with the use of his elbow, he charged in for many devastating slam-dunks.24 His 7'1", 325pound frame was a force that wore down many opponents, and on many occasions, the only way to slow him down was by fouling him in a move that came to be known as “Hack-a-Shaq.” A trip to the foul line proved to be the lone kryptonite that “Superman” had trouble with, as his lifetime .527 percent accuracy rate would attest.25 The Lakers always found a way to bring the league’s dominant pivot man into their fold, and were rewarded with outstanding results. Wilt Chamberlain paved the way in the City of Angels in the late 1960s and early ’70s, helping the team win their first NBA crown in Los Angeles. A few years after Wilt’s retirement, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar arrived. Jabbar assisted the Lakers into be-

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coming the elite organization of the 1980s, winning five titles in ten years. The following decade brought Shaq to the Southland, and once again, the results were multiple championships. Chamberlain and Jabbar have been enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for some time, and it is a slam-dunk to note that Shaquille O’Neal will join his Lakers alumni very soon in the game’s hallowed shrine in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Kurt Rambis In the 1930s Clevelanders Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster introduced action hero Superman to the public. In the decades that followed, Superman’s exploits were aided by his abilities to accelerate on foot at blazing speed, leap toward the heavens, fly, and possess unmatched physical strength. Definitely the ultimate force to be reckoned with, Superman hid behind the façade of a bespectacled, soft-spoken, reserved newspaper reporter Clark Kent. However, once a call of despair signaled the transformation to savior of the human race, Superman was virtually invincible. This scenario has played out in comics, on television, and on the silver screen many times over. During the 1980s, right down the road from where the Hollywood dream factories spun the action hero’s tales, Kurt Rambis was working Superman-like magic on the hardwood of the Fabulous Forum for the NBA dynasty known as “Showtime.” Lakers legendary announcer Chick Hearn gave Rambis his Superman moniker due to his resemblance to the bespectacled Clark Kent.1 That was where the familiarization with the iconic super hero stopped, as Rambis was not fleet of foot or able to leap to great heights. However, what he lacked in smooth athletic prowess and a swift set of wheels, he more than made up for with a wildman-like, smash mouth brand of play. His frenzied style, that included elbows swinging wildly, wreaked havoc on anyone attempting to outrebound the incredible purple and gold-clad force that always looked to return the ball back over to his “Showtime” teammates ready to rip off another fast break.2 Rambis worked hard at his craft, and came out as an overachiever who would do anything for the good of the team. His defensive skills and blitzkrieg-like rebounding quickly earned him respect and made him a crowd favorite. It also allowed the California native the honor of collecting four championship rings in addition to an ever-lasting legacy on a franchise deep in tradition, and with some of the greatest performers the game has ever seen. The journey of Kurt “Superman” Rambis did not begin on a faraway planet like Clark Kent’s, but in the confines of Cupertino, California, on February 25, 1958. Cupertino is a suburb in Santa Clara County, California, west of San Jose.3 Cupertino High School first opened its doors in the same year as Rambis’ birth, and much like the future NBA player, the sport of basketball allowed it to gain much recognition in northern California by winning 13 league championships in the program’s first 49 years.4 The Pioneers’ had their first winning season in 1963, and captured their initial league title four years later. The program then went through an up and down period until the name Darrell Kurt Rambis was scribed on the list of incoming freshman in the

Kurt Rambis fall of 1972. With Rambis donning the cardinal, gold, and gray uniform of “Tino,” he made the school on Finch Avenue the talk of the area. In the winter of 1972-73, Rambis was instrumental in guiding the freshman Pioneers to an undefeated slate and a freshman league title. In his sophomore season, he played a role on a varsity squad that finished at 17–9 and won a league championship for Cupertino.5 With varsity experience now behind him, Rambis looked to add more championship hardware to the school’s trophy case. The 1974-75 campaign saw Rambis and the Pioneers dominate the scholastic circuit of Santa Clara Valley by posting a 28–1 record, won another league crown and brought home California’s prestigious Central Coast Section championship. For his efforts, Rambis was bestowed with the Mercury News Player of the Year Award.6 Going into his senior year, Rambis had amassed over 1,000 points, and took Cupertino and his coach, Jerry Mell, on another magnificent ride. Winning 30 out of 31 games, the 1975-76 Pioneers performed a three-peat by securing another league title and their second straight CCS crown. Once again Rambis won the Mercury News Player of the Year Award, earned a second straight high school All-America selection, and set numerous school records. His accomplishments to the program were so great that Cupertino retired his number and enshrined him into its Hall of Fame in 1979.7 College recruiting letters came in droves with hopes that Rambis would decide to make their program as successful as he made Cupertino’s. Despite all the interest, Rambis chose to travel a mere eight miles from his alma mater to continue his studies and basketball career. The Santa Clara University Broncos, located 40 miles south of San Francisco, won out due to fifth-year head coach Carroll Williams’ knowledge of basketball.8 Rambis was considered a quiet individual, but once on the basketball court, the psychology major became one of the toughest competitors in Santa Clara history. As a team, the Broncos did not accomplish the same success team wise that Cupertino did with Rambis. However, on an individual basis, his abilities were felt right from the get go. During the 1976-77 season, Rambis played 827 minutes, and set Santa Clara freshman records by scoring 414 points (15.3 avg.), and snagging 313 rebounds. The team finished at 17–10, he earned first team all-conference honors, and was an easy winner of the West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year Award. As a sophomore, he averaged 13.7 points a game and 8.5 rebounds on the best team during his stay, as the Broncos finished with an impressive 21–8 record. As a junior, he had a 15.6 points per game average on the first losing team of his playing career. The Broncos rebounded from a 13–14 record in 1978-79 to improve to 15–12 in Rambis’ senior year. The 1979-80 season belonged to Rambis, as he averaged 19.6 points a game, had 9.9 rebounds, set a record with 337 points in conference play, earned his second first team All-WCC honor, and wrapped up his collegiate stay by being selected the 1979-80 West Coast Conference Player of the Year. He also left the campus as its all-time leading scorer with 1,736 career points over a span of 107 starting assignments. He also holds the second place position in career rebounds with 1,037. In December of 2008, his number 34 was retired by Santa Clara.9 Armed with a psychology degree, Rambis left his native

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California and traveled clear across the country to New York City when the Knicks selected the 6' 8", 213 pound forward in the third round, and 58th overall pick, of the 1980 draft.10 This is when Rambis hit his first roadblock. In high school and college, he made an immediate impact, but his stay with the Knicks was swift. He got waived in training camp, but brought back in December when the Knicks signed him to a 10-day contract. In those ten days, he never once touched the floor. With no one interested in him in the NBA, Rambis headed for Greece. He played for AEK Athens in the Greek League, and helped them win the 1981 Greek Cup. The Knicks once again came calling in 1981, but as happened the year before, he never played.11 It was at this time that his professional life changed forever when the Los Angeles Lakers signed him as a free agent on September 13, 1981. On the glamorous “Showtime” Lakers, Rambis was the quintessential clean up man, much like Rudy LaRusso in the ’60s and Happy Hairston in the ’70s. Crashing the boards with the reckless abandon, he hauled in rebounds that allowed his flash-and-dash teammates to get their hands back on the ball and ring up points and victories over the course of his seven seasons in LA. In his first season, the Lakers won the NBA title, and three more (1985, 1987-1988) with Rambis in tow. On July 28, 1988, one month removed from earning his fourth championship ring, Rambis signed a free agent contract with the Charlotte Hornets. Sixteen games into the 1989-90 season, Rambis was traded to the Phoenix Suns before returning to California for a one-year stint with the Sacramento Kings for the 1992-93 season. Rounding out his 14 NBA campaigns, Rambis returned to the place of his professional glory by signing a free agent contract with Los Angeles on October 1, 1993. That proved to be “Superman’s” final stand on the pro stage, as the Lakers officially brought the curtain down on Rambis’ playing days by releasing him on September 29, 1995.

Byron Scott In the early 1970s, Byron Scott was like countless other youngsters from all corners of the United States. Their common bond was admiration for Lakers superstar Jerry West. Whether chucking Spaldings through rims attached to a barn, garage, inner city playground or a gym, emulation of West was performed every day. The one huge difference that separated Scott from the pack was he had the opportunity to be chosen to perform for his local pro team by his idol. Born on March 28, 1961, in Ogden, Utah, Scott came to Los Angeles at an early age. Growing up in Inglewood, he was just a mere two-mile jaunt from the Lakers’ second home in Los Angeles, the Fabulous Forum.1 Before making a name for himself as a member of the elite “Showtime” Lakers of the 1980s, Scott honed his hoop skills at Morningside High School. His love of athletics gave the young man an opportunity to show skills in football and baseball in addition to his roundball prowess. However, by the ninth grade, the gifted athlete came to the realization that lacing up a pair of tennis shoes won out over cleats and spikes. Basketball was the

TWO : ALL-TIME GREATS sport he wanted to concentrate on exclusively, and looked to make it his profession.2 Inglewood’s Morningside High School is known for its basketball heritage, and Byron Scott did his part during the late 1970s to help the scarlet and white-clad Monarchs live up to that accolade. His #11 became a focal point for college recruiters to watch and opponents to have nightmares over. His accomplishments, one of which was scoring 54 points in one game, garnered him opportunities to attend virtually any college of his choosing throughout the western region of the country. Powerhouse UCLA and cross-town rival USC were both interested in keeping the local scholastic star in the neighborhood. However, the pride of Morningside High’s class of 1979 decided to become an Arizona State Sun Devil under coach Ned Wulk.3 California’s loss was Arizona’s gain, as Scott’s impact on the Sun Devils’ program was immediate. His freshman campaign in the big-time college ranks earned him the PAC-10 Rookie of the Year Award in 1979-80 after averaging 13.6 points per game and leading Arizona State to a 22–7 record.4 Scott’s next three seasons in Tempe were just as successful, as ASU cruised to records of 24–4 and 19–14. Along the way toward team success, Byron also obtained individual honors. He became the team’s all-time leading scorer with 1,752 points, was selected All-PAC-10 following the 1982-83 season, and earned honorable mention All-America accolades after averaging 21.6 points a game, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists. His talents were so stellar that ASU and the PAC-10 inducted him into their halls of fame.5 The 6' 3", 195-pound guard had gained enough attention at ASU to create a buzz among NBA scouts. For this reason, Scott did not last long on the draft board. With their first round selection, the San Diego Clippers made Scott the fourth overall pick of the college draft on June 28, 1983. However, even though San Diego was dubbed “America’s Finest City,” Scott did not have much time to find the reasoning behind the boastful moniker. For three and a half months later, on October 10, 1983, he was traded to his hometown team, the Lakers.6 Ironically, it was his childhood idol that made the deal possible. Jerry West was the Lakers General Manager at the time, and his relationship with guard Norm Nixon was frigid at best. The Nixon-Magic Johnson tandem at the guard position was possibly the best in the NBA at the time. However, each wanted to bring the ball up the court, which caused some unwillingness from the duo. Despite their competitiveness, Nixon and Johnson got along well during this time. When West evaluated the team’s situation during training camp following the Lakers’ loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in previous NBA Finals, he looked to make changes that he felt would improve the ball-handling duties and give the team a shot of youth. Nixon was 28 years old at the time, and Scott was 22 with fresh legs ready to run in the heart of the fast paced “Showtime” era. A deal was struck that sent Nixon to San Diego for Scott.7 Coming home, especially to a winning tradition, had to be euphoric for the young LA native. In a short time the move would prove to be the stuff dreams are made out of, but unfortunately, from the beginning, it was the opposite for the homegrown talent. Throughout Scott’s first week of practice, Magic Johnson

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and Michael Cooper, also a close friend of Norm Nixon’s, both gave the rookie the silent treatment. Even the captain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, did not partake in conversation with Scott. It was all part of the hazing process that went with being a rookie, but Scott had confidence in his abilities and worked hard on the court. There was also extra pushing and shoving on Scott, with Cooper throwing elbows on a consistent basis. After about three days of absorbing Cooper’s elbows, Scott informed him that if these tactics did not stop, he was going to have to start retaliating. That seemed to gain Scott some respect, and before too long, he fit right in among his fellow Lakers. Johnson claimed that the team just wanted to test Scott’s grit and abilities, and he passed with flying colors.8 Scott was not a ball-handling wizard like Nixon, so there was not going to be any problem with Johnson controlling the ball up the court. Scott’s game consisted of getting passes from Johnson, and if he had an open shot, he fired it up. Scott was an excellent shooter that hit on 50 percent of his shots from the outside. By January, he was a starter, and the rest is history.9 He averaged 10.6 points a game en route to earning a spot on the AllRookie Team. The Lakers finished the 1983-84 season with a 54–28 record, and made their fourth trip to the NBA Finals out of the previous five seasons. Despite losing to the Boston Celtics in a classic seven-game series, the Lakers, with Byron Scott in the lineup, were ready to solidify their place among the sports world’s all-time greatest dynasties. The Lakers went on to win NBA championships in 1985, 1987, and 1988, with Scott in the starting lineup. During this time, he managed to hit on 50 percent or better from the field in three of his first five seasons, and led the NBA from three-point range with a 43.3 percent success rate. He added his name to the top of the Lakers’ record book in that category, when he hit 43.6 percent of his three-point attempts during the 1986-87 season. Scott also provided Los Angeles with good defense on top of his sharp-shooting abilities. His all around talents in a purple and gold Lakers uniform lasted for 10 seasons from 1984 to 1993. He was then released on July 21, 1993, and signed with the Indiana Pacers on December 6 of that same year. On June 24, 1995, Scott traveled north of the border when the Vancouver Grizzles selected him in the expansion draft on June 24, 1995. He was waived by the Grizzles the following summer, and returned to Los Angeles as a free agent on September 30, 1996. In his final campaign as an NBA player, Scott served as a mentor to a young Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal while appearing in 79 games. He had one final season still left in him, and found his way to Greece, where he helped lead Panathinaikos to the Greek championship in 199798. In 14 NBA seasons, Scott scored 15,097 points (14.1 avg.), had 2,729 assists (2.5 avg.), and recorded 1,224 steals for an average of slightly over one a game. Scott then decided to pass his knowledge of the game onto the next generation of hoopsters by going into the coaching ranks.10 After an apprenticeship as assistant to Rick Adelman for two seasons in Sacramento (1998–2000), Scott headed east to New Jersey after accepting the head coaching position with the Nets in 2000. He quickly rebuilt a dismal organization, and after posting a 26–56 record in his first year at the helm, Scott’s handy work guided the Nets to the best record in the Eastern Conference at 52–30 and a trip to the NBA Finals for the first time in fran-

Jerry West chise history in 2001-02. The 26-game improvement was the sixth best of all-time. In the championship round, Scott was pitted again his old team, the Lakers, and lost in four straight. The following year, the Nets were back in the Finals after posting a 49– 33 slate. Unfortunately, they suffered another setback when the San Antonio Spurs beat them four games to two. Scott returned to the Nets the following year, but was released after 42 games despite leading their division with a 22–20 record.11 The New Orleans Hornets provided Scott with his next opportunity to coach, starting with the 2004-05 season. By the 2007-08 season, Scott built a powerhouse in the “Big Easy,” with the Hornets recording a franchise-best 56 wins, and got them to the Western Conference Semifinal round of the playoffs. For his efforts, Scott received NBA Coach of the Year honors. The Hornets returned to the playoffs the following year after a 49–33 finish, but after a 3–6 start in the 2009-10 season, Scott was relieved of his duties on November 12, 2009.12 Byron Scott did not sit on the shelf too long, as the Cleveland Cavaliers announced that the former Lakers great would guide the Wine & Gold starting on July 2, 2010. On a team depleted by injuries and the loss of superstar LeBron James to free agency, Scott took a virtually unknown group of players under his guidance, and despite finishing the year with a conference-worst 19– 63 record, Scott’s clam demeanor and coaching skills, allowed the inexperienced team to compete in many of their games. There is no telling what the future holds for the Cavaliers and Byron Scott, but if a team needs an excellent coach with vast playing and coaching experience, then he is definitely the man to guide a franchise.

Jerry West Despite early adversities, Jerry Alan West became one of the greatest hoopsters to ever walk onto a court. This compelling human-interest story began in Chelyan, West Virginia, located on the south bank of the Kanawha River, on May 28, 1938, when the future basketball superstar came into the world as the fifth child of six, born to Howard and Cecil West.1 Jerry’s formative years were difficult. The family suffered from monetary woes, and West was a small-statured, sickly, and highly bashful youth who had to receive vitamin injections in an attempt to build up his body. During this time, he was forbidden to partake in sports because it was feared that any activity would cause severe damage. Adding an additional heartache to an already frail psyche came when a brother that the 12-year-old Jerry was extremely close to, was killed during the Korean War.2 Despite the many roadblocks, both physically and mentally, the youngster found solace with a basketball in his hands. Unbeknownst to anyone at the time, the sphere with a 29.5" circumference would bring the Chelyan native fame and fortune on both American and international soil. Thanks to the leather ball, a hoop nailed to a shed, and a burning desire to achieve perfection, a legend was created. Whether with scorching sun beating down on him, or frigid conditions numbing his extremities, West was out there working on his shooting from all different angles, regardless of what Mother Nature conjured up.3 Needless to say, all the hard work paid off, allowing the teen-

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ager to send the ball toward the rim with deadly accuracy. While his shooting improved on a daily basis, so too did his health. By the time West was 15, he had sprung up to six feet tall. Learning the art of defense and physical training as a high school freshman from coach Duke Shaver, West was now on his way toward basketball immortality. With a strong body, incredible shooting ability, and defensive skills to boot, he rose to the forefront of West Virginia’s prep basketball players.4 Over the course of his high school days, the name Jerry West became synonymous with greatness. He is regarded as one of the best to ever compete on the scholastic level in West Virginia, and backed that sterling accolade up by earning All-State honors from 1953 to 1956. He led East Bank High School to the 1956 state championship while on his way to winning the West Virginia Player of the Year Award, plus All-America recognition. He became the first player in state history to score 900 points in a single season, and he averaged 32.2 points per game with the assistance of a deadly jump shot. West also earned a reputation as an excellent performer in high-pressure situations.5 With a resume as spectacular as his, West was at the top of many college recruiters’ wish lists. However, the schoolboy wonder decided to stay put in “wild and wonderful” West Virginia for at least the next four years of his life. Making the 180-mile trek from Chelyan to the Morgantown campus of West Virginia University, West made his home state proud over the course of his collegiate experience. West started off his college career by helping the freshman team earn a spotless 17–0 record during the 1956-57 season. It was then time to test his skills on the varsity level, and he did not disappoint. West earned the starting guard job in his sophomore year of 1957-58, and the Mountaineers rolled to a 26–2 record. West’s performance was nothing short of spectacular, as the 20year-old native son started in every game, averaged 17.8 points and 11.1 rebounds per game, and earned him numerous accolades, including All-America Third Team, First Team All-Southern Conference, and Southern Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player.6 The following season proved to be even greater for West on both an individual and team level. Averaging 26.6 points and 12.3 rebounds a game, West was selected First Team All-American, the Southern Conference Player of the Year, and repeated as the Southern Conference Tournament MVP. During five games of NCAA Tournament action, West turned it up a notch. He scored 160 points to tie a then-tournament record, and averaged 32.0 points per game. His scoring and rebounding skills guided the Mountaineers all the way to the NCAA Championship Game, but unfortunately, a yeoman’s effort by the Chelyan native could not bring home the title. Despite a heartbreaking 71–70 loss to California in the title game, West pumped in 28 points and collected 11 rebounds to lead all players on both teams. His individual performance made him the easy selection when the Most Valuable Player Award for the Final Four was handed out.7 In his final year of performing in his home state, West’s swan song was brilliant. He hit on 50.4 percent of his shots, averaged 29.3 points and 16.5 rebounds per game, received another AllAmerican selection, and once again was the recipient of the Southern Conference Most Valuable Player Award. Throughout his career in a Mountaineer uniform, West averaged 24.8 points and

TWO : ALL-TIME GREATS 13.3 rebounds per game, and still holds numerous records at the Morgantown campus.8 His basketball prowess was not just felt on American soil, but on international as well. He was a member of the gold medalwinning team at the Pan American Games, and co-captained (along with Oscar Robertson), the 1960 U.S. Olympic team that brought home the gold medal from the Rome Summer Games.9 On April 11, 1960, Jerry West was selected in the first round, and second overall pick, by the Minneapolis Lakers just as they were set to relocate to Los Angeles. His Olympic teammate Oscar Robertson beat him out for the overall top draft spot when the Cincinnati Royals selected the “Big O” first.10 It was at this time that the pride of West Virginia embarked on the next level of competition clear across the country. Despite leaving the confines of the “Mountain State,” West’s hardwood performance would not be affected, as he became the first Lakers star to play his entire pro career in the City of Angels. At the beginning of his pro career, the move to a large, fast paced city like Los Angeles, was an eye-opening experience for the young 22-year-old from a more intimate environment. It made him slightly more introverted, but his performance on the court did not waver. Due to this, it did not take his new teammates long to realize the potential in the rookie. His abilities quickly amazed his fellow Lakers, as he showcased great defensive play, stamina, an incredible leaping ability, and a devotion to get even better by staying overtime in the gym to perfect his craft.11 Monikers are commonplace among athletes throughout history, and Jerry West was no exception. In fact, he received multiple ones during his illustrious run in the pros. Initially, however, his teammates labeled him as “Zeke from Cabin Creek,” which stemmed from his country background. In time he became “Mr. Outside” for his pinpoint shooting ability from farther distances. “Mr. Clutch” was the title of West’s autobiography, and he lived up to that label by the way he flourished when the pressure was on. He is also known as “the Logo,” because a photograph of him was used as the silhouette image seen in the NBA logo when it was designed in 1969.12 Along with all the accolades given players of West’s status, there are the detractors. It was felt that at 6-3, 175 pounds, he was not durable enough to mix it up with the big men in the pros. One of the greatest things that a person can do is silence the critics by proving them wrong, and that is what West did. Despite many broken noses and other various injuries, West’s body of work over 14 seasons allowed him to become one of the greatest to ever draw a paycheck in the pro ranks. Right from his NBA debut on October 19, 1960, Jerry West established himself as a force. He averaged 17.6 points and 7.7 rebounds per game over 79 games of the 1960-61 season. The rookie guard complimented the team’s superstar forward Elgin Baylor, who handled most of the work inside the paint, while West sank shots from the outside. This tandem would be together, baring injuries, for the next 11 years, helping to create many great moments in a heritage filled with them. The team improved from 25 wins the previous season to 36 in their first year in Los Angeles. They made a playoff run that fell two points short of reaching the NBA championship round when they lost to the St. Louis Hawks in the seventh and deciding game of the division finals. West also was selected to his first of 14 consecutive All-Star games.

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The following season saw West emerge as the leader of the team. With Elgin Baylor able to play in only 48 games throughout the 1961-62 season while serving in the Army Reserves, West took control, and finished the year averaging 30.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists over 75 games. It was at this time that the nickname of “Mr. Clutch” was given to him by Lakers radio announcer Chick Hearn after West gained a reputation for hitting key baskets at crucial times.13 En route to his initial All-NBA First Team honor, West guided the Lakers to 54 wins and a berth in the league championship series against Boston. His heroics in Game Three of the Finals allowed Los Angeles to take a 2–1 lead in the series. With seconds remaining, he tied the game at 115. Then Boston’s Sam Jones received the inbound pass at half-court, but West stole the ball, hurriedly made his way up the floor, and laid the ball in to win it as the buzzer sounded. Unfortunately, the Celtics rallied back in the series to win the seventh and deciding game in overtime, 110–107. This clash between Boston and Los Angeles kicked off a fierce rivalry that will never fade. It also began a heartbreaking series of championship defeats for West and the Lakers, as they lost in the finals to the Celtics five more times throughout the decade in 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968, and 1969. Even though seeing all the championship banners raised in Boston Garden serve as a bitter reminder of defeat, probably the harshest came in the ’69 NBA Finals. West played his usual, brilliant style, ringing up points while battling through a hamstring injury suffered in Game Five. Even with his performance hampered in the following game, he still managed to pump in 26 points, but the Celtics won, 99–90, to force a seventh and deciding game. With the Fabulous Forum’s rafters filled with balloons ready to be released upon a Lakers victory, West did his best to make it happen. He recorded a triple-double with 42 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists, only to see Boston squeak out a 108–106 victory. West played his heart out, turning in one of the greatest individual championship series in history, and became the only player on a losing team to be rewarded the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award. Throughout the 1960s, West gave everything he had on the court, averaging between 25.9 and 31.3 points per game, and earning All-NBA honors following each season. He also was selected to the first All-Defensive Team in 1969, and appeared on it five out of the next six years, with the 1971-72 season being the only time in that stretch he did not make it. Always the consummate teammate and perfectionist, West conquered the league on an individual basis, and will always remain one of the greatest in the game’s history. However, by the dawn of the 1970s, he was going on 32 years old, and time appeared to be running out on his quest for an elusive NBA championship ring. The climax of the 1969-70 season saw West once again in the Finals, only to lose for the seventh time, with this one coming at the hands of Willis Reed and the New York Knicks. Finally, in 1971-72, everything came together despite the fact that West almost was not there to reap the reward. With numerous injuries accumulated over a decade as a professional, coupled with the crushing blows suffered in the championship round, West gave the prospect of retirement much thought. The Lakers then got a much-needed dosage of coaching magic from Bill Sharman, who

Jamaal Wilkes won multiple championships as a Boston Celtic, and as a coach prior to his arrival in LA. Stressing a resilient defensive effort, coupled with fast break offensive action, the Lakers ran off a 33-game winning streak on their way to then-record 69 victories against only 13 losses. West provided this great team with a 25.8 points per game average, and led the league with 9.7 assists per game while ringing up AllNBA honors, and bringing home the 1972 All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award. When it came to playoff time, the Lakers were ready to seize the moment. They swept the Chicago Bulls in four games, and then knocked off the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks in six games to gain entry into the NBA Finals against the New York Knicks. In the first two games, West went through a cold spell shooting the ball, but the Lakers managed to split the first two games. In the third game, West found his stroke, pumped in 21 points and Los Angeles won to take a 2–1 series lead. In that game, West earned another milestone by scoring his 4,002th career postseason point to lay claim to a then-NBA playoff record. The Lakers then left nothing to chance, as they won the next two games to lock down the first NBA crown for the city of Los Angeles. In doing so, it also allowed Jerry West into the elite fraternity of NBA champions. His ninth trip to the NBA Finals occurred the following year, but after suffering dual hamstring injuries in the series, West could not perform up to standard. He gave his usual yeoman’s effort, but it was not enough to save the series for the Lakers, as the Knicks got revenge from their previous season’s championship defeat by taking the NBA Finals four games to one. The 1973-74 season was the 36-year-old West’s swan song as a player. With a groin injury allowing him to suit up only 31 times, he still averaged 20.3 points per game. After losing to the Milwaukee Bucks four games to one in the opening round of the playoffs, West called it a career amidst a contract dispute with Los Angeles owner Jack Kent Cooke.14 West felt that he wanted to come back and play yet again, but Cooke did not want to pursue the matter. The incident resulted in a lawsuit being filed by West to obtain unpaid back wages, and a bitter ending to what should have been a much-beloved sendoff for a player that gave so much to the organization. However, Jerry West would make his presence felt yet again on the Lakers’ organization, both from the sideline and behind the scenes. West retired as a player with 25,192 points (3rd all-time), a 27.0 points per game average (4th all-time), 7,160 free throws (2nd all-time), and 6,238 assists (5th all-time). In 1980, he took his rightful place among the game’s immortals by being elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.15 (See more on Jerry West in the Coaches section.)

Jamaal Wilkes If Hollywood ever looked to base a motion picture on the career of Jamaal Wilkes, the perfect title would be The Silk Assassin. His moves were smooth as silk, and his shots were delivered with deadly accuracy from his days at Santa Barbara High School through the prime days of “Showtime” in Los Angeles.

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Born on May 2, 1953, in Berkeley, California, Keith Wilkes first gained attention at Ventura High School in Southern California. The North Catalina Street public school has a proud lineage of alumni consisting of Olympic gold medal winners, professional football and baseball players, journalists, and actors. Wilkes added his name to the school’s heritage in the late 1960s as an All-CFL center. He also excelled in the classroom, and was elected student body president. Unfortunately, his days as a black and gold-clad Ventura Cougar ended when his father, a reverend, took an assignment as pastor of the Second Baptist Church in Santa Barbara.1 With his ties firmly entrenched at Ventura High School, Wilkes at first contemplated staying there for his senior year while his family went off 34 miles north to Santa Barbara. However, he missed his family, and his mother’s cooking. So, thanks to his mother’s culinary skills, Ventura’s loss was Santa Barbara’s gain.2 Santa Barbara High School is one of the oldest secondary schools in California and the sport of basketball gained major popularity, as the dawn of the 1970s approached with Wilkes suiting up at the “Home of the Dons.” With Wilkes leading coach Jack Trigueiro’s charges, the olive and gold-clad Dons rocked the foundation off the East Anapamu Street campus. He was the complete player, performing well at every position, and rising up to become a team leader on a squad that ran off 26 straight wins in 1969-70.3 The only thing that the discipline-oriented Trigueiro wanted to change about Wilkes was his unorthodox shooting style. When he went to shoot, it looked like he was scratching his back as the ball was cocked and released from behind his right ear. Wilkes conceived this form at age 12 when he went up against older, taller players. However, after scrimmaging against his young charge, Trigueiro came to the conclusion that it was better to leave well enough alone after Wilkes consistently nailed shots. He was also good from the free throw line.4 After concluding his high school career with All-American honors, Wilkes was regarded as one of the best hardwood performers in the nation. At the time when Wilkes was tearing up the California high school scene, down in Westwood, UCLA coach John Wooden was looking to continue building on a sports dynasty, unequalled in the history of collegiate athletics and hoped to add to his legacy with the assistance of Keith Wilkes. The 6-6, 190-pound forward did not disappoint Wooden or UCLA faithful during his tenure on the Westwood campus. At first, Wooden, like Jack Trigueiro before him, thought about changing Wilkes’ shooting style. However, after witnessing him sink shot after shot, the old master decided to leave the matter alone.5 Wilkes and his unconventional style then went on to join the proud heritage that is UCLA basketball. He played an integral part on three of Wooden’s greatest teams, and finished with an overall record of 86–4 as a Bruin. He won the first 75 games of his UCLA career, helped the team establish an unprecedented NCAA record of 88 straight victories, and was a member of two national championship teams in 1972 and 1973. In 1972, Wilkes was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team. In three seasons on the UCLA varsity, Wilkes scored 1,349 points, shot 51 percent from the field, and averaged 15.0 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. He earned First Team All-American status as a player (1973-1974), and three times for his academics (1972-1973-1974).6

TWO : ALL-TIME GREATS In addition to his sterling accolades as a Bruins legend, Wilkes also received his moniker “Smooth as Silk,” when a UCLA band member bellowed it out while watching his fluid moves. The jovial Bruin supporter’s remark caught the ear of famed announcer Dick Enberg, and later Chick Hearn used it during Wilkes’ tenure with the Lakers.7 Up to this stage of his career, Wilkes had never left the confines of the Golden State. Nothing changed in that capacity when the Golden State Warriors selected the All-American forward in the first round, and overall number 11 pick of the college draft on May 28, 1974. When Wilkes set out on his quest in the pro ranks, he also embarked on a spiritual one as well by converting to Islam and changed his name to Jamaal-Abdul Lateef. However, during his NBA career, he kept his surname but changed his first name from Keith to Jamaal.8 Like so many before and after Wilkes, regardless of a player’s impressive resume, doubters surfaced with negative jargon about the chances of a successful career at the highest level of competition. In the case of Wilkes, it was felt that he did not have enough muscle on his 6-6, 190-pound frame to deal with the best of the best. Over the course of the next 12 seasons, Wilkes laid to rest all doubt pertaining to his abilities to hang with the elite. Wilkes became a fluid and consistent performer that utilized these attributes to become one of the league’s all-time best forwards. He might not have had the bulk, but Wilkes was quick, strong and durable. His sleek frame and quickness gave him the opportunity to glide around bigger opponents and let loose with one of the most accurate jump shots of his time. He also proved that his durability was never in doubt, as he missed only three of 410 games in a five-year span.9 The name Jamaal Wilkes first appeared in the pros when he made his NBA debut for the Golden State Warriors on October 18, 1974, with a talented team led by superstar Rick Barry. He appeared in all 82 regular season games, averaging 30.7 minutes, 14.2 points, and 8.2 rebounds per game. He won the 1975 NBA Rookie of the Year Award, and was an easy selection for the NBA All-Rookie Team.10 This Warriors team finished at 48–34 and won the Pacific Division championship. They then battled hard in two playoff series, first against Seattle that went six games, and then winning the Western Conference Finals in seven games against Chicago. Standing in the Warriors’ way of an NBA title were the Washington Bullets, who tied the Boston Celtics for the most wins during the regular season with 60. It did not seem possible to many that the Warriors stood a chance against the powerful Bullets. In the end, they not only stood up to the Bullets, but they shocked the NBA world by sweeping them in four straight games to capture the 1974-75 NBA title. On July 11, 1977, Wilkes signed a free agent contract with the Los Angeles Lakers after three seasons and selections on to the All-Star Team (1976), and All-Defensive Second Team (197677). In his first season with the Lakers, Wilkes suffered a broken finger and missed 31 games, but the following year he came back to average 18.6 points per game and record a career high 134 steals.11 Wilkes already knew what it was to be a champion in the NBA, and repeated the feat three more times between 1980 and 1985 as a member of the famed “Showtime” Lakers. During their first championship run in 1980, Wilkes averaged 20.0 points per

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game to finish second on the team behind fellow UCLA alumni Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. In the 1980 NBA Finals, Wilkes gave a great performance in the series clincher with 37 points. Over the next four seasons, Wilkes averaged 79 game appearances, played well over 30 minutes a game, and connected for 20 points per game, as the Lakers won the 1982 NBA title and made another two trips to the Finals during this span. In the middle of the 1983-84 season, Wilkes suffered from a parasitic infection that left him weak and threw off his timing. Due to this, second-year man James Worthy was called upon more to assist the team. The following year, the Lakers won another championship, the fourth of Wilkes’ career, but torn ligaments in his left knee suffered in February after 42 game appearances, ended his season.12 With the rise of James Worthy to eventual Hall of Famelevel status, the 32-year-old Wilkes saw his starting position taken away, and on August 29, 1985, the team waived him. He signed with the Los Angeles Clippers, but saw limited action, and after 13 games with the Clippers, Wilkes retired on December 26, 1985. In a career that never saw him leave the state of California from high school through the pros, Wilkes established his legacy as that of a solid performer on every level, earning many accolades on a personal and team basis. In 12 pro seasons, he scored 14,664 points (17.7 average), and hauled in 5,117 rebounds (6.2 average). He won four NBA titles, and his body of work will someday land him a place among the game’s greatest in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

James Worthy For more than forty years, Chick Hearn called the action for thousands of Lakers games. In all that time, his eyes were cast upon championship-caliber teams and performers virtually every season. Hearn was also an exceptional judge of talent, and when he proclaimed a player to be worthy of accolades, his words were taken as hardwood gospel. So when the legendary announcer gave a young forward the moniker of “Big Game James,” the player in question did not disappoint the czar of the Los Angeles airwaves.1 He proved to be more than worthy of the nickname bestowed him. In fact, his surname was Worthy. Coming to the City of Angels from Dean Smith’s stable of champions, James Worthy was already on the right track for stardom. Gastonia is one of the largest suburbs of Charlotte, North Carolina. So it only seemed fitting that one of its native sons grew up to become one of the NBA’s all-time greats. On February 27, 1961, the world was introduced to James Ager Worthy, as the future Hall of Famer drew his first breath.2 Worthy developed a passion for basketball from early on. He played in pickup games at a nearby park, always trying to improve on his skills.3 At the time Worthy was growing up, the American Basketball Association was the NBA’s competitor. The ABA was based on flash and dash, with exciting moves created by its players. Even the ball used was flashy, with red, white, and blue stripes. The Carolina Cougars were a member of the league, and Worthy followed the team and all the opposing players that came

James Worthy to town. Julius “Dr. J.” Erving of the New York Nets was the ABA’s top performer at the time, and he showed moves that were unequalled at the time. Whether it was flying through the air and slamming in a reverse dunk, or other ball-handling mastery, “Dr. J” was the idol of many young players, James Worthy included. He would attempt to emulate Erving and other ABA performers, observing his form in a mirror.4 All of his work on the court and in front of the mirror began to return dividends to the Gastonia youth. Those in the area began to notice Worthy’s abilities while he was at Grier Junior High School in the mid–1970s. If there were any detractors about the teenager’s talents, they diminished by the time he crossed the threshold of Ashbrook High School.5 In three seasons as a star for the Green Wave, Worthy helped the team win two 4A championships. In his senior year, Worthy averaged 21.5 points per game and 12.5 rebounds on his way to earning scholastic All-America recognition, and became Ashbrook’s all-time leading scorer with 1,577 points.6 His talents obviously attracted many college recruiters, but with one of the most storied programs right in the same state, Worthy’s venture into the next level was 160 miles northeast of Gastonia. The University of North Carolina and its legendary head coach Dean Smith were a winning combination that many scholastic players hoped to be a part of. Smith, a former Kansas native, came to Chapel Hill as a 27-year-old assistant in 1958. Three years later, his elevation to head coach of the Tarheels started a 36-year run as one of the most successful hoop programs the collegiate ranks has ever witnessed, and allowed him to retire in 1997 with a then all-time record 879 wins.7 Smith had the reputation for conducting a program free of scandal, and boasted a 96.0 percent graduation rate among his players. His efforts in helping African Americans gain equal rights also added to this man’s legend, not only as a coach, but as a caring human being.8 When a coach of this magnitude wants you as one of his charges, it is an honor in itself. When said player rises up to great heights of team and individual achievement while in the program, then it is the stuff that youngsters dream of while honing their skills on blacktops and gyms. James Worthy was one of the lucky ones to fulfill his dream, as he honored his place of birth when he decided to attend the University of North Carolina for his college experience. When he came to Chapel Hill, Worthy not only brought outstanding athletic talent, but confidence and maturity as well. This combination allowed him to make an immediate impact as a freshman. However, a broken ankle with 14 games to go ended his 1979-80 season. His sophomore year of 1980-81 saw Worthy average 14.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game with two screws assisting in the healing of his injured ankle.9 His performance helped North Carolina advance to the NCAA Championship Game, only to lose to Indiana. That runner-up finish only helped to increase the desire to make it back to the big stage and walk away with the grand prize. The 1981-82 season produced the greatest moment in UNC basketball history with Worthy leading the way. Teamed with future NBA icon Michael Jordan, Sam Perkins, Jimmy Black, and Matt Doherty, Worthy guided this starting five to a 32–2 record, and

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a return trip to the NCAA Championship Game, this time against Patrick Ewing and the Georgetown Hoyas.10 On March 29, 1982, with the city of New Orleans serving as the backdrop, Worthy pumped in 28 points and preserved a nail-biting 63–62 victory. With 16 seconds remaining in the game, freshman sensation Michael Jordan hit a 17-foot jumper to give the Tar Heels a slim one point advantage. It was then that Worthy stepped up and secured Dean Smith’s first national championship. Georgetown got possession back with slightly over ten seconds left on the clock. Georgetown guard Fred Brown looked to get the ball to one of his teammates, but mistook Worthy as one of them and fired the ball in his direction. Worthy quickly reacted to his incredible good fortune, grabbed the ball and secured the win. For his efforts, Worthy was named the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player Award.11 That magical night in the “Big Easy” capped off a season in which Worthy averaged 15.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game en route to earning Consensus All-American First Team honors. He also shared the 1982 College Player of the Year Award with Virginia’s Ralph Sampson, was named the 1982 Atlantic Coast Conference Athlete of the Year Award, and most valuable player of the ACC Tournament and the East Regional Tournament. The incredible finish to his junior year also proved to be Worthy’s collegiate swan song. He decided to bypass his senior season and make himself eligible for the 1982 NBA draft. He did, however, keep Smith’s near-perfect graduation rate in tact by obtaining his degree during summer classes. His three seasons at Chapel Hill provided everlasting moments of success, and for all his hard work and talent, the university retired his #52 jersey.12 The New Orleans Jazz signed free agent Gail Goodrich in 1976 after years of him being a Lakers star. When he left LA, one of the stipulations was that the Lakers would receive the Jazz’s number one draft pick in 1979. That allowed the Lakers to obtain Magic Johnson. In the same year that Johnson arrived in Los Angeles, the Lakers traded Don Ford to Cleveland in exchange for the Cavaliers’ first round draft pick in 1982.13 Just like the Jazz three years earlier, the Cavaliers finished with the worst record in the league, and due to this misfortune, received the rights to draft first overall in 1982. Cleveland’s unfortunate climax in the previous season proved to bring huge dividends to the Lakers, who then owned the top pick of the upcoming NBA draft set for June 29, 1982. As it is often said, the rich get richer, and the recently crowned NBA champion Lakers proved that saying to be true. Los Angeles was looking to obtain someone for the small forward position, and focused their attention on Worthy and Georgia’s Dominique Wilkins. After a victorious coin toss with the Western Conference’s worst team, the San Diego Clippers, the Lakers decided on Worthy, thus allowing LA the privilege of drafting two number one picks that were the MVP’s of the NCAA Final Four Tournament over the span of three years. Magic Johnson was the other MVP in 1979. Like millions of observers world-wide, Worthy had marveled at Magic Johnson’s abilities at running the fast break “Showtime” Lakers. He was now going to be a part of it, and looked forward to getting feeds from the floor leader and making good when given the opportunity.

TWO : ALL-TIME GREATS At 6' 9" and 225 pounds, Worthy was perfectly suited for the “Showtime” experience. He was lightning quick, and had the moves of a 6' 2" point guard. He was smooth with a devastating quick first step to the basket that left defenders in the dust. Despite his smooth style, he was a powerful force close to the basket, who more often than not, closed out a play successfully. His abilities enabled him to play the small forward position, which called for an aggressive, versatile, and quick approach in the low post. His flying dunks, finger roll layups, and turnaround jump shots quickly captivated basketball aficionados over the next decade.14 On October 29, 1982, James Worthy made his regular season debut in what would become his legendary #42 Lakers jersey against the Golden State Warriors. That game served as a springboard to greatness, as Worthy prospered from the fast break Lakers’ attack. In 77 game appearances he averaged 25.6 minutes on a star-studded team. His playing time alone as a rookie on a solid team was impressive enough, but he proved that he fit right in. He averaged 13.4 points per game, and set a Lakers rookie record .579 percent from the field. He was an easy selection for the 1983 All-Rookie Team, but his opportunity to help Los Angeles defend their crown was lost when he broke a leg late in the regular season after landing wrong following a jumpball.15 Worthy’s loss proved costly, as the Lakers made it back to the NBA Finals, only to be swept in four games by Philadelphia. Worthy was healed up by the time the 1983-84 season opened, and his outstanding showing game after game placed him into the starting lineup, taking over for an aging Jamaal Wilkes. He played in every game, averaged 14.5 points per game, and helped the Lakers gain another appearance in the NBA Finals. In a tough seven game series, the Boston Celtics once again proved to be the thorn in LA’s side, and for the second straight year, the Lakers had to go home as runner-ups. During the following 1984-85 season, Worthy and the Lakers were brilliant. As a team, they cruised to a 62–20 record, and even though Worthy only averaged 13 shots a game, he still came away averaging 17.6 points per game. An eye injury late in the season made James wear protective goggles for the remainder of his career, but did not hinder his performance. When it came time for the playoffs, Worthy and his teammates were on a quest to snap their Finals drought. He made his moniker “Big Game James” gain momentum by averaging 21.5 points per game in the playoffs while sinking an incredible .622 percent from the field. Once again the Celtics provided the opposition in the Finals, and Worthy came up big with a 23.7 points per game average to assist the Lakers in clinching their third NBA title of the decade and Worthy’s first by a four games to two margin. The following season, Worthy averaged 14 shots a game, and came away with 20 points per game. This season also saw him make the first of seven consecutive trips to the All-Star Game. The Lakers’ attempt to repeat as champion was obliterated by Houston in the Western Conference Finals by a convincing four games to one advantage. In 1986-87, Los Angeles finished the regular season at 65– 17, and ran off an 11–1 playoff record leading up to an NBA Finals appearance against the defending champion Boston Celtics. This team is considered one of the greatest of all time, and Worthy helped them earn that honor by starting in all 82 regular season

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games and averaging 19.4 points per game. Just as he did in the 1985 playoffs, Worthy elevated his game when the stakes were higher, this time averaging 23.6 points per game over 18 contests. The Lakers beat Boston four games to two in the Finals to earn Worthy his second NBA championship ring. More jewelry came Worthy’s way in 1987-88, as the Lakers finished 62–20, and became the first team since 1969 to repeat as NBA champions. This time out, they dispensed of the Detroit Pistons buy a 4–3 margin in a hard-fought series. “Big Game James” rose up to the challenge by averaging 22 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists in the Finals. In Games 6 and 7, Worthy was virtually unstoppable. He tallied 28 points in Game 6, and then secured the title for LA with one of the greatest single-game performances in Finals history. He earned a triple double with 36 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists, on his way to winning the 1988 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award. The Pistons got revenge on the Lakers by sweeping them in an NBA Finals rematch, but Worthy still came away with impressive numbers. He averaged 25.5 points per game, and gave a yeoman’s effort in the fourth game by scoring 40 points in an attempt to avoid the sweep. The following two seasons saw Worthy record his two best point per game averages in 1990 (21.1) and 1991 (21.4), and earn All-NBA Third Team honors after both years. A knee injury that required surgery ended Worthy’s 1992 season after 54 games, and his quick moves and jumping ability were hampered after that. He came back in 1993-94 to see action in all 82 games, and started in 69, but the knee would not allow Worthy any more time in the pro circuit. Constant pain in his knee during the preseason leading into the 1994-95 campaign made Worthy realize that it was time to end his illustrious career after 12 stellar seasons, and made it official on November 10, 1994.16 Worthy played in 926 games, and averaged 17.6 points per game for the Lakers. At the time of his retirement, he ranked fifth on the Lakers’ all-time scoring list with 16,320, second in steals (1,041), and sixth in shooting percentage (.521). Two years after his retirement, the NBA selected its 50 greatest players to commemorate the league’s golden anniversary, and James Worthy’s name graced the roll call of honor. The prestigious awards did not stop there, as his #42 was retired by the Lakers on December 10, 1995, and in 2003, he was enshrined into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.17

Other Players of Note That Helped to Create the Greatness of the Lakers Elden Campbell At times, Elden Campbell’s play was a bit lethargic, but when his desire came out, he was a steady performer that led the Lakers in scoring during the 1990s, and emerged as one of the best shotblockers in the proud history of the Lakers. He came from Morningside High School, which was the same as Lakers great Byron Scott, and was a first round selection in the 1990 draft by Los An-

Other Players of Note geles out of Clemson. His first few years as a pro saw the 6'11" center struggle, but by the 1993-94 season, he began to show his worth by averaging 12.3 points and 6.8 rebounds on a Lakers team that was very good.1 His scoring average got better following his rookie season, going from 2.8 points per game to 14.9 over the course of six seasons (1990-91 through 1996-97). This accomplishment gave Campbell the distinction of being only the seventh player in league history to show that kind of improvement over a long period of time.2 Campbell also ranks third on the Lakers’ all-time list for career-blocked shots (1,022). After playing the entire decade of the 1990s in a Lakers’ uniform, Campbell was traded to Charlotte in March 1999.

Vlade Divac Vlade Divac will forever be spoken of as one of the best players in NBA history to be a native of Europe. The 7'1" center came to the Lakers after helping Yugoslavia earn a silver medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics. He was then selected as the 26th overall pick in the 1989 draft, and earned the honor of being the first player ever outside of North America to be selected by the Lakers. Upon his arrival, the Lakers were just ending their glorious championship run of five NBA titles in the 1980s and a total of eight NBA Finals appearances throughout the decade. The great pivot man, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had just retired, but helped his replacement, which allowed Divac to come away from his first season on American soil with selection on the NBA All-Rookie Team. Divac earned the starting center job in his second season of 1990-91, and he helped lead the Lakers to an NBA Finals appearance, which would be the team’s only time throughout the 1990s that they went that deep in the postseason. The Forum faithful made him one of their favorite players, and he parlayed that admiration into work in commercials, television shows, and appeared on the talk show circuit. In an apparent attempt to draw fouls, Divac was known to tumble to the floor after contact in order to get a foul called on his opponent. After playing in only 36 games during the 1991-92 season due to injuries, Divac came back and became a solid performer for Los Angeles from 1992 through 1996, with his best year coming during the 1994-95 season when he averaged 16 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. When Divac arrived in Los Angeles, he replaced the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and by the summer of 1996, he was traded to Charlotte when another legendary pivot man, Shaquille O’Neal was ready to converge on the City of Angels. After playing in Charlotte for two seasons and six with the Sacramento Kings, Divac was once again back in a Lakers uniform. However, it was only briefly. He was brought back to Los Angeles when O’Neal left for Miami, but back problems allowed him to appear in only 15 games. Following the season, he announced his retirement. He is one of only six NBA players throughout league history to produce 13,000 points, 9,000 rebounds, 3,000 assists, and 1,500 blocked shots.1

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Derek Fisher Being revered by one’s peers on a team of championshipcaliber performers says a lot of a person’s character. Add multiple rings won helping a team reach the pinnacle of the pro hoop circuit, and the name Derek Fisher rises to the forefront. Fisher came to the Lakers in 1996 as the 24th overall pick of that year’s draft, and through his long service to the Lakers, he became one of the greatest clutch players in franchise history. Multiple times, whether in regular or postseason play, Fisher came through with key shots down the stretch to pull out wins. He played for the Lakers from 1996 through 2004, and won three championships before going to Golden State for two seasons and the Utah Jazz for one. He returned to the Lakers in 2007 just in time for another run of championship glory, helping the team win another two NBA Finals to give him five total. Through the 2010-2011 season, Fisher established himself as an all-time leader in many categories in the team’s record book, and will always be remembered as one of the best to ever don the purple and gold.1

Pau Gasol Some of the greatest forwards ever produced have donned the purple and gold. Elgin Baylor, Jamaal Wilkes, and James Worthy all came out of the Southland and are regarded as some of the best to ever play the position. Pau Gasol is looking to add his name to that list, and with multiple championship rings to his credit, his chances are good. Gasol came to Los Angeles after earning the 2002 NBA Rookie of the Year Award, and All-Star selection with the Memphis Grizzles. His timing could not have been more perfect to land with the Lakers. He arrived in 2007, and over the course of three seasons, Gasol helped the Lakers to three straight NBA Finals, winning the championship in 2009 and 2010. At first, the 7'1" Gasol relied on his finesse, but following a 2008 Finals loss to Boston, in which he was out muscled, the Barcelona, Spain native bulked up. He then had both finesse and muscle, and proved that he is among the best. He can play power forward or center, and his quickness allows him to be a vital asset in the Lakers’ fast break offense. He can also hit jump shots from outwards of 20 feet, which makes him dangerous from driving inside or hitting from outside. His talents have made him a three time AllStar as a member of the Lakers (2009–11), and earned him AllNBA Second Team (2011) and All-NBA Third Team honors in 2009 and 2010.1

A.C. Green His first and middle initials officially do not stand for anything. However, in regards to A. C. Green, they could represent “A Champion,” not only on the basketball court, but also in life. The Portland, Oregon, native had basketball and religion instilled in him from an early age on, and established himself with honor in both. On the court over the course of 16 NBA seasons, Green earned the title of the league’s “Iron Man” after playing in a record 1,192 consecutive games. It is a good bet to say that he might have set another record, although it is not officially in the NBA record

TWO : ALL-TIME GREATS books. For despite being a high-profile athlete, which can allow abundant access to sexual encounters on a very regular basis, Green chose to practice abstinence from sexual activity, waiting to give up his virginity until marriage. His religious beliefs were far stronger that the temptation of the flesh in the case of Green. His devotion to religion and helping others inspired Green to establish the A.C. Green Youth Foundation. He is also involved in other business and charity ventures. Green’s prowess on the basketball court allowed him to play nine quality seasons with the Lakers. While donning the purple and gold, he was part of three NBA championships, and the only player in team history to have had the opportunity to be a part of “Showtime” in the 1980s, and the Shaq-Kobe glory days of the early 2000s. Green came to the Lakers as a first round pick, and 23rd overall selection of the 1985 draft after earning Third Team All-American honors at Oregon State. The 6' 9", 220-pound forward/center played his first eight professional seasons with the Lakers, and after stops in Phoenix and Dallas, returned to Los Angeles in 1999. Over his long career, Green amassed 12,331 points (9.6 avg.), and 9,473 rebounds (7.4 avg.), was voted to the NBA All-Defensive Team in 1989 and the All-Star team in 1990.1

Rodney “Hot Rod” Hundley “Hot Rod” Hundley was a ball-handling master that came to the Lakers in the final three seasons of their tenure in Minneapolis, and helped the organization establish itself during the formative years in Los Angeles. He was flashy on the court, as well as off. He embraced the team’s new home among the Hollywood set, and enjoyed all that the City of Angels offered. The native of Charlestown, West Virginia, was an All-American in high school and college. While at West Virginia University, he helped coach Fred Schaus lead the Mountaineers to a very successful period in their history. His stellar college career allowed him the opportunity to be the Minneapolis Lakers’ first round draft pick in 1957. After three seasons in Minneapolis, Hundley re-joined Schaus in Los Angeles, when the latter became coach of the Lakers in 1960. Fellow Mountaineer Jerry West, who followed Hundley at West Virginia University, joined him in Los Angeles. The funloving Hundley had a zest for life, the ability to shoot the ball from behind his back and off the tip of a finger, and earned two All-Star nominations in 1960 and 1961. He retired in 1963 when he was 29 years old due to knee injuries. He finished his career with 3,625 points (8.4 avg.), 1,420 rebounds (3.3 avg.), and 1,455 assists (3.4 avg.). Following his playing days, Hundley remained in the game as an announcer with the Lakers, Phoenix Suns, and the New Orleans/Utah Jazz. His stint with the Jazz was the longest of his broadcast career, beginning in 1974, and lasting until his retirement following the end of the 2009 season.1 Hundley’s broadcast career garnered him with enshrinement into the Utah Broadcast Hall of Fame, and he was the only former player to ever have the prestigious Curt Gowdy Media Award bestowed on him by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He also co-authored a book and starred in the film Church Ball on 2006. It seems like even after all the years removed from his fun-loving playing career, Hot Rod Hundley is still enjoying the spotlight.2

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Eddie Jones The Pompano Beach, Florida, native came to the Lakers after being named the 1993-94 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year while at Temple University. His accomplishments at the college level earned him the opportunity to be selected the 10th overall pick, and first round draft selection of the Lakers in 1994. In his rookie season, Jones averaged 14.0 points per game and made the NBA All-Rookie First Team. Throughout his five seasons in Los Angeles, he built a reputation as a solid defender and also showed great ability in the fast break offense. Jones also established himself as one of the top players in the NBA when it came to stealing the ball. He earned that credential right from the start of his pro career by being the first rookie to ever top the league in steal-to-turnover ratio. He did not rest on his laurels in that category after his rookie year, as his name was ranked in the NBA’s top 10 in steals from 1997 to 1999. On March 10, 1999, Jones was traded to the Charlotte Hornets. He also played for the Miami Heat, Memphis Grizzlies, and Dallas Mavericks until he left the game for good in 2008.1

Bob McAdoo Bob McAdoo was one of the NBA’s premier players during the mid-1970s as a member of the Buffalo Braves. In his first three seasons, he led the league in scoring, and was honored with the 1974-75 NBA Most Valuable Player Award. The 6-9, 225-pound center/forward, and former first round draft pick, had the Buffalo Braves on the brink of championship accolades, but they were never able to win it all. However, after stops in New York, Boston, Detroit, and New Jersey, McAdoo came to Los Angeles via a Christmas Eve trade in 1981, and became part of multiple title teams. Due to a knee injury suffered during the 1980-81 season, McAdoo was relegated to part-time duty for the remainder of his career. Despite diminished playing time, McAdoo found a home with the Lakers when the team was on its way to the 1982 NBA title. With a smooth, pinpoint jumper from 15 to 18 feet out, McAdoo came off the bench as a solid contributor to the team during their 1982 championship run.1 He averaged 15 points a game in 1983, 13.1 in 1984, and 10.5 in 1985, and the Lakers made it to the NBA Finals in each of his seasons with the team, and he earned a second championship ring in 1985. With the Lakers looking to obtain more youth into the lineup, McAdoo was released by Los Angeles prior to the 198586 season. His final year in the NBA was with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1985-86 before going over to play in Italy for seven more seasons, until finally retiring in 1993 at age 42.2 Bob McAdoo was one of the greatest big men who could shoot, and also use his size to power his way to the basket. His abilities allowed him to become a complete player, and his hardwood achievements were immortalized in 2000 when he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Jim McMillian Athletic and academic prowess was commonplace for Jim McMillian. “Jimmy Mac” attended the prestigious Columbia University of the Ivy League, where he earned All-American and

Other Players of Note All-Ivy League honors three times. The 6'5", 215-pound forward took his hoop skills clear across the country when he entered the professional ranks. After his days at Columbia in New York City were complete, McMillian was the Lakers’ first round selection of the 1970 draft and 13th player picked overall.1 McMillian possessed speed, was a solid defender, and a highly reliable shooter coming off the fast break. When Elgin Baylor’s aching knees brought an end to his illustrious career in November 1971, McMillian stepped into the starting forward position and helped the Lakers get off on a 33-game winning streak that eventually led to the team winning the 1972 NBA championship.2 Following the 1972-73 season, Wilt Chamberlain left the Lakers, thus creating a huge void at the center position. To fill their needs, the team traded McMillian to the Buffalo Braves for center Elmore Smith. He also played with the New York Knicks (1976-78) and Portland Trailblazers (1978-79) before finishing his career in Italy, where he played from 1979 to 1981.3 Throughout his nine-year NBA career, McMillian averaged 13.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game.

Lamar Odom At 6'10", Lamar Odom struck a commanding presence, and it allowed him to help the Lakers win two NBA championships while wearing the famed purple and gold. Coming to the Lakers in a trade from the Miami Heat in July 2004, Odom has done solid work performing whatever was needed to help the Lakers succeed. He was capable of playing almost every position, and his smooth athletic prowess allowed him to hit long-range jumpers, throw down thunderous slam dunks, secure rebounds, dish out assists, or bat balls away from opposing players. His complete body of work was rewarded in 2010-11 when Odom was presented with the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award after averaging 14.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and three assists in 82 game appearances. On December 11, 2011, Odom was traded to the Dallas Mavericks, much to the chagrin of his fellow Los Angeles teammates. Odom is also a member of the Hollywood community, where he stars in the reality show Khloe & Lamar with his wife Khloe Kardashian.1

Sam Perkins “Sleepy Sam,” “Big Smooth,” and “the Big Easy” were all monikers associated with Sam Perkins throughout his career. In addition to his nicknames, the native of Brooklyn, New York, will always be remembered as a steady, solid contributor.1 While a member of the North Carolina Tar Heels from 1980 to 1984, Perkins helped the team win the 1982 NCAA championship. On an individual level, he earned All-American First Team honors twice (1983-1984) after finding his way onto the All-American second Team in 1982. After his college days were complete, Perkins went to the Dallas Mavericks as their first round draft pick, and fourth overall selection, in 1984. Before joining the Mavericks, Perkins co-captained the U.S. Olympic basketball team to a gold medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games. Success continued to follow, as Perkins was presented with the 1985 NBA Rookie of the Year Award.2

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The 6' 9", 235-pound forward played six seasons in Dallas, where he never averaged less than 11.0 points per game. In August 1990, Perkins came to the Lakers as a free agent, and was reunited with his former North Carolina teammate James Worthy. With the Tar Heel connection in place, the Lakers went to the NBA Finals for the last time during the “Showtime” era. In the 1991 Finals, Perkins opposed another North Carolina teammate, Michael Jordan, who helped the Chicago Bulls defeat the Lakers in five games to claim the first of six NBA titles for the Windy City. Perkins had developed status as a deadly three-point shooter. He lived up to that reputation in the Lakers’ only victory of the 1991 Finals when he sank a game-winning three-point shot in Game One. While with Los Angeles, Perkins continued to average well over ten points a game.3 Perkins played with the Lakers until a February 22, 1993, trade sent him to the Seattle Supersonics. He played with Seattle until 1998, and made another trip to the NBA Finals in 1996, where he once again lost to Michael Jordan and the Bulls. He finished off his 17 seasons in the NBA, which saw him average 11.9 points per game, with the Indiana Pacers from 1998 to 2001. From 2008 to 2010, Perkins served as vice president of player relations with the Pacers.4

overall, in the 1971 draft. The 7-0, 250-pound center came to the Los Angeles Lakers to replace legend Wilt Chamberlain in 1973, just when blocked shots were recorded in league statistics. Timing is everything, and while with the Lakers, Smith took advantage of that old saying to become a shot blocking legend. During the 1973-74 season, he averaged close to five blocked shots a game, and batted away 17 in one game against Portland for the NBA record. By year’s end, Smith compiled 393 blocks, which ranks him near the top of the all-time list in that category. “Elmore the Rejector” followed up his great season by once again leading the league in blocked shots, this time with 216. He was a steady performer who averaged 12.5 and 10.9 points respectively during his time with the Lakers, and hauled in 11.2 rebounds in 1973-74 and 8.1 the following year. Smith also earned the distinction for replacing a legend, and then giving way to one two years later. After serving as a solid pivot man after Chamberlain’s retirement created a void, Smith was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks on June 16, 1975, for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Smith finished up his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers from 1977 to 1979.1

Frank Selvy

There have been many athletes throughout the history of sports that had the burden of replacing a legend cast upon their shoulders. In regards to the Lakers, Sedale Threatt was given such a task, and a monumental one at that. Originally drafted in the 6th round of the 1983 draft by the Philadelphia 76ers out of West Virginia Tech, Threatt played with the 76ers until 1987. He then went to Chicago and Seattle before being traded to the Lakers on October 2, 1991. The 30-year-old, 6' 2", 175-pound guard was brought to Los Angeles to serve as a backup to the great Magic Johnson. However, one month later, Johnson announced his retirement after finding out that he was HIV positive.1 The sudden departure of the legendary Johnson undoubtedly created an incredible void, but Threatt was thrust into a starting role to help stabilize the aftershock. He more than did his best to help the team along through such a trying time, and came away from his days as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers fraternity in solid standing. He led the team in assists, steals, and minutes played for his first two seasons in LA. In 1991-92, he finished with career highs in points per game average (15.1) and assists per game (7.2). The following year Threatt placed his name alongside the legend he replaced by joining Magic Johnson as the only two players in team history to lead the Lakers in scoring (15.1), assists (6.9) and steals (1.7).2 He was also a durable performer, appearing in all 82 regular season games three times in his five seasons with the Lakers. Following five seasons in Los Angeles, the team released Threatt on July 17, 1996. He played in Paris, France in 1996, and one final year in the NBA with the Houston Rockets in 1997. He then wrapped up his pro career with stops in Greece and Switzerland before retiring in 2002.

Before they were members of the Los Angeles Lakers, Wilt Chamberlain and Frank Selvy were two players who scored 100 points in a single game. Wilt Chamberlain accomplished his milestone in 1962 as a member of the Philadelphia Warriors. Selvy achieved his 100-point game as a college player for Furman University in South Carolina. On February 13, 1954, Selvy became the only college player in history to score that many points, doing it against Newberry College.1 Selvy’s college career also consisted of two SEC Player of the Year awards in 1953 and 1954, and All-American First Team recognition in 1954 after earning Second Team All-American honors in 1953.2 His stellar performance at the college level made it easy for the Baltimore Bullets to select him first overall in the 1954 NBA draft. Selvy played nine seasons in the NBA, with stops in St. Louis, New York, and Syracuse, before landing with the Lakers. He had a brief 12-game stint with the Minneapolis Lakers in 1957-58 before heading off to New York and Syracuse. He finally found a permanent home with the Lakers in 1959, and stayed with the team through the 1964 season. He earned an All-Star nomination in 1955 and once again with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1962. He was an excellent shooter, who helped the team to early success in Los Angeles, and was part of a great lineup that included Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, and Hot Rod Hundley. From the 1959-60 season through 1963, Selvy averaged over 10 points a game, with his best coming in 1962 (14.7). The 6' 3", 185-pound guard/forward from Corbin, Kentucky, finished his career with a 10.8 points per game average.3

Elmore Smith The pride of Macon, Georgia’s, Ballard-Hudson High School, Elmore Smith came into the NBA out of Kentucky State as the Buffalo Braves’ first round selection, and third player picked

Sedale Threatt

Nick Van Exel From the end of the “Showtime” era to the dawn of the Shaq and Kobe days, Nick Van Exel was the focal point of the Lakers.

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Drafted by Los Angeles in the second round of the 1993 draft out of the University of Cincinnati, Van Exel played in 81 games, and averaged 13.6 points en route to earning NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors. The 6'1", 170-pound guard relied on quickness to produce his success. “Nick the Quick” marveled the Forum crowd with lengthy shooting streaks, last-second heroic shots, and earned the reputation as an exceptional shooter from long-range. He held the Lakers’ all-time record for successful three-point shots until Kobe Bryant overtook him. Van Exel was also known to possess a volatile personality that created havoc with coach Del Harris and some of his teammates. One incident that did not help his

Other Players of Note reputation was when he hit a referee with a forearm blast that sent the official crashing into the scorer’s table, which cost Van Exel $25,000 in fines.1 During his five seasons as one of the Lakers’ main weapons, Van Exel averaged nearly 15 points a game. On June 24, 1998, Van Exel was traded to the Denver Nuggets until 2002. He also made stops in Dallas, Golden State, Portland, and San Antonio before calling it a career in 2006. For the 2010-2011 season, Van Exel was hired by the Atlanta Hawks to serve as Player Development Instructor.2

Three

ALL-TIME ROSTER : 1960-61 THROUGH 2010-11 This section is dedicated to every player in Los Angeles Lakers history who made the official roster from 1960 through 2011. After each player’s name will be the following information: Years with the Los Angeles Lakers, how he was acquired, position, jersey number, height and weight, college attended, and date of birth. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: 1975–89; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Milwaukee Bucks on June 16, 1975; Center; #33, 7-2, 267 lbs.; University of California Los Angeles (UCLA); April 16, 1947; appeared in 1,093 regular season games and 180 playoff games. Tom Abernethy: 1976–78; Lakers 3rd round draft pick in 1976; Forward; #5; 6-7, 220 lbs.; Indiana; May 6, 1954; appeared in 143 regular season games and 13 playoff games. Gary Alcorn: 1960-61; came to the Lakers as a free agent on October 24, 1960; Center; #24; 6-9, 225 lbs.; Fresno State; October 8, 1936; appeared in 20 regular season games. Lucius Allen: 1974–77; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Milwaukee Bucks on November 11, 1974; Guard; #40 & 42; 6-2, 175 lbs.; University of California Los Angeles (UCLA); September 26, 1947; appeared in 210 regular season games and 7 playoff games. Cliff Anderson: 1967–69; Lakers 4th round draft pick in 1967; Guard/Forward; #30; 6-5, 200 lbs.; St. Joseph; September 7, 1944; appeared in 53 regular season games and 3 playoff games. Trevor Ariza: 2007–09; acquired from the Orlando Magic on November 20, 2007; Forward; #3; 6-8, 210 lbs.; University of California Los Angeles (UCLA); August 30, 1985; appeared in 106 regular season games and 31 playoff games. Ron Artest a.k.a. Metta World Peace: 2009–11; came to the Lakers as a free agent on July 7, 2009; Forward; #37; 6-7, 260 lbs.; St. John’s; November 13, 1979; appeared in 159 regular season games and 32 playoff games. Chucky Atkins: 2004-05; acquired from the Boston Celtics on August 6, 2004; Guard; #9; 5-11, 160 lbs.; South Florida; August 14, 1974; appeared in 82 regular season games. Jim Barnes: 1966–68; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Baltimore Bullets on September 22, 1966; Forward/Center; #23; 6-8, 240 lbs.; UTEP; April 14, 1941; appeared in 122 regular season games and 3 playoff games.

Matt Barnes: 2010-11; came to the Lakers as a free agent on July 22, 2010; Forward; #9; 6-7, 235 lbs.; University of California Los Angeles (UCLA); March 9, 1980; appeared in 53 regular season games and 10 playoff games. Dick Barnett: 1962–65; purchased from the Syracuse Nationals on September 5, 1961; Guard/Forward; #5; 6-4, 190 lbs.; Tennessee State; October 2, 1936; appeared in 232 regular season games and 28 playoff games. Jon Barry: 1997-98; came to the Lakers as a free agent on August 27, 1997;Guard; #20; 6-5, 210 lbs.; Georgia Tech; July 25, 1969; appeared in 49 regular season games and 7 playoff games. Billy Ray Bates: 1983: came to the Lakers as a free agent on April 12, 1983; Guard; #35; 6-4, 210 lbs.; Kentucky State; May 31, 1956; appeared in 4 games. Elgin Baylor: 1958–72; Lakers 1st round draft pick in 1958; Forward; #22; 6-5, 225 lbs.; Seattle; September 16, 1934; appeared in 846 regular season games and 134 playoff games. Zelmo Beaty: 1974-75; acquired from the Golden State Warriors on October 3, 1974; Center; #31; 6-9, 235 lbs.; Prairie View A&M; October 25, 1939; appeared in 69 regular season games. Benoit Benjamin: 1993; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Seattle Supersonics on February 22, 1993; #00; 7-0, 265 lbs.; Creighton; November 22, 1964; appeared in 28 games. Mario Bennett: 1997-98; came to the Lakers as a free agent on September 22, 1997; #23; 6-9, 235 lbs.; Arizona State; August 1, 1973; appeared in 45 regular season games and 4 playoff games. Alex Blackwell: 1992-93; came to the Lakers as a free agent on August 11, 1992; Forward; # 30; 6-6, 255 lbs.; Monmouth; June 27, 1970; appeared in 27 regular season games. Steve Blake: 2010-11; came to the Lakers as a free agent on July 8, 2010; Guard; #5; 6-3, 172 lbs.; Maryland; February 26, 1980; appeared in 79 regular season games and 9 playoff games. John Block: 1966-67; Lakers 3rd round draft pick in 1966; Forward/Center; #34; 6-10, 210 lbs.; University of Southern California (USC); April 16, 1944; appeared in 22 regular season games and 1 playoff game. Corie Blount: 1995–99; acquired from the Chicago Bulls on June 30, 1995; Forward; #43; 6-10, 242 lbs.; Cincinnati; January 4, 1969; appeared in 199 regular season games and 15 playoff games.

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Tony Bobbitt: 2004-05; came to the Lakers as a free agent on August 6, 2004; Guard; #15; 6-4, 190 lbs.; Cincinnati; October 22, 1979; appeared in 2 regular season games. Ron Boone: 1978–80; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Denver Nuggets on June 26, 1978; Guard/Forward; #24; 6-2, 200 lbs.; Idaho State; September 6, 1946; appeared in 88 regular season games and 8 playoff games. Bob Boozer: 1965-66; came to the Lakers in a trade with the New York Knicks on September 14, 1965; Forward; #15; 6-8, 220 lbs.; Kansas State; April 26, 1937; appeared in 78 regular season games and 10 playoff games. Sam Bowie: 1993–95; acquired from the New Jersey Nets on June 21, 1993; Center; #31; 7-1, 260 lbs.; Kentucky; March 17, 1961; appeared in 92 regular season games and 10 playoff games. Adrian Branch: 1986-87; came to the Lakers as a free agent on September 18, 1986; Guard/Forward; #24; 6-8, 185 lbs.; Maryland; November 17, 1963; appeared in 32 regular season games and 11 playoff games. Jim Brewer: 1980–82; acquired from the Portland Trailblazers on October 8, 1980; Forward/Center; #8 & 40; 6-9, 220 lbs.; Minnesota; December 3, 1951; appeared in 149 regular season games and 11 playoff games. Frank Brickowski: 1986-87; came to the Lakers as a free agent on October 9, 1986; Forward/Center; #43; 6-9, 245 lbs.; Penn State; August 14, 1959; appeared in 37 regular season games. Bill Bridges: 1972–75; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Philadelphia 76ers on November 2, 1972; Forward/Center; #32 & 35; 6-5, 230 lbs.; Kansas; April 4, 1939; appeared in 154 regular season games and 22 playoff games. Chucky Brown: 1991-92; came to the Lakers as a free agent on December 5, 1991; Forward; #6; 6-8, 215 lbs.; North Carolina State; February 29, 1968; appeared in 36 regular season games and 3 playoff games. Kwame Brown: 2005–08; acquired from the Washington Wizards on August 2, 2005;Forward/Center; #54; 6-11, 270 lbs.; Glynn Academy High School; March 10, 1982; appeared in 136 regular season games and 12 playoff games. Roger Brown: 1972-73; Lakers 4th round draft pick in 1971; Center; #30; 6-11, 230 lbs.; Kansas; February 29, 1950; appeared in 1 regular season game. Shannon Brown: 2009–11; acquired from the Charlotte Bobcats on February 7, 2009; Guard; #12; 6-4, 211 lbs.; Michigan State; November 29, 1985; appeared in 182 regular season games and 54 playoff games. Tierre Brown: 2004-05; came to the Lakers as a free agent on October 4, 2004; Guard; #5; 6-2, 189 lbs.; McNeese State; June 3, 1979; appeared in 76 regular season games. Tony Brown: 1990-91; came to the Lakers as a free agent on September 25, 1990; Guard/Forward; #35; 6-6, 200 lbs.; Arkansas; July 29, 1960; appeared in 7 regular season games. Kobe Bryant: 1996–2011; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Charlotte Hornets on July 11, 1996; Guard; #8 & 24; 6-6, 220 lbs.; Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pennsylvania; August 23, 1978; appeared in 1,103 regular season games and 185 playoff games. Steve Bucknall: 1989-90; came to the Lakers as a free agent on September 18, 1989; Guard; #24; 6-6, 215 lbs.; North Carolina; March 17, 1966; appeared in 18 regular season games.

Bobbitt–Chamberlain Caron Butler: 2004-05; acquired from the Miami Heat on July 14, 2004; Forward; #1; 607, 217 lbs.; Connecticut; March 13, 1980; appeared in 77 regular season games. Andrew Bynum: 2005–11; Lakers 1st round draft pick in 2005; Center; #17; 7-1, 275 lbs.; St. Joseph High School in Metuchen, New Jersey; October 27, 1987; appeared in 332 regular season games and 62 playoff games. Marty Byrnes: 1979-80; came to the Lakers as a free agent on October 25, 1979; Forward; #7; 6-7, 220 lbs.; Syracuse; April 30, 1956; appeared in 32 regular season games and 4 playoff games. Corky Calhoun: 1974–76; purchased by the Lakers from the Phoenix Suns on November 28, 1974; Forward; #10; 6-7, 210 lbs.; Pennsylvania; November 1, 1950; appeared in 133 regular season games. Demetrius Calip: 1991-92; came to the Lakers as a free agent on October 29, 1991; Guard; #7; 6-1, 165 lbs.; Michigan; November 18, 1969; appeared in 7 regular season games. Mack Calvin: 1976-77; came to the Lakers as a free agent on May 10, 1976; Guard; #20; 6-0, 170 lbs.; University of Southern California (USC); July 27, 1947; appeared in 12 games. Elden Campbell: 1990–99; Lakers 1st round draft pick in 1990; Forward/Center; #41; 7-0, 255 lbs.; Clemson; July 23, 1968; appeared in 618 regular season games and 59 playoff games. Tony Campbell: 1988-89; came to the Lakers as a free agent on March 30, 1988; Guard/Forward; #19; 6-7, 215 lbs.; Ohio State; May 7, 1962; appeared in 76 regular season games and 24 playoff games. Derrick Caracter: 2010-11; Lakers 2nd round draft pick in 2010; Forward; #45; 6-9, 275 lbs.; University of Texas at El Paso; May 4, 1988; appeared in 41 regular season games. Kenny Carr: 1977–80; Lakers 1st round draft pick in 1977; Forward; #2 & 7; 6-7, 220 lbs.; North Carolina State; August 15, 1955; appeared in 129 regular season games and 10 playoff games. Butch Carter: 1980-81; Lakers 2nd round draft pick in 1980; Guard; #15; 6-5, 180 lbs.; Indiana; June 11, 1958; appeared in 54 regular season games. Maurice Carter: 2003-04; came to the Lakers as a free agent on August 13, 2003; Guard; #1; 6-5, 210 lbs.; Louisiana State University; October 12, 1976; appeared in 4 regular season games. Ron Carter: 1978-79; Lakers 2nd round draft pick in 1978; Guard; #15; 6-5, 190 lbs.; VMI; August 31, 1956; appeared in 46 regular season games and 2 playoff games. Jay Carty: 1968-69; came to the Lakers as a free agent for the 1968-69 season; Forward; #52; 6-8, 220 lbs.; Oregon State; July 4, 1941; appeared in 28 regular season games. Cedric Ceballos: 1994–97; acquired from the Phoenix Suns on August 23, 1994; Forward; #23; 6-7, 225 lbs.; Cal State Fullerton; August 2, 1969; appeared in 144 regular season games and 14 playoff games. John Celestand: 1999-2000; Lakers 2nd round draft pick in 1999; Guard; #11; 6-3, 175 lbs.; Villanova; March 6, 1977; appeared in 16 regular season games. Wilt Chamberlain: 1968–73; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Philadelphia 76ers on July 9, 1968; Center; #13; 7-1, 275 lbs.; Kansas; August 21, 1936; appeared in 339 regular season games and 80 playoff games.

Chambers–Fisher

196

Jerry Chambers: 1966-67; Lakers 1st round draft pick in 1966; Forward; #40; 6-5, 185 lbs.; Utah; July 18, 1943; appeared in 68 regular season games and 3 playoff games. Don Chaney: 1976–78; came to the Lakers as a free agent on September 16, 1976; Guard; #12; 6-5, 210 lbs.; Houston; March 22, 1946; appeared in 90 regular season games and 11 playoff games. Jim Chones: 1979–81; acquired from the Cleveland Cavaliers on October 5, 1979; Forward/Center; #9; 6-11, 220 lbs.; Marquette; November 30, 1949; appeared in 164 regular season games and 19 playoff games. Doug Christie: 1993-94; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Seattle Supersonics on February 22, 1993; Guard; #8; 6-6, 205 lbs.; Pepperdine; May 9, 1970; appeared in 88 regular season games and 5 playoff games. Archie Clark: 1966–68; Lakers 4th round draft pick in 1966; Guard; #21; 6-2, 175 lbs.; Minnesota; July 15, 1941; appeared in 157 regular games and 18 playoff games. Jim Cleamons: 1971-72; Lakers 1st round draft pick in 1971; Guard; #11; 6-4, 185 lbs.; Ohio State; September 13, 1949; appeared in 38 regular season games and 6 playoff games. Lester Conner: 1995; came to the Lakers as a free agent on January 10, 1995; Guard; #7; 6-4, 185 lbs.; Oregon State; September 17, 1959; appeared in 2 regular season games. Brian Cook: 2003–08; Lakers 1st round draft pick in 2003; Forward; #7 & 43; 6-9, 258 lbs.; Illinois; December 4, 1980; appeared in 259 regular season games and 25 playoff games. Duane Cooper: 1992-93; Lakers 2nd round draft pick in 1992; Guard; #5; 6-1, 185 lbs.; University of Southern California (USC); June 25, 1969; appeared in 65 regular season games and 2 playoff games. Joe Cooper: 1982-83; came to the Lakers as a free agent on September 20, 1982; Forward/Center; #35; 6-10, 230 lbs.; Colorado; September 1, 1957; appeared in 2 regular season games. Michael Cooper: 1978–90; Lakers 3rd round draft pick in 1978; Guard/Forward; #21; 6-7, 170 lbs.; New Mexico; April 15, 1956; appeared in 873 regular season games and 168 playoff games. Mel Counts: 1966–70, 1972–74; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Detroit Pistons on January 10, 1967. Returned to the Lakers in a trade with the Philadelphia 76ers on November 2, 1972; Forward/Center; #31; 7-0, 230 lbs.; Oregon State; October 16, 1941; 334 regular season games and 71 playoff games. Freddie Crawford: 1968-69; claimed by the Lakers off waivers from the New York Knicks on January 12, 1968; Guard/Forward; #12; 6-4, 195 lbs.; St. Bonaventure; December 23, 1940; appeared in 119 regular season games and 20 playoff games. Joe Crispin: 2001-02; came to the Lakers as a free agent on August 9, 2001; Guard; #11; 6-0, 185 lbs.; Penn State; July 18, 1979; appeared in 6 regular season games. Javaris Crittenton: 2007-08; Lakers 1st round draft pick in 2007; Guard; #1; 6-5, 200 lbs.; Georgia Tech; December 31, 1987; appeared in 22 games. Lloyd Daniels: 1995; came to the Lakers as a free agent on February 22, 1995; Guard/Forward; #24; 6-7, 205 lbs.; Mt. San Antonio; September 4, 1967; appeared in 25 regular season games. Adrian Dantley: 1977–79; came the Lakers in a trade with the Indiana Pacers on December 13, 1977; Guard/Forward; #4;

THREE : ALL-TIME ROSTER 6-5, 208 lbs.; Notre Dame; February 28, 1956; appeared in 116 regular season games and 11 playoff games. Brad Davis: 1977-78; Lakers 1st round draft pick in 1977; Guard; #15; 6-3, 180 lbs.; Maryland; December 17, 1955; appeared in 38 regular season games. Ernie DiGregorio: 1977-78; acquired by the Lakers from the Buffalo Braves on September 7, 1977; Guard; #15; 6-0, 180 lbs.; Providence; January 15, 1951; appeared in 25 regular season games. Vlade Divac: 1989–96, 2004-05; Lakers 1st round draft pick in 1989. Re-signed as a free agent on July 20, 2004; Center; #12; 7-1, 260 lbs.; no college; February 3, 1968; appeared in 535 regular season games and 51 playoff games. Larry Drew: 1989–91; came to the Lakers as a free agent on August 4, 1989; Guard; #10; 6-2, 175 lbs.; Missouri; April 2, 1958; appeared in 128 regular games and 25 playoff games. Devin Ebanks: 2010-11; Lakers 2nd round draft pick in 2010; Forward; #3; 6-9, 215 lbs.; West Virginia University; October 28, 1989; appeared in 20 regular season games. James Edwards: 1977-78, 1992-93; Lakers 3rd round draft pick in 1977. Re-signed as a free agent on August 13, 1992; Forward/ Center; #53; 7-1, 255 lbs.; Washington; November 22, 1955; appeared in 122 regular season games and 3 playoff games. Johnny Egan: 1968–70; purchased by the Lakers from the Milwaukee Bucks on October 14, 1968; Guard; #21; 6-0, 180 lbs.; Providence; January 31, 1939; appeared in 154 regular season games and 34 playoff games. LeRoy Ellis: 1962–66, 1971–73; Lakers 1st round draft pick in 1962. Returned to the team in a trade with the Portland Trailblazers on September 11, 1971; Forward/Center; #25; 6-11, 210 lbs.; St. John’s; March 10, 1940; appeared in 402 regular season games and 56 playoff games. Keith Erickson: 1968–73; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Chicago Bulls on September 23, 1968; Guard/Forward; #24; 6-5, 195 lbs.; University of California Los Angeles (UCLA); April 19, 1944; appeared in 309 regular season games and 60 playoff games. Maurice Evans: 2006-07; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Detroit Pistons on June 28, 2006; Guard; #6; 6-5, 220 lbs.; Texas; November 8, 1978; appeared in 83 regular season games and 5 playoff games. John Fairchild: 1965-66; Lakers 2nd round draft pick in 1965; Forward; #33; 6-8, 205 lbs.; Brigham Young; April 28, 1943; appeared in 30 regular season games. Jordan Farmar: 2006–10; Lakers 1st round draft pick in 2006; Guard; #5 & 1; 6-2, 180 lbs.; University of California Los Angeles (UCLA); November 30, 1986; appeared in 301 regular season games and 69 playoff games. Ray Felix: 1959–62; came to the Lakers in a trade with the New York Knicks on January 24, 1960; Center; #14; 6-11, 220 lbs.; Long Island; December 10, 1930; appeared in 205 regular season games and 33 playoff games. Hank Finkel: 1966-67; Lakers 2nd round draft pick in 1966; Center; #15; 7-0, 240 lbs.; Dayton; April 20, 1942; appeared in 27 regular season games. Derek Fisher: 1996–2004, 2007–11; Lakers 1st round draft pick in 1996. Returned to the team as a free agent on July 20, 2007; Guard; #2; 6-1, 205 lbs.; Arkansas–Little Rock; August 9, 1974; appeared in 872 regular season games and 193 playoff games.

THREE : ALL-TIME ROSTER

197

Don Ford: 1975–80; Lakers 6th round draft pick in 1975; Forward; #35; 6-9, 215 lbs.; Cal-Santa Barbara; December 31, 1952; appeared in 368 regular season games and 20 playoff games. Greg Foster: 2000-01; came to the Lakers in a trade with the New York Knicks on September 20, 2000; Forward/Center; #40; 6-11, 250 lbs.; Texas-El Paso; October 3, 1968; appeared in 62 regular season games and 1 playoff game. Rick Fox: 1997–2004; came to the Lakers as a free agent on August 28, 1997; Forward; #17; 6-7, 235 lbs.; North Carolina; July 24, 1969; appeared in 486 regular season games and 99 playoff games. Donnie Freeman: 1975-76; came to the Lakers as a free agent on October 1, 1975; Guard; #20; 6-3, 185 lbs.; Illinois; July 18, 1944; appeared in 64 regular season games. Calvin Garrett: 1983-84; came to the Lakers as a free agent on September 7, 1983; Forward; #0; 6-7, 190 lbs.; Oral Roberts; July 11, 1956; appeared in 41 regular season games. Dick Garrett: 1969-70; Lakers 2nd round draft pick in 1969; Guard; #20; 6-3, 185 lbs.; Southern Illinois; January 31, 1947; appeared in 73 regular season games and 18 playoff games. Pau Gasol: 2008–11; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies on February 1, 2008; Forward/Center; #16; 7-0, 250 lbs.; Spain; July 6, 1980; appeared in 255 regular season games and 77 playoff games. Devean George: 1999–2006; Lakers 1st round draft pick in 1999; Forward; #3; 6-8, 235 lbs.; Augsburg; August 29, 1977; appeared in 429 regular season games and 75 playoff games. Mel Gibson: 1963-64; Lakers 2nd round draft pick in 1963; Guard; #15; 6-3, 180 lbs.; Western Carolina; December 31, 1940; appeared in 8 regular season games. Gail Goodrich: 1965–68, 1970–76; Lakers 1st round draft pick in 1965. Returned to the team in a trade with the Phoenix Suns on January 21, 1970; Guard; #11 & 25; 6-1, 170 lbs.; University of California Los Angeles (UCLA); April 23, 1943; appeared in 687 regular season games and 73 playoff games. Brian Grant: 2004-05; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Miami Heat on July 14, 2004; Forward/Center; #55; 6-9, 254 lbs.; Xavier; March 5, 1972; appeared in 69 regular season games. Horace Grant: 2000-01, 2003-04; came to the Lakers in a trade with the New York Knicks on September 20, 2000. Returned to the team as a free agent on July 28, 2003; Forward/Center; #54; 6-10, 245 lbs.; Clemson; July 4, 1965; appeared in 132 regular season games and 16 playoff games. Travis Grant: 1972–74; Lakers 1st round draft pick in 1972; Forward; #5; 6-8, 215 lbs.; Kentucky State; January 1, 1950; appeared in 36 regular season games and 2 playoff games. A.C. Green: 1985–93, 1999-2000; Lakers 1st round draft pick in 1985. Returned to the team in a trade with the Dallas Mavericks on September 1, 1999; Forward; #45; 6-9, 230 lbs.; Oregon State; October 4, 1963; appeared in 735 regular season games and 126 playoff games. Devin Green: 2005-06; came to the Lakers as a free agent on September 6, 2005; Guard; #11; 6-7, 210 lbs.; Hampton; October 25, 1982; appeared in 27 regular season games. Jerry Grote: 1964-65; came to the Lakers as a free agent on August 27, 1964; Guard; #32; 6-4, 215 lbs.; LMU; December 28, 1940; appeared in 11 regular season games.

Ford–Hewitt Petur Gudmundsson: 1986-87; came to the Lakers as a free agent on March 19, 1986; Center; #34; 7-2, 260 lbs.; Washington; October 30, 1958; appeared in 8 regular season games and 12 playoff games. Happy Hairston: 1969–75; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Detroit Pistons on November 27, 1969; Forward; #52; 67, 225 lbs.; New York University; May 31, 1942; appeared in 395 regular season games and 51 playoff games. Jack Haley: 1991-92; came to the Lakers as a free agent on October 4, 1991; Forward/Center; #54; 6-10, 240 lbs.; University of California Los Angeles (UCLA); January 27, 1964; appeared in 49 regular season games and 2 playoff games. Dennis Hamilton: 1967-68; came to the Lakers as a free agent on October 21, 1967; Forward; #30; 6-8, 210 lbs.; Arizona State; May 8, 1944; appeared in 44 regular season games and 2 playoff games. Alan Hardy: 1980-81; came to the Lakers as a free agent on August 13, 1980; Forward; #25; 6-7, 195 lbs.; Michigan; May 25, 1957; appeared in 22 regular season games. Derek Harper: 1999; came to the Lakers as a free agent on January 21, 1999; Guard; #12; 6-4, 206 lbs.; Illinois; October 13, 1961; appeared in 45 regular season games and 7 playoff games. Ron Harper: 1999–2001; came to the Lakers as a free agent on October 13, 1999; Guard; #4; 6-6, 216 lbs.; Miami (Ohio); January 20, 1964; appeared in 127 regular season games and 29 playoff games. Antonio Harvey: 1993–95; came to the Lakers as a free agent on July 15, 1993; Forward/Center; #40; 6-11, 225 lbs.; Pfeiffer; July 9, 1970; appeared in 86 regular season games and 3 playoff games. Connie Hawkins: 1973–75; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Phoenix Suns on November 1, 1973; Forward/Center; #42; 6-8, 215 lbs.; Iowa; July 17, 1942; appeared in 114 regular season games and 5 playoff games. Tom Hawkins: 1959–62, 1966–69; Lakers 1st round draft pick in 1959. Returned to the team when he was purchased from the Cincinnati Royals on September 14, 1966; Forward; #20 & 33; 6-5, 210 lbs.; Notre Dame; December 22, 1936; appeared in 523 regular season games and 65 playoff games. Nate Hawthorne: 1973-74; Lakers 7th round draft pick in 1973; Guard; #20; 6-4, 190 lbs.; Southern Illinois; January 15, 1950; appeared in 33 regular season games and 3 playoff games. Spencer Haywood: 1979-80; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Utah Jazz on August 13, 1979; Forward/Center; #31; 6-8, 225 lbs.; Detroit; April 22, 1949; appeared in 76 regular season games and 11 playoff games. Walt Hazzard (also known as Mahdi-Abdul-Rahman): 1964–67; Lakers 1st round draft pick in 1964; Guard; #42; 6-2, 190 lbs.; University of California Los Angeles (UCLA); April 15, 1942; appeared in 225 regular season games and 24 playoff games. Jerome Henderson: 1986; came to the Lakers as a free agent on March 10, 1986; Forward/Center; #23; 6-11, 230 lbs.; New Mexico; October 5, 1959; appeared in 1 regular season game. Fred Hetzel: 1970-71; claimed off waivers by the Lakers from the Portland Trailblazers on September 10, 1970; Forward/Center; #30; 6-8, 230 lbs.; Davidson; July 21, 1942; appeared in 59 regular season games and 7 playoff games. Bill Hewitt: 1968–70; Lakers 1st round draft pick in 1968; For-

Higgins–Krebs

198

ward; #30; 6-7, 210 lbs.; University of Southern California (USC); August 8, 1944; appeared in 95 regular season games and 15 playoff games. Mike Higgins: 1989-90; came to the Lakers as a free agent on September 18, 1989; Forward; #55; 6-9, 220 lbs.; Northern Colorado; February 17, 1967; appeared in 6 regular season games. Brad Holland: 1979–81; Lakers 1st round draft pick in 1979; Guard; #14; 6-3, 220 lbs.; University of California Los Angeles (UCLA); December 12, 1956; appeared in 79 regular season games. Ron Horn: 1962-63; came to the Lakers as a free agent for the 1962-63 season; Forward; #24; 6-7, 225 lbs.; Indiana; May 24, 1938; appeared in 28 regular season games and 7 playoff games. Robert Horry: 1997–2003; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Phoenix Suns on January 10, 1997; Forward; #5; 6-10, 240 lbs.; Alabama; August 25, 1970; appeared in 448 regular season games and 100 playoff games. Lou Hudson: 1977–79; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks on September 30, 1977; Guard/Forward; #23; 6-5, 215 lbs.; Minnesota; July 11, 1944; appeared in 160 regular season games and 9 playoff games. Rod “Hot Rod” Hundley: 1957–63; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Rochester Royals on April 17, 1957; Guard; #33; 6-4, 185 lbs.; West Virginia; October 26, 1934; appeared in 431 regular season games and 53 playoff games. Lindsey Hunter: 2001-02; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Milwaukee Bucks on June 28, 2001; Guard; #10; 6-2, 190 lbs.; Jackson State; December 3, 1970; 82 regular season games and 18 playoff games. Didier Ilunga-Mbenga: 2008–10; came to the Lakers as a free agent on January 21, 2008; Center; #28; 7-0, 255 lbs.; Democratic Republic of the Congo; December 30, 1980; appeared in 98 regular season games and 17 playoff games. Darrall Imhoff: 1964–68; purchased by the Lakers from the Detroit Pistons on April 16, 1964; Center; #14; 6-10, 220 lbs.; California; October 11, 1938; appeared in 316 regular season games and 43 playoff games. Jim Jackson: 2006; came to the Lakers as a free agent on March 6, 2006; Guard/Forward; #24; 6-6, 220 lbs.; Ohio State; October 14, 1970; appeared in 13 regular season games and 3 playoff games. Tony Jackson: 1980-81; Lakers 4th round draft pick in 1980; Guard; #23; 6-0, 170 lbs.; Florida State; January 17, 1958; appeared in 2 regular season games. Sam Jacobson: 1998–2000; Lakers 1st round draft pick in 1998; Guard/Forward; #7; 6-6, 215 lbs.; Minnesota; July 22, 1975; appeared in 5 regular season games. Clay Johnson: 1981–83; came to the Lakers as a free agent on August 19, 1981; Guard; #34; 6-4, 175 lbs.; Missouri; July 18, 1956; appeared in 55 regular season games and 14 playoff games. Earvin “Magic” Johnson: 1979–91, 1995-96; Lakers first round draft pick in 1979. Returned to the team on January 29, 1996; Guard; #32; 6-9, 220 lbs.; Michigan State; August 14, 1959; appeared in 906 regular season games and 190 playoff games. Ron Johnson: 1960-61; purchased by the Lakers from the Detroit Pistons on December 15, 1960; Forward; #52; 6-8, 215 lbs.; Minnesota; July 20, 1938; appeared in 8 regular season games.

THREE : ALL-TIME ROSTER Trey Johnson: 2011; came to the Lakers as a free agent on April 13, 2011; Guard; #10; 6-5, 218 lbs.; Jackson State University; August 30, 1984; appeared in 1 regular season game and 3 playoff games. Howie Jolliff: 1960–63; Lakers 7th round draft pick in 1960; Forward/Center; #54; 6-7, 220 lbs.; Ohio University; July 20, 1938; appeared in 138 regular season games and 13 playoff games. Dwight Jones: 1982-83; came to the Lakers in a trade from the Chicago Bulls on February 15, 1983; Forward/Center; #13; 610, 210 lbs.; Houston; February 27, 1952; appeared in 32 regular season games and 7 playoff games. Earl Jones: 1984-85; Lakers 1st round draft pick in 1984; Center; #1; 7-0, 230 lbs.; District of Columbia; January 13, 1961; appeared in 2 regular season games. Eddie Jones: 1994–99; Lakers 1st round draft pick in 1994; Guard; #25 & 6; 6-6, 200 lbs.; Temple; October 20, 1971; appeared in 314 regular season games and 36 playoff games. Jumaine Jones: 2004-05; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Boston Celtics on August 6, 2004; Forward; #20; 6-8, 242 lbs.; Georgia; February 10, 1979; appeared in 76 regular season games. Eddie Jordan: 1980–84; came to the Lakers in a trade with the New Jersey Nets on November 19, 1980; Guard; #15 & 5; 6-1, 170 lbs.; Rutgers; January 29, 1955; appeared in 156 regular season games and 5 playoff games. Reggie Jordan: 1994; came to the Lakers as a free agent on January 22, 1994; Guard; #23; 6-4, 195 lbs.; New Mexico State; January 26, 1968; appeared in 23 regular season games. Coby Karl: 2007-08; came to the Lakers as a free agent on July 30, 2007; Guard; #11; 6-5, 215 lbs.; Boise State; June 8, 1983; appeared in 17 regular season games and 1 playoff game. Jerome Kersey: 1996-97; came to the Lakers as a free agent on August 12, 1996; Forward; #12; 6-7, 225 lbs.; Longwood; June 26, 1962; appeared in 70 regular season games and 9 playoff games. Randolph Keys: 1995; came to the Lakers as a free agent on February 28, 1995; Guard/Forward; #8; 6-7, 195 lbs.; Southern Mississippi; April 19, 1966; appeared in 6 regular season games. Earnie Killum: 1970-71; Lakers 2nd round draft pick in 1970; Guard; #20; 6-3, 185 lbs.; Stetson; June 11, 1948; appeared in 4 regular season games and 2 playoff games. Frankie King: 1995-96; Lakers 2nd round draft pick in 1995; Guard; #4; 6-1, 185 lbs.; Western Carolina; June 6, 1972; appeared in 6 regular season games. Jim King: 1963–66; Lakers 2nd round draft pick in 1963; Guard; #21; 6-2, 175 lbs.; Tulsa; February 7, 1941; appeared in 213 regular season games and 28 playoff games. Joe Kleine: 1997; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Phoenix Suns on January 10, 1997; Center; #35; 7-0, 270 lbs.; Arkansas; January 4, 1962; appeared in 8 regular season games. Travis Knight: 1996-97, 1999-2000; came to the Lakers as a free agent on July 31, 1996. Returned to the team in a trade with the Boston Celtics on January 21, 1999; Forward/Center; #40; 7-0, 235 lbs.; Connecticut; September 13, 1974; appeared in 171 regular season games and 26 playoff games. Jim Krebs: 1957–64; Lakers 1st round draft pick in 1957; Forward/Center; #32; 6-8, 230 lbs.; Southern Methodist University

THREE : ALL-TIME ROSTER

199

(SMU); September 8, 1935; appeared in 515 regular season games and 62 playoff games. Larry Krystkowiak: 1997; came to the Lakers as a free agent on February 24, 1997; Forward/Center; #7; 6-9, 240 lbs.; Montana; September 23, 1964; appeared in 3 regular season games. Mitch Kupchak: 1981-82, 1983–86; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Washington Bullets on August 5, 1981; Forward/Center; #41 & 25; 6-10, 230 lbs.; North Carolina; May 24, 1954; appeared in 173 regular season games and 30 playoff games. C.J. Kupec: 1975–77; Lakers 4th round draft pick in 1975; Forward/Center; #41; 6-6, 220 lbs.; Michigan; January 16, 1953; appeared in 98 regular season games and 11 playoff games. Bo Lamar: 1976-77; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Detroit Pistons on October 20, 1976; Guard; #11; 6-1, 180 lbs.; SW Louisiana; April 7, 1951; appeared in 71 regular season games and 10 playoff games. Jeff Lamp: 1987–89; came to the Lakers in a trade with the San Antonio Spurs on October 7, 1987; Guard/Forward; #3; 6-6, 195 lbs.; Virginia; March 9, 1959; appeared in 40 regular season games and 5 playoff games. Mark Landsberger: 1980–83; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Chicago Bulls on February 14, 1980; Forward/Center; #54; 6-8, 225 lbs.; Arizona State; May 21, 1955; appeared in 206 regular season games and 39 playoff games. Stu Lantz: 1974–76; came to the Lakers in a trade with the New Orleans Jazz on December 6, 1974; Guard; #23; 6-3, 180 lbs.; Nebraska; July 14, 1946; appeared in 109 regular season games. Rudy LaRusso: 1959–67; Lakers 2nd round draft pick in 1959; Forward/Center; #35; 6-8, 220 lbs.; Dartmouth; November 11, 1937; appeared in 582 regular season games and 77 playoff games. Butch Lee: 1980; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers on February 15, 1980; Guard; #15; 6-0, 175 lbs.; Marquette; December 5, 1956; appeared in 11 regular season games and 3 playoff games. Bob “Slick” Leonard: 1956–61; Drafted by the Lakers from the Baltimore Bullets in dispersal draft on November 28, 1954; Guard; #21; 6-3, 185 lbs.; Indiana; February 15, 1932; appeared in 324 regular season games and 34 playoff games. Ronnie Lester: 1984–86; came to the Lakers as a free agent on November 29, 1984; Guard; #12; 6-2, 175 lbs.; Iowa; January 1, 1959; appeared in 59 regular season games and 9 playoff games. Stan Love: 1973–75; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Baltimore Bullets on August 23, 1973; Forward; #34; 6-9, 215 lbs.; Oregon; April 9, 1949; appeared in 81 regular season games and 2 playoff games. Maurice Lucas: 1985-86; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Phoenix Suns on August 19, 1985; Forward/Center; #20; 6-9, 215 lbs.; Marquette; February 18, 1952; appeared in 77 regular season games and 14 playoff games. Tyronn Lue: 1998–2001; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Denver Nuggets on June 24, 1998; Guard; #10; 6-0, 175 lbs.; Nebraska; May 3, 1977; appeared in 61 regular season games and 18 playoff games. George Lynch: 1993–96; Lakers 1st round draft pick in 1993; Forward; #30 & 34; 6-8, 220 lbs.; North Carolina; September 3, 1970; appeared in 203 regular season games and 12 playoff games.

Krystkowiak–McNamara Mike Lynn: 1969-70; Purchased by the Lakers from the Chicago Bulls on September 9, 1969; Forward; #33; 6-7, 215 lbs.; University of California Los Angeles (UCLA); November 25, 1945; appeared in 44 regular season games and 3 playoff games. Ollie Mack: 1979-80; Lakers 2nd round draft pick in 1979; Guard; #25; 6-3, 195 lbs.; East Carolina; June 6, 1957; appeared in 27 regular season games. Mark Madsen: 2000–03; Lakers 1st round draft pick in 2000; Forward; #35; 6-9, 245 lbs.; Stanford; January 28, 1976; appeared in 183 regular season games and 32 playoff games. Karl Malone: 2003-04; came to the Lakers as a free agent on July 16, 2003; Forward; #11; 6-9, 259 lbs.; Louisiana Tech; July 24, 1963; appeared in 42 regular season games and 21 playoff games. Wes Matthews: 1986–88; came to the Lakers as a free agent on October 13, 1986; Guard; #1; 6-1, 170 lbs.; Wisconsin; August 24, 1959; appeared in 101 regular season games and 22 playoff games. Bob McAdoo: 1981–85; came to the Lakers in a trade with the New Jersey Nets on December 24, 1981; Forward; #11; 6-9, 210 lbs.; North Carolina; September 15, 1951; appeared in 224 regular season games and 61 playoff games. Mel McCants: 1989-90; came to the Lakers as a free agent on October 2, 1989; Forward; #49; 6-8, 240 lbs.; Purdue; August 19, 1967; appeared in 13 regular season games and 2 playoff games. Willie McCarter: 1969–71; Lakers 1st round draft pick in 1969; Guard; #15; 6-3, 175 lbs.; Drake; July 26, 1946; appeared in 116 regular season games and 17 playoff games. George McCloud: 1997; came to the Lakers in a trade with the New Jersey Nets on February 20, 1997; Guard/Forward; #24; 6-8, 225 lbs.; Florida State; May 27, 1967; appeared in 23 regular season games. Jelani McCoy: 2001-02; came to the Lakers as a free agent on September 21, 2001; Forward/Center; #6; 6-10, 245 lbs.; University of California Los Angeles (UCLA); December 6, 1977; appeared in 21 regular season games. Jim McDaniels: 1975-76; came to the Lakers as a free agent on October 28, 1975; Forward/Center; #11; 6-11, 230 lbs.; Western Kentucky; April 2, 1948; appeared in 35 regular season games. Mike McGee: 1981–86; Lakers 1st round draft pick in 1981; Guard/Forward; #40; 6-5, 205 lbs.; Michigan; July 29, 1959; appeared in 302 regular season games and 50 playoff games. Bill McGill: 1965; came to the Lakers as a free agent on January 28, 1965; Forward/Center; #40; 6-9, 225 lbs.; Utah; September 16, 1939; appeared in 8 regular season games and 5 playoff games. Kevin McKenna: 1981-82; came to the Lakers as a free agent on August 19, 1981; Guard/Forward; #30; 6-5, 195 lbs.; Creighton; January 8, 1959; appeared in 36 regular season games. Aaron McKie: 2005–07; came to the Lakers as a free agent on August 26, 2005; Guard; #2; 6-5, 209 lbs.; Temple; October 2, 1972; appeared in 24 regular season games and 1 playoff game. Jim McMillian: 1970–73; Lakers 1st round draft pick in 1971; Forward; #5; 6-5, 225 lbs.; Columbia; March 11, 1948; appeared in 242 regular season games and 44 playoff games. Mark McNamara: 1988–90; came to the Lakers as a free agent on October 3, 1988; Forward/Center; #31; 6-11, 235 lbs.; California; June 8, 1959; appeared in 72 regular season games.

McNeill–Profit

200

Bob McNeill: 1961-62; purchased by the Lakers from the Philadelphia Warriors in December of 1961; Guard; #52; 6-1, 180 lbs.; St. Joseph’s; October 22, 1938; appeared in 50 regular season games and 5 playoff games. Stanislav Medvedenko: 2000–06; came to the Lakers as a free agent on August 15, 2000; Forward; #14; 6-10, 253 lbs.; Ukraine; April 4, 1979; appeared in 249 regular season games and 37 playoff games. Cliff Meely: 1976; came to the Lakers as a free agent on January 21, 1976; Forward/Center; #21; 6-8, 215 lbs.; Colorado; July 10, 1947; appeared in 20 regular season games. Chris Mihm: 2004–09; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Boston Celtics on August 6, 2004; Center; #31; 7-0, 265 lbs.; Texas; July 16, 1979; appeared in 175 regular season games and 1 playoff game. Anthony Miller: 1994–96; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Golden State Warriors on July 1, 1994; Forward; #2; 6-9, 255 lbs.; Michigan State; October 22, 1971; appeared in 73 regular season games and 4 playoff games. Steve Mix: 1982-83; came to the Lakers as a free agent on April 16, 1983; Forward; #50; 6-7, 215 lbs.; Toledo; December 30, 1947; appeared in 1 regular season game and 8 playoff games. Adam Morrison: 2009-10; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Charlotte Bobcats on February 7, 2009; Forward; #6; 6-8, 205 lbs.; Gonzaga; July 19, 1984; appeared in 39 regular season games and 2 playoff games. Erwin Mueller: 1968; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Chicago Bulls on January 9, 1968; Forward/Center; #34; 6-8, 230 lbs.; San Francisco; March 12, 1944; appeared in 39 regular season games and 14 playoff games. Allen Murphy: 1976-77; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Chicago Bulls on October 4, 1976; Guard; #20; 6-5, 190 lbs.; Louisville; July 15, 1952; appeared in 2 regular season games. Tracy Murray: 2002-03; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Toronto Raptors on June 26, 2002; Forward; #35; 6-7, 230 lbs.; University of California Los Angeles (UCLA); July 25, 1971; appeared in 31 regular season games. Charles “Cotton” Nash: 1964-65; Lakers 2nd round draft pick in 1964; Forward; #33; 6-6, 220 lbs.; Kentucky; July 24, 1942; appeared in 25 regular season games. Swen Nater: 1983-84; came to the Lakers in a trade with the San Diego Clippers on October 16, 1983; Center; #41; 6-11, 250 lbs.; University of California Los Angeles (UCLA); January 14, 1950; appeared in 69 regular season games and 17 playoff games. Don Nelson: 1963–65; claimed off waivers by the Lakers from the Chicago Zephyrs on September 6, 1963; Forward; #20; 66, 210 lbs.; Iowa; May 15, 1940; appeared in 119 regular season games and 16 playoff games. Johnny Neumann: 1976-77; came to the Lakers as a free agent on November 19, 1976; Guard/Forward; #21; 6-6, 200 lbs.; Mississippi; September 11, 1951; appeared in 59 regular season games and 6 playoff games. Chuck Nevitt: 1984–86; came to the Lakers as a free agent on September 21, 1984; Center; #43; 7-5, 250 lbs.; North Carolina State; June 13, 1959; appeared in 15 regular season games and 7 playoff games. Ira Newble: 2008; came to the Lakers as a free agent on March 21,

THREE : ALL-TIME ROSTER 2008; Forward; #14; 6-7, 220 lbs.; Miami (Ohio); January 20, 1975; appeared in 6 regular season games and 1 playoff game. Norm Nixon: 1977–83; Lakers 1st round draft pick in 1977; Guard; #10; 6-2, 175 lbs.; Duquesne; October 11, 1955; appeared in 485 regular season games and 58 playoff games. Lamar Odom: 2004–11; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Miami Heat on July 14, 2004; Forward; #7; 6-10, 225 lbs.; Rhode Island; November 6, 1979; appeared in 519 regular season games and 89 playoff games. Jawann Oldham: 1990; came to the Lakers as a free agent on March 5, 1990; Center; #55; 7-0, 220 lbs.; Seattle; July 4, 1957; appeared in 3 regular season games. Shaquille O’Neal: 1996–2004; came to the Lakers as a free agent on July 18, 1996; Center; #34; 7-1, 340 lbs.; Louisiana State; March 6, 1972; appeared in 514 regular season games and 122 playoff games. Keith Owens: 1991-92; came to the Lakers as a free agent on September 30, 1991; Forward; #25; 6-7, 225 lbs.; University of California Los Angeles (UCLA); May 31, 1969; appeared in 20 regular season games. Jannero Pargo: 2002–04; came to the Lakers as a free agent on July 26, 2002; Guard; #12; 6-1, 175 lbs.; Arkansas; October 22, 1979; appeared in 47 regular season games and 11 playoff games. William “Smush” Parker: 2005–07; came to the Lakers as a free agent on August 2, 2005; Guard; #1; 6-4, 180 lbs.; Fordham; June 1, 1981; appeared in 164 regular season games and 12 playoff games. Myles Patrick: 1980-81; came to the Lakers as a free agent on August 1, 1980; Forward; #34; 6-8, 220 lbs.; Auburn; November 16, 1954; appeared in 3 regular season games. Ruben Patterson: 1998-99; Lakers 2nd round draft pick in 1998; Guard/Forward; #21; 6-6, 227 lbs.; Cincinnati; July 3, 1975; appeared in 24 regular season games and 3 playoff games. Gary Payton: 2003-04; came to the Lakers as a free agent on July 16, 2003; Guard; #20; 6-4, 190 lbs.; Oregon State; July 23, 1968; appeared in 82 regular season games and 22 playoff games. Anthony Peeler: 1992–96; Lakers 1st round draft pick in 1992; Guard; #1; 6-4, 215 lbs.; Missouri; November 25, 1969; appeared in 253 regular season games and 13 playoff games. Mike Penberthy: 2000–02; came to the Lakers as a free agent on October 2, 2000; Guard; #12; 6-3, 185 lbs.; The Masters College; November 29, 1974; appeared in 56 regular season games. Sam Perkins: 1990–93; came to the Lakers as a free agent on August 6, 1990; Forward/Center; #14; 6-9, 255 lbs.; North Carolina; June 14, 1961; appeared in 185 regular season games and 19 playoff games. Josh Powell: 2008–10; came to the Lakers as a free agent on August 14, 2008; Forward; #21; 6-9, 240 lbs.; North Carolina State; January 25, 1983; appeared in 123 regular season games and 24 playoff games. Jim Price: 1972–75, 1978-79; Lakers 2nd round draft pick in 1972. Returned to the team as a free agent on October 8, 1978; Guard; #15 & 5; 6-2, 195 lbs.; Louisville; November 27, 1949; appeared in 225 regular season games and 16 playoff games. Laron Profit: 2005-06; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Washington Wizards on August 2, 2005; Guard/Forward; #9; 6-5, 240 lbs.; Maryland; August 5, 1977; appeared in 25 regular season games.

THREE : ALL-TIME ROSTER

201

Vladimir Radmanovic: 2006–09; came to the Lakers as a free agent on July 12, 2006; Forward; #10; 6-10, 235 lbs.; Serbia and Montenegro; November 19, 1980; appeared in 166 regular season games and 21 playoff games. Kurt Rambis: 1981–88, 1993–95; came to the Lakers as a free agent on September 13, 1981. Returned to the team as a free agent on October 1, 1993; Forward; #31 & 18; 6-8, 215 lbs.; Santa Clara; February 25, 1958; appeared in 569 regular season games and 119 playoff games. Theo Ratliff: 2010-11; came to the Lakers as a free agent on July 22, 2010; Center/Forward; #50; 6-10, 225 lbs.; Wyoming; April 17, 1973; appeared in 10 regular season games and 1 playoff game. Hubert “Hub” Reed: 1963-64; purchased by the Lakers from the Cincinnati Royals on September 24, 1963; Forward/Center; #14; 6-9, 220 lbs.; Oklahoma City; October 4, 1936; appeared in 46 regular season games and 1 playoff game. J.R. Reid: 1999; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Charlotte Hornets on March 10, 1999; Forward/Center; #11; 6-10, 250 lbs.; North Carolina; March 31, 1968; appeared in 25 regular season games and 8 playoff games. Glen Rice: 1999-2000; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Charlotte Hornets on March 10, 1999; Forward; #41; 6-8, 221 lbs.; Michigan; May 28, 1967; appeared in 107 regular season games and 30 playoff games. Mitch Richmond: 2001-02; came to the Lakers as a free agent on July 20, 2001; Guard; #23; 6-5, 220 lbs.; Kansas State; June 30, 1965; appeared in 64 regular season games and 2 playoff games. Isaiah Rider: 2000-01; came to the Lakers as a free agent on August 25, 2000; Guard; #7; 6-5, 215 lbs,; University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV); March 12, 1971; appeared in 67 regular season games. Pat Riley: 1970–76; claimed off waivers by the Lakers from the Portland Trailblazers on October 7, 1970; Guard; #12; 6-4, 205 lbs.; Kentucky; March 20, 1945; appeared in 369 regular season games and 34 playoff games. David Rivers: 1988-89; Lakers 1st round draft pick in 1988; Guard; #14; 6-0, 175 lbs.; Notre Dame; January 20, 1965; appeared in 47 regular season games and 6 playoff games. Rick Roberson: 1969–71; Lakers 1st round draft pick in 1969; Forward/Center; #35; 6-9, 235 lbs.; Cincinnati; July 7, 1947; appeared in 139 regular season games and 18 playoff games. Fred Roberts: 1995-96; came to the Lakers as a free agent on October 3, 1995; Forward; #24; 6-10, 220 lbs.; Brigham Young; August 14, 1960; appeared in 33 regular season games and 1 playoff game. Marv Roberts: 1976-77; came to the Lakers as a free agent on November 2, 1976; Forward/Center; #30; 6-8, 220 lbs.; Utah State; January 29, 1950; appeared in 28 regular season games. Cliff Robinson: 1992; came to the Lakers as a free agent on March 20, 1992; Forward; #43; 6-9, 220 lbs.; University of Southern California (USC); March 13, 1960; appeared in 9 regular season games and 3 playoff games. Flynn Robinson: 1971–73; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Cincinnati Royals on September 20, 1971; Guard; #21; 6-1, 190 lbs.; Wyoming; April 28, 1941; appeared in 70 regular season games and 7 playoff games. Rumeal Robinson: 1996-97; came to the Lakers as a free agent

Radmanovic–Selvy on August 9, 1996; Guard; #20; 6-2, 195 lbs.; Michigan; November 13, 1966; appeared in 15 regular season games. Dave Robisch: 1977–79; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Indiana Pacers on December 13, 1977; Forward/Center; #40; 6-10, 235 lbs.; Kansas; December 22, 1949; appeared in 135 regular season games and 8 playoff games. John Roche: 1976; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Phoenix Suns on January 20, 1976; Guard; #15; 6-3, 170 lbs.; South Carolina; September 26, 1949; appeared in 15 regular season games. Dennis Rodman: 1999; came to the Lakers as a free agent on February 23, 1999; Forward; #73; 6-7, 220 lbs.; SE Oklahoma State; May 31, 1961; appeared in 23 regular season games. Sean Rooks: 1996–99; came to the Lakers as a free agent on July 16, 1996; Forward/Center; #45; 6-10, 260 lbs.; Arizona; September 9, 1969; appeared in 146 regular season games and 19 playoff games. Kareem Rush: 2002–05; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Toronto Raptors on June 26, 2002; Guard; #21; 6-6, 215 lbs.; Missouri; October 30, 1980; appeared in 162 regular season games and 31 playoff games. Byron Russell: 2003-04; came to the Lakers as a free agent on October 1, 2003; Guard/Forward; #9; 6-7, 225 lbs.; Long Beach State; December 31, 1970; appeared in 72 regular season games and 6 playoff games. Cazzie Russell: 1974–77; came to the Lakers as a free agent on September 6, 1974; Guard/Forward; #32; 6-5, 220 lbs.; Michigan; June 7, 1944; appeared in 196 regular season games and 11 playoff games. John Salley: 1999-2000; came to the Lakers as a free agent on September 29, 1999; Forward/Center; #16; 6-11, 250 lbs.; Georgia Tech; May 16, 1964; appeared in 45 regular season games and 18 playoff games. Sourmalia Samake: 2002-03; came to the Lakers as a free agent on August 23, 2002; Center; #0; 7-0, 245 lbs.; Mali; March 18, 1978; appeared in 13 regular season games. Jamal Sampson: 2003-04; came to the Lakers as a free agent on July 24, 2003; Forward/Center; #31; 6-11, 235 lbs.; California; May 15, 1983; appeared in 10 regular season games. Danny Schayes: 1994; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Milwaukee Bucks on February 24, 1994; Center; #26; 6-11; 260 lbs.; Syracuse; May 10, 1959; appeared in 13 regular season games. Byron Scott: 1983–93, 1996-97; came to the Lakers in a trade with the San Diego Clippers on October 16, 1983. Returned to the team as a free agent on September 30, 1996; Guard; #4; 6-4, 200 lbs.; Arizona State; March 28, 1961; appeared in 846 regular season games and 150 playoff games. Charlie Scott: 1977-78; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Boston Celtics on December 27, 1977; Guard/Forward; #11; 65, 175 lbs.; North Carolina; December 15, 1948; appeared in 48 regular season games and 3 playoff games. Shea Seals: 1997-98; came to the Lakers as a free agent on September 17, 1997; Guard; #24; 6-5, 210 lbs.; Tulsa; August 26, 1975; appeared in 4 regular season games. Frank Selvy: 1957-58, 1959–64; came to the Lakers in a trade with the St. Louis Hawks on February 16, 1958. Returned to the team after the Lakers purchased him from the Syracuse

Shaw–Washington

202

Nationals on December 15, 1959; Guard/Forward; #11 & 70; 6-2, 180 lbs.; Furman; appeared in 409 regular season games and 50 playoff games. Brian Shaw: 1999–2003; came to the Lakers as a free agent on October 20, 1999; Guard; #20; 6-6, 200 lbs.; UC Santa Barbara; March 22, 1966; appeared in 284 regular season games and 69 playoff games. Bob Sims: 1961-62; came to the Lakers as a free agent on June 21, 1961; Guard/Forward; #24; 6-5, 220 lbs.; Pepperdine; October 9, 1938; appeared in 19 regular season games. Bobby Smith: 1959-60, 1961-62; Lakers 3rd round draft pick in 1959; Guard; #21; 6-4, 190 lbs.; West Virginia; August 20, 1937; appeared in 13 regular season games. Elmore Smith: 1973–75; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Buffalo Braves on September 12, 1973; Center; #3; 7-1, 250 lbs.; Kentucky State; May 9, 1949; appeared in 155 regular season games and 5 playoff games. Joe Smith: 2010-11; came to the Lakers in a trade with the New Jersey Nets on December 15, 2010; Forward; #1; 6-10, 225 lbs.; Maryland; July 26, 1975; appeared in 12 regular season games and 5 playoff games. Tony Smith: 1990–95; Lakers 2nd round draft pick in 1990; Guard; #34; 6-4, 205; Marquette; June 14, 1968; appeared in 316 regular season games and 22 playoff games. Mike Smrek: 1986-87; came to the Lakers as a free agent on November 7, 1986; Center; #52; 7-0, 250 lbs.; Canisius; August 31, 1962; appeared in 83 regular season games and 18 playoff games. Rory Sparrow: 1991-92; came to the Lakers as a free agent on December 6, 1991; Guard; #2; 6-2, 175 lbs.; Villanova; June 12, 1958; appeared in 42 regular season games and 3 playoff games. Larry Spriggs: 1983–86; came to the Lakers as a free agent on September 7, 1983; Forward; #35; 6-7, 230 lbs.; Howard; September 8, 1959; appeared in 156 regular season games and 28 playoff games. Derek Strong: 1995-96; came to the Lakers as a free agent on October 26, 1995; Forward/Center; #7; 6-8, 225 lbs.; Xavier; February 9, 1968; appeared in 63 regular season games. Sun Yue: 2008-09; Lakers 2nd round draft pick in 2007; Guard; #9; 6-9, 205 lbs.; China; November 6, 1985; appeared in 10 regular season games. Earl Tatum: 1976–78; Lakers 2nd round draft pick in 1976; Guard; #43; 6-4, 185 lbs.; Marquette; July 26, 1953; appeared in 93 regular season games and 11 playoff games. Terry Teagle: 1990–92; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Golden State Warriors on September 25, 1990; Guard; #20; 6-5, 195 lbs.; Baylor; April 10, 1960; appeared in 164 regular season games and 22 playoff games. Irving Thomas: 1990-91; came to the Lakers as a free agent on October 16, 1990; Forward; #30; 6-9, 230 lbs.; Florida State; January 2, 1966; appeared in 26 regular season games and 3 playoff games. Billy Thompson: 1986–88; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks on June 17, 1986; Forward; #55; 6-7, 220 lbs.; Louisville; December 1, 1963; appeared in 68 regular season games and 3 playoff games. Mychal Thompson: 1987–91; came to the Lakers in a trade with the San Antonio Spurs on February 13, 1987; Forward/Center;

THREE : ALL-TIME ROSTER #43; 6-10, 235 lbs.; Minnesota; January 30, 1955; appeared in 335 regular season games and 74 playoff games. Sedale Threatt: 1991–96; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Seattle Supersonics on October 2, 1991; Guard; #3; 6-2, 185 lbs.; West Virginia Tech; September 10, 1958; appeared in 386 regular season games and 14 playoff games. Ray Tolbert: 1987-88; came to the Lakers as a free agent on December 12, 1987; Forward; #34; 6-9, 225 lbs.; Indiana; September 10, 1958; appeared in 14 regular season games. John Trapp: 1971–73; claimed off waivers by the Lakers from the Houston Rockets on October 13, 1971; Forward; #31 & 24; 67, 215 lbs.; University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV); October 2, 1945; appeared in 63 regular season games and 10 playoff games. John Tresvant: 1970; purchased by the Lakers from the Seattle Supersonics on January 23, 1970; Forward/Center; #14; 6-7, 215 lbs.; Seattle; November 6, 1939; appeared in 28 regular season games and 11 playoff games. Ronny Turiaf: 2005–08; Lakers 2nd round draft pick in 2005; Forward; #21; 6-10, 249 lbs.; Gonzaga; January 13, 1983; appeared in 173 regular season games and 26 playoff games. Bill Turner: 1972-73; came to the Lakers as a free agent on December 6, 1972; Forward; #30; 6-7, 220 lbs.; Akron; February 18, 1944; appeared in 19 regular season games and 2 playoff games. Ime Udoka: 2003-04; came to the Lakers as a free agent on August 13, 2003; Forward; #5; 6-6, 215 lbs.; Portland State; August 9, 1977; appeared in 4 regular season games. Nick Van Exel: 1993–98; Lakers 2nd round draft pick in 1993; Guard; #9; 6-1, 190 lbs.; Cincinnati; November 27, 1971; appeared in 378 regular season games and 36 playoff games. Jay Vincent: 1989-90; came to the Lakers as a free agent on December 24, 1989; Forward; #3; 6-8, 220 lbs.; Michigan State; June 10, 1959; appeared in 24 regular season games and 3 playoff games. Sasha Vujacic: 2004–10; Lakers 1st round draft pick in 2004; Guard; #18; 6-7, 205 lbs.; Slovenia; March 8, 1984; appeared in 420 regular season games and 65 playoff games. Von Wafer: 2005-06; Lakers 2nd round draft pick in 2005; Guard; #3; 6-5, 210 lbs.; Florida State; July 21, 1985; appeared in 16 regular season games. Milt Wagner: 1987-88; came to the Lakers as a free agent on October 2, 1987; Guard; #20; 6-5, 185 lbs.; Louisville; February 20, 1963; appeared in 40 regular season games and 5 playoff games. Samaki Walker: 2001–03; came to the Lakers as a free agent on July 20, 2001; Forward; #52; 6-5, 255 lbs.; Louisville; February 25, 1976; appeared in 136 regular season games and 28 playoff games. Luke Walton: 2003–11; Lakers 2nd round draft pick in 2003; Forward; #4; 6-8, 235 lbs.; Arizona; March 28, 1980; appeared in 484 regular season games and 88 playoff games. Cornell Warner: 1975-76; purchased by the Lakers from the Milwaukee Bucks on October 22, 1975; Forward/Center; #30; 69, 225 lbs.; Jackson State; August 12, 1948; appeared in 95 regular season games and 5 playoff games. Kermit Washington: 1973–78; Lakers 1st round draft pick in 1973; Forward; #24; 6-8, 230 lbs.; American International;

THREE : ALL-TIME ROSTER

203

September 17, 1951; appeared in 214 regular season games and 3 playoff games. Walt Wesley: 1975; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Milwaukee Bucks on June 16, 1975; Center; #13; 6-11, 230 lbs.; Kansas; January 25, 1945; appeared in 1 game. Jerry West: 1960–74; Lakers 1st round draft pick in 1960; Guard; #44; 6-2, 180 lbs.; West Virginia; May 28, 1938; appeared in 932 regular season games and 153 playoff games. John Wetzel: 1967-68; Lakers 8th round draft pick in 1966; Guard/Forward; #24; 6-5, 190 lbs.; Virginia Tech; October 22, 1944; appeared in 38 regular season games. Gene Wiley: 1962–66; Lakers 2nd round draft pick in 1962; Center; #12; 6-10, 220 lbs.; Wichita State; November 12, 1937; appeared in 299 regular season games and 27 playoff games. Jamaal Wilkes: 1977–85; came to the Lakers as a free agent on July 13, 1977; Forward; #52; 6-6, 190 lbs.; University of California Los Angeles (UCLA); May 2, 1953; appeared in 575 regular season games and 73 playoff games. Ron Williams: 1975; came to the Lakers in a trade with the Milwaukee Bucks on September 23, 1975; Guard; #15; 6-3, 190 lbs.; West Virginia; September 24, 1944; appeared in 9 regular season games.

Wesley–Yates Shammond Williams: 2006-07; came to the Lakers as a free agent on July 12, 2006; Guard; #3; 6-1, 200 lbs.; North Carolina; April 5, 1975; appeared in 30 regular season games and 4 playoff games. Trevor Wilson: 1993; came to the Lakers as a free agent on August 30, 1993; Forward; #7; 6-8, 210 lbs.; University of California Los Angeles (UCLA); March 16, 1968; appeared in 5 regular season games. Brian Winters: 1974-75; Lakers 1st round draft pick in 1974; Guard; #20; 6-4, 185 lbs.; South Carolina; March 1, 1952; appeared in 68 regular season games. Orlando Woolridge: 1988–90; came to the Lakers as a free agent on August 9, 1988; Forward; #0; 6-9, 215 lbs.; Notre Dame; December 16, 1959; appeared in 136 regular season games and 24 playoff games. James Worthy: Lakers 1st round draft pick in 1982; Forward; #42; 6-9, 225 lbs.; North Carolina; February 27, 1961; appeared in 926 regular season games and 143 playoff games. Wayne Yates: 1961-62; Lakers 1st round draft pick in 1961; Center; #55; 6-8, 235 lbs.; Memphis State; November 7, 1937; appeared in 143 regular season games and 4 playoff games.

Four

ALL-TIME HEAD COACHES Fred Schaus Tenure as Head Coach: August 20, 1960–April 27, 1967 Coaching Record with the Lakers: Regular Season: 315–245, Post-season: 33–38 From the banks of the Monongahela River to the beaches of Southern California, Fred Schaus compiled a highly successful basketball journey that spanned 2,500 miles of American landscape. The man who mentored the Lakers in their formative years in the City of Angels came into the world on June 30, 1925 in Newark, Ohio, just a mere 33 miles east of Columbus. Fredrick Appleton Schaus grew into a 6-5, 205-pounder, and his height, coupled with athletic prowess, earned him All-State honors en route to helping Newark High School win a state basketball championship.1 Upon graduation in 1943, Schaus joined the Navy at the height of World War II. During his military hitch, he served his country as an aviation ordinance instructor at the Memphis Air Training Center. At the conclusion of the war in 1945, Schaus looked to continue both his education and basketball career.2 Born in the heart of Buckeye country, one of Schaus’ obvious choices was to attend Ohio State University. However, the ties to the state of Ohio were not enough. One of his Navy friends was the first-ever All-American basketball player at West Virginia University, and Schaus was drawn to the Morgantown campus beginning in 1946.3 The Buckeyes loss proved to the Mountaineers’ gain, as the 6'5" forward was regarded by his teammates as the best all-around performer on the WVU squad. He scored 442 points in his junior campaign of 1949 to produce a then single season record. An 18.4 points per game average gained Schaus the 10th spot among collegiate hoopsters, and his efforts were rewarded with selection as a third team All-American. He was elected captain of the team for the 1947-48 and 1948-49 seasons, earned three letters, and his 61-game career total of 1,009 points made him the first Mountaineer in history to reach that plateau, and allowed him to be the idol of many youngsters throughout the state. His accolades were not only reserved for the hardwood, as Schaus dazzled in the classroom, becoming an honors student and student body president in 1949.4 On March 21, 1949, Schaus became a member of the NBA’s

heritage when the Fort Wayne Pistons selected him in the third round of the draft and 27th overall player picked that year.5 He played with Fort Wayne for four seasons. In his second season of 1950-51, he became the team’s first-ever player to sink over 1,000 points in a season.6 That season was highlighted by his selection to the NBA’s first All-Star Game in which he scored eight points. On December 29, 1953, Schaus was sold to the New York Knicks, where he finished out the season and his pro playing career. The trade did not thrill him, and the pro circuit was not as glamorous a life back in the 1950s as it is today.7 It was then that West Virginia University Athletic Director Red Brown approached him about returning to his alma mater, and Schaus jumped at the opportunity to return to Morgantown.8 Beginning in 1954, Schaus built a powerhouse at WVU. Over the next six years, the Mountaineers rolled to a 146–37 record, and won the Southern Conference championship each outing thanks to Schaus’ full throttle, fast-break offensive attack that left opponents in the dust. From 1956 to 1960, the Mountaineers won 42 straight games at home, and amassed an incredible 63–5 record against their conference foes. They also set a then-NCAA record of 44 consecutive wins under Schaus. The only low moment during his stellar tenure as mentor was a heart-breaking one-point defeat to California, 71–70, in the 1959 NCAA championship game.9 With so much success coming his way, it was inevitable that Schaus would be sought by the professional ranks. The Minneapolis Lakers had approached Schaus about coaching, but the team was in financial trouble, which proved to be a definite deterrent for Schaus. However, when the team moved to Los Angeles, the sunny surroundings seemed to appeal to him in 1960. The Lakers had also drafted his top performer, Jerry West, in 1960, and one of his previous charges, Hot Rod Hundley, was also with the Lakers. With two of his former players, who knew his fastpaced, pro style of attack, coupled with the talents of All-Pro Elgin Baylor on the same team, the transition to the pros seemed like a solid opportunity. Schaus’ arrival with the Lakers came at a time when it was not clear as to how the city of Los Angeles would receive their new addition. Basketball was a winter sport played indoors. Los Angeles had near perfect climes, and outdoor activities were popular and the norm. The Rams of the National Football League and the Major League Baseball’s Dodgers were enjoying great success in the Southland after their departure from Cleveland and

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Brooklyn, but each could be enjoyed while basking in the sunshine of the golden coast. The Lakers hoped to cash in on the proverbial pot of gold offered in LA, but needed to produce a marketable product that would draw people inside. The Lakers had to be good for the team to succeed, and Fred Schaus was the man who the front office looked at to serve as the architect for future greatness. Over the next seven seasons at the helm, Schaus laid the foundation of success for all of those who followed him as head coach of the Lakers. During his reign, the Lakers were an exciting, flash-and-dash team with two of the league’s most prominent performers in West and Baylor. At first, the team drew sparse crowds, but in time, as the team rang up wins on a consistent basis, their fan base rose to incredible heights, and remains there to this day, thanks to the initial molding and shaping created by Schaus. At first the task appeared to be a grueling uphill climb. The Lakers were coming off a 25–50 season, their last in Minneapolis, and relocating to a town where basketball was not the most popular of the spectator sports. Undaunted, Schaus taught LA’s pro hoopsters his wide-open attack with a no nonsense approach and a zero tolerance for errors, and he turned the team around.10 Without a dominant center throughout his tenure in Los Angeles, Schaus relied on his dynamic duo of Baylor and West to carry the team. His strategy called for the pair to get the ball into their hands and utilize their abilities to work for shots. In his first season, the Lakers finished at 36–45 and made it to the second round of the playoffs, coming up one game shy of a trip to the NBA Finals. The success of that initial playoff run in Los Angeles, coupled with the announcing skills of Chick Hearn, solidified a fan base that has never wavered through good times and bad. The Lakers then went on a tear through the next two seasons, posting 54 wins in 1962 and 53 the following year. Each year ended with Western Division crowns, but they fell short of the ultimate prize, as the Boston Celtics thwarted them in the NBA Finals both times. These initial championship defeats to Boston provided the igniter for one of professional sports fiercest rivalries that carry on to this day. After a 42 win season in 1964 ended with an opening round playoff defeat to the St. Louis Hawks, Schaus directed his Lakers back into the NBA Finals against the Celtics, only to once again lose in 1965 and 1966. The four losses to Boston, which denied the Lakers the NBA crown, naturally brought out a dislike for them by Schaus. Even when he was not coaching against Beantown’s champions, the city appeared to be an albatross for Schaus. He was on a trip to New York, and the plane experienced problems while flying near Boston. He felt that it just would have been his luck to crash in the city that gave him so much grief over the previous few years. Fortunately, bad karma was only restricted to the hardwood against the Celtics, as the plane landed safely in Boston.11 After a sub-.500 season in 1967, the 36–45 Lakers still made the playoffs, only to be swept in a best-of-five series three games to none to the San Francisco Warriors. That series proved to be the last for Schaus as coach, who compiled a 315–245 regular season record in seven seasons at the helm, and a 33–38 slate in the post season. On April 27, 1967, he stepped down as mentor to replace Lou Mohs as general manager of the Lakers, and held that position until the conclusion of the incredible 1972 championship season that he helped to build from his role as GM.12

Bill Van Breda Kolff In 1973, Schaus returned to college coaching at Purdue for six seasons, posting a successful 104–60 record guiding the Boilermakers. In 1979 he served as assistant athletic director at Purdue, and two years later, returned to his alma mater of West Virginia University as athletic director, where he served the Mountaineers until his retirement in 1989. In 1992, he was inducted into the West Virginia University Sports Hall of Fame, and is also a member of the West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame and the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame.13 Fred Schaus was considered a top-notch basketball man on all levels. Whether as a player, coach, or executive, he gave his all to achieve success. The man, who was also considered a fine human being, and forefather of NBA coaches in Los Angeles, passed away at 84 years of age in Morgantown, West Virginia, the site of many of his greatest accolades, on February 10, 2010.

Bill Van Breda Kolff Tenure As Head Coach: April 27, 1967–May 19, 1969 Coaching Record with the Lakers: Regular Season: 107–57, Post-season: 21–12 There have been many fiery coaches in the history of American sports, with their antics taking on a sideshow atmosphere all their own. In the city of Los Angeles, Bill “Butch” Van Breda Kolff ’s antics as coach of the Lakers, provided entertainment in a town where that industry is king. The man with the volcanic personality that would one day erupt from the Lakers’ bench, began his life on October 28, 1922, in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, as Willem Hendrik Van Breda Kolff, whose father was a member of Holland’s bronze-medal winning soccer team at the 1912 Olympic Games.1 His love for the sport that would become his life’s work was instilled in him while coming of age in the New Jersey city of Montclair. He attended The Hill School, a prep school in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, 35 miles northwest of Philadelphia. He became a playmaking guard at 6' 3", and received stellar grades, which allowed him to gain entry into the prestigious Ivy League’s Princeton University as one of coach Franklin “Cappy” Cappon’s collegiate charges. Unfortunately, his grades were not as good at Princeton, so he left at a time when the United States was on the verge of joining the global conflict, World War II.2 America entered the fight in 1941, and Van Breda Kolff was one of the millions of young men who answered his country’s call to arms. Putting his life on the American home front on hold, he joined the United States Marine Corps for three years, earning the rank of buck sergeant.3 After the axis powers of Germany and Japan were defeated in 1945, Van Breda Kolff came home looking to continue his desire that was basketball. He was given another chance at Princeton, and captained both the basketball and soccer teams. In soccer, he was named All-American, but his grades still were not up to par, and he failed out of Princeton. In time, he did manage to obtain a Bachelors’ Degree in physical education from New York University.4 After his second stint at Princeton, he traveled to New York City to play basketball professionally with the New York Knicks from 1946 to 1950. His professional debut came on February 8,

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1947, and over the next four seasons, he played in 175 games and averaged 4.7 points a game as a guard/forward.5 Van Breda Kolff might not have rung up statistics that will be revered in the annals of the game’s history, but he earned a solid reputation as a hard working, aggressive performer with a passion for the sport.6 With his playing days a memory by age 29, Van Breda Kolff began on his quest of passing along his love for basketball onto future players in the coaching profession, which was where he would gain everlasting distinction. The town of Easton, Pennsylvania, provided the setting for Van Breda Kolff ’s first coaching assignment. Taking the reins of the Lafayette College Leopards in 1951, the fiery mentor guided the basketball program to a successful run during his tenure. His first team produced a 15–9 mark, and during the next three seasons, he added 53 more wins against 25 losses, including a 23–3 record in 1954-55. That season he was honored for the team’s successful run by being name Coach of the Year by the New York writers. With his success, Van Breda Kolff looked to obtain a raise, but after the idea was not reciprocated on, he packed his bags and departed the “Keystone State.”7 Twenty-five miles east of New York City, nestled in the village of Hempstead, is where Hofstra University is located. For the next seven years, it was where Van Breda Kolff called home. It was also during his stay at Hofstra that the basketball program enjoyed its greatest success. Five of his teams won 20-plus games a season, and his 1959-60 squad’s 23–1 finish still stands as the best all-time mark in Hofstra history, and earned the university a number one ranking among small college teams.8 After nearly two decades away from his native state, Van Breda Kolff returned to Princeton, where he coached from 1963 to 1967. The orange and black Tigers made Dillon Gymnasium the envy of the Ivy League hoop scene during Butch’s stay. In his time pacing the sidelines, Princeton brought the Ivy League crown home four times, advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen three times, and reached the Final Four once in 1965. His record of 103–31 in five seasons allowed Van Breda Kolff to rank third upon his departure in all-time victories at Princeton behind his mentor “Cappy” Cappon and Albert Wittmer.9 Butch’s stock started to rise at a steady pace after he brought Princeton into the national spotlight with a Final Four appearance, and two years later, he was called on to guide the Los Angeles Lakers. Team owner Jack Kent Cooke saw an article in the magazine Sports Illustrated about Bill Bradley playing for Van Breda Kolff at Princeton. During his collegiate career, Bradley was considered one of the best to ever play at that level, and Cooke came away impressed with the man who successfully guided Bradley from the bench. Van Breda Kolff ’s association with Bradley immediately put his name on Cooke’s list of possible coaching prospects for the Lakers. When Van Breda Kolff was interviewed, he did a solid job of selling himself, as Cooke came away from the meeting impressed by the coach’s forceful, strongminded personality. All that was left to do was offer Butch the job, and by April of 1967, the pro roundball world was introduced to Bill Van Breda Kolff with Cooke’s stamp of approval.10 Right from the initial announcement Los Angeles sports fans knew they were getting a strong-willed man to lead their Lakers, as a The Los Angeles Times headline dated April 28, 1967, read, “New Lakers Coach Tough Ex-Marine.”

FOUR : ALL-TIME HEAD COACHESf Even though he was now on the west coast, Butch brought his eastern coaching ways with him. The Lakers were a fast-break team centered on Elgin Baylor and Jerry West, who for seven seasons were the masters of LA’s hardwood domain. Under Fred Schaus, the Lakers relied heavily, if not exclusively, on Baylor or West taking a huge bulk of the shots. Van Breda Kolff ’s hiring immediately changed that philosophy. His east coast style called for each man on the floor to be involved, moving, and sharing the ball. This was a true team concept designed not to rely on one or two players. Butch wanted everyone involved so that when a crucial time occurred, anyone had the confidence and capability to hit the winning shot. He was also a proponent of conditioning.11 In professional sports, nice guys are commonplace, but unfortunately, strong egos on the team and in the owner’s box can walk on them. This was never the case with Van Breda Kolff. He had an enormous passion for the game, and transferred that emotion with eruptions that earned him everlasting notoriety. The volatile, stubborn coach took no nonsense from anyone, and his ego matched that of his players.12 During his first season at the helm of the Lakers, Butch’s rants and raves were so common that the team had guard Gail Goodrich position himself next to the volcanic coach on the bench to hold Van Breda Kolff back when his quick temper boiled over. Despite Goodrich’s valiant efforts, from time to time, the coach proved to be too much to handle, and when those incidents occurred, technical fouls against Butch were plentiful.13 The 1967-68 edition of the Lakers responded to Van Breda Kolff ’s style, and got along well with each other.14 They finished in second place in the division at 52–30, and made it to another NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics. However, new coach or not, the Celtics once again walked away as champions, clinching the crown in six games. On July 9, 1968, the Lakers obtained the great center Wilt Chamberlain from the Philadelphia 76ers, and in doing so, created one of the biggest clashes of egos in sports. Feelings of ill will about the trade were immediate. While at a party in Santa Barbara, Van Breda Kolff was informed about Wilt coming to the team, and he was not pleased.15 Chamberlain was the most dominant player of his time, and rang up points and rebounds at a steady pace for nine seasons before coming to the Lakers. The 7'1", 275-pounder was a force that was used to getting his hands on the ball most of the time, and positioned himself in the post to be close to the basket on both ends of the floor. Van Breda Kolff felt that Chamberlain’s style of play would not fit into his east coast philosophy. Wilt read about the coach’s remarks shortly after becoming a Laker, and he was ready to return a verbal volley at Van Breda Kolff whenever possible. Both men had large egos, and backing down was not in either of their plans when dealing with the other. Prior to Wilt’s first season in LA, Van Breda Kolff wanted Chamberlain to pose with him wearing a Lakers T-shirt, but the big man wanted no part of it and Butch became highly irate.16 When training camp opened, tension between the two grew, as the coach wanted Wilt to come away from the basket, move more, and set picks. With the big man in the lane, it shut down Elgin Baylor’s path to the basket. Baylor relied mostly on driving the lane for layups, and with it blocked, his game was affected. Jerry

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West was able to adapt somewhat better because he was an outstanding shooter from the outside. If Wilt did what the coach wanted, then the lane would be free for driving layups.17 Van Breda Kolff then told reporters that after a good practice, Chamberlain would slack off.18 The battle of words between Butch and Wilt mounted almost daily. Van Breda Kolff claimed that Chamberlain was the biggest load he ever had to endure, and that he was not a team leader. Wilt shot back that the coach was the dumbest and worst one he ever had. Chamberlain added that Van Breda Kolff did not know how to deal with human relationships.19 The Butch and Wilt sideshow began to weigh heavily on the rest of the team. General Manager Fred Schaus then stepped in by calling a meeting with the two. Schaus did not want to hear any more verbal assaults in the newspapers.20 Things appeared to level out for a while, until a loss in early February triggered an eruption. Chamberlain and the coach got into a 20-minute shouting match that escalated into seven players holding Wilt back. Another meeting was held after that, and Van Breda Kolff wanted Wilt to play defense and rebound more. The big man agreed, and the Lakers went on to win the conference title.21 Van Breda Kolff ’s stay in the City of Angels lasted for 203 games over the course of two regular seasons and playoffs. Despite personal conflicts, he guided the Lakers to an overall record of 146–57, and two Western Division titles. However, the elusive NBA crown slipped away under Van Breda Kolff ’s watch, as they lost to Boston yet again in 1968, and in a heartbreaking seven game series the following year. In the 1969 Finals, Van Breda Kolff let Wilt Chamberlain sit on the bench in the crucial final minutes of the seventh game. With half the fourth quarter to go, Wilt went up for a defensive rebound and came down wrong and hurt his knee. He asked to be relieved and Mel Counts was sent in to replace him. With Wilt out of the lineup, the Lakers rallied to cut the Boston lead to one point, and Wilt felt that he was ready to get back in and make a run at a championship. Van Breda Kolff told Wilt to remain on the bench because it seemed that the team was doing better without him.22 A short time later, the game and series were over, with the Lakers suffering a two-point loss, 108–106. Throughout the entire decade, the Lakers had the reputation as a team without a premier pivot man. When they finally obtained the most dominant one on both ends of the floor, Van Breda Kolff had the purple and gold clad juggernaut sitting on the bench. Despite his stubborn streak and clash of egos with his big man, it was unanimously decided that the coach was on the losing side as a result. If the Lakers would have won the series, Van Breda Kolff might have been looked at differently. However, to lose by a mere two points with a player who could have immediately swung momentum in his team’s direction sitting on the bench was highly frowned upon. Two weeks after the 1969 Finals, Van Breda Kolff resigned to take a head coaching position with the Detroit Pistons. Life after the Lakers saw Butch lead the Pistons to a 45–37 record in 1970-71, for their first winning season in 15 years. He left the team after 10 games the following season. Over the next six years, Van Breda Kolff remained in the pro circuit, with stops in Phoenix, the ABA’s Memphis Tams, and the NBA’s expansion New Orleans Jazz. He then stayed in the Big easy to coach the

Joe Mullaney University of New Orleans from 1977 to 1979, and then spent two years coaching the New Orleans Pride of the Women’s Professional Basketball League. The league folded in 1981, and Van Breda Kolff totally shifted gears by becoming a door-to-door salesman for a brief time.23 A two-year hiatus away from the hardwood was too much for Butch. His passion for the game needed to be shared, and he took a teaching job and coaching job at Memorial High School in Picayune, Mississippi, at the age of 61. When Lafayette College contacted him in regards to helping the Leopards find a new head coach, he recommended himself, and returned to the origins of his coaching career. He worked there from 1984 to 1988, and then made one final coaching journey back to Hofstra from 1988 to 1994.24 In all, Butch Van Breda Kolff held 13 head coaching positions, and compiled a record of 483–272 in 28 years as a college coach, and in 10 pro campaigns, he rang up 287 wins against 316 losses. This passionate, fiery personality who was just one of four men to coach teams in the NCAA Final Four and NBA Finals, passed away in Spokane, Washington, on August 22, 2007 at age 84.25

Joe Mullaney Tenure As Head Coach: June 30, 1969–June 3, 1971 Coaching Record with the Lakers: Regular Season: 94–70, Postseason: 16–14 To get an opportunity to coach three of the greatest basketball players at the same time proved to be a dream come true. Joe Mullaney had that chance when he became the coach of the Lakers on June 30, 1969. Forward Elgin Baylor, guard Jerry West, and center Wilt Chamberlain, were all on the team Mullaney began with as his first season in Los Angeles began. The possibilities for multiple championship banners hanging from the rafters of the Fabulous Forum had to be envisioned as the new coach viewed his new domain. Unfortunately, this dream lineup was only able to play together in a mere 13 of the 164 games Mullaney served as mentor.1 Despite ongoing injuries depleting his nucleus of talent, the Long Island, New York native forged ahead and came out a winner, which was nothing new for him throughout his time on the sidelines. Mullaney was born on November 17, 1925, in Long Island, New York. He graduated from Chaminade High School in Mineola, New York, which proved to be where Joe’s quest at making basketball his lifetime occupation took shape. It seemed that coaching was in his blood during his high school years when he would frequently attend hoop matchups at New York City’s famed Madison Square Garden. While everyone else was gripped to the performance of the players, Mullaney was focused on the strategic moves of the participants.2 After a stint in the Air Force during World War II, the Long Island native continued his basketball career as a playmaking point guard for College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. Under the leadership of coach Doggie Julian, the Crusaders reached the top of the college basketball world in 1947 with Joe Mullaney playing a significant role. His teammates respected

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Mullaney so much that they elected him co-captain for the ’47 season. The Crusaders posted a 27–3 record, with 23 of those wins coming consecutively. On March 25, 1947, Holy Cross defeated Oklahoma, 58–47, for the NCAA championship. In doing so, the Crusaders became the first team from the east coast region to bring home the coveted crown.3 After his senior season, in which Mullaney earned 1949 AllNew England honors, the Boston Celtics selected him in that year’s draft. On March 21, 1949, the Celtics made him their 3rd round selection and 28th overall pick in the draft. Donning the green and white of the Celtics, Mullaney made his pro debut on November 10, 1949, and played in 37 games, scoring 30 points. He then hung up his #17 Boston jersey after his lone season in the professional ranks.4 Mullaney sought employment with the Federal Bureau of Investigation until the hardwood beckoned him with what turned out to be his lifelong profession. Norwich University in Vermont was Mullaney’s first attempt at coaching, in the early 1950s. In 1955 he left the small military school for a chance to coach at Providence College in Rhode Island. It was guiding the Friars over the next 14 years that Mullaney gained his greatest measure of success. Under his watch, the Friars were molded into a powerful force that ran off 12 consecutive winning seasons, including nine with 20 or more victories. During his incredible tenure, which allowed Mullaney to emerge from Providence as its alltime winningest coach with 319 victories, the Friars won two National Invitation Tournament championships (1961, 1963), made four additional trips to the NIT, and three NCAA Tournament appearances. Throughout the 1960s, the only other college basketball programs with better winning percentages were John Wooden’s UCLA Bruins, and the University of Kentucky. While ranking among the some of the greatest collegiate basketball programs in history, Mullaney’s stellar work was rewarded with his being selected New England Coach of the Year three times.5 Mullaney’s successful 14-year stay at Providence earned the New York native an impressive resume that caught the attention of the Lakers’ front office clear across the country. Upon Butch Van Breda Kolff ’s departure to the Motor City in 1969, the Lakers looked to the Super Seventies with hope that Mullaney would be the one to finally bring NBA supremacy to the Southland. The task of mentoring the Lakers to the promised land of the pro circuit did not appear to be an easy one. At the end of June of 1969, Mullaney became head coach of the Lakers. He inherited an organization used to winning, but at times, it proved to have some animosity among the ranks during the previous coaching reign.6 Much like his predecessor, Mullaney believed in the eastern style of basketball. However, unlike Van Breda Kolff, he brought a calmer personality to LA. He proved this by establishing a relationship with Wilt Chamberlain, who clashed in a battle of egos with Van Breda Kolff. Mullaney felt that Wilt was a special talent, and deserved to be treated as such.7 That type of sports psychology worked on the premier pivot man, as Wilt quickly took a liking to his new mentor. Building on his ability to act like a friendly advisor to Wilt instead of an egotistical czar, Mullaney broke down the barrier that Van Breda Kolff created. The new coach then asked Chamberlain to come out of the post and assist in containing the op-

FOUR : ALL-TIME HEAD COACHES position in the corners. Wilt agreed, and the move vastly improved the Lakers’ defense.8 Unfortunately, the new plan only worked out until the ninth game into the 1969-70 season. Wilt, who only missed 12 games in 11 years as a professional, hurt his knee, and the prognosis called for him to miss the remainder of the season. Despite what the doctors said, Chamberlain said that he would return. The Lakers’ big three of Chamberlain, Jerry West, and Elgin Baylor were in their thirties, and beginning to show signs of wear and tear. During Mullaney’s first season, they missed a combined 96 games, but the Lakers still managed to produce a solid 46–36 finish. This proved to be a true testament to Mullaney for keeping the team on the right track without its core players.9 The Lakers advanced to their third straight NBA Finals by disposing of Phoenix in seven games, and Atlanta in five. Chamberlain held true to his promise of returning to the team following his knee injury. After working hard in rehab, he was able to make it back for the final three regular season games, and proved to be a dominant force in the team’s drive to another Western Division title. The Lakers’ good fortune ran out as usual once the Finals rolled around, as they fell victim to the New York Knicks in seven games for the championship. The following year, the Lakers posted a 48–34 record, won the Pacific Division title, their first round playoff series against the Chicago Bulls, and then ran into an almost invincible Milwaukee Bucks team led by center Lew Alcindor. This series proved to be Joe Mullaney’s Waterloo. With Jerry West sidelined by a knee injury, the Bucks smothered the Lakers, rolling over them in five games on their way to the 1971 NBA championship. That was all Los Angeles’ owner Jack Kent Cooke could bear from his present coach, and looked to make another change.10 With the 1970-71 in the record books, Mullaney was given his walking papers by order of Cooke. The dismissal came as a surprise to the coach, seeing that he had a successful run and averaged 47 wins over two years with his most prominent players hurt a great deal of the time. Cooke felt that Mullaney was not strict enough, and did not convey his thoughts well enough, onto his players.11 At the time of his dismissal, Mullaney still had one year left on his contract. Cooke offered him a front office position as administrative vice president, but the coach declined.12 Mullaney did not stay unemployed very long. His two-year reign with the Lakers might not have been as successful as the franchise’s hierarchy had wanted it to be. However, despite all the injuries to his top players, his stay in Los Angeles was a fine body of work. In fact, it was so impressive that the Kentucky Colonels of the rival American Basketball Association hired him in 1971. Right out of the starting gate, Mullaney proved his worth by leading Kentucky to a 68–16 record, which was the best ever in the history of the ABA. Unfortunately, the success of the regular season did not carry over in to the playoffs, as the Colonels lost to the New York Nets in the semi-final round. The following season saw Kentucky finish at 56–28, and they advanced to the ABA Finals, where they lost in seven games to the Indiana Pacers.13 In 1973-74, Mullaney went to coach the Utah Stars. He received the ABA Coach of the Year Award, and once again led a team to the Finals, but this time the New York Nets beat them

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out for the title, four games to one. There were three more stops for Mullaney in the ABA. The cities of Memphis, Baltimore, and St. Louis, were places he called home in his days with the ABA through the 1976 season when the league merged with the NBA.14 After five years away from the National Basketball League, Mullaney returned as coach of the Buffalo Braves during the 197677 campaign. He was the sideline general for 29 games in the “Nickel City,” and rang up an 11–18 mark in a season that saw the team end up with a dismal 30–52 record. He then went overseas to coach in Italy.15 From 1978 to 1981, Brown University was Mullaney’s domain until the place of his most glorious days as a coach came calling once again. The Providence Friars reunited with their former hoop mentor in 1981 after a 12-year absence from Rhode Island. Unfortunately, the magic he captured there in the 1950s and 60s was a distant memory, as he was only able to produce one winning season until he retired in 1985.16 The state of Rhode Island served as Joe Mullaney’s catalyst to successful coaching heights that led him to an eight-year professional coaching career. The “Ocean State” also served as the place where he passed away on March 8, 2000 at age 74.17

Bill Sharman Tenure as Head Coach: July 12, 1971–April 8, 1976 (Contract ran out following the 1975-76 season and it was not renewed. Sharman became the general manager of the Lakers on September 17, 1976.) Coaching Record with the Lakers: Regular Season: 246–164, Post-season: 22–15 Bobby Thompson’s “shot heard around the world” in 1951 secured the National League Pennant for the New York Giants. It is regarded as one of the greatest moments in all of sports. So too are the amazing run of NBA championships by the Boston Celtics in the late 1950s through the 60s, and the incredible 197172 Los Angeles Lakers’ record-setting 69–13 title team that included a virtually untouchable string of 33 straight victories. The masses can only marvel at these accomplishments through books or documentaries with the exception of one man. William Walton Sharman is the lone member of the human race that could boast of actually being a part of all these moments either as a player or coach. This gifted, highly competitive athlete was a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1951 when Thompson hit a pennant-clinching home run that sent Flatbush’s “Boys of Summer” home for the season. He then became one of the greatest shooting guards of his generation while helping the Boston Celtics win four NBA titles in five seasons. It was then on to mentoring the next generation of basketball talent for Sharman. In this capacity, his abilities were just as magnificent as his prowess while in uniform, leading teams to championships on the college level and in three professional leagues. The world was introduced to this future athletic prodigy on May 25, 1926. Abilene, Texas, is able to lay claim to being the location where Sharman spent his formative years during the brutal economic stranglehold known as the Great Depression.

Bill Sharman The entire nation was held prisoner to financial hardship, but the southern plains area, where Sharman lived, caused additional woes for people due to the Dust Bowl. Caused by severe drought, unbelievable dust storms laid wrath upon one million acres, forcing families to leave their homes and find refuge in other areas.1 With despair at the maximum throughout the area, Sharman’s parents looked to escape the region for a better life for themselves, Bill and his older brother. In the early 1930s, Texas became a distant memory for the Sharman’s, and California the land of renewed hope. Sharman’s parents worked diligently to give their sons what they needed. Despite working hard himself to help out in any way possible, Bill managed to find solace from the drudgery of this desperate time in American history by playing sports throughout the year.2 Sharman possessed incredible natural athletic prowess, and would have excelled in any region of the American landscape. Southern California, however, proved to be the place where he was able to put his talents into action. Not only did Sharman perform well in all athletic endeavors, he also grasped the way each sport was to be played, and had a knack for performing well in pressure situations with the game’s outcome in the balance. With understanding each sport he played, coupled with talent and calmness under pressure, it appeared that Sharman was destined to go far in his pursuit of a career in athletics. The only question for the young phenom was which sport to focus on more.3 While at Porterville High School, Sharman’s multiple abilities prohibited him from concentrating on one lone sport. To solve this dilemma, he participated successfully in five of them. In his junior and senior years as a Porterville Panther, Sharman kept the athletic department busy handing out varsity letters to him in football, basketball, baseball, tennis, and track. This was a time in Sharman’s life when he began to realize his desire for sports, but reaching the professional level in any of his pursuits did not find their way into his thoughts just yet.4 There was a more pressing concern gripping young men during the first half of the 1940s, with that being World War II. Upon his high school graduation in 1944, Sharman traded in his athletic uniforms for one representing the United States Navy, serving onboard a warship in the Pacific Ocean.5 Following his military commitment, Sharman obtained a full scholarship for basketball and baseball, which allowed him to continue his athletic and academic pursuits as a proud member of the University of Southern California Trojans. In his senior basketball season of 1950, he was selected team captain, team most valuable player, the Pacific Coast Conference Most Valuable Player Award for the second straight year, and found his way onto the majority of All-American lists. In 81 games on the USC hardwood, Sharman scored 1,108 points, and his 13.7 points per game average established a then–USC record. By this time, the idea of earning a living as a professional athlete began to gain momentum in Sharman’s thoughts.6 The world of professional basketball was a struggle at the time Sharman was selected in the second round, and 17th overall pick, by the Washington Capitals in the NBA draft held on April 25, 1950. The NBA was considered a far-distance attraction compared to football and baseball, and the league hoped that a player of Sharman’s credibility would give it a much-needed shot of adrenaline.7

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Though Sharman was honored by the Capitals offer, he felt his basketball days were complete when he stepped off the USC campus in the spring of 1950. During that same time, the Brooklyn Dodgers, one of baseball’s most storied franchises, also came calling for the services of this gifted athlete. Sharman made the decision that baseball was his ticket to success on a professional level, and accepted Brooklyn’s offer.8 Throughout the summer of 1950, Sharman spent his time playing Class “A” baseball on Brooklyn’s Colorado farm team. However, the Washington Capitals did not want to give up on him either, and after meeting with the team’s executives, Sharman came away impressed enough to place his name on a contract, thus becoming a two-sport athlete on the professional level.9 After baseball season ended, he traveled to Washington, D.C., for training camp with the Capitals. This became a lifestyle for Sharman for the next five years, but by 1955, the reality of a major league baseball career was not panning out as he had hoped it would. In baseball, Sharman played center and left field, and after hitting for a .286 average with the Class AA Forth Worth Cats in 1951, he was promoted to the Brooklyn Dodgers at the end of the year, but never got into a game. It was then back to the minors, with stops on the Class AAA St. Paul Saints and the Mobile Bears. By 1955, with the prospect of being a career minor leaguer, Sharman elected to depart from the diamond and focus solely on the NBA.10 In his rookie season of 1950-51, Sharman’s 12.2 points per game average led the Capitals in that category. The hoop world at the dawn of the Fabulous Fifties saw low-scoring games as commonplace. There was no 24-second clock at the time to speed up a possession, so teams were able to hold onto the ball for great lengths of time. For a player from that era to finish with a 12.2 scoring average was a major accomplishment.11 Sharman’s skills as a 6'1", 190-pound guard with deadly accuracy from the field and foul line did not create an interest with sports fans in the nation’s capital. After 31 games, the Capitals ceased operations, and Sharman found himself in Fort Wayne, Indiana, when a dispersal draft was held on January 1, 1951, to place Washington’s roster onto other teams.12 Sharman did not stay long in Fort Wayne, as the legendary coach Red Auerbach traded a draft pick to obtain him for the Boston Celtics on April 26, 1951. Baseball was still the main driv ing force in Sharman’s professional life as the date of his first training camp with Boston approached. His arrival in Boston was delayed when the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants tied for the National League crown and had to have a playoff.13 After Bobby Thompson’s “shot hear around the world” ended the Dodgers season, Sharman came late to the Celtics training camp. Missing a portion of camp relegated Sharman to a substitute role at first. He then got into a game in place of Bob Donham, and answered the call by dumping in 42 points. From that point on, Sharman’s NBA career took off, even though he only averaged 22 minutes per game during that season. He made the most of his playing opportunities, averaging 10.7 points per game while shooting an incredible .859 from the free throw line.14 The following year, Auerbach inserted Sharman more in Boston’s fast-break assault, and he responded by averaging 16.2 points per game and was selected to his first All-Star game. He became an aggressive player in an era when getting extremely

FOUR : ALL-TIME HEAD COACHES physical with the opposition was commonplace, and fights were part of the game. If you were pushed around, retaliate or continue to get shoved and constantly abused. Sharman was one of the many who refused to back down when push came to shove.15 On top being aggressive, he also was one of the first athletes to believe in a strong training regiment and constant study of his opponents. When his teammates were shoveling steaks and beer down their throats, Sharman preferred honey, toast and tea as a pre-game meal. He was an exercise fanatic who jogged, worked out, and stretched out his muscles prior to games. On game days, he would go to a gym and shoot baskets and free throws to prepare himself for later that day. By game time, he was mentally and physically prepared. He incorporated this morning shoot around into a routine for the teams he coached, and it is now common practice for all NBA teams. At a time before film study, Sharman would fill out note cards about anything pertaining to his job and that of the opposition, and then look them over before tipoff.16 All of his hard work paid off, as Sharman became one of the greatest shooters of all time. His .883 career free throw percentage is still perched high on the all-time leader chart. Along with Bob Cousy, he produced one of the most devastating backcourt tandems of all time, and was part of the greatest dynasty in sports history. During Sharman’s tenure with the Celtics, they won four NBA titles in five years (1957, 1959–61). On an individual basis, he led the team in scoring from 1956 to 1959, earning First Team All-NBA honors in each of those four seasons, and receiving second team recognition in 1953, 1955, and 1960. He was an NBA all-star eight times, and won the Most Valuable Player Award in the 1955 contest. During his 11-year NBA career, he played in 711 games, and averaged 17.8 points per game. He was voted onto the NBA 25th Anniversary Team in 1970, was selected as one of the 50 greatest players of all-time in 1996, enshrined into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 1976, and later as a coach in 2004, and his #21 was retired by the Celtics.17 In 1961, the 35-year-old Sharman traveled back to the Golden State of California to serve as a player/coach for the Los Angeles Jets of the American Basketball League. He played in 19 games, but permanently retired as a player after the Jets folded halfway through the season. He decided to continue in basketball as a coach, and remained with the ABL, leading the Cleveland Pipers to a league championship in just his first full-time experience as a head coach during the 1961-62 season.18 The ABL closed up operations after Sharman’s initial title as a coach. However, his desire to mentor the next wave of hardwood performers took him to Cal-State-Los Angeles in 1962, where he led the team to a respectable 27–20 record over two seasons. Following a brief sabbatical from coaching, in which Sharman worked as a broadcaster, the allure of coaching in the NBA presented itself.19 Remaining in California, Sharman traveled north of Los Angeles to San Francisco to coach the Warriors in 1966. In just his first season at the helm, he led the Warriors to a 44–37 record, and won the Western Division crown. His team suffered defeat in the 1967 NBA Finals to a powerhouse Philadelphia 76ers squad led by dominant center Wilt Chamberlain. Four years later, Wilt and Sharman would be reunited as comrades in arms with the Lakers. After posting an 87–76 record in two seasons with the War-

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riors, Sharman returned to Los Angeles as coach of the American Basketball Association’s Los Angeles Stars in 1968. Following a sub-par finish of 33–45 in his first season, Sharman built the Stars into a contender. The following year he led them to a 43–41 finish and earned ABA Co-Coach of the Year honors. The team then relocated to Utah prior to the 1970-71 season, and they capped off a 57–27 slate by capturing the 1971 ABA championship. With two different league crowns added to his resume, the NBA once again came calling, this time with the Lakers attempting to lure Sharman back to the City of Angels with the hope that he might be able to guide them to the elusive championship that they sought since coming out west.20 By the early 1970s, the Lakers appeared to be a good team headed into a possible rebuilding mode. Father Time and frustration from watching seven NBA titles slip away over eleven years were quickly eroding a proud group of men. Owner Jack Kent Cooke was also frustrated with not winning the NBA crown, and knew that with each season, the possibility of ending the year as champions was slowly fading with key players well into their thirties.21 Following the team’s early exit in the 1971 playoffs, Cooke sent coach Joe Mullaney packing, and went looking for the third head coach since he purchased the Lakers in 1965. This time around, Cooke initially went looking in his own back yard for his next coach. John Wooden’s incredible run as coach at neighboring UCLA made Cooke yearn to bring the “Wizard of Westwood” to the Forum. Wooden obliged Cooke by coming to his Bel Air mansion to discuss the job over a cup of tea.22 After the meeting, Wooden explained that he felt he was too old to start a career in the NBA, and declined the offer. It was then that Lakers General Manager Fred Schaus brought up Bill Sharman to Cooke. The owner came away impressed with Sharman and his intensity for the game. Being a winner, as a player and coach did not hurt Sharman’s chances either. In July 1971, the Lakers took Sharman away from the defending ABA champion Utah Stars with hopes that he could work his magic with the Lakers.23 At first, Sharman’s decision to coach the Lakers was met with negativity from many of his friends. They thought the job was a perfect setup for failure, as the Lakers were old, injuries were playing a factor in productivity, and a major rebuilding of three or four years loomed ahead. In the process, Sharman, it was thought, would have to suffer through losing seasons to return the team to credibility. Another negative strike against him at first was his playing days as a member of the Celtics. The rivalry between the Lakers and Celtics was already at a fever pitch by the time Sharman was hired, and the Lakers’ players found it hard to relate to a person so deep in that Boston tradition. To add to the BostonLos Angeles rivalry, Sharman brought his former teammate K.C. Jones to Los Angeles to serve as the first assistant coach in team history.24 Sharman, however, seemed undaunted by the circumstances that he faced. He wanted to return to the Los Angeles area, and could not resist the challenge of leading this team to the desired promised land of the pro circuit. In fact, when he was presented to the LA media as the Lakers’ new head coach, he stated that his goal was to win the world championship.25 Sharman then settled into his new challenge with a strong

Bill Sharman personality and intense outlook. These traits served him well as a player, and proved no different as a coach.26 He immediately set forth to make the Lakers a running, fast-break team despite much cynicism from many who felt the team was too old to perform a quick paced attack like Sharman had in mind. Sharman was an excellent student of basketball, and knew that his new team could accomplish what he proposed. He first went to the big man, Wilt Chamberlain, to discuss his plans. Over lunch at an LA eatery, Sharman informed Wilt of his fastbreak attack, and needed him to concentrate more on rebounding and defense to get the offense off down the court. This was when Sharman’s days in Boston came out. Bill Russell was the center when Sharman played, and with his rebounding and defensive skills, he was able to control the boards and send outlet passes to teammates who started the fast break, which led to 11 championships for the Celtics in 13 years. Chamberlain, the most prolific scorer during his time, was now being asked to focus more on defense. Despite some reservations, Chamberlain came away impressed with the new coach’s request, and was willing to go along with it.27 With Wilt on board, Sharman knew that the center needed a physical forward to help with the rebounding, so he approached the powerfully built, 6' 7", 225-pound forward Happy Hairston. Sharman knew that with two dominant rebounders crashing the boards, chances were good that one of them would continually come up with the ball. Hairston was more than happy to oblige, and he would go on to have an incredible season in 1971-72 by becoming the first forward to register 1,000 rebounds on the same team as Chamberlain.28 With the defensive aspect of his plan now secure, Sharman told his guards Jerry West and Gail Goodrich of his plans. West would control the ball on the break, and Goodrich was great at playing without the ball, and would be the closer from the wing position. Both guards would flourish in Sharman’s system, with each ending the 1971-72 season averaging over 25 points a game.29 The last piece of the puzzle centered on 37-year-old forward Elgin Baylor and his ailing knees. Despite age and injury quickly catching up to one of the greatest to ever play, Baylor started the first nine games of the season, in which the Lakers posted a 6–3 record. During that span, Sharman had seen second-year forward Jim McMillian emerge as a force. The Columbia University product worked hard to fit successfully into the running attack, and after nine games, Sharman felt that McMillian was ready to take over for Baylor as a starter. The following day, Baylor announced his retirement. He felt that if he could not perform up to his previous standards, then it was time to leave the game.30 The day after Baylor’s retirement, the Lakers and their new coach took off on a fast-break free for all, winning an unprecedented 33 straight games. When it was all said and done, the Lakers meshed together in perfect harmony, and ran their way to a then–NBA record 69 wins against a mere 13 losses. Sharman resurrected a team that was considered too old and frustrated into a group that went down as one of the greatest teams in NBA history. For his efforts, Sharman was presented the 1972 NBA Coach of the Year Award. However, despite the devastating way his team plowed through the regular season, and the prestigious award he took home, Sharman and his Lakers still had one more hurdle to jump over to complete a successful race.

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The Lakers looked at the playoffs as the only way to officially remove the albatross and come away as champions. That is exactly what occurred, as the Lakers dominated the Chicago Bulls in the opening round, four games to none. They then disposed of the defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks in six games, and then delivered the coup de grace in their quest of the elusive NBA crown by bringing down the New York Knicks in five games in the Finals. Sharman and company carried the success of that magical run of 1971-72 into the following season, and finished at 60–22. The bid for a second straight championship was thwarted by the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals in five games. Age then began to take its toll on the Lakers, as Chamberlain was gone following the 1973 Finals, and West retired in 1974. The team slowly eroded, with 47 wins in 1973-74, and 30 and 40 respectively over the next two years. In addition to the decline, Sharman’s vocal chords were damaged from all the years of shouting out to his players. His voice was then reduced to a mere whisper.31 Following the 1975-76 season, which saw the Lakers fail to qualify for the playoffs for the second straight year, which was the first time that happened to the team since moving to LA, Sharman’s contract expired and owner Jack Kent Cooke did not want to renew it. Cooke wanted Sharman to move to the general manager position to replace a retiring Pete Newell.32 Sharman felt that he did not do his best to coach the team the last two years of his tenure, and with his voice damaged, a front office position seemed like a good one to take. Sharman served the Lakers, as general manager from 1976 until 1982, was instrumental in building the “Showtime” Lakers, and became team president until 1988. Along with John Wooden and Lenny Wilkens, Sharman was only one of three men to be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a player and coach. He won championship rings as a player, coach, and executive, and was the only coach to ever win titles in three different leagues. Bill Sharman will also be recognized as one of the greatest athletes to ever come out of California. .

Jerry West Tenure as Head Coach: August 19, 1976–April 25, 1979 (West decided not to return to coaching following the last game of the season.) Coaching Record with the Lakers: Regular Season: 145–101, Post-season: 8–14 Throughout the history of the NBA, many Hall of Fame– caliber players have gravitated to the sideline in an attempt to pass along invaluable knowledge to the next wave of players coming up the ranks. This right of passage from player to coach has been performed exceptionally by many, including Bill Russell, Bill Sharman, K.C. Jones, Pat Riley, Phil Jackson, and “Mr. Clutch,” Lakers great Jerry West. Following one of the greatest professional hardwood careers, West returned to the Lakers as head coach in 1976, but the path was filled with some potholes. At first, team general manager Pete Newell wanted to bring in Indiana’s Bobby Knight, who was just coming off an NCAA championship season. Newell campaigned

FOUR : ALL-TIME HEAD COACHES strongly for Knight, but when he retired as general manager, the proposal went with him. Bill Sharman then moved up to fill Newell’s position, and team owner Jack Kent Cooke wanted to get Jerry Tarkanian from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Tarkanian was a proponent of the fast break, and his UNLV team was dubbed “the Runnin’ Rebels.”1 The Tarkanian deal fell through, with Cooke claiming that he decided to look in another direction. However, Tarkanian saw it in a different way. His claim was that he agreed to Cooke’s offer, but UNLV was in the midst of legal woes with the NCAA. Tarkanian felt that leaving the UNLV program during this time would have made him look bad.2 While the Lakers were scouring the college ranks for possible candidates to fill their coaching vacancy, Jerry West’s life consisted of playing golf and going through a divorce. He wanted to get back into the game he loved but did not want to approach the Lakers. With Bill Sharman’s new appointment as general manager, he went to Cooke to offer up West as a possible choice. Sharman thought that West would make an excellent coach, and began to press the issue with Cooke.3 One huge barrier stood in the way of Cooke initially considering West as his next head coach, with that being a $6 million lawsuit the former player filed against him. West’s claim was that Cooke owed him for the 1974 season even though he retired prior to the beginning of season. West claimed that his contract stated he would receive payment. Cooke finally decided to listen to Sharman about West, and then set out to make amends with the Lakers great. This appeared to be the perfect ending, however, it was far from over. Even though West needed a job, and had dreamt of running the Lakers from the bench, he did not return Cooke’s telephone calls when the flamboyant owner finally agreed to bring “Mr. Clutch” back into the Lakers fold.4 Cooke was becoming unnerved by the situation. Here he was attempting to pull off a great public relations move by hiring a man who had a lawsuit against him, and now his phone calls were not even being returned. This obviously did not sit too well with a powerful man like Cooke who possessed a large ego. Cooke then turned to the team’s legendary radio announcer, Chick Hearn, to help out. He wanted Hearn to find West. Hearn accomplished his task by locating West on a golf course and told him to call Cooke. West, however, still refused to contact Cooke, which set Cooke off even more. He once again told Hearn to find West, but this time Hearn had enough of this cat and mouse game and resigned his position. Cooke quickly realized that losing Hearn would be catastrophic. He called Hearn to make nice, and all was forgiven minutes after the infraction took place.5 By the end of July 1976, West finally got a hold of Cooke. The bond between the two was repaired, and on August 19, 1976, Jerry West was named the new head coach of the Lakers. Allegedly, as part of the deal, a settlement was reached regarding the lawsuit even though Cooke remained adamant that it was purely coincidental that the hiring happened at the same time that a settlement was reached.6 Regardless of how the legal issues were reached, West stood before the media on that August day with tears of joy in his eyes. He was now in charge of the team that he led to so many victories as a player, and was ready to meet the challenge of guiding the next generation of Lakers to heights of success.

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After taking the reins, West inquired about obtaining ABA superstar Julius “Dr. J” Erving when the league merged with the NBA prior to the 1976-77 season. Unfortunately, Cooke did not want to sign off on the acquisition. West still had Kareem AbdulJabbar, who was a star not even in his prime yet. With the possibility of Erving teaming up with Jabbar shot down by the man who signed the paychecks, West looked to help the team improve from a 40–42 finish, and return the Lakers back to the playoffs after a two-year absence. The Lakers began the 1976-77 season at 4–6, but then began to feel the intensity projected by West. With a new desire and chemistry engulfing the team, the Lakers won 29 of their next 39 games.7 Despite losing Kermit Washington and Lucius Allen to injuries, the Lakers finished the regular season with a league-best 53–29 record, and Jabbar won his fifth NBA Most Valuable Player Award.8 The playoffs were once again on the Lakers itinerary, as they won their first round series, four games to three, over the Golden State Warriors. They then ran into a Portland Trailblazers team led by Bill Walton, and the outcome was a four game sweep, as Portland then went on to win the NBA title over Julius Erving and the Philadelphia 76ers. Looking to build on the momentum created by a 13-game improvement, West’s team stumbled out of the blocks right from the start. In an opening game loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, the Lakers lost Jabbar for twenty games with a broken wrist. Kermit Washington was back after his previous season’s knee injury, but he was suspended for 60 games after punching Houston’s Rudy Tomjanovich on December 9, 1977. Later that month, Washington was traded to Boston. Despite their woes, the Lakers still managed to end with a respectable 45–37 record, but they made an early exit from the playoffs by losing to the Seattle Supersonics in the opening round. Going into his third season at the controls, West saw the Lakers get Norm Nixon in the draft. Nixon was a swift point guard who would go on to have a great run with the Lakers. However, at the beginning of his stay in Los Angeles, Nixon possibly doubted just how long he would be there. West and his new charge did not see eye to eye. West was a perfectionist who drove Nixon hard. West’s career as a guard was legendary, and he had trouble accepting errors from players performing his old position. Nixon was a rookie, and was playing one of the most demanding positions on the floor. Nixon felt that he was being singled out by West’s rants and a wedge was created between the two. The wear and tear on a perfectionist like West began to take its toll on him. He took each loss extremely hard, and the stress seemed to be breaking him down quickly. He had trouble conveying what he wanted out of players without an explosive response.9 The team finished at 47–35, won their first round playoff series against Denver, but the season ended in the next round, as the Seattle Supersonics beat them in five games. The final game of that series, a 106–100 loss on April 25, 1979, would eventually prove to be the last West served as head coach.10 Jack Kent Cooke sold the team to Dr. Jerry Buss in 1979, and Buss wanted nothing more than to have West as his coach.11 West had a new life by this time. He was remarried, had a child on the way, and was on his way to enshrinement into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1979. He did not see himself going

Jack McKinney through the emotional grinds of coaching any longer and declined the new owner’s offer.12 Jerry West produced three straight winning seasons as coach, and his time with the team was far from over. He served the Lakers successfully as both a player and coach, and it was now time to achieve more greatness as an executive. After working as a scout for the next three seasons after stepping down as coach, West became general manager before the 1982-83 season. During his tenure as GM, West helped to build the incredible run by the “Showtime” Lakers, adding five championship rings to his collection throughout the 1980s. In addition to helping guide the Lakers’ dynasty during the Magic Johnson era, West saw his #44 retired by the team on November 9, 1983.13 After the glory days of “Showtime” came to a conclusion in the early 1990s, the Lakers fell on semi-hard times. West quickly went to work rebuilding the proud tradition and achieved his goal. By 1995, the Lakers were back in the thick of the race for NBA supremacy, and West won the 1995 Executive of the Year Award. He then obtained future Lakers greats Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, and by the dawn of the new millennium, the team was returned to the summit of their profession. The team ran off three straight NBA titles to give West a total of nine championship rings.14 In 2002, West left the Lakers to serve as general manager for the Memphis Grizzlies. Within two years, he won his second Executive of the Year Award in 2004. In 2007, West retired from basketball, thus ending a career that spanned well over fifty years and gave West legendary status at every level of the game he attempted.15

Jack McKinney Tenure as Head Coach: July 29, 1979–November 8, 1979 Coaching Record with the Lakers: Regular Season: 10–4 At age 44, Jack McKinney proudly stood at the summit of the proverbial coaching mountain on July 30, 1979. After 22 years of perfecting his craft, he was awarded with the highest accomplishment that his profession offered. Born at the height of the Great Depression in 1935, McKinney was raised in Chester, Pennsylvania, a city that lies between Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware. Basketball allowed him to showcase his athletic prowess on the St. James High School team in Philadelphia. When not working the scholastic hardwood scene for the St. James Bulldogs, McKinney earned accolades in the Chester-Rec League, helping VFW teams secure championships.1 Upon his high school graduation in the early 1950s, McKinney did not stray too far from Chester to continue his athletic and educational careers. Approximately 15 miles north of his hometown of Chester is Philadelphia’s Saint Joseph’s University. It was there that McKinney donned the Crimson & Gray of the Hawks for the next stage of his basketball journey. It was also while playing there that he had the privilege of being mentored by one of the game’s truly great teachers, Jack Ramsey, who would later prove to be highly influential in McKinney’s path to a coaching career.2

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From the fall of 1954 through early spring of 1957, the 6' 2" McKinney helped the Hawks compile a three-year record of 52– 27 and two Big 5 titles in 1956 and 1957. The Big 5 consists of the five major colleges in the Philadelphia area. Along with St. Joe’s, the others include Temple, Villanova, LaSalle, and Penn. It is also called “the City Series.” McKinney’s athletic abilities were not just limited to the gym, as he also excelled in track at St. Joe’s.3 After his undergraduate work was complete at St. Joe’s, McKinney returned to Chester. He first served as an assistant basketball coach at St. James, and later, in 1960, he was appointed to the top position. In his first year at the helm, he guided the Bulldogs to a berth in the Catholic League finals. He was also reunited with Ramsey at this time, serving as an assistant and freshman team coach at St. Joe’s during the 1960-61 season, and then from 1962 through 1965.4 In 1965, McKinney decided to take the head-coaching job at Philadelphia College of Textiles & Science, a private university 15 minutes away from downtown Philadelphia. The Rams earned a reputation as having a solid basketball program over the years, and McKinney helped their heritage live up to that status by leading them to a 21–6 record in his lone season there. In 1966, McKinney’s mentor, Jack Ramsey, decided after averaging over 20 wins in an 11-season span, that it was time to take his talents to the NBA. He was appointed general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers, and the team won the NBA championship in his first season, and in doing so, ended the Boston Celtics’ eightyear reign as champions. With Ramsey’s departure to the professional ranks, the St. Joe’s Hawks needed a new coach, and McKinney filled his alma mater’s need. Not only did he fill a void created when the great Jack Ramsey departed, he more than lived up to his predecessor’s legacy. From 1966 through 1974, McKinney posted a 144–77 record that included four Middle-Atlantic Conference championships (1970, 1971, 1973, 1974), and one Big 5 title in 1968. He capped off his eight-year tenure at St. Joe’s by being named the 1973-74 Eastern Coach of the Year.5 Like Jack Ramsey before him, McKinney left the college game for the NBA. After serving as an assistant in Milwaukee for two seasons, he was reunited with Ramsey in Portland for three seasons. While working as an assistant with the Portland Trailblazers, McKinney helped his former college coach win an NBA title in 1977. When Jerry West decided he was not going to coach the Lakers after the 1978-79 season, a search was conducted to find his replacement. In addition to a new coach ready to come in, the Lakers also had a new owner in Dr. Jerry Buss. Just like under Jack Kent Cooke, Buss initially expressed interest in getting UNLV’s Jerry Tarkanian to assume the head coaching position. Tarkanian’s UNLV “Runnin Rebels” were a fast-paced offensive machine whose exploits enamored Buss. The new owner wanted hardwood electricity that would light up the scoreboard with flash-and-dash, and Tarkanian appeared to be the man for the job. When it became obvious that Tarkanian was going to stay at UNLV, Buss accepted the fact that he would have to look elsewhere for a coach to match his idea of a swift offensive scheme. The Lakers legendary announcer, Chick Hearn, had been around the team and the pro circuit for almost two decades by

FOUR : ALL-TIME HEAD COACHES this time, and had one of the best eyes for talent in the NBA. On his endorsement, Jack McKinney’s name came up, and Bill Sharman and Jerry West strongly backed Hearn’s candidate.6 On top of being a proponent of a fast-paced offensive attack, McKinney also had the advantage of knowing the Lakers’ star center, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, from his assistant days in Milwaukee. If a coach was going to prosper with the Lakers, he had to have the game’s premier pivot man on his side. McKinney looked at Jabbar as the igniter to his fast-break scheme by throwing passes to start the running game off.7 The opportunity to coach one of the most-storied franchises in all of American sports seemed like a fantasy for McKinney in his first attempt at running a professional team. Throughout talks with Buss, McKinney had to leave the country for a two-week basketball clinic in Italy. While working in Italy, McKinney was contacted by Bill Sharman to come back home in order to once again meet with Buss. He quickly got his friend and fellow St. Joe’s grad Paul Westhead to come to Italy and finish up for him. Once back in Los Angeles, McKinney was offered a one-year deal worth $125,000 to become the Lakers’ new coach.8 The first-ever head coach hired by Buss was now set to prove the new owner did not make a mistake by bringing him to the City of Angels. McKinney then quickly put his plan in motion to make the Lakers an electrifying point scoring machine that Buss sought to have. Prior to training camp, McKinney met with Jabbar about his new offensive attack that would have everyone running. Jabbar agreed with what McKinney said, told the new coach that he also would run, and things were off to a good start for the new coach of America’s glam team.9 McKinney then set his sights on the man who would eventually become the face of the franchise, 6' 9" rookie guard, Earvin “Magic” Johnson. The number one overall pick of the 1979 draft, Johnson had McKinney in euphoria about the possibilities of this basketball wizard controlling the fast-paced attack he had in mind. On top of Jabbar and Johnson, McKinney also inherited the perfect wingman in Jamaal Wilkes, the blazing speed of Michael Cooper, and the swift guard Norm Nixon, who along with Johnson, would provide the Lakers with the best guard combination of the early 1980s. With all the pieces in places, McKinney let his charges loose on the rest of the NBA, and thus brought the curtain up on “Showtime” in Los Angeles, which would eventually take the Lakers and NBA into their most exciting time period. Over his first 13 games as coach, McKinney showed that Chick Hearn’s instincts were correct about his abilities by having the Lakers off to a 9–4 start in the few weeks of the 1979-80 season. Everything seemed to be perfect for the Pennsylvania native among the palm trees and sunshine of LA as he awoke on the morning of November 8, 1979. That early November day was the first one that McKinney and his assistant Paul Westhead had off since the season began. At 9:30 in the morning, Westhead called McKinney to ask him if he wanted to play some tennis. McKinney agreed, but his wife took the car, so he had to rely on his son’s bicycle for transportation on a mile and half trek through Palos Verdes to the tennis courts. While pedaling down a steep hill, McKinney quickly began to gain speed. As he was coming up on the intersection of Whitley Collins Drive and Stonecrest Road, he attempted to slow down

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by gently applying pressure to the brake. However, the brake responded by stopping the bike suddenly, sending the helmet-less McKinney airborne over the handlebars. He landed headfirst onto the pavement and his body was tossed across the concrete. He was unconscious and bleeding when an ambulance arrived on the scene.10 He was taken to Little Company of Mary Hospital, where he resided in the intensive care unit with serious head trauma, and a fractured face and elbow. Initially, his prognosis was not good, but after nearly a month in the hospital, McKinney improved enough to be released. His road back was a long and painful one, but he persevered, and by the end of January, McKinney believed he could get back to work running the Lakers. However, there were signs that McKinney was not ready to assume his position. He got fatigued quickly, his mind was not sharp enough after suffering such trauma, and his doctors ruled against him returning to work.11 While McKinney was out, the team promoted assistant Paul Westhead to run the team on an interim basis, but under him, the Lakers were doing well. Westhead kept the same philosophy that McKinney installed, and it looked like the front office did not want to break up the momentum that the team was enjoying under Westhead and newly appointed assistant Pat Riley. McKinney never stopped campaigning for himself to return, and did some scouting for the team while he attempted to regain his health. However, his mental capacities were still hampered, and his future of returning as head coach of the Lakers was getting less likely with the passing of each day. He attempted to sell the idea that it would not be long before he could return to his duties to Buss, but when he could not recognize the owner on one occasion, the decision to not bring him back was made easier.12 The Lakers then won the 1980 NBA title with Westhead in control, and Buss looked to keep him on as head coach. Buss was a businessman who had to protect his investment, and saw that McKinney was not capable of running the team and dealing with the pressure that went with it. On May 13, 1980, the decision to relieve McKinney of his duties was finalized by Buss. Naturally, McKinney was devastated by the news, and it caused a riff in his long-time relationship with Paul Westhead. In time, McKinney patched things up with Westhead and came to realize that Buss did what he had to do.13 After his time in Los Angeles, McKinney returned to coaching the following year, leading the Indiana Pacers to a 44–38 record and their first playoff appearance since the team joined the NBA after the ABA merger in 1976. His efforts were rewarded when the league selected McKinney as the 1980-81 NBA Coach of the Year. Unfortunately, McKinney could not build on what he did in that first year. The Pacers suffered through 35, 20, and 26 win seasons under McKinney, and because of these sub-par finishes, he was released by the team following the 1983-84 season. He attempted another try at coaching, this time with the Kansas City Kings in 1984-85, but after a 1–8 start, he resigned. Since his coaching days, McKinney was inducted into the Saint Joseph’s University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004, and coauthored a book in 2005 entitled Jack McKinney’s Tales from the Saint Joseph’s Hardwood: The Hawk Will Never Die.14

Paul Westhead

Paul Westhead Tenure as Head Coach: November 9, 1979 until the end of the 1979-80 season as interim head coach. May 20, 1980–November 19, 1981 (as head coach) Coaching Record with the Lakers: Regular Season: 111–50, Postseason: 13–6 The masterpieces of William Shakespeare and basketball are two passions that seldom intertwine, unless in the case of Paul Westhead. A devout student of Shakespeare, and the fast paced run-and-gun style of basketball, Westhead became the “Guru of Go,” and enjoyed both passions for many decades. The city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has long been a hot bed for basketball talent, and has spawned many careers in the professional ranks. It was in this environment that Paul Westhead was born on February 21, 1939. The sport of basketball became Westhead’s life’s work, and his desire for it started when he was nine years old, but his initial apprenticeship into it did not go well. Philadelphia’s West Catholic High School had a solid reputation as a football and basketball power, and it was there that Westhead hoped to be a part of that proud tradition. However, three times he attempted to make the basketball team, and on all those occasions, he was cut. In his senior year, he grew to 6'1", and the coach expressed interest, but felt that Westhead’s time had passed to wear the blue and gold of the Burrs.1 Westhead’s parents secured a loan and sent him to Malvern Prep, an independent Catholic middle and high school in Malvern, Pennsylvania. It was there that the future “Guru of Go” was able to hone his skills on the basketball court and pursue his other passion, the works of William Shakespeare. Both of these driving forces in his life led him to college.2 Despite his minor experience in basketball, Westhead made up for lost time by possessing a fiery competitiveness and had the ability to drive to the basket. His hard work paid off, as he was accepted to Philadelphia’s Saint Joseph’s University. His coach at St. Joe’s was the legendary Jack Ramsey, who is regarded as one of the best teachers of the game. He saw a passion in Westhead, in athletics and the classroom, and looked to assist him in both ventures.3 Ramsey not only was an outstanding coach, but also served as chairman of the St. Joe’s education department. Westhead was the perfect match for Ramsey. He possessed a desire to learn in the classroom and on the basketball court, and Ramsey helped him along on his path toward teaching in both fields. He got Westhead a student teaching position, which led him into the education profession, and shared his vast basketball knowledge as well.4 During Westhead’s time in a St. Joe’s jersey, the Hawks enjoyed some of their greatest success. From 1959 to 1961, St. Joe’s compiled a 67–17 record, with each season ending in 20-plus wins, and they only went down in defeat once in Middle Atlantic Conference and Big 5 competition combined in those three years. Westhead worked hard on the court, and came away from the experience a fundamentally sound player with a strong alliance to the defensive side of the game. A broken wrist as a senior cut into his final season, but he left St. Joe’s with a chosen path in life.

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Armed with a bachelor’s degree in English, Westhead set out into the world to teach his two obsessions, basketball and Shakespeare. He also advanced his education by earning a master’s degree in English Literature from Villanova.5 He became an assistant basketball coach at the University of Dayton in Ohio, and taught English Literature and Shakespeare.6 After a year in Ohio, Westhead returned to his native Pennsylvania as head coach at Cheltenham High School in Wyncote, which borders the city of Philadelphia. In four years leading the Panthers, Westhead led the basketball program back to distinction in the mid–1960s.7 St. Joe’s alum Jack McKinney replaced Jack Ramsey as head coach of the Hawks, and looked to bring Westhead back into the college ranks as an assistant. By the beginning of the 1970s, Westhead had earned enough coaching credentials to take the reins of his own program. That opportunity arose when Philadelphia’s LaSalle University named Westhead as their 13th head coach, replacing Tom Gola, in 1970. When Westhead first got into coaching, he followed his mentor, Jack Ramsey’s, advice about making a team strong on fundamentals. He also was more focused on the defensive aspect of the game. However, in the early 1970s, Westhead had a revelation that changed his beliefs, and in time, transformed him into the “Guru of Go.” The mere thought of a trip to the northeastern Caribbean Sea paradise of Puerto Rico conjures up images of beautiful beaches and warm weather among many other splendors. In the case of Paul Westhead, one of the splendors he brought back to the United States was a career-altering philosophy during an offseason coaching trip. While down in Puerto Rico, Westhead noticed the players tearing up and down the court and quickly hitting 20-foot jumpers. He then realized that if a team could light up the scoreboard at that fast of a pace, why dwell on an offensive scheme that takes so long to attempt a shot. This hardwood epiphany was solidified forever in Westhead’s coaching philosophy after meeting Sonny Allen, a Division II championshipwinning coach from Old Dominion University, who explained the flash and dash offense. Allen had been a proponent of the fast break, and successfully used it at all levels throughout his career.8 With the fast break offense installed in his arsenal, Westhead ran his LaSalle Explorers to a 142–105 record throughout the greater part of the 1970s. In 1975, he was named NCAA District Two Coach of the Year, after guiding LaSalle to a 22–7 record. He also led the Explorers to the NCAA Tournament on two occasions, and one NIT appearance. In 1979, Jack McKinney took over as head coach of the Lakers, and wanted his fellow St. Joe’s alum and former assistant to serve him in that same capacity in the pros. Westhead accepted, and he was on his way to the big leagues. However, after 13 games as McKinney’s assistant, Westhead was thrust into the head coaching role on an interim basis when McKinney suffered serious, lifethreatening injuries while riding a bicycle to a tennis court to play Westhead on a day off. The Lakers were 9–4 at the time of Westhead’s promotion, and under his guidance, they finished at 60– 22, and won the 1980 NBA championship. Los Angeles owner Dr. Jerry Buss decided to retain Westhead as his head coach when he saw that McKinney was not capable of dealing with the pressures of the job following his accident.

FOUR : ALL-TIME HEAD COACHES Everything appeared to be on the right track for Westhead shortly after the 1980 NBA crown was brought to Los Angeles after a seven-year absence. Unfortunately, all good things do not last. At the start of the 1980-81 season, Westhead lost the leader of “Showtime,” Magic Johnson, to a knee injury. This caused the team to struggle, and Westhead looked to steady the ship. He incorporated what was dubbed “Balance of Energy,” but all it did was start a slow decline that eventually led to his departure from LA. The “Balance of Energy” called for forward Jim Chones and guard Michael Cooper to give up their starting roles and come in off the bench. The only problem was that Westhead did not discuss his concept with Chones and Cooper until tipoff. After a month, he omitted his “Balance of Energy,” but the lack of communication immediately set in motion a sour relationship between the players and Westhead. He also quoted Shakespeare to his players, who could not relate.9 The Lakers still went on to post a 54–28 record for second place in the Pacific Division. A first round playoff loss to the sub– .500 Houston Rockets only increased the problems between Westhead, his players, and the team’s hierarchy. The 1981-82 season was christened with Westhead installing a half court game plan that many felt stymied the exciting, fast break “Showtime” Lakers. It was also claimed that taking away the controls of the fast break from Johnson, and slowing things down with his new plan, allowed Westhead to be in charge and not Magic.10 Why a coach like Westhead, who believed so much in the fast break, went about trying to change one of the greatest fast break teams in history remains a mystery. There are theories from different parties (Westhead and the players), but all that can be resolved within these pages was the fact that things were not working out. The team was in utter chaos, and Dr. Buss was one of those not satisfied with what he was witnessing. He wanted the glam and slam, flash and dash style back that he envisioned when he purchased the team two years earlier. When the person signing the paychecks is not pleased, things can become quite dismal for the party responsible. Buss made the decision to fire Westhead after seeing the team struggle at the start of the season, but was convinced to wait by team executives Bill Sharman and Jerry West.11 The team started off at 2–4, but since then won five straight, even though the victories were not by large amounts. It appeared that the Lakers were just squeaking by. Buss’ initial idea of releasing Westhead came on Sunday, November 15, but by Thursday, November 19, 1981, the owner lowered the boom. Following a 113–110 win against Utah on the road on Wednesday, Westhead expressed his displeasure to Magic Johnson about his lack of interest during a team huddle and not being in tune with the game plan.12 Johnson, like the rest of the team, was tired of what was going on under Westhead, and had enough. He informed reporters that he wanted to be traded, and the next day, Buss smothered that fire by firing the 42-year-old Westhead. At the time of his release, Westhead had the best winning percentage among his fellow coaches, but his 111 wins did not mean a thing if he lost control of the team. With his 18-month stint in charge of the Lakers over, Westhead remained in the NBA as head coach of the Chicago Bulls for the 1982-83 season, which saw the Bulls finish at 28–54. It

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was then back to the college game for Westhead. From 1985 to 1990, he built Loyola Marymount into a force to be reckoned with. From 1988 to 1990, Westhead led LMU to three straight NCAA tournaments after posting records of 27–3, 20–10, and 23–5. The 1990s began for Westhead with a return to the NBA as head coach of the Denver Nuggets. Following a 44–120 record after two seasons, Westhead’s tenure in the Mile High City was over. Following his stay in Denver, Westhead was head coach at George Mason University (1993–97), in the new version of the American Basketball Association (2000-01), and in Japan (2001– 03). The Orlando Magic gave Westhead the opportunity to return to the NBA, this time as an assistant coach from 2003 to 2005. In 2005, he took over the head coaching position of the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury. Two years later, Westhead guided the Mercury to the WNBA championship, which earned him the distinction of being the only coach to win titles in the NBA and the WNBA. After his successful climax in Phoenix, Westhead was an assistant with the Seattle Supersonics during the 2007-08 season. On March 26, 2009, it was once again back to college coaching, this time at the University of Oregon to serve as mentor to the women’s team.13

Pat Riley Tenure as Head Coach: November 19, 1981–June 11, 1990 Coaching Record with the Lakers: Regular Season: 533–194, Post-season: 102–47 Pat Riley’s entrance into Southern California could not have been more perfect. A young 22-year-old rookie selected in the first round of the NBA draft arrived in the “Golden State” behind the wheel of a 1967 yellow Corvette with the Pacific Ocean, beaches, and palm trees all beckoning with an almost mystical allure. California Dreamin’ personified. Over the next 23 years, there would be countless drives through the Southern California utopia, with some of them being the best of all, as a champion in a victory parade. Success and Pat Riley were synonymous when he mentored the “Showtime” Lakers of the 1980s. With perfectly tailored Armani suits and slicked back hair, he gave the appearance of being a Hollywood power broker rather than that of a coach, but a coach he was, and an incredible one at that. Even though the bulk of Riley’s success occurred in the Southland, his quest for basketball glory began clear across the country in Rome, New York, on March 20, 1945. In ancient times, it was claimed that all roads led to Rome in Italy. However, in Riley’s case, all roads went away from Rome, New York. This was due to his father’s profession as a minor league baseball coach in the Philadelphia Phillies’ farm system. Lee Riley, who Pat grew up to look like, had a passionate zest for baseball, and even made it to the big leagues with the Phillies for four games in 1944. His brief stay consisted of 12 trips to the plate for one hit (a double), and a .083 batting average. His days in the majors may have been brief, but Lee Riley never stopped dreaming of making it back to the big time someday. Coaching gave him that hope, and he yearned to manage the

Pat Riley Phillies after making his way through the ranks in the farm system. In that regard, Lee packed up his family and made journeys across the country in a Studebaker station wagon.1 At age seven, Pat’s life of watching the American landscape go by along two lanes roads came to an end when the Phillies organization dismissed his father from his coaching duties in 1952. With the game he loved and desired to be a part of for many more years taken away from him, Lee Riley became despondent. He tried to regroup by operating a bar/eatery, and later a neighborhood store, but neither venture panned out.2 He eventually became a janitor at a local high school and coached the baseball team.3 He lived until 1970, never able to witness the greatness that his son Pat would achieve as one of the legendary coaches in NBA history. After Lee left baseball, the Riley’s settled in Schenectady, New York, some 90 miles east of where Pat was born in Rome. It was there in Schenectady, a decade after his father’s athletic dreams faded, that Pat’s prowess in sports allowed him to make a name for himself and rise to the summit of his profession twenty years later. Central Junior High School was where Riley began on his athletic quest, as he was regarded as the best basketball player on the team.4 After that, he set out to test his abilities on the next level as a member of the Linton High School Blue Devils. His basketball coach, Walt Przybylo, was a tough mentor who took his profession very seriously.5 At this time in his life, Riley had a touch of a rebel in him, and might have gotten into serious trouble if it were not for Przybylo. The coach saw potential in Riley, became a father figure to him, and more than likely, led him away from the life of a hoodlum.6 In response to Przybylo’s guidance, Pat Riley made his coach proud. The city of Schenectady was ravenous over high school basketball, and Riley gave Linton’s supporters reason to boast.7 He gained a reputation for having a soft jump shot that sailed effortlessly towards the hoop, and kept the scorekeeper busy on a consistent basis. He was also known for his toughness. In his senior year, he averaged 28 points a game, and college recruiters began clamoring for his services over the next four years of his life.8 In addition to his basketball abilities, Riley possessed skills in baseball, track, and football, where he was the starting quarterback. His gridiron talents gained enough headlines that they attracted the attention of one the greatest college football coaches in the game’s history. The legendary Paul “Bear” Bryant from the University of Alabama wanted Riley to help add to his legacy down in the “Heart of Dixie.”9 However, it was the allure of another coaching legend from the “Bluegrass State” of Kentucky that eventually led Riley to his college destination. The majority of interest regarding Riley’s basketball talents came from schools in the eastern region of the country.10 However, nearly 800 miles from Riley’s front door in Schenectady, one of college basketball’s iconic figures, Adolph Rupp, wanted to place the star of Linton High School in a blue and white Wildcats jersey. With both Bear Bryant and Rupp seeking Riley’s athletic prowess, this earned him the distinction of being sought after by two of the greatest coaches in their prospective sports. Adolph “the Baron of Bluegrass” Rupp was a Kansas native who was nearing the end of his illustrious coaching career when Riley arrived on the Lexington campus. His stay at Kentucky

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began in 1930, and by the time he retired in 1972, Rupp won four NCAA titles, one NIT championship, 27 Southeastern Conference crowns, and compiled 876 wins for an incredible 82.2 winning percentage.11 Rupp drilled his players to be fundamentally sound, and expected nothing less than the ultimate amount of effort. He stressed a defense that called for his players to cover an opponent like a blanket, and then pound them into submission with a tenacious fast break offensive attack. These principles have been commonplace throughout the generations of teaching the sport of basketball, but the great ones like Rupp were able to select the right players and mold them into rising to heights that others could not. Riley was fortunate to be among Rupp’s charges, and in his three seasons of varsity action, he did not disappoint his legendary mentor. For his Kentucky career, spanning 1964 to 1967, the 6' 4" forward played in 80 games, scored 1,464 points, and averaged 18.3 points per game. In 1966, as a junior, Riley was Kentucky’s leading scorer, averaging 22 points per game, and earning 3rd team All-American, on a squad dubbed “Rupp’s Runts.” No one on the 1965-66 Wildcats was taller than 6'5", but through solid team unity, intelligence, and swagger, the Runts ran the opposition into the ground. They ended the year with a 27–2 record, an SEC title, and a runner-up finish in the NCAA tournament. Prior to his senior year, Riley hurt his back while water-skiing, and the pain hampered him throughout the year. He still managed to average 17 points a game, and after the season was over, he had surgery on two slipped discs.12 At the end of Riley’s senior year in 1967, the Golden Coast provided him with an opportunity to test his basketball skills at the ultimate level of competition. The San Diego Rockets (later Houston Rockets) were an expansion team, and used their firstever draft pick to obtain Pat Riley, making him that year’s seventh overall selection on May 3, 1967. An interesting footnote to the Pat Riley saga involved the Dallas Cowboys, who also expressed an interest in him. Despite not playing football since high school, the Cowboys selected him in the 11th round of the NFL draft. They had already turned a former basketball player named Cornell Green into a defensive back, and felt that the same could be done with Riley. He met with NFL coaching legend Tom Landry, who wanted him as a defensive back, but Riley wanted to play quarterback.13 The team was already stockpiled with quarterbacks, so the deal proved to fade into history. After his brief, yet interesting thought of professional football now behind him, Riley set his sights on the palm tress, beaches, and sunshine of Southern California and the prospect of helping the expansion San Diego Rockets in their inaugural NBA campaign. When he arrived at training camp, his first coach in the pros was Jack McMahon, who wanted to switch Riley over to guard, a position he never played before.14 McMahon felt that Riley was too small to play forward, so he became a guard. The only problem was that his back injury took away his quickness, so it seemed that he was constantly playing catch-up with his opponent. However, Riley was a hard worker who relied on toughness and brains to perform up to NBA standards for nine seasons as a reserve. In his rookie year, he saw action in 80 games for a team that took a beating and finished at 15–67. Riley averaged 15.8 minutes

FOUR : ALL-TIME HEAD COACHES per game, and 7.9 points. He suffered a knee injury early in his second year, and an ankle problem in his third. Following the 1969-70 season, Riley was left unprotected by the Rockets when the Portland Trailblazers were coming into the league and ready for the expansion draft. On May 11, 1970, Riley was selected by Portland, but never had to endure another expansion season. The Lakers made sure of that by purchasing him from Portland on October 7, 1970.15 For the next five full seasons, Riley was a key bench player for the Lakers, and earned a championship ring as a member of the 1971-72 team that won a then-record 69 wins during the regular season. On November 3, 1975, he was traded to the Phoenix Suns where he ended his career following the 1975-76 season. In all, Riley played in 528 regular season games and averaged 7.4 points per game. He also appeared in 44 playoff contests, averaging 5.7 points per game. After hanging out at the beach for a year, Riley decided to return to the NBA, but this time as a radio broadcaster opposite the legendary Chick Hearn, starting in 1977. As the 1979-80 season was off to a good start at 9–4 under new head coach Jack McKinney, a life-altering occurrence changed the course of Lakers history. On November 8, 1979, McKinney was involved in a neardeath accident while riding a bicycle. His injuries were severe, and he would never coach the Lakers after that fateful day. Assistant coach Paul Westhead was elevated to interim head coach, and needed an assistant. At first, Westhead coached the team alone for the next six games, and then he requested Pat Riley as an assistant.16At first, team owner Dr. Jerry Buss was apprehensive about Riley becoming a coach. He had no previous experience, but after eight days of hearing good things about Riley from former general manager Pete Newell and others, Buss felt a little more comfortable with Westhead’s choice.17 So, upon his appointment, it was out of the radio booth and onto the sideline for what would eventually become one of the greatest coaching reigns in sports history. The Lakers then ran off a 50–18 record with Westhead and Riley as coaches. They then capped off the season by winning the 1979-80 NBA crown, giving Riley his second championship ring. The following year, things did not go as well even though the team finished at 54–28. Westhead and his players were beginning to have friction come between them. He wanted to change up the fast break system that Jack McKinney had incorporated, and replace it with a half court game, which did not go over well with the players or ownership. His communication skills were also in question, as the team had a hard time relating to him when he broke into quotes from Shakespeare or off the wall comments that no one could figure out. Tensions were strained even more after the Lakers lost in the opening round of the 1981 playoffs to the 40–42 Houston Rockets. At the start of the 1981-82 season, Westhead was virtually hanging onto his job by the slimmest of margins, and despite a five-game winning streak after starting off at 2–4, Dr. Buss decided to fire his head coach when the heart of his team, Magic Johnson, had enough of Westhead’s antics and wanted to be traded. On November 19, 1981, Westhead was gone and Riley was about to be thrust into quite possibly the most glamorous coaching job in American sports. Initially, Buss wanted Jerry West to go back into coaching,

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but the former Lakers great did not want the job. He was happy with his front office position, and wanted his ex-teammate Pat Riley as the new coach.18 Buss still had the hope that West would once again be on the sidelines, and came up with an idea so that both parties would come out satisfied. Buss would give the job to Riley if West served as co-coach.19 His thinking was that West would handle the offensive side, and Riley the defense.20 On paper, it seemed to work, but in reality, things became an abomination. At the press conference announcing the new coaching regime, Jerry West definitely made it clear that he was going to be working for Riley, and not the other way around. Buss had trouble defining what he was looking for. He stated that West was going to be running the offense, but that Riley was the coach. This obviously confused everyone in attendance. It appeared that there was no clear-cut head coach in Buss’ concept, even though he probably thought of West in that regard.21 Confusion continued to mount, as Buss grew more and more nervous, West did not have a joyous expression on his face, and Riley was probably just like every one else in the Forum that day, slightly confused.22 With West on the bench to serve as his offensive coach, Pat Riley debuted as head coach on Friday, November 20, 1981. The Lakers blew the San Antonio Spurs out of the Forum, 136–116, and Riley was on his way. Two months later, the Lakers were 20– 6 under Riley, West was back in his front office position, and Dr. Buss was starting to believe in his new coach. Riley was devoted to his new job, and displayed a passion and presence that the players seemed to take to. With each success on the court, Riley’s status rose, and before too long, he was the envy of coaches everywhere. He returned the fast break attack to the game plan, got his players in shape each year, and then turned them loose on the rest of the NBA. He knew what they were capable of, and did not attempt to upset the chemistry by over coaching. This was not to claim that there were no problems. With a cast of different personalities all grouped together over the course of a long season, friction occurs. However, Riley was able to stabilize the matters internally, and the main focus on winning games continued. Riley also came up with a coaching concept entitled TI for temporary insanity. It called for him to display anger at the right time, coupled with respectability at the player he was trying to get his point across to. He would then display a calm and understanding demeanor shortly after so that no long term ill feelings were felt. It provided a forceful beginning with a compassionate climax, much like a good cop–bad cop scenario.23 Winning was something that Riley never had a problem with as coach of the Lakers. Right from the start, the Lakers awarded their new mentor with the 1981-82 NBA championship in his first season. By 1985, Riley had guided the Lakers to the NBA Finals in each of his first four seasons. After being swept by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1983 Finals with a team suffering from injuries, the Lakers lost a heart-breaking seven game series to the Boston Celtics in 1984. The following year proved to be sweet redemption for all the times that the Celtics had beaten the Lakers in the Finals. No team had ever beaten the Celtics in Boston for the NBA crown until Riley led the “Showtime” Lakers into Boston Garden for Game Six of the 1985 NBA Finals. On June 9, 1985,

Pat Riley the Boston albatross was finally thwarted when Los Angeles won, 111–100. Three more trips to the Finals came Riley’s way from 1987 to 1989, with his Lakers becoming the first team since the 1969 Celtics to win back-to-back championships (1987-88). Following a 63–19 finish in 1990, and an NBA Coach of Year Award, Riley stepped down as leader of the Lakers on June 11, 1990 shortly after LA was beaten in the second round of the playoffs by Phoenix four games to one. In Riley’s nine seasons as coach of “Showtime,” he registered five seasons of 60-plus victories, and seven appearances in the NBA Finals, winning four of them. The Lakers under Riley were exciting, glamorous, and highly successful. They were the envy of the sports world, and the perfect representatives of the glam capital of the world, Hollywood, California. Amidst the movie colony’s fan base that came out to see their Lakers dazzle and destroy all comers, Riley fit the Hollywood image to perfection. He was handsome, charismatic, had his hair slicked back, and looked like a Hollywood or Wall Street power broker in perfectly tailored Armani suits.24 The allure of the spotlight created by leading the most exciting team to ever grace a basketball court was hard to walk away from permanently. Following a one-year hiatus from coaching to work as a television broadcaster for NBC, Riley was back on the sidelines in another glamorous American setting, New York City. In 1991, he accepted the job as head coach of the New York Knicks. In his first season in the Big Apple, Riley transformed a team that went from 39 wins the previous year to a 51–31 record in 1991-92. The next year, he won a franchise-best 60 games and another NBA Coach of the Year Award. In 1993-94, Riley made his eighth trip to the NBA Finals as a coach, but lost in seven games to the Houston Rockets. After another successful year in 1995, that saw the Knicks win 55 games, Riley resigned to take the head job of the Miami Heat.25 The Heat was established in 1988, and slowly improved over their first six years of operation. After their first winning season in 1993-94 (42–40), the Heat sank back into mediocrity, winning only 32 games the following year. Riley was brought in to build a champion like in his two previous stops. He completely rebuilt the team, and they won 42 games in Riley’s first season. They earned a playoff berth, but were swept in the first round by the powerful Chicago Bulls. Despite the swift playoff exit, the Heat under Riley was a team on a major upswing. Earning his third Coach of the Year Award in 1997, Riley guided Miami to an incredible 61–21 finish and their first-ever appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals. However, Riley’s quest for another NBA crown was denied as his years in South Beach went by. Following a dismal 25–57 finish in 2003, which saw his main core of players lost to other teams or illness, Riley stepped down as coach to focus on his job of general manager. In that capacity, Riley was able to rebuild the Heat into a championship contender. By December 12, 2005, Riley was back in command of the Heat from the bench, replacing Stan Van Gundy after Miami started off the season at 11–10.26 With perennial all-star Dwyane Wade and former Laker Shaquille O’Neal, Riley led the team to a 41–20 record the rest of the way. His dream of once again conquering the roundball summit was reached when Miami won the

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2005-06 NBA championship over the Dallas Mavericks. Riley’s status as a legendary coach was established long before he hoisted the Larry O’Brien Trophy in South Beach, but with that title, he elevated his legacy even higher, if that was possible. On April 28, 2008, Riley once again stepped down as coach, but as of 2011, he is the Heat’s team president.27 On top of his greatness as a coach, Riley also authored the book “Showtime” in 1988 about the exciting season in which the Lakers won their second straight NBA title. He also gives motivational speeches, and in 2008, he was enshrined into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.28

Mike Dunleavy Tenure as Head Coach: June 11, 1990–May 11, 1992 Coaching Record with the Lakers: Regular Season: 101–63, Postseason: 13–10 To replace a coaching icon is a difficult task. In some cases it produces insurmountable pressure, especially when the exiting coach just finished up an incredible decade-long run, consisting of five championships and three additional title game appearances. Mike Dunleavy, Sr., knew all too well about the Pat Riley– led “Showtime” Lakers of the 1980s from an opposing player’s perspective. However, when he retired as a player, he decided to enter the coaching profession, and his first baptism under fire was to take one of the most high profile jobs in professional sports, coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. The city of Brooklyn, New York, has long provided allure and was romanticized about. The largest of New York’s five boroughs, its mystique has prompted books and films to be centered around it. The Brooklyn Dodgers, Coney Island, and the Brooklyn Bridge, are just some of the things that made “the City of Churches” iconic through the years. Even though the lore created by the Dodgers, until their departure for the west coast in 1958, has provided the sport of baseball with some of its most endearing memories, basketball also played a major factor in Brooklyn’s history. Some of the game’s greatest performers got their first opportunities to dazzle in their first pair of Chuck Taylors on asphalt courts scattered throughout the legendary borough. Names such as Billy Cunningham, Lenny Wilkens, Connie Hawkins, Bernard King, and Chris Mullins, are among the elite to emerge from Kings County.1 On March 21, 1954, the dawn of another Brooklyn hoops legend was introduced to the world with the birth of Michael Joseph Dunleavy. Throughout the city, playgrounds and neighborhood centers all sported basketball courts where the embryonic stages of roundball dreams manifested into reality. Dunleavy was just like thousands of other youths flocking to courts with hopes of sinking Spaldings on the professional level. Unlike most of the participants, however, Dunleavy rose above the crowd, showing grit and ability after paying his dues banging under backboards and sinking open shots on hardwood and asphalt surfaces. By the time Dunleavy was ready for high school, Nazareth High School in East Flatbush was in existence a mere six years. By the time he graduated in 1972, he made

FOUR : ALL-TIME HEAD COACHES himself and the school noteworthy. As the driving force behind the Maroon and Gold Kingsmen, Dunleavy’s #44 was the focal point of every basketball aficionados in Brooklyn. In his senior year, he earned All–New York City honors and had his jersey retired.2 The 6' 2", 175 pound all-purpose guard decided to travel south of the Mason-Dixon Line to continue his studies and athletic prowess. The South Carolina Gamecocks were the toast of the Palmetto State during Dunleavy’s time on campus. The success enjoyed by the program was thanks to coach Frank McGuire, whose charges had Carolina Coliseum rocking each winter. Dunleavy’s skill level impressed McGuire right from the start, and the Brooklyn native appeared in 111 straight games, with his final 105 all as a starter. The four-year letterman helped South Carolina to an 81–30 record from 1972 to 1976, with two NCAA Tournament appearances. Along with future NBA performers Alex English and Brian Winters, Dunleavy assisted in making the 1973 Gamecocks one of the greatest in the school’s history by posting a 22–7 record and advancing to the NCAA Tournament’s “Sweet Sixteen.” In four collegiate seasons, Dunleavy scored 1,586 points to finish as South Carolina’s third all-time leading scorer. He was also a gifted student, earning a degree in psychology with straight A grades.3 Upon his 1976 college graduation, Dunleavy’s immediate future was decided thanks to the Philadelphia 76ers. On June 8, 1976, the City of Brotherly Love selected Dunleavy in the 6th round and 99th overall pick of the college draft. He made his pro debut on December 3, 1976, and remained with the 76ers until March 10, 1978 when he signed a free agent contract with the Houston Rockets. He played with the Rockets through the 1982 season. He then spent a year with San Antonio in 1982-83, and led the league with a .345 three-point percentage. His final official year as a player occurred in a Milwaukee Bucks’ uniform in 198485. His playing career was ended when a nagging back injury forced him to retire. In 438 NBA games, Dunleavy started in 55 of them. He was a player who took charges, played tough defense, dove all over the court for loose balls, made good passing decisions, and was able to connect regularly when an open shot was his for the taking. He averaged 8.0 points per game over nine seasons, and appeared in two NBA Finals with Philadelphia (1977) and Houston (1981).4 It was then back to the state of his birth, as Dunleavy went to work for a New York City investment firm on Wall Street. After a brief time in the public sector, the allure of the hardwood brought him back to the NBA, this time as an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1986-87. He served the Bucks’ organization in that capacity under coaching legend Don Nelson until the end of the 1989-90 season. He even returned to playing when Milwaukee suffered some injuries in the backcourt, suiting up for two games in 1988-89 and five the following year.5 One of the most prestigious and sought after jobs in the Association during the late 1980s was employment with the Los Angeles Lakers. Success and glamour were the ingredients that made the allure of coming to LA so mesmerizing. In June of 1990, Mike Dunleavy, Sr., achieved his piece of “California Dreamin’” when he was named as Pat Riley’s successor and ninth head coach in the Lakers’ time in Los Angeles.

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Jerry West was general manager of the Lakers at this time, and had an interest in Dunleavy as a coach for a few years prior to hiring him. When Pat Riley and the Lakers decided to part ways at the dawn of the 1990s, West jumped at the chance to give the 36-year-old assistant the chance of a lifetime to begin a headcoaching career with the elite of the NBA. West felt that Dunleavy was more than qualified to lead the “Showtime” Lakers after a three-year apprenticeship under Don Nelson.6 Dunleavy was smart and knew how to work with the players. It also helped to have veteran leadership that was part of multiple championships on the roster. Magic Johnson, Byron Scott, Michael Cooper, and James Worthy, were all still in uniform and ready to help Dunleavy’s initial sortie into the head coaching profession come out successfully. Nothing could have been truer, as the Lakers finished the 1990-91 campaign with a 58–24 record. They cruised past Houston in three straight to open the post season, and then disposed of Golden State in five and Portland in six, to reach the NBA Finals for the fourth time in the previous five seasons. It was in the Finals that the Lakers hit a brick wall in the form of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. After winning the first game, the Lakers fell victim to four straight losses to give the Bulls their first NBA crown of the Jordan era. Losing the NBA championship was a hurt that could be rectified the following season, but the loss of a team leader and basketball icon was unbearable. In November of 1991, Magic Johnson announced his retirement from the game due to testing positive for HIV. The team could not rebound after the stunning and swift loss of Johnson. Without their leader, and the rest of the core players getting up in age, Dunleavy could not work miracles. The Lakers did finish above .500 with a 43–39 record, but made a quick exit in the playoffs, losing their first round series to Portland. At the end of the 1991-92 season, the Milwaukee Bucks came calling on Dunleavy. Milwaukee’s owner, Herb Kohl, regretted watching Dunleavy leave the organization to take the Los Angeles position. He wanted to right the wrong by offering Dunleavy an incredible proposal. Kohl was offering an eight-year contract worth eight million dollars for Dunleavy to coach and serve as vice president of basketball operations. Within two days, Dunleavy accepted the offer and was headed to Brew City.7 In four seasons as Milwaukee’s coach, Dunleavy compiled a less-than-stellar 107–221 record. He decided to concentrate on his front offices duties full time, and left coaching before the 199697 season. After one season away from coaching, Dunleavy was back on the sidelines, this time in Portland. From 1997 to 2001, Dunleavy guided the Trailblazers to a 190–106 record, which consisted of four consecutive trips to post season action. In the strike-shortened 1998-99 season, he led Portland to a Pacific Division title with a 35–15 record, and received the 1999 NBA Coach of the Year Award for his efforts. The team also advanced to the Western Conference Finals under Dunleavy in 1999 and 2000. A return to Los Angeles came Dunleavy’s way in 2003 when he assumed the coaching reins of the Clippers. The team that suffered through many losing times reached respectability under his watch. After a 28–54 finish in 2004, the Clippers improved to 37–45, and 47–35 in 2006. In that season, Dunleavy took the

Randy Pfund team into the playoffs for the first time in nine years. The team then began on a downward slide, and on February 4, 2010, Dunleavy stepped down as coach, but remained as the Clippers’ general manager until he was released one month later.8

Randy Pfund Tenure as Head Coach: May 18, 1992–March 22, 1994 Coaching Record with the Lakers: Regular Season: 66–80, Postseason: 2–3 Randy Pfund comes from a family rich in athletic prowess, and he helped add to that tradition with the bright lights of Los Angeles serving as a backdrop. Before coming to the glitz and glam capital of the world, Pfund’s existence gravitated around the greater Chicago area. Born on December 29, 1951 in Oak Park, Illinois, Pfund grew up in Wheaton in DuPage County, some 25 miles west of Chicago. His father Lee, was a right-handed pitcher with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1945. Six years later, Lee became the head basketball coach of the Wheaton Thunder, a private Protestant liberal arts college. The basketball program is the oldest among the college’s athletic ventures, and enjoyed much success through its history. In 1951, just months before his son Randy’s birth, Lee took over the program and remained there until 1975. Over the course of those 24 years, the Thunder won 362 games, five College Conference of Illinois championships and one small college national title.1 While his father was receiving accolades for his mentoring of hoopsters, Randy was making a name for himself on the scholastic level. At Wheaton’s North High School, Pfund starred in football and the family business of basketball for the Falcons. Upon graduation in 1970, he was off to become one of his father’s charges at Wheaton College.2 When discussing Wheaton College basketball, the Pfund name is plentiful in the program’s history. Not only was Lee a highly successful coach there, but also his three sons helped him achieve many of his victories. Randy, along with siblings John (class of 1965) and Kerry (class of 1971), combined for 4,762 points during their collegiate hardwood careers at Wheaton.3 Randy played for his father from 1971 through 1974, and earned All-CCIW First Team honors as a sophomore and senior, and received an honorable mention bid following his junior year. During the 1973 season, Randy set a Wheaton single-game assist record (15), and pumped in 40 points in another game that same year. As a senior, he scored 617 points, averaged 24.7 points per game, and earned All-American honorable mention for his efforts. In his Wheaton career, he tallied 1,710 points, averaged 17.1 points per game, and dished out 478 assists. In 1991, Randy was honored by Wheaton with induction into the college’s Hall of Fame, joining his brothers and father, all of whom were enshrined prior to Randy. Beside basketball, Randy also played baseball at Wheaton in 1972.4 Upon his college graduation in 1974, Pfund landed a job at the recently opened Glenbard South High School in the Chicago suburb of Glen Ellyn. He taught history and served as an assistant basketball coach for three years. In 1978, he decided to leave

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Illinois in pursuit of a Masters Degree at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. While working on his masters, Pfund was an unpaid volunteer assistant at Westmont. It was while in this capacity that fate stepped in and led Pfund into the world of professional basketball’s most glamorous setting.5 During his Westmont days, Pfund met long-time Lakers assistant coach Bill Bertka, who operated a basketball scouting service. Bertka took a liking to the young man, and took him on as an unpaid worker. Bertka liked the job Pfund did for him, and got him a job as a projectionist with the Lakers. He also dissected plays for the team. During this time, Pfund was introduced to the master of “Showtime,” head coach Pat Riley, by Bertka. Riley had a knack for bringing coaches onto his staff with no previous pro experience so that he could instill his philosophies onto fresh talent, much like an artist creates a masterpiece that was once a blank canvas. The closest Randy Pfund had ever gotten to the NBA was when he washed uniforms for the Chicago Bulls in the 1970s while the team trained at Wheaton College. Now, a decade later, here he was on the verge of obtaining a position with the elite team of the Association during the most exciting time in franchise history.6 Lakers assistant Dave Wohl left the team following the 1985 championship season to take a head coaching position with the New Jersey Nets. This opened up a spot on Riley’s staff, and on September 18, 1985, Pfund became an assistant at the age of 33.7 With Pfund assisting Riley, the Lakers won their last two championships of the “Showtime” era, and appeared in one other NBA Finals in 1989. After Riley’s departure from Los Angeles in 1990, Pfund was passed over for the head coaching job, but stayed with the team as a member of Mike Dunleavy’s staff, and went to another championship round in 1991. He was also considered for the head job with the Sacramento Kings, and an assistant position with the Indiana Pacers. When Riley took the head-coaching job with the New York Knicks prior to the 1991-92 season, he wanted to bring Pfund to the Big Apple with him. The Lakers did not want to lose their young, up-and-coming assistant, so they matched Riley’s offer and Pfund remained in the Southland. When Mike Dunleavy left Los Angeles to take over the Milwaukee Bucks in May of 1992, Randy Pfund was finally rewarded for years of dedicated service to the Lakers. On May 18, 1992, the team officially named him their head coach. With all the glamour that surrounds the Lakers, there is hard work that goes along with it, and Pfund had his hands full after placing his name on a contract.8 This was not the same team that he broke in with during the glory run of the 1980s. Magic Johnson was retired, James Worthy was trying to come back from knee surgery, Sam Perkins was lost in a mid season trade, and A.C. Green went off to Phoenix. On top of facing these ordeals, Pfund looked to bring rookie Anthony Peeler along at shooting guard over veteran Byron Scott. “Showtime” was officially over, and rebuilding was what Pfund faced. He was likeable and had no ego, so he attempted to ease himself into the head spot by being a bit too nice and requested his players to do things instead of taking charge with a demanding presence. With the 1992-93 season proving to be one of transition for the players and new coach, the results were not

FOUR : ALL-TIME HEAD COACHES up to the standard of excellence set by the Lakers. The team finished at 39–43 for the first losing record in 17 years. However, they did make the playoffs, and almost knocked off the heavily favored Phoenix Suns in the opening round of the playoffs, taking them the distance in a best-of-five series before losing. Despite the dismal climax to the season, team management knew that Pfund had a lot to overcome, and decided to give him another chance. When training camp opened for the 1993-94 campaign, Pfund was more in command, getting in player’s faces and not afraid to yell when the need presented itself. He went into his second season with a cast of young players in Anthony Peeler, Doug Christie, George Lynch, and Nick Van Exel, whom he looked to mold into another juggernaut. Unfortunately, the team stumbled, and rumors began to circulate that Pfund’s tenure with the team was limited. Toward the end of March, with the Lakers falling fast at 27–37, Pfund was relieved of his duties.9 When Pat Riley went to coach the Miami Heat in 1995, he sought Pfund, who this time did not pass up an opportunity to be reunited with his original mentor. Working in the front office, Pfund served the Heat for 13 years, and left in 2008 as general manager after building a team that gained eight playoff appearances and won the 2006 NBA championship.10

Bill Bertka 1993-94, 1999 For almost as many years as the Lakers were in the City of Angels, Bill Bertka was a part of the organization. Since 1968, with a brief stay in New Orleans as an executive from 1974 to 1976, Bertka has been a vital part of the Lakers success. Along the way, Bertka accumulated all 10 championship rings presented to the Los Angeles Lakers, and is a bevy of information about this storied franchise. Starting as a scout, he also served as director of player personnel, assistant coach, or in any other capacity that the team needed. In 1994 and 1999, Bertka added the title of head coach to his Lakers resume. When the team dismissed Randy Pfund during the 1993-94 season, Bertka stepped in to lead the Lakers for two games until Magic Johnson was given the position. In 1999, he once again took over, this time for one game after Del Harris was let go. The following day, another ex–Laker, Kurt Rambis, assumed the head-coaching role.1 In the three games he served the team at the helm, Bertka posted a 2–1 record, all on the road. In 1994, he beat Dallas, 112– 109, on March 23, and lost to Houston, 113–107, the following day. On February 25, 1999, Bertka beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 115–100.2

Magic Johnson Tenure as Head Coach: March 22, 1994–April 24, 1994 Coaching Record with the Lakers: Regular Season: 5–11 The conductor of “Showtime” was back on the court of the Fabulous Forum. The Lakers were in the doldrums with a 27–37

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record, as the 1994 season could not end fast enough for Lakers fans. However, a little magic seemed to cast itself over the purple and gold universe on Tuesday, March 22, 1994. For in the embryonic stages of that year’s spring, hope appeared to be eternal when it was announced that Magic Johnson would assume the head coaching reins of the Lakers. The buzz of Magic’s hiring swept through the Southland faster than news of Academy Award nominations. By Sunday, March 27, 1994, the anticipation of Magic’s return, regardless of in what capacity, sparked a feverish frenzy that gave the Lakers only their third sellout of the subpar season.1 The 34-year-old Johnson once worked his magic with the ball in his hands, and in his debut as sideline general, he did the same in a suit and tie. His charges absorbed his passion and legendary status, came out aggressive, and fed off the excitement of the Forum throng. The results were Magic-like, as the Lakers jumped out to an early lead over the Milwaukee Bucks, and held on for a 110–101 victory. Johnson won in his pro debut as a player and as a coach, but unlike during his stellar career in a uniform, his stay guiding the Lakers from the bench, was short-lived. He attempted to tighten up the defense and get the offense to play at a faster pace. He also tried to convey what it meant to be a Laker, the pride a player took in putting on the uniform, performing as one unit, and giving everything you had to come out a champion. Unfortunately, most of team he was coaching did not feel the same way as Magic. He felt that the game had changed drastically from the days of “Showtime” in the 1980s, and became an individual game instead of a team effort.2 At the beginning of his coaching experience, the team started off with five wins out of their first six games under Johnson, and everything looked like it was going to work out. His frustration quickly began to show when the players lost focus, and began to shut down, just looking to end the dismal season that ended at 33–49. After a 128–123 overtime win against Sacramento on April 6, 1994, the Lakers completely crumbled, losing their ten remaining games to give Johnson a 5–11 record as head coach. The stress of the job, his involvement with other business ventures, and time with his family, all played into Johnson’s decision not to return to the team as head coach. His reign as head coach lasted one month and two days, climaxed by a season finale loss to Utah on April 24, 1994.3

Del Harris Tenure as Head Coach: May 13, 1994–February 24, 1999 Coaching Record with the Lakers: Regular Season: 224–116, Post-season: 17–19 No one can ever claim that Del Harris has a boring resume. Author, actor, and announcer, are just tidbits to his major body of work, with that being a basketball coach on numerous levels. In that regard, Harris has successfully guided players in high school, college, the NBA, and internationally. It appeared that basketball might have been Harris’ destiny from the moment he drew his first breath. In American sports, there are states that prove to be hotbeds for certain ones. In In-

Del Harris diana, no other field of athletic endeavor compares to basketball. For the Hoosier State is the hub of the hoop universe in America. And it was in this part of the American landscape that Delmer William Harris was born on June 18, 1937, in the town of Plainfield.1 Upon graduation from high school, the 6'3" Harris departed from America’s basketball Mecca to Milligan College, a small Christian liberal arts college, located near Johnson City in Tennessee. While working his way toward a degree in religion with honors, Harris showed why his native state of Indiana was known for basketball. Under the leadership of coach Duard Walker, Harris dazzled the fans with his hardwood abilities, which eventually led to him being selected as an honorable mention All-American, and earned him induction into the Milligan College Athletic Hall of Fame.2 After his 1959 graduation from Milligan, Harris returned to Indiana to teach in high school and coach basketball and baseball. His prowess on the hardwood was already established since his youth, but he also added a keen talent on the diamond as well. During his teaching days, Harris starred as a semi-pro pitcher who won seven state titles and the 1968 national championship while representing a team from Dayton, Ohio. If his schedule was not busy enough, Harris found the time to earn a Masters Degree in History from the University of Indiana in 1965.3 Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana, is a Liberal Arts college, and home to the maroon and white “Hustlin Quakers.” It is also where Del Harris established himself as an Earlham legend from 1965 to 1974. His nine-year run as mentor took a program previously saturated by defeat, and turned it into a powerhouse. The turnaround was incredible, and resulted in 175 wins against 70 losses, three Hoosier College Conference championships, and a District NAIA title. His efforts were forever etched in Earlham’s heritage when Harris was inducted into the college’s Hall of Fame in 1992.4 After Harris’ fantastic turnaround at Earlham, it was apparent that he was ready to elevate his coaching pursuits. In 1975, he did just that by accepting his first professional level job in 1975, serving as an assistant to Tom Nissalke with the Utah Stars of the American Basketball Association. However, Harris’ stay in Utah was a short one, as the Stars folded in early December of 1975. Both Nissalke and Harris looked elsewhere for employment, and found it with the Houston Rockets.5 In 1979, Nissalke’s time with the team came to an end, and Harris was promoted to head coach. Over the next four seasons, Harris guided the Rockets for 328 games, compiling a 141–187 record that included three playoff appearances in his first three years at the helm. His crowning moment while with Houston came in 1981, when he led a team that finished the regular season at 40–42 on a march through the playoffs and into the NBA Finals. They took the Boston Celtics to six games in the championship round before losing, but it was a great coaching job by Harris that enabled a sub–.500 team to advance that far. In 1983, Harris went to the Milwaukee Bucks to serve as a scout and assistant coach under Don Nelson. During his time as an assistant in Milwaukee, the Bucks recorded four straight seasons of 50 or more wins and three Central Division titles. In 1987, Nelson left the team, and Harris continued on the winning ways. From 1987 through 1991, he posted a 191–154 record, and

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was the only head coach in team history to take the Bucks into the post season four straight times. After starting out the 199192 season at 8–9, Harris resigned on December 4, 1991, to focus his attentions more on his role as Vice President of Basketball Operations.6 The Los Angeles Lakers had fallen on difficult times by the mid–1990s. The team just ended their second straight season below .500, and failed to make the playoffs for the first time in 18 years. On May 13, 1994, after a month long search, the powers that be guiding the Lakers hired Harris in an attempt to re-direct the team’s fortunes back toward the top of the pro hoop universe.7 Harris was excited about the opportunity to coach in such an environment like Los Angeles. It allowed him the chance to rebuild a storied franchise and coach in a large market city. Harris immediately improved the Lakers, installing a solid defensive philosophy and a quick offensive scheme. The team responded, and won 15 more games than the previous season. A 48–34 finish gave Los Angeles a third place finish in the Pacific Division, and returned them to the playoffs. Harris’ efforts showed the team was back on the upswing, and his work did not go unnoticed, as he was presented with the 1994-95 NBA Coach of the Year Award.8 The following year saw the Lakers continue to make steady improvement by finishing at 53–29 and in second place in the division. Unfortunately, another early exit from the playoffs in the first round ended LA’s quest for a return to glory. In 1996, Harris had teenage wonder Kobe Bryant and the dominating presence of center Shaquille O’Neal added to his arsenal. The addition these two future Hall of Famers helped the Lakers improve by three wins, finishing in second place in the division at 56–26. In the playoffs, the Lakers dispensed of Portland three games to one before losing in the conference semi-finals to Utah, four games to one. In 1997-98, the Lakers saw the true emergence of Kobe Bryant. Coupled with Shaquille O’Neal’s dominance on both ends of the floor, Harris had reached the pinnacle of rebuilding the Lakers into a solid contender for the NBA title. As a team, the Lakers led the league by averaging 105.5 points per game, and finished the year at 61–21, which tied with Seattle for the secondbest record in the NBA. It gave them a share of the Pacific Division crown along with Seattle, and helped them advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in seven years. Despite being on the verge of reaching the summit of the Association, the year ended for the Lakers after the Utah Jazz swept them in four games, one series shy of the NBA Finals. The final season of the millennium began with the Lakers and the rest of the NBA locked in a strike that shortened the schedule to 50 games. Los Angeles started out 6–3, but then lost three straight. Following the third straight loss, a ten-point affair that provided the first-ever loss to the four-year-old Vancouver Grizzlies, Lakers management felt the team needed to be re-energized, and that Harris was not the one to do it, despite his incredible regular season success. On Wednesday, February 24, 1999, in a swift move that had many outside of the Lakers front office stunned, Del Harris was relieved of his duties. In his four full seasons guiding the Lakers, Harris amassed a 218–110 record for a .665 winning percentage.9 The Lakers proved to be Harris’ final tenure as a head coach in the NBA. In 12 complete seasons as a head coach, he posted a

FOUR : ALL-TIME HEAD COACHES 556–457 regular season record, and a 38–50 slate in the post season. Harris then returned to the Lone Star State of Texas, serving as an assistant with the Dallas Mavericks from 2000 to 2007, where he helped lead the team to a 406–188 record and an NBA Finals appearance in 2006. After assisting rookie head coach Vinnie Del Negro in Chicago in 2008-09, Harris retired at the age of 72 following a 50-year career in basketball. The allure of the hardwood brought Harris out of retirement for the 2009-10 season to help as an assistant with the New Jersey Nets. However, with the makings of a horrific season unfolding before his eyes, Harris resigned his post in February of 2010 with the team’s record at 4–43.10 In addition to his NBA coaching experience, Harris also had a highly successful career on the international level. From 1969 to 1975, during his days at the helm of Earlham College, Harris guided Puerto Rico to a 176–61 record; a gold medal in the 1974 Central American Games, and silver and bronze finishes in the 1973 and 1974 World Club Championships. He coached the Chinese National Team to an eighth place finish at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, served as an advisor to the Canadian National Team in 1993-94, and was an assistant coach for the bronze medal–winning Team USA at the 1998 World Championships of Basketball in Greece.11 His success as a hoop mentor allowed Harris to be enshrined into the Indiana Hall of Fame, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Hall of Fame, as well as those at Earlham College and his alma mater, Milligan. If his life’s work in basketball was not fulfilling enough, Del Harris is also an ordained minister, author of books and magazine articles pertaining to basketball, an actor in the film Space Jam, and television shows, Linc’s Place, In the House, Over the Top, and Diagnosis Murder. The bilingual, baritone-voiced Harris also lent his basketball knowledge to ESPN Spanish Radio for the 1996 NBA Finals.12

Kurt Rambis Tenure as Head Coach: February 24, 1999–May 23, 1999 (as interim) Coaching Record with the Lakers: Regular Season: 24–13, Postseason: 3–5 The allure of the NBA still remained in Kurt Rambis after his retirement as a player in 1995. He went onto a coaching career, first, as an assistant to Del Harris in Los Angeles. After 12 games of the strike-shortened 1998-99 season, Harris was relieved of his coaching duties, and Rambis stepped in, guiding the Lakers to a 24–13 record and an appearance in the Western Conference Semifinals. He then served as an assistant on Phil Jackson’s staff with the Lakers for seven seasons, winning two more NBA championship rings in 2002 and 2009. The Minnesota Timberwolves hired Rambis in 2009 in the hopes that his winning tradition might be instilled into the struggling franchise. Unfortunately, Rambis was not successful in turning the team around, producing a dismal 32–132 record over two seasons. On July 12, 2011, Rambis was let go by the team.1

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Phil Jackson Tenure as Head Coach: June 16, 1999–June 18, 2004 Coaching Record with the Lakers: Regular Season: 287–123, Post-season: 64–28 New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles are three of the largest sports markets in the United States, and also some of the most storied and glamorous. They can also impose an intimidating aura, but once conquered, the individual who corrals any one of these behemoth metropolises are forever remembered and revered by peers and the general public as well. To capture glory in just one of these towns is a remarkable enough feat, but in all three is virtually unthinkable. However, Phil Jackson can boast of taking on this trio and emerging with the label of champion securely his. Before making a name for himself in basketball, Phil Jackson spent his youth in more tranquil surroundings. Born on September 17, 1945 in Dear Lodge, Montana, to parents who were both ministers, Jackson lived a life consisting of church and school. Forms of entertainment such as television and dancing were prohibited. He did not see his first movie until his senior year of high school, and thought he would follow in his parents’ footsteps of serving his fellow man as a man of the church. However, the sport of basketball changed the course of his life, and opened up opportunities that might have seemed unattainable throughout his early years.1 Despite the absence of many entertainment outlets, sports were permitted in the Jackson household, and Phil took total advantage of the opportunity presented to him. The Coyotes of North Dakota’s Williston High School had the privilege of having Jackson in the black and orange fold during his high school career. He kept the scribes at the Williston Herald busy, and made the town located at the crossroads of U.S. Highways 2 and 85 well known throughout the Roughrider State.2 Whether on turf, hardwood, a pitcher’s mound, or cinder track, Jackson excelled. He played football, was a top-rated pitcher on the baseball team, and threw the discus in track. His exploits in basketball helped the Coyotes capture the 1963 state championship. His stellar athletic endeavors were acknowledged when Williston High School named its sports complex in his honor.3 Basketball proved to be his future profession, but before collecting championship rings as a player and head coach in the NBA, Jackson was sought after by numerous baseball scouts. In fact, it was his talents on the diamond that secured his life’s work in basketball when a baseball scout named Bill Fitch saw some information about the 6' 8", 220-pound pitcher who also dominated the high school basketball scene.4 Fitch gained fame as a long-time head coach in college and the NBA. However, back in the early 1960s, he dabbled in baseball scouting for the Milwaukee Braves (later Atlanta). In 1962, Fitch became the head coach of the University of North Dakota, and looked to obtain Jackson for the “Fighting Sioux” the following year. He managed to achieve his goal, as the multi-talented Williston athlete decided to head to the Grand Forks campus in the fall of 1963.5 The city of Grand Forks has a motto of “A Place of Excellence.” While Jackson donned the #34 jersey, and hustled up and

Phil Jackson down the basketball court during his varsity career from 1964 to 1967, the town motto definitely held true. His overall work at the University of North Dakota was nothing short of brilliance.6 As a sophomore in 1964-65, Jackson averaged 11.8 points and 11.6 rebounds per game, and earned All North Central Conference honors in his first attempt at varsity basketball on the collegiate level. In his junior year, Jackson nearly doubled his previous season’s output. He averaged 21.8 points and 12.9 rebounds per game as an All-NCC center. In addition to all-conference honors, Jackson also brought home First Team All-American honors and the 1966 North Central Conference Most Valuable Player Award. As a senior co-captain in 1967, Jackson proved his accolades from his junior year were no fluke. He once again was presented with the North Central Conference Player of the Year Award, and earned All-NCC honors, and First Team AllAmerican recognition. Allowing him the privilege to be bestowed with such honors was a season that saw Jackson average 27.4 points (a school record) and 14.4 rebounds per game. Jackson’s abilities on an individual basis also helped the “Fighting Sioux” to an incredible three-year run as a team. They won three NCC championships and compiled a 70–16 overall record during Jackson’s career.7 Jackson’s impressive performance on the college level garnered attention from the NBA. On May 3, 1967, thousands of miles away from Grand Forks, North Dakota, the New York Knicks selected the Montana native in the second round, and 17th overall player picked, in the draft.8 After 21 years of life in sparse surroundings, Phil Jackson found himself thrust into the behemoth metropolis of New York City. On October 17, 1967, the professional career of Phil Jackson began. Playing in 75 games, he averaged 6.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per game on the way to earning All-NBA Rookie First Team honors. On a Knicks team filled with many future Hall of Famers, Jackson used intelligence and good defensive skills to earn a reputation as one of the league’s top performers coming off the bench over the course of 12 NBA seasons.9 When the Knicks won the 1970 NBA title over the Lakers, Jackson was recovering from spinal fusion surgery, but he did not become idle. He got into the action in a cerebral sense by writing the book, “Take It All,” which chronicled the Knicks drive for the championship.10 In 1973, Jackson was in uniform for 80 games during New York’s next championship run. His NBA playing days consisted of 807 games in which he scored 5,428 points (6.7 avg.) and hauled in 3,454 rebounds (4.3 avg.) for the Knicks from 1967 to 1978, and the New Jersey Nets from 1978 to 1980.11 If Jackson’s time in pro basketball would have ended after his playing days, it could be said that he had a solid career. However, the conclusion of his playing days were just a prelude for the impact Jackson would eventually have in the pro ranks. Donning a suit and tie instead of a jersey was how Phil Jackson created the greatest coaching legacy the NBA has ever witnessed. While in his final two seasons as a player for the New Jersey Nets in 1979 and 1980, Jackson got his first taste of coaching as a player/assistant. He then joined the Nets coaching staff full time for the 1980-81 season. In 1982, Jackson left the NBA for the first time in 14 years to coach the Albany Patroons of the Continental Basketball League. During a five-year tenure in Albany, Jackson won his first basketball championship as a coach in 1984, when

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the Patroons brought home the CBA title. The following year he earned the CBA Coach of the Year Award.12 Back in 1967, a scout for the Baltimore Bullets named Jerry Krause wanted the team to draft Jackson, but the Knicks grabbed him instead. Through the years, Krause remained close to Jackson, and in 1985, he was hired as general manager of the Chicago Bulls.13 In 1987, Krause finally had the opportunity to have Jackson in the same organization as himself. This happened when Jackson returned to the NBA as an assistant coach on Doug Collins’ staff with the Bulls. Chicago was emerging as a force in the league with two of the game’s greatest players in Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen on the roster. In Jackson’s first year as an assistant, the Bulls won 50 games and made it to the Eastern Conference semi-finals. The following year, with a new starting lineup that took time to learn to play together, the Bulls won three fewer games, but advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. Chicago’s front office seemed to grow weary of this talented group not getting to the NBA Finals. In the first week of July 1989, head coach Doug Collins suffered the effects of the frustration by being relieved of his duties. Phil Jackson was then promoted to head coach, with the understanding that there was an incredible amount of pressure on him to win the NBA championship very quickly.14 The Bulls definitely had the talent, but something was missing that could pull them together and create a force that would rank them among the game’s greatest. Jackson had what was needed, the wisdom of his assistant coach Tex Winter and a Zen philosophy, to build a juggernaut. While at the University of Southern California in the 1940s, Tex Winter learned the basics of what he turned into the famed Triangle Offense from his coach, Sam Barry. Upon graduation, Winter began a coaching career that spanned 57 years, starting in 1951. It was during a highly successful 15-year stint as head coach at Kansas State that his offense caught the attention of Jerry Krause, who at the time was a student assistant at Bradley University. Over the years since he first witnessed the Triangle Offense, Krause’s interest continued to grow, and he wanted the opportunity to work with Winter. That time came when Krause was hired as general manager of the Chicago Bulls in 1985.15 One of Krause’s first orders of business in Chicago was getting Winter to come to the Bulls as an assistant to then coach Stan Albeck. Unfortunately, Albeck was not at all that receptive about Winter’s system, or hiring Phil Jackson as an assistant. Needless to say, Albeck’s career in Chicago lasted a mere one season (1985-86) after a 30–52 record. Krause then brought Doug Collins on board as coach, but he also did not want Jackson as an assistant, but this time Krause got his way. In regards to Winter’s offensive philosophy, Collins also wanted nothing to do with it, and even went as far as preventing Winter from attending practices.16 Like Albeck before him, Collins was shown the door and Phil Jackson was then in charge, and wanted nothing more than to learn everything he could from Tex Winter. This was the leadership that Krause had imagined, and with the great Michael Jordan leading the team on the floor, the reality of multiple Larry O’Brien Trophies being hoisted in the Windy City was on the horizon. Winter had been impressed with Jackson’s intricate scouting

FOUR : ALL-TIME HEAD COACHES reports when he was first brought to Chicago, and saw in the young assistant a person he could work with. One of Jackson’s greatest assets was absorbing everything he was taught like a sponge, and through film and practice sessions with the master of the Triangle, Jackson came away with the core of what turned out to be a Hall of Fame coaching career. The Triangle calls for body and ball movement with reaction to what the defense gives a team. It is designed to create a sideline triangle consisting of the center positioned in the low post, one forward at the wing, and a guard at the corner. The other guard positions himself at the top of the key on the other side with a forward near the free throw line, thus setting up a two-man game away from the other three, with spacing among the players of 12 to 15 feet. The spacing makes it hard for the defense to double team any player and get back into position in time as to not leave someone open. It is a devastating weapon with a big man who can pass well on a team with talented shooters.17 With the Triangle now in his arsenal, Jackson used his other skill of dealing with his players through the Buddhist study of Zen that stresses enlightenment and meditation. This practice allowed Jackson the ability to take a group and mesh them into a strong, united force. He stressed the importance of teamwork, and made every one of his players feel that they were all important regardless of their amount of playing time. He passed out motivational books when the team went on the road, and incorporated meditation into his practice sessions, thus earning his moniker of “the Zen Master.”18 Jackson was an excellent teacher of basketball, and he used practice sessions to hone his team through hard work so that they believed in themselves and were totally prepared for whatever situation was thrown at them from the opening tip to the final buzzer. In this regard, he did not approve of calling timeouts when things were going a little haywire. He felt that his preparation allowed the team to believe in themselves and work the problems out on their own. Jackson also had a gifted mind that allowed him to remember games he played, scouted, or coached in. This incredible tool helped him make adjustments that benefited his team more often than not. He also built a quality coaching staff that included Johnny Bach, Jimmy Rodgers (an assistant under Jackson’s college coach Bill Fitch), Frank Hamblen, and Jimmy Cleamons (who played for Fitch with the Cleveland Cavaliers). With the philosophical and technical teachings working their magic, Jackson led the Chicago Bulls to a 55–27 regular season record that included a team record 15-game winning streak. The Bulls made a second straight trip to the Eastern Conference Finals, but fell victim to the Detroit Pistons in a series that went the full seven games. The following year, after years of great expectations ending with no NBA crown, the 1990-91 Jackson-led Bulls finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference at 61–21, and were on a mission to achieve the league’s ultimate goal, hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy in a victorious locker rooms amidst champagne showers. They swept the New York Knicks in the opening round, and then took the Philadelphia 76ers in five games to set up a third straight Eastern Conference showdown with their nemesis, the two-time defending NBA champion Detroit Pistons. This time out, the Bulls took no prisoners, sweeping the Pistons in

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four straight to gain entry into their first-ever NBA Finals. The Chicago hardwood steamroller did not slow down against the Lakers, whose incredible “Showtime” era came to its official climax when the Bulls won the 1990-91 NBA championship in five games. The Zen Master’s mission was complete, as Phil Jackson was able to add his name to the great lineage of championship coaches such as Red Auerbach and Pat Riley. In time, his name would surpass all the greats and be perched on top of the NBA coaching summit. For an encore, the Bulls blasted through the regular season with an NBA-best 67–15 record, and then became the fourth team in league history to win back-to-back championships. Still not finished, the Zen Master led his charges on to a three-peat in 1993, beating a Charles Barkley–led Phoenix Suns team in six games in the Finals. Michael Jordan, the catalyst of the Bulls’ run at three titles, temporarily retired from basketball following Chicago’s 1993 championship to focus on a baseball career. He did return to the Bulls’ fold two years later, but during his absence, Jackson used all his skills to keep the team competitive. In 1994, he guided Chicago to their fifth straight season of 50-plus wins, and the following year, Chicago ended with 47 victories. The team was only able to advance to the Eastern Conference semi-finals both years, but over the next three seasons, history was made and more championship hardware was presented to the hardwood representatives from the Windy City. Michael Jordan returned to the Bulls after the reality of a major league baseball career quickly faded. He came back prior to the end of the 1994-95 season, and played in the final 17 regular season games and the playoffs. By 1995-96, Jordan, and the rest of the Bulls were ready to once again take on the NBA best at full strength. What they accomplished was breathtaking. Over the 1996 and 1997 seasons, they posted a combined 141–23 record en route to another pair of NBA titles. The 1995-96 team broke the Los Angeles Lakers’ all-time best regular season record of 69–13, set in 1971-72, by going 72–10, and then posting a 15–3 post season mark. The following year, the Bulls finished at 69–13, and once again stormed through the playoffs to capture their fifth NBA title in seven seasons. For his efforts, Jackson was named the 1996 NBA Coach of the Year, and on December 7, 1996, he was honored as one of league’s top 10 coaches of all-time. Jerry Krause was the architect of the sensational success enjoyed by the Bulls during the 1990s. His vision of bringing in Phil Jackson and Tex Winter produced legendary results. However, the once close relationship shared by Krause and Jackson was strained shortly after the Bulls’ first title, when a book written by a Chicago sportswriter that Krause was less than congenial with, stated some derogatory things about Krause. With that serving as the hot match that started a raging fire, the relationship between Krause and Jackson slowly eroded. By the start of the 1997-98 season, and with the Bulls on the cusp of pulling off a double three-peat in one decade, Jackson was signed up for only one more season. It was claimed that Krause did not care how much success Jackson brought, he was gone after the season.19 So with the 1997-98 season serving as his Windy City swansong, Jackson and the Bulls posted their third straight NBA-best regular season record, this time finishing at 62–20, and won a sixth NBA crown for the city of Chicago in true Hollywood fash-

Phil Jackson ion. Michael Jordan secured the championship after stealing the ball from Utah’s Karl Malone and then sinking a series-clinching jump shot with 5.2 seconds left on the clock in Game Six of the Finals. After the season, just as expected, Phil Jackson left the Bulls, stating that he did not want to ever coach again. After taking one year off, Jackson decided to come back to the NBA, and on June 16, 1999, at a news conference in Beverly Hills, the 53-yearold coaching icon was introduced as the new coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. Prior to signing with the Lakers, Jackson turned down an offer to coach the New Jersey Nets, but did express interest in listening to an offer from his former team, the New York Knicks two months before taking the Lakers job.20 It was known that Jackson had a desire to come to Los Angeles and get the opportunity to showcase his Triangle Offense with Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant as the leaders. He also wanted to prove that he was capable of winning some place else without Michael Jordan, a stigma that he hoped to put to rest in the City of Angels.21 Much like in Chicago, Jackson took over a talented team on the verge of winning it all, but needed the teachings, both mentally and physically, from the Zen Master. Also, just like in Chicago, Jackson worked his magic, and the Lakers listened and learned, and then proceeded to return the team to it glorious form that was missing since the days of “Showtime.” In his first year with the Lakers, 1999-2000, Jackson led them to a league-best record of 67–15. This proved to be the fifth time in his career that a Jackson-led team finished the regular season with the most wins. He then lifted the Lakers to their first NBA title in 12 years, winning the 2000 championship after just one season. With this victory, he proved that he could win it all with another group of players, and then set out to really show the critics, by winning two more in 2001 and 2002 to give him nine NBA championships as a coach. In 2002-03, the Lakers suffered injury problems, and internal woes with problems brewing between Jackson’s two superstars, Bryant and O’Neal. The Lakers made an early exit from the playoffs that year, losing to San Antonio in the second round. Tensions then mounted between Jackson and Bryant, who did not go for his coach’s style of offense. His disregard for Jackson’s coaching set Bryant off on a different game plan at times. This did not sit too well with Jackson, who shed his calm demeanor by going to Lakers management with the request to trade Bryant, which was not about to happen.22 Despite all the infighting, the Lakers managed to rise up and return to the NBA Finals in 2004, only to lose in five games to the Detroit Pistons. This marked the first time that Jackson lost in the NBA Finals as a coach. Three days after the Finals ended, on June 18, 2004, Jackson left the Lakers. It was felt that his rift with Bryant served as the reasoning behind the Zen Master’s departure. Jackson then came out with a book entitled The Last Season in the fall of 2004 that focused on the team’s 2003-04 season, with negative remarks surrounding his relationship with Kobe Bryant. It appeared that Jackson got a load off of his chest, relieving himself of the albatross that brought him down, and was content to enjoy his incredible accomplishments achieved throughout a basketball journey that started decades earlier in North Dakota.

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Rudy Tomjanovich Tenure as Head Coach: July 10, 2004–February 2, 2005 Coaching Record with the Lakers: Regular Season: 24–19 Coaching such a high-profile organization as the Lakers is not an easy task. However, in the case of Rudy Tomjanovich, his hiring was a lot less traumatic than an experience he endured against him as a player 27 years earlier, when a punch left him off the court for five months. The Croatian pride of Hamtramck, Michigan, came into the world on November 24, 1948. The city of Hamtramck borders the Motor City of Detroit, and for the first 22 years of his life, Tomjanovich only strayed a mere 45 miles from his hometown.1 The native son from the Great Lake State, who would one day earn worldwide recognition, had a passion for sports since his formative years. When he was nearing 11 years of age, Hamtramck won the 1959 Little League World Series. Tomjanovich had a cousin on the team, and his uncle served as a coach. It only seemed fitting, with his bloodline and hometown gaining accolades on the diamond, that Rudy would attempt to partake in the American pastime.2 Tomjanovich’s attempt at baseball was a good one, but the allure of the hardwood had him captivated even more. While a student at Copernicus Junior High School, Tomjanovich focused his attention on the main basketball court hoping that someday in the very near future, he would electrify the crowd with his talents. Unfortunately, his dream was almost put on hold when the freshman team coach cut him. Disappointment was only temporary for the teenager, as he proposed a deal to the coach. If he beat the coach in a one-on-one contest, then he would be placed on the team. The coach won, but came away impressed with Tomjanovich’s desire and brought him onto the freshman team.3 If it were not for that one-on-one challenge, the stellar career of Rudy T might not have materialized. From that stage of his scholastic days, Tomjanovich worked diligently to improve, and by the time his high school years came to an end in 1966, he had established himself as one of the greatest hoopsters in Michigan history. While in the process of averaging 34 points a game for the Hamtramck Cosmos, colleges from coast to coast were buzzing over the 6' 8" future All-American and professional forward.4 While Tomjanovich was dominating Michigan’s scholastic scene, Cazzie Russell was doing the same thing on the collegiate level at the University of Michigan. Russell had incredible skills that were revered by thousands throughout the state, and Tomjanovich was one of those in awe of the two-time All-American and future Los Angeles Laker. To have the opportunity to play for the same team that Russell did would have been the dream of many, but the reality of a select few, including Tomjanovich. Russell’s abilities sold the Hamtramck star on playing for the Michigan Wolverines. When Russell was leaving Ann Arbor in 1966 for the heights of the National Basketball Association, freshman Rudy Tomjanovich was arriving. By the time his playing days as a Wolverine were over in 1970, the #45 gracing the maize and blue caused everyone across the Great Lake State to marvel at his exploits in Crisler Arena.5 Armed with a sensational jump shot and rebounding abilities, Tomjanovich scored 1,808 points as a collegian. His 25.1

FOUR : ALL-TIME HEAD COACHES points per game career average placed him only behind Cazzie Russell on the school’s all-time list in that category. As a rebounder, Tomjanovich stands alone. He led the Big Ten in that category twice (1969 and 1970), and owns the school record with 1,044 career rebounds (14.5 per game average). His efforts were rewarded with All-American honors in 1970, as he became one of the greatest to ever play at the University of Michigan. He had his #45 retired, and is a member of both the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor, and the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.6 The education major was now ready to seek employment in the National Basketball Association. The San Diego Rockets made that dream a reality on March 23, 1970, by selecting Tomjanovich in the first round, and second overall pick, of that year’s NBA draft. He debuted as a professional on October 13, 1970, and remained with the franchise as a player and coach for the next 33 years, one in San Diego, and the other three decades in Houston.7 Tomjanovich had a solid professional career that spanned 11 seasons and 768 regular season games and 37 playoff contests. He scored a career total of 13,383 points for a 17.4 per game average, and hauled in 6,198 rebounds to average 8.1 per outing, and was voted onto five All-Star teams (1974–77, 1979).8 Despite a decade of playing successfully at the highest level of competition, Rudy Tomjanovich’s NBA career will forever be remembered by “the Punch.” On December 9, 1977, in the Forum, during a 116–105 Houston victory, a fight broke out between Kevin Kunnert and Los Angeles’ Kermit Washington near mid-court. As team captain, Tomjanovich rushed in as peacemaker to break up the mayhem. He came up behind Washington, and as he did, Washington turned around and blasted him with a punch right in the face. Tomjanovich was knocked unconscious and suffered severe head injuries that were initially looked at as life threatening. Out for the rest of the season after only 23 games, Tomjanovich went through five surgeries to repair the damage.9 He did return the following season, and made his fifth All-Star team in the process. One of the most popular and successful of all those who ever played for the Rockets, Rudy T retired as a player on October 2, 1981, at the age of 32, and had his #45 retired by the organization the next year.10 The next stage of his professional life allowed him to remain in Houston working with the sport that he loved. He first served the Rockets as a scout for two years, and then became an assistant from 1983 to 1992, first under Bill Fitch (1983–88), and then Don Chaney (1988–92). During his time as a scout and assistant, the Rockets made two trips to the NBA Finals, losing both times to the Boston Celtics (1981 and 1986).11 On February 18, 1992, with the Rockets at 26–26, Don Chaney was fired as head coach, and Tomjanovich was picked to lead the team. At first, Rudy was apprehensive about entering the pressure-packed world of head coaching. Another assistant, Carroll Dawson, whom Tomjanovich felt was more deserving to be the head coach, had some health problems, so Rudy stepped up in what might have been on an interim basis, so that the team would have a leader.12 This proved his devotion to the team in time of crisis, and then he guided the Rockets to a 16–14 finish. His passion for the game carried over to coaching, and he worked hard to rebuild the team. He was a meticulous coach, who felt that no detail was so minute that he could not get in-

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volved. He put a large amount of pressure on himself, which at times led to hospital trips due to exhaustion. However, through it all, Tomjanovich quickly turned the Rockets around with players cast off from other teams. Even though he was intense and hard on himself, he displayed a calm demeanor with his players, showing them exactly what he wanted out of them. He became a coach that players responded to and wanted to play for. His voracious work ethic rubbed off on his team, and his “coaching on instinct” approach proved to show that his decisions worked out for the best more often than not.13 In his first full year as coach, the Rockets went 55–27, and won the Midwest Division title. The following two seasons saw all of Tomjanovich’s hard work come together in perfect unison, as the Rockets won back-to-back NBA titles in 1994 and 1995. In addition to his stellar tenure in Houston, Tomjanovich also coached the United States team to a gold medal in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, and with a team consisting of no NBA players, he led the U.S. to a bronze medal at the 1998 World Championship of Basketball.14 After 12 seasons as Houston’s bench general, in which he became the team’s all-time winningest coach with a 503–397 record, Rudy resigned his position after being diagnosed with bladder cancer following the 2002-03 season.15 After receiving successful treatment for his illness, Tomjanovich felt that the time was right to return to coaching. An opportunity arose in Los Angeles when Phil Jackson stepped down as coach after the Lakers lost in the NBA Finals to the Detroit Pistons following the 2003-04 season. Tomjanovich was one of the team’s top prospects to fill the job, along with Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, Pat Riley, and Roy Williams of North Carolina. On July 10, 2004, Tomjanovich was the one standing before the LA media as the new head coach of the Lakers. With his hiring, Rudy T became only the fourth coach in league history to lead a team to multiple titles before going to another one. Along with Tomjanovich, the other coaches were Bill Russell, Pat Riley, and Phil Jackson.16 Amidst all the excitement of landing one of the most prestigious jobs in all of sports, he also inherited some problems. Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher and Karl Malone, were all ready to become free agents, and Shaquille O’Neal wanted to be traded. The only one to remain under Tomjanovich was Bryant. Malone retired, and within six days of his announcement as head coach, Fisher signed with Golden State, and O’Neal was traded to Miami. Despite the loss of key personnel, Tomjanovich forged on, but his stay in the City of Angels was short-lived. On January 30, 2005, after the Lakers lost, 109–103, to the New Jersey Nets, for their third straight defeat, Tomjanovich summoned for assistant coach Frank Hamblen and team trainer Gary Vitti after he began to not feel well. It was ruled a stomach virus, but it was the beginning of the end for Tomjanovich’s reign in LA.17 He also missed another game two days later, and finally he had enough. His health was sapped due to the pressures of coaching. He claimed to be worn down both physically and mentally, and after battling cancer just a short time before taking over the Lakers, he did not want to wear his immune system down any longer.18 On February 2, 2005, with a 24–19 record, Rudy Tomjanovich brought the curtain down, not only on his Lakers coaching days, but on his career’s as well.

Frank Hamblen

Frank Hamblen Tenure as Head Coach: February 2, 2005–April 20, 2005 (as interim) Coaching Record with the Lakers: Regular Season: 10–29 Despite having a short tenure as head coach of the Lakers, Frank Hamblen’s full body of work in professional basketball ranks him near the top of his profession. In regards to athletic competition, the state of Indiana is known for Notre Dame football, the Indianapolis 500, and basketball. In Frank Hamblen’s case, he chose the latter, made the most out of his experience, and gave the Hoosier State another claim to its hardwood legacy. Born in 1947, Hamblen graduated in 1965 from Garfield High School in Terre Haute. The school closed its doors forever six years later, but the memories Hamblen created as a member of the Purple Eagles will not be forgotten. He left Garfield as the school’s third all-time leading scorer with 1,093 points before heading to the New York State campus of Syracuse University to continue his athletic career.1 The 6' 3", 190-pound guard/forward, played in 56 games on the varsity for the Syracuse Orangemen between 1966 and 1969. Despite injuries and illness cutting into chunks of his final two seasons, Hamblen was respected enough by his teammates that they elected him captain of the 1968-69 squad. His signature move was the launching of a jumper with his feet slightly leaving the floor. He was also deadly accurate from the charity stripe.2 His ability to absorb the technical side of the game allowed him to pursue a career in the game after hanging up his #53 Syracuse jersey for the last time. However, upon graduation from Syracuse in 1969, Hamblen had other career goals in mind. He had contacts from college that were in the entertainment business in Los Angeles, and looked to seize an opportunity in Hollywood’s dream factories. With a couple hundred dollars on him, he made the crosscountry trip to LA to seek work. After going down to San Diego to see former college teammate Dave Bing play a game as a member of the Detroit Pistons, Hamblen struck up a conversion with a scout for the San Diego Rockets. The scout informed Hamblen that he was going to pursue other career opportunities, giving up his scouting job within a few days, and that Hamblen should apply with the Rockets.3 Without any employment offers at the time, Hamblen took a chance and applied for a scouting position with San Diego. The Rockets general manager, Pete Newell, came away impressed with the recent graduate. After getting a solid recommendation from Hamblen’s coach at Syracuse, the job was his on a six-month trial basis.4 With a half a year to prove his abilities as a student of the game, Hamblen made the most of the opportunity given to him. The draft came up, and the Rockets landed two of the franchise’s all-time greats in Rudy Tomjanovich and Calvin Murphy. The front office came away impressed with their young scout and signed him, with the result being a career that spanned over 40 years. Hamblen stayed with the Rockets after their move to Houston in 1971. The following year, he went to the Denver Rockets of the American Basketball Association to serve as an assistant

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coach and director of player personnel until 1977. From there he served as an assistant for the Kansas City/Sacramento Kings for ten years, and the Milwaukee Bucks from 1988 to 1996. While with the Bucks, Hamblen provided head-coaching leadership on an interim basis in 1991-92, compiling a 23–42 record in the process.5 In 1996, Hamblen had the good fortune of traveling to Chicago to serve as an assistant under Phil Jackson during the heyday of the Michael Jordan era. Two championships in 1997 and 1998 highlighted Hamblen’s stay in the Windy City. It was then on to Los Angeles when Jackson assumed control of the Lakers in 1999. Three more championships rings were added to Hamblen’s jewelry box in 2000, 2001, and 2002. When Phil Jackson briefly stepped away from coaching the Lakers following the 2004 season, Rudy Tomjanovich took over as coach and had Hamblen as his top assistant. When Tomjanovich resigned as coach of the Lakers after 43 games due to health problems, Hamblen took over a 24–19 team perched in seventh place in the Western Conference. The playoffs were still a possibility when Hamblen took over, but the post season quickly became a distant memory. The Lakers completely broke down, posting a dismal 10–29 slate under Hamblen. His record earned him the dubious honor of finishing with the second-worst winning percentage in Lakers history, just one game behind George Mikan’s 9–30 record in 1958 while the team was still in Minneapolis.6 Phil Jackson returned to the Lakers the following year, and Hamblen returned to his assistant role. Over the next five years, he helped the Lakers return to the NBA throne two more times in 2009 and 2010, and in doing so, earned Hamblen his sixth and seventh championship rings.

Phil Jackson Second Tenure as Head Coach: June 15, 2005–May 8, 2011 Coaching Record with the Lakers (2005–2011): Regular Season: 323–169, Post-season: 54–35 Combined Coaching Record with the Lakers (1999–2004, 2005–2011): Regular Season: 610–292, Post-season: 118–63 Oh, what a difference a year makes. Without Phil Jackson to steady the ship, the Lakers fell below .500 and failed to make the playoffs for the first time in 11 years. With nine championship rings as a coach to his credit, Phil Jackson’s hands seemed to be uneven. The allure of a tenth one would complete the set, and an extra one would not hurt either. The Lakers needed Jackson to bring the team back from its minor fall from grace, and at 60 years of age, he agreed to return. On June 15, 2005, with the ink still drying on a three-year contract valued somewhere around $30 million, the Zen Master went to work trying to glue the broken parts of a team that lost 19 of its final 21 games just months earlier.1 With Shaquille O’Neal gone to Miami, Jackson’s nucleus was Kobe Bryant, whom he had a strained relationship with upon his departure. However, after seeing the team finish with the first losing record of his career, Bryant supported the re-hiring of Jackson. With the makings of a great duo reunited after an incident,

FOUR : ALL-TIME HEAD COACHES Jackson re-established his philosophy on the Lakers, and the proven winner of nine previous championships set out to return the team to glory. In just his first year back, the Lakers improved to 45–37, and returned to the playoffs. In an opening round series against Phoenix, the Lakers jumped out to a 3–1 advantage, but the Suns rallied to win the next three to take the series. This was the first time that a Phil Jackson coached team did not advance past the first round of the post season. However, the successful turnaround showed that Jackson’s teachings were once again working, and the future looked bright. The team hit a slight snag in 2006-07, finishing at 42–40, and once again made an early exit from the playoffs in the first round. On a personal level, Jackson enjoyed a milestone on January 7, 2007 when he won the 900th game of his coaching career to rank him 9th on the all-time win list among NBA coaches. His meteoric rise up the all-time win list allowed Jackson the distinction of reaching the 900-win plateau faster than any one else in history. Also in 2007, Jackson was enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.2 Early in the 2007-08 season, Jackson signed a contract extension that would keep him in Los Angeles through 2010.3 The decision to stay with the Lakers proved to be a good one, as Jackson now had the team perched on the doorstep of the NBA summit. They finished the 2007-08 season with a Western Conference–best 57–25 record, and advanced to the NBA Finals after a four-year absence. That year’s Finals reunited the game’s two titans, the Lakers and the Boston Celtics, to see who would reign over the NBA. This marked the 11th time that these two rivals battled for league supremacy, and the first time since 1987. Unfortunately, the Celtics continued their Finals dominance over the Lakers, defeating them in six games to capture the championship. Jackson had rebuilt the team, and the bitter taste of losing in the Finals served as a rallying cry to return to the Finals and win. They ripped through the regular season to once again finish with the best record in the Western Conference. Their 65–17 record allowed the Lakers to cruise to the Pacific Division title, with the closest competition coming from the Phoenix Suns, who finished in second place 19 games behind Los Angeles. They then went on to post a 16–7 post-season record that was capped off by beating the Orlando Magic in five games to capture the 2009 NBA title and give Phil Jackson his 10th championship as a coach. With this title, Jackson surpassed Boston’s Red Auerbach for most NBA championships as a coach. He also became the fastest to reach 1,000 wins as a coach with a Christmas Day win over the Celtics.4 On February 3, 2010, Jackson earned his 534th win as coach of the Lakers to replace Pat Riley as the team’s all-time leader in that category. He then set another franchise milestone four months later by winning his fifth NBA championship, which tied him with John Kundla, who coached the team during their Minneapolis days. His 11th all-time NBA title was made even sweeter by the fact that the Lakers defeated the Celtics to earn Jackson another championship ring. All of Jackson’s previous championship runs ended with three straight titles, so enthusiasm was at a fever pitch as the coaching legend prepared to lead the Lakers into the 2010-11 season as two-time defending NBA champions. This would also

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serve as what Jackson referred to as “his last stand” as coach. On August 2, 2010, he signed his final contract as coach of the Lakers, and looked to obtain an unprecedented 12th NBA title to climax his incredible legacy.5 The Lakers finished with a Pacific Division–leading 57–25 record, and then won their opening playoff series, four games to two, over the New Orleans Hornets. The end of a possible fourth three-peat ended in the conference semifinals, as the eventual NBA champion Dallas Mavericks disposed of the Lakers in four straight. So on the night of May 8, 2011, with the Lone Star State of Texas serving as the backdrop, the greatest coaching tenure in NBA history came to a close.

Phil Jackson In 1,640 regular season games as a head coach, Jackson amassed 1,155 wins against 485 losses for an incredible .705 winning percentage. In his quest for 11 NBA titles, his post-season record was 229–104 for a .688 winning percentage. He was the only coach to win three consecutive championships three different times, and from 1996 to 2003, his teams ran off 25 straight playoff series victories. Phil Jackson set the bar extremely high for all future coaches to aim for, and his likes may never be seen again.6

Five

LAKERS ESSENTIALS This chapter is dedicated to the many essential elements, whether on the floor or in other venues, which have helped to make this tremendous organization a worldwide phenomenon.

Team Owners (1960 –2011) Bob Short Like Dan Reeves and Walter O’Malley before him, Bob Short saw a chance at a new beginning for his sports franchise amongst the sun and fun of Southern California. After witnessing Reeves’ Rams and O’Malley’s Dodgers prosper in Los Angeles, Short decided to attempt the same with his floundering Minneapolis Lakers. The man who brought the National Basketball League to the City of Angels began his journey through life on July 20, 1917, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as the son of a fireman. Like most self-made men, Short was driven from an early age to work hard to get what he wanted out of life. The young man did not shy away from long, hard hours of work, and would put in 14 hours a day to obtain his goals.1 After earning a bachelor’s degree from the College of Saint Thomas in Minneapolis, Short went to Washington, D.C., to further his education at historic Georgetown University, where he received a law degree in the 1940s. In addition to his stellar academic record, Short also served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, where he joined up as an ensign, but worked his way up to commander.2 Following World War II, Short practiced law for a few years, and then purchased a share of a small trucking company. His drive to succeed allowed him to take that small company and build it into a large trucking business that was named Admiral Merchants Motor Freight. His business interests also reached into real estate and the hotel investments.3 In addition to his business savvy, Short was also passionate about sports and politics. In 1946, he ran for Congress, but his attempt to claim a position ended in defeat. In regards to the world of sports, Short’s claim in that arena turned up a winner. He first looked into obtaining a professional football or baseball team, but there were no opportunities at the time. By 1957, however, an opportunity to purchase his hometown Minneapolis Lakers came up. Along with college friend Frank Ryan, Short got a

group of 30 investors together and offered Ben Berger $150,000 for the Lakers.4 With the transaction complete, the other investors named Short team president, and the group looked ahead to restore a team that had fallen on tough times back to the glory days of the late 1940s and early 1950s. Unfortunately, things did not go well for the new ownership group. Attendance had plummeted, and the new ownership group had to dip into their wallets to fork over $50,000 just to keep the team running. That cash supply was drained in a matter of two weeks, which forced the owners to severely cut back on expenses on a team already suffering badly. Players were sent to other teams, and without quality performers, the team began to lose on a frequent basis. This in turn caused a lack of interest in the team, and the crowds had slumped to as few as 900 per game. Money continued to dwindle down as the bills continued to pile up. A meeting was called among the investors, and Short looked to purchase team stock. No one from the group was interested in owning the Lakers any longer due to all the problems. Short signed over a check worth $40,000, and the team was now his.5 The team was still losing on the court and financially. It was then that Short looked to move the Lakers to Los Angeles in an attempt to start fresh. In early February of 1960, the Lakers played at the Los Angeles Arena and the attendance was over 10,000. The trip proved to Short that the City of Angels might be a good place to move. After getting league approval in April of 1960, Short relocated the Lakers to Los Angeles. At first the team struggled to gain fan support, but within a relatively short time, the Lakers were a phenomenon among Southern California sports’ enthusiasts. From 1960 through the 1964-65 season, the Lakers were riding high, and were one of the NBA’s elite teams. It was at that time that Bob Short decided to sell the team after the Lakers had made a $500,000 profit.6 Short was apprehensive about selling the Lakers initially when millionaire Jack Kent Cooke began inquiring about purchasing the team. However, when Short was offered a then-incredible offer of $5.175 million for a team he bought into for $150,000 eight years earlier, the decision was easier to make.7

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After bringing the Lakers to Los Angeles, and making a huge profit on his investment with the sale to Cooke, Short looked to his other passion, politics. He lost in a bid to become Minnesota’s lieutenant governor in 1966, and served as treasurer of the Democratic National Committee during Hubert Humphrey’s 1968 presidential campaign. He also lost a bid for a U.S. Senate seat in 1978.8 Short was still not done with professional sports either. In the fall of 1968, he became owner of Major League Baseball’s Washington Senators, and owned that franchise until 1974. He also could not resist the opportunity to move another team, and in 1972, the Senators relocated to Texas, becoming the Texas Rangers.9 Bob Short lived until age 65, passing away on November 20, 1982, but left a legacy in the NBA as the first to expand the league all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Thanks to his vision, Bob Short helped to create one of the most iconic professional sports organizations in history.

Jack Kent Cooke On the night of May 7, 1972, Jack Kent Cooke joined Dan Reeves and Walter O’Malley as Los Angeles-based team owners that brought major sports championships to the City of Angels. The first steps that led Cooke to that glorious moment began with him pounding the pavement as a door-to-door encyclopedia salesman in Canada while still in his teens. From the origins of being a salesman, Cooke paved his way through the business world, and within the span of a decade, his story had the makings of a saga spun multiple times by the Hollywood dream factories. This type of story has been told in many feel good films, and the fascinating tale of business magnate Jack Kent Cooke began on October 25, 1912, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The family relocated to Toronto when Cooke was about nine years old, and he showed signs of athletic prowess on the football field and hockey rink. His father was the proprietor of a picture framing business, but when the effects of the Great Depression caused the establishment to close, Cooke’s dream of playing hockey professionally were thwarted. To help his family during the desperate days of the Depression, Cooke, the oldest of four children, left Toronto’s Malvern Collegiate Institute to search out any way to help provide for his family. The story goes that upon earning twenty dollars on his first day selling encyclopedias, he took the money home to his mother, which he later claimed was the most fulfilling moment of his life.1 After selling his wares across the “Great White North,” whether it was encyclopedias or soap for the Colgate-Palmolive Company, Cooke’s life began to change. While hawking soap in Northern Ontario, he met media czar Roy Thompson, who was impressed enough in the young salesman, that he offered Cooke a job to manage radio station CJCS in Ontario. Upon his hiring in 1937, Cooke used this opportunity as a springboard to incredible wealth and fame.2 Cooke’s salesman experience, coupled with his tireless desire to succeed, allowed the young up-and-comer to become a master promoter, and he made CJCS a monetary success. Four years after his initial hiring, Cooke merged into a business partnership with his mentor, Roy Thompson, in 1941. Together, they purchased many media outlets such as radio stations, newspapers, magazines,

Team Owners a film production company, and an advertising firm. By the mid– 1940s, at 31 years of age, Jack Kent Cooke had become a millionaire, an accomplishment he would achieve many times over on his journey through life.3 In 1944, Cooke invested on his own in Toronto radio station CKCL, and once again with the use of his promotional savvy, the station became a success. The following year saw Cooke create Radio Guild Features. This allowed the young magnate the opportunity to mold and shape ideas, which eventually became programs for radio outlets. In 1946, he teamed up with Roy Thompson to buy the Canadian edition of Liberty magazine, and changed the name to New Liberty.4 With the media world conquered, Cooke looked to other venues to invest in. His love of sports drew him to purchase the minor league baseball team, the Toronto Maple Leafs of the AAA International League, in 1951. The team had fallen on dismal times, and Cooke took it upon himself to spark new life into the organization. Once again, through promotional ideas that got the public interested in the team, Cooke made the Maple Leafs a success. In honor of his work with the team, The Sporting News named Cooke as 1952’s minor league baseball’s executive of the year.5 In 1960, Cooke embarked on what was dubbed his “Second Life,” when he became a U.S. citizen. During that same year, Cooke purchased a quarter ownership of the Washington Redskins of the National Football League for $300,000. By this time, Cooke’s fortune was rumored to be upwards of $15 million, which was considered massive at the dawn of the 1960s. Ironically, Cooke settled in Beverly Hills, California around the same time that the Lakers were setting up their residency in the general vicinity.6 In 1964, Cooke was the mastermind behind a cable company that would eventually merge with Teleprompter Corporation, which grew into the country’s biggest cable outlet, with Cooke owning the largest share of stock. In September, 1965, the Los Angeles Lakers fell under the Cooke business umbrella, when he purchased the franchise from Bob Short for $5 million.7 Cooke once had visions of becoming a professional hockey player, but the Great Depression took away that dream. Thirty years later, Cooke took his dream to even greater heights than he might have imagined as a teenager in 1930s Canada. One year after obtaining the Lakers, Cooke bought the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League for $2 million.7 He then turned another of his visions into reality when he built the Fabulous Forum for $16 million. It was to house his Lakers and Kings, and served as one of the sports world’s most cherished venues. When Cooke purchased the Lakers, they were already a popular attraction, and very successful, having made three trips to the NBA Finals in their first six seasons in Los Angeles. However, each trip to the championship round ended in defeat. Cooke looked to change the team’s fortune, and spent large amounts of cash to make the Lakers not only competitive year after year, but to reign as champions. In the first six seasons of Cooke’s ownership, the Lakers went to the NBA Finals another four times, but once again fell victim to continued heartbreak at the hands of the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks. Finally, after going through three coaches leading up to Bill Sharman’s hiring in 1971, the Lakers broke through the championship drought by putting together a then-record 69 regular season victories. They stormed through the playoffs, and on the

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night of May 7, 1972, Cooke’s dream of championship glory was obtained, as the Lakers clinched the NBA title in his Fabulous Forum. After suffering a heart attack in 1973, Cooke started to relieve himself of some of the pressures brought on by the business world. He started to reduce his investments, at least for the time being. In 1979, he decided to sell the Lakers, Kings, and the Forum, to Dr. Jerry Buss, for a then-astronomical sum of $67.5 million, which at the time was the largest transaction the sports community had ever witnessed. Also included in the deal was a portion of top-notch real estate.8 Over the years after selling the Lakers, Cooke bought and sold more investments, with the headline-making ones being his purchase of the Chrysler Building in New York City for $87 million, the Los Angeles Daily News for $176 million, and the horse breeding Elmendorf Farm for $47 million.9 His love of sports continued well after the selling of the Lakers, and centered around thoroughbred horse racing, and most of all, as owner of the Washington Redskins. In 1974, Cooke became the NFL franchise’s majority owner, and much like he did with the Lakers, he turned the Redskins into a championshipcaliber powerhouse. In the 23 years that Cooke was the majority owner, the Redskins posted a 223–151 record, and won three Super Bowls (1982, 1987, 1991), and appeared in another following the 1983 season. Cooke lived to age 84, passing away from cardiac arrest on April 6, 1997.10 Jack Kent Cooke was regarded by many as difficult to work for, egotistical, and demanding of those around him. He did not care if he offended anyone, and appeared to perceive people as not being very intelligent. He yelled and screamed at people, and made the workplace an unpleasant environment to be in. He wanted absolute perfection, and anything short of winning was not tolerated.11 In every human being, there are many sides to their personality. Despite the tough persona omitted by Cooke, there was also a side that used his vast fortune to help his fellow man. After leaving close to $40 million to his family, over $800 million went to forming the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, which helps young people obtain their absolute best through the power of education. It provides grants to colleges to assist low-income youngsters in fulfilling their dreams.

Jerry Buss From depression era youth to owner of one of the preeminent sports organizations in the world, Dr. Jerry Buss’ rags to riches saga could not have been scribed any better by 19th century American author Horatio Alger, Jr. Born Gerald Hatten Buss on January 27, 1934, in Salt Lake City, Utah, the man who would reign as one of the most prominent residents of Southern California, came from extremely harsh beginnings. Buss’ parents divorced when he was very young, and his mother set out to raise him during the depths of the Great Depression in Kemmerer, Wyoming. His mother worked hard to provide for them by waiting on tables at a local eatery or washing floors, but every day was a struggle. The weather conditions were just as harsh as the economic ones for Buss and his mother. As a four-year-old, Buss braved the frigid climate to stand in bread lines awaiting his next meal during the Depression. As Buss got

FIVE : LAKERS ESSENTIALS older, he would make his way through his neighborhood looking for any paper products that could be used to fuel a wood-burning fireplace that provided the only heat on bitter cold days.1 When Buss was nine years old, his mother moved to California where the opportunities for employment were not as scarce. Three years later, Buss’ mother remarried, and the family went back to Wyoming. Buss’ stepfather had a plumbing business, and it was expected that Jerry was going to help him by getting up at 4:30 to dig ditches through frozen ground before going to school. This was not the way Buss envisioned his future to be. He wanted to break free from his stepfather, and despite having a talent in the classroom for science, he quit school between his junior and senior year to test his independence. He wanted to earn money himself, and looked to different venues, including shining shoes and performing backbreaking work on the railroad.2 His life as a railroad worker consisted of 14-hour shifts, with grueling hard labor being the lone reward. This experience made Buss come to the realization that education was the key to improving his life. He returned to high school, worked hard in the classroom, and earned a scholarship to the University of Wyoming. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree from Wyoming, Buss worked as a government chemist before heading to Los Angeles, where his life took a major upswing.3 He attended the University of Southern California, where in 1958 he obtained a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry. Now as Dr. Jerry Buss, he taught chemistry at USC before going to work at the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1959. It was while working in the aerospace industry that he met co-worker Frank Mariani. Through discussions, Buss and Mariani came to the conclusion that investing in California real estate might help them gain some financial security.4 Buss was making $700 a month, and with a wife and children, money was tight. However, Buss and Mariani figured out that they needed to save $1,000 each to start their investing proposal. By putting away $83.33 a month, within a year, the men each had the money needed for their initial investment. With four other partners, the group placed $6,000 into a 14-unit apartment complex in West Los Angeles with a price tag of $105,000 attached to it. They saved money by handling all repairs by themselves. They would work their day jobs, and then go over to the building to work at night on whatever needed to be done.5 In time, what started off as a way to bring in extra money, eventually became an empire for Buss. More and more properties were obtained, and before too long, Buss had to leave his day job to concentrate of being a real estate mogul. By age 40, Buss and Mariani were millionaires, and at the end of the 1970s, Buss was ready to purchase another business venture that would allow him to reach even greater heights.6 Since the days of his youth, Buss loved sports, but had to give up the desire to pursue his athletic dreams in order to work and focus on an education. His drive to succeed in the academic and business worlds might have put an end to his participation in sports, but he still yearned to be a part of the athletic community in some manner. With his newfound wealth, Buss turned his attention to obtaining a piece of the sports world. During his rise to becoming a Los Angeles real estate mogul, Buss owned tickets to all the city’s sports teams. Ironically, he was in attendance as a spectator on the night of May 7, 1972, when the

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Lakers won their first NBA title in Los Angeles.7 Eventually, he would be the one controlling the team during many other championship runs. However, his Lakers days were still seven years away from reality as he embarked on the quest to own a piece of the Los Angeles sports market. In 1974, Buss purchased the World Team Tennis franchise, the Los Angeles Strings. Despite the league suffering from financial woes until its demise in 1978, Buss enjoyed the opportunity to be a team owner.8 He loved it so that he wanted more. In 1977, there was a buzz going around that Jack Kent Cooke was looking to sell some of his investments. Buss met with Cooke and expressed his desire into buying the Forum from him, but Cooke would not give Buss an answer either way.9 Every now and then Cooke would contact Buss and the two would meet, but nothing transpired. By this time, Buss had already expressed interest in purchasing teams in the NFL, Major League Baseball, and in the ABA, but nothing seemed to surface.10 Finally, on a Tuesday in May of 1979, Buss was awakened by a phone call from Cooke, who was ready to sell his Los Angeles– based sports empire.11 When all was said and done, Buss purchased the Lakers, the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League, and the Forum for a then-record $67.5 million. Also thrown into the deal was a 13,000-acre ranch. In Buss’ first year as owner, the Lakers won the NBA title, and were at the beginning of the fabulous “Showtime” era, which Buss himself created. Over the years since his purchase, Buss has guided the Lakers to 10 league championships in 16 NBA Finals appearances as of 2011. He has surrounded himself with high quality personnel, both on the court and off, and during his tenure as owner, he saw the Lakers become the all-time leader in wins as an organization, and revered world-wide as a corporate giant in the sports community. He has been involved with many interests outside of owning the Lakers, including being President of the NBA Board of Governors for two terms, and helping in the formation of Prime Ticket Network, which was eventually sold to Rupert Murdoch, and became part of FOX regional sports networks. He is also an accomplished poker player, and finished among the top in some tournaments. Buss also contributed to many charitable organizations, and his assistance to those causes helped countless individuals, young and old, through life’s journey. On October 30, 2006, Buss was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and on August 13, 2010, he took his place among the game’s immortals, many of whom played for him, in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor to the great game of basketball.12

Arenas The Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena Address: 3939 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, California Lakers first game at the Sports Arena: October 24, 1960 vs. the New York Knicks. The Knicks won, 111–101. Lakers last game at the Sports Arena: Dec. 22, 1967 vs. the Detroit Pistons. The Lakers won, 133–105.

Arenas Figueroa Street runs north and south through Los Angeles, and at 30 miles long, it is one of the longest streets in the city. The lengthy thoroughfare is also adorned with former and current home courts of the Los Angeles Lakers organization. In the late 1950s, prominent Los Angeles architect Welton Becket was commissioned to design an indoor multi-purpose facility next to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Becket was responsible for designing many structures throughout Los Angeles, with one of the most recognizable ones being the famed Capital Records Building, located on Vine Street in Hollywood.1 On April 7, 1958, ground was broken for what would become another sterling addition to Becket’s extensive resume. Fifteen months after the initial grounding breaking, and at a cost of $7.4 million, the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena was officially opened on July 4, 1959 by then–Vice President Richard M. Nixon. The structure was named in honor of Americans who perished in combat throughout history.2 The completed project, with a seating capacity of 16,161 for basketball, was a state-of-the-art oval-shaped facility that did not look like any other venue in the country. It had elevators that lifted those in attendance up to the seating areas, and a unique device called The Crowd-O-Meter that was put in use during the Lakers’ first few seasons playing there. The Crowd-O-Meter was perched above the court, and was electronically hooked up to the turnstiles. As people walked through the turnstiles, the count would be shown on the Crowd-O-Meter, and it proved to be an entertaining way for the crowd already in their seats to watch the number grow. It might seem dull by today’s technological standards, but in the early 1960s, it proved to be a point of interest.3 Four days after its official opening, Jose Becerra and Alphonse Halimi fought for the Bantamweight championship in the first-ever event hosted at the venue. It was also the site of the 1960 Democratic National Convention, where John F. Kennedy was nominated by the party to run for president, and where Dr. Martin Luther King gave a speech the following year.4 Through the years, long after the Lakers relocated to the Forum and Staples Center, the Sports Arena has hosted the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four (1968, 1972), the 1992 NCAA Woman’s Final Four, the 1984 Summer Olympics boxing tournament, home for the UCLA Bruins and USC Trojans basketball teams, and from 1985 through 1999, the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers called the Arena home. In addition to sporting events, the Sports Arena has been the site of rock concerts and used in motion pictures and television series.5

The Forum Address: 3900 W. Manchester Blvd., Inglewood, California Lakers first game at the Forum: Dec. 31, 1967 vs. the San Diego Rockets. The Lakers won, 147–118. Lakers last game at the Forum: May 23, 1999 vs. the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs won, 118–107. The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum’s features were designed to resemble the ancient Coliseum in Rome. When Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke decided to build a new facility for his team, he decided to stay with the historical Roman theme. So, seven and a half miles away from the Los Angeles Coliseum, Cooke’s Forum would stand.

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At first, the idea of building a new structure to house the Lakers was met with confusion. The Sports Arena was only seven years old when plans were set to build what became the Forum. The Sports Arena had modern amenities, and was perfectly located near downtown Los Angeles and the Harbor Freeway. However, Cooke’s dealings with the Coliseum Commission in regards to renegotiating his contract on the Sports Arena, made the flamboyant and egotistical owner mad enough to want to build his own venue.1 Cooke’s threats to leave the Sports Arena did nothing to help his position with the Coliseum Commission, so he acted on his plan. He settled on a 29-acre site that once served as a former golf course in Inglewood, and approximately three miles from the Los Angeles International Airport. Architect Charles Luckman was selected to design the Forum, with Cooke’s vision of something 2,000 years old and 6,000 miles east of Los Angeles, in mind.2 Luckman was responsible for designing the LAX Theme Building and the Aon Center in Los Angeles, in addition to many other famous structures in New York City, Boston, Houston, and Hawaii, to name a few. Once dubbed, “the Boy Wonder of American Business” in his early thirties, Luckman created Cooke’s masterpiece in his late 50s.3 Ground-breaking in Inglewood took place on July 1, 1966, and close to a year-and-half-later, what was first said to be “Cooke’s Folly,” was presented to the public in all its glory in late 1967 with a price tag of $16 million. To Cooke, it was money well spent, and it became known as the Fabulous Forum. It seated 17,505 and had 80 columns that stood 57 feet high and weighed in at 55 tons that supported the roof.4 Cooke beamed with pride at his new facility, and it was described as a modern version of the Coliseum in ancient Rome.5 The Forum officially opened its doors on December 30, 1967, as the Los Angeles Kings played host to the Philadelphia Flyers in National Hockey League action. The following day, the Lakers christened the Forum with its first NBA game. To add to the theme of ancient Rome, Cooke had the ushers dress in togas.6 The Forum served as the venue for the bulk of the Lakers’ greatest moments. The 1971-72 team that set a then-record of 69 wins, won the first NBA title for the city of Los Angeles in the Forum. Eight years later, the dawn of the “Showtime” Lakers led by Magic Johnson added five more championship banners to the rafters as residences of the Forum. It also served as the home for the Los Angeles Kings when they played for the 1993 Stanley Cup with the great Wayne Gretzky leading the way. The Forum hosted its share of events, sports related and many others. The majority of influential rock groups and singers from the 1960s through the 1990s made stops at the Forum. During the 1984 Summer Olympics, the Forum was used for the basketball competition. In 1988, Dr. Jerry Buss, who purchased the Forum along with the Lakers and Kings from Cooke in 1979, sold the naming rights of the Forum to Great Western Savings & Loan, and the name was changed to the Great Western Forum. Following the 1999 NBA season, the Lakers moved out of the Forum and back to the downtown area of Los Angeles. The following year, the Faithful Central Bible Church purchased the Forum and started to use it for services on Sunday mornings.7 Even under the new ownership, the Forum was still rented out for all types of venues. It has been used in movies and television

FIVE : LAKERS ESSENTIALS shows, but regardless of what goes on within its confines, the Forum will always hold fabulous memories, especially when Lakers’ fans reflect back to the days of Wilt, Jerry, Magic, and Kareem, running up victories, and Chick Hearn calling the action as it unfolded.

The Staples Center Address: 1111 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, California Lakers first game at the Staples Center: November 3, 1999 vs. the Vancouver Grizzlies. The Lakers won, 103–88. At a cost of $375 million, the Staples Center was constructed and returned the Lakers back to the area they originally started in when they first arrived in Los Angeles. The Staples Center was built approximately two and a half miles away from the Sports Arena, and is part of a 4,000,000-square-foot area that includes the Los Angeles Convention Center. The whole project, developed by Anschutz Entrertainment Group, was first started with ground breaking on September 15, 2005, and was dubbed L.A. Live. L.A. Live was produced to bring entertainment venues, along with retail and residential offerings into downtown Los Angeles.1 Ground was broken on what would eventually become the Staples Center on March 31, 1998, and a year and a half later, the new home of the Lakers was opened on October 17, 1999, with Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band christening the new venue. The office supplier, Staples, Inc., set a new record for naming rights by paying $100M dollars to have their name on the building for 20 years.2 For basketball, the seating capacity is 19,079. In the very first year that the Staples Center served as home to the Lakers, they won the NBA title, and captured four more through the 2010-11 season as residents of the building. In the 2000 NBA Finals, the Lakers clinched the title on the Staples Center court, and did the same in 2010 against their fierce rivals, the Boston Celtics. The Staples Center also currently serves as home to the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers, the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, and the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks. It also provides for many other sports and entertainment events.

“Showtime” The world of sports has long produced everlasting nicknames. “The Four Horsemen of Notre Dame” brought the devastating backfield of Knute Rockne’s Fighting Irish to the forefront of the 1920s college football scene. “Murderer’s Row” and “the Bronx Bombers” have described the powerful New York Yankees, and are just a minute sampling of monikers banged out by sport writers on a Smith-Corona typewriter with an ashtray piled high with non-filter cigarettes sitting close by. In true Hollywood glam fashion, the Los Angeles Lakers’ exciting “Showtime” era was not created by any scribes from the local dailies, but by the atmosphere created inside a nightclub amidst the bright lights of the City of Angels, and a stone’s throw away from the majestic Pacific Ocean.

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The dream factories of Hollywood have created visions of grandeur for countless individuals since the cameras first rolled in the Southland over one hundred years ago. Dr. Jerry Buss was one of the countless individuals enamored by the glitz and glamour of the film capital. While making his way up the ladder to financial freedom, Buss would spend evenings enjoying the nightlife at The Horn, an intimate club located on Wilshire Boulevard that held approximately 150 revelers. The opening to every night’s performance was the same, but exciting none the less. The lights inside the Horn would go dim, and a person affiliated with the production would rise up from one of the tables and sing “It’s Showtime.” More singers would join in, and all the while, Buss would absorb the atmosphere. Amidst the clinking of ice cubes in rock glasses filled with spirits, cigarette smoke rising to the ceiling, and music filling the club, Buss sat there, taking in each moment of pleasure he derived from the experience.1 Over the course of the 1960s, and well into the 70s, Buss earned more than enough monetary gains to purchase the Lakers, and it was then that his days embracing the ambiance of The Horn entered the world of the NBA. He looked to bring excitement into the game, both through the play on the court and between quarters. His teams became the NBA’s embodiment of “Showtime,” with Magic Johnson running a fast-paced flash and dash style offense that left spectators thrilled. When play on the court stopped due to quarterly breaks, the fun continued with the alluring array of beauties known as the Laker Girls performing dance moves for the crowd that included many from the Hollywood community, which only added to the “Showtime” mystique. It truly became an experience that not only matched, but far exceeded what was offered at the Horn, at least in the eyes of a sports-viewing public. The Lakers “Showtime” era began in 1979, and continued through the end of the 1991 season, but it’s impact on the game will remain forever, all thanks to the Horn, and the vision of Dr. Jerry Buss.

Chick Hearn Each major American city can boast of at least one legendary radio announcer that has transmitted his voice over the airways to an audience. The mere thought of days and nights listening to these golden voices calling the action on the field can conjure up memories of championships, great individual efforts, and unfortunately, crushing defeats. Sports fans in Los Angeles have been on both sides of the spectrum, whether witnessing championship parades or wiping tears of despair away after heart-breaking losses. One constant throughout the good and bad times were the voices calling the action that the Southland grew accustomed to hearing regardless of the outcome. Through the years, legends such as Bob Kelley, Vin Sculley, Bill King, and Dick Enberg, have all graced a listening audience with calls pertaining to the Los Angeles Rams, Raiders, or Dodgers. However, when it came time to tune into the action unfolding on the hardwood, Chick Hearn was the man, and not only in Los Angeles, but the king of all NBA announcers. The legend of Chick Hearn was solidified in Los Angeles,

Chick Hearn but his life began 133 miles southeast of Chicago in Buda, Illinois, on November 27, 1916, as Francis Dayle Hearn.1 His family later moved to Aurora, Illinois, where Hearn played basketball for one semester at Fox Valley High School. It was then on to Aurora’s East High School, where he continued his basketball career and earned a reputation as a solid performer. Upon graduation in 1935, Hearn got a job with Austin Western, a company that made farming equipment. While there, he played for an AAU team backed by the company. The team won a Central Division championship, and had to travel to Denver for a chance at a national title. The day prior to leaving for Denver, the company held a luncheon for the team. Hearn’s basketball shoes were a disaster, as they were all but worn out entirely by this stage of the season. In order to help equip one of the team’s top players, a group of boosters got together and purchased a new pair for Hearn.2 During the luncheon, Hearn was given a gift-wrapped box. In anticipation of what was inside, Hearn devoured the wrapping paper to get to the end result. Assuming it was a new pair of shoes, he sent his hands into the box on a seek-and-find mission that resulted in a less-than-expected surprise. With all eyes focused on Hearn, he pulled out a dead chicken that was less than fresh. It seemed that his teammates had decided to play a good-natured joke on him that might not have worked out well for the chicken, but gave Hearn an everlasting moniker. At first, he was dubbed chicken by his teammates, and it was then shortened to Chick.3 During World War II, Hearn served in the Pacific Campaign. While stationed in the South Pacific, he put together a military baseball team as a member of the Special Services. The team was based in Manila, and designed to help with troop morale. What Hearn created not only aided with keeping the spirits of America’s fighting men up, but it achieved perfection as well. The team amassed a perfect record of 82–0. During this incredible streak of perfection, Hearn also received an opportunity that would provide the beginning of what emerged into a legendary career. The military decided to broadcast the baseball games over Armed Forces Radio, and were in need of an announcer to deliver the play-by-play action. Despite having absolutely no prior experience at radio work, Hearn took on the task. It was then that Hearn realized his passion for announcing. Upon returning to the States following his military commitment, Hearn decided that announcing was what he wanted to do.4 His first quest at seeking employment over the airwaves took him to Chicago, but no one was interested in taking him on. Undaunted by coming up empty in the Windy City, Hearn stayed the course in achieving his dream, and eventually, someone took a chance on the young prospect. It was at a small station in Aurora, Illinois, with the call letters WMRO that a legend was officially born. While at WMRO, Hearn served the listening audience with information related to sports and news, and did any other task that might have been called for.5 It was then on to WBNU, another Aurora-based station, where Hearn called high school basketball action. While announcing a state basketball tournament, the vice president of Bradley University in Peoria heard the young man calling the action. He came away impressed, and wanted Hearn to serve as play-by-play man for the university.6 In 1950, Hearn was then well on his way to stardom. He did

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Bradley basketball games, in addition to calling the action for football and high school hoops for WEEK Radio. Television was starting to blossom into a major force at this time, and when WEEK dabbed into the new medium, it called upon Hearn to do an evening sportscast.7 Hearn was getting all the right opportunities to showcase his talents, and it was while he was partnered with another announcing legend that Hearn’s career truly broke into the big time. Curt Gowdy, one of the most revered sports announcers to ever send his voice through a microphone, was working some NBA games during the league’s infant years of the early 1950s. On two occasions, Gowdy was paired with Hearn, and he came away highly impressed with Chick’s talent. Gowdy informed the head of NBC Sports about Hearn, and before too long, the young man from Illinois was competing for the announcing job to call St. Louis Cardinals’ baseball games. Hearn did lose out in his bid, but it was to a fellow named Jack Buck, who like Hearn, would reach legendary status and everlasting immortality.8 When one door closes, another opens. That old adage applies to anyone who loses out on something, but then is granted another choice. In the case of Chick Hearn, it was hearing from KNX in Los Angeles about calling college football games for the University of Southern California. Ironically, it was Jack Buck who gave Hearn a stellar recommendation for the USC job. In 1956, Hearn began his job calling USC games for KNX. It was not too long before Gowdy’s praise for Chick was remembered by NBC, and the network wanted him to do a nightly sportscast on top of calling USC games.9 The world of professional sports was booming in the City of Angels during the 1950s. The Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League were a huge success, and the Brooklyn Dodgers picked up stakes and moved to LA in 1958. The Dodgers, like the Rams, were instant hits with the fans of Southern California. Attempting to cash in on the pot of gold was the NBA, who allowed the Minneapolis Lakers to relocate to Los Angeles for the start of the 1960-61 season. However, at first, the Lakers were not that well received by their new town. With beautiful weather conditions year round, Los Angeles was an outdoor kind of town. To bask in the sunshine while attending a Rams or Dodgers game far outweighed the prospect of sitting inside an arena to watch basketball, which was regarded as a sport played during the winter months in cold weather towns. With Los Angeles being the first tranquil weather town to have an NBA basketball team, the sport had trouble catching the attention of the masses. In time of course, the Los Angeles Lakers became one of the most iconic sports franchises in history, but that time was still in the distant future when owner Bob Short arrived in LA. The team needed to be good and exciting very fast to capture a following. Despite the flashy moves of stars like Elgin Baylor and rookie sensation Jerry West, the Lakers were still not creating a frenzy at the turnstiles. What Bob Short needed was an igniter to spark a flame in the people of Los Angeles. Short managed to work out arrangements with KNX to obtain Hearn’s services to do the play-byplay for the fifth game of the NBA Western Division Finals in St. Louis on March 27, 1961. Prior to this game, the Lakers were drawing in the area of four thousand per game, but after Hearn called the Lakers-Hawks playoff affair on March 27, there was a

FIVE : LAKERS ESSENTIALS rush to the Sports Arena in Los Angeles for Game Six. With the golden voice of Chick Hearn calling the action, the spark Short was hoping to see ignited into a full-blown inferno. A crowd of 14,844 packed into the Sports Arena for the Lakers’ next game, and both the team and Hearn were on their way to everlasting fame in the Southland.10 At first, Hearn wanted to do both USC football and Lakers games, but the USC Athletic Director, Jess Hill, did not want to oblige. He gave Chick an ultimatum on whether to stay at USC or do the Lakers’ broadcasts. History showed what Hearn’s response was to the deal. On November 21, 1965, Chick Hearn began a streak of announcing Lakers games that reached an unprecedented amount of 3,338 straight.11 During that time, Hearn sent his voice through the airways to countless Lakers fans, calling the action for all the greatest moments in the team’s history from 1965 through 2002. He came up with classic monikers for players, such as “Mr. Clutch”( Jerry West), “Wilt the Stilt” (Wilt Chamberlain), “the Big Fella” (Shaquille O’Neal), “the Kid” (Kobe Bryant), and many more. He also incorporated jargon that will never go out of style, such as slam dunk, air ball, skyhook, give-and-go, turnaround jumper, and dribble-drive to the basket.12 Hearn was bestowed many honors throughout his stellar career. He was presented with three National Sportscaster of the Year awards in 1959, 1965, and 1987, an Emmy Award for excellence in the television medium in 1965, and earned the Curt Gowdy Media Award in 1992, presented to him by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In addition to those coveted awards, Hearn also received his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1986, located at 6755 Hollywood Blvd., and he was inducted into the American Sportscasters Hall of Fame in 1995.13 Throughout his time calling Lakers games, Hearn did not hold back when it came to dishing out negative remarks about the team’s performance, or that of an individual player. He gave an honest opinion about all he saw, and due to this, became a trusted and admired friend to all those who listened in. During his time behind the microphone calling Lakers games, Hearn battled through personal tragedy, as he suffered the death of a son and daughter, and later in his career, illness. On December 16, 2001, he called the final game of his illustrious streak. Three days later, the 85-year-old Hearn underwent openheart surgery. However, his desire to get back to calling the action inside the Staples Center proved too great. Despite suffering through another major operation to replace a hip that was damaged following a fall during his recovery from heart surgery, Hearn made it back to call the Lakers’ game against the Utah Jazz on April 9, 2002.14 He managed to call the action all the way through the Lakers’ incredible run toward a third straight NBA title. On June 12, 2002, Hearn called his final game, which was a 113–107 victory over the New Jersey Nets that clinched the championship. On August 2, 2002, Hearn fell in his yard and was taken to the hospital, where two surgeries were preformed to help relieve swelling in his brain. Unfortunately, Hearn never regained consciousness, and the legendary voice of the Lakers was forever silenced on August 5, 2002, at the age of 85.15 The following year, Hearn was inducted posthumously into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor.

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Even though Chick Hearn will no longer be with us on this Earth, his legacy will. In honor of his service to the team, a part of West 11th Street between Figueroa Street and Georgia Street was renamed Chick Hearn Court, which runs along the main entrance to the Staples Center. Also, on April 27, 2010, a bronze statue of Hearn seated behind a desk with the Lakers’ logo inscribed on it was unveiled at Star Plaza just outside of the Staples Center.16

The Laker Girls On November 12, 1898, Minnesota college student Johnny Campbell looked to spark his Gophers en route to a 17–6 win over Northwestern. Campbell encouraged his fellow spectators to chant “Rah, rah, rah, Ski-umah, varsity!, varsity!, Minn-e-sotah!” What was meant to be a passionate display for his beloved university allowed Campbell the distinction of becoming the first cheerleader. Unbeknownst at the time, Campbell’s passion triggered an influential part of American sports that has grown into its own separate entity.1 Over the course of generations since Campbell’s pioneering bellow in the “Land of a Thousand Lakes,” cheerleading has grown into a spectacle all its own, and carries a special reverence for those who perform from the pee-wee level to the professional ranks. Throughout America’s professional sports leagues, there are many cheerleading squads that entertain on football fields and basketball courts, but a few have a certain mystique that elevates them among their peers. In the National Football League, the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders and Oakland Raiderettes are the most known. In the world of the National Basketball Association, the City of Angels has a cut above all others in the world renowned Laker Girls. When Dr. Jerry Buss purchased the Lakers in 1979, he set out to establish the glitz and glamour associated with the city the team represented. This was at the dawn of the “Showtime” era in LA, when Magic Johnson ran the floor with uncanny wizardry, and multiple championships were commonplace. Despite the thrilling exploits of Magic and company during 48 minutes of game time, Buss looked to add excitement to the festivities during timeouts and quarter breaks. It was at this juncture in his early days as owner that the idea for a dance troupe came to mind, and thus, the universally beloved Laker Girls were born. At the beginning of their existence in 1979, the squad was made up of former cheerleaders from USC and UCLA. The Laker Girls then manifested into a professional dance squad consisting of 22 women 18 years of age and older.2 The squad practices at least six hours a week, and performs routines at all home games during timeouts and between quarters. Throughout their years of existence, the Laker Girls have had young women from all walks of life on the squad. Some were college professors, mothers, business professionals, teachers, and future models and celebrities. The most famous Laker Girl of all time was recording artist and television personality Paula Abdul, who came into the fold as an 18-year-old in the early 1980s, and stayed for three seasons during the glorious “Showtime” era.3

Laker Girls/Jack Nicholson/Uniforms

Jack Nicholson The glamour of Hollywood has long been a beacon to the masses ever since the first cameras rolled in the area back in the early 1900s. Acting is a difficult business to break into, as the failure rate far outweighs that of success, especially at its highest level. Of the lucky small percent that do get an opportunity at employment throughout the industry, success can be fleeting, and unforgiving. However, there are also those who rise to superstar status, and will never be forgotten. Among the immortal matinee idols is one Mr. Jack Nicholson, whose characters have made audiences run the gamut of emotions. At times, Nicholson’s roles have made us laugh, cry, feel anger, or shiver with fear. Whatever the case, he is one of the true kings of the Hollywood set, and also one of the greatest Lakers fans. The Lakers have had Hollywood’s elite in attendance since their first year on the west coast. Doris Day was one of the first to express her devotion, as was Pat Boone and many others. Following the early years, Dyan Cannon was a popular fixture throughout the “Showtime” era, and the current Hollywood set boasts far too many that can be seen watching the action. For all the stars that have come and gone through the decades, the passion and devotion that Nicholson displays for the Lakers will never be duplicated by his fellow acting community, past, present, and quite likely the future. In 1970, Nicholson purchased his first season tickets, and has been a fixture ever since. His seats are located courtside right next to the visiting team’s bench. He is not there to be seen, but is truly a fan, and a very astute student of the game. His passion for the Lakers has seen him erupt over bad calls, or direct his anger at opposing players and coaches when need be. He no doubt gets the most out of the experience. Much like all the star-studded performers who have donned the purple and gold over the years, Jack Nicholson is a major part of the organization.1 While on location shooting a film, Nicholson obviously could not be in attendance, but that did not stop him from watching the game. A taped copy of the game would be shipped to him wherever he was filming so that he could watch his beloved team.2 In the film community, Jack Nicholson is a legend, being nominated for 12 Academy Awards, and winning three. While sitting courtside whether it was at the Sports Arena, Forum, or the Staples Center, he will always be the Lakers’ “First Fan.”

Los Angeles Lakers Uniforms (1960 –2011) When the Lakers were playing in Minneapolis, their home jerseys were white with powder blue and gold trim. On the road, they wore powder blue jerseys with gold trim. Those colors remained the standard for the team from 1948 to 1958. They were then changed from powder blue to royal blue in the final years while representing Minneapolis. When the team moved to Los Angeles, the colors of blue and white came along.1

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1960–1967 HOME UNIFORM: White jerseys and white shorts with navy blue and powder blue trim. The powder blue allowed for the team’s Minneapolis heritage to stay a part of the team. “Los Angeles” was written in cursive on the jersey and colored navy blue with a powder blue outline. The numbers were positioned below “Los Angeles,” and were also colored navy blue with powder blue trim. The jersey also had narrow navy and powder blue trimming around the neck and sleeves. The shorts were white with a navy blue belt. They had a wide navy blue stripe going down the side with powder blue trim on the outside of the navy blue stripe. The word “Lakers” was written in white down through the middle of the navy stripe, and the bottom of the shorts were trimmed with narrow navy and powder blue striping. ROAD UNIFORM : Navy blue jerseys and navy blue shorts with white and powder blue trim. “Los Angeles” was written in cursive on the jersey and colored white with a powder blue outline. The numbers were positioned below “Los Angeles,” and were colored white with powder blue trim. The jersey also had narrow navy blue, white, and powder blue trimming around the neck and sleeves. The shorts were navy blue with a white belt. They had a wide white stripe going down the side with navy and powder blue trim on the outside of the white stripe. The word “Lakers” was written in navy blue down through the middle of the white stripe, and the bottom of the shorts were trimmed with narrow white, navy and power blue striping.

FIVE : LAKERS ESSENTIALS team logo was now in the middle of the stripe on both legs, with purple and white trim on the outside of the middle stripe. ROAD UNIFORM : The road jersey remained the same as the ones incorporated in 1967. The shorts were still purple, but now had a solid gold colored waistband. A wide gold stripe went down the middle of each leg with gold and white trim on the outside of the middle stripe.

1974 –1978 The only change to the uniform during this time period was that the team logo was removed from the shorts.

1978–1999 The word “Lakers” on the front of the jerseys was now printed straight across rather than in an upward motion, and the numbers on the jersey were purple with white outline.

1999–2004

HOME UNIFORM: Gold jerseys and gold shorts with gold, purple, and white trim. “Lakers” was printed in an upward motion going from left to right and colored purple with a white outline. The numbers were positioned below “Lakers,” and were white with a purple outline. The jersey also had narrow white, gold, and purple trimming around the neck and sleeves. The shorts were gold with a waistband consisting of white, gold, and purple trim. They had a wide purple stripe going down the side with white, gold, and purple trim on the outside of the purple stripe. The bottom of the shorts were trimmed in white, purple, and gold. ROAD UNIFORM : Purple jerseys and purple shorts with gold, purple, and white trim. “Lakers” was printed in an upward motion going from left to right and colored in gold with a white outline. The numbers were positioned below “Lakers,” and were white with a gold outline. The jersey also had narrow white, gold, and purple trimming around the neck and sleeves. The shorts were purple with a waistband consisting of white, gold, and purple trim. They had a wide gold stripe going down the side with white, gold, and purple trim on the outside of the gold stripe. The bottom of the shorts were trimmed in white, purple, and gold.

The uniform went through major changes, but the color scheme remained the same as the ones dating back to 1967. HOME UNIFORM: The jersey was now a v-neck design, and “Lakers” across the front of the jersey remained the same as the one from 1978 to 1999. The numbers were changed back to white with purple outline. A wide purple stripe was added to the sides of the jersey, with white and purple trim on the outside of the wide stripe. A narrow purple trim was added to the sleeve and neck area. The shorts were gold with a wide purple stripe going down the side that matched up with the jersey. Like the jersey, the shorts had purple and white trim on the outside of the wide purple stripe. The bottom of the shorts were trimmed in purple and white, and the waistband was solid gold in the front and back, but had purple and white on the sides to match up with the jersey and shorts to create one continuous flow of purple striping going down the side of the uniform. ROAD UNIFORM : The purple jersey was also a v-neck design, and “Lakers” across the front remained the same as the one from 1978 through 1999. The numbers were white with gold outline. A wide gold stripe was added to the sides of the jersey, with white trim on the outside. A narrow gold trim was added to the sleeve and neck area. The shorts were purple with a wide gold stripe going down the side that matched up with the jersey. The shorts had a narrow white stripe outside of the wide gold center stripe. The bottom of the shorts were trimmed in gold and white, and waistband was solid purple in the front and back, but had gold and white on the sides to match up with the jersey and shorts.

1972–1974

2002–2011

HOME UNIFORM: The jersey remained the same as the ones incorporated in 1967, but the shorts went through some changes. The color remained gold, but the waistband was strictly purple. The wide stripe down the side of the shorts was still purple. The

In addition to the gold and purple uniforms, a white one was added. The home jersey was a white v-neck design with “Lakers” in purple with gold outline, and the numbers were also purple with a gold outline. The jersey also has a gold stripe going down

1967–1972

FIVE : LAKERS ESSENTIALS

241

the sides with a purple outline. The shorts are white with a gold stripe going down the sides with a purple outline and team logo embossed at the bottom of the shorts. The waistband was white in the front and back, and had a gold stripe on the sides with purple trim.

Uniforms

2004 –2011 The uniform design remained the same as the one from 1999, but the team logo was added to the shorts on the wide stripe going down the side just like the ones from 1972 through 1974.

Six

SCHEDULES AND RESULTS : 1960-61 THROUGH 2010-11 Each schedule shows the Lakers’ score first in the score column.

@ indicates an away game. (OT) indicates overtime. N indicates the game was played at a neutral site.

1960-61 Date

Date Opponent

Final Score

Win/ Loss

Oct. 19 @ Cincinnati Royals Oct. 22 @ St. Louis Hawks Oct. 24 New York Knicks Oct. 25 New York Knicks Oct. 28 @ Philadelphia Warriors Oct. 29 @ Syracuse Nationals RECORD AT THE END OF OCTOBER 1960 (1–5)

123–140 96–112 101–111 120–118 120–122 118–125

L L L W L L

Nov. 2 N (at Detroit) Nov. 5 Nov. 6 N (at San Francisco) Nov. 9 N (at St. Louis) Nov. 12 N (at Providence) Nov. 15 @ Nov. 19 Nov. 20 N (at San Francisco) Nov. 22 N (at New York) Nov. 23 @ Nov. 24 N (at St. Louis) Nov. 25 @

106–96 112–110 119–113 118–125 124–131 123–108 130–122 135–131 133–118 118–122 108–100 141–128 (OT) 113–126 106–113 137–112 121–122

W W W L L W W W W L W W

114–117 120–117 103–113 101–123 112–114 108–111 103–114 124–113 116–130 112–140 107–103 94–97

L W L L L L L W L L W L

New York Knicks Syracuse Nationals Syracuse Nationals Philadelphia Warriors Boston Celtics New York Knicks Detroit Pistons Detroit Pistons Cincinnati Royals Cincinnati Royals Cincinnati Royals Detroit Pistons

Nov. 26 @ St. Louis Hawks Nov. 27 Philadelphia Warriors Nov. 28 Philadelphia Warriors Nov. 29 N (at New York) Philadelphia Warriors RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER 1960 (11–11) Dec. 1 @ Dec. 2 @ Dec. 4 Dec. 5 Dec. 7 @ Dec. 10 @ Dec. 12 Dec. 14 Dec. 16 @ Dec. 17 @ Dec. 19 N (at Portland, OR) Dec. 20 N (at Portland, OR)

Philadelphia Warriors Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Cincinnati Royals St. Louis Hawks St. Louis Hawks St. Louis Hawks Cincinnati Royals Boston Celtics Detroit Pistons Detroit Pistons

L L W L

242

Opponent

Final Score

Win/ Loss

Dec. 26 @ New York Knicks Dec. 28 @ Syracuse Nationals Dec. 29 N (at Philadelphia) New York Knicks Dec. 30 @ St. Louis Hawks RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER 1960 (15–23)

112–119 113–115 111–95 99–107

L L W L

Jan. 1 @ Detroit Pistons Jan. 2 N (at Philadelphia) Detroit Pistons Jan. 3 Boston Celtics Jan. 5 St. Louis Hawks Jan. 6 St. Louis Hawks Jan. 10 New York Knicks Jan. 11 New York Knicks Jan. 14 Cincinnati Royals Jan. 15 Cincinnati Royals Jan. 19 N (at Philadelphia) Boston Celtics Jan. 21 @ Philadelphia Warriors Jan. 22 N (at Utica, NY) Syracuse Nationals Jan. 24 Syracuse Nationals Jan. 25 Syracuse Nationals Jan. 29 Detroit Pistons Jan. 30 Detroit Pistons Jan. 31 N (at New York) Detroit Pistons RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY 1961 (23–32)

105–116 123–113 96–102 110–96 104–108 117–104 104–109 123–114 105–109 103–106 111–136 109–112 116–107 117–112 137–113 117–116 112–121

L W L W L W L W L L L L W W W W L

Feb. 2 N (at Philadelphia) Feb. 5 @ Feb. 6 N (at College Park, MD) Feb. 7 N (at New York) Feb. 8 Feb. 9 Feb. 12 @ Feb. 13 N (at Dayton, OH) Feb. 14 N (at St. Louis) Feb. 16 @ Feb. 18 @ Feb. 19 @ Feb. 20 N (at Morgantown, WV) Feb. 22

St. Louis Hawks Detroit Pistons Cincinnati Royals

116–115 125–120 110–101

W W W

Boston Celtics St. Louis Hawks St. Louis Hawks St. Louis Hawks Cincinnati Royals Boston Celtics Detroit Pistons New York Knicks Cincinnati Royals Syracuse Nationals

95–96 120–103 113–123 105–95 100–104 93–113 129–106 121–106 106–112 121–126

L W L W L L W W L L

Boston Celtics

105–93

W

SIX : SCHEDULES

AND

Date

RESULTS Opponent

Final Score

Win/ Loss

Feb. 26 Philadelphia Warriors Feb. 27 Philadelphia Warriors Feb. 28 @ Philadelphia Warriors RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY 1961 (32–40)

121–116 88–113 108–123

W L L

March 1 N (at Boston) March 2 N (at Scranton, PA) March 5 @ March 7 @

144–107 114–110 125–114 136–137 (2 OT) 103–120 105–108 123–122

W W W L

New York Knicks Syracuse Nationals Syracuse Nationals St. Louis Hawks

March 8 @ Detroit Pistons March 11 Cincinnati Royals March 12 Cincinnati Royals FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (36–43)

L L W

Playoffs WESTERN DIVISION SEMI-FINALS March 14 March 15 March 17 @ March 18 @ March 19

Detroit Pistons Detroit Pistons Detroit Pistons Detroit Pistons Detroit Pistons

120–102 127–118 113–124 114–123 137–120

W W L L W

WESTERN DIVISION FINALS March 21@ March 22 @ March 24 March 25 March 27 @ March 29

St. Louis Hawks St. Louis Hawks St. Louis Hawks St. Louis Hawks St. Louis Hawks St. Louis Hawks

April 1 @

St. Louis Hawks

122–118 106–121 118–112 117–118 121–112 113–114 (OT) 103–105

W L W L W L L

1961-62 Date

Opponent

Final Score

Win/ Loss

Oct. 19 N (at New York) Philadelphia Warriors Oct. 20 @ Philadelphia Warriors Oct. 24 N (at New York) Cincinnati Royals Oct. 25 @ Detroit Pistons Oct. 27 Detroit Pistons Oct. 28 Detroit Pistons RECORD AT THE END OF OCTOBER 1961 (5–1)

118–113 115–122 124–122 120–116 128–118 135–126

W L W W W W

Nov. 1 Cincinnati Royals Nov. 3 Cincinnati Royals Nov. 4 @ Chicago Packers Nov. 7 @ St. Louis Hawks Nov. 8 St. Louis Hawks Nov. 13 Chicago Packers Nov. 15 Chicago Packers Nov. 17 @ Philadelphia Warriors Nov. 18 @ Boston Celtics Nov. 21 N (at New York) Detroit Pistons Nov. 23 @ St. Louis Hawks Nov. 24 @ New York Knicks Nov. 25 @ Detroit Pistons Nov. 26 @ Cincinnati Royals Nov. 28 N (at St. Louis) Syracuse Nationals RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER 1961 (15–6)

120–115 114–132 125–112 127–110 124–118 127–113 133–118 125–121 103–101 102–108 122–114 100–89 103–104 102–117 111–121

W L W W W W W W W L W W L L L

Dec. 1 Dec. 2

117–138 129–119

L W

Philadelphia Warriors Philadelphia Warriors

1961-62

243 Date

Opponent

Final Score

Dec. 4 Dec. 5 N (at Providence) Dec. 6

Syracuse Nationals Syracuse Nationals Syracuse Nationals

Dec. 8 @

Philadelphia Warriors

Dec. 9 @ Dec. 11 Dec. 13

Detroit Pistons St. Louis Hawks St. Louis Hawks

131–120 125–120 123–121 (OT) 151–147 (OT) 114–107 132–119 137–136 (OT) 94–97 123–128

L L

122–116 104–101 102–98 129–126 141–127 117–129 119–111 121–114 118–123

W W W W W L W W L

Dec. 15 @ Chicago Packers Dec. 16 N (at Rochester, Syracuse Nationals NY) Dec. 17 N (at Minneapolis) Detroit Pistons Dec. 19 Boston Celtics Dec. 20 N (at Detroit) Chicago Packers Dec. 23 @ St. Louis Hawks Dec. 25 @ Cincinnati Royals Dec. 26 @ Boston Celtics Dec. 27 N (at Philadelphia) Syracuse Nationals Dec. 28 @ Syracuse Nationals Dec. 29 N (at Hershey, PA) Philadelphia Warriors RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER 1961 (30–11)

Win/ Loss W W W W W W W

Jan. 1 Jan. 3 Jan. 7 Jan. 13 @ Jan. 14 N (at Fort Wayne, IN) Jan. 17 Jan. 19 Jan. 20 @ Jan. 21 @

Philadelphia Warriors Philadelphia Warriors Boston Celtics St. Louis Hawks Detroit Pistons

114–111 124–123 95–118 108–107 108–118

W W L W L

New York Knicks New York Knicks Cincinnati Royals Chicago Packers

W W L W

Jan. 23 N (at New York) Jan. 24 Jan. 25 Jan. 28 Jan. 30 Jan. 31 @

Boston Celtics Cincinnati Royals Cincinnati Royals Chicago Packers Chicago Packers Detroit Pistons

129–121 108–107 124–125 112–111 (OT) 103–118 136–123 116–112 124–109 107–92 123–122 (OT)

Boston Celtics

115–130

L

St. Louis Hawks Chicago Packers Cincinnati Royals

127–124 105–113 134–128 (OT) 112–116 109–113 113–117 130–107 121–127 128–121 125–99 96–115 118–116 124–117 (OT) 114–118 128–99 107–100

W L W L L L W L W W L W W

125–134 124–115

L W

L W W W W W

RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY 1962 (41–15) Feb. 1 N (at College Park, MD) Feb. 3 @ Feb. 4 @ Feb. 5 N (at Morgantown, WV) Feb. 6 @ Feb. 8 N (at Dayton, OH) Feb. 12 Feb. 14 Feb. 16 @ Feb. 17 @ Feb. 18 Feb. 20 Feb. 22 N (at Philadelphia) Feb. 23 N (at Louisville, KY)

New York Knicks Cincinnati Royals St. Louis Hawks St. Louis Hawks Detroit Pistons New York Knicks Boston Celtics Boston Celtics New York Knicks Chicago Packers

Feb. 24 @ Cincinnati Royals Feb. 25 Detroit Pistons Feb. 27 Detroit Pistons RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY 1962 (50–23) March 3 @ March 4 @

St. Louis Hawks Syracuse Nationals

L W W

1962-63 Date

244 Opponent

March 9 @ New York Knicks March 11 @ Boston Celtics March 12 N (at Seattle) New York Knicks March 13 Cincinnati Royals March 14 St. Louis Hawks FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (54–26)

Final Score

Win/ Loss

100–122 105–119 119–106 120–111 125–115

L L W W W

132–108 127–112 111–106 117–118 125–132 123–117

W W W L L W

Playoffs WESTERN DIVISION FINALS March 24 March 25 March 27 @ March 29 @ March 31 April 3 @

Detroit Pistons Detroit Pistons Detroit Pistons Detroit Pistons Detroit Pistons Detroit Pistons

NBA FINALS April 7 @ April 8 @ April 10 April 11 April 14 @ April 16 April 18 @

Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics

108–122 129–122 117–115 103–115 126–121 105–119 107–110

Opponent

Final Score

L W W L W L L

1962-63 Date

Oct. 16 N (at New York) Detroit Pistons Oct. 19 @ New York Knicks Oct. 20 @ Syracuse Nationals Oct. 23 @ Cincinnati Royals Oct. 24 @ Chicago Zephyrs Oct. 27 Detroit Pistons Oct. 31 New York Knicks RECORD AT THE END OF OCTOBER 1962 (3–4)

Win/ Loss

122–106 105–116 102–108 115–116 107–118 134–118 115–95

W L L L L W W

127–115 125–106 132–108 133–120 96–97 105–109 (OT) Nov. 13 Chicago Zephyrs 107–84 Nov. 15 N (at Baltimore) Syracuse Nationals 98–120 Nov. 17 @ Chicago Zephyrs 110–109 Nov. 18 @ Detroit Pistons 116–98 Nov. 22 Cincinnati Royals 134–110 Nov. 23 @ San Francisco Warriors 129–124 Nov. 24 Cincinnati Royals 129–123 Nov. 26 Chicago Zephyrs 128–106 Nov. 28 St. Louis Hawks 116–110 RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER 1962 (15–7)

W W W W L L

Nov. 3 Nov. 4 Nov. 7 @ Nov. 9 @ Nov. 10 @ Nov. 11

Dec. 1 Dec. 4 @ Dec. 7 @

San Francisco Warriors New York Knicks San Francisco Warriors Boston Celtics St. Louis Hawks Chicago Zephyrs

St. Louis Hawks New York Knicks Boston Celtics

110–97 132–112 112–126

W L W W W W W W W W W L

SIX : SCHEDULES

AND

Date

Opponent

Final Score

Dec. 8 @

Cincinnati Royals

RESULTS Win/ Loss

131–128 (OT) Dec. 9 N (at Minneapolis) Syracuse Nationals 114–117 Dec. 11 N (at New York) Cincinnati Royals 124–121 Dec. 12 Syracuse Nationals 126–120 Dec. 14 @ San Francisco Warriors 120–118 Dec. 15 San Francisco Warriors 113–104 Dec. 17 Syracuse Nationals 121–114 Dec. 19 St. Louis Hawks 135–106 Dec. 21 St. Louis Hawks 100–105 Dec. 26 @ St. Louis Hawks 104–106 Dec. 29 @ Syracuse Nationals 132–123 Dec. 30 @ Detroit Pistons 135–130 RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER 1962 (26–11)

L W W W W W W L L W W

Jan. 4 Jan. 5 Jan. 6 @

W W W

Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Cincinnati Royals

W

125–123 106–104 120–119 (OT) St. Louis Hawks 99–96 Detroit Pistons 123–115 San Francisco Warriors 134–129 San Francisco Warriors 119–114 New York Knicks 108–102 Chicago Zephyrs 116–108 Boston Celtics 121–133 Detroit Pistons 124–94 Detroit Pistons 123–119 Syracuse Nationals 122–114 St. Louis Hawks 105–101 New York Knicks 116–115 Detroit Pistons 127–122

Jan. 8 @ Jan. 9 @ Jan. 11 @ Jan. 12 Jan. 13 Jan. 18 @ Jan. 20 @ Jan. 21 Jan. 23 Jan. 25 N (at San Diego) Jan. 27 @ Jan. 30 N (at Boston) Jan. 31 N (at Fort Wayne, IN) RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY 1963 (41–12)

W W W W W W L W W W W W W

Feb. 1 @ Feb. 2 @ Feb. 3 @ Feb. 6 Feb. 8 Feb. 9 @ Feb. 10 @ Feb. 12 N (at Detroit) Feb. 13 @ Feb. 14 Feb. 16

Detroit Pistons St. Louis Hawks New York Knicks Chicago Zephyrs Chicago Zephyrs Chicago Zephyrs Cincinnati Royals Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Detroit Pistons San Francisco Warriors

119–109 103–97 95–122 107–105 94–91 107–106 107–124 93–120 134–128 128–111 118–122 (2 OT) Feb. 19 @ San Francisco Warriors 109–111 Feb. 22 Boston Celtics 113–105 Feb. 24 Boston Celtics 109–119 Feb. 25 N (at Des Moines) Detroit Pistons 113–107 Feb. 26 @ New York Knicks 116–125 Feb. 27 @ Syracuse Nationals 111–122 RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY 1963 (50–20)

W W L W W W L L W W L

March 1 @ March 2 March 4 March 6 March 9 @ March 10 @ March 11 March 12 @ March 13 March 16

L L L W L L W L L W

Chicago Zephyrs San Francisco Warriors Cincinnati Royals Cincinnati Royals St. Louis Hawks Detroit Pistons St. Louis Hawks San Francisco Warriors St. Louis Hawks San Francisco Warriors

FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (53–27)

109–114 113–122 111–114 106–97 101–117 116–124 109–96 110–116 98–112 111–105 (OT)

L W L W L L

SIX : SCHEDULES

AND

RESULTS

Playoffs

Date

WESTERN DIVISION FINALS March 31 April 2 April 4 @ April 6 @ April 7 April 9 @ April 11

St. Louis Hawks St. Louis Hawks St. Louis Hawks St. Louis Hawks St. Louis Hawks St. Louis Hawks St. Louis Hawks

112–104 101–99 112–125 114–124 123–96 113–121 115–100

W W L L W L W

Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics

114–117 106–113 119–99 105–108 126–119 109–112

L L W L W L

NBA FINALS April 14 @ April 16 @ April 17 April 19 April 21 @ April 24

1963-64 Date

Opponent

Final Score

Win/ Loss

Oct. 19 @ St. Louis Hawks Oct. 22 @ New York Knicks Oct. 23 @ Detroit Pistons Oct. 25 @ Cincinnati Royals Oct. 30 Cincinnati Royals RECORD AT THE END OF OCTOBER 1963 (3–2)

108–117 130–117 124–116 122–109 107–115

L W W W L

Nov. 1 Cincinnati Royals Nov. 2 @ San Francisco Warriors Nov. 6 New York Knicks Nov. 8 San Francisco Warriors Nov. 10 New York Knicks Nov. 11 N (at Minneapolis) Detroit Pistons Nov. 13 N (at New York) Boston Celtics Nov. 14 @ Baltimore Bullets Nov. 15 @ Philadelphia 76ers Nov. 16 Detroit Pistons Nov. 17 St. Louis Hawks Nov. 21 St. Louis Hawks Nov. 26 @ New York Knicks Nov. 27 @ Boston Celtics Nov. 29 @ Detroit Pistons Nov. 30 @ St. Louis Hawks RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER 1963 (13–8)

122–112 99–118 111–109 93–90 104–79 109–116 110–114 123–115 97–99 115–95 112–117 111–99 119–112 78–114 127–111 97–96

W L W W W L L W L W L W W L W W

Dec. 1 @ Cincinnati Royals Dec. 4 @ Baltimore Bullets Dec. 6 @ San Francisco Warriors Dec. 8 San Francisco Warriors Dec. 9 N (at Seattle) Baltimore Bullets Dec. 12 Baltimore Bullets Dec. 14 Baltimore Bullets Dec. 15 St. Louis Hawks Dec. 18 Philadelphia 76ers Dec. 21 Philadelphia 76ers Dec. 25 @ New York Knicks Dec. 26 @ Boston Celtics Dec. 28 @ Philadelphia 76ers Dec. 29 N (at Fort Wayne, Detroit Pistons IN) Dec. 31 St. Louis Hawks RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER 1963 (23–13)

114–109 98–118 110–101 112–114 134–120 120–105 113–108 95–102 116–96 126–113 134–126 110–126 100–114 140–128

W L W L W W W L W W W L L W

132–119

W

Jan. 4

125–118 (OT)

W

Boston Celtics

1963-64/1964-65

245 Opponent

Jan. 5 Boston Celtics Jan. 8 New York Knicks Jan. 10 @ San Francisco Warriors Jan. 11 N (at San Diego) New York Knicks Jan. 15 @ St. Louis Hawks Jan. 16 @ Cincinnati Royals Jan. 17 @ Boston Celtics Jan. 18 N (at Syracuse, NY) Philadelphia 76ers Jan. 20 Detroit Pistons Jan. 22 Detroit Pistons Jan. 24 San Francisco Warriors Jan. 25 @ San Francisco Warriors Jan. 26 San Francisco Warriors Jan. 28 @ Detroit Pistons Jan. 29 N (at Boston) Philadelphia 76ers Jan. 30 @ Baltimore Bullets RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY 1964 (31–22) Feb. 1 @ St. Louis Hawks Feb. 2 @ St. Louis Hawks Feb. 4 @ Cincinnati Royals Feb. 5 Detroit Pistons Feb. 7 Detroit Pistons Feb. 8@ Philadelphia 76ers Feb. 9 @ Baltimore Bullets Feb. 11 @ Boston Celtics Feb. 12 Boston Celtics

Final Score

Win/ Loss

97–95 136–118 89–114 108–118 111–109 95–108 79–99 115–111 107–118 110–101 118–100 95–120 108–96 92–93 97–102 89–107

W W L L W L L W L W W L W L L L

96–113 105–107 100–118 111–85 103–111 101–109 110–119 113–109 97–104 (OT) Feb. 16 Boston Celtics 90–92 Feb. 18 @ New York Knicks 117–118 Feb. 19 N (at Toledo) Detroit Pistons 115–116 Feb. 20 @ Detroit Pistons 106–101 Feb. 22 Cincinnati Royals 105–107 Feb. 23 @ San Francisco Warriors 108–109 Feb. 26 Cincinnati Royals 103–97 Feb. 28 @ Baltimore Bullets 115–112 Feb. 29 @ St. Louis Hawks 114–115 (OT) RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY 1964 (36–35) March 1 St. Louis Hawks 114–91 March 4 St. Louis Hawks 105–110 March 7 San Francisco Warriors 118–120 March 9 Baltimore Bullets 122–112 March 11 Baltimore Bullets 115–109 March 13 @ San Francisco Warriors 112–109 March 14 San Francisco Warriors 95–111 March 15 Philadelphia 76ers 120–95 March 17 Philadelphia 76ers 121–97 FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (42–38)

L L L W L L L W L L L L W L L W W L

W L L W W W L W W

Playoffs WESTERN DIVISION FINALS March 21 @ March 22 @ March 25 March 28 March 30 @

St. Louis Hawks St. Louis Hawks St. Louis Hawks St. Louis Hawks St. Louis Hawks

104–115 90–106 107–105 97–88 108–121

Date

Opponent

Final Score

Oct. 17 @ Oct. 20 @

New York Knicks Cincinnati Royals

113–109 113–121

L L W W L

1964-65 Win/ Loss W L

1965-66 Date

246 Opponent

Oct. 21 @ Baltimore Bullets Oct. 23 @ San Francisco Warriors Oct. 28 Baltimore Bullets Oct. 29 Baltimore Bullets RECORD AT THE END OF OCTOBER 1964 (4–2)

Final Score

Win/ Loss

108–105 94–92 112–102 95–98

W W W L

115–116 106–96 130–103 108–101 132–123 (OT) Nov. 13 @ Boston Celtics 114–112 Nov. 14 @ Baltimore Bullets 115–127 Nov. 15 @ Detroit Pistons 111–105 Nov. 18 Cincinnati Royals 90–92 Nov. 20 Cincinnati Royals 131–121 Nov. 25 Detroit Pistons 130–117 Nov. 27 Detroit Pistons 117–111 Nov. 28 @ San Francisco Warriors 106–109 Nov. 29 Baltimore Bullets 126–110 RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER 1964 (14–6)

L W W W W

Dec. 1 @ Dec. 2 @ Dec. 4 @ Dec. 6 N (at Minneapolis) Dec. 8 Dec. 10 Dec. 13 Dec. 15 Dec. 16 @

W L L W L L W L W

Nov. 1 Nov. 5 Nov. 7 Nov. 10 Nov. 12 @

St. Louis Hawks New York Knicks San Francisco Warriors New York Knicks New York Knicks

118–117 102–105 90–104 109–104 98–108 91–95 116–115 116–131 126–120 (OT) Dec. 18 @ Cincinnati Royals 107–111 Dec. 19 Philadelphia 76ers 113–140 Dec. 21 New York Knicks 125–113 Dec. 23 Philadelphia 76ers 135–117 Dec. 26 San Francisco Warriors 129–122 Dec. 28 @ Boston Celtics 112–133 Dec. 30 @ Philadelphia 76ers 115–117 RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER 1964 (21–15) Jan. 2 @ Jan. 3 @ Jan. 7 Jan. 9 Jan. 11 N (at Pittsburgh) Jan. 14 @ Jan. 15 @ Jan. 17 @ Jan. 20 Jan. 22 Jan. 24 @ Jan. 26 @ Jan. 27 Jan. 29

Philadelphia 76ers St. Louis Hawks Cincinnati Royals Philadelphia 76ers Boston Celtics St. Louis Hawks Detroit Pistons Detroit Pistons Detroit Pistons

L L W W W L L

115–112 99–92 104–112 103–107 127–128 104–100 106–124 105–118 119–103 117–107 93–117 111–99 119–112 137–133 (2 OT) Jan. 30 @ San Francisco Warriors 109–99 Jan. 31 San Francisco Warriors 96–94 RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY 1965 (31–21)

W W L L L W L L W W L W W W

Feb. 2 N (at Cleveland)

L

Feb. 3 @ Feb. 6 @ Feb. 7 @ Feb. 8 Feb. 10 Feb. 12 Feb. 13 @

St. Louis Hawks St. Louis Hawks Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Detroit Pistons Detroit Pistons Cincinnati Royals St. Louis Hawks New York Knicks New York Knicks Boston Celtics New York Knicks Cincinnati Royals Cincinnati Royals

W L W L W W W L W

Detroit Pistons

118–121 (OT) Cincinnati Royals 99–130 Baltimore Bullets 112–116 Boston Celtics 97–101 Philadelphia 76ers 117–98 Philadelphia 76ers 99–110 San Francisco Warriors 114–95 San Francisco Warriors 129–105

W W

L L L W L W W

Date

SIX : SCHEDULES

AND

Opponent

Final Score

Feb. 17 @ New York Knicks Feb. 18 @ Philadelphia 76ers Feb. 19 @ Baltimore Bullets Feb. 21 Boston Celtics Feb. 24 Boston Celtics Feb. 26 St. Louis Hawks Feb. 28 N (at Syracuse, NY) Philadelphia 76ers RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY 1965 (40–27)

RESULTS Win/ Loss

118–98 117–110 119–111 129–114 95–97 106–90 122–118

W W W W L W W

126–117 104–102 105–103 107–109 106–104 123–114 121–116 (OT) March 12 @ San Francisco Warriors 115–93 March 13 St. Louis Hawks 106–101 March 14 St. Louis Hawks 108–115 March 16 @ Detroit Pistons 100–99 March 17 @ Baltimore Bullets 106–117 March 20 San Francisco Warriors 98–112 FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (49–31)

W W W L W W W

March 2 N (at New York) March 3 @ March 5 @ March 6 @ March 7 March 9 March 11

Philadelphia 76ers Boston Celtics New York Knicks St. Louis Hawks Cincinnati Royals Baltimore Bullets Baltimore Bullets

W W L W L L

Playoffs WESTERN DIVISION FINALS April 3 April 5 April 7 @ April 9 @ April 11 April 13 @

Baltimore Bullets Baltimore Bullets Baltimore Bullets Baltimore Bullets Baltimore Bullets Baltimore Bullets

121–115 118–115 115–122 112–114 120–112 117–115

W W L L W W

Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics

110–142 123–129 126–105 99–112 96–129

L L W L L

Opponent

Final Score

NBA FINALS April 18 @ April 19 @ April 21 April 23 April 25 @

1965-66 Date

Win/ Loss

Oct. 15 @ San Francisco Warriors Oct. 16 @ St. Louis Hawks Oct. 20 @ Boston Celtics Oct. 23 @ New York Knicks Oct. 26 New York Knicks Oct. 28 New York Knicks Oct. 30 San Francisco Warriors RECORD AT THE END OF OCTOBER 1965 (4–3)

122–115 106–94 96–100 101–106 104–102 140–116 122–124

W W L L W W L

Nov. 3 Nov. 5 Nov. 6 @ Nov. 7 @ Nov. 9 @ Nov. 10

120–116 118–116 101–131 116–137 110–118 133–125

W W L L L W

St. Louis Hawks St. Louis Hawks St. Louis Hawks Baltimore Bullets Philadelphia 76ers Detroit Pistons

SIX : SCHEDULES Date

AND

RESULTS Opponent

Final Score

Win/ Loss

Nov. 12 N (at Minneapolis) New York Knicks Nov. 14 Baltimore Bullets Nov. 17 Boston Celtics Nov. 19 San Francisco Warriors Nov. 20 N (at Las Vegas) San Francisco Warriors Nov. 21 Philadelphia 76ers Nov. 24 Philadelphia 76ers Nov. 26 @ Baltimore Bullets Nov. 27 @ Boston Celtics Nov. 28 @ Detroit Pistons Nov. 30 @ Cincinnati Royals RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER 1965 (14–10)

107–106 129–114 125–115 135–124 133–117 104–110 127–124 107–110 95–101 128–110 120–126

W W W W W L W L L W L

Dec. 1 Cincinnati Royals Dec. 3 Cincinnati Royals Dec. 6 N (at Charleston, Philadelphia 76ers WV) Dec. 7 @ New York Knicks Dec. 8 @ Boston Celtics Dec. 10 @ Cincinnati Royals Dec. 11 St. Louis Hawks Dec. 12 St. Louis Hawks Dec. 15 Philadelphia 76ers Dec. 17 Philadelphia 76ers Dec. 19 San Francisco Warriors Dec. 23 Detroit Pistons Dec. 25 Detroit Pistons Dec. 27 N (at Memphis) St. Louis Hawks Dec. 28 @ St. Louis Hawks Dec. 29 @ Cincinnati Royals Dec. 30 N (at Fort Wayne, Detroit Pistons IN) RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER 1965 (23–18)

121–105 118–122 107–116

W L L

127–131 106–108 129–110 126–108 123–101 108–122 117–127 132–120 122–112 115–106 108–100 107–100 109–111 114–117

L L W W W L L W W W W W L L

Jan. 2 Boston Celtics Jan. 5 Boston Celtics Jan. 7 @ Philadelphia 76ers Jan. 8 @ New York Knicks Jan. 9 @ Detroit Pistons Jan. 12 @ Boston Celtics Jan. 14 @ San Francisco Warriors Jan. 15 New York Knicks Jan. 18 @ Cincinnati Royals Jan. 20 @ Baltimore Bullets Jan. 21 San Francisco Warriors Jan. 25 N (at New York) Philadelphia 76ers Jan. 26 @ Detroit Pistons Jan. 28 Baltimore Bullets Jan. 30 Baltimore Bullets RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY 1966 (31–25)

113–124 120–113 126–120 127–133 111–98 102–114 118–110 152–123 108–119 121–123 109–120 106–110 126–110 138–123 136–122

L W W L W L W W L L L L W W W

Feb. 2 Feb. 4 Feb. 6 @ Feb. 7 @ Feb. 9 @

119–118 132–125 105–109 125–132 123–116 (OT) 127–140 120–110 132–124 121–136 111–115 108–115 140–133 131–118

W W L L W

Cincinnati Royals Cincinnati Royals St. Louis Hawks Philadelphia 76ers Baltimore Bullets

Feb. 12 @ New York Knicks Feb. 13 @ Boston Celtics Feb. 15 New York Knicks Feb. 17 Philadelphia 76ers Feb. 19 Boston Celtics Feb. 21 Boston Celtics Feb. 23 Cincinnati Royals Feb. 26 @ Detroit Pistons RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY 1966 (38–31)

1966-67

247

L W W L L L W W

Date

Opponent

March 2 @ March 4 March 5 @ March 6 March 8 @

Baltimore Bullets Baltimore Bullets San Francisco Warriors Baltimore Bullets New York Knicks

Final Score

113–119 123–106 125–123 126–105 132–133 (OT) March 9 N (at Indianapolis) Cincinnati Royals 119–116 March 11 Detroit Pistons 114–116 March 15 Detroit Pistons 135–108 March 18 St. Louis Hawks 132–120 March 19 @ San Francisco Warriors 119–125 March 20 San Francisco Warriors 124–112 FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (45–35)

Win/ Loss L W W W L W L W W L W

Playoffs WESTERN DIVISION FINALS April 1 April 3 April 6 @ April 9 @ April 10 April 13 @ April 15

St. Louis Hawks St. Louis Hawks St. Louis Hawks St. Louis Hawks St. Louis Hawks St. Louis Hawks St. Louis Hawks

129–106 125–116 113–120 107–95 100–112 127–131 130–121

W W L W L L W

April 17 @

Boston Celtics

W

April 19 @ April 20 April 22 April 24 @ April 26 April 28 @

Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics

133–129 (OT) 109–129 106–120 117–122 121–117 123–115 93–95

NBA FINALS L L L W W L

1966-67 Date

Opponent

Oct. 15 @ Baltimore Bullets Oct. 18 @ New York Knicks Oct. 19 @ Chicago Bulls Oct. 21 Chicago Bulls Oct. 26 New York Knicks Oct. 28 New York Knicks Oct. 29 @ St. Louis Hawks Oct. 30 N (at Montreal) Detroit Pistons RECORD AT THE END OF OCTOBER 1966 (2–6)

Final Score

Win/ Loss

126–115 119–122 124–134 101–108 122–133 124–114 109–110 121–124

W L L L L W L L

108–133 131–98 102–104 132–133 (OT) Nov. 11 @ San Francisco Warriors 93–132 Nov. 12 Detroit Pistons 144–88 Nov. 16 N (at Dayton, OH) Cincinnati Royals 124–112 Nov. 18 @ Detroit Pistons 118–121 Nov. 19 San Francisco Warriors 109–144 Nov. 23 Chicago Bulls 154–130 Nov. 25 Chicago Bulls 117–121

L W L L

Nov. 2 @ Nov. 4 Nov. 8 Nov. 10

Boston Celtics Baltimore Bullets Baltimore Bullets Detroit Pistons

L W W L L W L

1967-68 Date

248 Opponent

Nov. 26 @ St. Louis Hawks Nov. 29 @ New York Knicks Nov. 30 @ Baltimore Bullets RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER 1966 (8–14)

Final Score

Win/ Loss

133–126 114–118 126–111

W L W

130–138 130–118 118–123 130–128 (OT) Dec. 9 San Francisco Warriors 118–119 Dec. 11 Cincinnati Royals 119–118 Dec. 14 Cincinnati Royals 124–126 Dec. 18 Boston Celtics 127–125 Dec. 20 @ San Francisco Warriors 107–130 Dec. 21 Philadelphia 76ers 123–129 Dec. 23 Philadelphia 76ers 107–118 Dec. 26 @ Boston Celtics 106–121 Dec. 28 @ New York Knicks 115–121 Dec. 29 @ Cincinnati Royals 125–114 RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER 1966 (13–23)

L W L W

Dec. 2 @ Dec. 3 @ Dec. 4 Dec. 7

Philadelphia 76ers Cincinnati Royals St. Louis Hawks St. Louis Hawks

Jan. 1 Jan. 4 Jan. 5 N (at Oakland, CA) Jan. 6 Jan. 8 N (at Long Beach, CA) Jan. 11 Jan. 13 N (at Cleveland) Jan. 14 @ Jan. 15 @ Jan. 18

Boston Celtics St. Louis Hawks San Francisco Warriors Boston Celtics New York Knicks San Francisco Warriors Cincinnati Royals Chicago Bulls Detroit Pistons St. Louis Hawks

Jan. 20 @ Jan. 21 @ Jan. 22 @

Philadelphia 76ers Baltimore Bullets Boston Celtics

Jan. 25 Baltimore Bullets Jan. 28 Baltimore Bullets Jan. 29 @ Chicago Bulls Jan. 30 N (at Memphis) St. Louis Hawks RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY 1967 (21–32) Feb. 1 Feb. 3 Feb. 5 Feb. 7 @ Feb. 8 N (at Charleston, WV) Feb. 10 @ Feb. 12 Feb. 15 Feb. 17 Feb. 19 Feb. 21 N (at San Diego) Feb. 22 Feb. 24 @ Feb. 25 @

Philadelphia 76ers San Francisco Warriors Philadelphia 76ers New York Knicks Baltimore Bullets Philadelphia 76ers Chicago Bulls Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Chicago Bulls San Francisco Warriors Cincinnati Royals Detroit Pistons St. Louis Hawks

Feb. 26 Cincinnati Royals Feb. 28 N (at New York) Detroit Pistons RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY 1967 (31–38) March 1 @ March 3 March 5 @ March 6 N (at Pittsburgh) March 7 @ March 8 March 10

Cincinnati Royals New York Knicks Boston Celtics Philadelphia 76ers New York Knicks St. Louis Hawks Detroit Pistons

L W L W L L L L L W

Date

W W L W L W L L W L

143–133 129–80 123–130 122–117 121–108 131–148 129–121 124–114 119–120 119–133 133–136 103–102 101–102 134–133 (OT) 141–127 119–117

W W L W W L W W L L L W L W W W

116–122 138–132 105–130 117–119 131–119 104–106 118–103

L W L L W L W

L L L W W W L

AND

Opponent

Final Score

March 11 @ San Francisco Warriors March 12 Detroit Pistons March 15 Philadelphia 76ers March 17 @ Baltimore Bullets March 19 @ Chicago Bulls FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (36–45)

RESULTS

125–120 104–120 123–138 135–133 109–122

Win/ Loss W L L W L

Playoffs WESTERN DIVISION SEMI-FINALS March 21 @ March 23 March 26 @

San Francisco Warriors 108–124 San Francisco Warriors 102–113 San Francisco Warriors 115–122

L L L

1967-68 Date

111–110 122–101 91–122 102–99 118–121 141–126 115–125 121–122 127–116 121–123 (OT) 108–119 119–126 120–121 (OT) 128–115 133–118 142–122 99–106

SIX : SCHEDULES

Opponent

Oct. 17 @ Chicago Bulls Oct. 18 @ Philadelphia 76ers Oct. 19 @ St. Louis Hawks Oct. 21 @ New York Knicks Oct. 25 Cincinnati Royals Oct. 27 Chicago Bulls Oct. 29 Baltimore Bullets RECORD AT THE END OF OCTOBER 1967 (5–2)

Final Score

Win/ Loss

107–105 87–103 95–100 114–106 132–116 125–117 118–105

W L L W W W W

113–129 104–105 106–104 111–115 97–96 124–115 107–116 127–107 132–137 132–120 121–122 (OT) Nov. 25 San Francisco Warriors 112–131 Nov. 26 St. Louis Hawks 109–105 Nov. 28 St. Louis Hawks 134–117 Nov. 29 @ Detroit Pistons 123–127 RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER 1967 (12–10)

L L W L W W L W L W L

Nov. 1 Nov. 3 @ Nov. 4 @ Nov. 11 Nov. 12 Nov. 15 Nov. 17 @ Nov. 18 @ Nov. 21 @ Nov. 23 Nov. 24 @

Dec. 1 @ Dec. 2 @ Dec. 5 @

New York Knicks Boston Celtics Cincinnati Royals Philadelphia 76ers Chicago Bulls Chicago Bulls Baltimore Bullets St. Louis Hawks Seattle Supersonics Detroit Pistons San Francisco Warriors

Boston Celtics New York Knicks Philadelphia 76ers

Dec. 6 @ Baltimore Bullets Dec. 8 @ Detroit Pistons Dec. 9 @ San Diego Rockets Dec. 10 @ Seattle Supersonics Dec. 14 Chicago Bulls Dec. 17 Boston Celtics Dec. 20 New York Knicks Dec. 22 Detroit Pistons Dec. 25 @ San Diego Rockets Dec. 26 @ Chicago Bulls Dec. 27 @ Cincinnati Royals Dec. 29 @ New York Knicks Dec. 30 @ St. Louis Hawks Dec. 31 San Diego Rockets RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER 1967 (22–17)

119–123 122–106 128–122 (OT) 136–125 115–103 127–109 123–133 101–106 117–123 131–138 133–105 101–104 104–101 127–132 126–115 106–104 147–118

L W W L L W W W W W L L L L W L W L W W W

SIX : SCHEDULES

AND

RESULTS

Date

Opponent

Jan. 2 @ Jan. 3 Jan. 5 @ Jan. 6 @

San Francisco Warriors Boston Celtics Philadelphia 76ers Baltimore Bullets

Final Score

118–119 103–113 113–125 127–130 (OT) Jan. 10 New York Knicks 101–115 Jan. 17 Philadelphia 76ers 125–116 Jan. 20 San Francisco Warriors 151–122 Jan. 21 Seattle Supersonics 154–123 Jan. 25 N (at Cleveland) Cincinnati Royals 118–116 Jan. 26 @ Boston Celtics 118–112 Jan. 27 @ Detroit Pistons 119–125 Jan. 28 N (at Miami) St. Louis Hawks 128–113 Jan. 30 @ Seattle Supersonics 116–128 Jan. 31 St. Louis Hawks 110–102 RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY 1968 (29–24) Feb. 2 Feb. 3 Feb. 4 Feb. 6 Feb. 8 @ Feb. 9 Feb. 11 @ Feb. 13 @

Seattle Supersonics San Diego Rockets Seattle Supersonics Cincinnati Royals Seattle Supersonics San Francisco Warriors Boston Celtics Baltimore Bullets

Win/ Loss L L L L L W W W W W L W L W

151–113 133–122 137–131 146–102 110–115 122–104 141–103 119–116 (OT) Feb. 15 N (at Milwaukee) Chicago Bulls 132–105 Feb. 16 @ San Francisco Warriors 116–118 Feb. 17 Philadelphia 76ers 134–135 (2 OT) Feb. 21 Boston Celtics 122–117 Feb. 23 Cincinnati Royals 131–115 Feb. 25 @ San Diego Rockets 127–112 Feb. 27 Cincinnati Royals 117–106 Feb. 29 N (at Evansville, IN) Chicago Bulls 117–107 RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY 1968 (42–27)

W W W W L W W W

March 2 March 3 March 6 March 7 @ March 8 March 9 @

W W L W W W

127–121 121–114 96–112 119–102 130–122 137–132 (OT) March 10 Baltimore Bullets 89–119 March 13 San Francisco Warriors 142–106 March 15 New York Knicks 123–112 March 16 Detroit Pistons 135–108 March 17 Detroit Pistons 120–116 March 18 @ Philadelphia 76ers 128–158 March 19 San Diego Rockets 121–109 FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (52–30)

Seattle Supersonics Baltimore Bullets St. Louis Hawks San Diego Rockets San Diego Rockets San Francisco Warriors

W L L W W W W W

L W W W W L W

Playoffs WESTERN DIVISION SEMI-FINALS March 24 March 25 March 27 @ March 29 @ March 31

Chicago Bulls Chicago Bulls Chicago Bulls Chicago Bulls Chicago Bulls

109–101 111–106 98–104 93–87 122–99

W W L W W

San Francisco Warriors 133–105 San Francisco Warriors 115–112

W W

WESTERN DIVISION FINALS April 5 April 10

1968-69

249 Date

Opponent

Final Score

Win/ Loss

April 11 @ April 13 @

San Francisco Warriors 128–124 San Francisco Warriors 106–100

W W

April 21 @ April 24 @ April 26 April 28 April 30 @

Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics

L W L W L

May 2

Boston Celtics

NBA FINALS 101–107 123–1130 119–127 118–105 117–120 (OT) 109–124

L

1968-69 Date

Opponent

Oct. 18 @ Philadelphia 76ers Oct. 19 @ New York Knicks Oct. 22 @ Cincinnati Royals Oct. 23 @ Detroit Pistons Oct. 25 Baltimore Bullets Oct. 27 San Diego Rockets Oct. 29 Atlanta Hawks RECORD AT THE END OF OCTOBER 1968 (4–3)

Final Score

Win/ Loss

96–114 118–96 103–107 110–117 117–111 152–116 125–124

L W L L W W W

101–114 127–109 112–109 (OT) Nov. 6 N (at Madison, WI) Milwaukee Bucks 128–115 Nov. 8 New York Knicks 102–100 Nov. 10 New York Knicks 130–109 Nov. 15 San Diego Rockets 127–119 Nov. 16 @ San Francisco Warriors 119–112 Nov. 17 Seattle Supersonics 105–94 Nov. 19 Boston Celtics 116–106 Nov. 22 San Francisco Warriors 98–100 Nov. 24 Chicago Bulls 103–100 Nov. 26 @ New York Knicks 100–104 Nov. 28 @ Philadelphia 76ers 107–122 Nov. 29 @ Boston Celtics 93–92 RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER 1968 (15–7)

L W W

Nov. 1 Nov. 3 @ Nov. 5 @

Dec. 1 Dec. 3 Dec. 5 @ Dec. 6 @ Dec. 7 @ Dec. 8 Dec. 13 Dec. 14 @ Dec. 15 Dec. 17 Dec. 20 Dec. 22 Dec. 25 @ Dec. 26 @ Dec. 28 @ Dec. 29 Dec. 30 @

Chicago Bulls Phoenix Suns Chicago Bulls

Milwaukee Bucks Phoenix Suns Baltimore Bullets Atlanta Hawks Chicago Bulls San Diego Rockets Atlanta Hawks Seattle Supersonics Seattle Supersonics Cincinnati Royals San Francisco Warriors Philadelphia 76ers Phoenix Suns Detroit Pistons Chicago Bulls Detroit Pistons San Diego Rockets

Dec. 31 Detroit Pistons RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER 1968 (28–12) Jan. 3 @ Jan. 4 @ Jan. 7 @

Philadelphia 76ers Atlanta Hawks Baltimore Bullets

W W W W W W W L W L L W

119–112 122–108 90–108 99–94 81–90 132–118 103–105 136–120 115–114 112–108 133–101 102–99 119–99 95–94 86–93 111–108 131–126 (OT) 107–127

W W L W L W L W W W W W W W L W W

101–130 121–111 100–93

L W W

L

1969-70 Date

250 Opponent

Jan. 10 @ Boston Celtics Jan. 11 @ Atlanta Hawks Jan. 17 Cincinnati Royals Jan. 19 Cincinnati Royals Jan. 21 @ Milwaukee Bucks Jan. 22 @ Detroit Pistons Jan. 24 @ Atlanta Hawks Jan. 26 N (at Cleveland) Cincinnati Royals Jan. 28 Chicago Bulls Jan. 29 @ San Diego Rockets Jan. 31 Milwaukee Bucks RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY 1969 (37–17)

Final Score

Win/ Loss

82–88 100–104 128–107 132–117 122–105 115–116 106–110 126–113 125–118 122–120 105–104

L L W W W L L W W W W

San Francisco Warriors 106–101 (OT) Feb. 2 San Francisco Warriors 117–122 (3 OT) Feb. 3 @ Seattle Supersonics 107–114 Feb. 7 Philadelphia 76ers 106–109 Feb. 8 @ Phoenix Suns 122–104 Feb. 9 Phoenix Suns 134–116 Feb. 12 @ Seattle Supersonics 109–92 Feb. 14 San Diego Rockets 115–109 Feb. 16 @ Milwaukee Bucks 97–106 Feb. 18 @ New York Knicks 113–109 Feb. 19 @ Baltimore Bullets 88–110 Feb. 21 Boston Celtics 102–124 Feb. 23 Philadelphia 76ers 121–125 Feb. 25 Seattle Supersonics 114–111 (OT) Feb. 28 Phoenix Suns 121–117 RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 1969 (45–24)

W

Feb. 1 @

March 1 @ March 2 March 4 March 7

San Diego Rockets San Francisco Warriors Baltimore Bullets Boston Celtics

119–113 107–92 108–116 105–99 (OT) March 9 Baltimore Bullets 120–109 March 11 Detroit Pistons 137–101 March 12 @ San Francisco Warriors 85–97 March 14 Milwaukee Bucks 111–103 March 16 @ Boston Celtics 108–73 March 18 @ Chicago Bulls 93–92 March 19 @ Cincinnati Royals 128–136 (OT) March 21 Atlanta Hawks 116–103 March 23 New York Knicks 128–111 FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (55–27)

L L L W W W W L W L L L W W W W L W W W L W W W L W W

Playoffs WESTERN DIVISION SEMI-FINALS March 26 March 28 March 31 @ April 2 @ April 4 April 5 @

San Francisco Warriors San Francisco Warriors San Francisco Warriors San Francisco Warriors San Francisco Warriors San Francisco Warriors

94–99 101–107 115–98 103–88 103–98 118–78

L L W W W W

95–93 104–102 86–99 100–85 104–96

W W L W W

WESTERN DIVISION FINALS April 11 April 13 April 15 @ April 17 @ April 20

Atlanta Hawks Atlanta Hawks Atlanta Hawks Atlanta Hawks Atlanta Hawks

SIX : SCHEDULES

AND

RESULTS

Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics

120–118 118–112 105–111 88–89 117–104 90–99 106–108

Date

Opponent

Final Score

Oct. 17 @ Oct. 18 @ Oct. 21 @

Philadelphia 76ers New York Knicks Baltimore Bullets

126–131 96–99 142–137 (OT) 116–109 123–112 130–106 129–125

NBA FINALS April 23 April 25 April 27 @ April 29 @ May 1 May 3 @ May 5

W W L L W L L

1969-70

Oct. 22 @ Cincinnati Royals Oct. 24 Milwaukee Bucks Oct. 25 @ Seattle Supersonics Oct. 26 Chicago Bulls RECORD AT THE END OF OCTOBER , 1969 (5–2) Nov. 2 Nov. 7 Nov. 9 Nov. 11 Nov. 14 Nov. 15 @ Nov. 16 Nov. 18 @

Cincinnati Royals Phoenix Suns New York Knicks Detroit Pistons Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns Philadelphia 76ers Detroit Pistons

116–124 120–122 102–112 102–110 127–112 111–114 138–125 125–114 (OT) Nov. 19 @ Cincinnati Royals 116–103 Nov. 21 San Diego Rockets 100–98 Nov. 22 @ San Francisco Warriors 106–98 Nov. 23 Baltimore Bullets 97–129 Nov. 25 @ New York Knicks 96–103 Nov. 26 @ Milwaukee Bucks 81–100 Nov. 28 San Francisco Warriors 108–114 Nov. 30 Chicago Bulls 114–116 (OT) RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER , 1969 (11–12)

Win/ Loss L L W W W W W L L L L W L W W W W W L L L L L

Dec. 4 @ Phoenix Suns Dec. 5 Detroit Pistons Dec. 6 @ San Diego Rockets Dec. 7 Atlanta Hawks Dec. 9 @ Philadelphia 76ers Dec. 10 @ Boston Celtics Dec. 12 @ Atlanta Hawks Dec. 14 Seattle Supersonics Dec. 19 Cincinnati Royals Dec. 21 Philadelphia 76ers Dec. 23 @ San Diego Rockets Dec. 26 New York Knicks Dec. 28 Boston Celtics Dec. 30 @ San Francisco Warriors RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER , 1969 (17–20)

109–119 128–109 128–115 103–104 99–123 99–111 107–121 131–127 109–117 133–117 109–115 114–106 109–99 100–105

L W W L L L L W L W L W W L

Jan. 2 Jan. 3 @ Jan. 4 Jan. 6 N (at Kansas City, KS) Jan. 9 @ Jan. 10 @

San Francisco Warriors Seattle Supersonics Phoenix Suns Chicago Bulls Atlanta Hawks Chicago Bulls

W W W L W L

Jan. 14 @ Jan. 16 @

Milwaukee Bucks Boston Celtics

125–95 126–109 120–112 100–105 127–112 112–116 (OT) 113–115 108–103

L W

SIX : SCHEDULES

AND

RESULTS

Date

Opponent

Final Score

Jan. 18 @ Jan. 22 N (at Houston) Jan. 23 Jan. 24 @

Detroit Pistons San Francisco Warriors Seattle Supersonics Seattle Supersonics

100–106 122–108 128–100 122–121 (OT) 118–106 124–109 113–108 102–87

L W W W

113–112 124–114 109–125 105–118 117–121 (OT) Feb. 8 San Diego Rockets 125–113 Feb. 10 Baltimore Bullets 106–111 Feb. 11 @ San Francisco Warriors 125–115 Feb. 12 Atlanta Hawks 136–114 Feb. 14 @ Chicago Bulls 113–116 Feb. 15 @ Milwaukee Bucks 98–96 Feb. 17 @ New York Knicks 93–114 Feb. 18 @ Baltimore Bullets 103–117 Feb. 20 Milwaukee Bucks 119–114 Feb. 21 @ San Diego Rockets 106–121 Feb. 22 Boston Celtics 108–96 Feb. 24 Atlanta Hawks 106–118 Feb. 27 Chicago Bulls 111–101 RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 1970 (38–33)

W W L L L

Jan. 25 Phoenix Suns Jan. 27 San Diego Rockets Jan. 28 @ San Diego Rockets Jan. 30 Atlanta Hawks RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 1970 (29–24) Feb. 1 @ Feb. 3 N (at Cleveland) Feb. 4 @ Feb. 6 Feb. 7 @

Philadelphia 76ers Cincinnati Royals Detroit Pistons Milwaukee Bucks Phoenix Suns

March 1 @ Boston Celtics March 3 @ Atlanta Hawks March 4 @ Baltimore Bullets March 6 Baltimore Bullets March 8 Cincinnati Royals March 10 San Francisco Warriors March 13 Philadelphia 76ers March 15 New York Knicks March 18 Boston Celtics March 20 Detroit Pistons March 22 Seattle Supersonics FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (46–36)

Win/ Loss

W W W W

W L W W L W L L W L W L W

Final Score

April 29

New York Knicks

May 1

New York Knicks

May 4 @ May 6 May 8 @

New York Knicks New York Knicks New York Knicks

108–111 (OT) 121–115 (OT) 100–107 135–113 99–113

Oct. 16 @ Oct. 17 @

Chicago Bulls Baltimore Bullets

106–102 116–118 (OT) 100–115 141–117 122–127 123–96 104–90

L W L W W

Nov. 3 @ Portland Trail Blazers Nov. 6 New York Knicks Nov. 8 Baltimore Bullets Nov. 10 @ Chicago Bulls Nov. 11 @ Detroit Pistons Nov. 13 Detroit Pistons Nov. 17 Atlanta Hawks Nov. 19 @ Seattle Supersonics Nov. 20 Milwaukee Bucks Nov. 22 Seattle Supersonics Nov. 27 Phoenix Suns Nov. 28 @ San Francisco Warriors Nov. 29 San Diego Rockets RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER , 1970 (12–8)

128–108 106–104 124–105 96–118 117–115 122–109 116–105 110–111 100–117 149–124 105–116 88–92 130–112

W W W L W W W L L W L L W

Dec. 1 @ Dec. 2 @ Dec. 4 Dec. 5 @ Dec. 6 Dec. 8 @ Dec. 11 @ Dec. 13 Dec. 15 @

97–93 111–114 123–101 116–119 131–120 121–112 126–118 100–103 111–113 (OT) 118–102 116–104 88–113 115–119 123–113 128–110 126–117 114–132

W L W L W W W L L

106–117 108–109 (OT) 112–146 110–105 123–117 109–118 126–120 123–127 134–114

L L

Oct. 20 @ New York Knicks Oct. 21 @ Philadelphia 76ers Oct. 23 Philadelphia 76ers Oct. 25 Cleveland Cavaliers Oct. 30 Buffalo Braves RECORD AT THE END OF OCTOBER , 1970 (4–3)

Jan. 1 Jan. 2 @

San Diego Rockets San Diego Rockets

L W

Jan. 5 N (at Omaha) Jan. 7 @ Jan. 8 @ Jan. 10 @ Jan. 14 N (at Toronto) Jan. 16 @ Jan. 19

Cincinnati Royals Cleveland Cavaliers Philadelphia 76ers Detroit Pistons Cincinnati Royals Atlanta Hawks Philadelphia 76ers

April 19

Atlanta Hawks

New York Knicks New York Knicks

112–124 105–103

W

NBA FINALS

L W L

Final Score

W W W

119–115 105–94 115–114 (OT) 133–114

W

Opponent

Dec. 16 @ Cincinnati Royals Dec. 19 @ Atlanta Hawks Dec. 21 @ Milwaukee Bucks Dec. 22 Atlanta Hawks Dec. 25 Boston Celtics Dec. 27 Phoenix Suns Dec. 29 Chicago Bulls Dec. 30 @ Phoenix Suns RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER , 1970 (22–15)

Atlanta Hawks Atlanta Hawks Atlanta Hawks

L

Date

W L L L W W W

April 12 @ April 14 @ April 17

Win/ Loss

1970-71

128–112 101–114 98–112 102–112 138–121 104–93 129–94

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

April 24 @ April 27 @

Opponent

W L W L W W W W L W W

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns

Date

120–114 106–118 94–91 100–105 144–116 106–104 128–117 106–101 122–137 117–111 121–118

Playoffs March 25 March 29 April 2 @ April 4 @ April 5 April 7 @ April 9

1970-71

251

Baltimore Bullets Boston Celtics San Francisco Warriors San Diego Rockets Portland Trail Blazers Phoenix Suns Seattle Supersonics Detroit Pistons Buffalo Braves

Win/ Loss W L

W W L L W W W L

L W W L W L W

1971-72 Date

252 Opponent

Final Score

Win/ Loss

Jan. 22 San Francisco Warriors Jan. 24 Cincinnati Royals Jan. 26 Chicago Bulls Jan. 28 @ Phoenix Suns Jan. 29 Seattle Supersonics Jan. 30 @ San Francisco Warriors Jan. 31 Portland Trail Blazers RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 1971 (31–22)

130–110 142–131 136–111 112–118 122–115 85–87 133–120

W W W L W L W

Feb. 2 San Diego Rockets Feb. 5 Milwaukee Bucks Feb. 6 @ San Diego Rockets Feb. 7 San Francisco Warriors Feb. 9 @ Cleveland Cavaliers Feb. 11 @ Milwaukee Bucks Feb. 12 @ Chicago Bulls Feb. 14 Cincinnati Royals Feb. 16 New York Knicks Feb. 18 @ Portland Trail Blazers Feb. 19 Philadelphia 76ers Feb. 21 Boston Celtics Feb. 23 @ Baltimore Bullets Feb. 24 @ Boston Celtics Feb. 26 Seattle Supersonics Feb. 27 @ San Francisco Warriors Feb. 28 Cleveland Cavaliers RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 1971 (44–26)

133–105 116–93 115–108 119–104 116–111 88–122 88–107 125–113 130–115 136–114 104–118 124–116 114–107 96–116 145–121 112–107 107–90

W W W W W L L W W W L W W L W W W

March 2 @ Buffalo Braves March 3 @ Milwaukee Bucks March 5 Atlanta Hawks March 6 @ Seattle Supersonics March 7 Chicago Bulls March 9 Baltimore Bullets March 12 Buffalo Braves March 14 Detroit Pistons March 16 @ New York Knicks March 17 @ Boston Celtics March 19 Phoenix Suns March 21 New York Knicks FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (48–34)

131–118 97–112 104–105 109–121 117–108 95–107 109–116 110–100 82–115 104–112 106–111 101–98

W L L L W L L W L L L W

100–99 105–95 98–106 102–112 115–89 99–113 109–98

W W L L W L W

85–106 73–91 118–107 94–117 98–116

L L W L L

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS March 24 March 26 March 28 @ March 30 @ April 1 April 4 @ April 6

Chicago Bulls Chicago Bulls Chicago Bulls Chicago Bulls Chicago Bulls Chicago Bulls Chicago Bulls

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS April 9 @ April 11 @ April 14 April 16 April 18 @

Milwaukee Bucks Milwaukee Bucks Milwaukee Bucks Milwaukee Bucks Milwaukee Bucks

SIX : SCHEDULES

AND

Opponent

Final Score

RESULTS

1971-72 Date

Win/ Loss

Oct. 15 @ Detroit Pistons Oct. 16 @ New York Knicks Oct. 19 @ Buffalo Braves Oct. 20 @ Atlanta Hawks Oct. 22 Chicago Bulls Oct. 24 @ Houston Rockets Oct. 29 Cincinnati Royals Oct. 30 @ Seattle Supersonics Oct. 31 Golden State Warriors RECORD AT THE END OF OCTOBER , 1971 (6–3)

132–103 119–104 123–106 126–104 106–113 113–103 119–107 106–115 105–109

W W W W L W W L L

Nov. 5 Baltimore Bullets Nov. 6 @ Golden State Warriors Nov. 7 New York Knicks Nov. 9 @ Chicago Bulls Nov. 10 @ Philadelphia 76ers Nov. 12 Seattle Supersonics Nov. 13 @ Portland Trail Blazers Nov. 14 Boston Celtics Nov. 16 Cleveland Cavaliers Nov. 19 Houston Rockets Nov. 21 Milwaukee Bucks Nov. 25 @ Seattle Supersonics Nov. 26 Detroit Pistons Nov. 28 Seattle Supersonics RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER , 1971 (20–3)

110–106 105–89 103–96 122–109 143–103 115–107 130–108 128–115 108–90 106–99 112–105 139–115 132–113 138–121

W W W W W W W W W W W W W W

124–111 131–116 123–107 125–120 124–111 126–117 (OT) Dec. 12 Atlanta Hawks 104–95 Dec. 14 @ Portland Trail Blazers 129–114 Dec. 17 Golden State Warriors 129–99 Dec. 18 @ Phoenix Suns 132–106 Dec. 19 Philadelphia 76ers 154–132 Dec. 21 @ Buffalo Braves 117–103 Dec. 22 @ Baltimore Bullets 127–120 Dec. 26 Houston Rockets 137–115 Dec. 28 Buffalo Braves 105–87 Dec. 30 @ Seattle Supersonics 122–106 RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER , 1971 (36–3)

W W W W W W

Dec. 1 @ Dec. 3 @ Dec. 5 Dec. 8 @ Dec. 9 @ Dec. 10

Boston Celtics Philadelphia 76ers Portland Trail Blazers Houston Rockets Golden State Warriors Phoenix Suns

W W W W W W W W W W

Jan. 2 Boston Celtics Jan. 5 @ Cleveland Cavaliers Jan. 7 @ Atlanta Hawks Jan. 9 @ Milwaukee Bucks Jan. 11 @ Detroit Pistons Jan. 12 @ Cincinnati Royals Jan. 14 @ Philadelphia 76ers Jan. 21 New York Knicks Jan. 22 @ Phoenix Suns Jan. 25 Phoenix Suns Jan. 28 Houston Rockets Jan. 30 Portland Trail Blazers RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 1972 (44–7)

122–113 113–103 134–90 104–120 123–103 107–108 135–121 101–104 102–116 129–119 118–105 153–131

W W W L W L W L L W W W

Feb. 4 Feb. 5 @ Feb. 6 Feb. 8 @ Feb. 9 @ Feb. 11 @ Feb. 13 N (at College Park, MD)

118–105 108–96 151–127 107–102 117–113 108–121 121–110

W W W W W L W

Milwaukee Bucks Golden State Warriors Baltimore Bullets New York Knicks Atlanta Hawks Boston Celtics Baltimore Bullets

SIX : SCHEDULES

AND

RESULTS

Date

Opponent

Final Score

Feb. 15 Feb. 16 @ Feb. 18 Feb. 19 @ Feb. 20 Feb. 22

Cincinnati Royals Phoenix Suns Portland Trail Blazers Portland Trail Blazers Boston Celtics Detroit Pistons

Feb. 23 N (at Waco, TX) Feb. 25 Feb. 27

Houston Rockets Cincinnati Royals Chicago Bulls

125–118 109–110 125–114 115–94 132–113 134–135 (OT) 110–115 109–88 123–118 (OT) 114–111

Feb. 29 @ New York Knicks RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 1972 (57–11) March 1 N (at Madison, WI) Milwaukee Bucks March 3 Atlanta Hawks March 5 Baltimore Bullets March 7 Philadelphia 76ers March 10 Cleveland Cavaliers March 12 Buffalo Braves March 14 @ Detroit Pistons March 15 @ Cincinnati Royals March 17 Milwaukee Bucks March 19 Golden State Warriors March 21 @ Chicago Bulls March 22 @ Cleveland Cavaliers March 24 Phoenix Suns March 26 Seattle Supersonics FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (69–13)

109–108 114–104 94–108 114–97 132–98 141–102 129–116 121–116 123–107 162–99 109–104 120–124 112–110 124–98

Win/ Loss W L W W W L L W W W W W L W W W W W W W W L W W

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS March 28 March 30 April 2 @ April 4 @

Chicago Bulls Chicago Bulls Chicago Bulls Chicago Bulls

95–80 131–124 108–101 108–97

W W W W

Milwaukee Bucks Milwaukee Bucks Milwaukee Bucks Milwaukee Bucks Milwaukee Bucks Milwaukee Bucks

72–93 135–134 108–105 88–114 115–90 104–100

L W W L W W

April 26 April 30 May 3 @ May 5 @

New York Knicks New York Knicks New York Knicks New York Knicks

L W W W

May 7

New York Knicks

92–114 106–92 107–96 116–111 (OT) 114–100

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS April 9 April 12 April 14 @ April 16 @ April 18 April 22 @

NBA FINALS

W

1972-73 Date

Opponent

Final Score

Oct. 11 @

Kansas City–Omaha Kings Boston Celtics New York Knicks

129–94

W

104–112 100–125

L L

Oct. 13 @ Oct. 14 @

1972-73

253

Win/ Loss

Date

Opponent

Oct. 15 @ Oct. 20 Oct. 22 Oct. 24 @

Cleveland Cavaliers Portland Trail Blazers Chicago Bulls Kansas City–Omaha Kings Oct. 25 N (at San Antonio) Houston Rockets Oct. 27 Golden State Warriors Oct. 29 Phoenix Suns RECORD AT THE END OF OCTOBER , 1972 (7–3) Nov. 3 Detroit Pistons Nov. 4 @ Portland Trail Blazers Nov. 5 @ Seattle Supersonics Nov. 7 Houston Rockets Nov. 10 Cleveland Cavaliers Nov. 14 @ Milwaukee Bucks Nov. 15 @ Detroit Pistons Nov. 17 Buffalo Braves Nov. 19 Philadelphia 76ers Nov. 24 Detroit Pistons Nov. 25 @ Phoenix Suns Nov. 26 Phoenix Suns RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER , 1972 (19–3) Dec. 1

Final Score 95–83 126–104 104–99 114–94

W W W W

112–107 91–119 133–123

W L W

116–107 134–120 124–115 122–109 118–88 95–92 110–99 103–100 135–95 140–123 116–109 112–107

W W W W W W W W W W W W

Atlanta Hawks

109–114 (OT) Dec. 2 @ Golden State Warriors 112–103 Dec. 5 Milwaukee Bucks 116–94 Dec. 8 Seattle Supersonics 119–100 Dec. 10 Portland Trail Blazers 137–101 Dec. 12 @ Chicago Bulls 106–105 (OT) Dec. 13 @ Philadelphia 76ers 128–90 Dec. 15 Boston Celtics 98–102 Dec. 19 @ Buffalo Braves 126–100 Dec. 20 @ Baltimore Bullets 96–90 Dec. 22 Phoenix Suns 110–118 Dec. 26 Portland Trail Blazers 116–92 Dec. 27 @ Houston Rockets 104–136 Dec. 29 Kansas City–Omaha 123–92 Kings RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER , 1972 (29–7) Jan. 1 @ Jan. 2 @ Jan. 6 @ Jan. 7 @ Jan. 10 @ Jan. 12 @ Jan. 14 @ Jan. 16 Jan. 19 Jan. 20 @ Jan. 21

Win/ Loss

L W W W W W W L W W L W L W

Seattle Supersonics Golden State Warriors Cleveland Cavaliers Milwaukee Bucks Philadelphia 76ers Chicago Bulls Atlanta Hawks Baltimore Bullets New York Knicks Phoenix Suns Kansas City–Omaha Kings Jan. 26 Golden State Warriors Jan. 27 @ Golden State Warriors Jan. 28 Seattle Supersonics Jan. 30 Chicago Bulls RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 1973 (40–11)

108–103 106–112 93–108 92–99 120–96 109–97 102–100 104–112 95–88 124–104 123–102

W L L L W W W L W W W

100–84 122–107 130–94 95–92

W W W W

Feb. 1 @ Feb. 2 Feb. 4 N (at College Park, MD) Feb. 6 @ Feb. 7 @

Phoenix Suns Houston Rockets Baltimore Bullets

120–106 126–109 125–115

W W W

New York Knicks Boston Celtics

95–90 112–113 (OT)

W L

1973-74 Date

254 Opponent

Final Score

Win/ Loss

Feb. 9 @ Feb. 11 Feb. 13 Feb. 16 Feb. 17 @ Feb. 18 Feb. 20 @ Feb. 21 @ Feb. 23 Feb. 25 Feb. 27

Milwaukee Bucks Philadelphia 76ers Seattle Supersonics Baltimore Bullets Portland Trail Blazers Atlanta Hawks Chicago Bulls Detroit Pistons Golden State Warriors Milwaukee Bucks Kansas City–Omaha Kings RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 1973 (49–18)

88–109 108–90 101–98 121–103 110–103 92–99 89–103 98–106 106–111 91–82 103–107

L W W W W L L L L W L

March 2 March 4 March 6 @ March 9 March 11 March 13 @ March 14 @ March 16 March 18 March 20 @ March 21 @

108–88 127–84 114–102 111–119 141–117 121–112 121–112 98–109 131–113 112–114 124–118

W W W L W W W L W L W

121–101 109–93 84–85 96–89

W W L W

Chicago Bulls Cleveland Cavaliers Portland Trail Blazers Boston Celtics Detroit Pistons Buffalo Braves Detroit Pistons New York Knicks Phoenix Suns Atlanta Hawks Kansas City–Omaha Kings March 23 Buffalo Braves March 25 @ Seattle Supersonics March 27 Milwaukee Bucks March 28 @ Golden State Warriors FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (60–22)

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND March 30 April 1 April 6 @ April 8 @ April 10 April 13 @ April 15

Chicago Bulls Chicago Bulls Chicago Bulls Chicago Bulls Chicago Bulls Chicago Bulls Chicago Bulls

107–104 108–93 86–96 94–98 123–102 93–101 95–92

W W L L W L W

Golden State Warriors Golden State Warriors Golden State Warriors Golden State Warriors Golden State Warriors

101–99 104–93 126–70 109–117 128–118

W W W L W

New York Knicks New York Knicks New York Knicks New York Knicks New York Knicks

115–112 95–99 83–87 98–103 93–102

W L L L L

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS April 17 April 19 April 21 @ April 23 @ April 25

NBA FINALS May 1 May 3 May 6 @ May 8 @ May 10

1973-74 Date

Opponent

Final Score

Oct. 9 @ Oct. 11 @

Chicago Bulls Atlanta Hawks

117–97 102–129

Win/ Loss W L

Date

SIX : SCHEDULES

AND

Opponent

Final Score

Oct. 13 @ Oct. 19 Oct. 21 Oct. 23 @ Oct. 24 @

RESULTS Win/ Loss

Buffalo Braves Seattle Supersonics Atlanta Hawks Houston Rockets Kansas City–Omaha Kings Oct. 26 Detroit Pistons Oct. 28 Portland Trail Blazers Oct. 30 @ Portland Trail Blazers RECORD AT THE END OF OCTOBER , 1973 (7–3)

125–122 118–91 100–119 107–98 92–91

W W L W W

94–92 111–98 112–114

W W L

Nov. 2 Nov. 4 Nov. 6 @ Nov. 7 @ Nov. 9 @ Nov. 16 Nov. 17 @ Nov. 18 Nov. 20 @ Nov. 21 @ Nov. 24 @ Nov. 25 Nov. 30

91–106 106–93 96–115 92–109 118–111 118–102 130–110 102–100 89–105 106–97 113–108 137–109 123–107

L W L L W W W W L W W W W

115–134 108–114 120–103 111–115 111–135 96–110 100–101 (OT) Dec. 12 @ Detroit Pistons 96–114 Dec. 14 @ Chicago Bulls 100–97 Dec. 16 Boston Celtics 110–115 Dec. 18 Milwaukee Bucks 109–107 Dec. 21 Philadelphia 76ers 116–107 Dec. 25 @ Phoenix Suns 100–135 Dec. 26 @ Seattle Supersonics 105–129 Dec. 28 Phoenix Suns 119–107 Dec. 29 @ Golden State Warriors 100–102 Dec. 30 Buffalo Braves 108–105 RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER , 1973 (22–18)

L L W L L L L

Jan. 4 Jan. 6

114–111 109–105

W W

92–94 94–123 111–103 108–101 116–115

L L W W W

90–94 110–111 (OT) 143–124 99–92

L L

121–110 112–119 124–91 112–116 (OT) 103–107 86–96

W L W L

New York Knicks Houston Rockets Cleveland Cavaliers Milwaukee Bucks Seattle Supersonics Chicago Bulls Phoenix Suns Cleveland Cavaliers New York Knicks Capital Bullets Portland Trail Blazers Portland Trail Blazers Kansas City–Omaha Kings RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER , 1973 (16–7) Dec. 1 @ Dec. 2 Dec. 4 Dec. 7 Dec. 8 @ Dec. 9 Dec. 11 @

Jan. 8 @ Jan. 9 @ Jan. 11 @ Jan. 12 @ Jan. 18 @ Jan. 20 @ Jan. 22

Portland Trail Blazers Detroit Pistons Phoenix Suns Seattle Supersonics Golden State Warriors Capital Bullets Cleveland Cavaliers

Golden State Warriors Kansas City–Omaha Kings Capital Bullets Detroit Pistons Boston Celtics Philadelphia 76ers Kansas City–Omaha Kings Milwaukee Bucks Cleveland Cavaliers

Jan. 25 Capital Bullets Jan. 27 Milwaukee Bucks RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 1974 (29–22) Feb. 1 Feb. 2 @ Feb. 3 Feb. 5 @

Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns Portland Trail Blazers Houston Rockets

Feb. 6 @ Feb. 10 @

Atlanta Hawks Chicago Bulls

L W L W W L L W L W

W W

L L

SIX : SCHEDULES Date

AND

RESULTS Opponent

Feb. 12 Feb. 15 Feb. 17 Feb. 19 @

Final Score

Win/ Loss

Houston Rockets Seattle Supersonics Atlanta Hawks Kansas City–Omaha Kings Feb. 20 @ Detroit Pistons Feb. 22 Philadelphia 76ers Feb. 23 @ Seattle Supersonics Feb. 24 Chicago Bulls Feb. 26 @ Buffalo Braves Feb. 27 @ Milwaukee Bucks RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 1974 (37–30)

119–129 112–96 110–113 86–92

L W L L

110–112 104–103 118–116 100–90 119–112 110–108

L W W W W W

March 1

107–100

W

108–104 102–107 116–111 129–113 82–94 109–102 121–100 107–112 105–135 126–114 120–114 99–93 150–124 115–121

W L W W L W W L L W W W W L

95–99 90–109 98–96 90–112 92–114

L L W L L

Kansas City–Omaha Kings March 3 Golden State Warriors March 5 @ Portland Trail Blazers March 6 Boston Celtics March 8 Detroit Pistons March 10 @ Boston Celtics March 12 @ New York Knicks March 13 @ Philadelphia 76ers March 15 Golden State Warriors March 16 @ Golden State Warriors March 17 New York Knicks March 20 Milwaukee Bucks March 22 Chicago Bulls March 24 Buffalo Braves March 26 Seattle Supersonics FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (47–35)

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND March 29 @ March 31 @ April 2 April 4 April 7 @

Milwaukee Bucks Milwaukee Bucks Milwaukee Bucks Milwaukee Bucks Milwaukee Bucks

1974-75 Date

Opponent

Oct. 18 Oct. 20

Final Score

Win/ Loss

Golden State Warriors Kansas City–Omaha Kings Oct. 25 Detroit Pistons Oct. 27 Phoenix Suns Oct. 29 @ Portland Trail Blazers Oct. 30 @ Seattle Supersonics RECORD AT THE END OF OCTOBER , 1974 (3–3)

105–90 95–105

W L

107–110 123–116 105–102 97–117

L W W L

Nov. 1 Nov. 3 Nov. 8 Nov. 10 Nov. 13 @ Nov. 15 Nov. 16 @ Nov. 17 Nov. 22 Nov. 24 Nov. 26 @

109–86 101–124 105–117 103–106 103–108 105–99 99–112 76–96 89–83 108–111 105–102

W L L L L W L L W L W

Milwaukee Bucks Buffalo Braves New York Knicks Golden State Warriors Seattle Supersonics Philadelphia 76ers Portland Trail Blazers Chicago Bulls Houston Rockets Washington Bullets Milwaukee Bucks

1974-75

255 Date

Opponent

Final Score

Nov. 27 @

Kansas City–Omaha 89–107 Kings Nov. 29 New Orleans Jazz 127–122 Nov. 30 @ Golden State Warriors 118–128 RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER , 1974 (8–12) Dec. 1

Phoenix Suns

Dec. 3 @ New York Knicks Dec. 4 @ Boston Celtics Dec. 6 Atlanta Hawks Dec. 7 @ Phoenix Suns Dec. 8 Phoenix Suns Dec. 13 Seattle Supersonics Dec. 15 @ Portland Trail Blazers Dec. 17 Cleveland Cavaliers Dec. 20 Detroit Pistons Dec. 21 @ Phoenix Suns Dec. 22 Portland Trail Blazers Dec. 26 @ Cleveland Cavaliers Dec. 27 @ Chicago Bulls Dec. 28 @ Atlanta Hawks Dec. 30 @ Houston Rockets RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER , 1974 (15–21) Jan. 3 Jan. 5

111–105 (OT) 95–100 90–101 100–84 88–92 107–102 109–93 97–100 106–119 102–103 104–114 115–102 99–89 105–93 89–106 107–120

106–127 112–109 (OT) Jan. 7 @ Buffalo Braves 107–115 Jan. 8 @ Philadelphia 76ers 106–98 Jan. 10 @ Boston Celtics 97–103 Jan. 11 @ Washington Bullets 90–102 Jan. 21 @ Golden State Warriors 108–138 Jan. 24 New Orleans Jazz 110–108 Jan. 26 Philadelphia 76ers 97–103 Jan. 28 @ Houston Rockets 89–104 Jan. 29 @ New Orleans Jazz 112–108 Jan. 31 @ Phoenix Suns 101–105 RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 1975 (19–29) Feb. 2 Feb. 4 @ Feb. 5 @

Boston Celtics Washington Bullets

112–119 94–109 113–110 (2 OT) Feb. 7 @ Buffalo Braves 98–108 Feb. 9 @ Detroit Pistons 96–97 Feb. 11 Buffalo Braves 108–112 Feb. 14 Atlanta Hawks 108–100 Feb. 16 @ Seattle Supersonics 87–109 Feb. 18 @ Chicago Bulls 105–128 Feb. 19 @ Kansas City-Omaha Kings 92–115 L Feb. 21 Golden State Warriors 93–105 Feb. 23 Boston Celtics 115–119 Feb. 26 Portland Trail Blazers 116–117 (2 OT) Feb. 28 Cleveland Cavaliers 109–105 RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 1975 (22–40) March 2 @ March 4 @ March 5 @ March 7 March 9 March 11 @ March 13 @ March 14 @ March 16 March 18

Seattle Supersonics New York Knicks Philadelphia 76ers

Washington Bullets Atlanta Hawks New Orleans Jazz Chicago Bulls Houston Rockets Detroit Pistons Cleveland Cavaliers Milwaukee Bucks Golden State Warriors New York Knicks

104–117 97–109 117–123 87–89 116–95 95–94 85–104 105–104 111–95 100–109

Win/ Loss L W L W L L W L W W L L L L W W W L L L W L W L L L W L L W L L L W L L L W L L L L L W L L L L W W L W W L

1975-76; 1976-77

256

Date

Opponent

March 21

Seattle Supersonics

Final Score

Win/ Loss

112–109 (OT) March 23 Milwaukee Bucks 116–97 March 25 @ Golden State Warriors 122–139 March 26 @ Seattle Supersonics 89–110 March 28 Kansas City–Omaha 114–103 Kings March 30 Phoenix Suns 104–90 RECORD AT THE END OF MARCH, 1975 (30–48)

W

April 1 Portland Trail Blazers April 2 @ Phoenix Suns April 4 Seattle Supersonics April 6 @ Portland Trail Blazers FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (30–52)

L L L L

106–124 106–108 102–111 97–126

W L L W W

1975-76 Date

Opponent

Oct. 23 @ New York Knicks Oct. 27 @ Philadelphia 76ers Oct. 28 @ Milwaukee Bucks Oct. 29 @ Detroit Pistons Oct. 31 Seattle Supersonics RECORD AT THE END OF OCTOBER , 1975 (3–2)

Final Score

Win/ Loss

104–101 104–117 99–92 99–112 120–104

W L W L W

116–113 (OT) Nov. 4 @ Kansas City Kings 98–116 Nov. 5 @ New Orleans Jazz 110–113 Nov. 7 New York Knicks 105–97 Nov. 8 @ Golden State Warriors 106–114 Nov. 9 Kansas City Kings 125–112 Nov. 12 New Orleans Jazz 116–100 Nov. 14 Phoenix Suns 114–107 Nov. 16 Chicago Bulls 110–93 Nov. 18 @ Buffalo Braves 106–120 Nov. 19 @ Houston Rockets 118–110 Nov. 21 Milwaukee Bucks 116–104 Nov. 23 Houston Rockets 110–99 Nov. 26 Portland Trail Blazers 101–118 Nov. 28 Buffalo Braves 126–105 Nov. 30 Portland Trail Blazers 116–109 RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER , 1975 (14–7)

W

Nov. 2

Atlanta Hawks

L L W L W W W W L W W W L W W

Dec. 2 @ Washington Bullets Dec. 3 @ Detroit Pistons Dec. 7 Washington Bullets Dec. 12 Philadelphia 76ers Dec. 13 @ Phoenix Suns Dec. 14 Detroit Pistons Dec. 16 Cleveland Cavaliers Dec. 18 @ Atlanta Hawks Dec. 19 @ Chicago Bulls Dec. 21 @ Cleveland Cavaliers Dec. 23 Kansas City Kings Dec. 26 Portland Trail Blazers Dec. 27 @ Seattle Supersonics Dec. 28 Boston Celtics Dec. 30 Seattle Supersonics RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER , 1975 (21–15)

104–107 118–110 114–106 114–102 108–116 110–100 103–123 98–114 91–104 98–99 111–97 104–95 109–100 113–123 100–112

L W W W L W L L L L W W W L L

Jan. 2 Jan. 3 @ Jan. 4 Jan. 6 @

105–113 99–130 110–101 113–114

L L W L

Golden State Warriors Golden State Warriors Portland Trail Blazers Buffalo Braves

Date

SIX : SCHEDULES

AND

Opponent

Final Score

RESULTS Win/ Loss

Jan. 7 @ Boston Celtics Jan. 9 @ Philadelphia 76ers Jan. 11 @ Milwaukee Bucks Jan. 13 @ Chicago Bulls Jan. 22 @ Golden State Warriors Jan. 23 @ Portland Trail Blazers Jan. 25 Washington Bullets Jan. 28 Phoenix Suns Jan. 30 Portland Trail Blazers RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 1976 (24–25)

103–109 106–109 89–95 104–102 105–129 96–119 101–105 121–118 113–121

L L L W L L L W L

Feb. 1 Philadelphia 76ers Feb. 5 @ Kansas City Kings Feb. 6 @ Chicago Bulls Feb. 8 @ Atlanta Hawks Feb. 10 Detroit Pistons Feb. 13 New Orleans Jazz Feb. 15 @ Washington Bullets Feb. 17 @ New Orleans Jazz Feb. 18 @ Houston Rockets Feb. 20 Boston Celtics Feb. 22 @ Seattle Supersonics Feb. 27 Kansas City Kings Feb. 29 Cleveland Cavaliers RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 1976 (31–31)

103–82 109–117 106–112 97–89 106–88 126–112 88–101 115–101 98–114 113–125 91–97 97–90 108–97

W L L W W W L W L L L W W

March 5 Golden State Warriors March 7 Chicago Bulls March 9 @ New York Knicks March 10 @ Boston Celtics March 12 New York Knicks March 14 Buffalo Braves March 16 @ Cleveland Cavaliers March 17 @ Milwaukee Bucks March 19 Detroit Pistons March 20 @ Phoenix Suns March 21 Milwaukee Bucks March 23 Houston Rockets March 26 Atlanta Hawks March 27 @ Golden State Warriors March 28 Phoenix Suns March 31 @ Seattle Supersonics RECORD AT THE END OF MARCH, 1976 (38–40)

106–99 88–91 96–101 89–92 113–95 137–109 109–105 96–109 122–107 93–106 111–130 125–106 107–85 97–113 97–100 109–120

W L L L W W W L W L L W W L L L

April 2 Seattle Supersonics April 4 Golden State Warriors April 6 @ Portland Trail Blazers April 8 @ Phoenix Suns FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (40–42)

113–105 118–111 104–106 98–113

W W L L

1976-77 Date

Opponent

Final Score

Oct. 21 @ Oct. 22 @ Oct. 24 @ Oct. 26 @

New York Knicks Washington Bullets Cleveland Cavaliers Kansas City Kings

97–102 103–84 95–100 115–117 (OT) 118–101 121–101

L W L L

121–126 107–96 116–121 (OT)

L W L

Oct. 29 Atlanta Hawks Oct. 31 Detroit Pistons RECORD AT THE END OF OCTOBER , 1976 (3–3) Nov. 5 Nov. 7 Nov. 9 @

New York Knicks Kansas City Kings Buffalo Braves

Win/ Loss

W W

SIX : SCHEDULES Date

AND

RESULTS Opponent

Final Score

Win/ Loss

Nov. 10 @ Boston Celtics Nov. 12 Indiana Pacers Nov. 14 Cleveland Cavaliers Nov. 19 Golden State Warriors Nov. 21 New York Nets Nov. 23 @ Milwaukee Bucks Nov. 24 @ Denver Nuggets Nov. 26 Portland Trail Blazers Nov. 28 Chicago Bulls Nov. 30 Washington Bullets RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER , 1976 (11–8)

112–117 117–106 95–97 121–99 96–91 117–114 112–122 99–96 103–84 109–102

L W L W W W L W W W

Dec. 3 Dec. 4 @ Dec. 7 @ Dec. 8 @ Dec. 10 Dec. 12 Dec. 14 @ Dec. 15 @ Dec. 17 Dec. 18 @

114–105 114–116 81–89 98–111 109–99 112–83 104–106 115–105 118–105 115–111 (OT) 103–92 97–89 96–113 107–99 134–105

W L L L W W L W W W

San Antonio Spurs Golden State Warriors Chicago Bulls Indiana Pacers Houston Rockets Denver Nuggets Atlanta Hawks New Orleans Jazz Phoenix Suns Portland Trail Blazers

Dec. 19 Kansas City Kings Dec. 21 Buffalo Braves Dec. 25 @ Phoenix Suns Dec. 26 Milwaukee Bucks Dec. 28 Boston Celtics RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER , 1976 (21–13) Jan. 2 Jan. 5 @ Jan. 7 @ Jan. 9 @ Jan. 11 @

Portland Trail Blazers Philadelphia 76ers New York Nets Detroit Pistons Cleveland Cavaliers

W W L W W

104–99 94–117 85–82 124–118 101–99 (OT) 109–106 116–122 113–111 108–94 121–104 120–109 103–118 117–104 101–99

W L W W W W L W W

Feb. 1 Milwaukee Bucks Feb. 4 @ Boston Celtics Feb. 6 @ Philadelphia 76ers Feb. 8 @ New York Knicks Feb. 9 @ Buffalo Braves Feb. 11 Denver Nuggets Feb. 18 Atlanta Hawks Feb. 20 @ Washington Bullets Feb. 22 @ San Antonio Spurs Feb. 23 @ Detroit Pistons Feb. 25 Philadelphia 76ers Feb. 27 Houston Rockets RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 1977 (38–22)

136–115 98–99 97–102 107–125 105–90 117–109 101–111 108–101 103–135 101–102 103–102 106–101

March 1 @ March 2 @ March 4 March 6 March 11 March 13 @ March 14 @ March 15 @ March 18

92–90 113–120 99–114 104–99 94–91 84–81 106–110 95–107 98–85

Jan. 14 @ San Antonio Spurs Jan. 15 @ Houston Rockets Jan. 18 @ Kansas City Kings Jan. 21 New York Knicks Jan. 23 Indiana Pacers Jan. 25 Seattle Supersonics Jan. 26 @ Seattle Supersonics Jan. 28 Philadelphia 76ers Jan. 30 New Orleans Jazz RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 1977 (32–16)

Atlanta Hawks Houston Rockets Chicago Bulls Cleveland Cavaliers Washington Bullets New York Nets Milwaukee Bucks Denver Nuggets Golden State Warriors

1977-78

257

W L W W W

Date

Opponent

March 20 New Orleans Jazz March 22 @ Chicago Bulls March 23 @ Indiana Pacers March 25 Phoenix Suns March 26 @ Phoenix Suns March 27 Buffalo Braves March 29 Seattle Supersonics RECORD AT THE END OF MARCH, 1977 (49–27)

Final Score

Win/ Loss

100–95 86–102 105–97 118–93 109–102 92–89 100–97

W L W W W W W

107–102 115–107 (OT) April 5 @ Golden State Warriors 103–132 April 8 New York Nets 124–100 April 9 @ Portland Trail Blazers 116–145 April 10 @ Seattle Supersonics 113–104 FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (53–29)

W W

April 1 April 3

San Antonio Spurs Detroit Pistons

L W L W

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND April 20 April 22 April 24 @ April 26 @ April 29 May 1 @ May 4

Golden State Warriors Golden State Warriors Golden State Warriors Golden State Warriors Golden State Warriors Golden State Warriors Golden State Warriors

115–106 95–86 105–109 103–114 112–105 106–115 97–84

W W L L W L W

Portland Trail Blazers Portland Trail Blazers Portland Trail Blazers Portland Trail Blazers

109–121 97–99 97–102 101–105

L L L L

Opponent

Final Score

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS May 6 May 8 May 10 @ May 13 @

1977-78 Date

Win/ Loss

W L L L W W L W L L W W

Oct. 18 @ Milwaukee Bucks Oct. 19 @ Indiana Pacers Oct. 21 @ Denver Nuggets Oct. 23 Phoenix Suns Oct. 25 San Antonio Spurs Oct. 28 @ Atlanta Hawks Oct. 29 @ San Antonio Spurs RECORD AT THE END OF OCTOBER , 1977 (2–5)

112–117 133–120 101–106 101–104 109–107 95–102 118–129

L W L L W L L

Nov. 2 @ Nov. 4 Nov. 6 Nov. 11 Nov. 13 Nov. 15

W W L W W L

W L L W W W L L W

Nov. 18 Detroit Pistons Nov. 20 Chicago Bulls Nov. 22 @ Phoenix Suns Nov. 23 @ Seattle Supersonics Nov. 25 New Jersey Nets Nov. 27 Portland Trail Blazers Nov. 29 @ Cleveland Cavaliers Nov. 30 @ Detroit Pistons RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER , 1977 (8–13)

107–102 111–99 102–106 123–107 97–95 95–102 (OT) 116–83 80–102 107–118 89–113 129–117 93–100 101–118 98–104

New Jersey Nets Indiana Pacers New York Knicks New Orleans Jazz Golden State Warriors Cleveland Cavaliers

W L L L W L L L

1978-79

258

Date

Opponent

Dec. 4 Dec. 6 Dec. 9 Dec. 11

Denver Nuggets Milwaukee Bucks Houston Rockets Buffalo Braves

Final Score

Win/ Loss

109–111 109–108 105–116 124–119 (OT) Dec. 13 @ New Orleans Jazz 94–117 Dec. 14 @ Houston Rockets 113–91 Dec. 16 Seattle Supersonics 90–98 Dec. 18 Boston Celtics 104–97 Dec. 20 Washington Bullets 120–115 Dec. 23 @ Portland Trail Blazers 98–108 Dec. 25 @ Seattle Supersonics 111–96 Dec. 27 @ Golden State Warriors 123–82 Dec. 30 Kansas City Kings 119–109 RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER , 1977 (16–18)

L W L W

Jan. 3 @ New York Knicks Jan. 4 @ Buffalo Braves Jan. 6 @ Philadelphia 76ers Jan. 8 @ Indiana Pacers Jan. 10 @ Chicago Bulls Jan. 11 @ Kansas City Kings Jan. 14 @ Denver Nuggets Jan. 17 New York Knicks Jan. 20 Washington Bullets Jan. 22 Houston Rockets Jan. 24 Philadelphia 76ers Jan. 27 Milwaukee Bucks Jan. 29 @ Washington Bullets Jan. 31 @ Cleveland Cavaliers RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 1978 (23–25)

W L L L L L L W W W W W L W

Feb. 1 @

120–117 93–94 110–123 103–104 106–110 94–102 112–123 121–108 121–99 106–101 117–102 131–114 112–119 116–107

Boston Celtics

100–103 (OT) Feb. 3 @ New Jersey Nets 105–99 (OT) Feb. 7 @ Buffalo Braves 132–105 Feb. 8 @ Detroit Pistons 105–95 Feb. 10 Golden State Warriors 135–107 Feb. 12 Atlanta Hawks 103–116 Feb. 14 San Antonio Spurs 128–114 Feb. 17 Boston Celtics 114–106 Feb. 19 @ Golden State Warriors 115–93 Feb. 21 @ Chicago Bulls 106–104 Feb. 22 @ Kansas City Kings 122–127 (OT) Feb. 24 Denver Nuggets 109–99 Feb. 26 Detroit Pistons 124–127 RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 1978 (32–29)

L W L W W L W W W

L W W W W L W W W W L W L

March 3 Philadelphia 76ers March 5 Cleveland Cavaliers March 10 Chicago Bulls March 11 @ Phoenix Suns March 12 Phoenix Suns March 14 @ New York Knicks March 15 @ Philadelphia 76ers March 17 Seattle Supersonics March 19 Atlanta Hawks March 21 @ San Antonio Spurs March 22 @ Houston Rockets March 24 Buffalo Braves March 26 Indiana Pacers March 28 @ Atlanta Hawks March 29 @ New Orleans Jazz March 31 Portland Trail Blazers RECORD AT THE END OF MARCH, 1978 (42–35)

96–95 128–117 115–109 114–120 128–112 135–117 93–113 98–105 101–87 105–109 124–106 120–115 110–99 104–105 108–103 101–103

W W W L W W L L W L W W W L W L

April 2 April 4 @

133–127 103–102

W W

Kansas City Kings Milwaukee Bucks

Date

SIX : SCHEDULES

AND

Opponent

Final Score

April 5 @ Washington Bullets April 7 New Jersey Nets April 9 @ Portland Trail Blazers FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (45–37)

RESULTS Win/ Loss

119–125 114–106 99–114

L W L

Seattle Supersonics Seattle Supersonics Seattle Supersonics

90–102 105–99 102–111

L W L

Opponent

Final Score

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND April 12 @ April 14 April 16 @

1978-79 Date

Win/ Loss

Oct. 13 @ Philadelphia 76ers Oct. 14 @ New Jersey Nets Oct. 17 @ Cleveland Cavaliers Oct. 22 San Antonio Spurs Oct. 24 @ San Diego Clippers Oct. 27 San Diego Clippers Oct. 29 Washington Bullets Oct. 31 Denver Nuggets RECORD AT THE END OF OCTOBER , 1978 (4–4)

102–110 100–102 111–113 134–121 123–124 113–101 109–93 134–107

L L L W L W W W

Nov. 3 New York Knicks Nov. 5 Cleveland Cavaliers Nov. 7 @ Chicago Bulls Nov. 8 @ Indiana Pacers Nov. 10 Kansas City Kings Nov. 12 Indiana Pacers Nov. 14 @ Milwaukee Bucks Nov. 15 @ Detroit Pistons Nov. 17 New Orleans Jazz Nov. 19 Chicago Bulls Nov. 22 @ Houston Rockets Nov. 24 @ Washington Bullets Nov. 25 @ Atlanta Hawks Nov. 28 Detroit Pistons RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER , 1978 (15–7)

147–124 117–107 112–111 113–111 136–127 134–106 137–119 133–126 121–109 104–95 121–114 103–113 103–109 103–105

W W W W W W W W W W W L L L

Dec. 1 Phoenix Suns Dec. 3 New Jersey Nets Dec. 5 @ New Orleans Jazz Dec. 6 @ San Antonio Spurs Dec. 8 Milwaukee Bucks Dec. 10 Atlanta Hawks Dec. 12 @ Portland Trail Blazers Dec. 13 @ Seattle Supersonics Dec. 15 Seattle Supersonics Dec. 16 @ Phoenix Suns Dec. 17 Philadelphia 76ers Dec. 22 Washington Bullets Dec. 26 New Orleans Jazz Dec. 27 @ Golden State Warriors Dec. 29 Portland Trail Blazers RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER , 1978 (23–14)

130–122 105–107 114–102 111–112 101–85 88–86 115–117 107–117 100–98 100–119 96–103 127–115 123–125 106–104 118–95

W L W L W W L L W L L W L W W

Jan. 2 @ Jan. 3 @ Jan. 6 @

New Orleans Jazz Atlanta Hawks Houston Rockets

L W L

Jan. 9 @ Jan. 10 @

New York Knicks Boston Celtics

105–109 99–96 112–115 (OT) 106–94 99–89

W W

SIX : SCHEDULES

AND

RESULTS

Date

Opponent

Jan. 12 @ Jan. 14 @ Jan. 17 @ Jan. 19

New Jersey Nets Seattle Supersonics San Diego Clippers Houston Rockets

Final Score

117–116 108–99 117–119 121–122 (OT) Jan. 21 Golden State Warriors 113–107 Jan. 23 New York Knicks 148–124 Jan. 25 @ Detroit Pistons 100–135 Jan. 26 @ Denver Nuggets 107–119 Jan. 28 Milwaukee Bucks 111–109 Jan. 30 New Jersey Nets 127–108 RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 1979 (32–20) Feb. 6

San Antonio Spurs

119–111 (OT) Feb. 7 @ Golden State Warriors 106–104 Feb. 9 Cleveland Cavaliers 106–103 Feb. 11 @ Kansas City Kings 103–104 Feb. 13 @ Cleveland Cavaliers 111–117 Feb. 16 @ Milwaukee Bucks 98–99 Feb. 18 @ Indiana Pacers 122–111 Feb. 20 Golden State Warriors 91–102 Feb. 23 Boston Celtics 113–104 Feb. 25 Indiana Pacers 118–108 Feb. 27 Kansas City Kings 122–114 RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 1979 (39–24)

Win/ Loss W W L L W W L L W W W W W L L L W L W W W

March 2 Philadelphia 76ers March 4 Denver Nuggets March 9 Chicago Bulls March 11 @ Boston Celtics March 13 @ Washington Bullets March 14 @ San Antonio Spurs March 16 Atlanta Hawks March 18 Boston Celtics March 21 Portland Trail Blazers March 23 San Diego Clippers March 25 @ Denver Nuggets March 28 @ Phoenix Suns March 30 Detroit Pistons RECORD AT THE END OF MARCH, 1979 (44–32)

126–111 99–113 92–102 106–108 111–120 112–125 111–110 122–111 110–114 156–119 113–123 106–112 124–113

W L L L L L W W L W L L W

April 1 @ April 3 @ April 4 @

111–112 97–95 111–115 (OT) 93–113 99–98 111–103

L W L

Philadelphia 76ers Chicago Bulls Kansas City Kings

April 6 Seattle Supersonics April 7 @ Portland Trail Blazers April 8 Phoenix Suns FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (47–35)

L W W

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND April 10 @ April 13 April 15 @

Denver Nuggets Denver Nuggets Denver Nuggets

105–110 121–109 112–111

L W W

101–112 103–108 (OT) 118–112 (OT) 115–117 100–106

L L

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS April 17 @ April 18 @

Seattle Supersonics Seattle Supersonics

April 20

Seattle Supersonics

April 22 April 25 @

Seattle Supersonics Seattle Supersonics

1979-80

259

W L L

1979-80 Date

Opponent

Final Score

Win/ Loss

Oct. 12 @ San Diego Clippers Oct. 16 Chicago Bulls Oct. 17 @ Seattle Supersonics Oct. 19 Portland Trail Blazers Oct. 21 Seattle Supersonics Oct. 23 Utah Jazz Oct. 26 Kansas City Kings Oct. 28 Golden State Warriors Oct. 30 @ Chicago Bulls Oct. 31 @ Milwaukee Bucks RECORD AT THE END OF OCTOBER , 1979 (7–3)

103–102 105–96 110–112 82–99 106–97 102–87 116–104 97–90 111–105 106–110

W W L L W W W W W L

Nov. 2 Nov. 6 Nov. 7 @ Nov. 9

Phoenix Suns San Diego Clippers Golden State Warriors Denver Nuggets

W W L W

Nov. 11 Nov. 13 @ Nov. 15 @ Nov. 16 @

Cleveland Cavaliers San Diego Clippers Kansas City Kings Denver Nuggets

112–110 127–112 109–126 126–122 (OT) 140–126 137–91 108–114 135–128 (OT) 127–104 99–114 110–119 112–126 111–110 122–118 100–107

W L L L W W L

Dec. 2 Milwaukee Bucks Dec. 4 @ San Antonio Spurs Dec. 5 @ Houston Rockets Dec. 7 San Diego Clippers Dec. 9 Denver Nuggets Dec. 14 Detroit Pistons Dec. 16 San Antonio Spurs Dec. 18 @ Chicago Bulls Dec. 19 @ Atlanta Hawks Dec. 21 Golden State Warriors Dec. 22 @ Denver Nuggets Dec. 23 Seattle Supersonics Dec. 26 @ Kansas City Kings Dec. 27 @ Utah Jazz Dec. 28 Boston Celtics Dec. 30 Phoenix Suns RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER , 1979 (28–13)

116–103 127–121 116–114 108–116 131–118 138–122 121–119 129–118 112–119 114–108 128–130 102–97 111–118 124–116 123–105 113–105

W W W L W W W W L W L W L W W W

Jan. 2 @ Jan. 6 @ Jan. 9 @ Jan.11 @ Jan. 13 @ Jan. 15 Jan. 16 @ Jan. 18 Jan. 21 Jan. 24 @ Jan. 25 Jan. 27 Jan. 29 @

127–120 103–113 101–103 123–100 100–98 112–99 97–96 108–102 132–114 103–111 124–103 112–102 153–154 (4 OT) 107–97

W L L W W W W W W L W W L

Nov. 18 Indiana Pacers Nov. 20 @ Portland Trail Blazers Nov. 21 @ Seattle Supersonics Nov. 23 @ Phoenix Suns Nov. 25 Kansas City Kings Nov. 27 @ Utah Jazz Nov. 30 Chicago Bulls RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER , 1979 (16–9)

Indiana Pacers Milwaukee Bucks Washington Bullets Detroit Pistons Boston Celtics Utah Jazz Golden State Warriors Atlanta Hawks New York Knicks Portland Trail Blazers Philadelphia 76ers Milwaukee Bucks Cleveland Cavaliers

Jan. 31 @ Chicago Bulls RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 1980 (38–17)

W W L W

W

1980-81

260

Date

Opponent

Final Score

Feb. 5 @ Feb. 8 @

New York Knicks New Jersey Nets

Feb. 10 @ Feb. 13 Feb. 15 Feb. 17 Feb. 20 @ Feb. 22 Feb. 24 Feb. 26 Feb. 29

Philadelphia 76ers Portland Trail Blazers Kansas City Kings Washington Bullets Denver Nuggets New Jersey Nets Houston Rockets Seattle Supersonics Milwaukee Bucks

116–105 125–120 (OT) 104–105 129–103 114–100 111–107 116–103 132–110 112–100 131–108 117–126 (OT)

Win/ Loss W W L W W W W W W W L

RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 1980 (47–19) March 2 @ Phoenix Suns March 4 @ Milwaukee Bucks March 5 @ Kansas City Kings March 7 Chicago Bulls March 9 @ Portland Trail Blazers March 11 @ San Diego Clippers March 12 Portland Trail Blazers March 14 Denver Nuggets March 16 Phoenix Suns March 18 Golden State Warriors March 19 @ Phoenix Suns March 22 @ Seattle Supersonics March 23 Utah Jazz March 27 @ Utah Jazz March 28 San Diego Clippers March 30 @ Golden State Warriors FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (60–22)

115–123 127–124 117–101 101–99 121–142 123–106 102–94 132–126 128–106 113–100 108–112 97–92 101–96 97–95 126–88 95–93

L W W W L W W W W W L W W W W W

119–110 131–128 (OT) 108–105 101–127 126–101

W W

Seattle Supersonics Seattle Supersonics Seattle Supersonics Seattle Supersonics Seattle Supersonics

107–108 108–99 104–100 98–93 111–105

L W W W W

Philadelphia 76ers Philadelphia 76ers Philadelphia 76ers Philadelphia 76ers Philadelphia 76ers Philadelphia 76ers

109–102 104–107 111–101 102–105 108–103 123–107

W L W L W W

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS April 8 April 9

Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns

April 11 @ April 13 @ April 15

Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns

W L W

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS April 22 April 23 April 25 @ April 27 @ April 30

NBA FINALS May 4 May 7 May 10 @ May 11 @ May 14 May 16 @

1980-81 Date

Opponent

Final Score

Oct. 10 @ Oct. 12

Seattle Supersonics Houston Rockets

99–98 114–103

Win/ Loss W W

SIX : SCHEDULES

AND

Date

Opponent

Final Score

Oct. 15 @

Kansas City Kings

RESULTS Win/ Loss

112–107 OT Oct. 17 Phoenix Suns 116–109 Oct. 19 Golden State Warriors 125–107 Oct. 21 @ Portland Trail Blazers 103–107 Oct. 24 Seattle Supersonics 104–98 Oct. 25 @ Utah Jazz 127–99 Oct. 26 San Antonio Spurs 102–108 Oct. 28 @ San Diego Clippers 131–101 Oct. 31 Cleveland Cavaliers 107–98 RECORD AT THE END OF OCTOBER , 1980 (9–2)

W

Nov. 2 Nov. 4 Nov. 7 @ Nov. 8 @ Nov. 11 @ Nov. 12 @ Nov. 14 Nov. 16 Nov. 18 Nov. 20 @ Nov. 21 Nov. 23 Nov. 27 @ Nov. 29 @

121–123 119–118 126–102 109–112 126–97 104–107 113–100 110–102 107–94 99–102 116–88 94–110 128–119 124–123 (2 OT) 108–122

L W W L W L W W W L W L W W

Dec. 3 San Diego Clippers Dec. 6 @ Golden State Warriors Dec. 7 Utah Jazz Dec. 9 @ Dallas Mavericks Dec. 10 @ Houston Rockets Dec. 12 @ Seattle Supersonics Dec. 14 Golden State Warriors Dec. 16 @ San Diego Clippers Dec. 19 Portland Trail Blazers Dec. 21 San Antonio Spurs Dec. 23 @ Portland Trail Blazers Dec. 26 Indiana Pacers Dec. 27 @ Phoenix Suns Dec. 28 Philadelphia 76ers Dec. 30 @ Utah Jazz RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER , 1980 (26–15)

114–120 103–119 113–100 103–92 109–108 113–107 122–113 92–97 106–110 135–122 102–108 116–115 106–116 122–116 100–110

L L W W W W W L L W L W L W L

Jan. 2 @ San Antonio Spurs Jan. 6 Washington Bullets Jan. 9 Seattle Supersonics Jan. 11 Detroit Pistons Jan. 13 @ Cleveland Cavaliers Jan. 14 @ Washington Bullets Jan. 16 @ New Jersey Nets Jan. 18 @ Boston Celtics Jan. 21 Atlanta Hawks Jan. 23 Denver Nuggets Jan. 26 Portland Trail Blazers Jan. 27 Utah Jazz Jan. 29 Kansas City Kings RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 1981 (36–18)

112–118 107–98 92–87 117–108 108–104 104–114 113–111 96–98 116–106 110–105 124–112 111–104 118–104

L W W W W L W L W W W W W

Feb. 4 @ Feb. 6 @ Feb. 8 @ Feb. 11 Feb. 13 @ Feb. 15 Feb. 17 Feb. 20

102–96 111–102 99–102 91–105 114–105 107–99 96–87 107–110

W W L L W W W L

Denver Nuggets Portland Trail Blazers Dallas Mavericks San Antonio Spurs Atlanta Hawks Houston Rockets San Diego Clippers Dallas Mavericks Kansas City Kings Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns Milwaukee Bucks Golden State Warriors Denver Nuggets

Nov. 30 Chicago Bulls RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER , 1980 (18–8)

Indiana Pacers Detroit Pistons Philadelphia 76ers Boston Celtics Houston Rockets Dallas Mavericks New York Knicks Houston Rockets

W W L W W L W W

L

SIX : SCHEDULES Date

AND

RESULTS Opponent

1981-82

261 Final Score

Win/ Loss

Date

Opponent

Feb. 22 @ New York Knicks Feb. 24 @ Chicago Bulls Feb. 25 @ Milwaukee Bucks Feb. 27 New Jersey Nets RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 1981 (44–22)

96–93 107–97 108–126 107–103

W W L W

March 1 March 3 @ March 4 @ March 10 March 12 @ March 13 March 15 March 17 @ March 18 @ March 20 March 21 @ March 22 @ March 24 March 27 @ March 28 @

Phoenix Suns Kansas City Kings Denver Nuggets San Antonio Spurs San Diego Clippers Kansas City Kings San Diego Clippers Dallas Mavericks Phoenix Suns Seattle Supersonics Portland Trail Blazers Golden State Warriors Golden State Warriors Seattle Supersonics Utah Jazz

L W L W W W L W L W W W W W L

March 29

Denver Nuggets

96–101 99–98 114–123 118–104 122–116 116–101 118–122 114–109 114–126 133–119 117–111 120–118 110–103 97–90 110–112 (OT) 146–148 (OT)

Houston Rockets Houston Rockets Houston Rockets

107–111 111–106 86–89

L W L

Date

Opponent

Final Score

Oct. 30

Houston Rockets

112–113 (2 OT)

L

March 3 @ March 4 @

100–102 106–103 99–101 121–111 102–128 95–93 119–115 98–97 124–123 (2 OT) 113–110 136–116 119–117 125–110 117–96 129–138 122–104

L W L W L W W W W

March 7 @ Philadelphia 76ers March 9 Kansas City Kings March 12 Chicago Bulls March 14 Dallas Mavericks March 16 @ Portland Trail Blazers March 17 @ Utah Jazz March 19 @ Dallas Mavericks March 21 Houston Rockets March 23 Dallas Mavericks March 26 @ San Antonio Spurs March 28 @ Kansas City Kings March 30 San Diego Clippers RECORD AT THE END OF MARCH, 1982 (49–23)

117–86 96–104 126–117 119–106 102–98 124–116

W L W W W W

L

FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (54–28)

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND April 1 April 3 @ April 5

1981-82 Win/ Loss

RECORD AT THE END OF OCTOBER (0–1) Nov. 3 @ Nov. 4 @ Nov. 6 Nov. 8 Nov. 10 @ Nov. 11 @ Nov. 13 Nov. 14 @ Nov. 15

Portland Trail Blazers Seattle Supersonics Phoenix Suns Dallas Mavericks San Antonio Spurs Houston Rockets Portland Trail Blazers Phoenix Suns Indiana Pacers

Nov. 18 @ Utah Jazz Nov. 20 San Antonio Spurs Nov. 21 @ San Diego Clippers Nov. 24 @ Dallas Mavericks Nov. 25 @ San Antonio Spurs Nov. 27 San Diego Clippers Nov. 29 Houston Rockets RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER , 1981 (12–5) Dec. 1 Dec. 2 @ Dec. 4 @ Dec. 6 Dec. 8 Dec. 11

Utah Jazz Seattle Supersonics Denver Nuggets Kansas City Kings Washington Bullets Portland Trail Blazers

W W W W W L W

Final Score

Win/ Loss

Dec. 13 Golden State Warriors Dec. 17 @ Golden State Warriors Dec. 19 @ San Diego Clippers Dec. 20 Atlanta Hawks Dec. 22 @ Portland Trail Blazers Dec. 25 @ Phoenix Suns Dec. 27 San Diego Clippers Dec. 29 Utah Jazz RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER , 1981 (24–7)

122–118 115–120 106–100 112–94 124–110 104–101 139–117 121–114

W L W W W W W W

Jan. 3 Seattle Supersonics Jan. 8 @ Chicago Bulls Jan. 9 @ Detroit Pistons Jan. 10 @ Milwaukee Bucks Jan. 12 @ Cleveland Cavaliers Jan. 15 @ Indiana Pacers Jan. 17 @ Kansas City Kings Jan. 19 @ Denver Nuggets Jan. 20 New Jersey Nets Jan. 22 Detroit Pistons Jan. 26 Milwaukee Bucks Jan. 28 Phoenix Suns RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 1982 (31–12)

90–110 113–119 130–127 107–118 114–100 97–92 109–97 139–140 132–113 123–111 94–96 97–87

L L W L W W W L W W L W

Feb. 2 @ Feb. 3 Feb. 5 @ Feb. 7 @ Feb. 9 @ Feb. 10 @ Feb. 12 Feb. 14 Feb. 16 Feb. 19 Feb. 21 @ Feb. 23 Feb. 25 @ Feb. 26

117–119 94–98 90–87 119–113 130–117 102–125 94–100 103–108 108–101 126–106 132–131 145–129 104–98 116–114 (2 OT) 102–101

L L W W W L L L W W W W W W

103–111 119–129 (OT) 113–119 105–99 105–111 138–116 120–108 120–112 112–106 107–102 116–118 105–110 116–111 143–120

L L L W L W W W W W L L W W

117–100 99–109 129–111 108–97 153–128 107–104 101–106 128–115 125–109 120–115

W L W W W W L W W W

Golden State Warriors New York Knicks Washington Bullets Boston Celtics Atlanta Hawks Kansas City Kings San Antonio Spurs Boston Celtics Seattle Supersonics Golden State Warriors Denver Nuggets Denver Nuggets Seattle Supersonics Philadelphia 76ers

Feb. 28 Cleveland Cavaliers RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 1982 (41–17) New Jersey Nets New York Knicks

April 1 @ San Diego Clippers April 2 Phoenix Suns April 4 Portland Trail Blazers April 6 @ Houston Rockets April 9 Denver Nuggets April 11 Seattle Supersonics April 13 @ Golden State Warriors April 14 Utah Jazz April 16 Golden State Warriors April 18 @ Phoenix Suns FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (57–25)

W

1982-83

262

Playoffs

Date

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS April 27 April 28 April 30 @ May 2 @

Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns

115–96 117–98 114–106 112–107

W W L W

128–117 110–101 118–108 128–123

W W W W

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS May 9 May 11 May 14 @ May 15 @

San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs

NBA FINALS May 27 @ May 30 @ June 1 June 3 June 6 @ June 8

Philadelphia 76ers Philadelphia 76ers Philadelphia 76ers Philadelphia 76ers Philadelphia 76ers Philadelphia 76ers

124–117 94–110 129–108 111–101 102–135 114–104

Opponent

Final Score

W L W W L W

1982-83 Date

Win/ Loss

Oct. 29 Golden State Warriors 117–132 RECORD AT THE END OF OCTOBER , 1982 (0–1)

L

Nov. 3 @

W

Denver Nuggets

135–134 (OT) Nov. 4 Denver Nuggets 131–108 Nov. 6 @ Utah Jazz 104–101 Nov. 7 Portland Trail Blazers 103–89 Nov. 9 Kansas City Kings 139–117 Nov. 12 Houston Rockets 127–96 Nov. 14 Cleveland Cavaliers 111–98 Nov. 16 @ Phoenix Suns 105–113 Nov. 17 @ Dallas Mavericks 117–118 Nov. 19 Washington Bullets 122–92 Nov. 21 Denver Nuggets 143–129 Nov. 24 @ Seattle Supersonics 111–93 Nov. 26 @ San Diego Clippers 117–115 Nov. 28 Golden State Warriors 142–127 Nov. 30 @ San Antonio Spurs 114–117 RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER , 1982 (12–4)

W W W W W W L L W W W W W L

Dec. 1 @ Houston Rockets Dec. 3 Portland Trail Blazers Dec. 5 Philadelphia 76ers Dec. 8 Phoenix Suns Dec. 10 @ Utah Jazz Dec. 11 @ Golden State Warriors Dec. 14 @ Portland Trail Blazers Dec. 17 New Jersey Nets Dec. 18 @ Phoenix Suns Dec. 19 Dallas Mavericks Dec. 22 Utah Jazz Dec. 23 @ San Diego Clippers Dec. 26 @ Houston Rockets Dec. 29 @ Golden State Warriors Dec. 30 Seattle Supersonics RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER , 1982 (24–7)

106–95 115–100 104–114 89–86 128–122 128–107 103–107 117–106 100–126 110–108 124–100 120–115 96–94 120–110 137–117

W W L W W W L W L W W W W W W

Jan. 2 Jan. 5 @

127–112 120–122 (OT)

W L

Detroit Pistons Philadelphia 76ers

SIX : SCHEDULES

AND

Opponent

Final Score

RESULTS Win/ Loss

Jan. 6 @ Cleveland Cavaliers Jan. 8 @ New York Knicks Jan. 11 @ New Jersey Nets Jan. 15 @ Atlanta Hawks Jan. 19 San Diego Clippers Jan. 21 San Antonio Spurs Jan. 23 Indiana Pacers Jan. 25 @ Portland Trail Blazers Jan. 26 Milwaukee Bucks Jan. 28 Atlanta Hawks Jan. 30 @ Boston Celtics RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 1983 (34–10)

125–107 108–90 96–110 120–101 107–104 119–110 105–102 125–120 115–113 109–85 95–110

W W L W W W W W W W L

Feb. 2 @ Dallas Mavericks Feb. 4 N (at St. Louis) Kansas City Kings Feb. 6 Kansas City Kings Feb. 8 @ Seattle Supersonics Feb. 9 Utah Jazz Feb. 15 San Antonio Spurs Feb. 17 @ Dallas Mavericks Feb. 18 @ Kansas City Kings Feb. 20 @ Indiana Pacers Feb. 23 Boston Celtics Feb. 26 @ Utah Jazz Feb. 27 Denver Nuggets RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 1983 (40–16)

120–122 143–125 116–106 121–118 113–99 103–124 127–110 118–124 126–112 104–113 92–101 120–135

L W W W W L W L W L L L

March 1 @ Chicago Bulls March 2 @ Milwaukee Bucks March 4 @ Washington Bullets March 5 @ Detroit Pistons March 8 @ Golden State Warriors March 9 San Diego Clippers March 12 Chicago Bulls March 16 Phoenix Suns March 18 Kansas City Kings March 19 @ San Diego Clippers March 20 Dallas Mavericks March 22 Seattle Supersonics March 25 San Antonio Spurs March 27 Houston Rockets March 29 San Diego Clippers March 31 @ Denver Nuggets RECORD AT THE END OF MARCH, 1983 (53–19)

114–111 127–117 93–96 122–108 116–112 119–114 123–116 104–95 109–96 99–107 117–110 123–108 120–132 114–93 127–109 122–116

W W L W W W W W W L W W L W W W

April 1 New York Knicks April 4 @ Seattle Supersonics April 5 @ Portland Trail Blazers April 7 @ Phoenix Suns April 8 Golden State Warriors April 10 Phoenix Suns April 12 @ Houston Rockets April 13 @ San Antonio Spurs April 15 Seattle Supersonics April 17 Portland Trail Blazers FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (58–24)

102–88 111–121 101–107 117–108 118–107 95–101 114–113 109–114 100–99 108–119

W L L W W L W L W L

118–97 112–106 115–109 (OT) 95–108 116–108

W W W

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS April 24 April 26 April 29 @

Portland Trail Blazers Portland Trail Blazers Portland Trail Blazers

May 1 @ May 3

Portland Trail Blazers Portland Trail Blazers

L W

SIX : SCHEDULES

AND

RESULTS

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS May 8 May 10 May 13 @ May 15 @ May 18 May 20 @

Date

San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs

119–107 113–122 113–100 129–121 112–117 101–100

W L W W L W

Philadelphia 76ers Philadelphia 76ers Philadelphia 76ers Philadelphia 76ers

107–113 93–103 94–111 108–115

L L L L

Opponent

Final Score

NBA FINALS May 22 @ May 26 @ May 29 May 31

1983-84 Date

Oct. 28 @ Kansas City Kings Oct. 29 @ Utah Jazz RECORD AT THE END OF OCTOBER , 1983 (2–0)

Win/ Loss

117–107 120–115

W W

106–110 102–107 133–124 120–106 119–105 124–118 126–97 127–114 117–110 126–130 (OT) Nov. 23 @ Seattle Supersonics 98–106 Nov. 25 New Jersey Nets 147–123 Nov. 27 Chicago Bulls 103–100 Nov. 29 @ Golden State Warriors 111–105 RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER , 1983 (12–4)

L L W W W W W W W L

Dec. 2 Dallas Mavericks Dec. 4 San Diego Clippers Dec. 8 Kansas City Kings Dec. 11 New York Knicks Dec. 15 @ Phoenix Suns Dec. 16 San Diego Clippers Dec. 18 Portland Trail Blazers Dec. 20 @ Seattle Supersonics Dec. 22 @ Golden State Warriors Dec. 23 Golden State Warriors Dec. 25 @ Portland Trail Blazers Dec. 27 Denver Nuggets Dec. 30 Golden State Warriors RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER , 1983 (19–10)

118–133 120–99 129–106 98–109 104–114 122–109 122–115 108–102 102–109 123–116 121–141 118–116 105–116

L W W L L W W W L W L W L

Jan. 3 @ Jan. 4 @ Jan. 6 Jan. 8 Jan. 10 @

New York Knicks Cleveland Cavaliers San Antonio Spurs Houston Rockets Houston Rockets

L W L L W

Jan. 12 @ Jan. 13 @ Jan. 15 Jan. 17 Jan. 19 @ Jan. 21 @ Jan. 24

Kansas City Kings Denver Nuggets Seattle Supersonics Washington Bullets Phoenix Suns San Antonio Spurs Phoenix Suns

105–117 106–99 117–124 118–129 136–132 (OT) 95–89 141–134 91–102 108–95 123–138 108–113 116–110

Nov. 2 @ Nov. 5 @ Nov. 8 @ Nov. 9 Nov. 11 Nov. 13 Nov. 15 Nov. 17 Nov. 19 @ Nov. 22

1983-84

263

San Diego Clippers Dallas Mavericks Denver Nuggets Dallas Mavericks Phoenix Suns Utah Jazz Milwaukee Bucks Cleveland Cavaliers Portland Trail Blazers Utah Jazz

L W W W

W W L W L L W

Opponent

Final Score

Win/ Loss

Jan. 26 Houston Rockets Jan. 31 Portland Trail Blazers RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 1984 (28–16)

131–102 129–124

W W

Feb. 1 @ Denver Nuggets Feb. 3 Utah Jazz Feb. 5 @ San Antonio Spurs Feb. 7 @ Indiana Pacers Feb. 8 @ Boston Celtics Feb. 10 @ Washington Bullets Feb. 12 Atlanta Hawks Feb. 17 Denver Nuggets Feb. 18 @ San Diego Clippers Feb. 21 Seattle Supersonics Feb. 22 @ Seattle Supersonics Feb. 24 Boston Celtics Feb. 26 @ Philadelphia 76ers Feb. 28 @ Chicago Bulls Feb. 29 @ New Jersey Nets RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 1984 (38–20)

116–108 109–105 110–98 106–105 111–109 93–96 108–87 138–141 120–116 128–112 114–121 116–108 101–99 124–108 92–102

W W W W W L W L W W L W W W L

March 2 @ March 4 @ March 7 March 9 @

98–94 118–114 105–113 121–120 (OT) 114–126 114–98 143–124 123–111 99–94 123–116 118–121 114–102 115–122 115–109 119–97

W W L W

121–110 109–137 129–115 112–97 119–113 115–117 121–108 103–104 114–123

W L W W W L W L L

116–105 109–102 108–102

W W W

134–91 117–101 115–125 122–115 (OT) 115–99

W W L W

Atlanta Hawks Detroit Pistons Philadelphia 76ers Dallas Mavericks

March 10 Indiana Pacers March 13 Seattle Supersonics March 15 San Antonio Spurs March 17 @ Houston Rockets March 20 @ Milwaukee Bucks March 21 @ Kansas City Kings March 23 Detroit Pistons March 25 San Diego Clippers March 28 @ San Diego Clippers March 29 Houston Rockets March 31 @ Phoenix Suns RECORD AT THE END OF MARCH, 1984 (49–24) April 1 Golden State Warriors April 3 @ San Antonio Spurs April 5 @ Utah Jazz April 6 Kansas City Kings April 8 @ Portland Trail Blazers April 10 @ Golden State Warriors April 11 Portland Trail Blazers April 13 Dallas Mavericks April 15 Phoenix Suns FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (54–28)

L W W W W W L W L W W

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND April 18 April 20 April 22 @

Kansas City Kings Kansas City Kings Kansas City Kings

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS April 28 May 1 May 4 @ May 6 @

Dallas Mavericks Dallas Mavericks Dallas Mavericks Dallas Mavericks

May 8

Dallas Mavericks

W

1984-85

264

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS May 12 May 15 May 18 @

Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns

May 20 @ May 23 May 25 @

Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns

Date 110–94 118–102 127–135 (OT) 126–115 121–126 99–97

W W L

115–109 121–124 (OT) 137–104 125–129 (OT) 103–121 119–108 102–111

W L

W L W

NBA FINALS May 27 @ May 31 @

Boston Celtics Boston Celtics

June 3 June 6

Boston Celtics Boston Celtics

June 8 @ June 10 June 12 @

Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics

W L L W L

1984-85 Date

Opponent

Final Score

Win/ Loss

Oct. 27 @ San Antonio Spurs 112–113 Oct. 28 @ Dallas Mavericks 96–107 Oct. 30 Golden State Warriors 144–110 RECORD AT THE END OF OCTOBER , 1984 (1–2)

L L W

Nov. 1 @ Seattle Supersonics Nov. 2 San Antonio Spurs Nov. 4 Portland Trail Blazers Nov. 6 Denver Nuggets Nov. 8 @ Golden State Warriors Nov. 9 @ Portland Trail Blazers Nov. 11 New Jersey Nets Nov. 16 Kansas City Kings Nov. 18 Milwaukee Bucks Nov. 20 Phoenix Suns Nov. 21 @ Phoenix Suns Nov. 24 @ Los Angeles Clippers Nov. 25 Seattle Supersonics Nov. 28 @ Utah Jazz Nov. 30 Kansas City Kings RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER , 1984 (12–6)

103–105 119–100 124–116 130–146 106–122 130–126 121–111 128–116 96–89 130–108 102–97 108–103 94–105 114–109 130–121

L W W L L W W W W W W W L W W

Dec. 2 Dec. 4 @ Dec. 5 @ Dec. 7 @ Dec. 8 Dec. 12 Dec. 13 @

112–113 116–112 104–93 116–122 98–101 131–107 122–124 (OT) 109–101 117–116 123–116 119–105 101–97 135–123 113–107

L W W L L W L W W W W W W W

120–95 99–98 124–126 120–112 121–102

W W L W W

Chicago Bulls Cleveland Cavaliers New Jersey Nets Philadelphia 76ers Golden State Warriors Golden State Warriors Seattle Supersonics

Dec. 16 Washington Bullets Dec. 18 @ Atlanta Hawks Dec. 19 @ Houston Rockets Dec. 21 Phoenix Suns Dec. 26 Seattle Supersonics Dec. 28 @ Denver Nuggets Dec. 29 Los Angeles Clippers RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER , 1984 (22–10) Jan. 4 Jan. 6 Jan. 8 Jan. 10 Jan. 11 @

Portland Trail Blazers San Antonio Spurs Denver Nuggets Utah Jazz Dallas Mavericks

SIX : SCHEDULES

AND

Opponent

Final Score

RESULTS Win/ Loss

Jan. 13 @ Detroit Pistons Jan. 15 @ Milwaukee Bucks Jan. 16 @ Boston Celtics Jan. 18 Dallas Mavericks Jan. 19 @ Golden State Warriors Jan. 22 Los Angeles Clippers Jan. 25 Philadelphia 76ers Jan. 26 @ Utah Jazz Jan. 29 @ Portland Trail Blazers Jan. 30 Houston Rockets RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 1985 (31–16)

98–121 105–115 102–104 110–92 139–109 123–114 109–104 83–96 122–106 113–116

L L L W W W W L W L

Feb. 1 New York Knicks Feb. 2 @ Los Angeles Clippers Feb. 3 Indiana Pacers Feb. 5 @ Houston Rockets Feb. 12 Los Angeles Clippers Feb. 15 Atlanta Hawks Feb. 17 Boston Celtics Feb. 19 @ Chicago Bulls Feb. 21 @ Kansas City Kings Feb. 22 @ Indiana Pacers Feb. 24 @ New York Knicks Feb. 26 Houston Rockets Feb. 28 @ Phoenix Suns RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 1985 (42–18)

105–104 105–96 122–100 113–104 121–110 120–111 117–111 127–117 123–117 113–122 119–114 100–94 105–117

W W W W W W W W W L W W L

March 2 @ March 6 March 9 March 12 March 13 N (at Las Vegas) March 15 March 16 @ March 19 @ March 22 @ March 24 March 26 @

125–106 145–119 133–106 123–108 120–105 115–114 123–112 130–112 130–107 148–130 113–116 (OT) 122–97 120–115 123–98

W W W W W W W W W W L

118–104 108–122 132–125 135–133 (OT) April 9 Denver Nuggets 148–119 April 11 @ Golden State Warriors 137–130 April 12 Seattle Supersonics 145–131 April 14 @ Kansas City Kings 122–116 FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (62–20)

W L W W

Dallas Mavericks Golden State Warriors Cleveland Cavaliers Utah Jazz Utah Jazz San Antonio Spurs Los Angeles Clippers Phoenix Suns Houston Rockets Detroit Pistons Portland Trail Blazers

March 27 @ Seattle Supersonics March 29 Dallas Mavericks March 31 Phoenix Suns RECORD AT THE END OF MARCH, 1985 (55–19) April 2 @ April 3 @ April 5 April 7

Denver Nuggets San Antonio Spurs Kansas City Kings Portland Trail Blazers

W W W

W W W W

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND April 18 April 20 April 23 @

Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns

142–114 147–130 119–103

W W W

125–101 134–118 130–126

W W W

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS April 27 April 30 May 3 @

Portland Trail Blazers Portland Trail Blazers Portland Trail Blazers

SIX : SCHEDULES

AND

RESULTS

Date

Opponent

Final Score

May 5 @ May 7

Portland Trail Blazers Portland Trail Blazers

107–115 139–120

L W

Win/ Loss

Denver Nuggets Denver Nuggets Denver Nuggets Denver Nuggets Denver Nuggets

139–122 114–136 136–118 120–116 153–109

W L W W W

Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics

114–148 109–102 136–111 105–107 120–111 111–100

L W W L W W

Date

Opponent

Final Score

Oct. 26 @

San Antonio Spurs

121–116 (OT) 133–115 144–107

W W

120–116 111–129 116–106 128–99 119–110 114–102 127–96 138–119 122–107 120–121 130–113 118–102 108–107

W L W W W W W W W L W W W

117–113 131–127 (OT) Dec. 6 Houston Rockets 120–112 Dec. 8 Dallas Mavericks 125–119 Dec. 12 Phoenix Suns 127–102 Dec. 13 @ Denver Nuggets 120–124 Dec. 15 Detroit Pistons 132–119 Dec. 17 @ New York Knicks 105–99 Dec. 18 @ Milwaukee Bucks 107–105 Dec. 20 @ Cleveland Cavaliers 128–116 Dec. 21 @ Washington Bullets 96–84 Dec. 26 @ San Antonio Spurs 91–109 Dec. 28 @ Sacramento Kings 133–111 Dec. 29 Golden State Warriors 122–130 RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER , 1985 (25–5)

W W

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS May 11 May 14 May 17 @ May 19 @ May 22

NBA FINALS May 27 @ May 30 @ June 2 June 5 June 7 June 9 @

1985-86

Oct. 29 @ Dallas Mavericks Oct. 31 @ Phoenix Suns RECORD AT THE END OF OCTOBER , 1985 (3–0) Nov. 2 @ Golden State Warriors Nov. 5 Cleveland Cavaliers Nov. 7 @ Utah Jazz Nov. 8 Denver Nuggets Nov. 12 Utah Jazz Nov. 14 Portland Trail Blazers Nov. 15 @ Los Angeles Clippers Nov. 17 New Jersey Nets Nov. 20 Los Angeles Clippers Nov. 21 @ Denver Nuggets Nov. 23 @ Portland Trail Blazers Nov. 24 San Antonio Spurs Nov. 29 Seattle Supersonics RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER , 1985 (14–2) Dec. 1 Dec. 4 @

Jan. 3 Jan. 5 Jan. 8 Jan. 10 Jan. 11 @

Chicago Bulls Utah Jazz

Utah Jazz Washington Bullets Portland Trail Blazers Indiana Pacers Seattle Supersonics

1985-86

265

110–101 118–88 125–121 124–102 99–105

Win/ Loss W

W W W L W W W W W L W L W W W W L

Date

Opponent

Final Score

Win/ Loss

Jan. 14 Phoenix Suns Jan. 16 Los Angeles Clippers Jan. 19 @ Detroit Pistons Jan. 20 @ Chicago Bulls Jan. 22 @ Boston Celtics Jan. 24 @ Los Angeles Clippers Jan. 25 Denver Nuggets Jan. 28 Milwaukee Bucks Jan. 30 @ Portland Trail Blazers Jan. 31 Philadelphia 76ers RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 1986 (35–10)

143–122 112–96 115–118 133–118 95–110 109–120 115–127 125–115 118–94 134–100

W W L W L L L W W W

Feb. 2 Feb. 4 Feb. 6 @ Feb. 11 @ Feb. 12 @ Feb. 14 Feb. 16 Feb. 19 @ Feb. 21 @ Feb. 23 @

96–103 110–102 117–95 113–137 126–100 141–117 99–105 90–81 106–121 117–111 (OT) 93–102 119–116 115–102

L W W L W W L W L W

106–123 127–117 130–84 112–111 122–121 (2 OT) March 9 @ Seattle Supersonics 108–106 March 11 Los Angeles Clippers 129–108 March 13 Seattle Supersonics 105–92 March 16 Houston Rockets 116–111 March 18 Portland Trail Blazers 128–122 March 19 @ Los Angeles Clippers 114–115 March 21 @ San Antonio Spurs 117–109 March 22 @ Sacramento Kings 115–113 March 24 San Antonio Spurs 124–102 March 25 @ Denver Nuggets 121–115 March 29 @ Seattle Supersonics 87–88 March 30 Golden State Warriors 124–117 RECORD AT THE END OF MARCH, 1986 (57–18)

L W W W W

New York Knicks Dallas Mavericks Houston Rockets Golden State Warriors Phoenix Suns Atlanta Hawks Boston Celtics Indiana Pacers New Jersey Nets Philadelphia 76ers

Feb. 24 @ Atlanta Hawks Feb. 26 @ Dallas Mavericks Feb. 28 Phoenix Suns RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 1986 (43–15) March 1 @ March 3 March 5 March 6 @ March 8

Phoenix Suns Golden State Warriors Utah Jazz Golden State Warriors Sacramento Kings

April 1 Seattle Supersonics April 3 Sacramento Kings April 6 @ Houston Rockets April 8 @ Portland Trail Blazers April 10 Houston Rockets April 12 @ Sacramento Kings April 13 Dallas Mavericks FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (62–20)

L W W

W W W W W L W W W W L W

109–104 135–105 103–109 120–114 117–113 105–92 104–127

W W L W W W L

135–88 122–94 114–94

W W W

130–116 117–113

W W

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND April 17 April 19 April 23 @

San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS April 27 April 30

Dallas Mavericks Dallas Mavericks

1986-87

266

Date

Opponent

Final Score

Win/ Loss

May 2 @ May 4 @ May 6 May 8 @

Dallas Mavericks Dallas Mavericks Dallas Mavericks Dallas Mavericks

108–110 118–120 116–113 120–107

L L W W

Houston Rockets Houston Rockets Houston Rockets Houston Rockets Houston Rockets

119–107 102–112 109–117 95–105 112–114

W L L L L

Opponent

Final Score

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS May 10 May 13 May 16 @ May 18 @ May 21

1986-87 Date

Win/ Loss

Nov. 1 @ Houston Rockets Nov. 4 @ Seattle Supersonics Nov. 7 Denver Nuggets Nov. 9 New York Knicks Nov. 12 Seattle Supersonics Nov. 16 Sacramento Kings Nov. 18 @ Dallas Mavericks Nov. 19 @ San Antonio Spurs Nov. 21 New Jersey Nets Nov. 23 Milwaukee Bucks Nov. 25 Atlanta Hawks Nov. 26 @ Los Angeles Clippers Nov. 28 Chicago Bulls Nov. 30 Los Angeles Clippers RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER , 1986 (12–2)

102–112 110–96 138–116 111–88 122–97 113–111 114–110 117–108 111–95 127–117 107–113 126–92 110–103 137–115

L W W W W W W W W W L W W W

Dec. 4 @ Dec. 5 Dec. 7 Dec. 9 @ Dec. 10 @ Dec. 12 @ Dec. 13 @ Dec. 16 @ Dec. 18 Dec. 20 @ Dec. 21 @ Dec. 23 @

106–116 112–104 132–100 113–87 93–116 117–110 114–119 121–116 131–115 119–130 103–96 127–117 (OT) 134–111 111–85

L W W W L W L W W L W W

140–104 155–118 121–113 147–109 101–107 109–124 111–109 129–109 115–101 126–115 112–109 118–108 117–132 107–100 101–125 114–102

W W W W L L W W W W W W L W L W

Golden State Warriors Dallas Mavericks Golden State Warriors New York Knicks Milwaukee Bucks Boston Celtics Detroit Pistons Cleveland Cavaliers Portland Trail Blazers Dallas Mavericks Houston Rockets Sacramento Kings

Dec. 26 Houston Rockets Dec. 28 Philadelphia 76ers RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER , 1986 (22–6) Jan. 1 @ Portland Trail Blazers Jan. 2 Phoenix Suns Jan. 4 Utah Jazz Jan. 7 Denver Nuggets Jan. 8 @ Utah Jazz Jan. 10 @ Golden State Warriors Jan. 11 San Antonio Spurs Jan. 15 Golden State Warriors Jan. 18 @ Washington Bullets Jan. 19 @ New Jersey Nets Jan. 21 @ Atlanta Hawks Jan. 22 @ Indiana Pacers Jan. 24 @ Dallas Mavericks Jan. 27 Portland Trail Blazers Jan. 28 @ Seattle Supersonics Jan. 30 @ Phoenix Suns RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 1987 (34–10)

W W

SIX : SCHEDULES

AND

Date

Opponent

Final Score

Feb. 2 Feb. 4 Feb. 5 @ Feb. 10 @ Feb. 13 Feb. 15 Feb. 17 Feb. 18 @ Feb. 20 @ Feb. 22 @

Dallas Mavericks Sacramento Kings Portland Trail Blazers Sacramento Kings Indiana Pacers Boston Celtics Washington Bullets Denver Nuggets Chicago Bulls Philadelphia 76ers

RESULTS Win/ Loss

99–103 128–92 104–105 114–98 113–108 106–103 99–114 128–122 110–100 112–110 (OT) Feb. 24 @ Phoenix Suns 97–93 Feb. 25 Phoenix Suns 99–91 Feb. 27 Golden State Warriors 121–109 Feb. 28 @ Utah Jazz 100–107 RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 1987 (44–14)

L W L W W W L W W W

March 3 @ Golden State Warriors March 4 Seattle Supersonics March 7 Cleveland Cavaliers March 9 @ Los Angeles Clippers March 10 Denver Nuggets March 12 Portland Trail Blazers March 15 Los Angeles Clippers March 18 Utah Jazz March 20 San Antonio Spurs March 22 Sacramento Kings March 24 @ Phoenix Suns March 26 Detroit Pistons March 28 @ Houston Rockets March 31 Houston Rockets RECORD AT THE END OF MARCH, 1987 (57–15)

114–109 138–124 122–118 136–114 143–107 125–116 115–101 111–97 147–115 129–121 93–108 128–111 123–109 111–96

W W W W W W W W W W L W W W

April 2 @ Seattle Supersonics April 3 @ Portland Trail Blazers April 5 @ Denver Nuggets April 6 Los Angeles Clippers April 9 @ Los Angeles Clippers April 10 San Antonio Spurs April 12 Phoenix Suns April 16 @ Utah Jazz April 17 @ San Antonio Spurs April 19 Seattle Supersonics FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (65–17)

117–114 127–121 126–118 135–112 118–100 131–121 119–104 110–97 103–115 104–110

W W W W W W W W L L

128–95 139–127 140–103

W W W

125–116 116–101 133–108 121–129 118–106

W W W L W

92–87 112–104 122–121 133–102

W W W W

W W W L

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND April 23 April 25 April 29 @

Denver Nuggets Denver Nuggets Denver Nuggets

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS May 5 May 7 May 9 @ May 10 @ May 12

Golden State Warriors Golden State Warriors Golden State Warriors Golden State Warriors Golden State Warriors

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS May 16 May 19 May 23 @ May 25 @

Seattle Supersonics Seattle Supersonics Seattle Supersonics Seattle Supersonics

SIX : SCHEDULES

AND

RESULTS

NBA FINALS June 2 June 4 June 7 @ June 9 @ June 11 @ June 14

Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics

126–113 141–122 103–109 107–106 108–123 106–93

W W L W L W

Date

Opponent

Final Score

Nov. 6 Nov. 8 Nov. 10 @ Nov. 12 Nov. 14 @ Nov. 15 Nov. 17 Nov. 20 Nov. 22

Seattle Supersonics Houston Rockets San Antonio Spurs Los Angeles Clippers Golden State Warriors San Antonio Spurs Portland Trail Blazers Dallas Mavericks Milwaukee Bucks

113–109 101–92 133–124 111–82 118–110 147–130 142–115 119–116 116–124 (OT) 85–103 127–119

W W W W W W W W L

125–120 (OT) Dec. 2 Portland Trail Blazers 104–117 Dec. 4 @ Milwaukee Bucks 83–85 Dec. 5 @ Cleveland Cavaliers 95–97 Dec. 8 @ New Jersey Nets 98–81 Dec. 9 @ Washington Bullets 112–120 (OT) Dec. 11 @ Boston Celtics 115–114 Dec. 13 Cleveland Cavaliers 90–89 Dec. 15 Phoenix Suns 122–97 Dec. 17 @ Golden State Warriors 113–106 Dec. 19 @ Los Angeles Clippers 108–97 Dec. 20 Seattle Supersonics 103–94 Dec. 23 Sacramento Kings 117–103 Dec. 26 @ Utah Jazz 117–109 Dec. 29 Philadelphia 76ers 131–115 RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER , 1987 (20–6)

W

1987-88

Nov. 24 @ Seattle Supersonics Nov. 27 Denver Nuggets RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER , 1987 (9–2) Dec. 1 @

Jan. 3 @ Jan. 4 Jan. 6 Jan. 8 @ Jan. 9 @ Jan. 12 Jan. 13 @

Sacramento Kings

Portland Trail Blazers San Antonio Spurs Dallas Mavericks Detroit Pistons Indiana Pacers Golden State Warriors Los Angeles Clippers

Jan. 16 @ Phoenix Suns Jan. 18 Houston Rockets Jan. 21 @ Denver Nuggets Jan. 22 New York Knicks Jan. 24 @ Seattle Supersonics Jan. 26 Utah Jazz Jan. 28 @ Sacramento Kings Jan. 29 Atlanta Hawks RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 1988 (33–8) Feb. 2 Feb. 4 @ Feb. 9 Feb. 11 @ Feb. 12 @

Chicago Bulls Los Angeles Clippers Indiana Pacers Denver Nuggets San Antonio Spurs

1987-88

267

Win/ Loss

L W

L L L W L W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W L

Date

Opponent

Final Score

Feb. 14 Feb. 16 Feb. 18 @ Feb. 19 @

Boston Celtics Los Angeles Clippers Houston Rockets Atlanta Hawks

115–106 119–100 111–96 126–119 (OT) 117–110 111–100 112–105 111–97

W W W W

March 1 @ Seattle Supersonics March 4 Golden State Warriors March 6 @ Dallas Mavericks March 7 @ Philadelphia 76ers March 9 @ New York Knicks March 10 @ Chicago Bulls March 12 Dallas Mavericks March 14 New Jersey Nets March 15 @ Portland Trail Blazers March 19 @ Phoenix Suns March 20 @ Golden State Warriors March 22 Houston Rockets March 25 Denver Nuggets March 26 @ Sacramento Kings March 29 Utah Jazz RECORD AT THE END OF MARCH, 1988 (53–16)

100–114 120–107 108–97 110–104 104–99 107–128 101–110 115–105 95–112 95–102 130–127 117–95 119–120 92–114 122–111

L W W W W L L W L L W W L L W

April 2 @ Utah Jazz April 3 Sacramento Kings April 5 Seattle Supersonics April 8 Los Angeles Clippers April 9 @ Portland Trail Blazers April 12 Portland Trail Blazers April 13 @ Denver Nuggets April 15 Phoenix Suns April 17 @ Houston Rockets April 19 @ San Antonio Spurs April 20 @ Dallas Mavericks April 22 @ Phoenix Suns April 24 Golden State Warriors FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (62–20)

92–106 108–104 94–90 126–107 109–119 109–103 106–120 117–114 119–127 133–126 114–107 117–112 136–100

L W W W L W L W L W W W W

122–110 130–112 109–107

W W W

110–91 97–101 89–96 113–100 111–109 80–108 109–98

W L L W W L W

113–98 123–101 94–106 104–118 119–102

W W L L W

Feb. 21 Detroit Pistons Feb. 23 Washington Bullets Feb. 26 Utah Jazz Feb. 28 Phoenix Suns RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 1988 (45–9)

Win/ Loss W W W W

Playoffs

98–81 133–115 103–89 106–104 101–98 117–113 109–110 (OT) 107–96 121–110 113–115 113–112 116–109 111–100 115–94 117–107

W W L W W W W W

May 8 May 10 May 13 @ May 15 @ May 17 May 19 @ May 21

110–101 117–86 108–110 120–108 133–132

W W L W W

May 23 May 25 May 27 @ May 29 @ May 31

WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND April 29 May 1 May 3 @

San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS Utah Jazz Utah Jazz Utah Jazz Utah Jazz Utah Jazz Utah Jazz Utah Jazz

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS Dallas Mavericks Dallas Mavericks Dallas Mavericks Dallas Mavericks Dallas Mavericks

1988-89

268

Date

Opponent

Final Score

Win/ Loss

June 2 @ June 4

Dallas Mavericks Dallas Mavericks

103–105 117–102

L W

Detroit Pistons Detroit Pistons Detroit Pistons Detroit Pistons Detroit Pistons Detroit Pistons Detroit Pistons

93–105 108–96 99–86 86–111 94–104 103–102 108–105

L W W L L W W

Date

Opponent

Final Score

Nov. 4 @ Nov. 5 @ Nov. 8 @ Nov. 9 Nov. 11 Nov. 15 @

Dallas Mavericks San Antonio Spurs Golden State Warriors Denver Nuggets Seattle Supersonics Denver Nuggets

116–113 107–122 114–102 128–110 114–103 148–146 (2 OT) 98–101 106–105 110–98 138–91 99–102 109–104 110–106

NBA FINALS June 7 June 9 June 12 @ June 14 @ June 16 @ June 19 June 21

1988-89

Nov. 17 @ Seattle Supersonics Nov. 18 Portland Trail Blazers Nov. 22 @ New York Knicks Nov. 23 @ Miami Heat Nov. 26 @ Detroit Pistons Nov. 28 @ Philadelphia 76ers Nov. 30 Seattle Supersonics RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER , 1988 (10–3) Dec. 2 Dec. 4

Utah Jazz Washington Bullets

Dec. 6 @ Dec. 7 Dec. 10 @ Dec. 11 @ Dec. 13 @ Dec. 14 @

Los Angeles Clippers Phoenix Suns Indiana Pacers Milwaukee Bucks Cleveland Cavaliers New Jersey Nets

Dec. 16 @ Boston Celtics Dec. 18 @ Washington Bullets Dec. 20 @ Chicago Bulls Dec. 23 Sacramento Kings Dec. 25 @ Utah Jazz Dec. 26 @ Phoenix Suns Dec. 28 Philadelphia 76ers Dec. 30 Los Angeles Clippers RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER , 1988 (19–10) Jan. 3 @ Jan. 4 Jan. 6 Jan. 8 Jan. 10 @ Jan. 13 Jan. 15 @ Jan. 16 Jan. 18 Jan. 20 Jan. 24 Jan. 27

Seattle Supersonics Portland Trail Blazers Miami Heat San Antonio Spurs Sacramento Kings Cleveland Cavaliers Los Angeles Clippers Houston Rockets Los Angeles Clippers Dallas Mavericks New York Knicks Charlotte Hornets

Win/ Loss W L W W W W L W W W L W W

113–92 119–112 (OT) 111–102 125–111 112–105 94–95 111–102 113–118 (OT) 96–110 110–115 103–116 120–102 87–101 96–111 128–123 124–109

W W

L L L W L L W W

106–116 133–120 118–86 126–96 97–106 116–95 116–95 124–113 111–90 115–99 117–122 114–97

L W W W L W W W W W L W

W W W L W L

Date

SIX : SCHEDULES

AND

Opponent

Final Score

RESULTS Win/ Loss

Jan. 29 @ Dallas Mavericks Jan. 31 @ Houston Rockets RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 1989 (30–13)

118–93 125–114

W W

Feb. 1 @ Phoenix Suns Feb. 3 Portland Trail Blazers Feb. 5 New Jersey Nets Feb. 8 Golden State Warriors Feb. 14 Detroit Pistons Feb. 16 @ Portland Trail Blazers Feb. 19 Boston Celtics Feb. 20 @ Sacramento Kings Feb. 22 @ Utah Jazz Feb. 24 Sacramento Kings Feb. 26 Phoenix Suns RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 1989 (37–17)

97–114 140–129 134–116 118–121 103–111 110–101 119–110 100–97 79–105 115–103 134–122

L W W L L W W W L W W

March 1 Golden State Warriors March 3 Indiana Pacers March 5 @ Houston Rockets March 7 @ Atlanta Hawks March 8 @ Miami Heat March 10 @ Charlotte Hornets March 12 @ Golden State Warriors March 13 Houston Rockets March 17 Dallas Mavericks March 19 Atlanta Hawks March 21 Chicago Bulls March 23 @ Sacramento Kings March 26 Phoenix Suns March 28 @ Phoenix Suns March 30 San Antonio Spurs RECORD AT THE END OF MARCH, 1989 (48–21)

142–121 139–117 83–88 106–97 127–87 123–90 126–115 97–96 106–103 111–113 103–104 115–92 118–116 104–127 138–98

W W L W W W W W W L L W W L W

April 1 @

Denver Nuggets

108–114 (OT) April 2 Milwaukee Bucks 118–117 April 4 @ Seattle Supersonics 115–97 April 7 Utah Jazz 97–99 April 8 @ Golden State Warriors 116–122 April 10 Los Angeles Clippers 133–116 April 12 @ San Antonio Spurs 107–100 April 15 @ Los Angeles Clippers 107–119 April 16 Miami Heat 121–108 April 18 Denver Nuggets 142–118 April 20 Sacramento Kings 118–115 April 21 @ Portland Trail Blazers 121–114 April 23 Seattle Supersonics 121–117 FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (57–25)

L W W L L W W L W W W W W

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND April 27 April 30 May 3 @

Portland Trail Blazers Portland Trail Blazers Portland Trail Blazers

128–108 113–105 116–108

W W W

113–102 130–108 91–86 97–95

W W W W

127–119 101–95

W W

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS May 7 May 10 May 12 @ May 14 @

Seattle Supersonics Seattle Supersonics Seattle Supersonics Seattle Supersonics

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS May 20 May 23

Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns

SIX : SCHEDULES

AND

RESULTS

Date

Opponent

Final Score

May 26 @ May 28 @

Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns

110–107 122–117

W W

Win/ Loss

Detroit Pistons Detroit Pistons Detroit Pistons Detroit Pistons

97–109 105–108 110–114 97–105

L L L L

NBA FINALS June 6 @ June 8 @ June 11 June 13

1989-90 Date

Opponent

Final Score

Win/ Loss

Nov. 3 @ Dallas Mavericks Nov. 4 @ San Antonio Spurs Nov. 7 Phoenix Suns Nov. 9 @ Golden State Warriors Nov. 10 Charlotte Hornets Nov. 12 Dallas Mavericks Nov. 15 Indiana Pacers Nov. 17 Denver Nuggets Nov. 19 Washington Bullets Nov. 25 @ Utah Jazz Nov. 26 San Antonio Spurs Nov. 28 @ Houston Rockets Nov. 30 @ Sacramento Kings RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER , 1989 (11–2)

102–94 98–106 111–107 106–95 106–100 107–98 117–94 119–105 120–115 92–86 132–112 104–110 109–93

W L W W W W W W W W W L W

Dec. 1 Dec. 3 Dec. 5 Dec. 7 Dec. 9 @ Dec. 10 @ Dec. 12 @ Dec. 13 @ Dec. 15 @ Dec. 16 @ Dec. 19 @ Dec. 20 @

Detroit Pistons New York Knicks Los Angeles Clippers Phoenix Suns Washington Bullets Orlando Magic Charlotte Hornets Miami Heat Boston Celtics New Jersey Nets Chicago Bulls Minnesota Timberwolves Dec. 26 Sacramento Kings Dec. 29 Golden State Warriors RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER , 1989 (21–6)

97–108 115–104 111–103 100–96 101–103 103–108 103–89 102–75 119–110 99–92 83–93 106–97

L W W W L L W W W W L W

104–102 130–111

W W

Jan. 3 Denver Nuggets Jan. 6 @ Golden State Warriors Jan. 7 Miami Heat Jan. 9 @ Phoenix Suns Jan. 10 Orlando Magic Jan. 12 Houston Rockets Jan. 15 Sacramento Kings Jan. 17 Seattle Sonics Jan. 19 @ Milwaukee Bucks Jan. 21 @ Detroit Pistons Jan. 23 @ New York Knicks Jan. 24 @ Indiana Pacers Jan. 26 Milwaukee Bucks Jan. 29 San Antonio Spurs Jan. 30 @ Los Angeles Clippers RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 1990 (31–11)

114–98 131–133 132–93 118–121 121–106 107–98 111–91 100–90 102–103 107–97 118–97 120–111 100–91 84–86 104–121

W L W L W W W W L W W W W L L

Feb. 2 Feb. 4 Feb. 6 @ Feb. 7

112–106 121–105 121–119 121–103

W W W W

Atlanta Hawks New Jersey Nets Portland Trail Blazers Chicago Bulls

1989-90

269 Date

Opponent

Final Score

Win/ Loss

Feb. 14 Portland Trail Blazers Feb. 15 @ Sacramento Kings Feb. 18 Boston Celtics Feb. 20 @ San Antonio Spurs Feb. 21 @ Denver Nuggets Feb. 23 Philadelphia 76ers Feb. 25 Utah Jazz Feb. 28 @ Seattle Sonics RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 1990 (41–13)

128–132 101–92 116–110 115–114 113–111 122–116 103–104 112–107

L W W W W W L W

March 2 March 4

124–93 115–96

W W

95–112 103–91 131–115 123–115 107–102 110–116 96–112 101–99

L W W W W L L W

109–97 110–102 116–94 111–130 106–99 135–106

W W W L W W

119–103 110–103 103–99 116–109 113–106 104–107 131–119 113–102 102–101 113–89

W W W W W L W W W W

125–115 88–130

W L

101–89 104–100 108–114 109–88

W W L W

102–104 124–100 103–117 101–114 103–106

L W L L L

Cleveland Cavaliers Minnesota Timberwolves March 6 @ Houston Rockets March 7 @ Dallas Mavericks March 9 Golden State Warriors March 11 @ Atlanta Hawks March 12 @ Charlotte Hornets March 14 @ Philadelphia 76ers March 15 @ Cleveland Cavaliers March 17 @ Minnesota Timberwolves March 20 Charlotte Hornets March 23 Los Angeles Clippers March 25 Seattle Sonics March 27 @ Portland Trail Blazers March 28 @ Los Angeles Clippers March 30 Portland Trail Blazers RECORD AT THE END OF MARCH, 1990 (53–17) April 1 April 5 April 6 @ April 8 @ April 9 April 12 @ April 13 April 15 April 17 @ April 19

Utah Jazz Sacramento Kings Phoenix Suns Denver Nuggets Dallas Mavericks Utah Jazz Golden State Warriors Houston Rockets Seattle Sonics Minnesota Timberwolves April 21 @ Los Angeles Clippers April 22 @ Portland Trail Blazers FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (63–19)

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND April 27 April 29 May 1 @ May 3 @

Houston Rockets Houston Rockets Houston Rockets Houston Rockets

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS May 8 May 10 May 12 @ May 13 @ May 15

Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns

1990-91

270

1990-91 Date

Date Opponent

Final Score

Win/ Loss

Nov. 3 @ San Antonio Spurs Nov. 6 Portland Trail Blazers Nov. 9 Sacramento Kings Nov. 11 New York Knicks Nov. 13 Phoenix Suns Nov. 15 @ Houston Rockets Nov. 16 @ Dallas Mavericks Nov. 18 Golden State Warriors Nov. 19 @ Denver Nuggets Nov. 21 Denver Nuggets Nov. 24 Orlando Magic Nov. 28 San Antonio Spurs RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER , 1990 (7–5)

99–110 123–125 100–86 103–109 111–112 108–103 86–99 115–93 122–105 141–121 115–89 97–80

L L W L L W L W W W W W

Dec. 1 @ Dec. 4 Dec. 6 @

108–98 114–90 83–73

W W W

79–101 106–99 97–112 111–109 115–112 100–97 74–84 103–114 118–94

L W L W W W L L W

108–99 115–107

W W

Jan. 3 @ Portland Trail Blazers Jan. 4 @ Golden State Warriors Jan. 6 Golden State Warriors Jan. 8 @ Seattle Sonics Jan. 9 Utah Jazz Jan. 11 Cleveland Cavaliers Jan. 13 Houston Rockets Jan. 15 Charlotte Hornets Jan. 17 @ Sacramento Kings Jan. 18 Seattle Sonics Jan. 21 @ Indiana Pacers Jan. 22 @ Orlando Magic Jan. 24 @ Charlotte Hornets Jan. 25 @ New Jersey Nets Jan. 27 @ Boston Celtics Jan. 29 New Jersey Nets Jan. 31 Atlanta Hawks RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 1991 (32–11)

108–104 99–115 135–108 88–96 108–85 105–93 116–97 128–103 93–78 105–96 120–114 116–96 113–93 108–103 104–87 110–89 116–103

W L W L W W W W W W W W W W W W W

Feb. 1 @ Feb. 3 Feb. 5 Feb. 12 @ Feb. 13

106–92 99–86 116–102 95–99 120–106

W W W L W

85–98 106–96 112–103 106–92 102–111 102–96 90–92 121–108

L W W W L W L W

Phoenix Suns Detroit Pistons Minnesota Timberwolves Dec. 7 @ Utah Jazz Dec. 9 Washington Bullets Dec. 12 Dallas Mavericks Dec. 15 @ Golden State Warriors Dec. 16 Indiana Pacers Dec. 18 @ New York Knicks Dec. 19 @ Cleveland Cavaliers Dec. 21 @ Chicago Bulls Dec. 23 Minnesota Timberwolves Dec. 26 @ Los Angeles Clippers Dec. 30 Philadelphia 76ers RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER , 1990 (17–9)

Los Angeles Clippers Chicago Bulls Los Angeles Clippers Phoenix Suns Minnesota Timberwolves Feb. 15 Boston Celtics Feb. 17 Portland Trail Blazers Feb. 19 @ Houston Rockets Feb. 21 @ Dallas Mavericks Feb. 22 @ Atlanta Hawks Feb. 24 @ Detroit Pistons Feb. 25 @ Philadelphia 76ers Feb. 28 @ Denver Nuggets RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 1991 (41–15)

SIX : SCHEDULES

AND

Opponent

Final Score

March 1 March 3 March 5 @

Orlando Magic Houston Rockets Minnesota Timberwolves March 7 @ Milwaukee Bucks March 9 @ Washington Bullets March 10 @ Orlando Magic March 12 @ Miami Heat March 15 Denver Nuggets March 17 San Antonio Spurs March 19 Los Angeles Clippers March 20 @ Seattle Sonics March 22 Milwaukee Bucks March 24 Seattle Sonics March 25 @ Sacramento Kings March 29 Portland Trail Blazers March 31 Sacramento Kings RECORD AT THE END OF MARCH, 1991 (51–21)

RESULTS Win/ Loss

115–101 95–104 85–94

W L L

94–99 87–72 115–101 102–95 127–117 98–91 119–105 106–114 92–99 113–96 99–89 105–109 115–87

L W W W W W W L L W W L W

122–115 102–98 108–87 93–85 110–95 113–118 112–106 111–118 93–107 103–100

W W W W W L W L L W

94–92 109–98 94–90

W W W

126–116 124–125 115–112 123–107 124–119

W L W W W

Portland Trail Blazers Portland Trail Blazers Portland Trail Blazers Portland Trail Blazers Portland Trail Blazers Portland Trail Blazers

111–106 98–109 106–92 116–95 84–95 91–90

W L W W L W

Chicago Bulls Chicago Bulls Chicago Bulls Chicago Bulls Chicago Bulls

93–91 86–107 96–104 82–97 101–108

W L L L L

April 2 @ San Antonio Spurs April 4 @ Phoenix Suns April 5 Miami Heat April 7 Phoenix Suns April 11 Utah Jazz April 13 @ Portland Trail Blazers April 15 Dallas Mavericks April 17 @ Golden State Warriors April 20 @ Utah Jazz April 21 Seattle Sonics FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (58–24)

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND April 25 April 27 April 30 @

Houston Rockets Houston Rockets Houston Rockets

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS May 5 May 8 May 10 @ May 12 @ May 14

Golden State Warriors Golden State Warriors Golden State Warriors Golden State Warriors Golden State Warriors

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS May 18 @ May 21 @ May 24 May 26 May 28 @ May 30

NBA FINALS June 2 @ June 5 @ June 7 June 9 June 12

SIX : SCHEDULES

AND

RESULTS

1991-92 Date

1991-92; 1992-93

271 Date

Opponent

Nov. 1 @ Nov. 2 @ Nov. 5 Nov. 8 @ Nov. 10

Final Score

Win/ Loss

Houston Rockets Dallas Mavericks Los Angeles Clippers Phoenix Suns Minnesota Timberwolves Nov. 14 @ Golden State Warriors Nov. 15 Houston Rockets Nov. 17 Atlanta Hawks Nov. 19 Phoenix Suns Nov. 22 San Antonio Spurs Nov. 24 Milwaukee Bucks Nov. 26 @ Orlando Magic Nov. 27 @ Miami Heat Nov. 29 @ Boston Celtics Nov. 30 @ Philadelphia 76ers RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER , 1991 (11–4)

121–126 114–113 109–114 85–113 96–86

L W L L W

115–112 86–74 111–89 103–95 98–96 102–97 96–87 89–87 91–114 93–91

W W W W W W W W L W

Dec. 3 @ Dec. 4 @ Dec. 6 @ Dec. 8 Dec. 10 @ Dec. 11 Dec. 15 Dec. 17 @ Dec. 19 @

Milwaukee Bucks Charlotte Hornets New Jersey Nets Dallas Mavericks Sacramento Kings Utah Jazz Sacramento Kings Chicago Bulls Minnesota Timberwolves Dec. 20 @ Detroit Pistons Dec. 22 Phoenix Suns Dec. 25 @ Los Angeles Clippers Dec. 28 Portland Trail Blazers Dec. 30 Golden State Warriors RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER , 1991 (17–12)

94–126 106–124 98–89 103–88 92–90 95–101 110–94 102–89 85–93

L L W W W L W W L

93–112 88–100 85–75 88–98 99–114

L L W L L

Jan. 3 Indiana Pacers Jan. 5 Miami Heat Jan. 7 @ Dallas Mavericks Jan. 8 @ San Antonio Spurs Jan. 10 Denver Nuggets Jan. 12 Orlando Magic Jan. 15 Charlotte Hornets Jan. 18 @ Seattle Sonics Jan. 20 Seattle Sonics Jan. 21 @ Portland Trail Blazers Jan. 23 @ Sacramento Kings Jan. 24 Sacramento Kings Jan. 29 Golden State Warriors Jan. 30 @ Denver Nuggets RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 1992 (27–16)

87–114 123–111 104–80 87–103 102–88 112–99 95–93 108–112 116–110 92–131 108–105 95–92 112–99 106–96

L W W L W W W L W L W W W W

Feb. 2 Feb. 3 @ Feb. 5 Feb. 11 @

97–103 104–113 100–95 116–108

L L W W

91–97 92–108 107–114 100–116 94–125 103–105 124–126 81–68 90–101

L L L L L L L W L

Chicago Bulls Phoenix Suns Los Angeles Clippers Minnesota Timberwolves Feb. 13 @ Utah Jazz Feb. 14 Washington Bullets Feb. 16 Boston Celtics Feb. 17 @ Golden State Warriors Feb. 19 @ Los Angeles Clippers Feb. 20 @ Seattle Sonics Feb. 22 Golden State Warriors Feb. 26 New York Knicks Feb. 28 Cleveland Cavaliers RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 1992 (30–26)

Opponent

March 1 March 3 @ March 4 March 8 March 10 @ March 11 @ March 13 @ March 14 @ March 16 @ March 18 March 20

Final Score

Win/ Loss

Houston Rockets Portland Trail Blazers New Jersey Nets Detroit Pistons New York Knicks Atlanta Hawks Cleveland Cavaliers Washington Bullets Indiana Pacers Portland Trail Blazers Minnesota Timberwolves March 26 Dallas Mavericks March 27 @ Utah Jazz March 29 Philadelphia 76ers March 31 @ Houston Rockets RECORD AT THE END OF MARCH, 1992 (39–32)

97–105 101–105 101–92 93–98 106–104 109–98 107–109 92–89 85–98 93–98 131–121

L L W L W W L W L L W

115–92 103–92 117–88 107–101

W W W W

April 1 @ San Antonio Spurs April 3 Seattle Sonics April 5 Phoenix Suns April 7 @ Seattle Sonics April 9 San Antonio Spurs April 11 Utah Jazz April 13 Denver Nuggets April 15 @ Denver Nuggets April 16 @ Sacramento Kings April 18 @ Portland Trail Blazers April 19 Los Angeles Clippers FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (43–39)

86–104 91–96 109–104 88–117 94–102 90–93 100–93 107–110 94–102 109–101 109–108

L L W L L L W L L W W

Portland Trail Blazers Portland Trail Blazers Portland Trail Blazers Portland Trail Blazers

102–115 79–101 121–119 76–102

L L W L

Opponent

Final Score

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND April 23 @ April 25 @ April 29 May 3

1992-93 Date

Win/ Loss

Nov. 6 @ Los Angeles Clippers Nov. 8 Sacramento Kings Nov. 10 @ Golden State Warriors Nov. 12 @ Seattle Sonics Nov. 13 Los Angeles Clippers Nov. 15 Golden State Warriors Nov. 20 Chicago Bulls Nov. 22 Denver Nuggets Nov. 25 New Jersey Nets Nov. 27 @ Portland Trail Blazers Nov. 29 Dallas Mavericks RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER , 1992 (7–4)

114–112 114–124 107–106 102–114 98–124 105–102 120–118 119–107 98–100 98–90 114–85

W L W L L W W W L W W

Dec. 1 @ Dec. 3 @ Dec. 4 @ Dec. 6

110–117 95–89 93–103 107–85

L W L W

124–111 118–93 114–96

W W W

Dec. 9 Dec. 11 Dec. 13

Sacramento Kings Houston Rockets Phoenix Suns Minnesota Timberwolves Portland Trail Blazers Washington Bullets Milwaukee Bucks

1993-94 Date

272 Opponent

Final Score

Win/ Loss

Dec. 15 @ San Antonio Spurs Dec. 16 @ Dallas Mavericks Dec. 18 Phoenix Suns Dec. 19 @ Denver Nuggets Dec. 23 Seattle Sonics Dec. 26 San Antonio Spurs Dec. 28 @ Miami Heat Dec. 30 @ Orlando Magic RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER , 1992 (15–11)

107–101 95–102 100–116 92–86 79–80 92–104 96–107 96–93

W L L W L L L W

Jan. 2 @ Jan. 3 @ Jan. 5 @ Jan. 6 @

91–106 101–109 91–88 98–78

L L W W

93–90 89–101 102–105 99–96 90–110 101–111 94–98 112–110 91–106 110–127 123–108 96–87

W L L W L L L W L L W W

Feb. 2 Orlando Magic Feb. 4 Utah Jazz Feb. 5 @ Phoenix Suns Feb. 8 Dallas Mavericks Feb. 10 Denver Nuggets Feb. 14 Atlanta Hawks Feb. 18 @ Portland Trail Blazers Feb. 24 @ Sacramento Kings Feb. 26 Cleveland Cavaliers Feb. 28 Los Angeles Clippers RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 1993 (28–24)

97–110 114–110 104–132 108–100 111–102 135–96 103–105 104–99 102–114 124–112

L W L W W W L W L W

March 2 @ March 3 @ March 5 March 7 March 9 @ March 10 @ March 12 @ March 14 @ March 15 @ March 17 March 19 March 21 March 24 March 26 March 28 March 30 @ March 31

Denver Nuggets Golden State Warriors Philadelphia 76ers Charlotte Hornets Detroit Pistons New York Knicks Philadelphia 76ers Atlanta Hawks San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs Boston Celtics Detroit Pistons Phoenix Suns New York Knicks Indiana Pacers Los Angeles Clippers Minnesota Timberwolves RECORD AT THE END OF MARCH, 1993 (34–35)

115–127 117–111 101–97 101–105 123–121 104–110 101–95 107–117 92–87 100–101 119–129 101–106 105–120 95–105 92–90 93–101 113–126

L W W L W L W L W L L L L L W L L

April 4 April 6 @ April 8 @ April 9 April 11 April 13 @ April 14 @ April 16 April 18

99–111 114–115 116–122 105–109 98–96 107–126 112–99 84–100 115–112

L L L L W L W L W

Cleveland Cavaliers Milwaukee Bucks Chicago Bulls Minnesota Timberwolves Jan. 8 Sacramento Kings Jan. 10 Miami Heat Jan. 14 @ Los Angeles Clippers Jan. 15 Portland Trail Blazers Jan. 18 Houston Rockets Jan. 20 Seattle Sonics Jan. 22 @ Utah Jazz Jan. 24 @ Washington Bullets Jan. 26 @ New Jersey Nets Jan. 28 @ Indiana Pacers Jan. 29 @ Charlotte Hornets Jan. 31 @ Boston Celtics RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 1993 (22–20)

Utah Jazz Phoenix Suns Golden State Warriors Portland Trail Blazers Seattle Sonics Houston Rockets Dallas Mavericks Houston Rockets Golden State Warriors

Date

SIX : SCHEDULES

AND

Opponent

Final Score

April 20 @

Minnesota Timberwolves April 21 @ Utah Jazz April 23 @ Seattle Sonics April 24 Sacramento Kings FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (39–43)

RESULTS Win/ Loss

107–95

W

102–113 93–122 125–107

L L W

Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns

107–103 86–81 102–107 86–101 104–112

W W L L L

Date

Opponent

Final Score

Nov. 5 Nov. 6 @ Nov. 9 Nov. 10 @ Nov. 12 Nov. 14 Nov. 16 W Nov. 18 @ Nov. 19 Nov. 21 @ Nov. 23 @ Nov. 24 @ Nov. 26 @ Nov. 27 @

Phoenix Suns Seattle Sonics Portland Trail Blazers Sacramento Kings Denver Nuggets Cleveland Cavaliers Los Angeles Clippers

116–108 W 101–129 L 102–109 L 101–112 L 84–113 L 107–100 W 116–114 (2 OT)

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND April 30 @ May 2 @ May 4 May 6 May 9 @

1993-94 Win/ Loss

Golden State Warriors Chicago Bulls New Jersey Nets Atlanta Hawks Charlotte Hornets Indiana Pacers Minnesota Timberwolves RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER , 1993 (5–9)

76–103 86–88 102–105 94–103 124–141 102–100 96–92

L L L L L W W

Dec. 1 Dec. 4 @ Dec. 5

124–91 109–102 99–101

W W L

78–92 99–117 97–100 99–93 85–108 94–105 92–122 109–102 92–109 93–118 92–99

L L L W L L L W L L L

92–94 119–118 98–106 111–108 89–95 117–122 122–130 88–103 107–102

L W L W L L L L W

Dallas Mavericks Los Angeles Clippers Minnesota Timberwolves Dec. 7 New York Knicks Dec. 10 @ Portland Trail Blazers Dec. 12 Golden State Warriors Dec. 14 @ Detroit Pistons Dec. 16 @ New York Knicks Dec. 17 @ Philadelphia 76ers Dec. 19 @ Cleveland Cavaliers Dec. 21 @ Orlando Magic Dec. 23 @ Miami Heat Dec. 26 Houston Rockets Dec. 29 Seattle Supersonics RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER , 1993 (9–19) Jan. 2 @ Jan. 4 @ Jan. 5 @ Jan. 7 Jan. 9 Jan. 11 Jan. 14 Jan. 18 @ Jan. 20

San Antonio Spurs Denver Nuggets Sacramento Kings Los Angeles Clippers San Antonio Spurs Golden State Warriors Charlotte Hornets Seattle Supersonics Phoenix Suns

SIX : SCHEDULES Date

AND

RESULTS Opponent

Final Score

Win/ Loss

Jan. 21 @ Portland Trail Blazers Jan. 26 Indiana Pacers Jan. 28 Detroit Pistons RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 1994 (14–26)

93–111 103–99 105–97

L W W

Feb. 1 @ San Antonio Spurs Feb. 3 @ Houston Rockets Feb. 4 @ Dallas Mavericks Feb. 6 Utah Jazz Feb. 8 Phoenix Suns Feb. 9 @ Utah Jazz Feb. 10 Sacramento Kings Feb. 15 Los Angeles Clippers Feb. 18 @ Phoenix Suns Feb. 20 Philadelphia 76ers Feb. 24 @ Sacramento Kings Feb. 25 San Antonio Spurs Feb. 27 Boston Celtics RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 1994 (20–33)

97–112 88–99 95–87 107–90 107–104 103–96 84–103 89–100 96–113 107–95 90–102 110–126 100–97

L L W W W W L L L W L L W

March 2 @ March 4 @ March 5 @ March 7 @ March 10 March 13 @

97–89 99–109 118–124 106–84 106–101 90–88

W L L W W W

101–102 129–94 90–102 97–91 84–81 112–109 107–113 110–101 91–89

L W L W W W L W W

92–95

L

Chicago Bulls Boston Celtics Washington Bullets Milwaukee Bucks Dallas Mavericks Minnesota Timberwolves March 14 @ Utah Jazz March 16 Washington Bullets March 18 New Jersey Nets March 20 Orlando Magic March 21 Miami Heat March 23 @ Dallas Mavericks March 24 @ Houston Rockets March 27 Milwaukee Bucks March 29 Minnesota Timberwolves March 31 @ Seattle Supersonics RECORD AT THE END OF MARCH, 1994 (30–39) April 1 April 3 April 6

1994-95

273

Houston Rockets Atlanta Hawks Sacramento Kings

101–88 102–89 128–123 (OT) April 8 Denver Nuggets 99–112 April 9 @ Portland Trail Blazers 104–112 April 12 Golden State Warriors 117–128 April 13 @ Phoenix Suns 88–117 April 15 Portland Trail Blazers 100–105 April 16 @ Los Angeles Clippers 103–108 April 19 @ Denver Nuggets 98–105 April 20 Seattle Supersonics 90–112 April 23 @ Golden State Warriors 91–126 April 24 Utah Jazz 97–103 FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (33–49)

W W W L L L L L L L L L L

1994-95

Opponent

Final Score

Nov. 12 @ Nov. 15 @ Nov. 16 Nov. 18 Nov. 23 Nov. 25 @ Nov. 26 @ Nov. 29 @

Golden State Warriors Los Angeles Clippers New York Knicks Cleveland Cavaliers Dallas Mavericks Atlanta Hawks Washington Bullets New Jersey Nets

99–121 102–92 89–110 82–80 118–106 92–87 112–96 129–120 (2 OT) 79–117

L W L W W W W W

107–89 113–101 84–109 120–113 115–108 97–94 102–116 108–95

W W L W W W L W

100–89 105–129 96–95 127–112

W L W W

105–96 106–98 122–105 83–129 108–118 115–104 96–88 105–106 120–118 113–117 (OT) 108–102 120–116 (OT) 128–121 (OT) 115–119

W W W L L W W L W L

Nov. 30 @ Cleveland Cavaliers RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER , 1994 (8–6) Dec. 2 Dec. 6 Dec. 9 Dec. 10 @ Dec. 13 @ Dec. 15 @ Dec. 17 @ Dec. 20

Houston Rockets Golden State Warriors Los Angeles Clippers Utah Jazz Dallas Mavericks Houston Rockets San Antonio Spurs Minnesota Timberwolves Dec. 23 Sacramento Kings Dec. 27 @ Golden State Warriors Dec. 29 Seattle Supersonics Dec. 30 @ Phoenix Suns RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER , 1994 (17–9) Jan. 3 Jan. 6 Jan. 8 Jan. 9 @ Jan. 11 Jan. 13 Jan. 16 Jan. 18 @ Jan. 20 @ Jan. 21 @

Detroit Pistons Milwaukee Bucks Miami Heat Portland Trail Blazers Phoenix Suns Golden State Warriors Los Angeles Clippers Indiana Pacers Boston Celtics Philadelphia 76ers

Jan. 23 @ Jan. 25

Charlotte Hornets New Jersey Nets

Jan. 28 @

Seattle Supersonics

Jan. 31 Chicago Bulls RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 1995 (26–14) Feb. 1 @ Feb. 3 Feb. 4 @ Feb. 7 @ Feb. 8 Feb. 15 Feb. 16 @ Feb. 19 Feb. 20 @ Feb. 22 Feb. 24

Phoenix Suns Denver Nuggets Los Angeles Clippers Denver Nuggets San Antonio Spurs Seattle Supersonics Sacramento Kings Portland Trail Blazers Seattle Supersonics Philadelphia 76ers Charlotte Hornets

Feb. 25 @ Los Angeles Clippers Feb. 27 Utah Jazz RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 1995 (34–19)

Date

Opponent

Final Score

Nov. 4 @ Nov. 5 @ Nov. 8 @ Nov. 9 @

Detroit Pistons Milwaukee Bucks New York Knicks Minnesota Timberwolves Denver Nuggets (OT)

115–98 96–97 113–117 122–99

W L L W

March 1 March 3

Phoenix Suns Sacramento Kings

March 5

117–124

L

March 7 @ March 8 @

Minnesota Timberwolves Miami Heat Orlando Magic

Nov. 11

Win/ Loss

Date

Win/ Loss

L

W W W L

109–118 74–88 121–118 85–83 115–99 102–96 82–98 93–83 108–105 112–100 95–93 (OT) 81–83 95–101

L L W W W W L W W W W

93–101 109–104 (2 OT) 105–102

L W

104–110 110–114

L L

L L

W

1995-96 Date

274 Opponent

March 10 @

Minnesota Timberwolves March 11 @ Chicago Bulls March 13 Indiana Pacers March 15 @ Golden State Warriors March 17 Boston Celtics March 19 Sacramento Kings March 22 Portland Trail Blazers March 24 Washington Bullets March 26 Houston Rockets March 28 @ Houston Rockets March 29 @ San Antonio Spurs March 31 Atlanta Hawks RECORD AT THE END OF MARCH, 1995 (44–26) April 2 Orlando Magic April 4 @ Denver Nuggets April 5 @ Dallas Mavericks April 7 Utah Jazz April 9 San Antonio Spurs April 11 @ Utah Jazz April 12 @ Sacramento Kings April 15 @ Phoenix Suns April 16 Dallas Mavericks April 18 Seattle Supersonics April 20 @ Portland Trail Blazers April 22 Portland Trail Blazers FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (48–34)

Final Score

Win/ Loss

103–109

L

108–105 93–91 108–119 92–118 121–116 121–114 113–103 107–96 106–96 84–107 121–107

W W L L W W W W W L W

119–112 104–101 111–130 113–90 87–101 93–100 99–109 114–119 125–111 97–113 97–111 104–109

W W L W L L L L W L L L

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND April 27 @ April 29 @ May 1 May 4

Seattle Supersonics Seattle Supersonics Seattle Supersonics Seattle Supersonics

71–96 84–82 105–101 114–110

L W W W

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS May 6 @ May 8 @

San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs

May 12 May 14 May 16 @

San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs

May 18

San Antonio Spurs

94–110 90–97 (OT) 92–85 71–80 98–96 (OT) 88–100

L L W L W L

1995-96 Date

Opponent

Final Score

Nov. 3 Nov. 4 @ Nov. 7 @

Denver Nuggets Seattle Supersonics Minnesota Timberwolves Utah Jazz Seattle Supersonics Golden State Warriors Sacramento Kings Dallas Mavericks Vancouver Grizzlies Los Angeles Clippers Portland Trail Blazers

98–96 89–103 92–93

W L L

98–108 100–97 105–123 106–100 114–97 114–91 109–88 108–109

L W L W W W W L

Nov. 8 @ Nov. 10 Nov. 11 @ Nov. 14 @ Nov. 15 Nov. 17 @ Nov. 19 Nov. 21

Win/ Loss

Date

SIX : SCHEDULES

AND

Opponent

Final Score

RESULTS Win/ Loss

Nov. 24 Sacramento Kings Nov. 25 @ Phoenix Suns Nov. 29 Phoenix Suns RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER , 1995 (7–7)

98–99 113–114 107–96

L L W

Dec. 1 Vancouver Grizzlies Dec. 3 Indiana Pacers Dec. 5 @ San Antonio Spurs Dec. 6 @ Houston Rockets Dec. 8 Toronto Raptors Dec. 10 Detroit Pistons Dec. 12 @ New York Knicks Dec. 13 @ Detroit Pistons Dec. 15 @ Washington Bullets Dec. 16 @ Chicago Bulls Dec. 19 @ Milwaukee Bucks Dec. 20 @ Indiana Pacers Dec. 22 Sacramento Kings Dec. 23 @ Portland Trail Blazers Dec. 26 Boston Celtics Dec. 28 San Antonio Spurs Dec. 30 @ Utah Jazz RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER , 1995 (16–15)

113–100 104–96 89–117 99–112 120–103 87–82 82–97 101–98 114–122 88–108 109–105 98–109 116–83 102–99 102–91 99–107 82–99

W W L L W W L W L L W L W W W L L

Jan. 2 Jan. 5 Jan. 7 Jan. 9

89–90 116–100 93–96 106–104

L W L W

101–100 96–88 106–100 82–93 124–107 100–88 100–98 128–118

W W W L W W W W

Feb. 2 Chicago Bulls Feb. 4 Utah Jazz Feb. 6 @ Denver Nuggets Feb. 7 New Jersey Nets Feb. 14 Atlanta Hawks Feb. 16 Dallas Mavericks Feb. 20 Los Angeles Clippers Feb. 21 @ Los Angeles Clippers Feb. 23 @ Dallas Mavericks Feb. 24 @ Houston Rockets Feb. 26 New York Knicks Feb. 28 @ Vancouver Grizzlies RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 1996 (35–20)

84–99 110–103 99–78 106–96 87–86 119–114 121–104 112–108 114–88 94–96 114–96 99–80

L W W W W W W W W L W W

March 1 Washington Bullets March 3 Houston Rockets March 7 @ Sacramento Kings March 8 @ Phoenix Suns March 12 Portland Trail Blazers March 14 @ Golden State Warriors March 15 Milwaukee Bucks March 17 Orlando Magic March 19 Seattle Supersonics March 21 @ Seattle Supersonics March 24 Charlotte Hornets March 26 @ Orlando Magic March 27 @ Miami Heat March 29 @ Atlanta Hawks March 31 @ Toronto Raptors RECORD AT THE END OF MARCH, 1996 (45–25)

100–95 107–111 102–89 119–97 99–105 106–103 117–95 97–98 94–71 93–104 94–103 113–91 106–95 102–89 111–106

W L W W L W W L W L L W W W W

Philadelphia 76ers Utah Jazz Denver Nuggets Minnesota Timberwolves Jan. 12 Houston Rockets Jan. 15 Miami Heat Jan. 19 @ Los Angeles Clippers Jan. 20 Cleveland Cavaliers Jan. 24 @ Boston Celtics Jan. 26 @ Philadelphia 76ers Jan. 27 @ New Jersey Nets Jan. 30 Golden State Warriors RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 1996 (25–18)

SIX : SCHEDULES Date

AND

RESULTS Opponent

April 2 @ April 3 @ April 5 April 7 April 9 @ April 10 @

Charlotte Hornets Cleveland Cavaliers Vancouver Grizzlies San Antonio Spurs Denver Nuggets Minnesota Timberwolves April 12 Golden State Warriors April 14 Phoenix Suns April 16 @ Dallas Mavericks April 18 @ San Antonio Spurs April 20 Minnesota Timberwolves April 21 @ Portland Trail Blazers FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (53–29)

Final Score

Win/ Loss

97–102 89–105 104–94 107–97 91–98 111–90

L L W W L W

94–81 118–114 113–95 100–103 106–82

W W W L W

92–88

W

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND April 25 April 27 April 30 @ May 2 @

Houston Rockets Houston Rockets Houston Rockets Houston Rockets

83–87 104–94 98–104 94–102

L W L L

1996-97 Date

Opponent

Final Score

Nov. 1 Nov. 3

Phoenix Suns Minnesota Timberwolves New York Knicks Charlotte Hornets Toronto Raptors Atlanta Hawks Houston Rockets

96–82 91–85

Nov. 5 @ Nov. 6 @ Nov. 8 @ Nov. 10 Nov. 12 @

Win/ Loss W W

98–92 78–88 92–93 92–85 126–115 (2 OT) Nov. 13 @ San Antonio Spurs 83–95 Nov. 15 Los Angeles Clippers 107–100 Nov. 17 @ Phoenix Suns 102–88 Nov. 19 @ Golden State Warriors 112–109 Nov. 20 Utah Jazz 97–113 Nov. 22 San Antonio Spurs 96–86 Nov. 24 Houston Rockets 85–90 Nov. 26 @ Philadelphia 76ers 100–88 Nov. 27 @ Boston Celtics 94–110 Nov. 29 @ Detroit Pistons 84–76 RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER , 1996 (11–6)

W L L W W

Dec. 1 Dec. 3 Dec. 4 @ Dec. 6 Dec. 8

104–96 110–106 75–101 92–81 110–86

W W L W W

92–90 79–76 120–119 (OT) 123–129 (OT) 111–105 88–103

W W W

Dec. 10 @ Dec. 11 Dec. 13

Denver Nuggets Seattle Supersonics Utah Jazz Orlando Magic Minnesota Timberwolves Sacramento Kings Indiana Pacers Portland Trail Blazers

Dec. 17 @

Chicago Bulls

Dec. 18 @ Dec. 21 @

Milwaukee Bucks Minnesota Timberwolves

1996-97

275

L W W W L W L W L W

L W L

Date

Opponent

Dec. 25 @ Phoenix Suns Dec. 27 Boston Celtics Dec. 29 Philadelphia 76ers RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER , 1996 (22–9)

Final Score

Win/ Loss

108–87 109–102 115–102

W W W

90–83 100–93 95–82 84–88 101–97 94–85 91–81 98–102 97–100 (2 OT) Jan. 20 Dallas Mavericks 109–99 Jan. 24 Golden State Warriors 114–97 Jan. 26 @ Seattle Supersonics 104–103 Jan. 28 @ Dallas Mavericks 102–83 Jan. 29 @ San Antonio Spurs 99–92 RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 1997 (33–12)

W W W L W W W L L

Feb. 2 Feb. 4 N (at Anaheim, CA) Feb. 5 Feb. 12 @

129–99 86–108 106–90 100–84

W L W W

132–117 91–102 84–103 99–91 121–127 (2 OT) 96–100 122–107 75–86

W L L W L

85–101 102–92 90–111 115–105 109–101 95–97 98–90 (OT) 113–94 89–76 97–98 84–110 109–84 106–84 102–98 (OT)

L W L W W L W

Jan. 2 @ Jan. 3 Jan. 5 @ Jan. 6 @ Jan. 8 Jan. 10 Jan. 14 Jan. 16 Jan. 18

Feb. 13 @ Feb. 16 Feb. 19 Feb. 21 Feb. 23

Sacramento Kings Sacramento Kings Vancouver Grizzlies Portland Trail Blazers Charlotte Hornets Miami Heat Vancouver Grizzlies Portland Trail Blazers Detroit Pistons

Washington Bullets Los Angeles Clippers Chicago Bulls Minnesota Timberwolves Denver Nuggets Seattle Supersonics Cleveland Cavaliers Vancouver Grizzlies New York Knicks

Feb. 25 @ Houston Rockets Feb. 27 @ Washington Bullets Feb. 28 @ Atlanta Hawks RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 1997 (39–18) March 2 @ March 4 @ March 7 March 9 March 12 March 14 March 16

Indiana Pacers Dallas Mavericks Houston Rockets New Jersey Nets Golden State Warriors Los Angeles Clippers Toronto Raptors

March 17 @ March 20 @ March 21 @ March 23 @ March 24 @ March 26 March 27 @

Denver Nuggets Cleveland Cavaliers Miami Heat Orlando Magic New Jersey Nets Milwaukee Bucks Vancouver Grizzlies

W W W W W

L W L

W W L L W W W

RECORD AT THE END OF MARCH, 1997 (48–23) April 1 @ Seattle Supersonics April 2 Denver Nuggets April 4 San Antonio Spurs April 6 Dallas Mavericks April 8 @ Golden State Warriors April 9 @ Utah Jazz April 11 Phoenix Suns April 13 Utah Jazz April 17 Sacramento Kings April 18 @ Los Angeles Clippers April 20 @ Portland Trail Blazers FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (56–26)

99–97 110–85 83–94 87–80 109–85 89–101 114–98 100–98 108–99 123–95 96–100

W W L W W L W W W W L

1997-98

276

Playoffs

Date

WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND April 25 April 27 April 30 @ May 2 @

Portland Trail Blazers Portland Trail Blazers Portland Trail Blazers Portland Trail Blazers

95–77 107–93 90–98 95–91

W W L W

77–93 101–103 104–84 95–110 93–98 (OT)

L L W L L

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS May 4 @ May 6 @ May 8 May 10 May 12 @

Utah Jazz Utah Jazz Utah Jazz Utah Jazz Utah Jazz

1997-98 Date

Opponent

Final Score

Win/ Loss

Oct. 31 Utah Jazz RECORD AT THE END OF OCTOBER , 1997 (1–0)

104–87

W

Nov. 4 @ Nov. 7 Nov. 9 Nov. 11 @ Nov. 13 @

Sacramento Kings New York Knicks Golden State Warriors Dallas Mavericks San Antonio Spurs

W W W W W

Nov. 14 @

Houston Rockets

101–98 99–94 132–97 118–96 109–100 (OT) 113–103 (OT) 121–95 97–92 118–93 119–102 86–103 118–103 95–105 105–99

W L W L W

107–89 98–88 84–94 99–105 92–93 119–102 119–89 109–96

W W L L L W W W

83–104 98–96 109–100 94–83 118–114 (OT) 102–108 93–80

L W W W W L W

116–106 107–113 100–87 114–102 125–115 93–98

W L W W W L

Nov. 16 Nov. 18 @ Nov. 19

Vancouver Grizzlies Utah Jazz Minnesota Timberwolves Nov. 23 Los Angeles Clippers Nov. 25 @ Miami Heat Nov. 26 @ Boston Celtics Nov. 28 @ Philadelphia 76ers Nov. 30 Toronto Raptors RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER , 1997 (13–2) Dec. 3 @ Dec. 5 Dec. 7 Dec. 8 @ Dec. 10 @ Dec. 12 Dec. 14 Dec. 16 @ Dec. 17 @ Dec. 19 @ Dec. 20 @ Dec. 22 @ Dec. 26

Denver Nuggets San Antonio Spurs Cleveland Cavaliers Portland Trail Blazers Golden State Warriors Houston Rockets Dallas Mavericks Minnesota Timberwolves Chicago Bulls Atlanta Hawks Charlotte Hornets Houston Rockets Los Angeles Clippers

Dec. 28 Boston Celtics Dec. 30 Sacramento Kings RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER , 1997 (23–7) Jan. 2 Jan. 4 Jan. 6 @ Jan. 7 Jan. 9 @ Jan. 11

Atlanta Hawks Philadelphia 76ers Vancouver Grizzlies Milwaukee Bucks Los Angeles Clippers Charlotte Hornets

W W W W

SIX : SCHEDULES

AND

Opponent

Final Score

Jan. 14 Jan. 17 Jan. 19 Jan. 21 @ Jan. 24 @ Jan. 28 Jan. 30

RESULTS Win/ Loss

Denver Nuggets Miami Heat Orlando Magic Phoenix Suns Seattle Supersonics New Jersey Nets Minnesota Timberwolves RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 1998 (32–11)

132–114 108–99 92–89 119–109 95–101 95–106 121–114

W W W W L L W

Feb. 1 Feb. 4 Feb. 10 @ Feb. 11 Feb. 13

112–87 122–115 105–117 105–99 108–113 (OT) 88–90 103–110 131–92 94–96 98–81 96–89 104–91

W W L W L

89–101 86–96 104–95 91–84 96–89 121–107 108–85 119–110 89–101 99–93 93–80 96–93 107–86 114–91 91–106 116–89 114–105

L L W W W W W W L W W W W W L W W

117–106 105–93 105–103 (OT) April 8 Vancouver Grizzlies 113–102 April 10 Phoenix Suns 105–114 April 11 @ Golden State Warriors 96–84 April 13 @ San Antonio Spurs 99–75 April 14 @ Dallas Mavericks 111–95 April 17 Dallas Mavericks 124–95 April 19 Utah Jazz 102–98 FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (61–21)

W W W

Chicago Bulls Portland Trail Blazers Portland Trail Blazers Golden State Warriors Seattle Supersonics

Feb. 15 Feb. 18 @ Feb. 19 Feb. 22 @ Feb. 24 @ Feb. 25 @ Feb. 27 @

Houston Rockets Phoenix Suns Denver Nuggets Orlando Magic Milwaukee Bucks Indiana Pacers Minnesota Timberwolves RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 1998 (39–16) March 1 @ New York Knicks March 2 @ Washington Wizards March 4 Indiana Pacers March 6 San Antonio Spurs March 8 Detroit Pistons March 11 Portland Trail Blazers March 12 @ Los Angeles Clippers March 15 @ Vancouver Grizzlies March 16 @ Seattle Supersonics March 18 Phoenix Suns March 20 Seattle Supersonics March 22 @ Sacramento Kings March 23 @ Denver Nuggets March 25 Sacramento Kings March 28 @ Utah Jazz March 29 Washington Wizards March 31 @ Toronto Raptors RECORD AT THE END OF MARCH, 1998 (52–20) April 2 @ April 3 @ April 5 @

New Jersey Nets Cleveland Cavaliers Detroit Pistons

L L W L W W W

W L W W W W W

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND April 24 April 26 April 28 @ April 30 @

Portland Trail Blazers Portland Trail Blazers Portland Trail Blazers Portland Trail Blazers

104–102 108–99 94–99 110–99

W W L W

SIX : SCHEDULES

AND

RESULTS

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS May 4 @ May 6 @ May 8 May 10 May 12 @

Seattle Supersonics Seattle Supersonics Seattle Supersonics Seattle Supersonics Seattle Supersonics

Date 92–106 92–68 119–103 112–100 110–95

L W W W W

77–112 95–99 98–109 92–96

L L L L

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS May 16 @ May 18 @ May 22 May 24

Utah Jazz Utah Jazz Utah Jazz Utah Jazz

1900-2000

277 Opponent

Final Score

April 20 @

Golden State Warriors 106–102 (OT) April 21 @ Portland Trail Blazers 82–88 April 24 @ San Antonio Spurs 81–108 April 26 @ Houston Rockets 80–102 April 29 Portland Trail Blazers 108–89 RECORD AT THE END OF APRIL , 1999 (28–19) May 2 @ Seattle Supersonics May 3 Dallas Mavericks May 5 Portland Trail Blazers FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (31–19)

1998-99 (Strike-shortened season)

Win/ Loss W L L L W

91–84 115–102 119–91

W W W

101–100 110–98 88–102 98–88

W W L W

San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs

81–87 76–79 91–103 107–118

L L L L

Opponent

Final Score

Playoffs

Opponent

Final Score

Feb. 5 Feb. 7 Feb. 8 @ Feb. 10 @ Feb. 11 @

Houston Rockets Utah Jazz San Antonio Spurs Denver Nuggets Minnesota Timberwolves Indiana Pacers Charlotte Hornets Dallas Mavericks San Antonio Spurs Seattle Supersonics Denver Nuggets

99–91 91–100 80–75 103–98 75–86

W L W W L

99–101 116–88 101–88 106–94 89–92 113–117 (OT) 83–93 115–100 99–83 106–90

L W W W L L

May 17 @ May 19 @ May 22 May 23

L W W W

1999-2000

97–91 101–95 103–100 97–89 103–99 94–75 89–78 101–105 107–101

W W W W W W W L W

93–100 90–105 115–104 96–93 101–106 109–111 99–91 116–98

L L W W L L W W

Nov. 2 @ Utah Jazz Nov. 3 Vancouver Grizzlies Nov. 6 @ Portland Trail Blazers Nov. 7 Dallas Mavericks Nov. 9 @ Dallas Mavericks Nov. 10 @ Houston Rockets Nov. 12 Houston Rockets Nov. 14 Atlanta Hawks Nov. 15 @ Phoenix Suns Nov. 18 @ Denver Nuggets Nov. 19 Chicago Bulls Nov. 21 Toronto Raptors Nov. 24 Utah Jazz Nov. 26 New Jersey Nets Nov. 30 @ Seattle Supersonics RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER , 1999 (11–4)

91–84 103–88 82–97 105–97 123–101 89–88 81–97 93–88 91–82 82–93 103–95 102–111 90–82 103–80 101–77

W W L W W W L W W L W L W W W

91–90 76–81 117–104 93–106 104–89 96–89

W L W L W W

Dec. 1 Dec. 3 Dec. 5 Dec. 7 Dec. 8 @ Dec. 11 @ Dec. 12 Dec. 14 Dec. 16 @ Dec. 17 @

93–75 93–80 117–100 91–80 91–103 106–94 101–93 95–68 95–88 97–88

W W W W L W W W W W

109–113 86–113 93–109 117–102

L L L W

94–88 99–90 99–93

W W W

Feb. 14 Feb. 16 Feb. 17 Feb. 19 Feb. 21 @ Feb. 22 @

Feb. 23 @ Vancouver Grizzlies Feb. 25 N (at Anaheim, CA) Los Angeles Clippers Feb. 26 Los Angeles Clippers Feb. 28 Houston Rockets RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 1999 (9–6) March 1 @ March 3 March 5 March 7 @ March 9 @ March 10 March 12 March 14 @ March 16 @

Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns Seattle Supersonics Utah Jazz Los Angeles Clippers Los Angeles Clippers Golden State Warriors Sacramento Kings Minnesota Timberwolves March 18 @ Cleveland Cavaliers March 19 @ Philadelphia 76ers March 21 @ Orlando Magic March 22 @ Dallas Mavericks March 24 Phoenix Suns March 26 Sacramento Kings March 28 New York Knicks March 29 Vancouver Grizzlies RECORD AT THE END OF MARCH, 1999 (21–11) April 2 @ April 3 April 5 April 6 April 7 @ April 9 April 11 April 13 @ April 17 @ April 19

Phoenix Suns Golden State Warriors Denver Nuggets Utah Jazz Sacramento Kings Minnesota Timberwolves Seattle Supersonics Portland Trail Blazers Utah Jazz Vancouver Grizzlies

Win/ Loss

WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND

Date

May 9 May 11 May 13 @ May 15 @

Houston Rockets Houston Rockets Houston Rockets Houston Rockets

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS

Date

Dec. 19 @ Dec. 20 @ Dec. 25

Golden State Warriors Portland Trail Blazers Orlando Magic Washington Wizards Sacramento Kings Vancouver Grizzlies Detroit Pistons Los Angeles Clippers Atlanta Hawks Minnesota Timberwolves Toronto Raptors Boston Celtics San Antonio Spurs

Win/ Loss

2000-01 Date

278 Opponent

Final Score 108–106 103–87

W W

Jan. 4 @ Jan. 5 Jan. 7 Jan. 8 @ Jan. 10 Jan. 12 @ Jan. 14 @ Jan. 15 @

122–98 118–101 87–83 110–100 130–95 103–94 102–111 104–91

W W W W W W L W

81–82 95–86 91–95 101–105 (2 OT) 117–89 83–89

L W L L

81–105 113–67 106–98 114–81

L W W W

88–76 92–85 107–99 (OT) 87–84 97–89 116–98 109–96 101–85 90–87

W W W

March 1 Vancouver Grizzlies March 3 Indiana Pacers March 5 Miami Heat March 6 @ Los Angeles Clippers March 9 @ Golden State Warriors March 12 Sacramento Kings March 13 @ Denver Nuggets March 16 @ Washington Wizards March 17 @ Detroit Pistons March 19 @ New York Knicks March 20 @ Miami Heat March 22 Golden State Warriors March 24 Phoenix Suns March 26 @ Sacramento Kings March 29 @ Vancouver Grizzlies March 31 Philadelphia 76ers RECORD AT THE END OF MARCH, 2000 (61–12)

103–91 107–92 93–80 123–103 109–92 109–106 118–108 102–109 110–82 92–85 100–89 119–96 109–101 90–89 108–99 100–88

W W W W W W W L W W W W W W W W

April 2 April 4 @ April 5 @ April 8 April 10

106–82 84–83 111–104 80–98 106–103 (OT) 121–114 101–95

W W W L W W W

102–112 98–103

L L

Jan. 17 Jan. 19 Jan. 22 Jan. 24 @

Jan. 28 Milwaukee Bucks Jan. 30 @ Houston Rockets RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 2000 (34–10) Feb. 1 @ Feb. 4 Feb. 7 Feb. 9 Feb. 15 @ Feb. 16 @ Feb. 18 @

San Antonio Spurs Utah Jazz Denver Nuggets Minnesota Timberwolves Chicago Bulls Charlotte Hornets Orlando Magic

Feb. 20 @ Philadelphia 76ers Feb. 22 @ New Jersey Nets Feb. 23 @ Cleveland Cavaliers Feb. 25 Boston Celtics Feb. 27 Houston Rockets Feb. 29 @ Portland Trail Blazers RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 2000 (46–11)

April 14 April 16

New York Knicks Phoenix Suns Golden State Warriors San Antonio Spurs Seattle Supersonics

Sacramento Kings Minnesota Timberwolves April 18 @ Dallas Mavericks April 19 @ San Antonio Spurs FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (67–15)

W L

W W W W W W

AND

RESULTS

Playoffs

Win/ Loss

Dec. 27 Dallas Mavericks Dec. 29 Phoenix Suns RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER , 1999 (25–5) Los Angeles Clippers Los Angeles Clippers Charlotte Hornets Seattle Supersonics Denver Nuggets Milwaukee Bucks Indiana Pacers Minnesota Timberwolves Seattle Supersonics Cleveland Cavaliers Portland Trail Blazers Utah Jazz

SIX : SCHEDULES

WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND April 23 April 27 April 30 @ May 2 @ May 5

Sacramento Kings Sacramento Kings Sacramento Kings Sacramento Kings Sacramento Kings

117–107 113–89 91–99 88–101 113–86

W W L L W

105–77 97–96 105–99 98–117 87–65

W W W L W

Portland Trail Blazers Portland Trail Blazers Portland Trail Blazers Portland Trail Blazers Portland Trail Blazers Portland Trail Blazers Portland Trail Blazers

109–94 77–106 93–91 103–91 88–96 93–103 89–84

W L W W L L W

June 7 June 9 June 11 @ June 14 @

Indiana Pacers Indiana Pacers Indiana Pacers Indiana Pacers

W W L W

June 16 @ June 19

Indiana Pacers Indiana Pacers

104–87 111–104 91–100 120–118 (OT) 87–120 116–111

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS May 7 May 10 May 12 @ May 14 @ May 16

Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS May 20 May 22 May 26 @ May 28 @ May 30 June 2 @ June 4

NBA FINALS

L W

2000-01 Date

Opponent

Oct. 31 @ Portland Trail Blazers RECORD AT THE END OF OCTOBER , 2000 (1–0) Nov. 1 Nov. 4 @ Nov. 5 Nov. 7 @ Nov. 8 @ Nov. 12 Nov. 14 Nov. 16 @

Final Score 96–86

Utah Jazz Vancouver Grizzlies Los Angeles Clippers Houston Rockets San Antonio Spurs Houston Rockets Denver Nuggets Sacramento Kings

Win/ Loss W

92–97 98–89 108–103 74–84 81–91 105–99 119–103 112–110 (OT) Nov. 18 @ Denver Nuggets 86–87 Nov. 19 Chicago Bulls 104–96 Nov. 22 Golden State Warriors 111–91 Nov. 24 Minnesota Timber115–108 wolves Nov. 27 @ Los Angeles Clippers 98–83 Nov. 28 Indiana Pacers 124–107 Nov. 30 @ Seattle Supersonics 88–121 RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER , 2000 (11–5)

L W W L L W W W

Dec. 1 Dec. 3 Dec. 5 Dec. 6 @

W W W L

San Antonio Spurs Dallas Mavericks Philadelphia 76ers Golden State Warriors

109–100 99–97 96–85 122–125 (OT)

L W W W W W L

SIX : SCHEDULES

AND

RESULTS

279

Date

Opponent

Final Score

Dec. 8 Dec. 10 Dec. 12 Dec. 13 @ Dec. 15 Dec. 17 @

Seattle Supersonics Detroit Pistons Milwaukee Bucks Portland Trail Blazers Vancouver Grizzlies Toronto Raptors

Dec. 19 @ Dec. 21 @ Dec. 22 @ Dec. 25 Dec. 28 @ Dec. 30 @

Miami Heat Houston Rockets Dallas Mavericks Portland Trail Blazers Phoenix Suns Los Angeles Clippers

95–103 112–88 105–109 86–96 98–76 104–101 (OT) 81–79 99–94 108–103 104–109 115–78 116–114 (OT)

Win/ Loss L W L L W W W W W L W W

2001-02 Date April 1 April 3 @ April 5 @ April 6 @ April 8 @

New York Knicks Utah Jazz Chicago Bulls Boston Celtics Minnesota Timberwolves April 10 Phoenix Suns April 12 Minnesota Timberwolves April 15 Portland Trail Blazers April 17 Denver Nuggets FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (56–26)

Utah Jazz Los Angeles Clippers Cleveland Cavaliers Utah Jazz Vancouver Grizzlies

Jan. 19 Jan. 21 Jan. 23 @ Jan. 26 Jan. 28 @ Jan. 30 @ Jan. 31 @

Houston Rockets Miami Heat Seattle Supersonics New Jersey Nets New York Knicks Cleveland Cavaliers Minnesota Timberwolves RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 2001 (28–16) Feb. 2 Feb. 4 Feb. 7 Feb. 13 @

Charlotte Hornets Sacramento Kings Phoenix Suns New Jersey Nets

Feb. 14 @ Philadelphia 76ers Feb. 16 @ Charlotte Hornets Feb. 18 @ Indiana Pacers Feb. 20 @ Dallas Mavericks Feb. 21 @ San Antonio Spurs Feb. 23 Atlanta Hawks Feb. 25 Orlando Magic Feb. 28 @ Denver Nuggets RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 2001 (37–19) March 3 @ March 4 March 6 @ March 7 March 9

Vancouver Grizzlies Golden State Warriors Golden State Warriors Toronto Raptors San Antonio Spurs

March 11

Seattle Supersonics

March 13 March 15 @

Boston Celtics Detroit Pistons

March 16 @ Washington Wizards March 18 @ Orlando Magic March 19 @ Atlanta Hawks March 21 @ Milwaukee Bucks March 23 Washington Wizards March 25 @ Sacramento Kings March 26 @ Phoenix Suns March 28 Sacramento Kings March 30 Dallas Mavericks RECORD AT THE END OF MARCH, 2001 (48–25)

82–71 95–118 101–98 103–111 113–112 (OT) 114–101 92–103 80–91 113–101 81–91 102–96 83–96

93–87 100–94 85–83 113–110 (OT) 97–112 99–94 109–110 119–109 101–99 113–106 106–100 101–107 98–88 110–95 97–85 97–85 89–93 (OT) 97–109 (OT) 112–107 125–119 (OT) 101–89 95–90 106–108 100–107 104–91 84–72 83–104 84–108 98–89

Final Score

Win/ Loss

78–79 96–88 100–88 100–96 104–99

L W W W W

106–80 119–102

W W

105–100 108–91

W W

106–93 106–88 99–86

W W W

108–105 96–90 103–81 119–113

W W W W

San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs

104–90 88–81 111–72 111–82

W W W W

June 6

Philadelphia 76ers

L

June 8 June 10 @ June 13 @ June 15 @

Philadelphia 76ers Philadelphia 76ers Philadelphia 76ers Philadelphia 76ers

101–107 (OT) 98–89 96–91 100–86 108–96

Playoffs

RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER , 2000 (22–10) Jan. 3 Jan. 7 Jan. 12 Jan. 13 @ Jan. 15

Opponent

W L W L W

WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND

W L L W L W L

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS

W W W W L W L W W W W L W W W W L L W W W W L L W W L L W

April 22 April 26 April 29 @

May 6 May 8 May 11 @ May 13 @

Portland Trail Blazers Portland Trail Blazers Portland Trail Blazers

Sacramento Kings Sacramento Kings Sacramento Kings Sacramento Kings

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS May 19 @ May 21 @ May 25 May 27

NBA FINALS W W W W

2001-02 Date

Opponent

Oct. 30 Portland Trail Blazers RECORD AT THE END OF OCTOBER , 2001 (1–0) Nov. 1 @ Nov. 2 Nov. 4 Nov. 9 Nov. 11 Nov. 15 @

Utah Jazz Phoenix Suns Utah Jazz Memphis Grizzlies Orlando Magic Houston Rockets

Final Score 98–87

105–101 117–94 100–96 110–86 108–95 98–97 (OT) Nov. 16 @ Phoenix Suns 83–95 Nov. 18 Sacramento Kings 93–85 Nov. 20 @ Los Angeles Clippers 98–93 Nov. 21 @ Denver Nuggets 89–68 Nov. 23 Golden State Warriors 106–90 Nov. 25 Denver Nuggets 105–98 Nov. 27 Milwaukee Bucks 104–85 Nov. 30 @ Seattle Supersonics 107–92 RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER , 2001 (14–1)

Win/ Loss W W W W W W W L W W W W W W W

2002-03 Date

280 Opponent

Dec. 1

Minnesota Timberwolves Dec. 5 Dallas Mavericks Dec. 7 @ Sacramento Kings Dec. 11 Seattle Supersonics Dec. 14 Los Angeles Clippers Dec. 16 Golden State Warriors Dec. 20 @ Houston Rockets Dec. 21 @ Memphis Grizzlies Dec. 25 Philadelphia 76ers Dec. 26 @ Golden State Warriors Dec. 28 Toronto Raptors Dec. 30 Houston Rockets RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER , 2001 (21–6) Jan. 2 @ Jan. 4 Jan. 6 @ Jan. 8 @ Jan. 9 @ Jan. 11 @

Denver Nuggets Phoenix Suns Toronto Raptors Detroit Pistons Indiana Pacers Minnesota Timberwolves Chicago Bulls

Jan. 12 @ L Jan. 14 Memphis Grizzlies Jan. 16 Miami Heat Jan. 19 @ San Antonio Spurs Jan. 22 Denver Nuggets Jan. 23 @ Los Angeles Clippers Jan. 25 San Antonio Spurs Jan. 27 @ Philadelphia 76ers Jan. 29 @ Atlanta Hawks Jan. 30 @ Orlando Magic RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 2002 (31–12)

Final Score

Win/ Loss

102–76

W

98–94 91–97 93–104 110–80 101–85 107–101 108–114 88–82 90–101 86–89 114–90

W L L W W W L W L L W

87–86 118–86 109–89 121–92 109–90 102–120

W W W W W L

SIX : SCHEDULES

AND

Date

Opponent

Final Score

April 2 @ April 3 @ April 5 @ April 7 @ April 9 April 11

Washington Wizards New Jersey Nets Boston Celtics Miami Heat Utah Jazz Minnesota Timberwolves Portland Trail Blazers

113–93 92–94 81–99 96–88 112–82 96–83

W L L W W W

120–128 (2 OT) 111–104 109–95

L W W

95–87 103–96 92–91

W W W

86–80 85–88 99–89 87–85 93–87

W L W W W

Sacramento Kings Sacramento Kings Sacramento Kings Sacramento Kings Sacramento Kings Sacramento Kings Sacramento Kings

106–99 90–96 90–103 100–99 91–92 106–102 112–106 (OT)

W L L W L W W

New Jersey Nets New Jersey Nets New Jersey Nets New Jersey Nets

99–94 106–83 106–103 113–107

W W W W

Opponent

Final Score

April 14 @

April 15 Seattle Supersonics April 17 Sacramento Kings FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (58–24)

RESULTS Win/ Loss

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND April 21 April 25 April 28 @

Portland Trail Blazers Portland Trail Blazers Portland Trail Blazers

104–106 (OT)

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS

120–81 96–102 98–81 91–107 90–95 94–91 87–93 127–93 111–93

W L W L L W L W W

May 5 May 7 May 10 @ May 12 @ May 14

Feb. 1 @ Feb. 3 @ Feb. 6 Feb. 12 Feb. 14 @ Feb. 15 Feb. 17 @ Feb. 19 Feb. 21 @ Feb. 22 @ Feb. 24 @ Feb. 26 @ Feb. 27 @

Memphis Grizzlies Dallas Mavericks Chicago Bulls Washington Wizards Seattle Supersonics Atlanta Hawks Portland Trail Blazers Boston Celtics Cleveland Cavaliers Charlotte Hornets New York Knicks Milwaukee Bucks Minnesota Timberwolves RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 2002 (39–17)

100–85 101–94 89–97 103–94 92–87 90–93 105–111 108–109 104–97 96–94 107–91 99–89 101–112

W W L W W L L L W W W W L

March 1 Indiana Pacers March 3 Houston Rockets March 5 New Jersey Nets March 6 @ Utah Jazz March 10 New York Knicks March 12 Charlotte Hornets March 14 @ Golden State Warriors March 15 Los Angeles Clippers March 17 Dallas Mavericks March 19 @ Dallas Mavericks March 20 @ San Antonio Spurs March 22 Detroit Pistons March 24 @ Sacramento Kings March 26 Cleveland Cavaliers March 27 @ Phoenix Suns March 29 Portland Trail Blazers March 31 San Antonio Spurs RECORD AT THE END OF MARCH, 2002 (52–21)

96–84 95–79 101–92 84–92 117–103 107–66 110–102 98–92 105–103 98–114 90–108 94–82 97–96 121–116 106–118 91–79 96–95

W W W L W W W W W L L W W W L W W

San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS May 18 @ May 20 @ May 24 May 26 May 28 @ May 31 June 2 @

NBA FINALS June 5 June 7 June 9 @ June 12 @

2002-03 Date

Oct. 29 San Antonio Spurs Oct. 30 @ Portland Trail Blazers RECORD AT THE END OF OCTOBER , 2002 (0–2) Nov. 1 @ Nov. 3 Nov. 5 @ Nov. 7 @ Nov. 8 @ Nov. 12 Nov. 15 Nov. 17

Los Angeles Clippers Portland Trail Blazers

82–87 90–102

108–93 98–95 (OT) Cleveland Cavaliers 70–89 Boston Celtics 95–98 (OT) Washington Wizards 99–100 Atlanta Hawks 83–95 Golden State Warriors 96–89 (OT) Houston Rockets 89–93

Win/ Loss L L W W L L L L W L

SIX : SCHEDULES

AND

RESULTS

281

Date

Opponent

Final Score

Win/ Loss

Nov. 19 @ Nov. 20 @ Nov. 22 Nov. 24 Nov. 26 @ Nov. 27 @ Nov. 29 @

Dallas Mavericks San Antonio Spurs Chicago Bulls Milwaukee Bucks Miami Heat Orlando Magic Memphis Grizzlies

72–98 88–95 86–73 111–99 85–97 102–112 112–106 (OT)

L L W W L L W

107–110

L

101–91 85–93 105–103 110–101 102–106 82–98 107–84 80–96

W L W W L L W L

71–98 104–107 (OT) 109–107 (OT) 99–105 112–93 104–88

L L

RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER , 2002 (6–11) Dec. 1

Dec. 19 @ Dec. 20 @

Minnesota Timberwolves Memphis Grizzlies Utah Jazz Dallas Mavericks Utah Jazz Golden State Warriors New Orleans Hornets Orlando Magic Minnesota Timberwolves New Jersey Nets Philadelphia 76ers

Dec. 22 @

Toronto Raptors

Dec. 3 Dec. 4 @ Dec. 6 Dec. 8 Dec. 10 @ Dec. 13 Dec. 15 Dec. 17 @

Dec. 25 Sacramento Kings Dec. 28 @ Denver Nuggets Dec. 29 Toronto Raptors RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER , 2002 (13–19) Jan. 4 @ Jan. 5 Jan. 7 Jan. 10 Jan. 12 Jan. 15 @ Jan. 17 @

Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns Seattle Supersonics Cleveland Cavaliers Miami Heat New Orleans Hornets Houston Rockets

Utah Jazz Indiana Pacers New York Knicks Denver Nuggets Denver Nuggets San Antonio Spurs New York Knicks Houston Rockets

Feb. 19 @ Utah Jazz Feb. 21 Portland Trail Blazers Feb. 23 Seattle Supersonics Feb. 25 Los Angeles Clippers Feb. 27 Detroit Pistons Feb. 28 @ Seattle Supersonics RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 2003 (32–26) March 5 March 7 March 9 March 11 @ March 12 @

Indiana Pacers Minnesota Timberwolves Philadelphia 76ers Chicago Bulls Detroit Pistons

Date

Opponent

March 14 @

Minnesota Timberwolves March 15 @ Milwaukee Bucks March 17 @ Los Angeles Clippers March 20 @ Sacramento Kings March 21 Boston Celtics March 23 @ San Antonio Spurs March 25 @ Atlanta Hawks March 26 @ Houston Rockets March 28 Washington Wizards March 30 @ Seattle Supersonics March 31 Memphis Grizzlies RECORD AT THE END OF MARCH, 2003 (43–31) April 3 @ April 4 @ April 6

Final Score

Win/ Loss

106–99

W

98–94 102–85 99–107 104–96 89–98 108–91 96–93 108–94 98–119 110–94

W W L W L W W W L W

100–89 102–101 115–113 (OT) April 8 Dallas Mavericks 108–99 April 10 Sacramento Kings 117–104 April 13 @ Portland Trail Blazers 99–101 April 15 Denver Nuggets 126–104 April 16 @ Golden State Warriors 117–111 FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (50–32)

Dallas Mavericks Memphis Grizzlies Phoenix Suns

W W W W W L W W

W L W W

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND April 20 @

93–107 109–97 119–98 115–99 106–81 90–82 104–108 (OT) Jan. 20 Los Angeles Clippers 96–92 Jan. 22 Golden State Warriors 110–114 Jan. 24 New Jersey Nets 83–89 Jan. 29 @ Phoenix Suns 99–90 Jan. 31 @ Sacramento Kings 124–113 RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 2003 (21–23) Feb. 1 Feb. 4 @ Feb. 6 @ Feb. 11 Feb. 12 @ Feb. 14 Feb. 16 Feb. 18

2003-04

L W W W W W L

April 22 @ April 24 April 27 April 29 @

W L L W W

May 1

117–98

W

91–119

L

110–114 (OT) 102–97

L

120–90

W

101–85

W

82–87 95–114 110–95 99–95 94–96 82–110

L L W W L L

W

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS May 5 @ May 7 @ May 9 May 11 May 13 @ May 15

99–87 97–94 114–109 121–93 113–102 95–103 110–117 106–99 (2 OT) 93–87 92–84 106–101 109–98 95–85 90–107

W W W W W L L W

97–95 106–96

W W

Nov. 1 @ Nov. 2 Nov. 4 @ Nov. 6 @

106–92 99–116 88–111

W L L

Nov. 7 @ Nov. 10 @ Nov. 12

W W W W W L

Minnesota Timberwolves Minnesota Timberwolves Minnesota Timberwolves Minnesota Timberwolves Minnesota Timberwolves Minnesota Timberwolves

San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs

2003-04 Date Opponent Win/Loss Oct. 28 Dallas Mavericks RECORD AT THE END OF OCTOBER , 2003 (1–0) Phoenix Suns Golden State Warriors Milwaukee Bucks San Antonio Spurs

Final Score 109–93

103–99 87–72 113–107 120–117 (2 OT) New Orleans Hornets 95–114 Memphis Grizzlies 95–105 Toronto Raptors 94–79

W W W W W L L W

2003-04 Date

282 Opponent

Final Score

Win/ Loss

Nov. 14 Detroit Pistons Nov. 16 Miami Heat Nov. 18 @ Detroit Pistons Nov. 19 @ New York Knicks Nov. 21 Chicago Bulls Nov. 23 Memphis Grizzlies Nov. 26 Washington Wizards Nov. 28 San Antonio Spurs Nov. 30 Indiana Pacers RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER , 2003 (14–3)

94–89 99–77 96–106 104–83 101–94 121–89 120–99 103–87 99–77

W W L W W W W W W

Dec. 3 @ San Antonio Spurs Dec. 4 @ Dallas Mavericks Dec. 7 Utah Jazz Dec. 9 New York Knicks Dec. 12 Dallas Mavericks Dec. 13 @ Portland Trail Blazers Dec. 19 Denver Nuggets Dec. 21 Phoenix Suns Dec. 23 @ Golden State Warriors Dec. 25 Houston Rockets Dec. 28 Boston Celtics RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER , 2003 (21–7)

90–86 114–103 94–92 98–90 93–110 108–112 101–99 107–101 98–107 87–99 105–82

W W W W L L W W L L W

Jan. 2 @ Jan. 4 @ Jan. 6 @

109–111 98–101 90–106

L L L

91–113 113–67 89–79 97–71 83–103 91–89 85–88 82–88 87–106 93–86 96–82 84–97

L W W W L W L L L W W L

Seattle Supersonics Los Angeles Clippers Minnesota Timberwolves Jan. 7 @ Denver Nuggets Jan. 9 Atlanta Hawks Jan. 12 Cleveland Cavaliers Jan. 14 Denver Nuggets Jan. 16 @ Sacramento Kings Jan. 17 Los Angeles Clippers Jan. 19 Phoenix Suns Jan. 21 @ Memphis Grizzlies Jan. 22 @ Dallas Mavericks Jan. 24 @ Utah Jazz Jan. 28 Seattle Supersonics Jan. 30 Minnesota Timberwolves RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 2004 (27–16) Feb. 1 @ Feb. 2 @ Feb. 4 @

March 14 @

Toronto Raptors Indiana Pacers Cleveland Cavaliers

Atlanta Hawks Houston Rockets Seattle Supersonics New Jersey Nets Utah Jazz Boston Celtics Minnesota Timberwolves Chicago Bulls

AND

Date

Opponent

Final Score

March 15

Orlando Magic

March 17 @ March 19 March 21

Los Angeles Clippers Los Angeles Clippers Milwaukee Bucks

113–110 (OT) 106–103 106–100 104–103 (OT) 115–91 90–73

March 24 March 26

RESULTS

Sacramento Kings Minnesota Timberwolves March 28 Utah Jazz 91–84 March 30 New Orleans Hornets 107–88 RECORD AT THE END OF MARCH, 2004 (51–23) April 1 April 2 @ April 4 April 6 April 9 April 11 @ April 13 April 14 @

Houston Rockets Seattle Supersonics San Antonio Spurs Portland Trail Blazers Memphis Grizzlies Sacramento Kings Golden State Warriors Portland Trail Blazers

Win/ Loss W W W W W W W W

93–85 97–86 89–95 80–91 103–95 85–102 109–104 105–104 (2 OT)

W W L L W L W W

72–71 98–84 91–102 92–88 (OT) 97–78

W W L W

78–88 85–95 105–81 98–90 74–73 88–76

L L W W W W

Minnesota Timberwolves Minnesota Timberwolves Minnesota Timberwolves Minnesota Timberwolves Minnesota Timberwolves Minnesota Timberwolves

97–88

W

71–89

L

100–89

W

92–85

W

96–98

L

96–90

W

June 6 June 8

Detroit Pistons Detroit Pistons

L W

June 10 @ June 13 @ June 15 @

Detroit Pistons Detroit Pistons Detroit Pistons

75–87 99–91 (OT) 68–88 80–88 87–100

FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (56–26)

84–83 72–85 111–106 (OT) Feb. 5 @ Philadelphia 76ers 73–96 Feb. 8 @ Orlando Magic 98–96 Feb. 10 @ Miami Heat 98–83 Feb. 11 @ Houston Rockets 87–102 Feb. 17 Portland Trail Blazers 89–86 Feb. 18 @ Golden State Warriors 100–99 Feb. 20 Philadelphia 76ers 116–88 Feb. 22 @ Phoenix Suns 104–92 Feb. 25 @ Denver Nuggets 112–111 Feb. 26 Sacramento Kings 101–103 Feb. 28 @ Washington Wizards 122–110 Feb. 29 @ New Jersey Nets 100–83 RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 2004 (38–20) March 2 @ March 3 @ March 5 March 7 March 8 @ March 10 @ March 12 @

SIX : SCHEDULES

W L W L W W L W W W W W L W W

93–94 96–93 99–91 94–88 83–88 117–109 86–96

L W W W L W L

88–81

W

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND April 17 April 19 April 23 @ April 25 @

Houston Rockets Houston Rockets Houston Rockets Houston Rockets

April 28

Houston Rockets

W

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS May 2 @ May 5 @ May 9 May 11 May 13 @ May 15

San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS May 21 @ May 23 @ May 25 May 27 May 29 @ May 31

NBA FINALS

L L L

SIX : SCHEDULES

AND

RESULTS

283

2004-05 Date

2004-05; 2005-06 Date

Opponent

Nov. 2 Denver Nuggets Nov. 3 @ Utah Jazz Nov. 5 San Antonio Spurs Nov. 7 Atlanta Hawks Nov. 9 @ New Orleans Hornets Nov. 10 @ Memphis Grizzlies Nov. 12 @ Orlando Magic Nov. 13 @ Houston Rockets Nov. 17 Los Angeles Clippers Nov. 19 @ Phoenix Suns Nov. 21 Chicago Bulls Nov. 23 Milwaukee Bucks Nov. 26 Sacramento Kings Nov. 28 New Orleans Hornets Nov. 30 @ Milwaukee Bucks RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER , 2004 (9–6) Dec. 1 @ Chicago Bulls Dec. 3 Golden State Warriors Dec. 8 Phoenix Suns Dec. 11 @ Los Angeles Clippers Dec. 12 Orlando Magic Dec. 14 @ Seattle Supersonics Dec. 16 @ Sacramento Kings Dec. 17 Washington Wizards

Final Score

Win/ Loss

89–78 78–104 96–105 106–90 106–98 87–110 113–122 84–79 103–89 102–107 102–93 100–96 106–109 89–76 95–90

W L L W W L L W W L W W L W W

84–92 97–88 110–113 89–87 105–98 93–108 115–99 116–120 (OT) Dec. 20 Memphis Grizzlies 72–82 Dec. 22 New Orleans Hornets 101–89 Dec. 25 Miami Heat 102–104 (OT) Dec. 28 Toronto Raptors 117–99 RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER , 2004 (15–12) Jan. 2 Denver Nuggets 99–91 Jan. 4 @ San Antonio Spurs 83–100 Jan. 5 @ Dallas Mavericks 104–118 Jan. 7 Houston Rockets 111–104 Jan. 10 @ Minnesota Timber105–96 wolves Jan. 12 @ Denver Nuggets 83–95 Jan. 13 Cleveland Cavaliers 98–94 Jan. 15 @ Golden State Warriors 104–102 Jan. 17 Utah Jazz 94–102 Jan. 19 Minnesota Timber93–90 wolves Jan. 21 Golden State Warriors 105–101 Jan. 25 Seattle Supersonics 93–104 Jan. 26 @ Los Angeles Clippers 89–105 Jan. 28 New Jersey Nets 103–109 Jan. 30 Charlotte Bobcats 101–90 RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 2005 (23–19) Feb. 1 Portland Trail Blazers 92–79 Feb. 3 San Antonio Spurs 91–103 Feb. 6 @ Houston Rockets 102–103 Feb. 7 @ Atlanta Hawks 108–114 Feb. 9 @ New Jersey Nets 104–103 (OT) Feb. 10 @ Detroit Pistons 81–103 Feb. 13 @ Cleveland Cavaliers 89–103 Feb. 15 Utah Jazz 102–95 Feb. 22 Boston Celtics 104–95 Feb. 23 @ Portland Trail Blazers 86–83 Feb. 25 Detroit Pistons 90–111 Feb. 27 @ Toronto Raptors 102–108 Feb. 28 @ New York Knicks 115–117 (OT) RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 2005 (28–27)

L W L W W L W L L W L

Opponent

Final Score

Win/ Loss

March 2 @ March 4 March 6 March 8 March 10 @ March 12 @ March 14 @ March 15 @ March 17 @ March 18 @ March 20 March 22 @ March 24 @ March 27 March 29 March 31

Boston Celtics Dallas Mavericks Indiana Pacers Los Angeles Clippers Dallas Mavericks Charlotte Bobcats Washington Wizards Philadelphia 76ers Miami Heat Indiana Pacers Seattle Supersonics Utah Jazz Denver Nuggets Philadelphia 76ers New York Knicks Minnesota Timberwolves RECORD AT THE END OF MARCH, 2005 (33–38)

101–104 108–103 103–94 101–110 100–95 117–116 81–95 91–108 89–102 97–103 100–102 107–115 96–117 89–96 117–107 96–105

L W W L W W L L L L L L L L W L

April 2 @ San Antonio Spurs April 3 @ Memphis Grizzlies April 5 @ Phoenix Suns April 7 Houston Rockets April 8 @ Seattle Supersonics April 10 @ Sacramento Kings April 11 Phoenix Suns April 15 Sacramento Kings April 17 Dallas Mavericks April 18 @ Golden State Warriors April 20 @ Portland Trail Blazers FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (34–48)

94–95 82–102 99–125 100–114 117–94 105–124 97–108 106–115 112–114 99–126 103–106

L L L L W L L L L L L

W W L L W W L W W L W W L L L W W L L L W L L W W W L L L

2005-06 Date

Opponent

Final Score

Nov. 2 @

Denver Nuggets

Nov. 3 Nov. 6 Nov. 8 @ Nov. 9 @

Phoenix Suns Denver Nuggets Atlanta Hawks Minnesota Timberwolves Philadelphia 76ers Memphis Grizzlies New York Knicks Los Angeles Clippers Chicago Bulls Seattle Supersonics New Jersey Nets

99–97 (OT) 112–122 112–92 103–97 74–88

Nov. 11 @ Nov. 14 @ Nov. 16 Nov. 18 Nov. 20 Nov. 24 Nov. 27

Nov. 29 @ San Antonio Spurs RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER , 2005 (5–8) Dec. 1 @

Utah Jazz

Dec. 2

Minnesota Timberwolves Charlotte Bobcats Milwaukee Bucks Toronto Raptors Chicago Bulls Minnesota Timberwolves Dallas Mavericks Memphis Grizzlies

Dec. 4 Dec. 6 @ Dec. 7 @ Dec. 9 @ Dec. 10 @ Dec. 12 @ Dec. 14 @

Win/ Loss W L W W L

81–85 73–85 97–92 91–97 93–96 108–96 96–102 (OT) 84–90

L L W L L W L

105–101 (OT) 108–113

W

99–98 111–92 102–91 93–80 82–95

W W W W L

109–106 94–79

W W

L

L

2006-07

284

Date

Opponent

Final Score

Dec. 16 Dec. 18 Dec. 20 Dec. 23 @ Dec. 25 @ Dec. 26 @ Dec. 28

Washington Wizards Houston Rockets Dallas Mavericks Orlando Magic Miami Heat Washington Wizards Memphis Grizzlies

97–91 74–76 112–90 104–88 92–97 91–94 99–100 (OT)

Win/ Loss W L W W L L L

Date

SIX : SCHEDULES

AND

Opponent

Final Score

April 7 @ April 9 April 11 April 14 April 16 April 19

Phoenix Suns Los Angeles Clippers Golden State Warriors Portland Trail Blazers Phoenix Suns New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (45–37)

RESULTS Win/ Loss

96–107 100–83 111–100 110–99 109–89 115–95

L W W W W W

102–107 99–93 99–92 99–98 (OT) 97–114 118–126 (OT) 90–121

L W W W

RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER , 2005 (15–14) Jan. 1 Jan. 3 @ Jan. 6 Jan. 7 @ Jan. 9 Jan. 11 @ Jan. 12 Jan. 14 @ Jan. 16 Jan. 19 @

Utah Jazz Utah Jazz Philadelphia 76ers Los Angeles Clippers Indiana Pacers Portland Trail Blazers Cleveland Cavaliers Golden State Warriors Miami Heat Sacramento Kings

94–98 80–90 119–93 112–109 96–90 103–113 99–98 110–104 100–92 109–118 (OT) Jan. 20 @ Phoenix Suns 93–106 Jan. 22 Toronto Raptors 122–104 Jan. 27 Golden State Warriors 106–105 (OT) Jan. 29 @ Detroit Pistons 93–102 Jan. 31 @ New York Knicks 130–97 RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 2006 (24–20)

L L W W W L W W W L

Feb. 1 @ Feb. 3 @ Feb. 4 @

79–105 102–112 90–106

L L L

87–102 89–78 99–100 94–88 110–114 99–82 106–85 83–102 111–112 102–87

L W L W L W W L L W

93–99 106–94 105–94 96–103 113–107

L W W L W

100–92 113–120 98–114 92–89

W L L W

89–92 95–96 105–97 87–80 101–96 105–94

L L W W W W

85–96 106–93 104–88 108–110 (OT)

Indiana Pacers Charlotte Bobcats New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets Feb. 7 @ Dallas Mavericks Feb. 8 @ Houston Rockets Feb. 11 Memphis Grizzlies Feb. 13 Utah Jazz Feb. 15 Atlanta Hawks Feb. 21 Portland Trail Blazers Feb. 23 Sacramento Kings Feb. 24 @ Los Angeles Clippers Feb. 26 Boston Celtics Feb. 28 Orlando Magic RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 2006 (29–28) March 1 @ March 3 @ March 4 March 6 March 8 @ (at New Orleans)

Portland Trail Blazers Golden State Warriors Detroit Pistons San Antonio Spurs New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets March 10 @ San Antonio Spurs March 12 Seattle Supersonics March 14 @ Sacramento Kings March 15 Minnesota Timberwolves March 17 @ New Jersey Nets March 19 @ Cleveland Cavaliers March 20 @ Boston Celtics March 22 Sacramento Kings March 24 Milwaukee Bucks March 26 New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets March 30 San Antonio Spurs March 31 @ Seattle Supersonics RECORD AT THE END OF MARCH, 2006 (39–35) April 2 April 6 @

Houston Rockets Denver Nuggets

L W W L W

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND April 23 @ April 26 @ April 28 April 30

Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns

May 2 @ May 4

Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns

May 6 @

Phoenix Suns

L L L

2006-07 Date

Opponent

Final Score

Win/ Loss

Oct. 31 Phoenix Suns RECORD AT THE END OF OCTOBER , 2006 (1–0)

114–106

W

Nov. 1 @ Nov. 3 Nov. 5 @ Nov. 7

110–98 118–112 101–117 95–88

W W L W

90–101 83–97 91–81 107–100 82–72 105–101 108–114 99–93 105–109 132–102

L L W W W W L W L W

97–88 101–87 89–105

W W L

106–95 106–99 102–94 101–110 112–101 (2 OT) 141–147 (OT) 89–94 111–94

W W W L W

99–95 85–101 106–93

W L W

Golden State Warriors Seattle Supersonics Seattle Supersonics Minnesota Timberwolves Nov. 8 @ Portland Trail Blazers Nov. 10 Detroit Pistons Nov. 12 Memphis Grizzlies Nov. 17 Toronto Raptors Nov. 19 Chicago Bulls Nov. 21 Los Angeles Clippers Nov. 24 @ Utah Jazz Nov. 26 New Jersey Nets Nov. 28 Milwaukee Bucks Nov. 30 Utah Jazz RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER , 2006 (10–5) Dec. 2 @ Dec. 4 Dec. 6 Dec. 8 Dec. 10 Dec. 12 @ Dec. 13 @ Dec. 15

Los Angeles Clippers Indiana Pacers New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets Atlanta Hawks San Antonio Spurs Houston Rockets Dallas Mavericks Houston Rockets

Dec. 17

Washington Wizards

L W

Dec. 19 @ Dec. 20 @

W L

Dec. 22 @ Dec. 25 @ Dec. 27 @

Chicago Bulls Minnesota Timberwolves New Jersey Nets Miami Heat Orlando Magic

L L W

SIX : SCHEDULES

AND

RESULTS

285

Date

Opponent

Final Score

Dec. 29 @

Charlotte Bobcats

124–133 (3 OT) 104–94

Dec. 31 Philadelphia 76ers RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER , 2006 (20–11) Jan. 4 @

Sacramento Kings

Jan. 5 Jan. 7 Jan. 9 @ Jan. 10 @ Jan. 12 Jan. 15

Denver Nuggets Dallas Mavericks Memphis Grizzlies Houston Rockets Orlando Magic Miami Heat

Jan. 17 @ Jan. 18 @ Jan. 20 @

132–128 (OT) 123–104 101–98 118–128 77–102 109–106 124–118 (OT) 100–96 95–114 103–113

San Antonio Spurs Dallas Mavericks New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets Jan. 22 Golden State Warriors 108–103 Jan. 26 Charlotte Bobcats 97–106 (OT) Jan. 28 San Antonio Spurs 94–96 (OT) Jan. 30 @ New York Knicks 94–99 Jan. 31 @ Boston Celtics 111–98 RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 2007 (28–18)

Win/ Loss L W

W W L L W W W L L W L L L W

84–95 118–102 90–83 78–93 92–96 90–99 106–107 108–114 108–112 122–96 102–85 102–94

L W W L L L L L L W W W

March 2 March 4 @ March 6 @

108–116 94–99 107–117 (2 OT) 90–110 92–108 72–108 86–113 116–111 (OT) 109–102

L L L

121–119 111–105

W W

115–113 86–88 104–107 (OT)

W L L

126–103 105–111 82–90 112–109 107–115 111–115 110–118 85–93

W L L W L L L L

March 7 @ March 9 @ March 11 March 15 @ March 16 March 18

Minnesota Timberwolves March 22 @ Memphis Grizzlies March 23 @ (at New Orleans) New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets March 25 Golden State Warriors March 27 Memphis Grizzlies March 30 Houston Rockets

L L L L W W

RECORD AT THE END OF MARCH, 2007 (38–34) April 1 April 3 April 4 @ April 6 @ April 8 April 9 @ April 12 April 13 @

Sacramento Kings Denver Nuggets Los Angeles Clippers Seattle Supersonics Phoenix Suns Denver Nuggets Los Angeles Clippers Phoenix Suns

Date

Opponent

April 15 Seattle Supersonics April 18 @ Sacramento Kings FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (42–40)

W

Feb. 2 @ Indiana Pacers Feb. 3 @ Washington Wizards Feb. 5 @ Atlanta Hawks Feb. 8 @ Detroit Pistons Feb. 9 @ Toronto Raptors Feb. 11 @ Cleveland Cavaliers Feb. 13 New York Knicks Feb. 15 Cleveland Cavaliers Feb. 21 Portland Trail Blazers Feb. 23 Boston Celtics Feb. 25 @ Golden State Warriors Feb. 26 @ Utah Jazz RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 2007 (33–25) Sacramento Kings Phoenix Suns Minnesota Timberwolves Milwaukee Bucks Philadelphia 76ers Dallas Mavericks Denver Nuggets Portland Trail Blazers

2007-08 Final Score

Win/ Loss

109–98 117–106

W W

Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns

87–95 98–126 95–89 100–113 110–119

L L W L L

Opponent

Final Score

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND April 22 @ April 24 @ April 26 April 29 May 2 @

2007-08 Date

Win/ Loss

Oct. 30 Houston Rockets RECORD AT THE END OF OCTOBER , 2007 (0–1)

93–95

L

Nov. 2 @ Nov. 4 Nov. 6 Nov. 9

Phoenix Suns Utah Jazz New Orleans Hornets Minnesota Timberwolves Nov. 13 @ San Antonio Spurs Nov. 14 @ Houston Rockets Nov. 16 Detroit Pistons Nov. 18 Chicago Bulls Nov. 20 @ Indiana Pacers Nov. 21 @ Milwaukee Bucks Nov. 23 @ Boston Celtics Nov. 25 New Jersey Nets Nov. 27 Seattle Supersonics Nov. 29 Denver Nuggets Nov. 30 @ Utah Jazz RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER , 2007 (9–7)

119–98 119–109 104–118 107–93

W W L W

92–107 93–90 103–91 106–78 134–114 103–110 94–107 100–102 106–99 127–99 96–120

L W W W W L L L W W L

Dec. 2 Dec. 4 @

97–104 116–95

L W

111–107 123–113 102–97 106–108 113–92 103–91 90–94 106–101 95–90 122–115 123–109 91–110

W W W L W W L W W W W L

124–93 112–96 117–101 109–80 110–105 100–99 123–121 (OT) 98–106 116–99

W W W W W W W

Orlando Magic Minnesota Timberwolves Dec. 5 @ Denver Nuggets Dec. 9 Golden State Warriors Dec. 13 San Antonio Spurs Dec. 14 @ Golden State Warriors Dec. 16 Los Angeles Clippers Dec. 18 @ Chicago Bulls Dec. 20 @ Cleveland Cavaliers Dec. 21 @ Philadelphia 76ers Dec. 23 @ New York Knicks Dec. 25 Phoenix Suns Dec. 28 Utah Jazz Dec. 30 Boston Celtics RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER , 2007 (19–11) Jan. 4 Jan. 6 Jan. 8 @ Jan. 9 @ Jan. 11 Jan. 13 Jan. 14 @

Philadelphia 76ers Indiana Pacers Memphis Grizzlies New Orleans Hornets Milwaukee Bucks Memphis Grizzlies Seattle Supersonics

Jan. 17 Jan. 21

Phoenix Suns Denver Nuggets

L W

2008-09 Date

286 Opponent

Final Score

Win/ Loss

Jan. 23 @ San Antonio Spurs Jan. 25 @ Dallas Mavericks Jan. 27 Cleveland Cavaliers Jan. 29 New York Knicks Jan. 31 @ Detroit Pistons RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 2008 (28–16)

91–103 105–112 95–98 120–109 89–90

L L L W L

Feb. 1 @ Feb. 3 @ Feb. 5 @ Feb. 6 @ Feb. 8 @ Feb. 10 @ Feb. 11 @ Feb. 13 @

121–101 103–91 105–90 95–98 117–113 104–94 106–97 117–92

W W W L W W W W

122–93 130–124 113–95 111–91 96–83 106–88 111–119

W W W W W W L

108–104 (OT) March 4 @ Sacramento Kings 117–105 March 7 Los Angeles Clippers 119–82 March 9 Sacramento Kings 113–114 March 11 Toronto Raptors 117–108 March 14 @ New Orleans Hornets 98–108 March 16 @ Houston Rockets 92–104 March 18 @ Dallas Mavericks 102–100 March 20 @ Utah Jazz 106–95 March 21 Seattle Supersonics 130–105 March 23 Golden State Warriors 111–115 March 24 @ Golden State Warriors 123–119 (OT) March 26 Charlotte Bobcats 95–108 March 28 Memphis Grizzlies 111–114 March 30 Washington Wizards 126–120 (OT) RECORD AT THE END OF MARCH, 2008 (50–24)

W

Toronto Raptors Washington Wizards New Jersey Nets Atlanta Hawks Orlando Magic Miami Heat Charlotte Bobcats Minnesota Timberwolves Feb. 19 Atlanta Hawks Feb. 20 @ Phoenix Suns Feb. 23 @ Los Angeles Clippers Feb. 24 @ Seattle Supersonics Feb. 26 Portland Trail Blazers Feb. 28 Miami Heat Feb. 29 @ Portland Trail Blazers RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 2008 (41–18) March 2

104–91 112–108 114–92 103–112 106–78 107–104 106–85 124–101

W W L W L L W W W L W L L W

W W W L W W W W

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND April 20 April 23 April 26 @ April 28 @

Denver Nuggets Denver Nuggets Denver Nuggets Denver Nuggets

128–114 122–107 102–84 107–101

W W W W

109–98 120–110 99–104

W W L

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS May 4 May 7 May 9 @

Utah Jazz Utah Jazz Utah Jazz

AND

RESULTS

Date

Opponent

Final Score

May 11 @

Utah Jazz

L

May 14 May 16 @

Utah Jazz Utah Jazz

115–123 (OT) 111–104 108–105

San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs San Antonio Spurs

89–85 101–71 84–103 93–91 100–92

W W L W W

Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics

88–98 102–108 87–81 91–97 103–98 92–131

L L W L W L

Opponent

Final Score

Win/ Loss W W

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

Dallas Mavericks

April 2 Portland Trail Blazers April 4 Dallas Mavericks April 6 @ Sacramento Kings April 8 @ Portland Trail Blazers April 10 @ Los Angeles Clippers April 11 New Orleans Hornets April 13 San Antonio Spurs April 15 Sacramento Kings FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (57–25)

SIX : SCHEDULES

May 21 May 23 May 25 @ May 27 @ May 29

NBA FINALS June 5 @ June 8 @ June 10 June 12 June 15 June 17 @

2008-09 Date

Win/ Loss

Oct. 28 Portland Trail Blazers Oct. 29 @ Los Angeles Clippers RECORD AT THE END OF OCTOBER , 2008 (2–0)

96–76 117–79

W W

Nov. 1 @ Denver Nuggets Nov. 5 Los Angeles Clippers Nov. 9 Houston Rockets Nov. 11 @ Dallas Mavericks Nov. 12 @ New Orleans Hornets Nov. 14 Detroit Pistons Nov. 18 Chicago Bulls Nov. 20 @ Phoenix Suns Nov. 21 Denver Nuggets Nov. 23 Sacramento Kings Nov. 25 New Jersey Nets Nov. 28 Dallas Mavericks Nov. 30 Toronto Raptors RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER , 2008 (14–1)

104–97 106–88 111–82 106–99 93–86 95–106 116–109 105–92 104–90 118–108 120–93 114–107 112–99

W W W W W L W W W W W W W

Dec. 2 @ Dec. 3 @ Dec. 5 @ Dec. 7 Dec. 9 @ Dec. 10 Dec. 12 Dec. 14

117–118 114–102 106–104 105–92 101–113 115–110 112–103 98–86

L W W W L W W W

116–114 87–89 103–106 105–96 100–87 92–83 130–113

W L L W W W W

113–100 100–86 105–116 114–106

W W L W

Indiana Pacers Philadelphia 76ers Washington Wizards Milwaukee Bucks Sacramento Kings Phoenix Suns Sacramento Kings Minnesota Timberwolves Dec. 16 New York Knicks Dec. 19 @ Miami Heat Dec. 20 @ Orlando Magic Dec. 22 @ Memphis Grizzlies Dec. 23 @ New Orleans Hornets Dec. 25 Boston Celtics Dec. 28 Golden State Warriors RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER , 2008 (25–5) Jan. 2 Jan. 4 Jan. 6 Jan. 7 @

Utah Jazz Portland Trail Blazers New Orleans Hornets Golden State Warriors

SIX : SCHEDULES

AND

RESULTS

287

Date

Opponent

Final Score

Jan. 9 Jan. 11 Jan. 13 @ Jan. 14 @ Jan. 16 Jan. 19 Jan. 21 @ Jan. 22 Jan. 25 Jan. 27

Indiana Pacers Miami Heat Houston Rockets San Antonio Spurs Orlando Magic Cleveland Cavaliers Los Angeles Clippers Washington Wizards San Antonio Spurs Charlotte Bobcats

121–119 108–105 105–100 111–112 103–109 105–88 108–97 117–97 99–85 110–117 (2 OT) 132–119

W W W L L W W W W L

115–98

W

126–117 115–107 110–109 (OT) 101–91 105–98

W W W

109–113 96–83 129–121 115–111 (OT) 111–108

L W W W

107–93

W

132–106 79–90

W L

111–118 99–89 110–90

L W W

94–111 102–96 102–95 107–100 93–94 114–106 117–109 107–89

L W W W L W W W

92–77 103–95 76–86 84–94

W W L L

104–98 93–81 88–85 122–104 116–102 98–106 92–75 125–112

W W W W W L W W

Jan. 30 @

Minnesota Timberwolves Jan. 31 @ Memphis Grizzlies RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 2009 (37–9) Feb. 2 @ Feb. 4 @ Feb. 5 @

New York Knicks Toronto Raptors Boston Celtics

Feb. 8 @ Feb. 10

Cleveland Cavaliers Oklahoma City Thunder Utah Jazz Atlanta Hawks Golden State Warriors New Orleans Hornets

Feb. 11 @ Feb. 17 Feb. 18 @ Feb. 20 Feb. 22 @

Minnesota Timberwolves Feb. 24 @ Oklahoma City Thunder Feb. 26 Phoenix Suns Feb. 27 @ Denver Nuggets RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 2009 (48–11) March 1 @ March 3 March 6

Phoenix Suns Memphis Grizzlies Minnesota Timberwolves March 9 @ Portland Trail Blazers March 11 @ Houston Rockets March 12 @ San Antonio Spurs March 15 Dallas Mavericks March 17 Philadelphia 76ers March 19 Golden State Warriors March 21 @ Chicago Bulls March 24 @ Oklahoma City Thunder March 26 @ Detroit Pistons March 27 @ New Jersey Nets March 29 @ Atlanta Hawks March 31 @ Charlotte Bobcats RECORD AT THE END OF MARCH, 2009 (58–16) April 1 @ Milwaukee Bucks April 3 Houston Rockets April 5 Los Angeles Clippers April 7 @ Sacramento Kings April 9 Denver Nuggets April 10 @ Portland Trail Blazers April 12 Memphis Grizzlies April 14 Utah Jazz FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (65–17)

2009-10

Playoffs

Win/ Loss

W

W W

W

WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND April 19 April 21 April 23 @ April 25 @ April 27

Utah Jazz Utah Jazz Utah Jazz Utah Jazz Utah Jazz

113–100 119–109 86–88 108–94 107–96

W W L W W

92–100 111–98 108–94 87–99 118–78 80–95 89–70

L W W L W L W

Denver Nuggets Denver Nuggets Denver Nuggets Denver Nuggets Denver Nuggets Denver Nuggets

105–103 103–106 103–97 101–120 103–94 119–92

W L W L W W

June 4 June 7

Orlando Magic Orlando Magic

W W

June 9 @ June 11 @

Orlando Magic Orlando Magic

June 14 @

Orlando Magic

100–75 101–96 (OT) 104–108 99–91 (OT) 99–86

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS May 4 May 6 May 8 @ May 10 @ May 12 May 14 @ May 17

Houston Rockets Houston Rockets Houston Rockets Houston Rockets Houston Rockets Houston Rockets Houston Rockets

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS May 19 May 21 May 23 @ May 25 @ May 27 May 29 @

NBA FINALS

L W W

2009-10 Date

Opponent

Oct. 27 Los Angeles Clippers Oct. 30 Dallas Mavericks RECORD AT THE END OF OCTOBER , 2009 (1–1) Nov. 1 Nov. 3 @

Final Score 99–92 80–94

Atlanta Hawks Oklahoma City Thunder Houston Rockets

Win/ Loss W L

118–110 101–98 (OT) Nov. 4 @ 103–102 (OT) Nov. 6 Memphis Grizzlies 114–98 Nov. 8 New Orleans Hornets 104–88 Nov. 12 Phoenix Suns 121–102 Nov. 13 @ Denver Nuggets 79–105 Nov. 15 Houston Rockets 91–101 Nov. 17 Detroit Pistons 106–93 Nov. 19 Chicago Bulls 108–93 Nov. 22 Oklahoma City 101–85 Thunder Nov. 24 New York Knicks 100–90 Nov. 28 @ Golden State Warriors 130–97 Nov. 29 New Jersey Nets 106–87 RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER , 2009 (13–3)

W W W L L W W W

Dec. 1 Dec. 4 Dec. 6 Dec. 9

W W W W

New Orleans Hornets Miami Heat Phoenix Suns Utah Jazz

110–99 108–107 108–88 101–77

W W W

W W W

2010-11

288

Date

Opponent

Final Score

Dec. 11

Minnesota Timberwolves Utah Jazz Chicago Bulls Milwaukee Bucks

104–92

W

94–102 96–87 107–106 (OT) 103–84 93–81 111–108

L W W

Dec. 12 @ Dec. 15 @ Dec. 16 @ Dec. 19 @ Dec. 20 @ Dec. 22 Dec. 25 Dec. 26 @

New Jersey Nets Detroit Pistons Oklahoma City Thunder Cleveland Cavaliers Sacramento Kings

87–102 112–103 (2 OT) Dec. 28 @ Phoenix Suns 103–118 Dec. 29 Golden State Warriors 124–118 RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER , 2010 (25–6)

Win/ Loss

W W W

Opponent

Final Score

Utah Jazz San Antonio Spurs Denver Nuggets Minnesota Timberwolves April 11 Portland Trail Blazers April 13 Sacramento Kings April 14 @ Los Angeles Clippers FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (57–25)

88–91 106–100 91–107

L W L

87–79

W

95–92

W

96–101

L

89–110

L

111–87

W

95–94

W

104–99 111–103 111–110 111–96

W W W W

Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns Phoenix Suns

128–107 124–112 109–118 106–115 103–101 111–103

W W L L W W

Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Boston Celtics

102–89 94–103 91–84 89–96 86–92 89–67 83–79

W L W L L W W

Opponent

Final Score

Playoffs

April 20

Feb. 1 @ Memphis Grizzlies Feb. 3 Charlotte Bobcats Feb. 5 Denver Nuggets Feb. 6 @ Portland Trail Blazers Feb. 8 San Antonio Spurs Feb. 10 @ Utah Jazz Feb. 16 Golden State Warriors Feb. 18 Boston Celtics Feb. 23 @ Memphis Grizzlies Feb. 24 @ Dallas Mavericks Feb. 26 Philadelphia 76ers Feb. 28 Denver Nuggets RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 2010 (45–15)

93–95 99–97 113–126 99–82 101–89 96–81 104–94 86–87 99–98 96–101 99–90 95–89

L W L W W W W L W L W W

122–99 111–114 (OT) March 5 @ Charlotte Bobcats 83–98 March 7 @ Orlando Magic 94–96 March 9 Toronto Raptors 109–107 March 12 @ Phoenix Suns 102–96 March 15 @ Golden State Warriors 124–121 March 16 @ Sacramento Kings 106–99 March 19 Minnesota Timber104–96 wolves March 21 Washington Wizards 99–92 March 24 @ San Antonio Spurs 92–83 March 26 @ Oklahoma City 75–91 Thunder March 27 @ Houston Rockets 109–101 March 29 @ New Orleans Hornets 100–108 March 31 @ Atlanta Hawks 92–109 RECORD AT THE END OF MARCH, 2010 (54–21)

W L L L W W W W W W W L W L L

Win/ Loss W L L W

WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND

W W W L L W L W W W L W L W W W W

RESULTS

106–92 81–100 96–98 97–88

L W

109–108 131–96 88–79 91–102 98–107 95–77 85–105 100–95 126–86 98–92 87–93 115–105 105–106 115–103 118–96 99–91 90–89

Indiana Pacers Miami Heat

AND

April 2 April 4 April 8 @ April 9 @

L W

Jan. 1 Sacramento Kings Jan. 3 Dallas Mavericks Jan. 5 Houston Rockets Jan. 6 @ Los Angeles Clippers Jan. 8 @ Portland Trail Blazers Jan. 10 Milwaukee Bucks Jan. 12 @ San Antonio Spurs Jan. 13 @ Dallas Mavericks Jan. 15 Los Angeles Clippers Jan. 18 Orlando Magic Jan. 21 @ Cleveland Cavaliers Jan. 22 @ New York Knicks Jan. 24 @ Toronto Raptors Jan. 26 @ Washington Wizards Jan. 27 @ Indiana Pacers Jan. 29 @ Philadelphia 76ers Jan. 31 @ Boston Celtics RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 2010 (37–11)

March 2 March 4 @

Date

SIX : SCHEDULES

April 18

April 22 @ April 24 @ April 27 April 30 @

Oklahoma City Thunder Oklahoma City Thunder Oklahoma City Thunder Oklahoma City Thunder Oklahoma City Thunder Oklahoma City Thunder

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS May 2 May 4 May 8 @ May 10 @

Utah Jazz Utah Jazz Utah Jazz Utah Jazz

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS May 17 May 19 May 23 @ May 25 @ May 27 May 29 @

NBA FINALS June 3 June 6 June 8 @ June 10 @ June 13 @ June 15 June 17

2010-11 Date

Win/ Loss

Oct. 26 Houston Rockets 112–110 Oct. 29 @ Phoenix Suns 114–106 Oct. 31 Golden State Warriors 107–83 RECORD AT THE END OF OCTOBER , 2010 (3–0)

W W W

Nov. 2 Nov. 3 @ Nov. 5 Nov. 7

W W W W

Memphis Grizzlies Sacramento Kings Toronto Raptors Portland Trail Blazers

124–105 112–100 108–103 121–96

SIX : SCHEDULES Date

AND

RESULTS Opponent

Nov. 9

Minnesota Timberwolves Nov. 11 @ Denver Nuggets Nov. 14 Phoenix Suns Nov. 16 @ Milwaukee Bucks Nov. 17 @ Detroit Pistons Nov. 19 @ Minnesota Timberwolves Nov. 21 Golden State Warriors Nov. 23 Chicago Bulls Nov. 26 @ Utah Jazz Nov. 28 Indiana Pacers Nov. 30 @ Memphis Grizzlies RECORD AT THE END OF NOVEMBER , 2010 (13–5)

289 Final Score

Win/ Loss

99–94

W

112–118 116–121 118–107 103–90 112–95

L L W W W

117–89 98–91 96–102 92–95 96–98

W W L L L

Dec. 1 @ Houston Rockets Dec. 3 Sacramento Kings Dec. 7 Washington Wizards Dec. 8 @ Los Angeles Clippers Dec. 10 @ Chicago Bulls Dec. 12 @ New Jersey Nets Dec. 14 @ Washington Wizards Dec. 15 @ Indiana Pacers Dec. 17 @ Philadelphia 76ers Dec. 19 @ Toronto Raptors Dec. 21 Milwaukee Bucks Dec. 25 Miami Heat Dec. 28 @ San Antonio Spurs Dec. 29 @ New Orleans Hornets Dec. 31 Philadelphia 76ers RECORD AT THE END OF DECEMBER , 2010 (23–10)

99–109 113–80 115–108 87–86 84–88 99–92 103–89 109–94 93–81 120–110 79–98 80–96 82–97 103–88 102–98

L W W W L W W W W W L L L W W

Jan. 2 Jan. 4 Jan. 5 @ Jan. 7 Jan. 9 Jan. 11 Jan. 12 @ Jan. 14 Jan. 16 @ Jan. 17

85–104 108–93 99–95 101–97 109–87 112–57 115–110 100–88 92–99 101–94

L W W W W W W W L W

100–109 107–97 120–91 95–100 96–109

L W W L L

114–106 (OT) San Antonio Spurs 88–89 New Orleans Hornets 101–95 Memphis Grizzlies 93–84 Boston Celtics 92–86 New York Knicks 113–96 Orlando Magic 75–89

W

Memphis Grizzlies Detroit Pistons Phoenix Suns New Orleans Hornets New York Knicks Cleveland Cavaliers Golden State Warriors New Jersey Nets Los Angeles Clippers Oklahoma City Thunder Jan. 19 @ Dallas Mavericks Jan. 21 @ Denver Nuggets Jan. 25 Utah Jazz Jan. 28 Sacramento Kings Jan. 30 Boston Celtics RECORD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 2011 (33–15) Feb. 1 Feb. 3 Feb. 5 @ Feb. 7 @ Feb. 10 @ Feb. 11 @ Feb. 13 @

Houston Rockets

L W W W W L

2010-11 Date

Opponent

Final Score

Feb. 14 @ Feb. 16 @ Feb. 22 Feb. 23 @

Charlotte Bobcats Cleveland Cavaliers Atlanta Hawks Portland Trail Blazers

89–109 99–104 104–80 106–101 (OT) 108–95 90–87

L L W W

90–79

W

92–84 99–83 101–87 88–94 96–91 97–84 106–98

W W W L W W W

Feb. 25 Feb. 27 @

Los Angeles Clippers Oklahoma City Thunder RECORD AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, 2011 (42–19) March 1 @ March 4 March 6 @ March 8 @ March 10 @ March 12 @ March 14 March 18 March 20 March 22

Minnesota Timberwolves Charlotte Bobcats San Antonio Spurs Atlanta Hawks Miami Heat Dallas Mavericks Orlando Magic Minnesota Timberwolves Portland Trail Blazers Phoenix Suns

84–80 139–137 (3 OT) March 25 Los Angeles Clippers 112–104 March 27 New Orleans Hornets 102–84 March 31 Dallas Mavericks 110–82 RECORD AT THE END OF MARCH, 2011 (54–20) April 1 @ April 3 April 5 April 6 @ April 8 @ April 10 April 12 April 13 @

Utah Jazz Denver Nuggets Utah Jazz Golden State Warriors Portland Trail Blazers Oklahoma City Thunder San Antonio Spurs Sacramento Kings

Win/ Loss

W W

W W W W W

96–85 90–95 85–86 87–95 86–93 106–120

W L L L L L

102–93 116–108 (OT)

W W

100–109 87–78 100–86 88–93 106–90 98–80

L W W L W W

94–96 81–93 92–98 86–122

L L L L

FINAL REGULAR SEASON RECORD (57–25)

Playoffs WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND April 17 April 20 April 22 @ April 24 @ April 26 April 28 @

New Orleans Hornets New Orleans Hornets New Orleans Hornets New Orleans Hornets New Orleans Hornets New Orleans Hornets

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS May 2 May 4 May 6 @ May 8 @

Dallas Mavericks Dallas Mavericks Dallas Mavericks Dallas Mavericks

Seven

ALL-TIME INDIVIDUAL RECORDS AND DRAFT PICKS : 1960–2011 Regular Season

Three-Point Field Goals Made CAREER : (1) Kobe Bryant 1,418; (2) Derek Fisher 822; (3) Nick Van Exel 750

Games Played CAREER : (1) Kobe Bryant 1,103 (1996–2011); (2) Kareem Abdul-

SEASON : (1) Nick Van Exel 183 (1994–1995); (2) Kobe Bryant 180

Points

Three-Point Field Goals Percentage

(2005–2006); (3) Nick Van Exel 177 (1996–1997)

Jabbar 1,093 (1975–1989); (3) Jerry West 932 (1960–1974)

CAREER : (1) Kobe Bryant 27,868; (2) Jerry West 25,192; (3) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 24,176

SEASON : (1) Kobe Bryant 2,832 (2005–2006); (2) Elgin Baylor 2,719

CAREER : (1) Larry Drew .404; (2) Vladimir Radmanovic .400; (3) Mike Penberthy .396

SEASON : (1) Vladimir Radmanovic .441 (2008–2009); (2) Sasha

(1962–1963); (3) Elgin Baylor 2,538 (1960–1961) GAME : (1) Kobe Bryant 81 ( January 22, 2006, vs. Toronto Raptors)

Vujacic .437 (2007–2008); (3) Byron Scott .436 (1986–1987)

Field Goals Attempted

CAREER : (1) Jerry West 8,801; (2) Kobe Bryant 8,381; (3) Elgin Baylor

CAREER : (1) Kobe Bryant 21,370; (2) Elgin Baylor 20,171; (3) Jerry

7,391 SEASON : (1) Jerry West 977 (1965–1966); (2) Shaquille O’Neal 972 (2000–2001); (3) Jerry West 926 (1961–1962)

West 19,032

SEASON : (1) Elgin Baylor 2,273 (1962–1963); (2) Kobe Bryant 2,173

Free Throws Attempted

(2005–2006); (3) Elgin Baylor 2,166 (1960–1961)

Free Throws Made

Field Goals Made

CAREER : (1) Jerry West 7,160; (2) Kobe Bryant 7,026; (3) Elgin

CAREER : (1) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 9,935; (2) Kobe Bryant 9,712;

Baylor 5,763

(3) Jerry West 9,016 SEASON : (1) Elgin Baylor 1,029 (1962–1963); (2) Kobe Bryant 978 (2005–2006); (3) Shaquille O’Neal 956 (1999–2000)

SEASON : (1) Jerry West 840 (1965–1966); (2) Jerry West 712 (1961–

Field Goal Percentage

CAREER : (1) Cazzie Russell .877; (2) Sasha Vujacic .876; (3) Glen

CAREER : (1) Wilt Chamberlain .605; (2) Shaquille O’Neal .575;

1962); (3) Kobe Bryant 696 (2005–2006)

Free Throw Percentage Rice .870

(3) Andrew Bynum .567; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar .567 SEASON : (1) Wilt Chamberlain .727 (1972–1973); (2) Wilt Chamberlain .649 (1971–1972); (3) Andrew Bynum .636 (2007–2008)

SEASON : (1) Sasha Vujacic .921 (2008–2009); (2) Magic Johnson

Three-Point Field Goals Attempted

Scoring Average

CAREER : (1) Kobe Bryant 4,185; (2) Derek Fisher 2,181; (3) Nick

CAREER : (1) Elgin Baylor 27.3; (2) Shaquille O’Neal 27.0; Jerry

Van Exel 2,062 SEASON : (1) Kobe Bryant 518 (2005–2006); (2) Nick Van Exel 511 (1994–1995); (3) Nick Van Exel 468 (1996–1997)

.911 (1988–1989); Shannon Brown .911 (2010–2011); (3) Magic Johnson .906 (1990–1991)

West 27.0; (3) Kobe Bryant 25.2

SEASON : (1) Elgin Baylor 38.2 (1961–1962); (2) Kobe Bryant 35.4

290

(2005–2006); (3) Elgin Baylor 34.7 (1960–1961)

SEVEN : ALL-TIME INDIVIDUAL RECORDS

291

Assists CAREER : (1) Magic Johnson 10,141; (2) Jerry West 6,238; (3) Kobe Bryant 5,154 SEASON : (1) Magic Johnson 989 (1990–1991); (2) Magic Johnson 988 (1988–1989); (3) Magic Johnson 977 (1986–1987) GAME : (1) Magic Johnson 24 (November 17, 1989, vs. Denver Nuggets and January 9, 1990, vs. Phoenix Suns)

Playoff Individual Records SEASON : (1) Elmore Smith 4.8 (1973–1974); (2) Kareem Abdul-

Jabbar 4.1 (1975–1976); (3) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 3.9 (1978–1979)

Playoff Individual Records Games Played

Assist Average CAREER : (1) Magic Johnson 11.1; (2) Norm Nixon 7.9; (3) Nick

Van Exel 7.2 SEASON : (1) Magic Johnson 13.0 (1983–1984); (2) Magic Johnson 12.8 (1988–1989); (3) Magic Johnson 12.6 (1985–1986)

CAREER : (1) Kobe Bryant 208; (2) Derek Fisher 193; (3) Magic Johnson 190

Points CAREER : (1) Kobe Bryant 5,280; (2) Jerry West 4,457; (3) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 4,070

Rebounds CAREER : (1) Elgin Baylor 11,463; (2) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 10,279;

(3) Magic Johnson 6,559 SEASON : (1) Wilt Chamberlain 1,712 (1968–1969); (2) Wilt Chamberlain 1,572 (1971–1972); (3) Wilt Chamberlain 1,526 (1972– 1973) GAME : (1) Wilt Chamberlain 42 (March 7, 1969, vs. Boston Celtics)

Rebound Average

SEASON : (1) Shaquille O’Neal 707 (2000); (2) Kobe Bryant 695 (2009); (3) Kobe Bryant 671 (2010) GAME : (1) Elgin Baylor 61 (April 14, 1962, vs. Boston Celtics)

Field Goals Attempted CAREER : (1) Kobe Bryant 4,198; (2) Jerry West 3,460; (3) Elgin Baylor 3,151

SEASON : (1) Kobe Bryant 530 (2009); (2) Kobe Bryant 511 (2010); (3) Shaquille O’Neal 505 (2000)

CAREER : (1) Wilt Chamberlain 19.2; (2) Elgin Baylor 13.5; (3)

Field Goals Made

Happy Hairston 12.4

SEASON : (1) Wilt Chamberlain 21.4 (1968–1969); (2) Elgin Baylor 19.8 (1960–1961); (3) Wilt Chamberlain 19.1 (1971–1972)

Steals

CAREER : (1) Kobe Bryant 1,882; (2) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 1,643; (3) Jerry West 1,622

SEASON : (1) Shaquille O’Neal 286 (2000); (2) Kobe Bryant 242 (2009); (3) Kobe Bryant 234 (2010)

CAREER : (1) Magic Johnson 1,724; (2) Kobe Bryant 1,653; (3) James Worthy 1,041 SEASON : (1) Magic Johnson 208 (1981–1982); (2) Norm Nixon 201 (1978–1979); (3) Eddie Jones 189 (1996–1997) GAME : (1) Jerry West 10 (December 7, 1973, vs. Seattle Supersonics)

Field Goal Percentage CAREER : (1) Kurt Rambis .592; (2) Adrian Dantley .565; (3) Shaquille O’Neal .557

SEASON : (1) Vlade Divac .727 (1990); (2) Elden Campbell .658 (1991); (3) Kurt Rambis .652 (1984)

Steals Average CAREER : (1) Jerry West 2.6; (2) Eddie Jones 2.0; (3) Magic Johnson 1.9

SEASON : (1) Magic Johnson 3.4 (1980–1981); (2) Magic Johnson 2.67 (1981–1982); (3) Jerry West 2.61 (1973–1974)

Three-Point Field Goals Attempted CAREER : (1) Kobe Bryant 822; (2) Derek Fisher 543; (3) Michael Cooper 316

SEASON : (1) Kobe Bryant 131 (2010); (2) Ron Artest 117 (2010); (3) Kobe Bryant 106 (2008), Kobe Bryant 106 (2009)

Blocked Shots CAREER : (1) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 2,694; (2) Shaquille O’Neal

1,278; (3) Elden Campbell 1,022 SEASON : (1) Elmore Smith 393 (1973–1974); (2) Kareem AbdulJabbar 338 (1975–1976); (3) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 316 (1978– 1979) GAME : (1) Elmore Smith 17 (October 28, 1973, vs. Portland Trailblazers)

Three-Point Field Goals Made CAREER : (1) Kobe Bryant 275; (2) Derek Fisher 219; (3) Michael Cooper 124

SEASON : (1) Kobe Bryant 49 (2010); (2) Trevor Ariza 40 (2009); (3) Kobe Bryant 37 (2009)

Three-Point Field Goals Percentage

Blocked Shots Average

CAREER : (1) Trevor Ariza .466; (2) Eddie Jones .432; (3) Byron

CAREER : (1) Elmore Smith 3.9; (2) Shaquille O’Neal 2.49; (3) Ka-

SEASON : (1) Derek Fisher .617 (2003); (2) Eddie Jones .526 (1996),

reem Abdul-Jabbar 2.46

Scott .406

Byron Scott .526 (1991); (3) Derek Fisher .515 (2001)

Home Attendence Regular Season

292

Free Throws Attempted CAREER : (1) Kobe Bryant 1,522; (2) Jerry West 1,506; (3) Shaquille O’Neal 1,472 SEASON : (1) Shaquille O’Neal 296 (2000); (2) Shaquille O’Neal 254 (2004); (3) Jerry West 212 (1970)

Free Throws Made CAREER : (1) Kobe Bryant 1,241; (2) Jerry West 1,220; (3) Magic Johnson 1,068 SEASON : (1) Kobe Bryant 174 (2009); (2) Jerry West 170 (1970); (3) Jerry West 164 (1969)

SEVEN : ALL-TIME INDIVIDUAL RECORDS SEASON : (1) Magic Johnson 49 (1980); (2) Derek Fisher 43 (2008);

(3) Magic Johnson 42 (1984) GAME : (1) Magic Johnson 7 (April 24, 1983, vs. Portland Trailblazers), Byron Scott 7 (May 10, 1991, vs. Golden State Warriors)

Steals Average CAREER : (1) Don Chaney 1.9; (2) Magic Johnson 1.8; (3) Lucius Allen 1.5

SEASON : (1) Magic Johnson 3.0 (1980); (2) Magic Johnson 2.8 (1982); (3) Magic Johnson 2.6 (1981)

Blocked Shots

Free Throw Percentage

CAREER : (1) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 437; (2) Shaquille O’Neal 310;

CAREER : (1) Glen Rice .839; (2) Magic Johnson .838; (3) Michael

SEASON : (1) Shaquille O’Neal 61 (2004); (2) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Cooper .825 SEASON : (1) Glen Rice .966 (1999); (2) Ron Boone .952 (1979); (3) Michael Cooper .923 (1985)

Scoring Average

(3) Pau Gasol 150

58 (1980); (3) Shaquille O’Neal 55 (2000) Kareem Abdul Jabbar 55 (1983) GAME : (1) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 9 (April 22, 1977, vs. Golden State Warriors)

CAREER : (1) Jerry West 29.1; (2) Shaquille O’Neal 27.7; (3) Elgin Baylor 27.0 SEASON : (1) Jerry West 40.6 (1965); (2) Elgin Baylor 38.6 (1962); (3) Elgin Baylor 38.0 (1961)

Assists

Blocked Shots Average CAREER : (1) Shaquille O’Neal 2.5; (2) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 2.4; (3) Pau Gasol 1.9

SEASON : (1) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 4.1 (1979); (2) Kareem AbdulJabbar 4.0 (1978); (3) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 3.8 (1980)

CAREER : (1) Magic Johnson 2,346; (2) Kobe Bryant 988; (3) Jerry West 970

SEASON : (1) Magic Johnson 303 (1988); (2) Magic Johnson 289

Home Attendance Regular Season

GAME : (1) Magic Johnson 24 (May 15, 1984, vs. Phoenix Suns)

All information related to home attendance from 2010-2011 Los Angeles Lakers Media Guide

(1985); (3) Magic Johnson 284 (1984)

Assist Average CAREER : (1) Magic Johnson 12.3; (2) Norm Nixon 8.0; (3) Jerry West 6.3

SEASON : (1) Magic Johnson 15.2 (1985); (2) Magic Johnson 15.0 (1986); (3) Magic Johnson 13.5 (1984)

Rebounds CAREER : (1) Wilt Chamberlain 1,783; (2) Elgin Baylor 1,724; (3) Shaquille O’Neal 1,630

SEASON : (1) Wilt Chamberlain 444 (1969); (2) Wilt Chamberlain 399 (1970); (3) Wilt Chamberlain 383 (1973)

GAME : (1) Wilt Chamberlain 33 (April 4, 1971, vs. Chicago Bulls)

Rebound Average CAREER : (1) Wilt Chamberlain 22.2; (2) Shaquille O’Neal 13.3; (3) Elgin Baylor 12.8

SEASON : (1) Wilt Chamberlain 24.6 (1969); (2) Wilt Chamberlain 22.5 (1973); (3) Wilt Chamberlain 22.1 (1970)

Steals CAREER : (1) Magic Johnson 358; (2) Kobe Bryant 294; (3) Derek Fisher 219

Season 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88

Games

Attendance

Average

30 31 34 36 38 39 39 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41

151,344 190,321 285,462 322,331 392,004 426,467 435,008 421,326 483,262 536,513 566,108 668,340 664,872 603,145 474,287 524,976 501,434 534,017 482,611 582,882 538,537 605,367 648,244 622,398 613,826 689,905 681,707 714,477

5,045 6,139 8,396 8,954 10,316 10,935 11,154 10,276 11,787 13,086 13,808 16,301 16,216 14,711 11,567 12,804 12,230 13,025 11,771 14,217 13,135 14,765 15,810 15,180 14,971 16,286 16,627 17,426

SEVEN : ALL-TIME INDIVIDUAL RECORDS Season 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11

293

Games

Attendance

Average

Season

41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 25 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41

717,349 712,498 697,185 699,240 633,655 545,916 591,125 649,634 697,132 691,994 430,007 771,410 776,336 778,877 777,888 777,757 770,494 774,189 778,415 778,877 778,877 778,877 778,877

17,496 17,378 17,005 17,055 15,455 13,315 14,418 15,845 17,003 16,878 17,200 18,815 18,935 18,997 18,973 18,970 18,793 18,883 18,986 18,997 18,997 18,997 18,997

1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11

Home Attendance Postseason Season 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99

Home Attendance Postseason/Draft Picks

Games

Attendance

Average

6 6 7 2 5 7 1 8 10 9 6 8 10 2 0 0 6 1 3 9 3 7 8 11 11 8 10 14 8 5 11 1 2 0 5 2 4 6 4

36,280 66,761 97,783 25,590 70,246 101,323 11,597 100,757 169,958 154,562 90,474 140,040 173,697 35,010

6,047 11,127 13,969 12,795 14,049 14,475 11,597 12,595 16,096 17,174 15,079 17,505 17,370 17,505

100,783 15,051 47,411 149,865 46,451 113,173 131,952 172,124 183,361 140,040 174,842 245,070 140,040 87,525 192,555 16,690 35,010

16,797 15,051 15,803 16,652 15,483 16,167 16,494 15,648 16,669 17,505 17,484 17,505 17,505 17,505 17,505 16,690 17,505

87,525 35,010 70,020 105,030 70,020

17,505 17,505 17,505 17,505 17,505

Games

Attendance

Average

13 8 10 6 11 0 3 2 11 12 12 5

246,961 151,976 189,970 113,982 208,967

18,997 18,997 18,997 18,997 18,997

56,991 37,994 208,967 227,964 227,964 94,985

18,997 18,997 18,997 18,997 18,997 18,997

Los Angeles Lakers Draft Picks 1960 1st Round, 2nd Pick: Jerry West, West Virginia University 3rd Round, 2nd Pick: Jim Hagan, Tennessee Technological University 4th Round, 2nd Pick: Wally Frank, Kansas State University 4th Round, 3rd Pick: Ben Warley, Tennessee State University 5th Round, 2nd Pick: George Farley, Cornell University 6th Round, 2nd Pick: Bobby Goodall, University of Tulsa 7th Round, 2nd Pick: Howard Jolliff, Ohio University 8th Round, 2nd Pick: John Werhas, University of Southern California 9th Round, 2nd Pick: Claude Lefevre, Gonzaga University 10th Round, 2nd Pick: Dick Harvey, Creighton University 11th Round, 2nd Pick: Sterling Forbes, Pepperdine 12th Round, 2nd Pick: Will Jones, American University

1961 1st Round, 5th Pick: Wayne Yates, University of Memphis 2nd Round, 4th Pick: Fred Sawyer, University of Louisville 3rd Round, 4th Pick: Frank Burgess, Gonzaga University 4th Round, 4th Pick: Charles Henke, University of Missouri 5th Round, 4th Pick: Bill Lickert, University of Kentucky 6th Round, 4th Pick: Bill McClintock, University of California 7th Round, 4th Pick: Albert Alamanza, University of Texas at Austin 8th Round, 4th Pick: Bill Ellis, UCLA 9th Round, 4th Pick: Carl Anderson, Oregon State 10th Round, 4th Pick: Robert Williams, Allan Hancock College 11th Round, 4th Pick: Howard Hunt, Duke University

1962 1st Round, 8th Pick: Leroy Ellis, St. John’s University 2nd Round, 8th Pick: Gene Wiley, Wichita State University 3rd Round, 8th Pick: John Green, UCLA 4th Round, 8th Pick: Jan Loudermilk, Southern Methodist University 5th Round, 8th Pick: Art Whisnant, University of Southern California 6th Round, 8th Pick: Bucky Keller, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 8th Round, 8th Pick: Bill Garner, University of Portland 9th Round, 8th Pick: Bill Matson, University of Minnesota

1963 1st Round, 8th Pick: Roger Strickland, Jacksonville Univeristy 2nd Round, 5th Pick: Jim King, University of Tulsa 2nd Round, 8th Pick: Mel Gibson, Wester Carolina University 3rd Round, 8th Pick: Lyle Harger, University of Houston 4th Round, 8th Pick: Layton Johns, Auburn University

Draft Picks, 1964 –1972

294

5th Round, 8th Pick: Larry Jones, University of Toledo 6th Round, 8th Pick: Warren Salade, Westminster College of Pennsylvania 7th Round, 8th Pick: Gordie Martin, University of Southern California

1964 1st Round, 5th Pick: Mahdi Abdul-Rahman, UCLA 2nd Round, 5th Pick: Cotton Nash, University of Kentucky 3rd Round, 5th Pick: Tom Dose, Stanford University 4th Round, 5th Pick: Hank Finkel, University of Dayton 5th Round, 5th Pick: John Savage, North Texas State University 6th Round, 5th Pick: Troy Collier, Utah State University 7th Round, 5th Pick: Steve Anstett, University of Portland 8th Round, 5th Pick: Jay Buckley, Duke University

1965 1st Round, 10th Pick: Gail Goodrich, UCLA 2nd Round, 8th Pick: John Fairchild, Brigham Young University 3rd Round, 8th Pick: Jim Caldwell, Georgia Institute of Technology 4th Round, 8th Pick: Brooks Henderson, University of Florida 5th Round, 8th Pick: A.W. Davis, University of Tennessee 6th Round, 8th Pick: Theo Cruz, Seattle University 7th Round, 7th Pick: Dwayne Cruze, Idaho State University 8th Round, 7th Pick: George Unseld, University of Kansas 9th Round, 6th Pick: Marlbert Pradd, Dillard University 10th Round, 6th Pick: Don Rae, Montana State University 11th Round, 6th Pick: Bob Andrews, University of Alabama

1966 1st Round, 7th Pick: Jerry Chambers, University of Utah 2nd Round, 7th Pick: Hank Finkel, University of Dayton 3rd Round, 7th Pick: John Block, University of Southern California 4th Round, 7th Pick: Archie Clark, University of Minnesota 5th Round, 8th Pick: Stan Washington, Michigan State University 6th Round, 7th Pick: Keith Thomas, Vanderbilt University 7th Round, 7th Pick: Tab Jackson, Albertson College of Idaho 8th Round, 7th Pick: John Wetzel, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 9th Round, 5th Pick: Julian Hammond, University of Tulsa 10th Round, 5th Pick: Mike Rooney, University of Oklahoma 11th Round, 5th Pick: George Grams, Purdue University

1967 2nd Round, 4th Pick: Randolph Mahaffey, Clemson University 3rd Round, 4th Pick: Dwight Smith, Western Kentucky University 4th Round, 4th Pick: Cliff Anderson, Saint Joseph’s University 5th Round, 4th Pick: Joe Allen, Bradley University 6th Round, 4th Pick: Gary Keller, University of Florida 7th Round, 4th Pick: Jamie Thompson, Wichita State University 8th Round, 4th Pick: Don Carlos, Otterbein College 9th Round, 3rd Pick: Jay McMillon, University of Maryland 10th Round, 3rd Pick: Don Kruze, University of Houston 11th Round, 3rd Pick: Nick Pino, Kansas State University 12th Round, 4th Pick: Ben Monroe, University of New Mexico 13th Round, 4th Pick: Gary Jones, University of Iowa

1968 1st Round, 11th Pick: Bill Hewitt, University of Southern California 4th Round, 9th Pick: Ed Biedenbach, North Carolina State University 5th Round, 9th Pick: Lou Shephard, Southwest Missouri State University

SEVEN : ALL-TIME DRAFT PICKS 6th Round, 9th Pick: Nick Pino, Kansas State University 7th Round, 9th Pick: Dennis Hrcka, Hillsdale College 8th Round, 9th Pick: John Smith, University of Southern Colorado 9th Round, 9th Pick: George Stone, Marshall University 10th Round, 9th Pick: Charles Alford, East Carolina University 11th Round, 8th Pick: Harry Singletary, Presbyterian College 12th Round, 8th Pick: Reggie Lacefield, Western Michigan University 13th Round, 7th Pick: Harvey Mumford, Montana State University 14th Round, 7th Pick: John Godfrey, Abilene Christian University 15th Round, 6th Pick: Johnny Baum, Temple University 16th Round, 6th Pick: Mike Eberle, University of Wyoming

1969 1st Round, 12th Pick: Willie McCarter, Drake University 1st Round, 15th Pick: Rick Roberson, University of Cincinnati 2nd Round, 12th Pick: Dick Garrett, Southern Illinois University 5th Round, 12th Pick: Wil Jones, Albany State University 6th Round, 12th Pick: Dick Grubar, University of North Carolina 7th Round, 12th Pick: Kari Liimbo, Brigham Young University 8th Round, 12th Pick: Joe Smith, Oklahoma State University 9th Round, 12th Pick: Jim Smith, Northern Illinois University 10th Round, 12th Pick: Phil Argento, University of Kentucky 11th Round, 12th Pick: Ron Peret, Texas A&M University 12th Round, 11th Pick: Jack Gillespie, Montana University 13th Round, 10th Pick: Mallory Chestnutt, Tuskegee University 14th Round, 8th Pick: Mack Calvin, University of Southern California

1970 1st Round, 13th Pick: Jim McMillian, Columbia University 2nd Round, 13th Pick: Ernie Killum, Stetson University 4th Round, 13th Pick: Larry Mikan, University of Minnesota 5th Round, 13th Pick: John Fultz, University of Rhode Island 6th Round, 13th Pick: Jerry Kroll, Davidson College 7th Round, 13th Pick: Willie Woods, Eastern Kentucky University 8th Round, 13th Pick: Richard Mount, Purdue University 9th Round, 13th Pick: Bobby Sands, Pepperdine University 10th Round, 13th Pick: Kindell Stephens, Fisk University 11th Round, 11th Pick: Bob Duklet, Boston College 12th Round, 9th Pick: Dewey Varner, Tuskegee University 13th Round, 9th Pick: Garry Elliott, University of Washington 14th Round, 9th Pick: Ron Sanford, University of New Mexico 15th Round, 8th Pick: Will Teague, Youngstown State University 16th Round, 6th Pick: Pete Walthour, Fort Valley State University 17th Round, 3rd Pick: Bob Thati, Occidental College

1971 1st Round, 13th Pick: Jim Cleamons, Ohio State University 4th Round, 13th Pick: Roger Brown, University of Kansas 5th Round, 13th Pick: Lee Dedmon, University of North Carolina 6th Round, 13th Pick: Bill Brickhouse, Montana State University 7th Round, 13th Pick: Gene Gathers, Bradley University 8th Round, 13th Pick: Luke Adams, Lamar University 9th Round, 12th Pick: Bob Cheeks, Whittier College 10th Round, 12th Pick: Cliff Mosely, Quinnipiac University Hardship, 5th Pick: Joe Hammond

1972 1st Round, 13th Pick: Travis Grant, Kentucky State University 2nd Round, 3rd Pick: Jim Price, University of Louisville 2nd Round, 9th Pick: Paul Stovall, Arizona State University 3rd Round, 17th Pick: Gregg Northington, Alabama State University 5th Round 17th Pick: Glen Summors, Gannon University 6th Round, 17th Pick: Sam Simmons, Bradley University

SEVEN : ALL-TIME DRAFT PICKS

295

1973 1st Round, 5th Pick: Kermit Washington, American University 2nd Round, 5th Pick: Bill Schaeffer, St. John’s University 2nd Round, 13th Pick: Jim Chones, Marquette University 2nd Round, 16th Pick: John Perry, University of Texas-Pan American 4th Round, 16th Pick: Larry Finch, University of Memphis 5th Round, 15th Pick: Kresimir Cosic, Brigham Young University 6th Round, 16th Pick: David Brent, Jacksonville University 7th Round, 15th Pick: Nate Hawthorne, Southern Illinois University 8th Round, 16th Pick: Roy McPipe, Montana State University, Billings

1974 1st Round, 12th Pick: Brian Winters, University of South Carolina 2nd Round, 3rd Pick: Billy Knight, University of Pittsburgh 3rd Round, 12th Pick: Jim Bradley, Northern Illinois University 4th Round, 13th Pick: Ron de Vries, Illinois State University 5th Round, 12th Pick: Seymour Reed, Bradley University 6th Round, 13th Pick: Billy Morris, Saint Louis University 7th Round, 12th Pick: Dennis Van Zant, Azusa Pacific University 8th Round, 13th Pick: Bob Florence, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

1975 1st Round, 2nd Pick: Dave Meyers, UCLA 1st Round, 8th Pick: Junior Bridgeman, University of Louisville 4th Round, 2nd Pick: C.J. Kupec, University of Michigan 5th Round, 2nd Pick: Charles Russell, University of Alabama 6th Round, 2nd Pick: Don Ford, University of California, Santa Barbara 7th Round, 2nd Pick: Rick Suttle, University of Kansas 8th Round, 2nd Pick: Mike Cashman, Willamette University

1976 2nd Round, 4th Pick: Earl Tatum, Marquette University 3rd Round, 2nd Pick: Mike Dabney, Rutgers University 3rd Round, 9th Pick: Tom Abernethy, Indiana University 4th Round, 9th Pick: Wayman Britt, University of Michigan 6th Round, 9th Pick: Ed Schweitzer, Stanford University 7th Round, 9th Pick: Tommie Lipsey, UCLA 8th Round, 9th Pick: Ed Gregg, Utah State University 9th Round, 9th Pick: David Pickett, University of Louisiana at Monroe

1977 1st Round, 6th Pick: Kenny Carr, North Carolina State University 1st Round, 15th Pick: Brad Davis, University of Maryland 1st Round, 22nd Pick: Norm Nixon, Duquesne University 3rd Round, 2nd Pick: James Edwards, University of Washington 4th Round, 22nd Pick: Tony Robertson, West Virginia University 5th Round, 22nd Pick: John Robinson, University of Michigan 6th Round, 21st Pick: Grover Woolard, Murray State University 7th Round, 20th Pick: Lars Hansen, University of Washington 8th Round, 22nd Pick: Art Allen, Pepperdine University

1978 2nd Round, 4th Pick: Ron Carter, Virginia Military Institute 2nd Round, 16th Pick: Lew Massey, University of North Carolina at Charlotte 3rd Round, 16th Pick: Michael Cooper, University of New Mexico 4th Round, 16th Pick: Harold Robertson, Lincoln University of Missourt 5th Round, 16th Pick: Carlos Terry, Winston-Salem State University

Draft Picks, 1973–1984 6th Round, 16th Pick: Kim Stewart, University of Washington 7th Round, 16th Pick: Larry Paige, Colorado State University

1979 1st Round, 1st Pick: Magic Johnson, Michigan State University 1st Round, 14th Pick: Brad Holland, UCLA 2nd Round, 3rd Pick: Ollie Mack, East Carolina University 2nd Round, 17th Pick: Victor King, Louisiana Tech University 2nd Round, 19th Pick: Mark Young, Fairfield University 3rd Round, 16th Pick: Walter Daniels, University of Georgia 4th Round, 13th Pick: Ray White, Mississippi State University 4th Round, 15th Pick: Ricky Reed, Temple University

1980 2nd Round, 8th Pick: Wayne Robinson, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 2nd Round, 14th Pick: Butch Carter, Indiana University 4th Round, 18th Pick: Tony Jackson, Florida State University 4th Round, 22nd Pick: Ron Baxter, University of Texas at Austin 5th Round, 22nd Pick: Rick Raivio, University of Portland 6th Round, 22nd Pick: Odis Boddie, University of North Alabama 8th Round, 18th Pick: Melvin Hooker, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania

1981 1st Round, 19th Pick: Mike McGee, University of Michigan 2nd Round, 16th Pick: Harvey Knuckles, University of Toledo 2nd Round, 19th Pick: Elvis Rolle, Florida State University 3rd Round, 5th Pick: Zam Fredrick, University of South Carolina 3rd Round, 19th Pick: Ron Cornelius, University of the Pacific 4th Round, 19th Pick: Kevin McKenna, Creighton University 5th Round, 19th Pick: Craig Watts, North Carolina State University 6th Round, 19th Pick: Kevin Singleton, University of California 7th Round, 19th Pick: Larry Petty, University of Wisconsin 8th Round, 18th Pick: Jay Triano

1982 1st Round, 1st Pick: James Worthy, University of North Carolina 3rd Round, 8th Pick: Willie Jones, Vanderbilt University 3rd Round, 21st Pick: Mike Hackett, Jacksonville University 4th Round, 21st Pick: Craig McCormick, Western Kentucky University 5th Round, 21st Pick: Howard McNeill, Seton Hall University 6th Round, 21st Pick: Lynden Rose, University of Houston 7th Round, 21st Pick: Maurice Williams, University of Southern California 8th Round, 21st Pick: Micah Blunt, Tulane University 9th Round, 19th Pick: Tim Byrne, Rutgers University

1983 3rd Round, 22nd Pick: Orlando Phillips, Pepperdine University 4th Round, 22nd Pick: Terry Lewis, Mississippi State University 5th Round, 22nd Pick: Danny Dixon, Alabama A&M University 6th Round, 22nd Pick: Mark Steele, Colorado State University 7th Round, 22nd Pick: Ricky Mixon, California State University, Fullerton

1984 1st Round, 23rd Pick: Earl Jones, University of the District of Columbia 3rd Round, 22nd Pick: George Singleton, Furman University 4th Round, 22nd Pick: John Revelli, Stanford University

Draft Picks, 1985–2008

296

SEVEN : ALL-TIME DRAFT PICKS

1996

5th Round, 22nd Pick: Lance Berwald, North Dakota 6th Round, 22nd Pick: Keith Jones, Stanford University 7th Round, 22nd Pick: Richard Haenisch, Chaminade University of Honolulu

1st Round, 24th Pick: Derek Fisher, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

1985

1997

1st Round, 23rd Pick: A.C. Green, Oregon State University 4th Round, 22nd Pick: Dexter Shouse, University of South Alabama 5th Round, 22nd Pick: Timo Saarelainen, Brigham Young University 6th Round, 22nd Pick: Tony Neal, California State University, Fullerton 7th Round, 22nd Pick: Keith Cleplicki, College of William & Mary

1986 1st Round, 23rd Pick: Ken Barlow, University of Notre Dame 3rd Round, 22nd Pick: Andre Turner, University of Memphis 4th Round, 22nd Pick: Dale Blaney, West Virginia University 5th Round, 22nd Pick: Roger Harden, University of Kentucky 6th Round, 22nd Pick: Walter Downing, Marquette University 7th Round, 22nd Pick: Mark Coleman, Mississippi Valley State University

1987 3rd Round, 23rd Pick: Willie Glass, St. John’s University 4th Round, 23rd Pick: Ralph Tally, Norfolk State University 6th Round, 1st Pick: Kenny Travis, New Mexico State University 7th Round, 23rd Pick: Ron Vanderschaaf, Central Washington University

1988 1st Round, 25th Pick: David Rivers, University of Notre Dame

1989 1st Round, 26th Pick: Vlade Divac

1990 1st Round, 27th Pick: Elden Campbell, Clemson University 2nd Round, 24th Pick: Tony Smith, Marquette University

1991 2nd Round, 25th Pick: Anthony Jones, Oral Roberts University

1992 1st Round, 15th Pick: Anthony Peeler, University of Missouri 2nd Round, 9th Pick: Duane Cooper, University of Southern California

1993 1st Round, 12th Pick: George Lynch, University of North Carolina 2nd Round, 10th Pick: Nick Van Exel, University of Cincinnati

1994 1st Round, 10th Pick: Eddie Jones, Temple University

1995 2nd Round, 8th Pick: Frankie King, Western Carolina University

2nd Round, 23rd Pick: DuJuan Wheat, University of Louisville 2nd Round, 25th Pick: Paul Rogers, Gonzaga University

1998 1st Round, 26th Pick: Sam Jacobson, University of Minnesota 2nd Round, 2nd Pick: Ruben Patterson, University of Cincinnati 2nd Round, 16th Pick: Toby Bailey, UCLA

1999 1st Round, 23rd Pick: Devean George, Augsburg College 2nd Round, 1st Pick: John Celestand, Villanova University

2000 1st Round, 29th Pick: Mark Madsen, Stanford University 2nd Round, 25th Pick: Corey Hightower, Indian Hills Community College

2001 None

2002 1st Round, 27th Pick: Chris Jefferies, California State University, Fresno

2003 1st Round, 24th Pick: Brian Cook, University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign 2nd Round, 3rd Pick: Luke Walton, University of Arizona

2004 1st Round, 27th Pick: Sasha Vujacic 2nd Round, 27th Pick: Marcus Douthit, Providence College

2005 1st Round, 10th Pick: Andrew Bynum 2nd Round, 7th Pick: Ronny Turiaf, Gonzaga University 2nd Round, 9th Pick: Von Wafer, Florida State University

2006 1st Round, 26th Pick: Jordan Farmar, UCLA 2nd Round, 21st Pick: Cheick Samb

2007 1st Round, 19th Pick: Javaris Crittenton, Georgia Tech 2nd Round, 10th Pick: Sun Yue, China 2nd Round, 18th Pick: Marc Gasol, Spain

2008 2nd Round, 28th Pick: Joe Crawford, Kentucky

SEVEN : ALL-TIME DRAFT PICKS

2009 1st Round, 29th Pick: Toney Douglas, Florida State 2nd Round, 12th Pick: Patrick Beverley, USA 2nd Round, 29th Pick: Chinemelu Elonu, Texas A&M

2010 2nd Round, 13th Pick: Devin Ebanks, West Virginia 2nd Round, 28th Pick: Derrick Caracter, UTEP

297

Draft Picks, 2009–2011

2011 2nd Round, 41st Pick: Darius Morris, University of Michigan 2nd Round, 46th Pick: Andrew Goudelock, College of Charleston 2nd Round, 56th Pick: Chukwudiebere Maduabum, Nigeria 2nd Round, 58th Pick: Ater Majok, University of Connecticut

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Chapter Notes

Introduction 1. Roland Lazenby, The Lakers: A Basketball Journey, p. 64. 2. Ibid. 3. Ibid., p. 65. 4. Ibid. 5. Ibid. 6. Roland Lazenby, The Show: The Inside Story of the Spectacular Los Angeles Lakers, p. 18. 7. www.wikipedia.com, John Kundla page. 8. Lazenby, The Lakers, p. 68. 9. Lazenby, The Show, p. 23. 10. Wikipedia, George Mikan page. 11. Ibid. 12. Lazenby, The Lakers, p. 79. 13. Lazenby, The Show, p. 30. 14. www.sportsencyclopedia.com/ nba/mpls/mplslakers.html. 15. Ibid. 16. Ibid., and Wikipedia, George Mikan page. 17. www.sportsencyclopedia.com/ nba/mpls/mplslakers.html. 18. Ibid. 19. Ibid. 20. Wikipedia, George Mikan page. 21. www.sportsencyclopedia.com/ nba/mpls/mplslakers.html. 22. Wikipedia, George Mikan page. 23. www.sportsencyclopedia.com/ nba/mpls/mplslakers.html. 24. www.stewthornley.net/mplslak ers.html. 25. Lazenby, Lakers, p. 118. 26. Ibid. 27. Ibid. 28. Ibid., p. 125. 29. Wikipedia, George Mikan page. 30. www.sportsencyclopedia.com/ nba/mpls/mplslakers.html. 31. Lazenby, The Lakers, p. 125. 32. Ibid. 33. Lazenby, The Show, p. 66. 34. Ibid., p. 67. 35. Ibid. 36. www.sportsencyclopedia.com/ nba/mpls/mplslakers.html.

Chapter One From 2002 through 2011 www.lak ersuniverse.com was also used for game results.

1960-61 1. Los Angeles Times, March 15, 1961, p. C-1. 2. Ibid., March 16, 1961, p. C-1. 3. Ibid., March 18, 1961, p. A-1. 4. Ibid., March 19, 1961, p. G-1. 5. Ibid., March 20, 1961, p. C-1. 6. Ibid., March 22, 1961, p. C-1. 7. Ibid., March 23, 1961, p. C-1. 8. Ibid., March 25, 1961, p. A-1. 9. Ibid., March 26, 1961, p. F-1. 10. Ibid., March 28, 1961, p. C-1. 11. Ibid., March 30, 1961, p. C-1. 12. Ibid., April 2, 1961, p. G-1.

4. Ibid., March 29, 1964, p. K-1. 5. Ibid., March 31, 1964, p. B-1.

1964-65 1. Boston Globe, April 4, 1965, p. 62. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.

1961-62 1. Los Angeles Times, March 25, 1962, p. H-1. 2. Ibid., March 26, 1962, p. B-1. 3. Ibid., March 28, 1962, p. B-1. 4. Ibid., March 30, 1962, p. B-1. 5. Ibid., April 1, 1962, p. C-1. 6. Ibid., April 4, 1962, p. B-1. 7. Ibid., April 8, 1962, p. C-1. 8. Ibid., April 9, 1962, p. B-1. 9. Ibid., April 11, 1962, p. B-1. 10. Ibid., April 12, 1962, p. B-1. 11. Ibid., April 15, 1962, p. C-1. 12. Ibid., April 17, 1962, p. B-1. 13. Ibid., April 19, 1962, p. B-1.

1962-63 1. Los Angeles Times, April 1, 1963, p. B-1. 2. Ibid., April 3, 1963, p. B-1. 3. Ibid., April 5, 1963, p. B-1. 4. Ibid., April 7, 1963, p. H-1. 5. Ibid., April 8, 1963, p. B-1. 6. Ibid., April 10, 1963, p. B-1. 7. Ibid., April 12, 1963, p. B-1. 8. Ibid., April 15, 1963, p. B-1. 9. Ibid., April 17, 1963, p. B-1. 10. Ibid., April 18, 1963, p. B-1. 11. Ibid., April 20, 1963, p. A-1. 12. Ibid., April 22, 1963, p. B-1, Roland Lazenby, The NBA Finals: A Fifty Year Celebration, pp. 104–105. 13. Ibid., April 25, 1963, B-1, Lazenby, The NBA Finals, p. 106.

1963-64 1. Los Angeles Times, March 22, 1964, p. B-1. 2. Ibid., March 23, 1964, p. B-1. 3. Ibid., March 26, 1964, p. B-1.

Ibid., April 6, 1965, p. 19. Ibid., April 8, 1965, p. 45. Ibid., April 10, 1965, p. 19. Ibid., April 12, 1965, p. 17. Ibid., April 14, 1965, p. 37. Ibid., April 19, 1965, p. 19. Ibid., April 20, 1965, p. 41. Ibid., April 22, 1965, p. 41. Ibid., April 24, 1965, p. 19. Ibid., April 26, 1965, p. 15.

1965-66 1. Los Angeles Times, April 2, 1966, p. A-1. 2. Ibid., April 4, 1966, p. B-1. 3. Ibid., April 7, 1966, p. B-1. 4. Ibid., April 10, 1966, p. G-1. 5. Ibid., April 11, 1966, p. C-1. 6. Ibid., April 14, 1966, p. C-1. 7. Ibid., April 16, 1966, p. A-1. 8. Ibid., April 18, 1966, p. B-1. 9. Ibid., April 20, 1966, p. C-1. 10. Ibid., April 21, 1966, p. B-1. 11. Ibid., April 23, 1966, p. A-1. 12. Ibid., April 25, 1966, p. B-1. 13. Ibid., April 27, 1966, p. B-1. 14. Ibid., April 29, 1966, p. B-1.

1966-67 1. Los Angeles Times, March 22, 1967, p. C-1. 2. Ibid., March 24, 1967, p. C-1. 3. Ibid., March 27, 1967, p. B-1.

1967-68 1. Chicago Tribune, March 25, 1968, p. C-1. 2. Ibid., March 26, 1968, p. C-1. 3. Ibid., March 28, 1968, p. C-1. 4. Ibid., March 30, 1968, p. C-1. 5. Ibid., April 1, 1968, p. C-1. 6. Los Angeles Times, April 6, 1968, p. A-1. 7. Chicago Tribune, April 11, 1968, p. C-3. 8. Los Angeles Times, April 12, 1968, p. B-1. 9. Ibid., April 14, 1968, p. C-1. 10. Ibid., April 22, 1968, p. B-1. 11. Ibid., April 25, 1968, p. C-1.

299

12. Chicago Tribune, April 27, 1968, p. C-4. 13. Los Angeles Times, April 29, 1968, p. B-1. 14. Ibid., May 1, 1968, p. B-1. 15. Ibid., May 3, 1968, p. B-1.

1968-69 1. Los Angeles Times, March 27, 1969, p. H-1. 2. Ibid., March 29, 1969, p. C-1. 3. Ibid., April 1, 1969, p. E-1. 4. Ibid., April 3, 1969, p. D-1. 5. Ibid., April 5, 1969, p. D-1. 6. Ibid., April 6, 1969, p. C-1. 7. Ibid., April 12, 1969, p. C-1. 8. Ibid., April 14, 1969, p. E-1. 9. Ibid., April 16, 1969, p. E-1. 10. Ibid., April 18, 1969, p. G-1. 11. Ibid., April 21, 1969, p. F-1. 12. Ibid., April 24, 1969, p. H-1. 13. Ibid., April 26, 1969, p. E-1. 14. Ibid., April 28, 1969, p. F-1. 15. Boston Globe, April 30, 1969, p. 1. 16. Los Angeles Times, May 2, 1969, p. D-1. 17. Ibid., May 4, 1969, p. C-1. 18. Ibid., May 6, 1969, p. D-1, and Lazenby, The Show, p. 124.

1969-70 1. Los Angeles Times, March 26, 1970, p. F-1. 2. Ibid., March 30, 1970, p. C-1. 3. Ibid., April 3, 1970, p. E-1. 4. Ibid., April 4, 1970, p. C-1. 5. Ibid., April 6, 1970, p. D-1. 6. Ibid., April 8, 1970, p. E-1. 7. Ibid., April 10, 1970, p. E-1. 8. Ibid., April 13, 1970, p. D-1. 9. Ibid., April 15, 1970, p. D-1. 10. Ibid., April 18, 1970, p. B-1. 11. Ibid., April 20, 1970, p. D-1. 12. Ibid., April 25, 1970, p. B-1. 13. Ibid., April 28, 1970, p. C-1. 14. Ibid., April 30, 1970, p. E-1. 15. Ibid., May 2, 1970, p. C-1. 16. Ibid., May 5, 1970, p. E-1. 17. Ibid., May 7, 1970, p. E-1. 18. Ibid., May 9, 1970, p. C-1.

1970-71 1. Los Angeles Times, March 25, 1971, p. F-1.

CHAPTER NOTES 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

Ibid., March 27, 1971, p. C-1. Ibid., March 29, 1971, p. C-1. Ibid., April 1, 1971, p. E-1. Ibid., April 2, 1971, p. F-1. Ibid., April 5, 1971, p. C-1. Ibid., April 7, 1971, p. D-1. Ibid., April 10, 1971, p. C-1. Ibid., April 12, 1971, p. E-1. Ibid., April 15, 1971, p. D-1. Ibid., April 17, 1971, p. E-1. Ibid., April 19, 1971, p. C-1.

1971-72 1. Los Angeles Times, March 29, 1972, p. E-1. 2. Ibid., March 31, 1972, p. F-1. 3. Ibid., April 3, 1972, p. D-1. 4. Ibid., April 5, 1972, p. D-1. 5. Ibid., April 10, 1972, p. F-1. 6. Ibid., April 13, 1972, p. G-1. 7. Ibid., April 15, 1972, p. D-1. 8. Ibid., April 17, 1972, p. E-1. 9. Ibid., April 19, 1972, p. E-1. 10. Ibid., April 23, 1972, p. M-1. 11. Ibid., April 27, 1972, p. H-1. 12. Ibid., May 1, 1972, p. E-1. 13. Ibid., May 4, 1972, p. F-1. 14. Ibid., May 6, 1972, p. D-1. 15. Ibid., May 8, 1972, p. A-1.

1972-73 1. Los Angeles Times, March 31, 1973, p. D-1. 2. Ibid., April 2, 1973, p. E-1. 3. Ibid., April 7, 1973, p. C-1. 4. Ibid., April 9, 1973, p. H-1. 5. Ibid., April 11, 1973, p. F-1. 6. Ibid., April 14, 1973, p. D-1. 7. Chicago Tribune, April 16, 1973, p. C-1. 8. Los Angeles Times, April 18, 1973, p. A-16. 9. Ibid., April 20, 1973, p. A-22. 10. Ibid., April 22, 1973, p. D-1. 11. Ibid., April 24, 1973, p. A-18. 12. Ibid., April 26, 1973, p. E-1. 13. Ibid., May 2, 1973, p. G-1. 14. Ibid., May 4, 1973, p. E-1. 15. Ibid., May 7, 1973, p. G-1. 16. Ibid., May 9, 1973, p. H-1. 17. Ibid., May 11, 1973, p. G-1.

1973-74 1. Los Angeles Times, March 30, 1974, p. B-1. 2. Ibid., April 1, 1974, p. B-1. 3. Chicago Tribune, April 3, 1974, p. E-2. 4. Los Angeles Times, April 5, 1974, p. B-1. 5. Ibid., April 8, 1974, p. D-1.

1974-75 No Notes.

1975-76 No Notes.

1976-77 1. Los Angeles Times, April 21, 1977, p. E-1. 2. Ibid., April 23, 1977, p. E-1. 3. Ibid., April 25, 1977, p. D-1. 4. Ibid., April 27, 1977, p. E-1. 5. Ibid., April 30, 1977, p. C-1. 6. Ibid., May 2, 1977, p. E-1. 7. Ibid., May 5, 1977, p. F-1.

300 8. 9. 10. 11.

Ibid., May 7, 1977, p. C-1. Ibid., May 9, 1977, p. E-1. Ibid., May 11, 1977, p. F-1. Ibid., May 14, 1977, p. C-1.

12. 13. 14. 15.

Ibid., May 23, 1983, p. D-1. Ibid., May 27, 1983, p. F-1. Ibid., May 30, 1983, p. C-1. Ibid., June 1, 1983, p. D-1.

1977-78

1983-84

1. Los Angeles Times, April 13, 1978, p. E-1. 2. Ibid., April 15, 1978, p. E-1. 3. Ibid., April 17, 1978, p. D-1.

1. Los Angeles Times, April 19, 1984, p. B-1. 2. Ibid., April 21, 1984, p. D-1. 3. Ibid., April 23, 1984, p. D-1. 4. Ibid., April 29, 1984, p. C-1. 5. Ibid., May 2, 1984, p. D-1. 6. Ibid., May 5, 1984, p. E-1. 7. Ibid., May 7, 1984, p. D-1. 8. Ibid., May 9, 1984, p. E-1. 9. Ibid., May 13, 1984, p. C-1. 10. Ibid., May 16, 1984, p. D-1. 11. Ibid., May 19, 1984, p. E-1. 12. Ibid., May 21, 1984, p. D-1. 13. Ibid., May 24, 1984, p. H-1. 14. Ibid., May 26, 1984, p. E-1. 15. Ibid., May 28, 1984, p. C-1. 16. Ibid., June 1, 1984, p. E-1. 17. Ibid., June 4, 1984, p. D-1. 18. Ibid., June 7, 1984, p. G-1. 19. Ibid., June 9, 1984, p. D-1. 20. Ibid., June 11, 1984, p. F-1. 21. Ibid., June 13, 1984, p. D-1.

1978-79 1. Los Angeles Times, April 11, 1979, p. F-1. 2. Ibid., April 14, 1979, p. D-1. 3. Ibid., April 16, 1979, p. E-1. 4. Ibid., April 18, 1979, p. E-1. 5. Ibid., April 19, 1979, p. G-1. 6. Ibid., April 21, 1979, p. D-1. 7. Ibid., April 23, 1979, p. D-1. 8. Ibid., April 26, 1979, p. E-1.

1979-80 1. Los Angeles Times, April 9, 1980, p. E-1. 2. Ibid., April 10, 1980, p. E-1. 3. Ibid., April 12, 1980, p. D-1. 4. Ibid., April 14, 1980, p. D-1. 5. Ibid., April 16, 1980, p. E-1. 6. Ibid., April 23, 1980, p. E-1. 7. Ibid., April 24, 1980, p. F-1. 8. Ibid., April 26, 1980, p. D-1. 9. Ibid., April 28, 1980, p. D-1. 10. Ibid., May 1, 1980, p. E-1. 11. Ibid., May 5, 1980, p. D-1. 12. Ibid., May 8, 1980, p. E-1. 13. Ibid., May 11, 1980, p. D-1. 14. Ibid., May 12, 1980, p. D-1. 15. Ibid., May 15, 1980, p. E-1. 16. Ibid., May 17, 1980, p. D-1.

1980-81 1. Los Angeles Times, April 2, 1981, p. F-1. 2. Ibid., April 4, 1981, p. D-1. 3. Ibid., April 6, 1981, p. D-1.

1981-82 1. Los Angeles Times, April 28, 1982, p. D-1. 2. Ibid., April 29, 1982, p. G-1. 3. Ibid., May 1, 1982, p. D-1. 4. Ibid., May 3, 1982, p. D-1. 5. Ibid., May 10, 1982, p. D-1. 6. Ibid., May 12, 1982, p. D-1. 7. Ibid., May 15, 1982, p. C-1. 8. Ibid., May 16, 1982, p. E-1. 9. Ibid., May 28, 1982, p. E-1. 10. Ibid., May 31, 1982, p. C-1. 11. Ibid., June 2, 1982, p. D-1. 12. Ibid., June 4, 1982, p. D-1. 13. Ibid., June 7, 1982, p. D-1. 14. Ibid., June 9, 1982, p. B-1.

1982-83 1. Los Angeles Times, April 25, 1983, p. D-1. 2. Ibid., April 27, 1983, p. D-1. 3. Ibid., April 30, 1983, p. B-1. 4. Ibid., May 2, 1983, p. D-1. 5. Ibid., May 4, 1983, p. E-1. 6. Ibid., May 9, 1983, p. B-1. 7. Ibid., May 11, 1983, p. D-1. 8. Ibid., May 14, 1983, p. C-1. 9. Ibid., May 16, 1983, p. D-1. 10. Ibid., May 19, 1983, p. F-1. 11. Ibid., May 21, 1983, p. C-1.

1984-85 1. Los Angeles Times, April 19, 1985, p. 1. 2. Ibid., April 21, 1985, p. 1. 3. Ibid., April 24, 1985, p. 1. 4. Ibid., April 28, 1985, p. 1. 5. Ibid., May 1, 1985, p. 1. 6. Ibid., May 4, 1985, p. 1. 7. Ibid., May 6, 1985, p. 1. 8. Ibid., May 8, 1985, p. 1. 9. Ibid., May 12, 1985, p. 1. 10. Ibid., May 15, 1985, p. 1. 11. Ibid., May 18, 1985, p. 1. 12. Ibid., May 20, 1985, p. 1. 13. Ibid., May 23, 1985, p. 1. 14. Lazenby, The Show, p. 238. 15. Ibid. 16. Los Angeles Times, May 28, 1985, p. 1. 17. Ibid., May 31, 1985, p. 1. 18. Ibid., June 3, 1985, p. 1. 19. Ibid., June 6, 1985, p. 1. 20. Ibid., June 8, 1985, p. 1. 21. Ibid., June 10, 1985, p. 1.

1985-86 1. Los Angeles Times, April 18, 1986, p. 1. 2. Ibid., April 20, 1986, p. 1. 3. Ibid., April 24, 1986, p. 1. 4. Ibid., April 28, 1986, p. 1. 5. Ibid., May 1, 1986, p. 1. 6. Ibid., May 3, 1986, p. 1. 7. Ibid., May 5, 1986, p. 1. 8. Ibid., May 7, 1986, p. 1. 9. Ibid., May 9, 1986, p. 1. 10. Ibid., May 11, 1986, p. 1. 11. Ibid., May 14, 1986, p. 1. 12. Ibid., May 17, 1986, p. 1. 13. Ibid., May 19, 1986, p. 1. 14. Ibid., May 22, 1986, p. 1.

6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18.

Ibid., May 10, 1987, p. 1. Ibid., May 11, 1987, p. 1. Ibid., May 13, 1987, p. 1. Ibid., May 17, 1987, p. 1. Ibid., May 20, 1987, p. 1. Ibid., May 24, 1987, p. 1. Ibid., May 26, 1987, p. 1. Ibid., June 3, 1987, p. 1. Ibid., June 5, 1987, p. 1. Ibid., June 8, 1987, p. 1. Ibid., June 10, 1987, p. 1. Ibid., June 12, 1987, p. 1. Ibid., June 15, 1987, p. 1.

1987-88 1. Los Angeles Times, April 30, 1988, p. 1. 2. Ibid., May 2, 1988, p. 1. 3. Ibid., May 4, 1988, p. 1. 4. Ibid., May 9, 1988, p. 1. 5. Ibid., May 11, 1988, p. 1. 6. Ibid., May 14, 1988, p. 1. 7. Ibid., May 16, 1988, p. 1. 8. Ibid., May 18, 1988, p. 1. 9. Ibid., May 20, 1988, p. 1. 10. Ibid., May 22, 1988, p. 1. 11. Ibid., May 24, 1988, p. 1. 12. Ibid., May 26, 1988, p. 1. 13. Ibid., May 28, 1988, p. 1. 14. Ibid., May 30, 1988, p. 1. 15. Ibid., June 1, 1988, p. 1. 16. Ibid., June 3, 1988, p. 1. 17. Ibid., June 5, 1988, p. 1. 18. Ibid., June 8, 1988, p. 1. 19. Ibid., June 10, 1988, p. 1. 20. Ibid., June 13, 1988, p. 1. 21. Ibid., June 15, 1988, p. 1. 22. Ibid., June 17, 1988, p. 1. 23. Ibid., June 20, 1988, p. 1. 24. Ibid., June 22, 1988, p. 1.

1988-89 1. Los Angeles Times, April 28, 1989, p. 1. 2. Ibid., May 1, 1989, p. 1. 3. Ibid., May 4, 1989, p. 1. 4. Ibid., May 8, 1989, p. 1. 5. Ibid., May 11, 1989, p. 1. 6. Ibid., May 13, 1989, p. 1. 7. Ibid., May 15, 1989, p. 1. 8. Ibid., May 21, 1989, p. 1. 9. Ibid., May 24, 1989, p. 1. 10. Ibid., May 27, 1989, p. 1. 11. Ibid., May 29, 1989, p. 1. 12. Ibid., June 7, 1989, p. 1. 13. Ibid., June 9, 1989, p. 1. 14. Ibid., June 12, 1989, p. 1. 15. Ibid., June 14, 1989, p. 1.

1989-90 1. Los Angeles Times, April 28, 1990, p. C-1. 2. Ibid., April 30, 1990, p. C-1. 3. Ibid., May 2, 1990, p. C-1. 4. Ibid., May 4, 1990, p. C-1. 5. Ibid., May 9, 1990, p. C-1. 6. Ibid., May 11, 1990, p. C-1. 7. Ibid., May 13, 1990, p. C-1. 8. Ibid., May 14, 1990, p. C-1. 9. Ibid., May 16, 1990, p. C-1.

1986-87

1990-91

1. Los Angeles Times, April 24, 1987, p. 1. 2. Ibid., April 26, 1987, p. 1. 3. Ibid., April 30, 1987, p. 1. 4. Ibid., May 6, 1987, p. 1. 5. Ibid., May 8, 1987, p. 1.

1. Los Angeles Times, April 26, 1991, p. C-1. 2. Ibid., April 28, 1991, p. C-1. 3. Ibid., May 1, 1991, p. C-1. 4. Ibid., May 6, 1991, p. C-1. 5. Ibid., May 9, 1991, p. C-1.

301 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19.

Ibid., May 11, 1991, p. C-1. Ibid., May 13, 1991, p. C-1. Ibid., May 15, 1991, p. C-1. Ibid., May 19, 1991, p. C-1. Ibid., May 22, 1991, p. C-1. Ibid., May 25, 1991, p. C-1. Ibid., May 27, 1991, p. C-1. Ibid., May 29, 1991, p. C-1. Ibid., May 31, 1991, p. C-1. Ibid., June 3, 1991, p. C-1. Ibid., June 6, 1991, p. C-1. Ibid., June 8, 1991, p. C-1. Ibid., June 10, 1991, p. C-1. Ibid., June 13, 1991, p. C-1.

11. Ibid., May 19, 1998, p. C-1. 12. Ibid., May 23, 1998, p. C-1. 13. Ibid., May 25, 1998, p. C-1.

1998-99 1. Los Angeles Times, May 10, 1999, p. D-1. 2. Ibid., May 12, 1999, p. D-1. 3. Ibid., May 14, 1999, p. D-1. 4. Ibid., May 16, 1999, p. D-1. 5. Ibid., May 18, 1999, p. D-1. 6. Ibid., May 20, 1999, p. D-1. 7. Ibid., May 23, 1999, p. D-1. 8. Ibid., May 24, 1999, p. D-1.

1991-92

1999-2000

1. Los Angeles Times, April 24, 1992, p. C-1. 2. Ibid., April 26, 1992, p. C-1. 3. Ibid., April 30, 1992, p. C-1. 4. Ibid., May 4, 1992, p. C-1.

1. Los Angeles Times, April 24, 2000, p. D-1. 2. Ibid., April 28, 2000, p. D-1. 3. Ibid., May 1, 2000, p. D-1. 4. Ibid., May 3, 2000, p. D-1. 5. Ibid., May 6, 2000, p. D-1. 6. Ibid., May 8, 2000, p. D-1. 7. Ibid., May 11, 2000, p. D-1. 8. Ibid., May 13, 2000, p. D-1. 9. Ibid., May 15, 2000, p. D-1. 10. Ibid., May 17, 2000, p. D-1. 11. Ibid., May 21, 2000, p. S-1. 12. Ibid., May 23, 2000, p. D-1. 13. Ibid., May 27, 2000, p. S-1. 14. Ibid., May 29, 2000, p. W-1. 15. Ibid., May 31, 2000, p. D-1. 16. Ibid., June 3, 2000, p. S-1. 17. Ibid., June 5, 2000, p. W-1. 18. Ibid., June 8, 2000, p. S-1. 19. Ibid., June 10, 2000, p. S-1. 20. Ibid., June 12, 2000, p. W-1. 21. Ibid., June 15, 2000, p. W-1. 22. Ibid., June 17, 2000, p. S-1. 23. Ibid., June 20, 2000, p. S-1.

1992-93 1. Los Angeles Times, May 1, 1993, p. C-1. 2. Ibid., May 3, 1993, p. C-1. 3. Ibid., May 5, 1993, p. C-1. 4. Ibid., May 7, 1993, p. C-1. 5. Ibid., May 10, 1993, p. C-1.

1993-94 No Notes.

1994-95 1. Los Angeles Times, April 28, 1995, p. C-1. 2. Ibid., April 30, 1995, p. C-1. 3. Ibid., May 2, 1995, p. C-1. 4. Ibid., May 5, 1995, p. C-1. 5. Ibid., May 7, 1995, p. C-1. 6. Ibid., May 9, 1995, p. C-1. 7. Ibid., May 13, 1995, p. C-1. 8. Ibid., May 15, 1995, p. C-1. 9. Ibid., May 17, 1995, p. C-1. 10. Ibid., May 19, 1995, p. C-1.

1995-96 1. Los Angeles Times, April 26, 1996, p. C-1. 2. Ibid., April 28, 1996, p. C-1. 3. Ibid., May 1, 1996, p. C-1. 4. Ibid., May 3, 1996, p. C-1.

1996-97 1. Los Angeles Times, April 26, 1997, p. C-1. 2. Ibid., April 28, 1997, p. C-1. 3. Ibid., May 1, 1997, p. C-1. 4. Ibid., May 3, 1997, p. C-1. 5. Ibid., May 5, 1997, p. C-1. 6. Ibid., May 7, 1997, p. C-1. 7. Ibid., May 9, 1997, p. C-1. 8. Ibid., May 11, 1997, p. C-1. 9. Ibid., May 13, 1997, p. C-1.

1997-98 1. Los Angeles Times, April 25, 1998, p. C-1. 2. Ibid., April 27, 1998, p. C-1. 3. Ibid., April 29, 1998, p. C-1. 4. Ibid., May 1, 1998, p. C-1. 5. Ibid., May 5, 1998, p. C-1. 6. Ibid., May 7, 1998, p. C-1. 7. Ibid., May 9, 1998, p. C-1. 8. Ibid., May 11, 1998, p. C-1. 9. Ibid., May 13, 1998, p. C-1. 10. Ibid., May 17, 1998, p. C-1.

2000-01 1. Los Angeles Times, April 23, 2001, p. D-1. 2. Ibid., April 27, 2001, p. D-1. 3. Ibid., April 30, 2001, p. D-1. 4. Ibid., May 7, 2001, p. D-1. 5. Ibid., May 9, 2001, p. D-1. 6. Ibid., May 12, 2001, p. D-1. 7. Ibid., May 14, 2001, p. D-1. 8. Ibid., May 20, 2001, p. D-1. 9. Ibid., May 22, 2001, p. D-1. 10. Ibid., May 26, 2001, p. D-1. 11. Ibid., May 28, 2001, p. D-1. 12. Ibid., June 7, 2001, p. S-1. 13. Ibid., June 9, 2001, p. S-1. 14. Ibid., June 11, 2001, p. V-1. 15. Ibid., June 14, 2001, p. S-1. 16. Ibid., June 16, 2001, p. S-1.

2001-02 1. Los Angeles Times, April 22, 2002, p. D-1. 2. Ibid., April 26, 2002, p. D-1. 3. Ibid., April 29, 2002, p. D-1. 4. Ibid., May 6, 2002, p. D-1. 5. Ibid., May 8, 2002, p. D-1. 6. Ibid., May 11, 2002, p. D-1. 7. Ibid., May 13, 2002, p. D-1. 8. Ibid., May 15, 2002, p. D-1. 9. Ibid., May 19, 2002, p. D-1. 10. Ibid., May 21, 2002, p. D-1. 11. Ibid., May 25, 2002, p. D-1. 12. Ibid., May 27, 2002, p. D-1. 13. Ibid., May 29, 2002, p. D-1. 14. Ibid., June 1, 2002, p. D-1. 15. Ibid., June 3, 2002, p. D-1.

CHAPTER NOTES 16. 17. 18. 19.

Ibid., June 6, 2002, p. W-1. Ibid., June 8, 2002, p. W-1. Ibid., June 10, 2002, p. W-1. Ibid., June 13, 2002, p. W-1.

2002-2003 1. Los Angeles Times, April 21, 2003, p. D-1. 2. Ibid., April 23, 2003, p. D-1. 3. Ibid., April 25, 2003, p. D-1. 4. Ibid., April 28, 2003, p. D-1. 5. Ibid., April 30, 2003, p. D-1. 6. Ibid., May 2, 2003, p. D-1. 7. Ibid., May 6, 2003, p. D-1. 8. Ibid., May 8, 2003, p. D-1. 9. Ibid., May 10, 2003, p. D-1. 10. Ibid., May 12, 2003, p. D-1. 11. Ibid., May 14, 2003, p. D-1. 12. Ibid., May 16, 2003, p. D-1.

2003-2004 1. Los Angeles Times, April 18, 2004, p. D-1. 2. Ibid., April 20, 2004, p. D-1. 3. Ibid., April 24, 2004, p. D-1. 4. Ibid., April 26, 2004, p. D-1. 5. Ibid., April 29, 2004, p. D-1. 6. Ibid., May 3, 2004, p. D-1. 7. Ibid., May 6, 2004, p. D-1. 8. Ibid., May 10, 2004, p. D-1. 9. Ibid., May 12, 2004, p. D-1. 10. Ibid., May 14, 2004, p. D-1. 11. Ibid., May 16, 2004, p. D-1. 12. Ibid., May 22, 2004, p. D-1. 13. Ibid., May 24, 2004, p. D-1. 14. Ibid., May 26, 2004, p. D-1. 15. Ibid., May 28, 2004, p. D-1. 16. Ibid., May 30, 2004, p. D-1. 17. Ibid., June 1, 2004, p. D-1. 18. Ibid., June 7, 2004, p. D-1. 19. Ibid., June 9, 2004, p. S-1. 20. Ibid., June 11, 2004, p. S-1. 21. Ibid., June 14, 2004, p. S-1. 22. Ibid., June 16, 2004, p. A-1.

2004-2005 No Notes.

2005-2006 1. Los Angeles Times, April 24, 2006, p. D-1. 2. Ibid., April 27, 2006, p. D-1. 3. Ibid., April 29, 2006, p. D-1. 4. Ibid., May 1, 2006, p. D-1. 5. Ibid., May 3, 2006, p. D-1. 6. Ibid., May 5, 2006, p. D-1. 7. Ibid., May 7, 2006, p. D-1.

2006-07 1. Los Angeles Times, April 23, 2007, p. D-1. 2. Ibid., April 25, 2007, p. D-1. 3. Ibid., April 27, 2007, p. D-1. 4. Ibid., April 30, 2007, p. D-1. 5. Ibid., May 3, 2007, p. D-1.

2007-08 1. Los Angeles Times, April 21, 2008, p. D-1. 2. Ibid., April 24, 2008, p. D-1. 3. Ibid., April 27, 2008, p. D-1. 4. Ibid., April 29, 2008, p. D-1. 5. Ibid., May 5, 2008, p. D-1. 6. Ibid., May 8, 2008, p. D-1. 7. Ibid., May 10, 2008, p. D-1. 8. Ibid., May 12, 2008, p. D-1. 9. Ibid., May 15, 2008, p. D-1.

10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21.

Ibid., May 17, 2008, p. D-1. Ibid., May 22, 2008, p. D-1. Ibid., May 24, 2008, p. D-1. Ibid., May 26, 2008, p. D-1. Ibid., May 28, 2008, p. D-1. Ibid., May 30, 2008, p. D-1. Ibid., June 6, 2008, p. S-1. Ibid., June 9, 2008, p. S-1. Ibid., June 11, 2008, p. S-1. Ibid., June 13, 2008, p. S-1. Ibid., June 16, 2008, p. S-1. Ibid., June 18, 2008, p. S-1.

2008-09 1. Los Angeles Times, April 20, 2009, p. C-1. 2. Ibid., April 22, 2009, p. C-1. 3. Ibid., April 24, 2009, p. C-1. 4. Ibid., April 26, 2009, p. C-1. 5. Ibid., April 28, 2009, p. C-1. 6. Ibid., May 5, 2009, p. C-1. 7. Ibid., May 7, 2009, p. C-1. 8. Ibid., May 9, 2009, p. C-1. 9. Ibid., May 11, 2009, p. C-1. 10. Ibid., May 13, 2009, p. C-1. 11. Ibid., May 15, 2009, p. C-1. 12. Ibid., May 18, 2009, p. C-1. 13. Ibid., May 20, 2009, p. C-1. 14. Ibid., May 22, 2009, p. C-1. 15. Ibid., May 24, 2009, p. C-1. 16. Ibid., May 26, 2009, p. C-1. 17. Ibid., May 28, 2009, p. C-1. 18. Ibid., May 30, 2009, p. C-1. 19. Ibid., June 5, 2009, p. S-1. 20. Ibid., June 8, 2009, p. S-1. 21. Ibid., June 10, 2009, p. S-1. 22. Ibid., June 12, 2009, p. S-1. 23. Ibid., June 15, 2009, p. A-1.

2009-10 1. Los Angeles Times, April 19, 2010, p. C-1. 2. Ibid., April 21, 2010, p. C-1. 3. Ibid., April 23, 2010, p. C-1. 4. Ibid., April 25, 2010, p. C-1. 5. Ibid., April 28, 2010, p. C-1. 6. Ibid., May 1, 2010, p. C-1. 7. Ibid., May 3, 2010, p. C-1. 8. Ibid., May 5, 2010, p. C-1. 9. Ibid., May 9, 2010, p. C-1. 10. Ibid., May 11, 2010, p. C-1. 11. Ibid., May 18, 2010, p. C-1. 12. Ibid., May 20, 2010, p. C-1. 13. Ibid., May 24, 2010, p. C-1. 14. Ibid., May 26, 2010, p. C-1. 15. Ibid., May 28, 2010, p. C-1. 16. Ibid., May 30, 2010, p. C-1. 17. Ibid., June 4, 2010, p. V-1. 18. Ibid., June 7, 2010, p. V-1. 19. Ibid., June 9, 2010, p. V-1. 20. Ibid., June 11, 2010, p. V-1. 21. Ibid., June 14, 2010, p. V-1. 22. Ibid., June 16, 2010, p. V-1. 23. Ibid., June 18, 2010, p. V-1.

2010-11 1. Los Angeles Times, April 18, 2011, p. C-1. 2. Ibid., April 21, 2011, p. C-1. 3. Ibid., April 23, 2011, p. C-1. 4. Ibid., April 25, 2011, p. C-1. 5. Ibid., April 27, 2011, p. C-1. 6. Ibid., April 29, 2011, p. C-1. 7. Ibid., May 3, 2011, p. C-1. 8. Ibid., May 5, 2011, p. C-1. 9. Ibid., May 7, 2011, p. C-1. 10. Ibid., May 9, 2011, p. C-1.

CHAPTER NOTES

Chapter Two Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 1. Wikipedia, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar page. 2. espn.go.com/classic/biography/ s/abdul-jabbar.kareem. 3. Wikipedia, Power Memorial Academy page. 4. www.joemaffia.com/content/ powermemorial/power-memorialhigh-school. 5. Ibid. 6. Steve Springer, The Los Angeles Times Encyclopedia of the Lakers, p. 18. 7. espn.go.com/classic/biography/ s/abdul-jabbar.kareem. 8. Ibid. 9. Wikipedia, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar page. 10. www.sportsbybrooks.com/ka reem-abdul-jabbars-sky-hook-patenta-sham-24271. 11. Springer, The Los Angeles Times Encyclopedia of the Lakers, p. 150. 12. Wikipedia, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar page. 13. Ibid. 14. Ibid. 15. Ibid. 16. Ibid. 17. Ibid. 18. Ibid. 19. Ibid. 20. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Interview, Playboy, June 1986. 21. Springer, The Los Angeles Times Encyclopedia of the Lakers, p. 15. 22. Wikipedia, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar page. 23. Ibid. 24. Ibid. 25. Ibid. 26. Ibid. 27. Ibid. 28. Ibid. 29. Los Angeles Times Sports Staff, The Los Angeles Lakers: 50 Amazing Years in the City of Angels, p. 233. 30. Wikipedia, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar page.

Elgin Baylor 1. Wikipedia, Elgin Baylor page. 2. Ibid. 3. Ibid. 4. Ibid. 5. Zander Hollander, The NBA’s Official Encyclopedia of Pro Basketball 35th Anniversary Edition, p. 233. 6. Ibid. 7. sportspressnw.com/2011/05/ wayback-machine-the-two-lives-ofelgin-baylor. 8. Ibid. 9. Ibid. 10. Ibid. 11. Hollander, The NBA’s Official Encyclopedia of Pro Basketball 35th Anniversary Edition, p. 234. 12. Ibid. 13. Wikipedia, Elgin Baylor page. 14. Ibid. 15. Ibid. 16. Ibid. 17. Lazenby, The Show, p. 95.

302 18. Springer, The Los Angeles Times Encyclopedia of the Lakers, p. 25. 19. Ibid. 20. Wikipedia, Elgin Baylor page. 21. Los Angeles Times Sports Staff, The Los Angeles Lakers: 50 Amazing Years in the City of Angels, p. 230. 22. Wikipedia, Elgin Baylor page. 23. Ibid. 24. Ibid.

Kobe Bryant 1. Wikipedia, Kobe Bryant page. 2. Ibid. 3. Ibid. 4. Wikipedia, Lower Merion High School page. 5. Wikipedia, Kobe Bryant page. 6. Ibid. 7. “School’s Out,” Sports Illustrated, May 6, 1996. 8. Ibid. 9. Wikipedia, Kobe Bryant page. 10. Ibid. 11. Ibid. 12. Ibid. 13. www.probasketballreference. com-kobebryant. 14. Wikipedia, Kobe Bryant page. 15. Ibid. 16. “Boy II Man,” Sports Illustrated, April 24, 2000. 17. Wikipedia, Kobe Bryant page. 18. Ibid. 19. Ibid. 20. Ibid. 21. Ibid. 22. Ibid. 23. Ibid. 24. Ibid. 25. Ibid. 26. Ibid. 27. Ibid. 28. Ibid. 29. Ibid. 30. Ibid. 31. Ibid. 32. Ibid. 33. Ibid. 34. Ibid. 35. Ibid.

Wilt Chamberlain 1. Robert Cherry, Wilt: Larger Than Life —The Definitive Wilt Chamberlain Biography, p. 3. 2. Wikipedia, Wilt Chamberlain page. 3. Cherry, Wilt, p. 11. 4. Wikipedia, Wilt Chamberlain page. 5. Ibid. 6. Cherry, Wilt, p. 37. 7. Ibid., p. 44. 8. Ibid., p. 47. 9. Ibid. 10. Wikipedia, Wilt Chamberlain page. 11. Ibid. 12. Ibid. 13. Ibid. 14. www.probasketballreference. com-wiltchamberlain. 15. Wikipedia, Wilt Chamberlain page. 16. Ibid. 17. Ibid. 18. Ibid.

19. Ibid. 20. Ibid. 21. Ibid. 22. Ibid. 23. Ibid. 24. Ibid. 25. Ibid. 26. Ibid. 27. Lazenby, The Show, p. 126. 28. Cherry, Wilt, p. 238. 29. Lazenby, The Show, p. 134. 30. Ibid., p. 137. 31. Wikipedia, Wilt Chamberlain page. 32. Ibid. 33. Ibid. 34. Ibid. 35. www.probasketballrerefence. com-wiltchamberlain.

Michael Cooper 1. Springer, The Los Angeles Times Encyclopedia of the Lakers, p. 49. 2. Michael Cooper, Pasadena City College, www.Pasadena.edu/about/his tory/alumni/m.cooper/mcooper.cfm. 3. Ibid. 4. Ibid. 5. Ibid. 6. Ibid. 7. Ibid. 8. Ibid. 9. Ibid. 10. Springer, The Los Angeles Times Encyclopedia of the Lakers, p. 49. 11. Ibid. 12. Michael Cooper, All Things Lakers, projects.latimes.com/lakers/ player/michael/cooper. 13. Wikipedia, Michael Cooper page.

Gail Goodrich 1. “UCLA Great Gail Goodrich’s Jersey Number (25) to be Retired,” www.uclabruins.com/sports/m-bask bl/spec-rec/091404asa.html. 2. Ibid. 3. Wikipedia, Pauley Pavilion page. 4. “UCLA Great Gail Goodrich’s Jersey Number (25) to be Retired,” www.uclabruins.com/sports/m-bask bl/spec-rec/091404asa.html. 5. www.probasketballreference. com, Gail Goodrich. 6. Wikipedia, Gail Goodrich page. 7. www.probasketballreference. com, Gail Goodrich. 8. Wikipedia, Gail Goodrich page. 9. Ibid. 10. 2010-11 Los Angeles Lakers Media Guide, Records Section. 11. Los Angeles Times Sports Staff, The Los Angeles Lakers: 50 Amazing Years in the City of Angels, p. 236.

Harold “Happy” Hairston 1. Edward Wong, “Happy Hairston, 58, Forward on Champion Lakers Team,” www.wssportsmenclub.or g-haroldhappyhairston and www.ny times.com, May 2, 2001. 2. Ibid. 3. www.probasketballreference. com Harold “Happy” Hairston. 4. Ibid.

5. Wikipedia, Happy Hairston page. 6. 2010-2011 Los Angeles Lakers Media Guide, Record Section. 7. Happy Hairston, All Things Lakers, www.projects.latimes.com. 8. Ibid. 9. Ibid.

Earvin “Magic” Johnson 1. Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals, HBO. 2. Ibid. 3. Ibid. 4. Ibid. 5. Ibid. 6. essaymania.com/1027/magicjohnson. 7. Wikipedia, Magic Johnson page. 8. essaymania.com and Wikipedia, Magic Johnson page. 9. Wikipedia, Magic Johnson page. 10. Ibid. 11. Ibid. 12. Ibid. 13. Lazenby, The Show, p. 192. 14. Ibid., pp. 196–203. 15. Ibid., p. 210. 16. Springer, The Los Angeles Times Encyclopedia of the Lakers, p. 123. 17. www.crazyworksmedia. com/ earvin-magic-johnson/. 18. Los Angeles Times, June 1, 1984, p. C-1. 19. Ibid., June 7, 1984, p. G-1. 20. Wikipedia, Magic Johnson page. 21. Ibid. 22. Los Angeles Times Sports Staff, The Los Angeles Lakers: 50 Amazing Years in the City of Angels, p. 234. 23. Ibid. 24. Ibid. 25. Ibid. 26. Ibid.

Rudy LaRusso 1. Wikipedia, James Madison High School (New York) page. 2. www.joelaronson.com/jmhs19 55/wall/rudy.html. 3. Rudy LaRusso, Jews in Sports at Virtual Museum, jewsinsports.org. 4. www.probasketballreference. com, Rudy LaRusso. 5. ivy50.com/storyrudylarusso12-12-06. 6. Rudy LaRusso, jewsinsports. org. 7. Wikipedia, Rudy LaRusso page. 8. ivy50.com. 9. Ibid. 10. Ibid. 11. Ibid.

Norm Nixon 1. Wikipedia, Norm Nixon page. 2. Ibid. 3. Ibid. 4. “Pittsburgh Sports Report : Where Are They Now? Norm Nixon,” www.pittsburghsportsreport.com. 5. www.probasketballreference. com, Norm Nixon. 6. Springer, The Los Angeles Times Encyclopedia of the Lakers, p. 123. 7. Wikipedia, Norm Nixon page. 8. Lazenby, The Show, p. 210.

303 9. Scott Ostler and Steve Springer, Winnin’ Times: The Magical Journey of the Los Angeles Lakers, p. 140. 10. Wikipedia, Norm Nixon page. 11. Ibid. 12. Ibid.

Shaquille O’Neal 1. Wikipedia, Shaquille O’Neal page. 2. Ibid. 3. “Shaquille O’Neal Can’t Stop Growing,” www.sports.jrank.org. 4. Ibid. 5. Wikipedia, Shaquille O’Neal page. 6. Ibid., basketball coach Dale Brown page. 7. “LSU Presents Shaq with Bronze Statue,” www.lsusports.net. 8. Wikipedia, Shaquille O’Neal page. 9. www.probasketballreference. com, Shaquille O’Neal. 10. Wikipedia, Shaquille O’Neal page. 11. Ibid. 12. Ibid. 13. Ibid. 14. Ibid. 15. Ibid. 16. Ibid. 17. Ibid. 18. 2010-11 Boston Celtics Media Guide, p. 61. 19. Wikipedia, Shaquille O’Neal page. 20. Ibid. 21. Ibid. 22. Ibid. 23. www.probasketballreference. com and Wikipedia, Shaquille O’Neal page. 24. Ibid. 25. Ibid.

Kurt Rambis 1. Wikipedia, Kurt Rambis page. 2. Ibid. 3. Ibid. 4. Ibid., Cupertino High School. 5. Cupertino High School Basketball History, www.morese40.com. 6. Ibid. 7. Ibid. 8. Sam Scott, “Superman returns/ Still No.1,” Santa Clara Magazine, www.scu.edu. 9. 2009-10 Santa Clara Broncos Basketball Media Guide, Record Section, pp. 82–89. 10. Wikipedia, Kurt Rambis page. 11. Ibid.

Byron Scott 1. Wikipedia, Byron Scott page. 2. Mary Schmitt Boyer, www. cleveland.com —“Byron Scott Brings a Career of Success (and a Competitive Edge) to Cavaliers Training Camp,” www.cleveland.com, September 25, 2010. 3. Ibid. 4. Ibid. 5. Thesundevils.cstv.com, Byron Scott. 6. Boyer, “Byron Scott....”

7. Ibid. 8. Lazenby, The Show, pp. 226– 227. 9. Ibid., 227. 10. www.probasketballreference. com, Byron Scott. 11. Wikipedia, Byron Scott page. 12. Ibid.

Jerry West 1. Wikipedia, Jerry West page. 2. Ibid. 3. Ibid. 4. Ibid. 5. Ibid. 6. Ibid. 7. Ibid. 8. Ibid. 9. Ibid. 10. Ibid. 11. Ibid. 12. Ibid. 13. Ibid. 14. Ibid. 15. www.probasketballreference. com, Jerry West.

Jamaal Wilkes 1. www.independent.com/news/ 2011/mar/23/super-shot/. 2. Ibid. 3. Wikipedia, Santa Barbara High School page. 4. www.independent.com. 5. Ibid. 6. “Bruin Alum Jamaal Wilkes Named Naismith Memorial Basketball Finalist”— www.uclabruins .com/ sports/ m-baskbl/spec-rel/021210aaa. html. 7. www.independent.com. 8. Wikipedia, Jamaal Wilkes page. 9. www.nba.com/history/player/ wilkes.bio.html. 10. www.probasketballreference. com, Jamaal Wilkes page. 11. www.nba.com/history/player/ wilkes.bio.html. 12. Ibid.

James Worthy 1. Chick Hearn and Steve Springer, Chick: His Unpublished Memoirs and the Memories of Those Who Loved Him, p. 75. 2. Wikipedia, James Worthy page. 3. www.gastongazette.com/news/ worthy-29878-gastonia-high.html. 4. Ibid. 5. www.nba.com/history/legends/ james-worthy/index.html. 6. Wikipedia, James Worthy page. 7. Wikipedia, Basketball Coach Dean Smith page. 8. Ibid. 9. www.nba.com, James Worthy. 10. Ibid. 11. Ibid. 12. Wikipedia, James Worthy page. 13. www.nba.com, James Worthy. 14. Wikipedia, James Worthy page. 15. Ibid. 16. Ibid. 17. Los Angeles Times Sports Staff, The Los Angeles Lakers: 50 Amazing Years in the City of Angels, p. 235.

CHAPTER NOTES

Other Notable Players Elden Campbell 1. http://projects.latimes.com/lak ers/player/elden-campbell. 2. Springer, The Los Angeles Times Encyclopedia of the Lakers, p. 38.

Chapter Three All information in the section was taken from the 2010-11 Los Angeles Lakers Media Guide.

Chapter Four

Vlade Divac

Fred Schaus

1. http://projects.latimes.com/lak ers/player/vlade-divac.

1. hoopedia.nba.com, Fred Schaus. 2. Ibid. 3. John Antonik, “Fred Schaus Dies,” msnsportsnet.com, February 11, 2010. 4. Ibid. 5. www.probasketballreference. com, Fred Schaus. 6. Antonik. 7. Lazenby, Jerry West: The Life and Legend of a Basketball Icon, p. 119. 8. Ibid., p. 120. 9. Antonik. 10. Lazenby, p. 207. 11. Sports Illustrated, “NBA Scouting Reports” October 24, 1966. 12. Lazenby, p. 258. 13. Antonik.

Derek Fisher 1. http://projects.latimes.com/lak ers/player/derek-fisher.

Pau Gasol 1. http://projects.latimes.com/lak ers/player/pau-gasol.

AC Green 1. http://projects.latimes.com/lak ers/player/acgreen.

Rodney “Hot Rod’ Hundley 1. Wikipedia, Hot Rod Hundley page. 2. Ibid.

Eddie Jones 1. http://projects.latimes.com/lak ers/player/eddie-jones.

Bob McAdoo 1. www.hickoksports.com/biograph/mcadoobob.shtml. 2. http://projects.latimes.com/ lakers/player/bob-mcadoo.

Jim McMillian 1. Springer, The Los Angeles Times Encyclopedia of the Lakers, pp. 111–112, and Wikipedia, Jim McMillian page. 2. Springer, pp. 111–112.

Lamar Odom 1. http://projects.latimes.com/lak ers/player/lamar-odom.

Sam Perkins 1. Wikipedia, Sam Perkins page. 2. Ibid. 3. http://projects.latimes.com/lak ers/player/sam-perkins.

Frank Selvy 1. Wikipedia, Frank Selvy page. 2. Ibid. 3. www.probasketballreference. com, Frank Selvy.

Elmore Smith 1. Wikipedia, Elmore Smith page.

Sedale Threatt 1. Wikipedia, Sedale Threatt page. 2. Ibid.

Nick Van Exel 1. Wikipedia, Nick Van Exel page, and http://projects.latimes.com/lakers/player/nick-van-exel. 2. Wikipedia, Nick Van Exel page.

Bill Van Breda Kolff 1. Sports Illustrated, “Hedonist Prophet of the Spartan Game,” September 23, 1968. 2. Ibid. 3. Ibid. 4. Ibid. 5. www.probasketballreference. com, Bill Van Breda Kolff. 6. Wikipedia, Bill Van Breda Kolff page. 7. Frank Litsky, “Butch Van Breda Kolff, 84, Fiery Coach, Dies,” www.nytimes.com, August 24, 2007. 8. 2011-12 Hofstra Basketball Media Guide, p. 111. 9. 2008-09 Princeton Basketball Media Guide, p. 113. 10. Lazenby, Jerry West: The Life and Legend of a Basketball Icon, p. 258. 11. Ibid. 12. Wikipedia, Bill Van Breda Kolff page. 13. Sports Illustrated, September 23, 1968. 14. Cherry, Wilt: Larger Than Life —The Definitive Wilt Chamberlain Biography, pp. 210–211. 15. Lazenby, The Show: The Inside Story of the Spectacular Los Angeles Lakers, p. 116. 16. Ibid., p. 117. 17. Cherry, p. 212. 18. Lazenby, The Show, p. 117. 19. Cherry, p. 213. 20. Lazenby, The Show, p. 118. 21. Ibid., p. 119. 22. Ibid., p. 122. 23. Litsky. 24. Ibid. 25. Ibid.

Joe Mullaney 1. Springer, The Los Angeles Times Encyclopedia of the Lakers, p. 116. 2. Wikipedia, Joe Mullaney page. 3. Lena Williams, “Joe Mullaney, 75, Providence Basketball Coach,” www.nytimes.com, March 11, 2000.

CHAPTER NOTES 4. www.probasketballreference. com, Joe Mullaney. 5. Williams. 6. Lazenby, The Lakers: A Basketball Journey, p. 176. 7. Lazenby, The Show, p. 126. 8. Ibid. 9. Springer, p. 117. 10. Lazenby, The Lakers, p. 181. 11. Springer, p. 117. 12. Ibid., p. 116. 13. Wikipedia, Joe Mullaney page. 14. Ibid. 15. Ibid. 16. Ibid. 17. Ibid.

Bill Sharman 1. Michael D. McClellan, “The Per fectionist” www.celticspride.net, March 20, 2006. 2. Ibid. 3. Ibid. 4. Ibid. 5. Ibid. 6. Ibid. 7. www.probasketballreference. com, Bill Sharman. 8. McClellan. 9. Ibid. 10. Ibid. 11. Ibid. 12. Ibid. 13. Ibid. 14. Ibid. 15. Lazenby, The Show, p. 136. 16. Ibid. 17. www.nba.com/history/players/ sharmansummary/. 18. McClellan. 19. Ibid. 20. Ibid. 21. Ibid. 22. Lazenby, The Show, p. 133. 23. McClellan. 24. Lazenby, The Show, p. 139. 25. Ibid., p. 134. 26. Ibid., p. 135. 27. Ibid., pp. 139–140. 28. Ibid., 140. 29. Ibid., 141. 30. Ibid., 143. 31. Springer, The Los Angeles Times Encyclopedia of the Lakers, p. 149. 32. Lazenby, The Show, p. 164.

Jerry West 1. Lazenby, Jerry West, p. 348. 2. Ibid. 3. Ibid., pp. 348–349. 4. Ibid., 349. 5. Ibid. 6. Ibid. 7. Ibid., p. 352. 8. Ibid., p. 354. 9. Ibid., p. 358. 10. www.probasketballreference. com, 1978-79 Los Angeles Lakers Schedule. 11. Lazenby, Jerry West, p. 360. 12. Ibid., Jerry West, pp. 360–361. 13. Los Angeles Times Sports Staff, The Los Angeles Lakers: 50 Amazing Years in the City of Angels, p. 232. 14. Wikipedia, Jerry West page. 15. Ibid.

304 Jack McKinney 1. Delaware County Sports Legends Exhibit, Jack McKinney. 2. “After the Fall,” Sports Illustrated, October 20, 1980. 3. Wikipedia, St. Joseph’s Hawks Men’s Basketball page. 4. Delaware County Sports Legends Exhibit, Jack McKinney. 5. 2010-11 St. Joseph’s Men’s Basketball Media Guide, p. 74. 6. Ostler and Springer, Winnin’ Times, p. 105. 7. Ibid., p. 107. 8. Ibid. 9. Ibid. 10. Sports Illustrated, October 20, 1980. 11. Ostler and Springer, pp. 120– 121. 12. Springer, The Los Angeles Times Encyclopedia of the Lakers, p. 111. 13. Ostler and Springer, Winnin’ Times, p. 127. 14. Wikipedia, Jack McKinney page.

Paul Westhead 1. Wikipedia, West Philadelphia Catholic High School page. 2. Dan Uthman, “For Oregon’s Paul Westhead, 70 Isn’t an Age, It’s the Speed He Wants His New Team Running,” oregonlive.com, November 19, 2009. 3. Ibid. 4. Los Angeles Times, February 18, 1988, section 3, page 16. 5. Ibid. 6. Ostler and Springer, Winnin’ Times, p. 142. 7. Ibid. 8. David Friedman, www.hoops hype.com/articles/westhead/, January 15, 2008. 9. Springer, The Los Angeles Times Encyclopedia of the Lakers, p. 21. 10. Ibid., p. 170. 11. Los Angeles Times Sports Staff, The Los Angeles Lakers: 50 Amazing Years in the City of Angels, p. 116. 12. Springer, p. 171. 13. Wikipedia, Paul Westhead page.

Pat Riley 1. Mark Heisler, The Lives of Riley, p. 9. 2. Ibid., p. 10. 3. Ibid., p. 14. 4. Ibid., p. 12. 5. Ibid., p. 13. 6. Ibid. 7. Ibid., p. 14. 8. Ibid., p. 16. 9. Ibid. 10. Ibid. 11. Wikipedia, Adolph Rupp page. 12. Heisler, The Lives of Riley, p. 22. 13. Ibid., p. 24. 14. Ibid., p. 25. 15. www.probasketballreference. com, Pat Riley. 16. Heisler, The Lives of Riley, p. 49. 17. Ibid., p. 50.

18. Ibid. 19. Ibid., p. 58. 20. Ibid. 21. Ibid., p. 60. 22. Ibid., p. 63. 23. www.wma.com/patriley/bio/ PATRILEY.pdf. 24. Wikipedia, Pat Riley page. 25. Ibid. 26. Ibid. 27. Ibid. 28. Ibid.

Mike Dunleavy 1. Bill Farrell, “50 Cheers for Boro & Hoops,” www.nydailynews. com/archives, April 18, 1997. 2. www.nba.com/coachfile/mike dunleavysr. 3. Ibid. 4. Ibid. 5. Ibid. 6. Los Angeles Times, June 12, 1990, p. C-1. 7. Springer, The Los Angeles Times Encyclopedia of the Lakers, p. 57. 8. Wikipedia, Mike Dunleavy, Sr., page.

Randy Pfund 1. “Heat News,” www.nba.com/ heat/contact/directory-pfund, September 20, 2007. 2. Ibid. 3. Ibid. 4. www.athletics.wheaton.edu, Hall of Honor Randy Pfund entry. 5. www.nba.com/heat/contact/ directory-pfund. 6. Chicago Tribune, December 16, 1995, sports section p. 1. 7. Springer, The Los Angeles Times Encyclopedia of the Lakers, p. 131. 8. Los Angeles Times, May 19, 1992, p. C-1. 9. Springer, The Los Angeles Times Encyclopedia of the Lakers, p. 132. 10. Chicago Tribune, December 16, 1995, sports section p. 1.

Bill Bertka 1. Springer, The Los Angeles Times Encyclopedia of the Lakers, pp. 26–27. 2. www.probasketballreference. com, 1993-94 Los Angeles Lakers Schedule.

Earvin “Magic” Johnson 1. Chicago Tribune, March 28, 1994, sports section p. 1. 2. Lazenby, The Show, pp. 306– 307. 3. Ibid., p. 307, and www.probasketballreference.com, 1993-94 Los Angeles Lakers Schedule.

Del Harris 1. Plainfield — Indiana .funcity finder.com/2011/01/17/delmer-del-har ris. 2. Ibid. 3. Ibid. 4. www.nba.com/coachfile/delhar ris. 5. Wikipedia, Del Harris page. 6. www.hoopedia .nba .com/del harris.

7. Los Angeles Times, May 14, 1994, C-1. 8. Plainfield—Indiana.funcityfind er.com/2011/01/17/delmer-del-harris. 9. Los Angeles Times, February 25, 1999, A-1. 10. Del Harris, All Things Lakers, Los Angeles Times, www.projects.la times.com. 11. www.hoopedia.com/delharris. 12. Ibid.

Kurt Rambis 1. Wikipedia, Kurt Rambis page.

Phil Jackson 1. Wikipedia, Phil Jackson page. 2. Ibid. 3. Ibid. 4. Ibid. 5. 2009-10 University of North Dakota Men’s Basketball Media Guide, Honors & Records Section, pp. 90–98. 6. Ibid. 7. Ibid. 8. www.probasketballreference. com, Phil Jackson. 9. Ibid. 10. Wikipedia, Phil Jackson page. 11. www.probasketballreference. com, Phil Jackson. 12. 2010-11 Los Angeles Lakers Media Guide, Phil Jackson entry. 13. Wikipedia, Jerry Krause page. 14. www.nba.com/history/chicago bulls. 15. Wikipedia, Tex Winter page. 16. Harvey Araton, “Jackson’s Great Debt to Jerry Krause,” www.nytimes. com, May 9, 2011. 17. Wikipedia, Triangle Offense page. 18. K.C. Johnson, “No Doubt Jack son One-of-a-Kind Coach,” www.ar ticles.chicagotribune.com/2011- 0509/sports/philjackson, May 9, 2011. 19. Wikipedia, Phil Jackson page. 20. Los Angeles Times, June 16, 1999, p. D-1. 21. Wikipedia, Phil Jackson page. 22. Ibid.

Rudy Tomjanovich 1. Wikipedia, Rudy Tomjanovich page. 2. Burt Schiller, “Still a Leader, Still Among the Best,” www.michigan today.umich.edu/03/win03/leader.html. 3. Ibid. 4. Ibid. 5. Ibid. 6. ”Rudy Tomjanovich Basketball All-American,” www.bentley.umich. edu/athdept/ baskmen/ baskmaa/ tom jonaa.htm. 7. www.probasketballreference. com, Rudy Tomjanovich. 8. Ibid. 9. Schiller. 10. Wikipedia, Rudy Tomjanovich page. 11. Schiller. 12. “Hey, Call Anytime,” Sports Illustrated, July 4, 1994. 13. Ibid., and Wikipedia, Rudy Tomjanovich page. 14. Wikipedia, Rudy Tomjanovich page.

305 15. Ibid. 16. Los Angeles Times, July 11, 2004, p. D-1. 17. Los Angeles Times, February 3, 2005, p. A-1. 18. Ibid.

Frank Hamblen 1. www.hoopshall.com/hall/h/ frank-hamblen/. 2. www.orangehoops.org/fhamb len.htm. 3. Mark Medina, “Lakers Q & A: Frank Hamblen wants to remain Lakers assistant a few more years,” Frank Hamblen interview, January 14, 2011, www.latimes.com. 4. Ibid. 5. Ibid. 6. Ibid.

Phil Jackson 1. Los Angeles Times, June 15, 2005, p. A-1. 2. Wikipedia, Phil Jackson page. 3. Ibid. 4. Ibid. 5. Ibid. 6. www.probasketballreference. com, Phil Jackson.

Chapter Five Team Owners BOB SHORT 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Lazenby, The Show, p. 53. www.law.nd.edu. Ibid. Lazenby, p. 54. Ibid., p. 55. Ibid., p. 97.

7. Ibid. 8. Springer, The Los Angeles Times Encyclopedia of the Lakers, p. 150. 9. Ibid.

JACK KENT COOKE 1. American National Biography online, Cooke, Jack Kent, www.anb. org/articles/19/19-00976.html. 2. Ibid. 3. Ibid. 4. Ibid. 5. Ibid. 6. Ibid. 7. Ibid. 8. Ibid. 9. Ibid. 10. Ibid. 11. Lazenby, The Show, p. 99.

2. Wikipedia, Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena page. 3. Springer, Los Angeles Times Encyclopedia of the Lakers, p. 51. 4. Ibid., p. 152. 5. Wikipedia, Los Angeles Memorial Sports Area page.

13. 14. 194. 15. 16.

THE FORUM

1. Wikipedia, Cheerleading page. 2. Los Angeles Times Sports Staff, The Los Angeles Lakers: 50 Amazing Years in the City of Angels, p. 104. 3. Springer, The Los Angeles Times Encyclopedia of the Lakers, p. 15.

1. Springer, Los Angeles Times Encyclopedia of the Lakers, p. 63. 2. Ibid., p. 64. 3. Wikipedia, Charles Luckman page. 4. Lazenby, The Show, p. 107. 5. Ibid. 6. Ibid., p. 108. 7. Wikipedia, Forum page.

STAPLES CENTER

JERRY BUSS 1. Springer, The Los Angeles Times Encyclopedia of the Lakers, p. 33. 2. Ibid. 3. Ibid. 4. Ibid., p. 35. 5. Ibid. 6. Ibid. 7. Ostler and Springer, Winnin’ Times, p. 82. 8. Ibid., pp. 83–85. 9. Ibid., p. 87. 10. Ibid. 11. Ibid., p. 88. 12. 2010-11 Los Angeles Lakers Media Guide, Jerry Buss entry.

Arenas LOS ANGELES MEMORIAL SPORTS ARENA 1. Wikipedia, Welton Becket page.

CHAPTER NOTES

1. Wikipedia, Staples Center page. 2. Ibid.

“Showtime” 1. Ostler and Springer, Winnin’ Times, p. 225.

Chick Hearn 1. Hearn and Springer, Chick, p. 15. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

Ibid., pp. 18–19. Ibid. Ibid., p. 21. Ibid. Ibid., p. 23. Ibid. Ibid., p. 26. Ibid. Ibid., p. 33. Wikipedia, Chick Hearn page. Ibid.

Ibid. Hearn and Springer, Chick, p. Wikipedia, Chick Hearn page. Ibid.

The Laker Girls

Jack Nicholson 1. “Wild in the Seats,” Sports Illustrated, November 3, 1986, and Springer, The Los Angeles Times Encyclopedia of the Lakers, p. 121. 2. Ibid.

Los Angeles Lakers Uniforms 1. Wikipedia, Logos and Uniforms of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Chapter Six All information related to this section came from www.probasketball reference.com — Los Angeles Lakers schedules —1960-61 to 2010-11.

Chapter Seven All information related to this section came from website — www.lakers universe.com/records and 2010-11 Los Angeles Lakers Media Guide.

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Newspapers and Periodicals Boston Globe Chicago Tribune Los Angeles Times Playboy Sports Illustrated

Media Guides 2008-09 Princeton Basketball 2009-10 Santa Clara Broncos Basketball 2009-10 University of North Dakota Men’s Basketball 2010-11 Boston Celtics 2010-11 Los Angeles Lakers 2010-11 St. Joseph’s Men’s Basketball 2011-12 Hofstra Basketball

Websites Boston Celtics, www.celticspride.net Cleveland Plain Dealer, www.cleveland.com ESPN, www.espn.go.com Hoopedia, www.hoopedia.nba.com Los Angeles Times, www.latimes.com MSN, www.msnsportsnet.com National Basketball Association, www.nba.com New York Times, www.nytimes.com Pasadena City College, www.pasadena.edu Pro Basketball Reference, www.probasketballreference.com ULCA Bruins, www.uclabruins.com Wikipedia, www.wikipedia.com

Television HBO documentary: Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals

Index Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem 39, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 54, 55, 56, 57, 59, 60, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 100, 108, 147, 153–156, 166, 194; see also Alcindor, Lew Abernethy, Tom 194 Aguirre, Mark 74, 81 Ainge, Danny 67, 68, 71, 72, 78, 79 Alcindor, Lew 36, 37; see also Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem Alcorn, Gary 194 Allen, Lucius 46, 48, 194 Allen, Phog 162 Allen, Ray 136, 137, 147, 148 American Basketball League 7 Anderson, Cliff 194 Anthony, Carmelo 134, 140, 141 Ariza, Trevor 138, 140, 141, 142, 143, 150, 151, 194 Artest, Ron (Metta World Peace) 139, 145, 146, 147, 148, 194 Atkins, Chucky 194 Atlanta Hawks 29, 30, 33 Auerbach, Red 16, 118 Baltimore Bullets 19, 38 Barbosa, Leandro 131, 132 Barkley, Charles 94, 95, 106, 114 Barnes, Jim 194 Barnes, Matt 194 Barnett, Dick 15, 17, 20, 34, 194 Barry, Jon 194 Barry, Rick 24, 25, 48 Basketball Association of America 5 Bates, Billy, Ray 194 Baylor, Elgin 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 37, 65, 156–158, 194 Beaty, Zelmo 21, 22, 194 Bellamy, Walt 19 Benjamin, Benoit 194 Bennett, Mario 194 Berger, Ben 4, 6, 7 Bertka, Bill 222 Bibby, Mike 117, 118 Billups, Chauncey 126, 140, 141 Bird, Larry 66, 67, 68, 70, 71, 72, 78, 79, 109, 110, 171, 173, 174 Blackman, Rolando 66, 74, 82 Blackwell, Alex 194 Blake, Steve 194 Block, John 194 Blount, Corie 101, 194 Bobbitt, Tony 195 Boone, Ron 195

Boozer, Bob 21, 23, 195 Boozer, Carlos 134, 139 Boston Celtics 6, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 20, 22, 23, 27, 30, 31, 66, 67, 68, 70, 71, 72, 78, 79, 135, 136, 137, 147, 148 Bowie, Sam 195 Bradley, Bill 34, 39, 42 Branch, Adrian 195 Brewer, Jim 195 Brickowski, Frank 195 Bridgeman, Junior 155 Bridges, Bill 22, 42, 195 Brooks, Aaron 140 Brown, Chucky 195 Brown, Freddie 55 Brown, Kwame 129, 132, 195 Brown, Larry 126 Brown, Roger 195 Brown, Shannon 139, 147, 195 Brown, Tierre 195 Brown, Tony 195 Bryant, Emmett 30, 31 Bryant, Kobe 100, 102, 103, 106, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 151, 152, 158–162, 195 Bucknall, Steve 195 Buss, Dr. Jerry 53, 234–235 Butler, Caron 195 Bynum, Andrew 131, 132, 137, 143, 144, 145, 146, 148, 149, 150, 151, 195 Byrnes, Marty 195 Caldwell, Joe 22 Calhoun, Corky 195 Calip, Demetrius 195 Calvin, Mack 195 Campbell, Elden 90, 95, 97, 98, 99, 101, 189, 195 Campbell, Fred 4 Campbell, Tony 86, 195 Caracter, Derrick 195 Carr, Kenny 195 Carter, Butch 195 Carter, Maurice 195 Carter, Ron 195 Carty, Jay 195 Castellani, John 7 Ceballos, Cedric 96, 97, 98, 99, 195 Celestand, John 195 Chalfen, Morris 4, 7

Chamberlain, Wilt 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 65, 100, 162–167, 195 Chambers, Jerry 24, 196 Chaney, Don 196 Cheeks, Maurice 55, 63 Chicago Bulls 26, 36, 38, 41, 42, 91, 92 Chones, Jim 56, 196 Christie, Doug 196 Cincinnati Royals 10, 21 Clark, Archie 24, 25, 26, 27, 196 Cleamons, Jim 196 Conner, Lester 196 Cook, Brian 196 Cooke, Jack Kent 20, 31, 51, 53, 233–234 Cooper, Duane 196 Cooper, Joe 196 Cooper, Michael 54, 56, 66, 68, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 77, 78, 80, 81, 85, 86, 167–168, 196 Counts, Mel 26, 29, 31, 33, 42, 165, 196 Cousy, Bob 13, 14, 16 Crawford, Fred 27, 196 Crispin, Joe 196 Crittenton, Javaris 132, 196 Croshere, Austin 110, 111 Dallas Mavericks 65, 66, 74, 81, 82, 151, 152 Dandridge, Bob 44 Daniels, Lloyd 196 Dantley, Adrian 51, 52, 82, 196 Davis, Brad 66, 196 Davis, Dale 111 Davis, Glen (Big Baby) 148 Davis, Johnny 49 Davis, Walter 66 Dawkins, Darryl 55, 56, 60 DeBusschere, Dave 34, 39, 42, 43 Denver Nuggets 52, 70, 76, 77, 133, 134, 140, 141 Detroit Gems 3, 4 Detroit Pistons 10, 12, 13, 82, 83, 86, 126, 127 Diaw, Boris 130 DiGregorio, Ernie 196 Divac, Vlade 87, 88, 90, 91, 92, 93, 95, 96, 97, 98, 117, 159, 189, 196 Drew, Larry 196 Drexler, Clyde 70 Dukes, Walter 6 Dumars, Joe 82, 83, 86 Duncan, Tim 106, 113, 116, 117, 121, 124, 135

307

Dunleavy, Mike 57, 89, 94, 220– 221 Durant, Kevin 144 Ebanks, Devin 196 Edwards, James 196 Egan, John 13, 29, 30, 196 Ellis, Joe 29 Ellis, LeRoy 18, 23, 196 Erikson, Keith 26, 30, 36, 43, 196 Erving, Julius “Dr. J” 55, 56, 60, 63, 64, 113 Evans, Maurice 196 Everett High School 171 Fabulous Forum 25, 26, 36, 39, 42, 43, 235–236 Fairchild, John 196 Farmer, Jordan 135, 140, 196 Felix, Ray 9, 12, 196 Ferrari, Al 11 Ferry, Bob 10, 12 Finkel, Hank 196 Fisher, Derek 106, 111, 112, 113, 114, 116, 117, 118, 121, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 134, 139, 140, 141, 142, 145, 146, 147, 148, 151, 190, 196 Floyd, Eric “Sleepy” 77 Ford, Don 197 Foster, Greg 111, 197 Fox, Rick 103, 109, 110, 111, 112, 114, 118, 197 Frazier, Walt 34, 43 Freeman, Donnie 197 Garnett, Kevin 120, 124, 125, 136, 137, 147 Garrett, Calvin 197 Garrett, Dick 33, 34, 197 Gasol, Marc 132 Gasol, Pau 132, 133, 134, 135, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 150, 151, 190, 197 George, Devean 118, 121, 125, 129, 197 Gervin, George 62 Gibson, Mel 197 Gilliam, Herm 49 Ginobili, Manu 124, 135 Golden State Warriors 42, 48, 49, 77, 90 Goodrich, Gail 21, 22, 23, 26, 33, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 51, 101, 168–170, 197 Grant, Brian 197 Grant, Horace 91, 111, 197 Grant, Travis 197

INDEX Green, A.C. 73, 77, 78, 80, 82, 85, 86, 88, 91, 93, 190, 197 Green, Devin 197 Green, Jeff 144 Grote, Jerry 197 Gudmundsson, Petur 197 Hagan, Cliff 15, 16, 18, 22 Hairston, Happy 36, 37, 39, 170, 197 Haley, Jack 197 Hamblen, Frank 127, 229–230 Hamilton, Dennis 197 Hamilton, Richard 126 Hannum, Alex 164 Hardaway, Tim 90 Hardy, Alan 197 Harper, Derek 74, 81, 197 Harper, Ron 110, 197 Harris, Del 96, 102, 223–224 Hartman, Sid 4 Harvey, Antonio 197 Havlicek, John 16, 20, 22, 23, 27, 30, 31 Hawkins, Connie 33, 43, 197 Hawkins, Tom 9, 12, 197 Hawthorne, Nate 197 Haywood, Spencer 197 Hazzard, Walt 21, 29, 197 Hearn, Chick 11, 21, 93, 116, 119, 237–239 Heinsohn, Tom 13, 16 Henderson, Gerald 67 Henderson, Jerome 197 Hetzel, Fred 26, 197 Hewitt, Bill 29, 197 Higgins, Mike 198 Holland, Brad 198 Hollins, Lionel 49, 55 Horn, Ron 198 Horry, Robert 101, 109, 110, 111, 114, 116, 117, 118, 121, 142, 198 House, Eddie 136 Houston Rockets 57, 74, 75, 88, 90, 99, 100, 106, 123, 139, 140 Howard, Dwight 142 Howell, Bailey 13, 19, 20, 27 Hudson, Lou 51, 52, 198 Hudson, Troy 120 Hundley, Rodney “Hot Rod” 9, 14, 190, 198 Hunter, Lindsey 198 Ilunga-Mbenga, Didier 198 Imhoff, Darrall 19, 198 Indiana Pacers 109, 110, 111 Issel, Dan 52, 70 Iverson, Allen 114, 134 Jackson, Jim 198 Jackson, Phil 107, 118, 121, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 138, 139, 142, 143, 145, 147, 148, 149, 151, 152, 159, 160, 225–227, 230–231 Jackson, Tony 198 Jacobson, Sam 198 Johnson, Clay 198 Johnson, Dennis 52, 68, 71, 72, 78, 79 Johnson, Earvin “Magic” 51, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 98, 99, 113, 123, 134, 155, 168, 169, 170– 175, 198, 222–223 Johnson, Kevin 85

308 Johnson, Ron 198 Johnson, Trey 198 Johnson, Vinnie 86 Jolliff, Howie 9, 198 Jones, Bobby 60 Jones, Dwight 198 Jones, Earl 198 Jones, Eddie 96, 99, 102, 103, 104, 191, 198 Jones, Jumaine 198 Jones, K.C. 13, 20, 23, 72 Jones, Sam 13, 14, 16, 20, 22, 23, 30, 31 Jones, Willie 13 Jordan, Eddie 198 Jordan, Michael 91, 92, 114, 142 Jordan, Reggie 198 Kansas City Kings 65 Karl, Coby 198 Kersey, Jerome 101, 198 Keys, Randolph 198 Kidd, Jason 118 Killum, Earnie 198 King, Frankie 198 King, Jim 19, 23, 24, 198 King, Willie 4 Kite, Greg 78 Kleine, Joe 198 Kleiza, Linas 141 Knight, Travis 101, 198 Korver, Kyle 134 Kosloff, Irv 165 Krebs, Jim 9, 12, 17, 198 Krystkowiak, Larry 199 Kundla, John 4, 6 Kupchak, Mitch 64, 199 Kupec, C.J. 199 Laimbeer, Bill 83 Laker Girls 239 Lamar, Bo 49, 199 Lamp, Jeff 199 Landsberger, Mark 199 Lantz, Stu 199 LaRusso, Rudy 9, 12, 13, 15, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 27, 29, 175–176, 199 Lee, Butch 199 Lee, Courtney 142 Lee, George 10 Leonard, Bob “Slick” 9, 199 Lester, Ronnie 199 Lewis, Rashard 142 Los Angeles Lakers Uniforms 239– 241 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena 235 Love, Bob 36, 41 Love, Stan 199 Lovellette, Clyde 5, 6 Lucas, Jerry 39 Lucas, Maurice 49, 199 Lue, Tyronn 199 Lynch, George 199 Lynn, Mike 199 Mack, Ollie 199 Macy, Kyle 66 Madsen, Mark 199 Malone, Karl 81, 101, 102, 104, 121, 123, 124, 125, 126, 146, 199 Malone, Moses 57, 63, 64 Marion, Shawn 130 Martin, Slater 6 Mason, Joel 4 Matthews, Wes 199 Maxwell, Cedric 67, 68

McAdoo, Bob 59, 60, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 69, 71, 191, 199 McCants, Mel 199 McCarter, Willie 199 McCarty, Howie 4 McCloud, George 199 McCoy, Jelani 199 McDaniels, Jim 199 McGee, Mike 65, 66, 69, 70, 199 McGill, Bill 199 McHale, Kevin 67, 70, 71, 78, 79 McKenna, Kevin 199 McKie, Aaron 132, 199 McKinney, Jack 53, 213–215 McMillian, Jim 36, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 191, 199 McNamara, Mark 199 McNeill, Bob 200 Medvedenko, Stanislav 127, 200 Meely, Cliff 200 Merschery, Tom 24, 25 Meyers, David 155 Mihm, Chris 200 Mikan, George 4, 5, 6 Mikkelsen, Vern 5, 6 Miller, Anthony 200 Miller, Reggie 110 Milwaukee Bucks 36, 37, 39, 44 Ming, Yao 123, 139, 140 Minneapolis Lakers 4, 5, 6 Minnesota Timberwolves 120, 121, 124, 125 Mitchell, Mike 62, 63 Mix, Steve 200 Monroe, Earl 43 Morrison, Adam 200 Mueller, Erwin 200 Mullaney, Joe 32, 37, 165, 166, 207–209 Mullin, Chris 90 Mullins, Jeff 24, 26, 29 Murphy, Allen 200 Murray, Tracy 200 Nash, Charles “Cotton” 200 Nash, Steve 129, 130 Nater, Swen 200 National basketball association 5 NBA Playoffs (Lakers appearances) 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 59, 60, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 88, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 97, 98, 99, 101, 102, 103, 104, 106, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 150, 151, 152 Nelson, Don 19, 27, 31, 200 Neumann, Johnny 200 Neumann, Paul 24 Nevitt, Chuck 200 New Jersey Nets 118, 119 New Orleans Hornets 150, 151 New York Knicks 10, 34, 39, 40, 42, 43 Newble, Ira 200 Nicholson, Jack 239 Nixon, Norm 50, 54, 55, 56, 59, 60, 62, 63, 64, 168, 173, 176–177, 200

Nowitzki, Dirk 151 Odom, Lamar 129, 130, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 145, 146, 147, 148, 150, 151, 191, 200 Ohl, Don 19 Oklahoma City Thunder 144, 145 Olajuwon, Hakeem 75, 88, 99 Oldham, Jawann 200 O’Neal, Shaquille 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 106, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 141, 145, 159, 160, 178–181, 200 Orlando Magic 141, 142 Overbrook High School 162 Owens, Keith 200 Pargo, Jannero 200 Parker, Tony 124 Parker, William “Smush” 129, 200 Parrish, Robert 67, 71, 78, 79 Patrick, Myles 200 Patterson, Ruben 200 Paul, Chris 150 Paxton, John 92 Payton, Gary 104, 121, 124, 125, 200 Peeler, Anthony 200 Penberthy, Mike 200 Perkins, Kendrick 136 Perkins, Sam 90, 91, 92, 191–192, 200 Pettit, Bob 11, 13, 15, 16 Pfund, Randy 94, 95, 221–222 Philadelphia 76ers 21, 55, 56, 60, 63, 64, 113, 114 Phoenix Suns 33, 54, 59, 66, 69, 85, 88, 94, 95, 96, 108, 109, 129, 130, 131, 132, 146 Pierce, Paul 136, 137, 147, 148 Pippen, Scottie 91, 92, 106, 109, 116 Pollard, Jim 4, 5, 6, 7 Portland Trailblazers 49, 62, 69, 70, 84, 85, 90, 91, 93, 101, 103, 109, 112, 116 Posey, James 136 Powe, Leon 136 Powell, Josh 200 Power Memorial High School 153 Price, Jim 200 Profit, Laron 200 Radmanovic, Vlade 134, 201 Rambis, Kurt 59, 60, 63, 64, 67, 73, 77, 80, 105, 181–182, 201, 224 Ramsey, Frank 13 Ratliff, Theo 201 Reed, Hubert “Hub” 201 Reed, J.R. 201 Reed, Willis 34, 43, 166 Reid, Robert 75 Rice, Glen 106, 108, 109, 110, 111, 201 Richmond, Mitch 90, 201 Rider, Isaiah 201 Riley, Pat 36, 58, 59, 79, 87, 88, 89, 118, 145, 201, 217–220 Rivers, David 86, 201 Rivers, Doc 136 Roberson, Rick 201 Roberts, Fred 201 Roberts, Marv 201 Robertson, Oscar 44, 155 Robinson, Clifford 109, 201 Robinson, David 98 Robinson, Flynn 26, 201

309 Robinson, Rumeal 201 Robisch, Dave 51, 201 Roche, John 201 Rodman, Dennis 83, 86, 97, 98, 105, 201 Rondo, Rajon 136, 137, 148 Rooks, Sean 201 Rose, Jalen 110, 111 Rush, Kareem 125, 201 Russell, Bill 13, 14, 16, 20, 22, 23, 27, 30, 31, 163, 164 Russell, Byron 201 Russell, Cazzie 34, 42, 45, 201 Ryan, Frank 6, 7 Sacramento Kings 108, 112, 113, 117, 118 St. Louis Hawks 11, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21, 22 Salley, John 201 Samake, Sourmalia 201 Sampson, Jamal 201 Sampson, Ralph 75 San Antonio Spurs 59, 62, 63, 73, 74, 80, 97, 98, 106, 113, 116, 117, 121, 123, 124, 134, 135 Sanders, Tom 13, 20, 22 San Francisco Warriors 24, 26, 27, 29 Saperstein, Abe 7 Schaus, Fred 9, 14, 25, 204–205 Schayes, Danny 201 Scola, Luis 139, 140 Scott, Byron 64, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 73, 74, 75, 77, 78, 81, 82, 83, 85, 86, 87, 90, 91, 93, 94, 95, 118, 182–183, 201 Scott, Charlie 201 Seals, Shea 201

Seattle Supersonics 50, 51, 52, 55, 77, 78, 85, 97, 104 Selvy, Frank 9, 10, 12, 13, 192, 201 Sharman, Bill 37, 47, 166, 209–212 Shaw, Brian 109, 202 Short, Bob 6, 7, 20, 232–233 Showtime (Lakers of the 1980s) 236–237 Shue, Gene 10 Siegfried, Larry 30 Sikma, Jack 52, 55 Sims, Bob 202 Sloan, Jerry 36, 41 Smith, Bobby 202 Smith, Elmore 43, 44, 155, 192, 202 Smith, Greg 37 Smith, Joe 202 Smith, J.R. 141 Smith, Steve 109, 112 Smith, Tony 202 Smrek, Mike 202 Snow, Eric 114 Sparrow, Rory 202 Spriggs, Larry 202 Staples Center 236 Stockton, John 101, 102 Stoudamire, Damon 112 Stoudemire, Amare 146 Strong, Derek 202 Sun Yue 202 Syracuse Nationals 10 Szczerbiak, Wally 125 Tarpley, Roy 81 Tatum, Earl 202 Teagle, Terry 90, 93, 202 Terry, Jason 152 Thomas, Irving 202

Thomas, Isiah 82, 83, 86 Thompson, Billy 202 Thompson, David 52 Thompson, Mychal 70, 77, 78, 79, 80, 83, 85, 202 Threat, Sedale 93, 94, 192, 202 Thurmond, Nate 24, 29, 42 Tolbert, Ray 202 Tomjanovich, Rudy 49, 127, 228– 229 Toney, Andrew 60, 63 Trapp, John 202 Tresvant, John 34, 202 Turiaf, Ronny 202 Turkoglu, Hedo 142 Turner, Bill 202 Udoka, Ime 202 Utah Jazz 81, 101, 102, 104, 134, 138, 139, 145, 146 Van Breda Kolff 25, 27, 31, 32, 165, 205–207 Van Exel, Nick 96, 97, 98, 101, 102, 103, 104, 192–193, 202 Van Lier, Norm 41, 42 Vincent, Jay 202 Vujacic, Sasha 136, 148, 202 Wafer, Von 202 Wagner, Milt 202 Walker, Chet 41 Walker, Samaki 202 Wallace, Rasheed 109 Walton, Bill 49 Walton, Luke 129, 134, 135, 139, 202 Warner, Cornell 202 Washington, Kermit 49, 50, 202

INDEX Weber, Chris 108, 117 Webster, Marvin 51 Wedman, Scott 67, 71 Weiss, Bob 36, 41 Wells, Bonzi 109 Wesley, Walt 203 West, David 150 West, Jerry 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 47, 48, 49, 51, 53, 65, 71, 103, 120, 134, 144, 147, 157, 183–185, 203, 212–213 Westhead, Paul 53, 56, 58, 215–217 Wetzel, John 203 Wiley, Gene 17, 18, 20, 203 Wilkens, Len 11, 22 Wilkes, Jamaal 48, 50, 54, 55, 56, 59, 60, 62, 63, 67, 185–187, 203 Williams, Deron 134 Williams, Gus 51, 52, 53, 55 Williams, Ron 44, 203 Williams, Shammond 203 Wilson, Trevor 203 Winston, Maury 3, 4 Winter, Max 4 Winters, Brian 155, 203 Wooden, John 153, 168, 186 Woolridge, Orlando 85, 203 Worthy, James 61, 62, 64, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 85, 86, 87, 88, 90, 91, 95, 187–189, 203 Yates, Wayne 13, 203