1971–72 Los Angeles Lakers season
First Lakers title in Los Angeles after 12 years.
The 1971–72 Los Angeles Lakers season was the team's first NBA championship since relocating from Minneapolis. The Lakers set a regular-season record of 69 wins and an NBA-record 33-game winning streak, finishing with 81 total victories including the playoffs. The team is regarded as one of the greatest in NBA history and was named to the Top 10 Teams in NBA History in 1996.
Quick Facts
- Team
- Los Angeles Lakers
- End year
- 1972
- Wins
- 69
- Losses
- 13
- Division
- Pacific
- Division place
- 1
- Coach
- Bill Sharman
- Arena
- The Forum
Facts from the source article.
Regular season
The Lakers had lost six NBA Finals to the Boston Celtics in eight years before falling to the New York Knicks in 1970 and the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1971 Western Conference finals. Entering the season, star players Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, and Jerry West were all in their 30s and had missed significant time to injuries. New coach Bill Sharman introduced strict conditioning and a fast-break offense, reorienting Chamberlain toward defense and rebounding. Baylor retired nine games into the season and was replaced by Jim McMillian. The Lakers then won a record 33 consecutive games, a streak ended on January 9, 1972, by the Milwaukee Bucks. The Lakers finished with an NBA-record 69 wins, while the Bucks had the second-best record at 63–19. The team outscored opponents by 12.3 points per game during the regular season.
NBA Finals
The Lakers faced the New York Knicks in a rematch of the 1970 NBA Finals. The Knicks, without Willis Reed due to a knee injury, won Game 1 114–92 behind Jerry Lucas's 26 points and Bill Bradley's 11-of-12 shooting. The Lakers evened the series with a 106–92 win after Knicks forward Dave DeBusschere hurt his side and did not play the second half. In Game 3, DeBusschere attempted to play but missed all six field-goal attempts and sat out the second half; the Lakers won 107–96. Game 4 went to overtime; Wilt Chamberlain, who had never fouled out in 13 NBA seasons, played aggressively despite five fouls and led the Lakers to a 116–111 win. The Lakers clinched the championship with a 114–100 victory in Game 5, their first title since moving to Los Angeles. Jerry West won his first NBA championship after 12 years, and Chamberlain earned Finals MVP with 24 points and 29 rebounds.
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