1980 NBA Finals

Lore & Background

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the league's MVP, but midway through Game 5, the Lakers center suffered a severely sprained ankle. He managed to come back in the game in the fourth quarter to lead the Lakers to victory and a 3–2 lead in the best-of-seven series. But the Lakers still had to travel to Philadelphia for Game 6. Abdul-Jabbar was listed as out of Game 6, although 76ers coach Billy Cunningham was quoted as saying 'I won't believe he's not playing until their plane lands and he's on it.' As it turned out, Kareem did make the trip but was listed as doubtful if Game 7 had been needed. In Game 6, Magic Johnson played what may have been the greatest game of his career. Playing on the road, Johnson (a 6'9" rookie point guard) started the game at center and eventually played all five positions in a dominating performance. Scoring a game-high 42 points and grabbing a game-high 15 rebounds—and handing out seven assists— Johnson led the Lakers to the NBA crown. The Lakers also received strong performances from Jamaal Wilkes with 37 points and 10 rebounds, and Norm Nixon. Jim Chones played strong defense on 76ers center Darryl Dawkins, while Mark Landsberger provided rebounding off the bench, and little used Brad Holland who chipped in eight key points. Magic Johnson's performance in Game 6 and the series earned him the 1980 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP). What made Johnson's performance even more remarkable was that he was an NBA rookie—and, indeed, one who had left college after only two years, and was only 20 years old. 'Jamaal Wilkes had an unbelievable game', said Johnson in 2011. 'Everybody talked about my 42 points, but it was also his 37-point effort.' In Game 4 of the 1980 Finals, Julius Erving executed the legendary Baseline Move, a behind-the-board reverse layup that seemed to defy gravity. Play-by-play announcer Brent Musburger has noted that Erving made such moves almost routinely in his ABA days—but the ABA had no national TV contract in those days. This Game 4 move, played to a national audience in a title game, has probably become Julius Erving's most famous move. This was also the first NBA Finals to make use of the three-point line, which debuted that season. Many consider this victory as the birth of Showtime.

In Their Own Story

The air inside The Spectrum grew heavy as the clock ticked down on Game 6. The Lakers held a lead, but the Philadelphia crowd sensed blood. On the sideline, rookie Magic Johnson watched his giant mentor, Kareem, limp off clutching an ankle that had just given out. Head coach Paul Westhead stared at the bench, uncertainty etched in his eyes. Then came the quiet, game-altering declaration: 'I'll play center.' With no hesitation, the 6'9" point guard stepped onto the court not as a guard, but as the team's new anchor. He didn't just fill the minutes; he dominated them, weaving through defenders with impossible agility, snatching rebounds over giants, and dishing out passes that left the crowd in stunned silence before erupting into chaos. Every dribble was a statement; every basket a testament to a rookie defying logic to will the trophy home.

Reader's Guide

The Lakers earned the top pick of the 1979 NBA draft (traded as compensation by the New Orleans Jazz after signing Gail Goodrich in 1976) and selected Magic Johnson from Michigan State. It was one of then-owner Jack Kent Cooke's final acts before selling the team to Jerry Buss during that summer. While Magic dazzled in his rookie season, Kareem would enjoy an MVP campaign in the Lakers' 60–22 regular season. The Lakers began the season being coached by Jack McKinney as owner Jerry Buss, who had recently acquired the team, wanted games to be entertaining, and hired the coach to install a running offense. On November 8, 1979, the Lakers were 9–4 after 13 games, when McKinney suffered a near fatal head injury after falling while bicycling. Assistant coach Paul Westhead, who also worked under McKinney at St. Joseph's, was named the interim head coach. However, the length of the recovery and lingering doubts about the complete return of McKinney's mental faculties, combined with the team's level of success under Westhead, ultimately meant that McKinney would never get the chance to return to the job. Westhead continued to use McKinney's offense, a creative and spontaneous offense that came to be known as Showtime, and the team finished the season with a record of 60–22. The Lakers advanced to that year's NBA Finals and McKinney was fired by Buss mid-series on May 13, 1980. After the Lakers won the series for their first of five NBA titles in nine seasons, Buss hired Westhead to permanently replace McKinney, who was hired by the Indiana Pacers as successor to Slick Leonard. Behind Johnson's passing, Abdul-Jabbar's post play and Michael Cooper's perimeter shooting and defense, the trio formed the core of the Lakers' Showtime-era teams. The chemistry between the three was evident early on, as the Lakers eliminated the Phoenix Suns and defending champions Seattle SuperSonics in a pair of five-game playoff series to advance to the NBA Finals.

Did You Know?

• The 76ers were the first of the four Philadelphia professional sports teams to play for their respective sports' championships in the 1980 season.
• This marked the first of the ten NBA Finals played in the 1980s, all of which featured either the Boston Celtics or the Los Angeles Lakers (three Finals featured both teams).
• Julius Erving's Baseline Move in Game 4 was executed on a national audience and has probably become his most famous move.
• The 1980 Finals was the first NBA Finals to make use of the three-point line.