James was playing for a different team, in a new role with half the country rooting for him to fail. Even tho Magic still had 19/5/14 on 67-88%, 76% TS of his own in G7. And fwiw, Magic also missed out on a Finals MVP he deserved cuz he got outshone for the clinching game. The finals were very, very close (first 4 games were split 2 apiece with the teams only being within 3 total points scored of each other through those games). Kareem had the Finals MVP seemingly locked up. This was also the year of Kobe's great 81 point game. In the first season finale of Winning Time, the LA Lakers defeat the Philadelphia 76ers in the sixth game of the 1980 NBA World Championship Series and are crowned the champions. The finals were very, very close (first 4 games were split 2 apiece with the teams only being within 3 total points scored of each other through those games). Coach Trailed by a 'What if?' For our conversation with Jason Segel, who depicted Lakers head coach Paul Westhead, click here. Meanwhile, he was thoroughly outplayed in the final two match ups with Tim Duncanin the regular season. Abdul-Jabbar and Johnson of the 1980 winning team Lakers. 1980 nba finals mvp controversy (1980) 38 years ago today, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was injured, so the Lakers put rookie point guard Magic Johnson at center in game 6 of the NBA Finals. "Winning Time" features Spencer Haywood (Wood Harris) plottingto kill the Lakers after the teamvoted to kick out the troubled forwardbecause of his cocaine use. So while I acknowledge that I agree with the pick of Rose, I don't think it is as open and shut as has been reported. No. Johnson had no say in the matter. Johnson had no say in the matter. When critics defend Rose they will acknowledge that his statistics are technically not better than James', and they won't argue that he is as dominant a force as Dwight Howard. Magic Johnson - 3 1987, 1989, 1990 In 1987, Bird's rival took the torch. But they say that he led his team to the East's top seed despite injuries to two "All-Star Caliber" bigs, while the Heat wound up only the second seed, and Howard's Magic were fourth. Should have been: Tim Duncan or Alonzo Mourning. When I did the first MVP poll of the season on Jan. 1, Steph Curry was the obvious . Rick Barry was not a particularly popular player around the NBA. The Washington Wizards (29-32) and Pascal Siakam's Toronto Raptors (31-32) face off at Capital One Arena on Thursday, March 2, beginning at 7:00 PM ET.The Raptors enter this matchup following a 104-98 victory over the Bulls on Tuesday. Upon winning the 2005 NBA MVP, there were plenty of audible gasps from around the league. Musburger would remain involved with CBS' NBA coverage until 1989, but his duties for later NBA Finals were as a studio host, though he continued to call play-by-play on various occasions. However, the Sixers turned the ball right back over by stepping out of bounds on a desperation 3-point attempt. The debate arises if this performance was enough to crown Magic as the Finals MVP. It represented a 16 game improvement for the team over the previous season. "Look at any TV show or movie based on a sports event that really happened, whether it's '42,' 'We Are Marshall,' 'A League of Their Own,'" he says. The 1980 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 197980 season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. It's not a travesty to give it to Magic, given Kareem missed a game. The first time, we could chalk it up to an NBA that was simply looking to shed its image in the recent wake of the "Malice in the Palice" and clean up the league by highlighting more agreeable faces to spotlight the game. Check out the links below.NBA League Pass: The most live games plus NBA TV. 9. Yet, he has proven time-and-time again that he can make the team a playoff contender and top defensive team just by his mere presence. Los Angeles took an early advantage in the NBA Finals, but Lakers superstar big man Kareem Abdul-Jabbar suffered an injury in Game 5. The Sixers, however, had Julius Erving who scored 11 of the Sixers last 13 points to complete an 8-point comeback, and tie the game at 103103 with only 43 seconds remaining. Magic Johnson winning the 1980 NBA Finals MVP over Kareem Abdul Jabbar might have been one of the biggest award robberies in NBA history. The 6-foot-9-inch Johnson rose to the occasion and stepped into the center position for Game 6. "Winning Time" shows a locker room-bound Johnson agreeing to take the finals MVP award instead ofAbdul-Jabbar on the strong suggestion ofDavid Stern, the league's executive vice president forlegal affairs (and future commissioner). A new face of the league after a decade (70s) where the league nearly died, Finals weren't even being televised live iirc. He literally and symbolically takes Abdul-Jabbar's vacant plane seat. He transformed the team into a legitimate contender this season. On the Lakers possession, Darryl Dawkins was trying to front Abdul-Jabbar but to no avail as Magic threw a pass overhead so only Erving stood between Kareem and the basket. Here are Page 2's 10 most controversial MVP races in sports since 1990: 1. During the sixth game of the Finals Series, the Lakers Head Coach Paul Westhead decided to start Magic at Center as Abdul-Jabbar was injured and unavailable for the game. However, the rookie bested his captain with an average of 8.7 assists per game. Magic got the rebound to seemingly seal the win, but the Lakers tried to force the fast-break and ended up turning the ball over, out-of-bounds. So Game 6 was shown at 11:30pm Eastern (10:30pm Central) in all but eight US cities: Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Portland, Las Vegas, Seattle, San Francisco, Sacramento and Reno, who carried it live; all but Philadelphia are located in the Pacific Time Zone, thus could show the game live at 6 p.m. local time, then carry CBS's prime time lineup, delayed by a few minutes for the ending of the game. MacArthur squeaked into the playoffs at 6-3, but its tough schedule paid off the Generals blew out Urbana 20-0 to open the playoffs, then won even bigger in the second round with a 33-2 defeat . "That changed the whole tone," Cooper said. Jason Kidd, despite his off the court issues, led the New Jersey Nets to one of the greatest turnarounds in league history in his first year with the Nets, as the team experienced turning a 26-win team into a 52-win team by basically adding Kidd. Elsa/Getty Images. As for Howard, he started the season with one team and would end the season with a totally different team. The 7-foot-2-inch Abdul had ledhis team through the finals, gutting out aMVP-worthy Game 5 victory despite a severelyinjuredankle. Proving the prognosticators right, Philadelphia won in five games, preventing the first CelticsLakers final since 1969. T: 02743.899.588 - 0985.173.317 Ms Hng - 0908.131.884 Mr Quyn Additionally, Abdul-Jabbar was named the 1980 NBA MVP, reflective of his work from that entire season. Terrell is a huge fan of great storytelling when it comes to television and film. Abdul-Jabbar in particular was not a fan and reportedly wasnt shy about letting that be known. Johnson, a rookie, became the third playerto win an NCAA title and NBA title in back-to-back years. West even threatenedlegal action through a letter from his lawyer, demanding a retraction from HBO and producer Adam McKay, whilecalling Jason Clarke's rage-filledperformance a "malicious assault. Johnson became the first and only rookie to win the NBA Finals MVP award. But with Abdul-Jabbar stuck watching the game from his Los Angeles home, giving the award to an empty chair was bad TV.. Perhaps just an absence in Game Six cost the entire voting panel to change their decision, which seemed unfair. Joy.Thats what you have given me on my birthday and every day in between. You can see here where Kareem is hurt in the clip below. Jim Chones played strong defense on 76ers center Darryl Dawkins, while Mark Landsberger provided rebounding off the bench, and little used Brad Holland chipped in eight key points. Additionally, there is a question over whether the Bulls success derives more from Tom Thibodeau's system or Rose's play. Early on, the Sixers seemed unsure how to counter the matchup problem. This scene is described in "Showtime"and recounted ina March Fubo TV interview by Lakers guard Michael Cooper, who noted the scene signified Johnson stepping upto the next level with his leadership and performance. NBA History - 1980 Awards Award: The 2004 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 2003-04 National Basketball Association (NBA) season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs.This season's NBA Finals was contested between the Western Conference playoff champion Los Angeles Lakers and the Eastern Conference playoff champion Detroit Pistons.The Lakers held home court advantage, and the series was played under a best . Its unclear, however, if Magic actually knew that, or if Kareem was actually waiting for the phone call. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar once again had a big game with 33 points, 14 rebounds, four blocks and three assists as the Lakers cruised to a 111101 win. J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award. The player with the best PPG in the finals was Abdul-Jabbar with 33.4 on average. Ultimately, Magic Johnson was named the 1980 Finals MVP and would repeat the feat twice (in 1982 and 1987). Stats-wise Johnson and Barkley's numbers were both very strong: Barkley averaged 25.2 ppg, 11.5 rpg, while Johnson averaged 22.3 ppg and 11.5 apg. Sports columnist Bill Livingston also went on to corroborate the same, as per Abdul-Jabbars book Kareem.. Free. Did Spencer Haywood Really Order a Hit on His Lakers Teammates. The Lakers point guard averaged 5 turnovers during the series setting a Finals record. Basketball isnt just a sport for this 26-year-old, who hails from Mumbai. The 1980 NBA Finals proved how special Magic was in game 6, with Kareem Abdul Jabbar unable to play Magic played center and scored 42 points. Its cued up here to Game 5, at the 49:36 mark, after Kareem scores a basket to put the Lakers up 67-65. Alan Diaz/AP Michael Jordan was robbed in the 1988 - 1989 and. Absurd though it sounds, the first-year player had 42 points to go with 15 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals in Game 6. The last time the Lakers had won the NBA championship was in 1972. Then, Jones popped in a jumper with seven seconds left, and that was enough for a 107104 Philly win that tied the series at a game apiece. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Barkley, on the other hand, won only 10 fewer games than Magic with teammates like Mike Gminski, Johnny Dawkins, Ron Anderson and Derek Smith. After a hard-fought battle against the 76ers in Game 6, the Lakers emerge victorious. In the finals, the talismanic captain of the LA Lakers scored 167 points at an average of 33.4 points per game. The Lakers pulled out a 108-103 victory. Most Improved Player. In reality, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played the first five of the six games of the 1980 NBA Finals series. Compared to Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson averaged only 21.5 points per game and 11.2 assists per game. Bradley Beal scored a team-leading 37 points for the Wizards in the victory.Want to watch the matchup between the Raptors and Wizards? Scottie Scheffler becomes the third player to win The Masters at age 25 or younger in the last 40 years. Heres the cued-up Jerry Buss speech after the game, and he is a bit emotional, as John C. Reilly was in the series (although, the real Buss probably wasnt thinking about his late mother, whose year of death is unknown). Johnson was without Jabbar, but he still had James Worthy, A.C. Green, Byron Scott and a young Vlade Divac. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns. To be fair, Jerry West's numbers in the 1969 NBA Finals were impressive even by his standards. Therefore, Magic had monumental shoes to fill. Darryl Dawkins led the Sixers with 26 points and Erving added 23. 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