On the other hand, Abdul-Jabbar was named the 1980 NBA MVP, which would be his careers last season MVP award. Los Angeles opened the third period with a 140 run, keyed by Jamaal Wilkes, who had 16 points in the quarter. The MVP presentation to Magic comes after the speech, and it tracks closely with what we saw on the screen, although I think he gives a little more credit to Kareem in the real clip than suggested in the series. Berry also led the league in steals at 2.85 per game and free throw percentage at (.904). Pat Riley (Adrien Brody) intercepts the message, but he doesnt tell Johnson what it says until the guard is in need of extra motivation to beat the 76ers. It was a testament to James' great play. Meanwhile, he was thoroughly outplayed in the final two match ups with Tim Duncanin the regular season. But the truth is stranger than fiction. J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award. This popularity skewed the results against Barry, as he would finish a distant fourth in the voting behind McAdoo, Dave Cowens, and Elvin Hayes. Magic Johnson had a spectacular year in 1990. A new face of the league after a decade (70s) where the league nearly died, Finals weren't even being televised live iirc. - The Grueling Truth A look back at the Celtics return to glory and also a look back at racist comments by Rick Barry towards Bill Russell. Of course, the benefit of hindsight would cast judgement on the decision as Barry would advance to the finals and win a title in one of the greatest upsets in finals history, while McAdoo would lose in the second round of the playoffs. He comes back out at the start of the 4th quarter and he continues to carry the Lakers while hobbling on his sprained ankle. Terrell is a huge fan of great storytelling when it comes to television and film. 1980 nba finals mvp controversy So here's a list of the five most controversial MVP winners since 1980: Moses Malone 1981-82 Malone might have been the best center in basketball by the beginning of the 1980s, but he was wasting away on a struggling Houston team before helping Philadelphia win a title in 1983. An injury in the fifth game sidelines Abdul-Jabbar, setting up Magic Johnson to take his captains position and the center stage. And then Game 6 happened, and Magic played the game of his life, stealing Finals MVP with a single performance, although it sounded like even the voters at the time wanted to give Kareem the award: Sports columnist Bill Livingston publicly confessed that he and others changed votes to deny Kareem the award because CBS did not want to present an award to an empty seat. The Lakers, however, ended those hopes by taking a 15-point lead in the first quarter. Westhead continued to use McKinney's offense, a creative and spontaneous offense that came to be known as Showtime,[11][12][13] and the team finished the season with a record of 6022. But his numbers: 15.5 ppg and 11.5 apg seemed awfully meager for the league's most valuable player. Dustin is the founder and co-owner of Pajiba. The NBA world doesn't think voters got the MVP selection right. 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. Comparing statistics between Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Magic Johnson during the 1980 NBA Finals His rookie teammate Magic Johnson mesmerized crowds and stifled opponents . 1981 NBA Finals: A interview and racial controversy. [2] Scoring a game-high 42 points and grabbing a game-high 15 reboundsand handing out seven assists Johnson led the Lakers to the NBA crown. Magic winning the 1980 Finals. Julius Erving scored 12 points in the first quarter on his way to 23, beginning the game with a dunk over Abdul-Jabbar. Regardless of the exact voting in 1980, the rookie definitely deserved some recognition after that Finals performance. Scottie Scheffler becomes the third player to win The Masters at age 25 or younger in the last 40 years. 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. Nate Archibald of the Boston Celtics wins the game's MVP award. Kidd's numbers were also special that year, as he averaged 14.7 ppg, 9.9 apg and 7.3 rpg. Its cued up here to Game 5, at the 49:36 mark, after Kareem scores a basket to put the Lakers up 67-65. Rick Barry was not a particularly popular player around the NBA. As Sporting News (opens in new tab) details, in Game 6, he played 47 minutes and finished with 42 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and three steals. Johnson, a rookie, became the third playerto win an NCAA title and NBA title in back-to-back years. After a timeout, the Sixers put the ball in the hands of Erving, who tried a spectacular, scooping finger-roll, but missed. Sign up for the Layup Lines newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns. Of note, this marked the first of the ten NBA Finals played in the 1980s, all of which featured either the Boston Celtics or the Los Angeles Lakers (three Finals featured both teams). Certainly Steve Nash had a good year and led the Phoenix Suns to the best record in the league that year at 62-20. 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. Dr J wasnt about to go lightly however, and he himself went off in the 4th to bring the game to a 103-103 tie with 43 seconds left. Back at the Forum, the Lakers held a two-point lead late in the third quarter when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar stepped on Lionel Hollins' foot as he was running upcourt after a Laker basket and twisted his ankle. Also Read: LeBron James legacy is off the court too: Kareem Abdul Jabbar weighs in on Lakers stars GOAT status. Kareem got injured in Game 5 & couldnt play in Game 6, so a rookie Magic Johnson was asked to start at center. . The Lakers' team doctors declared Abdul-Jabbar and his bad ankle unfit for Game 6 (he wasn't even allowed to make the trip to Philadelphia with the team because of the swelling), so Laker coach Paul Westhead made a bold move by asking Magic Johnson to jump center. 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. 42 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals. The Bulls have secured the top seed in the league and Rose has become the unquestioned leader of the team. "Winning Time" features Spencer Haywood (Wood Harris) plottingto kill the Lakers after the teamvoted to kick out the troubled forwardbecause of his cocaine use. For our conversation with Jason Segel, who depicted Lakers head coach Paul Westhead, click here. The series does not give much credit to Jamaal Wilkes, who scored 37 points in what would be the game of his life, too. Elsa/Getty Images. "There are dramatic flourishes andleaps. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. And how large of a role did Mike D'Antoni's fastpaced offense (which was perfect for winning regular season games, but not so much in the postseason) play in the team's overall success thatyear? However, that wasn't enough to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to the championship. It is believed that the bid was . A subreddit dedicated to NBA news and discussion. NBA Finals Most Valuable Player. Johnson had no problem and was up to the challenge, although he would lose the famous opening tip to Caldwell Jones. All rights reserved. That performance earned Magic his first of 3 career Finals MVP awards. However, some last-minute behind-the-scenes tinkering leads to the award changing hands from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Magic Johnson. Abdul-Jabbar, bad ankle and all, dunked emphatically over Erving and drew the foul with 33 seconds left. The show began with the Lakers drafting. He was an unlikely candidate to be the series MVP - after all, his teammate . He dropped 33 points in a 109-102 home win in Game 1. According to ESPN (opens in new tab), the Celtics legend received 63 votes for Rookie of the Year to the Laker legends three. The MVP of the 1980 NBA Finals was Magic Johnson, plus that was his rookie season playing alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Spencer Haywood and Jamaal Wilkes. Also, whats the truth behind Larry Birds Rookie of the Year award? Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty season finale sees the LA Lakers competing for the highest honor in basketball, the NBA Championship. That's what this media is. How did he respond? The final controversy in Winning Time episode 10 delivers another rather surprising true story. The announcement clearly gets underneath Johnsons skin. 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). [18] (This is often cited as an example of TV's lack of interest in the NBA in the "pre-Magic and Bird" era.). Magics performance in the sixth game not only crowned the Lakers as the 1980 NBA Champions but also won him the Finals MVP Award. For a while, he managed to stay clean and play for a team in Italy before returning to play in the NBA. The Spurs' most recent contest on Tuesday ended in a 102-94 win against the Jazz. Magic Johnson scored 42 points, including all 14 of his free-throw attempts. REMINDER: This thread is only for serious and thought-provoking analysis. Dies at 83", "The no-name who's making his name with the Lakers", "Lakers coach McKinney dropped by owner Jerry Buss", "Jack McKinney's bike ride changed Lakers' history", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1980_NBA_Finals&oldid=1141615730, This page was last edited on 25 February 2023, at 23:20. Hence, it is safe to say that the shows depiction of Abdul-Jabbar being the original 1980 NBA Finals MVP has some merit. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. Fans caught up on HBOsWinning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynastysaw the first seasons finale last night. 44+22+10 sper triple-doble! 9. Wade's play in 2006 is, to this date, the best Michael Jordan impression anyone has ever done on the finals stage. Though, there is no doubt Magic Johnson was great in the Finals. Ivan Rodriguez over Pedro Martinez, 1999. 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. NBA World Reacts To The Controversial MVP Selection. . So my friend who is a huge Magic Johnson fan (refuses to place LeBron near him because 5 rings > 3 rings ) was watching the 1980 finals game 6 and obviously Magic went off in that game. Most Improved Player. . Lakers won the chip and Magic won MVP! Kareem wasn't totally robbed imo. Unlikely. Perhaps just an absence in Game Six cost the entire voting panel to change their decision, which seemed unfair. T: 02743.899.588 - 0985.173.317 Ms Hng - 0908.131.884 Mr Quyn To some, it seems unbelievable that he may end his career with more MVP awards than Kobe Bryant, who many feel deserved the award this season. Paul Westhead does also thank Jack McKinney in his remarks, and the players (including Norm Nixon) make sure to single out Kareems contributions. "Have no fear, Magic Johnson is here," he says. After the end of game 5, Kareems averages for the Finals looked like this: In contrast, Magics numbers, while still very impressive especially for a rookie, didnt exactly stand out compared to Kareem (17 ppg, 10 rpg, 9 apg, 2.6 spg on 56% shooting through the first 5 games). Winning Timewas recently picked up for a second season on HBO. Here is the answer! Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta has submitted a bid to buy the Commanders, according to a report from Mark Maske and Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post. Its been more than 4 decades but this incident still feels like one of the greatest robberies of sports history. Based on Livingstons story, Kareem initially had the votes to win, but Johnson took home the prize. "Jamaal Wilkes had an unbelievable game", said Johnson in 2011. [8][9] On November 8, 1979, the Lakers were 94 after 13 games, when McKinney suffered a near fatal head injury after falling while bicycling. Just a hunch but he probably didnt win cuz he didnt play every game? In the Pacers' win, Tyrese Haliburton led the way with a team-high 32 points (adding seven rebounds and six assists). Johnson on the other hand, averaged 18 points, 7.7 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game. 1 seed in the East for the first time in franchise history. 3rd seed in the East, 3rd best league record. Darryl Dawkins led the Sixers with 26 points and Erving added 23. These things are true, but in defense of Howard and James, both players had to make bigger adjustments and sacrifices to their games throughout the regular season than Rose did. A crowd surrounds Magic Johnson at the Lakers championship parade, Last edited on 25 February 2023, at 23:20, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Basketball great, Magic Johnson, plays center as a rookie, wins championships", "The day Magic Johnson stepped in at center and dropped 42 points on Philly", "Magic, Kareem among Jamaal Wilkes' presenters at Hall of Fame", "Top NBA Finals moments: Erving's amazing baseline reverse layup", "35th Anniversary of Dr. J's Iconic Reverse Layup Versus Lakers in NBA Finals", "How the N.B.A. This game was a nip-and-tuck affair that was highlighted by Julius Erving's signature "Baseline Move" in the fourth quarter. What made Johnson's performance even more remarkable was that he was an NBA rookieand, indeed, one who had left college after only two years, and was only 20 years old. After winning the NBA Finals, it is said that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is going to be the MVP, but David Stern tells Magic Johnson that he could take the award instead since Kareem isn't there. As the finale is concluding, there is a moment when Abdul-Jabbar shows up to the home of Spencer Haywood (Wood Harris). Then Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West retired, and the Lakers missed the playoffs in 1975 and 1976. It also benefited Johnson that he added a new weapon to his arsenal this season (3-point shooting), which the voters appreciated. He came into the league with the most pressure to preform and did so admirably as the Heat led the East in road wins, despite every game having a playoff atmosphere. The Worst NBA Finals MVPs Ever. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar continued to dominate, with 38 points in Game 2. He averaged 25.5ppg, 12.7 rpg, and 2.5 bpg. For those interested in the Jeanie Buss drama, that is almost entirely a series-created fiction. No, I never heard of them either. Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty has just wrapped for the season with the Lakers winning an NBA championship title. When I did the first MVP poll of the season on Jan. 1, Steph Curry was the obvious . 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. Winning Time has been picked up for another season. During the 1979-1980 NBA season, Bird averaged 21.3 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists a game. (March 4), HBO's "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty,", The casting magic of HBO's 'Winning Time' Lakers, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Generally, slumps by teams heading into the playoffs hurt MVP candidates, but it did not effect Malone's candidacy in the minds of voters. No. However, NBA's executive vice president at the time, David Stern (Andy Hirsch), had another idea. The Lakers went up 70, then 114. Johnson, who was named as an All-Star starter during his first year in the league, lost out on Rookie of the Year honors to rival Larry Bird. Copyright: RU Sport Private Limited. So here they are, theeight most controversial MVP winners. "It was amazing, just amazing", said Erving, who led Philly with 27 points. Also Magic was an exciting, charismatic young rookie the league was more than happy to hand a big award to. 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. "Spencer, of course, I forgive you," Westhead recalled responding. Though, there is no doubt Magic Johnson was great in the Finals. In reality, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played the first five of the six games of the 1980 NBA Finals series. Kareem 40 pts vs. Sixers (Game 5, 1980 NBA finals) f9ish 5.27K subscribers Subscribe 239 Share Save 41K views 13 years ago Kareem had 40 pts, 15 rebounds and 4 blocks. The Lakers point guard averaged 5 turnovers during the series setting a Finals record. Maybe. However, the rookie bested his captain with an average of 8.7 assists per game. Hersey Hawkins provided a bit of scoring, but Barkley clearly had less talent to work with. 21.5 to 33.5 ppg is a huge gulf, but Magic also had 11 apg and was 5% more efficient by TS. Over the years, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding the 1980 Final MVP award. HBO has already renewed "Winning Time" for a second season and optioned Pearlman's follow-up book, 2020's "Three-Ring Circus: Kobe,Shaq, Phil, and the Crazy Years of the Lakers Dynasty," suggesting the next installment will focus on the late '90s-early 2000s Kobe Bryant-Shaquille O'Neal era. The Sixers led by as much as 20 in the fourth period, but the Lakers roared back, trimming the lead to 105104 late in the game. He added 15 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and a block and was elected MVP of the series. Juliet Nightingale has fun with Imran! The Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP award is one of the most prestigious in the sport of basketball. Game 2 Rose has become the unquestioned leader of the 4th quarter and he continues to carry Lakers... Dunked emphatically over Erving and drew the foul with 33 seconds left last-minute behind-the-scenes tinkering to. 33 seconds left seven rebounds and six assists ) was 5 % more efficient by TS 10. 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