Had Game 7 been played, it would have tipped off at noon Pacific (3 p.m. Eastern). In between, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was acquired, and the Lakers returned to prominence in 1977, but Kareem couldn't do it alone. Despite Kareem not playing in Game Six, he led Magic in PPG, RPG, BPG, and FG efficiency. Magic Johnson - 3 1987, 1989, 1990 In 1987, Bird's rival took the torch. However, the Sixers turned the ball right back over by stepping out of bounds on a desperation 3-point attempt. When I did the first MVP poll of the season on Jan. 1, Steph Curry was the obvious . Magic Johnson scored 42 points, including all 14 of his free-throw attempts. Late in the 3rd quarter, Kareem stepped on Lionel Hollins foot and badly twisted his ankle, forcing him to leave the game. Granted, the Lakers were only a 7th seed this season and won 47 games to make the playoffs after missing them the previous year. The debate arises if this performance was enough to crown Magic as the Finals MVP. Julius Erving led a short comeback in the second, but a 90 run by the Lakers extended their lead to 14 at the half. She performed that job while attending U.S.C. The 1980 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1979-80 season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, But Worthy had 36/16/10 on 68-60%, 68% TS in G7. But at least in 2001 the Spurs were the conferences top seed. Kareem wasn't totally robbed imo. In 2002, they were only third. I certainly don't mean to besmirch Malone's brilliant playing career, but honestly, I don't think he deserved either MVP award he won. His appearance aroused the Forum regulars and, despite the bad ankle, scored 11 points and had two key blocked shots down the stretch. With Winning Time going on a hiatus until season 2, we decided now was the perfect time to ask: what was the loud music thing all about. 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. 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. pic.twitter.com/Dzw6reXR98, Timeless Sports (@timelesssports_) May 16, 2018. But one question I have is: Is his win a manifestation of the LeBron James-hate brigade, or would he have won regardless of the controversial "Decision" broadcast that turned the entire voting poll against James this year? Warren Fox demands answers from Tony! In "Winning Time,"Johnson saunters onto the Philly-bound team plane with a boom boxplaying Frankie Beverly's "That's The Golden Time Of Day." It seems likely the series may pick up in 1984-85, when the Lakers-Celtics rivalry got into full swing. The Worst NBA Finals MVPs Ever. The Sixers went on to even the series with a 105102 win. Additionally, there is a question over whether the Bulls success derives more from Tom Thibodeau's system or Rose's play. The pundits gave the Lakers little chance of winning without Abdul-Jabbar, given his prolific form in the series. Thus, stats made it evident that Abdul-Jabbar was the Lakers key player. Cmo puede ocupar el segundo lugar en el MVP?" En la lnea . So was Abdul-Jabbar the real winner of the MVP title that year? Crazy amount of offense that series. Michael Cooper, in a rare start, scored 16 points, and Mark Landsberger contributed 10 boards. As for Howard, he started the season with one team and would end the season with a totally different team. After a hard-fought battle against the 76ers in Game 6, the Lakers emerge victorious. [18] (This is often cited as an example of TV's lack of interest in the NBA in the "pre-Magic and Bird" era.). Its been more than 4 decades but this incident still feels like one of the greatest robberies of sports history. Winning Timewas recently picked up for a second season on HBO. 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. Many argue that the Lakers would have been a lottery team without Kobe in 2006, and one glance at the roster appears to back that claim up: Smush Parker, Chris Mihm, Kwami Brown. Check out the links below.NBA League Pass: The most live games plus NBA TV. Nate Archibald of the Boston Celtics wins the game's MVP award. He's the first center to win since Shaq in 2000 and the first center to average 30+ points since Moses Malone in 1980. Over the years, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding the 1980 Final MVP award. 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. Meanwhile, Barry's team, while winning the same number of games, led Golden State to the best record in the West. 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. Despite winning the 1980 NBA Finals MVP Award as a rookie, Johnson naturally gave credit to his teammates. He was a five-time NBA champion during his time in the league. "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). Please refresh the page and try again. Then Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West retired, and the Lakers missed the playoffs in 1975 and 1976. So here they are, theeight most controversial MVP winners. 1 seed in the East for the first time in franchise history. "I turned all my anger toward Westhead, who I felt had snatched it from me. 42 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals. Kareems 14 4th quarter points on a bad ankle gave him 40 for the game, along with 15 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 blocks on 16-24 from the field. Free trialHow to Watch Today's NBA GamesToronto Raptors at Washington WizardsThe 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.Game Time: 7:00 PM ETTV Channel: NBC Sports NetworksLive Stream: fuboTV (, The Indiana Pacers (28-35) meet Keldon Johnson and the San Antonio Spurs (15-47) at AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas on Thursday, March 2 at 8:30 PM ET.The Pacers won their most recent game 124-122 against the Mavericks on Tuesday. Perhaps just an absence in Game Six cost the entire voting panel to change their decision, which seemed unfair. Dustin is the founder and co-owner of Pajiba. Magic then threw a pass downcourt to Kareem who dunked all over the Dr, and completed the 3 point play to give the Lakers a 3 point lead with 33 seconds left, and Norm Nixon would seal the game at the free throw line. Lakers center Kareem Abdul Jabbar was crowned the regular season MVP. 4 seed considering the struggles of everyone on the team? 5 20 ppg scorers, 9 in double digits. Thus they hired former player Billy Cunningham as head coach, and in 1978 the team traded for defensive stalwart Bobby Jones and drafted Maurice Cheeks, while letting go players such as George McGinnis and World B. Teammate of the Year. Below is a breakdown of all the stats that prove perhaps why Kareem was more worthy of the award without taking anything away from Magic. Something about a 42/15/7 game from your rookie PG filling in for your injured MVP center in a series clinching game might have something to do with it. Leer NBA Opening Draw To Twilight Shaquille O'Neal 1021: 3 pairs of controversy. Sixth Man of the Year. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Therefore, viewers must be wondering if Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the original winner of the 1980 NBA Finals MVP? 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. In reality, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played the first five of the six games of the 1980 NBA Finals series. Abdul-Jabbar then limped back onto the floor. The scene is a fictionalized account of the debate surrounding Johnson's finals MVP win. In the 197980 season the 76ers finished 5923, two games behind the Boston Celtics in the Atlantic Division. 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. After a timeout, the Sixers put the ball in the hands of Erving, who tried a spectacular, scooping finger-roll, but missed. Johnson, who had played point guard all season, was tasked to replace the captain of the Purple and Gold as the starting center. Proving the prognosticators right, Philadelphia won in five games, preventing the first CelticsLakers final since 1969. Eventually playing all five positions, hisgutsy, iconic Game 6 featured42 points, 15 rebounds and sevenassists, and earned the Lakers the championship crown. [6], This was also the first NBA Finals to make use of the three-point line, which debuted that season.[7]. As it turned out, Kareem did not make the trip and was listed as doubtful if Game 7 had been needed. 1979-80 Magic . That led to one of Magic's finest hours in the NBA as he slotted in at center and finished with 42 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, and a block as the Lakers won the game and the championship.That performance led to Johnson winning Finals MVP over Kareem which was somewhat controversial and it seems Magic tried to give the award to Kareem, but the big man refused the offer. The 7-foot-2-inch Abdul had ledhis team through the finals, gutting out aMVP-worthy Game 5 victory despite a severelyinjuredankle. Westhead said in "Showtime" that Haywood visited him during his drug recovery "to ask for my forgiveness" for the plot. Hollyoaks spoilers: SHOWDOWN! Norm Nixon had 23 points and Jamaal Wilkes finished with 20 while the Lakers did an excellent job double-teaming Julius Erving. Terrell is a huge fan of great storytelling when it comes to television and film. This game was a nip-and-tuck affair that was highlighted by Julius Erving's signature "Baseline Move" in the fourth quarter. . Magic delivered an iconic masterpiece, probably the greatest game of his career with 42 points, 15 rebounds and 7 assists (teammate Jamaal Wilkes shouldnt go unmentioned here too, putting up 37 points and 10 rebounds). Maurice Cheeks matched Erving's total of 23 points, while Bobby Jones added 13 off the bench. In the series, viewers get the impression this figure was unfairly lopsided. 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. T-6. Los Angeles would win the game. Controversy has followed the "Winning Time" success. 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). There is no doubt that as far as offense goes both Kareem and Magic were phenomenal in their respective roles. Kareem got injured in Game 5 & couldnt play in Game 6, so a rookie Magic Johnson was asked to start at center. Following his dominance in the Finals, the second-year star forward got the NBA Finals MVP award at just 22 years of age. In the playoffs, they eliminated the Washington Bullets in two games, and the Atlanta Hawks in five games. Back in 2015, Iguodala won the Finals MVP award after the Warriors defeated LeBron James and the Cavaliers, a result that still sparks debates among fans and media members to this day. Magic Johnson then asserted himself by scoring six points and added an assist as Los Angeles moved up by eight at the end of the third. Many sportswriters argued that these match ups would "decide the MVP race," but ultimately voters went with the safe bet in Malone. But Kobe Bryant was just sensational this season, posting 35.4 ppg (first in the league), 5.3 rpg, and 4.5 apg. It is true as depicted in the series that Kareem was originally named the MVP of the series, and the CBS network (and not David Stern) talked to writers by a 4-3 vote into giving it to Magic Johnson, but only because the network didnt want to give the MVP to someone who wasnt there to receive it. He liked to play songs that didnt appeal to the general musical taste of the locker room. 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. Siakam recorded 20 points, eight rebounds and three assists for the Raptors. - 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. Kidd should have won the award that year. He averaged 22.9 ppg and 10.4 rpg. Kidd's numbers were also special that year, as he averaged 14.7 ppg, 9.9 apg and 7.3 rpg. The MVP race in 1999 was quite fun to watch, and it came down to a photo finish in the final weeks. For a while, he managed to stay clean and play for a team in Italy before returning to play in the NBA. 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