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134-569: The Lakers are one of the NBA's most famous and successful franchises. As of August 2024, the Lakers are second in the NBA's all-time records for wins (3,550) and winning percentage (.591), and hold the all-time record for most NBA Finals appearances (32). They are second in NBA championship wins with 17, just behind the Boston Celtics with 18 NBA titles, and with nine more Finals appearances than

268-417: A 33–49 record and failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in 17 years. The Lakers did make a late playoff push when Pfund was fired and Magic Johnson took over as head coach. Unfortunately for Laker fans, Johnson went on to lose the final ten games of the season, which is to date the worst losing streak in franchise history. Realizing that he was not cut out for coaching, Johnson stepped aside and

402-654: A 3–1 deficit against Philadelphia to once again arrive in the Finals. They went on to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals to again become NBA champions. In 1969, the Celtics faced great difficulty entering the postseason, as they had an aging team and multiple injuries to a number of players. They qualified for the playoffs as the fourth and final seed in the East, while the Lakers, who had added Chamberlain in

536-408: A 40–42 regular season record. The next season also began in rocky fashion, as Coach Westhead attempted to restructure the offense in a way that Magic Johnson opposed. Johnson was so upset that he demanded to be traded. Buss, however, sided with the star player over the head coach, and he fired Westhead just 11 games into the season. The fan reaction to Johnson for having triggered his head coach's firing

670-442: A 7-game series, but were defeated by Lakers in 6 games. The 76ers responded by trading for Moses Malone, the league's reigning MVP. With the new duo of Malone and Erving, the 76ers won the 1983 NBA Finals in a sweep of the Lakers. The Celtics and Lakers met in the Finals in 1984 , 1985 , and 1987 . In 1984, the Celtics toppled the Lakers 4–3. The final game of this series attracted the largest ever TV audience for an NBA game, and

804-526: A brief stint as the Showdown, before settling on NBA Finals in 1986. Since 2018, it has been officially known as the NBA Finals presented by YouTube TV for sponsorship reasons . The NBA Finals was initially structured in a 2–2–1–1–1 format. In 1985 , to ease the amount of cross-country travel, it was changed to a 2–3–2 format, in which the first two and last two games of the series were played at

938-594: A career in baseball. Following Jordan's departure, the Houston Rockets , led by Hakeem Olajuwon , won the 1994 and 1995 NBA titles. During this time, Olajuwon became the only player in history to win the NBA MVP , NBA Defensive Player of the Year and Finals MVP awards in the same season. After his short stint with baseball, Jordan returned to basketball late in the 1994–95 season. Although he did not lead

1072-583: A championship from 1947 to 1956, one (the Bullets) folded and the other four (the Warriors, Lakers, Royals, and Syracuse Nationals ) all relocated by 1964 . The Boston Celtics won 11 of the 12 NBA Finals they reached during 13 seasons (1956–57 to 1968–69), including eight straight NBA championships from 1959 through 1966. During this time the St. Louis Hawks also won their only title before moving to Atlanta and

1206-486: A championship. After missing the playoffs two years in a row due to injuries and roster changes, the Warriors returned to the 2022 NBA Finals for their sixth appearance in eight seasons. They defeated the Boston Celtics in six games for their fourth championship in eight seasons. The Denver Nuggets reached their first Finals in franchise history in 2023 , defeating the Miami Heat in five games. Nikola Jokić

1340-552: A classic Finals featured the Knicks against the Lakers. In the waning moments of Game 3, with the series tied, Jerry West hit a basket from 60 feet to tie the game, a shot that became one of the most famous ever. However, the Knicks won in overtime and eventually won the series in 7 games. Game 7 featured an injured Willis Reed returning to action for the Knicks and inspiring his team to victory, though Reed scored only 4 points. The following season had another first-time champion, as

1474-485: A disastrous start for the Lakers, losing Game 1 of the Finals by a lopsided score of 148–114, in what is now remembered as the "Memorial Day Massacre". But the Lakers were resilient and behind 38-year-old Finals MVP Abdul-Jabbar, they were finally able to topple Boston in six games. Abdul-Jabbar proceeded to dismember the Celtics with his deadly skyhook move, and Los Angeles won Game 6 111–100 in Boston Garden, one of

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1608-482: A fantastic year (earning his sixth and final MVP award) as the Lakers won 60 regular season games. They beat the Suns and SuperSonics in the playoffs and then defeated Julius Erving 's 76ers to win the NBA championship, behind an incredible Game 6 performance by the rookie Magic Johnson, who scored 42 points, pulled 15 rebounds, and dished 7 assists, while starting at center for an injured Abdul-Jabbar. That alone won Johnson

1742-464: A furious Lakers comeback to win 108–106 and win the series, and win their eleventh championship in 13 years. As many stars either declined or retired following this win, it is largely recognized as the last NBA Finals conducted by the Celtics dynasty. The 1970s saw ten different teams reach the Finals and eight different teams win a championship, the most of any decade in the NBA, with the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks winning twice. In 1970 ,

1876-558: A key behind-the-scenes role in helping put together the deal and later the team, including helping them hire John Kundla from College of St. Thomas , to be their first head coach, by meeting with him and selling him on the team. Berger and Chalfen relocated the team to Minneapolis, with home games being played at both the Minneapolis Auditorium and the Minneapolis Armory . The franchise was re-christened

2010-597: A knee injury. O'Neal averaged 26.2 ppg and 12.5 rpg and finished third in the league in blocked shots (2.88 bpg) in 51 games. The Lakers defeated the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the 1997 NBA Playoffs . O'Neal scored 46 points in Game ;1 against the Trail Blazers, marking the highest single-game playoff scoring output by a Laker since Jerry West scored 53 against

2144-460: A memorable 60-foot shot as the fourth-quarter buzzer sounded in Game 3, forcing that game into overtime and helping West earn the nickname "Mr. Clutch". However, the Knicks recovered from what might have seemed a crushing blow and took the game in overtime. In Game 5, Knicks center Willis Reed tore a muscle in his leg and it looked as if he would not play again in the series. However, the Knicks found

2278-534: A multiyear partnership that began in 2018, internet television service YouTube TV became the presenting sponsor of the NBA Finals. The statistics below refer to series wins and losses, not individual games won and lost. For individual game statistics, see Individual games records . (*) As a result of the original franchise's relocation to New Orleans , the NBA team in Charlotte suspended operations for

2412-514: A new "Big Three". The Cavaliers appeared in the next four Finals, all against the Golden State Warriors . The Cavaliers and Warriors became the first two teams to square off in more than two consecutive Finals. The Warriors drew first blood in the 2015 NBA Finals , coming back from a 2–1 deficit to win the series 4–2, despite James' historic efforts. The following season, the Warriors broke the record for most regular season wins with

2546-434: A now dominant Celtics team. Baylor set a record for most points scored in a playoff game with 61, which stood for 25 years and is still an NBA Finals and regulation game record. The Celtics defeated the Lakers twice more in the Finals over the next three years. September 1965 saw another team upheaval when Short sold the team to Canadian-American entrepreneur Jack Kent Cooke for $ 5 million. Also, rookie Gail Goodrich joined

2680-556: A punishment of a 60-game suspension and a fine, and the incident remains a dark chapter in Laker history. The shocking scene became the defining moment of not only the Rockets' 1977–78 season (a conference finals team the previous year, they collapsed into last place with a 28–54 record), but also of two players' professional careers. Tomjanovich spent the next five months in rehab, eventually returning to play as an NBA all-star. In 1977–78,

2814-463: A quarter of a century. Los Angeles led the league in scoring, rebounds, and assists, and Sharman was named Coach of the Year . Chamberlain led the NBA in field goal percentage and rebounding, and West led the NBA in assists. Not only that, but the Lakers at long last shook the monkey off their back, conquering the Knicks in the 1972 NBA Finals to claim their first NBA title since 1954 and their first since moving to Los Angeles. The Lakers would fall to

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2948-464: A record of 73–9. The Warriors opened up a 3–1 series lead in the 2016 NBA Finals , but James and Irving led the Cavaliers to two straight victories to force a deciding Game 7. In a key sequence with two minutes remaining in Game 7, LeBron James made a memorable chase-down block on Iguodala to keep the game tied, while Irving hit a 3-point shot a minute later to take the lead. Cleveland held on to win

3082-556: A slow and deliberate style, instead of the fast-breaking Showtime style of the Pat Riley era. After a slow start the Lakers finished with a 58–24 record, defeated the strong Portland Trail Blazers 4–2 for the conference championship, and returned to the NBA Finals. Unfortunately for the Lakers, though, a new dynasty was just beginning elsewhere, as Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls under second-year coach Phil Jackson won

3216-458: A then-NBA-record 16th consecutive time, thanks in no small way to the offseason recruitment of guard Sedale Threatt . However, playing without the injured James Worthy and Sam Perkins , the Lakers were overmatched by a powerful Portland Trail Blazers team and lost the first-round series three games to one. That series featured one of the Lakers' "home" games being played in Las Vegas due to

3350-491: A trade. His first year in Los Angeles resulted in his fourth NBA Most Valuable Player Award , after he averaged 27.7 points per game, and led the NBA with 16.9 rebounds per game and 4.12 blocked shots per game. But the Lakers failed to make the playoffs again at 40–42 (meanwhile, Milwaukee went from last to first in their division despite finishing the season with a losing record). The Lakers returned to form in 1976–77, with

3484-415: A victory because of an injury to Isiah Thomas as well as James Worthy's Game 7 triple double , which earned him a Finals MVP award and cemented his nickname of "Big Game James". By the narrowest of margins, the Lakers had delivered on Riley's guarantee. With age quickly catching up to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson had to carry the offense. It worked, and as the latter said afterward "We kept coming back. This

3618-561: A way to win Game 5 without him. Afterward, the Lakers took Game 6 to force a seventh and final game back in New York. With everyone speculating as to his status for the game, Reed created one of the most memorable moments in NBA history as he came out of the Madison Square Garden tunnel and onto the court to start Game 7. To the roar of the crowd, Reed scored the first two baskets and the Knicks were off and running. Reed left

3752-579: Is also notable in that Jerry West was named the first-ever Finals MVP ; this remains the only time a member of the losing team has won the award. 1970 saw Jerry West win the NBA scoring title at 31.2 points per game, and the Lakers returned to the Finals where, for the first time since moving to Los Angeles, they did not have to face the Celtics. This time it was the New York Knicks , a team that included future Lakers coach Phil Jackson . West made

3886-580: The 1992 Los Angeles riots . Dunleavy decided to leave the Lakers before the 1992–93 season to take charge of the Milwaukee Bucks organization. Long-time Laker assistant coach Randy Pfund was promoted to replace him. The 1992–93 Lakers fought off an early injury to guard Byron Scott and posted a respectable 33–29 record over the first 61 games. The Lakers then traded Sam Perkins to the Seattle SuperSonics for Benoit Benjamin and

4020-458: The 1999 NBA playoffs , the Spurs finished with a 15–2 mark. With a defensive squad led by David Robinson and Tim Duncan , San Antonio's 84.7 points allowed per game was the fewest average points allowed in the postseason in the last 30 years. In the Finals , the Spurs held the New York Knicks , the first 8-seed team to reach the Finals in NBA history, to an average of 79.8 points per game. During

4154-659: The 2003 NBA Finals , the Spurs defeated the New Jersey Nets in six games, which also marked the first championship contested between two former ABA teams. In Game 6, Duncan was two blocks short of recording the first quadruple-double in NBA Finals history, finishing with 21 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists, and 8 blocks. The Spurs also defeated the Detroit Pistons 4–3 in 2005 and swept the LeBron James -led Cleveland Cavaliers in 2007 . Tony Parker won

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4288-492: The 2009 NBA Finals , where they beat Orlando Magic in five games. The Lakers met the Celtics once again in 2010 , trailing 3–2 before winning the last two games at home. Head coach Phil Jackson surpassed Red Auerbach 's record for most NBA titles of all time with eleven. The 2010s were distinguished by the continued excellence of LeBron James , who appeared in nine NBA Finals in ten seasons, winning four titles, while playing for three different franchises. The decade also saw

4422-469: The Brooklyn Dodgers of Major League Baseball moved to Los Angeles and quickly became a huge financial success. Short did not fail to notice this. After considering moves to Chicago and San Francisco, he decided to move the franchise to Los Angeles before the 1960–61 season , making the Lakers the NBA's first West Coast team. The Lakers did not change their name after this second move, despite

4556-598: The Dallas Mavericks . Despite being heavy underdogs on paper, the Mavericks won the series in six games. The Heat returned to the Finals in the following year against a young Oklahoma City Thunder team featuring future MVPs Russell Westbrook , James Harden , and Kevin Durant . Miami won the series in five games, with James winning his first championship. The Heat repeated as champions in 2013 , this time over

4690-619: The Denver Nuggets , and the flamboyant Dennis Rodman joined the team, though he was cut after just 23 games. The team also acquired J. R. Reid , and B. J. Armstrong . Harris was fired in February after a three-game losing streak and replaced on an interim basis by former Laker Kurt Rambis . The team finished 31–19 in the shortened season, which was fourth in the Western Conference. Los Angeles defeated Houston 3–1 in

4824-615: The Fort Wayne Pistons . After stumbling to a 14–21 record to start the 1955–56 season , Mikan was persuaded to come out of retirement in January 1956 for the second half of the season to backup Lovellette. With Mikan, the Lakers made the playoffs but lost to the St. Louis Hawks in the Western Division Semifinals. After Mikan's second retirement, attendance at Lakers games dropped off sharply. In 1957,

4958-546: The Kawhi Leonard -led Toronto Raptors . Toronto prevailed in six games after season-ending injuries to stars Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson , resulting in the first NBA title for a team based outside the United States. LeBron James joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018, and subsequently led them to the 2020 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat , marking the first time in NBA history that two teams that missed

5092-581: The Milwaukee Bucks , led by Oscar Robertson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar , defeated the Baltimore Bullets . Two seasons after losing in the Finals, the Lakers won 33 straight games, the longest winning streak in NBA history. By season's end, they broke the record for most wins in a season with 69, one more than the 1966–67 Philadelphia 76ers , before taking home the championship for the first time since relocating to Los Angeles , beating

5226-453: The NCAA championship , and was along with Indiana State University forward Larry Bird one of the top prospects in the 1979 draft. Just 14 games into the season, the Lakers' rookie head coach, Jack McKinney suffered a serious head injury in a bicycle accident. Assistant coach Paul Westhead stepped in as the team's new head coach. Officially, Westhead began his head coaching term serving as

5360-620: The National Basketball League (NBL) during the 1946–47 season where it finished last in the league with only 4 wins in 44 games. Though the team was scheduled to continue in the NBL the following season, its ownership, faced with high losses due to low attendance and lack of homecourt, decided on selling the team to Ben Berger and Morris Chalfen of Minnesota for $ 15,000 in June 1947. Minneapolis sportswriter Sid Hartman played

5494-419: The New York Knicks in the only Finals contested between two teams from the same state (something not possible under the current NBA alignment). This was the first of three consecutive losses in the Finals for the Knicks, Meanwhile, the Lakers won three straight Finals from 1952 to 1954 to become the first team to three-peat while also winning their fifth title in six seasons. Of the five franchises to win

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5628-504: The Philadelphia 76ers won their first title since relocating from Syracuse. With the establishment of the Celtics dynasty in 1957, spearheaded by center Bill Russell , the team saw great success. Despite encountering some difficulty when up against teams led by Wilt Chamberlain , for most of the late 1950s and 1960s, the Celtics and Russell managed to have an upper hand on Chamberlain's teams. In 1964, Chamberlain, who had moved to

5762-618: The Phoenix Suns had the Lakers' number that year in the second round of the NBA Playoffs, defeating the Lakers in a surprisingly easy five games. Pat Riley stepped down as coach and was replaced by Mike Dunleavy as head coach. Michael Cooper , another great from the Showtime years, also retired. Johnson became the NBA's all-time assist leader, surpassing Oscar Robertson the next season, as Dunleavy's new philosophy incorporated

5896-475: The Portland Trail Blazers . Chicago defeated the Trail Blazers in Game 1 by 33 points, a game notable for Jordan breaking the record for the most three-pointers in a first half, with six. The Bulls went on to win the series in six games. In 1993 , The Bulls were matched against the Phoenix Suns , led by Charles Barkley , who was the league's reigning MVP of the Phoenix Suns . After dropping

6030-627: The San Antonio Spurs , featuring a Heat comeback in Game 6 that is widely regarded one of the greatest playoff games ever played. Miami sought a three-peat in a 2014 rematch with the Spurs, but this time San Antonio prevailed in five games, winning the fifth and final title of Tim Duncan 's career. In the 2014 off-season, James returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers where he teamed up with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love to form

6164-539: The "Lakers" in reference to Minnesota's nickname, "The Land of 10,000 Lakes". Berger and Chalfen brought in Max Winter , later to become a founder and owner of the National Football League 's Minnesota Vikings , to become the Lakers' new general manager. Winter also took an ownership stake in the team, which he would maintain until he left the Lakers in 1955. The acquisition of the franchise left

6298-411: The "interim" head coach. But the severity of McKinney's injury meant a long convalescence, and that combined with Westhead's subsequent success in the job ultimately meant that McKinney would not return to the Lakers. Westhead's promotion to the head coaching position also meant there was an assistant's post open, for which the Lakers hired then-TV commentator Pat Riley to fill in. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had

6432-419: The 1990s was marked by the supremacy of the Chicago Bulls . The Bulls, led by head coach Phil Jackson and star players Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen , won six titles in six Finals appearances from 1991 to 1998. The only other team to win a title during this time was the Houston Rockets , who won titles in 1994 and 1995. The Bulls' first championship came at the expense of the Los Angeles Lakers , in

6566-787: The 2002–03 and the 2003–04 seasons, before a new team, named the Bobcats, was established for the 2004–05 season. In 2013, the original Hornets were renamed the Pelicans and obtained the records during their time in New Orleans and Oklahoma City from 2002 to 2013. In 2014, the Bobcats became the second incarnation of the Charlotte Hornets, and retained the history and records of the Hornets organization from 1988 to 2002. 1950%E2%80%9351 NBA season The 1950–51 NBA season

6700-686: The BAA. Led by future Hall of Famer George Mikan , the Lakers won the third and final BAA championship in 1949 over the Red Auerbach -coached Washington Capitals. The BAA then merged with the NBL to form the National Basketball Association before the 1949–50 season . The Lakers won the inaugural NBA championship in 1950 to become the first team to repeat as champions. In 1951 , the Rochester Royals defeated

6834-453: The Bulls to the Finals for that season, he returned to pre-retirement form the next season while the team acquired perennial rebounding champion Dennis Rodman . The 1995–96 Bulls finished the regular season 72–10, attaining, at the time, the best regular season record in NBA history. They dominated in the playoffs, going 11–1 in the first three rounds, before facing the Seattle SuperSonics in

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6968-457: The Celtics behind Chamberlain's league-leading 21.1 rebounds per game. The two clubs met once again in the NBA Finals, but for the first time, the Lakers had the advantage as they were clearly considered the better team entering the series by most observers. However, they once again failed to top their rivals and the Celtics emerged from the series as victorious yet again, winning their 11th NBA Championship in 13 seasons. That 1969 championship series

7102-485: The Celtics in 1969. Despite an NBA-record 7-for-7 three-point shooting performance from Horry in game 2, the Lakers lost the next round four games to one to the Utah Jazz . In the following 1997–98 season , the Lakers were the only team without a player over the age of 30 and were joined by Rick Fox from the Boston Celtics . They started with the best start in franchise history, 11–0. Los Angeles battled Seattle for

7236-604: The Celtics, their biggest rival. Their team has had many NBA legends, including George Mikan , Jim Pollard , Clyde Lovellette , Elgin Baylor , Jerry West , Wilt Chamberlain , Gail Goodrich , Kareem Abdul-Jabbar , Jamaal Wilkes , James Worthy , Magic Johnson , Shaquille O'Neal , Kobe Bryant , Pau Gasol , and LeBron James . The franchise was founded in 1946 as the Detroit Gems , led by founder/owner C. King Boring and his business partner Maurice Winston, and played in

7370-567: The Finals MVP award in 2007, becoming the first European-born player to do so. The Lakers won five championships in the same period, including a three-peat from 2000 to 2002, led by Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant . Most notably, during their 2001 postseason run, the Lakers swept their first three series and won the Finals against the Allen Iverson -led Philadelphia 76ers in five games, finishing with an unprecedented 15–1 record,

7504-517: The Heat to a championship in 2006 at the expense of the Dallas Mavericks . The Lakers returned to the Finals in 2008 against the Boston Celtics , renewing the teams' rivalry marking the 11th Finals matchup between them. The Celtics defeated the Lakers in six games, led by their "Big Three" superstars of Ray Allen , Kevin Garnett , and Paul Pierce . The Lakers bounced back from the loss by winning

7638-482: The Houston Rockets had their own plans for the playoffs. Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson overwhelmed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the Rockets won the series when Sampson hit a 12-foot back-to-the-basket jumper as time expired in Game 5 at The Forum. Concerned over Abdul-Jabbar's age (he was now 39), Pat Riley re-centered the offense around Magic Johnson. The strategy worked, and the Lakers accumulated 65 wins,

7772-568: The Jazz were defeated in both Finals by the Bulls in six games. In both series, Chicago won by hitting winning shots in the sixth game, the first by Steve Kerr in 1997 in Chicago, and the second by Jordan in Utah in 1998. This saw Chicago winning their sixth NBA championship, and winning their second three-peat. Jackson retired following this season, which set off a chain reaction that resulted in most of

7906-420: The Knicks in the Finals in 1973, and Chamberlain, who had set a record for field-goal percentage that year, making 72.7% of his shots, announced his retirement. West followed suit a year after that and the Lakers bottomed out in 1975 , finishing 30–52 and failing to make the playoffs for the first time in 17 years. Alcindor, now known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, wanted out of Milwaukee, and the Lakers acquired him in

8040-589: The Knicks. The Knicks returned to win the Finals again a season later, followed by the Celtics’ 12th title in 1974 . The late 1970s were characterized by a major breakthrough of the league's western franchises. In 1975, after compiling a 48–34 regular season record, the Golden State Warriors swept the Washington Bullets 4–0 in the 1975 NBA Finals . In 1976, the Phoenix Suns , after only eight years of existence, overcame an 18–27 losing record early in

8174-459: The Lakers a 107–106 win and a 3–1 series lead. In the following two seasons, the Celtics failed to reach the Finals, becoming overshadowed by the Detroit Pistons . The Lakers defended their title in the 1988 NBA Finals , winning the series in 7 games against the Pistons. They became the first team to win back-to-back NBA titles since 1969. Seeking a three-peat in 1989 , the Lakers were swept by

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8308-439: The Lakers appointed Del Harris as their head coach going into the 1994–1995 season . The Lakers were one of the most improved teams in 1994–95, posting a 48–34 record and returning to the playoffs after a one-year absence. The vast improvement was due to several reasons, including the coaching of Harris, the improved play of second year guard Nick Van Exel , the maturing of veteran players Vlade Divac and Elden Campbell , and

8442-507: The Lakers defeated their arch-rival Celtics in the finals, highlighted by Johnson's running "baby hook" shot to win Game 4 at Boston Garden with two seconds remaining. This time, the decisive game was at home, giving the Los Angeles fans their first-ever chance to witness in person their team conquer the hated Celtics. The 40-year-old Kareem Abdul-Jabbar still managed to deliver a punch in the Finals as he and Magic Johnson rolled over Boston. The Finals proved easier than expected because Los Angeles

8576-535: The Lakers fell to the Fort Wayne Pistons by a score of 19–18. This contest later proved to be a factor in the league's introduction of the shot clock . Three days before the start of 1954–55 season training camp in September 1954, Mikan unexpectedly announced his retirement from basketball. Without him, Lovellette led the Lakers in scoring and to the Western Division finals where the team lost 1–3 to

8710-537: The Lakers finished only 4th in their division at 45–37 and were sent home in the playoffs by the SuperSonics. The following season saw a 47–35 record and third in the division. They beat the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs and once again fell to the eventual champion SuperSonics. Before the 1979–80 season , Cooke sold the team to Dr. Jerry Buss , a Santa Monica real estate developer. That year also found

8844-488: The Lakers holding the top overall draft pick in the Western Conference, compensation for Goodrich's departure via free agency three years earlier to the New Orleans Jazz . At the time, the overall top pick in the draft was decided by a coin toss between the two teams with the top picks in each respective conference. The Eastern Conference team was the Chicago Bulls. The Lakers won the coin toss and selected Earvin "Magic" Johnson , who had just led Michigan State University to

8978-429: The Lakers in the first round. The Rockets were only the second team in NBA history to make the Finals after posting a losing record in the regular season, and the Celtics had an NBA best record of 62–20. The Celtics won the Finals in 6 games. The Lakers returned to the Finals in 1982 , this time led by new coach Pat Riley , in a rematch against the 76ers. The 76ers defeated the Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals in

9112-541: The Lakers proceeded to win the first game of what would turn out to be a 33-game winning streak; the streak was snapped with a loss to the Bucks on January 9, 1972. The streak shattered the previous NBA record of 20 consecutive victories, which happened to have been set by the Bucks the year before. To this day, the Lakers' 33-game winning streak remains the longest winning streak in the history of any major North American professional sport. The Lakers set another record in 1972 by winning 69 games; this mark would stand for nearly

9246-452: The Lakers to a 29–11 record while he was back in uniform. However, as the season progressed the wheels began to fall off as Johnson's age and time away from the game began to affect his performance. Team captain Cedric Ceballos was suspended by the team, Nick Van Exel was suspended for seven games for shoving a referee, and Johnson even lost his cool, getting ejected from a late-season game for bumping an official. The imploding Lakers lost in

9380-429: The NBA Finals, with the Boston Celtics winning the most recent title in 2024 . Boston holds the record for the most championships, having won the Finals 18 times. Boston also won the most consecutive titles, winning eight in a row from 1959 to 1966. The Los Angeles Lakers have the most NBA Finals appearances, with 32. The Eastern Division / Conference has provided the most champions, with 40 wins from eleven franchises;

9514-409: The NBA Finals. After the Bulls took a 3–0 series lead, Seattle won the next two games after point guard Gary Payton asked his coach George Karl to be switched onto Jordan. Jordan altered his game to deal with Payton, and the Bulls won Game 6 to win their fourth title. In 1997 and 1998, the Bulls met the Utah Jazz in the Finals twice. Led by Dream Team Olympians John Stockton and Karl Malone ,

9648-507: The NBA's best record at 53–29. After beating the Warriors, they were swept 4–0 in the Western Conference Finals by Bill Walton 's eventual NBA champion Portland Trail Blazers . December 9, 1977 saw one of the ugliest moments in professional sports history. Future Laker coach Rudy Tomjanovich , then of the Houston Rockets , ran onto the court in an attempt to break up a fight between the Lakers' Kermit Washington and

9782-453: The NBA's top 10 scorers for the next four years. Baylor was called to active military duty during the 1961–62 season following the Berlin crisis and was only available on weekends. Nevertheless, Baylor and West went on to average 38.3 and 30.8 points per game respectively during the regular season. The Lakers were able to pull together and make the NBA Finals, only to lose heartbreakingly to

9916-473: The Pacific Division title most of the season. In the final two months, the Lakers won 22 of their final 25 games, finishing 61–21, and passing Seattle in the standings. O'Neal – although missing 20 games due to an abdominal injury – was dominant, finishing only second to Michael Jordan in scoring, and leading the league in field-goal percentage (.584). The Lakers defeated Portland three games to one in

10050-684: The Philadelphia Warriors defeating the Chicago Stags in the 1947 BAA Finals in five games. The following season the Warriors again reached the Finals , however they fell short to the now defunct Baltimore Bullets. To date the Baltimore Bullets are the only defunct team to win a championship. In 1948, the Minneapolis Lakers won the championship of the rival National Basketball League before joining

10184-463: The Pistons in a rematch of the previous year's Finals. The Pistons were nicknamed the "Bad Boys" due to their rough, physical play led by future Hall of Fame guards Joe Dumars and Isiah Thomas and a rugged front court with Bill Laimbeer and Dennis Rodman . In 1990 , the Pistons went back-to-back, defeating the Clyde Drexler -led Portland Trail Blazers in five games. The majority of

10318-459: The Rockets' Kevin Kunnert . Washington, in the corner of his eye, saw that an opposing player was rushing toward him. Instinctively thinking that he was going to be attacked, Washington turned and landed a devastating blow to Tomjanovich's face, with the unsuspecting Tomjanovich running headlong directly into the punch. Tomjanovich was hit so hard that he said that his first thought upon waking up

10452-491: The Suns 87–80 in Game 6. Franchises that won their first titles in the 1970s included the New York Knicks in 1970, Milwaukee Bucks in 1971 , the Portland Trail Blazers in 1977 , and the Washington Bullets , who defeated the Seattle SuperSonics , in 1978 . The Sonics exacted revenge on the Bullets the following season, beating Washington in five games in 1979 to win their first title. The 1980s were mostly known for

10586-737: The Western Division / Conference has 37, from nine franchises. The beginning era of modern professional basketball was dominated by the Minneapolis Lakers , who won five of the first ten titles. The Philadelphia Warriors also won multiple championships, including the inaugural title in 1947 and another in 1956 to bookend the NBA's first decade. After being founded in 1946, the Basketball Association of America completed its inaugural season in April 1947 with

10720-471: The Western Conference Finals. That year, however, did see the Laker debut of their future coach, Pat Riley . No one could have foreseen the team's domination the next season , however. Bill Sharman had been installed as the new head coach, and on the afternoon of November 9, 1971, just nine games into the season, the legendary Elgin Baylor retired, finally accepting that his injuries would no longer allow him to play professional basketball. That very evening,

10854-564: The Year and Jerry West won the NBA Executive of the Year Award . The Lakers brought back essentially the same team in 1995–96 and had posted a 24–18 record after 42 games. On January 30, 1996 Magic Johnson returned to the Lakers as a reserve power forward and registered 19 points, 10 assists and 8 rebounds in his first game back against the Golden State Warriors . Johnson played well in the first few weeks of his return and sparked

10988-468: The arena of the team who earned home-court advantage by having the better record during the regular season. In 2014, the 2–2–1–1–1 format was restored. The team with the better regular season record hosts the first two games and the other team hosts the next two games. If needed, the remaining three are played at each team's home arena alternately, starting with the arena of the team with the better regular season record. A total of 21 franchises have won

11122-507: The ascent of the Golden State Warriors , emerging as a dominant force in the Western Conference with six NBA Finals appearances and four titles in eight seasons. During the 2010 off-season, the Miami Heat re-signed team captain Dwyane Wade and added James and Chris Bosh via free agency to form a new " Big Three ." The Heat were subsequently considered heavy title favorites and appeared four straight finals, starting in 2011 against

11256-546: The best postseason record in NBA history at the time. The Lakers also defeated the Indiana Pacers in 2000 , the Pacers’ only Finals appearance to date, and swept the New Jersey Nets in 2002 . In the 2003 off-season, veteran stars Gary Payton and Karl Malone signed with the Lakers. Along with Bryant and O'Neal, they formed what many expected to be one of the best teams in NBA history and were heavy favorites to win

11390-487: The championship in 2004. However, the Detroit Pistons , coached by Larry Brown , defeated the Lakers in five games. Now established as one of the powerhouses of the East, the Pistons returned to the NBA Finals the following year, losing to the Spurs in seven games. Following bad blood and eventual fallout with former Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant , O'Neal was traded from the Lakers to the Miami Heat in 2004, where he teamed up with rising star Dwyane Wade . Together they led

11524-655: The championship in that season. The next year saw the merging of the NBL and the BAA to form the National Basketball Association, and the Lakers won the inaugural NBA championship on the backs of Mikan, Vern Mikkelsen , and future National Football League coach Bud Grant . The Lakers' three-year streak of championships came to an end in 1951 , when they lost to the Rochester Royals in the NBA Western Division Finals. Nevertheless, they rebounded from that defeat to capture

11658-457: The court during the game, scoring 42 points, with 15 rebounds and 7 assists to win his first championship and Finals MVP honors, becoming the first and only rookie to win the award. Boston reached the 1981 NBA Finals led by the "Big Three" of Larry Bird , Kevin McHale , and Robert Parish . They met the Houston Rockets , who were carried practically single-handedly by Moses Malone and upset

11792-435: The fastbreak, pin-point alley-oops from halfcourt, spinning feeds and overhand bullets under the basket through triple teams ." The team won the Pacific Division for the fourth straight year, this time by an NBA-record 20 games ahead of second-place Portland. They also set team records for field-goal percentage (.545) and assists (2,575). For the ninth time, they faced the Celtics in the finals. The championship series got off to

11926-408: The finals to face Larry Bird 's Boston Celtics. The 1984 Finals were a brutal slugfest with games 1, 2, 5, and 7 played in the June heat and humidity of Boston Garden. The Celtics won the last match 111–102 to clinch the championship. By the 1984–85 season , the Lakers' so-called "Showtime" era was in full swing. Showtime was a fast-paced style of basketball, described as a mix of "no-look passes off

12060-403: The first of his three Finals MVP awards. The accomplishment would soon be followed by ugliness for the team, however. In a season that was marred by Johnson missing a large portion of time due to injury and a general state of unrest and dissension in the locker room, the Lakers stunningly fell in the first round of the 1981 NBA Playoffs to the Houston Rockets, who went on to the NBA Finals despite

12194-461: The first of their six championships by ousting the Lakers in a 4–1 series. On November 7, 1991, Magic Johnson made the shocking announcement that he had been diagnosed with the HIV virus and was thus retiring from the NBA at the age of 32. The 1991–92 Lakers struggled with the news of Magic's retirement and serious injuries to key players. They did manage to win 43 games and qualify for the playoffs for

12328-617: The first round of the playoffs to the defending champion Houston Rockets three games to one. Magic Johnson retired again following the season. During the 1996 season, the Lakers acquired 17-year-old Kobe Bryant from the Charlotte Hornets for Vlade Divac ; Bryant was drafted 13th overall out of Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pennsylvania in that year's draft , by Charlotte. Los Angeles also signed free-agent and former Magic Center Shaquille O'Neal . Trading for Bryant

12462-483: The first round of the playoffs, but were swept by San Antonio in the next round with game 4 being the last game ever played at the Great Western Forum . NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league champion. The team that wins

12596-479: The first round of the playoffs. The following round, Seattle took a one-game lead, with the Lakers responding with four straight wins, taking the series. They were swept again by the Jazz in the Conference Finals. During the lockout -shortened 1998–99 season , All-Star guard Eddie Jones and center Elden Campbell were traded to the Charlotte Hornets to acquire Glen Rice. Nick Van Exel was traded to

12730-416: The first two games at home, The Suns won Game 3 in Chicago in triple overtime. The Bulls came back to win Game 4 with Jordan scoring 55 points and tying Rick Barry for the second-most points in an NBA Finals game. Chicago clinched the series in Game 6, 99–98, on John Paxson 's three-pointer, as the Bulls became the third team in history to three-peat . After this win, Jordan retired from basketball to pursue

12864-402: The game for good at halftime, but the inspired Knicks already had a 24-point lead at that point and went on to rout the Lakers. It was Los Angeles' seventh NBA Finals failure in the last nine years. The next year would not be the Lakers' year either. Baylor played in only two games due to injuries, and the Milwaukee Bucks , led by Lew Alcindor (now Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ), defeated Los Angeles in

12998-475: The general scarcity of natural lakes in southern California . Minneapolis, meanwhile, would remain without an NBA franchise until the debut of the Minnesota Timberwolves in 1989 . Besides the relocation to Los Angeles, a second big change to the team was the addition of point guard Jerry West . A third was the hiring of West's college coach Fred Schaus to helm the team, and a fourth was

13132-456: The greatest triumphs in franchise history. The Lakers gained their first-ever Finals victory over the Celtics, and they were the only visiting team to ever do this in Boston Garden. The Lakers were expected to meet Boston in the finals again the next year, and started the 1985–86 season on a tear, going 24–3. They finished with 62 wins and topped the record they set the year before by winning their fifth-straight division title by 22 games. However,

13266-412: The last Finals appearance for Magic Johnson . The series was billed as a showdown between the aging Johnson and the upstart Jordan. The Lakers won the first game, however, for the rest of the series, Pippen guarded Johnson allowing Jordan to primarily focus on scoring. The Bulls won the next four games to win the series 4–1. The Bulls returned to the Finals the next year, pitted against Clyde Drexler and

13400-422: The league now gunning for them, the Lakers still found a way to win, taking their seventh consecutive Pacific Division title, and subsequently meeting Isiah Thomas and the physical Detroit Pistons in the 1988 NBA Finals , even after going the distance against the Utah Jazz and the Dallas Mavericks in the second round and Conference Finals, respectively. The series went to seven games and the Lakers squeaked out

13534-455: The off-season to join stars Jerry West and Elgin Baylor , won the West and were prohibitive favorites to become champions for the first time since relocating to Los Angeles. Despite holding a 2–1 advantage going into Game 4, the Lakers led 87–86 and had the ball with 10 seconds to play. But after a turnover, Sam Jones scored to give the Celtics a narrow 88–87 win and tying the series. The series

13668-558: The offense, but the Pistons proved more than he could handle. In Game 4, the 42-year-old center made a bank shot at 1:42 seconds for the final two points of his career. As he walked off the floor for the last time, everyone in the Forum, including the Pistons bench, stood up and applauded. The Lakers seemed to adapt well to Kareem's absence. New center Vlade Divac helped the team to a 63-win season in 1989–90 and their ninth consecutive division title, and Johnson took another MVP award. However,

13802-418: The offseason signing of Cedric Ceballos and drafting of rookie Eddie Jones . Ceballos went on to record the first 50-point game by a Laker player in over 20 years. The Lakers won their first playoff series in the post-Magic era, beating the talented Seattle SuperSonics three games to one before losing to the Western Conference's number one seed San Antonio Spurs four games to two. Harris was named Coach of

13936-453: The playoffs the year before met in the Finals. The Lakers won the series 4–2, claiming their 17th title to tie the Boston Celtics ' franchise record; LeBron James was named Finals MVP for the fourth time in his career, becoming the first player to win the award with three different franchises. The 2021 NBA Finals saw the Milwaukee Bucks defeat the Phoenix Suns in the first Finals since 1971 to feature no players who had previously won

14070-489: The post-season addition of Francis Dayle "Chick" Hearn as the Lakers' play-by-play announcer. Hearn would go on to hold that post for the next 41 years. The new Los Angeles Lakers, behind Baylor's 34.8 points per game and 19.8 rebounds per game, improved on the previous year's results before losing once more to the Hawks in the Western Conference Finals. The duo of Baylor and West proved to be lethal and they both finished among

14204-440: The post-season to Bob McAdoo and Norm Nixon , were swept by the powerful 76ers, led by regular season and Finals MVP Moses Malone , in the 1983 NBA Finals . Byron Scott joined the team the next year, in a trade for the popular Norm Nixon , and the Lakers got off to a roaring start. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar set the NBA's all-time scoring record against Utah on April 5, 1984, topping Wilt Chamberlain's 31,419. The Lakers returned to

14338-424: The regular season to build a remarkable run to finish 42–40. The team, nicknamed the "Sunderella Suns," achieved upset victories over the Seattle SuperSonics and the Warriors, before facing the Celtics in the Finals. The teams split the first four games, before Game 5 went into three overtimes, and Boston won 128–126. The Celtics quickly managed to secure their 13th championship, and second in three years, defeating

14472-505: The relocation, the Lakers won the NBL championship in their first season . A week prior to the NBL finals, the Lakers won the annual World Professional Basketball Tournament , where Mikan was named MVP after scoring a tournament-record 40 points against the New York Renaissance in the title-clinching game. The following season, the Lakers switched to the 12-team Basketball Association of America (BAA) and proceeded to win

14606-418: The rights to rookie Doug Christie . The trade upset an already fragile team as they closed the season with a poor 6–14 run, but did manage to qualify for the playoffs. The Lakers surprised the basketball world by winning the first two games of the series against the powerful Phoenix Suns on the road, including a 35-point performance by Sedale Threatt in Game 1. However the Lakers lost the final three games of

14740-500: The rivalry between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers , who combined to win eight titles in the decade. Rookie Magic Johnson led the Showtime Lakers to the 1980 NBA Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers , who were led by Julius Erving . The Lakers took a 3–2 lead, but Kareem Abdul-Jabbar could not play in Game 6 due to injury. Johnson, a natural point guard, was shifted to center and played every position on

14874-522: The second game he had missed for the Lakers since starting with the team in 1961. It was also the last game he would miss for the next 36 years. Beginning on November 21, 1965, Hearn announced the next 3,338 consecutive Laker regular season and playoff games. As for the team that season, the Lakers would find themselves in the Finals once again in 1966, promptly losing to the Celtics once again. The Lakers moved to Cooke's brand-new arena, The Forum , in 1967 with new coach Bill van Breda Kolff . That year saw

15008-504: The second-largest ever for a basketball game, with only the 1979 NCAA Championship game between Johnson and Bird having a larger audience. The teams faced off again in 1985 and 1987, but the Lakers came up on top both time, winning in 6 games despite each time, despite losing Game 1 in 1985 by 34 points in the Memorial Day Massacre . The 1987 Finals included Johnson hitting a hook shot with two seconds left in Game 4 to give

15142-640: The second-most in franchise history up to that point. Johnson also won his first MVP award. Although the Showtime Lakers were famous for their scoring, they were also a great defensive team. Michael Cooper won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 1987. After passing the Nuggets, Warriors, and SuperSonics in the playoffs, the Lakers headed to the Finals for the sixth time since 1980. Johnson then notched his last Finals MVP award as

15276-585: The series is awarded the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy , which replaced the original Walter A. Brown Trophy in 1976–77, though under the same name until 1984. The series was initially known as the BAA Finals prior to the 1949–50 season when the Basketball Association of America (BAA) merged with the National Basketball League (NBL) to form the NBA. The competition oversaw further name changes to NBA World Championship Series from 1950 to 1985, as well as

15410-403: The series, including an overtime thriller on the road in the fifth and final game, with Phoenix prevailing over the Lakers three games to two. Vlade Divac and draft pick Nick Van Exel led the team in scoring the next year, but it was rough going. After losing veteran players Byron Scott and A.C. Green to free agency and with James Worthy in the final season of his career, the team posted

15544-550: The state of California alongside his team , led the San Francisco Warriors to a Western Division championship, but again failed to conquer the Celtics. The following season, he returned to the Eastern Division to join the Philadelphia 76ers after the former Syracuse Nationals relocated to the city to cover the vacancy created by the Warriors. The first clash between the two stars in the playoffs

15678-404: The team past their recent nemesis, the Hawks, and into the Finals, where they fell to the then-emerging Boston Celtics in the first four-game sweep in NBA Finals history. This marked the start of the long rivalry between the two teams. 1960 saw the Lakers start poorly, but they managed to make the playoffs with a meager 25–50 record. They were defeated again, however, by the Hawks. In 1958,

15812-407: The team repeat its now-bitter pattern, losing to the Celtics in the 1968 NBA Finals. It had become clear that the Lakers needed to counter the great Celtics center, Bill Russell . Thus Cooke obtained Wilt Chamberlain from the Philadelphia 76ers , hoping to supplement the aging and ailing Baylor. The move seemed at first to have worked, as the 1969 Lakers proceeded to compile a better record than

15946-510: The team was nearly sold to Kansas City interests who planned to relocate it there, before a local group helmed by businessman Bob Short purchased the team and kept it in Minneapolis. The new ownership was unable to cure the team's financial ills, however. The Lakers found their way back to the playoffs in 1957 when they lost to the Hawks once more. The following year was disastrous, however, as Mikan became head coach before finding he

16080-574: The team with no players of value and the former ownership had sold away the few players it drafted in the 1947 NBL draft before the sale. As the Gems had recorded by far the worst record in the NBL, the Lakers had the first pick in the 1947 Professional Basketball League of America dispersal draft, which they used to select George Mikan , later to become one of the greatest centers of his time. With Mikan, new coach Kundla and an infusion of former University of Minnesota players to replace those lost prior to

16214-414: The team, including Jordan and Pippen, leaving the Bulls. With no foundation of youth to build upon, the Bulls became a lottery-bound team for the next six seasons. The 2000s were largely dominated by the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers , who appeared in a combined eleven Finals to win nine championships in twelve seasons. The Spurs won four championships, in 1999, 2003, 2005, and 2007. During

16348-400: The team. On November 20 of that year, the Lakers played the San Francisco Warriors in Las Vegas . The game was notable because Chick Hearn was not present to announce it. He had gone to Fayetteville, Arkansas to announce a college football game, and inclement weather had prevented his flight from being able to leave in time for him to make it to Las Vegas for the Lakers game. It was only

16482-455: The title and end the city's championship drought . In the subsequent off-season, the Warriors acquired Kevin Durant through free agency, forming what many considered to be one of the greatest teams ever assembled. In 2017 , the Warriors set a playoff record of 15 consecutive wins en route to a five-game victory in the Finals, followed by a dominant sweep in 2018 . The Warriors made their fifth consecutive Finals appearance in 2019 against

16616-476: The title for the next three consecutive years, thus becoming the NBA's first " dynasty ", having won five BAA/NBA championships in six years. In addition to Mikan and Mikkelsen, the Lakers teams of these years also featured future Hall of Famers in Jim Pollard , Slater Martin , and Clyde Lovellette . During this time, the team also participated in the lowest-scoring game in NBA history; on November 22, 1950,

16750-410: The top overall draft pick, thanks to a trade two years earlier with the last-place Cleveland Cavaliers . This marked the first time that a reigning NBA champion also had the first pick in the draft. The Lakers used that pick to select James Worthy . Worthy had a strong rookie campaign, but he broke his leg at the end of the season and could only watch helplessly as the Lakers, also hobbled by injuries in

16884-418: Was West's idea, and he was influential in the team's signing of the all-star center. "Jerry West is the reason I came to the Lakers", O'Neal later said. They used their 24th pick in the draft to select Derek Fisher . During the 1996–97 season , the team traded Cedric Ceballos to Phoenix for Robert Horry . O'Neal led the team to a 56–26 record, their best effort since 1990–91, despite missing 31 games due to

17018-442: Was eventually tied 3–3 going into Game 7 in Los Angeles, with Lakers owner Jack Cooke hanging balloons in the arena in anticipation of a Lakers victory. West also picked up injuries to his thigh and hamstring during the series, but returned to play for the final game. Russell utilized this newly lacking mobility in West to organize fast breaks at every opportunity for the Celtics, which allowed them to gain an early lead. They held off

17152-416: Was immediate and Johnson found himself roundly booed, even by the Lakers' home crowd in Los Angeles. Nonetheless, under the tutelage of new head coach Pat Riley , the Lakers returned to the finals that year by beating Phoenix and San Antonio in the playoffs. In the 1982 NBA Finals they defeated the 76ers in six games for their second league crown in three years. Furthermore, they found themselves again with

17286-439: Was in 1966, with Boston winning the series 4–1. In the following season, Philadelphia coach Alex Hannum instructed Chamberlain to provide an increased focus on playing a team game, to avoid drawing the double-teams that troubled Chamberlain during the Finals. This tactical change brought the team to a new record of 68 wins the following season, as well as defeating the Celtics before winning the 1967 Finals. In 1968, Boston overcame

17420-426: Was named Finals MVP, becoming the lowest-drafted player (41st overall) to win the award. The Boston Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals , marking the sixth straight year with a different championship team, matching a run of NBA championship that only occurred from 1975 to 1980. Boston won its record 18th NBA title, breaking a tie with their longtime rival Los Angeles Lakers . As part of

17554-517: Was not suited to the task. After compiling a 9–30 record, he stepped aside in favor of Kundla, but the Lakers found themselves last in the league that year with a 19–53 record. Last place, however, meant the first pick in the draft , and the Lakers chose wisely, picking Elgin Baylor , who went on to win the NBA Rookie of the Year Award after averaging 24.9 points per game and 15.0 rebounds per game. In 1959 , Baylor and Mikkelsen were able to lead

17688-449: Was that the arena's scoreboard must have fallen from the ceiling onto him. The punch had cracked Tomjanovich's skull and nearly ended his career. He sat out the rest of the season, needing reconstructive surgery to repair his jaw, eye, and cheek. Some of those who witnessed the event said that the blow was so crushing that until they saw Tomjanovich moving as he lay on the floor, they feared that he might have been killed. Washington received

17822-522: Was the hardest championship of them all." It did not look to be the beginning of the end, as the 1988–89 Lakers won their division yet again and Magic Johnson collected his second MVP award. The team then swept their first three playoff series (against the Trail Blazers, SuperSonics, and Suns respectively) to set up a rematch with the Pistons in the Finals. But the " three-peat " was not to be, as Johnson and Byron Scott were taken out of commission by hamstring injuries. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar once again had to lead

17956-482: Was well-rested after an easy trip through the playoffs while their opponent was tired and battered by injuries after a brutal seven-game ECF battle with Detroit. At the victory celebration afterward, Riley boldly guaranteed that the Lakers would repeat as champions the next year, something no team had done since the Celtics in 1969. Abdul-Jabbar also stated that he would return for the 1987–88 season to contribute to Riley's promise of back-to-back titles. With every team in

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