I hate when people ask questions like this, post the credentials for the guy their arguing for, and don't talk about what the other guy did. After a timeout, the Sixers put the ball in the hands of Erving, who tried a spectacular, scooping finger-roll, but missed. 10 times NBA players were robbed of the MVP award Nasha Smith Jun 14, 2019, 10:46 AM LeBron James should have been MVP in 2011. The Celtics forward became the most recent player to collect three straight MVPs, doing so from 1984 to 1986 as Boston won two championships. Johnson had no problem and was up to the challenge, although he would lose the famous opening tip to Caldwell Jones. Thats it. Heres how it works. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). Johnson was without Jabbar, but he still had James Worthy, A.C. Green, Byron Scott and a young Vlade Divac. Johnson, Abdul-Jabbar (who called the series "deliberately dishonest") and former Laker superstar and general manager Jerry West have criticized the show's portrayals. But Worthy had 36/16/10 on 68-60%, 68% TS in G7. But after losing to the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1977 NBA Finals, the 76ers realized that a fancy and one-on-one style of play will not take them all the way. Get the latest updates, reviews and unmissable series to watch and more! He's the first center to win since Shaq in 2000 and the first center to average 30+ points since Moses Malone in 1980. Certainly Karl Malone had a spectacular year, and he led them withone ofthe best seasonsstatistically of his career. The Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP award is one of the most prestigious in the sport of basketball. The chemistry between the three was evident early on, as the Lakers eliminated the Phoenix Suns and defending champions Seattle SuperSonics in a pair of five-game playoff series to advance to the NBA Finals. Los Angeles opened the third period with a 140 run, keyed by Jamaal Wilkes, who had 16 points in the quarter. "[3], In Game 4 of the 1980 Finals, Julius Erving executed the legendary Baseline Move, a behind-the-board reverse layup that seemed to defy gravity. 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. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 14 point 4th quarter on a bad ankle capped an overall 40-point performance. Its unclear (and unlikely) that Magic learned that in the fourth quarter of Game 6. 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. 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. Lakers center Kareem Abdul Jabbar was crowned the regular season MVP. Magics performance in the sixth game not only crowned the Lakers as the 1980 NBA Champions but also won him the Finals MVP Award. After the game, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is informed by a phone call that he has been named the Finals Most Valuable Player. Terrell Smith has a diverse writing background having penned material for a wide array of clients including the federal government and Bravo television personalities. Julius Erving led a short comeback in the second, but a 90 run by the Lakers extended their lead to 14 at the half. All rights reserved. He hobbles thereafter, but they dont immediately call a time-out to remove him. But when considering the select company of repeat MVP winners, Nash stood with LeBron James, Karl Malone, Tim Duncan, and the players that only won once in Shaq, David Robinson, and Hakeem Olajuwon, or never won in Isiah Thomas, Jerry West. Nevertheless, Duncan wound up winning the title while Malone lost in the second round. 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. The satisfying season finale of HBOs Winning Time aired this week, and most of the episode took place during Game 6 of the 1980 NBA Championship. 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. McAdoo's Buffalo Braves (later to become the Los Angeles Clippers) won 49 games in his MVP year, which was good for only the third best record in the conference. In the playoffs, they eliminated the Washington Bullets in two games, and the Atlanta Hawks in five games. 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. Plus, who was the spark for Spencer Haywood getting clean? Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record-breaking sixth MVP season came as the writing on the wall signaled a new heir apparent. So here they are, theeight most controversial MVP winners. Bird apparently received 63 of the 66 votes. Also Read: LeBron James legacy is off the court too: Kareem Abdul Jabbar weighs in on Lakers stars GOAT status. - 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. After Game 5 Abdul-Jabbar was averaging 33.4 points per game as compared to eventual MVP Magic Johnson's 17.4. Nate Archibald of the Boston Celtics wins the game's MVP award. Juliet Nightingale has fun with Imran! Kerr, whose former teammate Michael Jordan was denied an MVP 3-peat twice in 1993 and 1997 is the most obvious example of when a player should have won the award but didn't due to reasons not readily accepted by the general public. J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award. Not too manyteams can have their supporting cast change early in the season, yet still maintain their defensive identity despite the turnover. Now, this is not to say that Nash's impact on the Suns was not felt. In the finals, the talismanic captain of the LA Lakers scored 167 points at an average of 33.4 points per game. But Haywood eventually came to his senses and changed his mind after a conversation with his mother. Because May 16, 1980, was a Friday, the network did not want to preempt its two highest-rated shows, The Dukes of Hazzard and Dallas, even though both shows were already in reruns: the 197980 TV season had ended early, back in March (Dukes and Dallas both aired their season finale March 21), in anticipation of a strike that summer by the Screen Actors Guild. The debate arises if this performance was enough to crown Magic as the Finals MVP. The statistics give Kareem a massive lead as far as facts are concerned. The final buzzer has sounded on HBO's "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty,"showing Earvin"Magic" Johnson (Quincy Isaiah) heroically carrying the "Showtime"-era Lakers to the 1980 NBA championship. Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty season finale sees the LA Lakers competing for the highest honor in basketball, the NBA Championship. In the series, viewers get the impression this figure was unfairly lopsided. [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. Kareem was the story of the 1980 NBA Finals as it unfolded. 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. J." He averaged 25.5ppg, 12.7 rpg, and 2.5 bpg. Check out this database of MVPs, Defensive Players of the Year, Rookies of the Year, and more all on ESPN.com's NBA Awards page. 1981 NBA Finals: A interview and racial controversy. But by the second time, it was getting serious. But since the evaluation is "most valuable player" rather than best player (which Jordan had on lockdown with his 33.6 ppg and 2.77 steals, both tops in the NBA), one could say that Barkley's team wouldn't have even made the playoffs without him. It seems likely the series may pick up in 1984-85, when the Lakers-Celtics rivalry got into full swing. 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. Playing on the road, Johnson (a 6'9" rookie point guard) started the game at center and eventually played all five positions in a dominating performance. Magic had an amazing game, but guess what it's a series award. We encourage users to downvote low effort comments and upvote high effort comments that bring insightful discussion. But, this time, he got very little help as the Laker break never got going. The Worst NBA Finals MVPs Ever. However, these numbers aren't vastly different from his numbers the previous year when he averaged 22.2 ppg, 12.2 rpg and 2.2 bpg. 1980-81 Cedric Maxwell, Boston Celtics. He was a five-time NBA champion during his time in the league. Kareem was absolutely elite in those games, averaging 32 ppg, 13 rpg, 4 apg and 5 bpg on 52% shooting, but it was Game 5 that shouldve sealed the Finals MVP for him. That's better than every other NBA team's HOME winning percentage. 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. I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Malone averaged 27.4 ppg and 10 rpg. To read our interview with Adrien Brody, who portrayed Lakers assistant coach Pat Riley, click here. This popularity skewed the results against Barry, as he would finish a distant fourth in the voting behind McAdoo, Dave Cowens, and Elvin Hayes. For a while, he managed to stay clean and play for a team in Italy before returning to play in the NBA. This game was a nip-and-tuck affair that was highlighted by Julius Erving's signature "Baseline Move" in the fourth quarter. pic.twitter.com/Dzw6reXR98, Timeless Sports (@timelesssports_) May 16, 2018. However, in the course of the team achieving that goal in the season finale, a few events occurred that prompted our curiosity. Bradley Beal scored a team-leading 37 points for the Wizards in the victory.Want to watch the matchup between the Raptors and Wizards? "I turned all my anger toward Westhead, who I felt had snatched it from me. Julius Erving scored the only three-pointer of the series (and first in NBA Finals history) in this game. Many consider this victory as the birth of Showtime. Generally, slumps by teams heading into the playoffs hurt MVP candidates, but it did not effect Malone's candidacy in the minds of voters. Eastern Conference Finals MVP. T-6. Johnson scored 42 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 assists, either matching or eclipsing Abdul-Jabbars contributions in any single previous match of the series. Sign up for the Layup Lines newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. T: 02743.899.588 - 0985.173.317 Ms Hng - 0908.131.884 Mr Quyn The show suggests that the game was closer than it was, although the 76ers never closed the gap to more than a 5-point deficit in the fourth quarter, eventually losing 123-107. But he missed the finals due to his ankle injury. In the finals, the talismanic captain of the LA Lakers scored 167 points at an average of 33.4 points per game. That equates to a valuable player in my book. J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award. The Lakers, however, went on to win the Western Conference. As the LA team is celebrating, Abdul-Jabbar and his wife get a call that the writers chose him to be the NBA Finals MVP and that he would be accepting the award via phone since he wasnt present at the arena. In a twist of irony, once Johnson was a seasoned vet at 36, he found himself annoyed by the very loud music the younger players on the Lakers would play. The Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeated the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers in seven games. Certainly Steve Nash had a good year and led the Phoenix Suns to the best record in the league that year at 62-20. His Spurs began the season a disappointing 6-8, but since their rough start he led them to a 31-5 record afterward and established himself as the leader of the Spurs, despite David Robinson's presence. The Wizards' most recent contest on Tuesday ended in a 119-116 victory over the Hawks. Kareem absolutely deserved it. In a People (opens in new tab) article that Haywood penned himself, he credits an old college friend, Vern DeSilva, and another unnamed friend for kidnapping him and dragging him away from the party influences in his life at that time. Mourning never really had a chance. "As es, Westbrook acaba de recoger las sobras de Wang Zelin. Eastern Conference Finals MVP. He posted 23.8 ppg and 9.4 rpg, while leading his team to a tie for the league's best record. Ultimately, Magic Johnson was named the 1980 Finals MVP and would repeat the feat twice (in 1982 and 1987). In what was his rookie year. It was the decisive game, which came after the Lakers pulled ahead 3-2 in a game 5 where Kareem Abdul-Jabbar badly sprained his ankle. Hollyoaks spoilers: Tony Hutchinson calls social services to report Warren! Both teams split the two meetings, each won by the home team: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, playing on a mission and finally with an effective supporting cast around him, scored 33 points, pulled down 14 rebounds, and had six blocks and five assists on the way to a 109102 win in the Forum. Curiously, even though Magic Johnson won the award and Johnson's team won a league best 63 games (the league's only 60-win team that year) and Barkley's club only won 53 games, Barkley received more first place votes (38-27). He averaged 37.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 7.4 assists, and 43.9 minutes per 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. Dustin is the founder and co-owner of Pajiba. Magic Johnson picked up three Finals MVP Awards (1980, 1982 and 1987) while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1985) and James Worthy (1988) received the honor once each. Here is the answer! Although, if the race was won by a nose, the MVP voters completely misread the evidence on the photo. 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. Kareem wasn't totally robbed imo. Temporary bans may be handed out to users who post memes and other low-effort or off-topic comments in this thread. His Spurs won 58 games, the same as they'd won the previous year. If you are looking to place some bets on football, don't miss out on our overview of the best football betting sites for US bettors. Johnson, a rookie, became the third player to win an NCAA title and NBA title in back-to-back years. The "Winning Time" finale, centered on the championship series against the Philadelphia 76ers and team superstar Julius "Dr. 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. However, the rookie bested his captain with an average of 8.7 assists per game. That's what this media is. After a timeout, the Lakers went on one last run, with Magic scoring nine points down the stretch on the way to a final 123107 margin. [6], This was also the first NBA Finals to make use of the three-point line, which debuted that season.[7]. Kareem wasn't totally robbed imo. Sixth Man of the Year. 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). And his numbers were improved from the previous year: 18.8 ppg and 10.5 apg. Maybe. ", Reilly just enjoyed the ride in 'Winning Time', Stars of new TV show "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty," John C. Reilly and Quincy Isaiah, discuss figuring out how to portray real-life people. It was the decisive game, which came after the Lakers pulled ahead 3-2 in a game 5 where Kareem Abdul-Jabbar badly sprained his ankle. In between, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was acquired, and the Lakers returned to prominence in 1977, but Kareem couldn't do it alone. The pundits gave the Lakers little chance of winning without Abdul-Jabbar, given his prolific form in the series. OK, for those unfamiliar or too young to remember this MVP race let me set the scene: In 1975, the MVP voters were made up of players rather than media pundits, and it was an even greater popularity contest than it is now. Free. 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). Kareem would later write about it in his book, and while he acknowledged there was a last-minute switcheroo, he held nothing against Magic and only cared about winning the game (Magic and Kareem were and remain close friends). The 1981 NBA All-Star Game was played at the Richfield Coliseum near Cleveland, Ohio, with the East defeating the West 123-120. Its clear, though, that hes hurt, and he eventually goes into the locker room. Though, there is no doubt Magic Johnson was great in the Finals. So Magic just got it for his amazing game 6. Did Spencer Haywood Really Order a Hit on His Lakers Teammates. Additionally, there is a question over whether the Bulls success derives more from Tom Thibodeau's system or Rose's play. Western Conference Finals MVP. And Duncan, though he deserved it most of all, was hampered by the still reverberating popularity of Malone at the time. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar continued to dominate, with 38 points in Game 2. Wilkes had a career-high 37 points and added 10 rebounds. Magic Johnson - 3 1987, 1989, 1990 In 1987, Bird's rival took the torch. The HBO series focused on Johnson, the ascending superstar point guard, legendary center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Solomon Hughes) andteam owner Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly)completed its spotlight-grabbing 10-episode first season Sunday. 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