While most kids are running around on basketball courts today wearing the number 23 jersey, most of us folks, 24 and up are still in shock that the 23 doesn't have Jordan written on top of it! Yeah the name still starts with a J, but the letters that follow spell out James. Even though he is the only man alive that can actually take on that type of responsibility, or let me say feet are big enough to walk in those shoes, sometimes I think the kids of today tend to want to jump on the newest thing and end up forgetting about the essence of the whole thing! Malusi and I were talking the other day, and he was saying how he was going to get all the Bulls Championship seasons and put them on his 1.5tb! So I did him one better and told him I want the 80's decade! So with the help of NBA.com I will be able to provide you with a weekly breakdown of all the seasons in the 80's!!I'm starting at the top 79-80, where the real hype all began and basketball would never be the same again!! Know your history!!!
ENJOY THE READ!
Although the season would forever be known as the year Larry Bird and Earvin "Magic" Johnson entered the league, several other important changes also occurred. The three-point field goal, a popular facet of the ABA game, was adopted by the league. The New Orleans Jazz moved to Salt Lake City and took the unlikely team name of Utah Jazz. And the schedule was altered so that teams faced rivals in their own division more often than teams from other divisions.
But the big story of the season was the arrival of two charismatic and talented rookies, Bird and Johnson, materializing on opposite coasts on the rosters of two of the NBA's most successful franchises. The turnaround in Boston was dramatic. Havlicek had retired after the 1978 season, and Boston went 29-53 in 1979. Along with Bird, the Celtics still had Cowens and third-year forward Cedric Maxwell up front, with Archibald and Chris Ford in the backcourt. The team posted a remarkable 61-21 record, a 32-game improvement. But Philadelphia won 59 games and behind Erving's stellar play, defeated the Celtics in five games to advance to the Finals.
In Los Angeles, the Lakers experienced a little "Magic," as Johnson's enthusiasm seemed to rejuvenate Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, propelling the Lakers to 60 wins and a berth in the NBA Finals. With Abdul-Jabbar leading the way and Johnson stepping in for the injured center in the clinching game, the Lakers won the first title of the 1980s in six games.
"IT'S MAGIC!" JOHNSON Abdul-Jabbar, who hadn't won an NBA title since 1971 with Milwaukee, dominated the NBA Finals as Johnson fed him the ball in all the right spots in the first five games. But Abdul-Jabbar badly twisted an ankle in Game 5, and couldn't make the trip to Philadelphia for Game 6.
The Lakers, figuring they had nothing to lose, came out and played loose in the Spectrum. Jamaal Wilkes enjoyed one of the finest games of his career and finished with 37 points. But the newspapers the next day heralded the only headline possible--"It's Magic!" Johnson, filling in for Abdul-Jabbar as the starting center and eventually playing every position in the court, scored 42 points, added 15 rebounds and seven assists as the Lakers wrapped up the title.
"We know you're hurting, big fella," Johnson said over live television for all America, and Abdul-Jabbar, to hear. "But we want you to get up and do a little dancin' tonight."
But the big story of the season was the arrival of two charismatic and talented rookies, Bird and Johnson, materializing on opposite coasts on the rosters of two of the NBA's most successful franchises. The turnaround in Boston was dramatic. Havlicek had retired after the 1978 season, and Boston went 29-53 in 1979. Along with Bird, the Celtics still had Cowens and third-year forward Cedric Maxwell up front, with Archibald and Chris Ford in the backcourt. The team posted a remarkable 61-21 record, a 32-game improvement. But Philadelphia won 59 games and behind Erving's stellar play, defeated the Celtics in five games to advance to the Finals.
In Los Angeles, the Lakers experienced a little "Magic," as Johnson's enthusiasm seemed to rejuvenate Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, propelling the Lakers to 60 wins and a berth in the NBA Finals. With Abdul-Jabbar leading the way and Johnson stepping in for the injured center in the clinching game, the Lakers won the first title of the 1980s in six games.
"IT'S MAGIC!" JOHNSON Abdul-Jabbar, who hadn't won an NBA title since 1971 with Milwaukee, dominated the NBA Finals as Johnson fed him the ball in all the right spots in the first five games. But Abdul-Jabbar badly twisted an ankle in Game 5, and couldn't make the trip to Philadelphia for Game 6.
The Lakers, figuring they had nothing to lose, came out and played loose in the Spectrum. Jamaal Wilkes enjoyed one of the finest games of his career and finished with 37 points. But the newspapers the next day heralded the only headline possible--"It's Magic!" Johnson, filling in for Abdul-Jabbar as the starting center and eventually playing every position in the court, scored 42 points, added 15 rebounds and seven assists as the Lakers wrapped up the title.
"We know you're hurting, big fella," Johnson said over live television for all America, and Abdul-Jabbar, to hear. "But we want you to get up and do a little dancin' tonight."
Most Valuable Player -- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, L.A. Lakers
NBA Finals MVP -- Magic Johnson, Los Angeles
Rookie of the Year -- Larry Bird, Boston
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