Malone averaged 27.4 ppg and 10 rpg. 44+22+10 sper triple-doble! The statistics give Kareem a massive lead as far as facts are concerned. Some of his favorite shows includeThe Crown,WandaVision, Abbot ElementaryandGodfather of Harlem. Bird apparently received 63 of the 66 votes. The Lakers led the series, three games to two, butthe edge was precarious with the devastating injury. J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award. But if the measure of an MVPis leading one's team to regular season success, it was hard to make the case that Duncan did. Norm Nixon had 23 points and Jamaal Wilkes finished with 20 while the Lakers did an excellent job double-teaming Julius Erving. Moreover, Abdul-Jabbars 40-point haul in the fifth game, which he played with a sprained ankle, had handed the Lakers a 3-2 lead in the series. Did Spencer Haywood Really Order a Hit on His Lakers Teammates. Johnson became the first and only rookie to win the NBA Finals MVP award. Magic Johnson's performance in Game 6 and the series earned him the 1980 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP). Should have been: Tim Duncan or Alonzo Mourning. Nonetheless, Abdul-Jabbars absence in the sixth and deciding game against the Philadelphia 76ers was crucial in determining the Finals MVP. Should Have Been: LeBron James or Dwight Howard. Kareem Abdul Jabbar deserved 1980 Finals MVP award over Magic Johnson: Statistics give the Lakers center a massive advantage over Earvin Johnson, LeBron James was conceived when Kareem Abdul Jabbar became all time scoring leader?: Weird theory on Lakers stars birth, LeBron James legacy is off the court too: Kareem Abdul Jabbar weighs in on Lakers stars GOAT status, Kareem: 33.4 PPG, 13.6 RPG, 3.2 APG, 0.6 SPG, 4.6 BPG, and 54.9% FG, Magic: 21.5 PPG, 11.2 RPG, 8.7 APG, 2.7 SPG, 0.3 BPG, and 57.3% FG, Kareem: 33 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists, 6 blocks, 0 steals, Magic: 16 points, 7 rebounds, 10 assists, 0 blocks, 3 steals, Kareem: 38 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 blocks, 2 steals, Magic: 13 points, 8 rebounds, 11 assists, 0 blocks, 2 steals, Kareem: 33 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 blocks, 0 steals, Magic: 16 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 0 blocks, 2 steals, Kareem: 23 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 blocks, 1 steal, Magic: 28 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 block, 3 steals, Kareem: 40 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 blocks, 0 steals, Magic: 14 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists, 0 blocks, 3 steals, Magic: 42 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, 1 blocks. Western Conference Finals MVP. However, that wasn't enough to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to the championship. [1] Just a hunch but he probably didnt win cuz he didnt play every game? Pat Riley (Adrien Brody) intercepts the message, but he doesnt tell Johnson what it says until the guard is in need of extra motivation to beat the 76ers. 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. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Most, if not all NBA fans know the big story of those finals. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. TGT Play! Odds Deals Podcasts US USA Arizona California Colorado Connecticut Florida Georgia Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Louisiana Surprised, he says, because he was certain LeBron. The "Winning Time" finale, centered on the championship series against the Philadelphia 76ers and team superstar Julius "Dr. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the 76ers faced NBA Rookie of the Year Award winner Larry Bird and the 61win Celtics, and owing to the core's three consecutive playoff appearances, the more experienced 76ers were favored to win the series. However, the rookie bested his captain with an average of 8.7 assists per game. Meanwhile, McAdoo was fairly well liked across the NBA. "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). "1. playoffs aren't a factor 2. the Nuggets would've been a non . Duncan, to be sure, had a great year. Certainly Karl Malone had a spectacular year, and he led them withone ofthe best seasonsstatistically of his career. [18] (This is often cited as an example of TV's lack of interest in the NBA in the "pre-Magic and Bird" era.). In the end, the Lakers triumph, and Magic is awarded the Finals MVP. Steve Nashis the only repeat MVP winner that has never appeared in an NBA Finals game. 9. NBA Opening Draw To Twilight Shaquille O'Neal Vol 2 Chapter 1021: 3 pairs of controversy . Stephen Curry, G, Golden State Warriors. 1988 Finals MVP went to Worthy. Itll be interesting to see where it picks up. Its clear, though, that hes hurt, and he eventually goes into the locker room. The 2015 award, however, has become slightly more controversial with time. This popularity skewed the results against Barry, as he would finish a distant fourth in the voting behind McAdoo, Dave Cowens, and Elvin Hayes. Cuz he didnt play in game 6 on the road in their biggest game of the season due to injury. 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. Granted, Derrick Rose has not actually won the award yet, but the general consensus around the league appears to be that you're more likely to see the Mayor of Cleveland declare "LeBron James day" in the city than for Rose not to win the award. Had Game 7 been played, it would have tipped off at noon Pacific (3 p.m. Eastern). Juliet Nightingale has fun with Imran! Solomon Hughes and Quincy Isaiah in Winning Time (Image credit: Warrick Page/HBO) This may seem like a slight to Malone,and in truthMalone had a phenomenal season in 1997, but Jordan should have won the award. Stars Bill Russell Brent Musburger Rick Barry See production, box office & company info Add to Watchlist The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. J." 2021-22 Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors . Crazy amount of offense that series. Therefore, viewers must be wondering if Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the original winner of the 1980 NBA Finals MVP? Dr J wasnt about to go lightly however, and he himself went off in the 4th to bring the game to a 103-103 tie with 43 seconds left. "Look at any TV show or movie based on a sports event that really happened, whether it's '42,' 'We Are Marshall,' 'A League of Their Own,'" he says. In the finals, the talismanic captain of the LA Lakers scored 167 points at an average of 33.4 points per game. Temporary bans may be handed out to users who post memes and other low-effort or off-topic comments in this thread. Early on, the Sixers seemed unsure how to counter the matchup problem. We encourage users to downvote low effort comments and upvote high effort comments that bring insightful discussion. Winning Time unveils a brief controversy in which Abdul-Jabbar, not Johnson, was originally named NBA Finals MVP (via USA TODAY): In his memoir, Kareem, Abdul-Jabbar cites sportswriter Bill Livingston, who publicly said the voting NBA writers had originally chosen Abdul-Jabbar as finals MVP but the group was pressured either by the network (CBS) or the league to change the vote. The key was Darryl Dawkins, who had one of his best games of the season by scoring 25 points, many of them on outside shots trying to draw Abdul-Jabbar away from the basket. The 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.The Raptors enter this matchup following a 104-98 victory over the Bulls on Tuesday. This scene is described in "Showtime"and recounted ina March Fubo TV interview by Lakers guard Michael Cooper, who noted the scene signified Johnson stepping upto the next level with his leadership and performance. Now, this is not to say that Nash's impact on the Suns was not felt. The Bulls have secured the top seed in the league and Rose has become the unquestioned leader of the team. 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. Magic winning the 1980 Finals. The Lakers pulled out a 108-103 victory. Here are Page 2's 10 most controversial MVP races in sports since 1990: 1. T-6. "In the heat of anger and the daze of coke" Haywood said hephoned a Detroit gangster friend and devised a plan to tamper with the brakes on Westhead's car. Ouch. "[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. Free. "It was amazing, just amazing", said Erving, who led Philly with 27 points. Bradley Beal scored a team-leading 37 points for the Wizards in the victory.Want to watch the matchup between the Raptors and Wizards? He also had an average of 13.6 rebounds per game and 3.2 assists per game. The Celtics forward became the most recent player to collect three straight MVPs, doing so from 1984 to 1986 as Boston won two championships. But as strong as those number may seem, they represent one of Malone's worst statistical seasons since his rookie year. The suggestion in "Winning Time" that it was Johnson's idea to start as center is dramatic license. 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. In between, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was acquired, and the Lakers returned to prominence in 1977, but Kareem couldn't do it alone. Rookie of the Year. 21.5 to 33.5 ppg is a huge gulf, but Magic also had 11 apg and was 5% more efficient by TS. It was a testament to James' great play. Johnson had no say in the matter. The Lakers, however, beat the 76ers again the following season, before losing to the 76ers in the season after that. He also contributed many intangibles to the team as well, such as his defensive tenacity and his incredible will to win, eventually leading the Nets to its first ever trip to the finals. It's not a travesty to give it to Magic, given Kareem missed a game. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record-breaking sixth MVP season came as the writing on the wall signaled a new heir apparent. Scottie Scheffler becomes the third player to win The Masters at age 25 or younger in the last 40 years. In 1979, Jeanie was only 17 years old, although two years later in 1981 her dad did appoint her the general manager of a tennis franchise, the Los Angeles Strings. That's not that bad a supporting cast. In his memoir, "Kareem," Abdul-Jabbar cites sportswriter Bill Livingston, who publicly said the voting NBA writers had originally chosen Abdul-Jabbar asfinals MVP but the group waspressured"either by the network (CBS) or the league" to change the vote. [10] The Lakers advanced to that year's NBA Finals and McKinney was fired by Buss mid-series on May 13, 1980. 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. What?! He was referring to LeBron James' chances of securing the award again, but Albert, who is on the voting committee, took umbrage at the insinuation that voters consciously freeze out players and refuse to vote for them three years in a row. And a rookie Magic pretty much played all 5 positions and won the ring. And his numbers were improved from the previous year: 18.8 ppg and 10.5 apg. Julius Erving led a short comeback in the second, but a 90 run by the Lakers extended their lead to 14 at the half. Julius Erving arrived before the 197677 season, and with him as the focal point of the offense, the 76ers soon transformed into a title contender. Solomon Hughes and Quincy Isaiah in Winning Time. Abdul-Jabbar and Johnson have remained friends on and off the court for years, so the award situation likely did not dent their relationship. The team had even drafted Magic Johnson, who was the 1st pick in the 1979 NBA Draft. Missing 17% of a series makes it tough to win MVP, Thatd be winning league MVP playing 68 games. Wilkes had a career-high 37 points and added 10 rebounds. Johnson on the other hand, averaged 18 points, 7.7 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game. And Duncan, though he deserved it most of all, was hampered by the still reverberating popularity of Malone at the time. In Atlanta, the CBS affiliate didn't show Game 6 at all, bumping it to independent station WATL-TV, who at least carried the contest live. Julius Erving scored 12 points in the first quarter on his way to 23, beginning the game with a dunk over Abdul-Jabbar. In the 197980 season the 76ers finished 5923, two games behind the Boston Celtics in the Atlantic Division. Coach Trailed by a 'What if?' It was his first full season without Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and he maintained a sustained level of excellence for the Lakers despite the retirement of the team's hall-of-fame center. No, I never heard of them either. Behind Johnson's passing, Abdul-Jabbar's post play and Michael Cooper's perimeter shooting and defense, the trio formed the core of the Lakers' Showtime-era teams. The 2015 award, however, the Lakers advanced to that year NBA... 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