Nash received credit for leading the Suns to a solid 54-28 record despite playing without his All-Star big Amare Stoudemire for most of the season. The 2015 award, however, has become slightly more controversial with time. You can see here where Kareem is hurt in the clip below. #1 Magic Johnson - 20 Years Old (1980) In 1980, Magic became the first . Its unclear, however, if Magic actually knew that, or if Kareem was actually waiting for the phone call. Free trialHow to Watch Today's NBA GamesToronto Raptors at Washington WizardsThe Washington Wizards (29-32) and Pascal Siakam's Toronto Raptors (31-32) face off at Capital One Arena on Thursday, March 2, beginning at 7:00 PM ET.Game Time: 7:00 PM ETTV Channel: NBC Sports NetworksLive Stream: fuboTV (, The Indiana Pacers (28-35) meet Keldon Johnson and the San Antonio Spurs (15-47) at AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas on Thursday, March 2 at 8:30 PM ET.The Pacers won their most recent game 124-122 against the Mavericks on Tuesday. In Game 6, Magic Johnson played what may have been the greatest game of his career. As Sporting News (opens in new tab) details, in Game 6, he played 47 minutes and finished with 42 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and three steals. He also had an average of 13.6 rebounds per game and 3.2 assists per game. A new face of the league after a decade (70s) where the league nearly died, Finals weren't even being televised live iirc. In what was his rookie year. "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). And fwiw, Magic also missed out on a Finals MVP he deserved cuz he got outshone for the clinching game. He played 5/6 games and was clutch in them too. 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). Johnson, Abdul-Jabbar (who called the series "deliberately dishonest") and former Laker superstar and general manager Jerry West have criticized the show's portrayals. This is also the game. Magic had an amazing game, but guess what it's a series award. The announcement clearly gets underneath Johnsons skin. The Lakers, however, beat the 76ers again the following season, before losing to the 76ers in the season after that. And a fun fact is he's completely dialed into the TLC90 Day Fiancuniverse. Meanwhile, he was thoroughly outplayed in the final two match ups with Tim Duncanin the regular season. According to ESPN (opens in new tab), the Celtics legend received 63 votes for Rookie of the Year to the Laker legends three. But at least in 2001 the Spurs were the conferences top seed. 1981 NBA Finals: A interview and racial controversy. For the record, I think Rose is very deserving of the award. Basketball isnt just a sport for this 26-year-old, who hails from Mumbai. LeBron James was so good for the Cleveland Cavaliers that he scored four of the 11 votes for Finals MVP. When it comes to the GOAT debate, the TSR author feels LeBron James is yet to receive a lot of his due but cannot deny marveling at Michael Jordans resume. However, reporters apparently had to change their votes since the NBAs broadcaster did not want to present the award to an absent player. [8][9] On November 8, 1979, the Lakers were 94 after 13 games, when McKinney suffered a near fatal head injury after falling while bicycling. After "Cap" manages to persuade a drug-influenced Haywood to lower his gun and hear him out, it seems Abdul-Jabbar is able to break through to his former teammate and nudge him to seek out help for his problem. Mo Cheeks the 5th or 6th best offensive player in the series, 14.7 ppg on 57.7% FG. For marketing purposes in trying to build up the rivalry between Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, Stern wanted the latter to receive the recognition instead. Even in this most recent episode, while not in a locker room, Johnson glides onto the teams flight listening to M.A.Z.E.s "Golden Time of the Day." "We went to Philadelphia and won a championship.". Yeah, but in the 5/6 he did he seem to have been the better player? The Toronto Raptors versus the Washington Wizards is a game to watch on a Thursday NBA schedule that features plenty of exciting contests.If you're searching for how to watch today's NBA action, we have you covered. Should Have Been: LeBron James or Dwight Howard. Magic even jumped center in the game's opening tip tomake a statement, as seen in the episode. The injury, however, would keep Kareem out of game six as depicted in the series which meant starting Magic Johnson at center (he would eventually play all 5 positions in the game). In the fourth with a little over five minutes left, the Sixers rallied to cut the Laker lead to 103101. 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. Narrative. Johnson was without Jabbar, but he still had James Worthy, A.C. Green, Byron Scott and a young Vlade Divac. [2] He managed to come back in the game in the fourth quarter to lead the Lakers to victory and a 32 lead in the best-of-seven series. There was a point early on in the episode when Johnson (Quincy Isaiah) hears that Larry Bird (Sean Patrick Small) was selected as the 1980 NBA Rookie of the Year. I certainly don't mean to besmirch Malone's brilliant playing career, but honestly, I don't think he deserved either MVP award he won. 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. He had 38 in Game 2, though the Sixers stole a road win. But he missed the finals due to his ankle injury. Hollyoaks spoilers: Warren Fox has dangerous plans for his son, Sebastian! For our conversation with Jason Segel, who depicted Lakers head coach Paul Westhead, click here. 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. If you put Deron Williams on the Bulls instead of Derrick Rose could they win 60-games under Thibs defensive philosophy? The 7-foot-2-inch Abdul had ledhis team through the finals, gutting out aMVP-worthy Game 5 victory despite a severelyinjuredankle. [10] The Lakers advanced to that year's NBA Finals and McKinney was fired by Buss mid-series on May 13, 1980. McAdoo led the league in scoring this season with 34.5 ppg and that played a large role in his win, but his scoring was only slightly higher than Berry's 30.6 ppg. The Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP award is one of the most prestigious in the sport of basketball. Back in 2015, Iguodala won the Finals MVP award after the Warriors defeated LeBron James and the Cavaliers, a result that still sparks debates among fans and media members to this day. . Eastern Conference Finals MVP. Abdul-Jabbar then limped back onto the floor. Also Magic was an exciting, charismatic young rookie the league was more than happy to hand a big award to. Ultimately, Magic Johnson was named the 1980 Finals MVP and would repeat the feat twice (in 1982 and 1987). After the big win, NBA executive David Stern tells Johnson that although Abdul-Jabbar was supposed to be named Sport Magazine's MVP of the NBA Finals, he should win the trophy because he's. He averaged 22.9 ppg and 10.4 rpg. 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. Over the years, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding the 1980 Final MVP award. Thus they hired former player Billy Cunningham as head coach, and in 1978 the team traded for defensive stalwart Bobby Jones and drafted Maurice Cheeks, while letting go players such as George McGinnis and World B. Lakers center Kareem Abdul Jabbar was crowned the regular season MVP. Jordan led the Bulls to an incredible 69-13 season (tied for second best of all-time) despite losing starting center Luc Longley and sixth man of the year Toni Kukoc for around 25 games apiece due to injuries. Ivan Rodriguez over Pedro Martinez, 1999. 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. SPOILERS AHEAD! He transformed the team into a legitimate contender this season. Could it have been possible that Amare Stoudemire's stronger 26.9 ppg and 8.9 rpg could have played a larger part in the teams success? "1. playoffs aren't a factor 2. the Nuggets would've been a non . But they say that he led his team to the East's top seed despite injuries to two "All-Star Caliber" bigs, while the Heat wound up only the second seed, and Howard's Magic were fourth. Johnson, who was named as an All-Star starter during his first year in the league, lost out on Rookie of the Year honors to rival Larry Bird. One of the main counterarguments to Joki winning this year's MVP would be Denver's seeding. The 6-foot-9-inch Johnson rose to the occasion and stepped into the center position for Game 6. In 2002, they were only third. The team had even drafted Magic Johnson, who was the 1st pick in the 1979 NBA Draft. Enough of us saps changed our votes to deny Kareem the award 4-3., https://thesportsrush.com/nba-news-kareem-abdul-jabbar-deserved-1980-finals-mvp-award-over-magic-johnson-statistics-give-the-lakers-center-a-massive-advantage-over-earvin-johnson/. Hence, it is safe to say that the shows depiction of Abdul-Jabbar being the original 1980 NBA Finals MVP has some merit. Elsa/Getty Images. That performance earned Magic his first of 3 career Finals MVP awards. Eastern Conference Finals MVP. The NBA's MVP award has been chosen annually by a panel of media members since the 1980-81 season. [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. Celtics forward Larry Bird averaged 27 points and 14 rebounds a game during the series, earning . Johnson becamethe first and only rookie to win the NBA Finals MVP award. Read More: Did Spencer Haywood Really Order a Hit on His Lakers Teammates? 1981 NBA Finals Rockets vs. Celtics 1980 Finals 1982 Finals League Champion: Boston Celtics Finals MVP: Cedric Maxwell (17.7 / 9.5 / 2.8) 1981 Playoff Leaders: PTS: Moses Malone (562) TRB: Moses Malone (305) AST: Maurice Cheeks (116) WS: Moses Malone (3.5) East Conf Semis On this page: All Games in Series Playoff Series Four Factors The victory gave the Lakers the crucial 32 series lead heading back to Philadelphia. Teammate of the Year. Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta has submitted a bid to buy the Commanders, according to a report from Mark Maske and Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post. Is it true Johnson used to carry around a boom box with him? 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