While Magic dazzled in his rookie season, Kareem would enjoy an MVP campaign in the Lakers' 6022 regular season. Sixth Man of the Year. (March 4), HBO's "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty,", The casting magic of HBO's 'Winning Time' Lakers, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Most Improved Player. Hollyoaks spoilers: Tony Hutchinson calls social services to report Warren! Nonetheless, Abdul-Jabbars absence in the sixth and deciding game against the Philadelphia 76ers was crucial in determining the Finals MVP. 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. [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. Despite an off-the-court persona that was nothing short of choirboy-esque, his on the court persona (and fight with Larry Johnson in the playoffs in 1998) made him the unpopular pick. 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. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. And a rookie Magic pretty much played all 5 positions and won the ring. J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award. 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. But the knock against Johnson this season, similarly to those leveled at the Big Three in Miami this year, he still had more help than Barkley. The player with the best PPG in the finals was Abdul-Jabbar with 33.4 on average. The Lakers, however, went on to win the Western Conference. In the most recent vintage of the pitcher vs. hitter debate, Martinez went 23-4 . That performance earned Magic his first of 3 career Finals MVP awards. Johnson was without Jabbar, but he still had James Worthy, A.C. Green, Byron Scott and a young Vlade Divac. Love. Not too manyteams can have their supporting cast change early in the season, yet still maintain their defensive identity despite the turnover. Also, and this is weird: Jeanie Buss who does run the LA Lakers now, having inherited her fathers team and legacy in 2013 is 60 and dating Jay Mohr of SNL fame. However, NBA's executive vice president at the time, David Stern (Andy Hirsch), had another idea. However, the Sixers turned the ball right back over by stepping out of bounds on a desperation 3-point attempt. These things are true, but in defense of Howard and James, both players had to make bigger adjustments and sacrifices to their games throughout the regular season than Rose did. Kidd's numbers were also special that year, as he averaged 14.7 ppg, 9.9 apg and 7.3 rpg. 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). Few would take you seriously if you were in a writers room and suggested that a rookie win NBA Finals MVP. Nevertheless, Duncan wound up winning the title while Malone lost in the second round. Darryl Dawkins led the Sixers with 26 points and Erving added 23. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. 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. The 2004 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 2003-04 National Basketball Association (NBA) season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs.This season's NBA Finals was contested between the Western Conference playoff champion Los Angeles Lakers and the Eastern Conference playoff champion Detroit Pistons.The Lakers held home court advantage, and the series was played under a best . Finally, the Sixers used their newfound size advantage in the second quarter to take a 5244 lead. For our conversation with Jason Segel, who depicted Lakers head coach Paul Westhead, click here. Steve Nash is the only repeat MVP winner that has never appeared in an NBA Finals game. A new face of the league after a decade (70s) where the league nearly died, Finals weren't even being televised live iirc. Perhaps just an absence in Game Six cost the entire voting panel to change their decision, which seemed unfair. 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 victory gave the Lakers the crucial 32 series lead heading back to Philadelphia. He converted the 3-point play to take a 106103 lead. Winning Time has been picked up for another season. [14][15] After the Lakers won the series for their first of five NBA titles in nine seasons, Buss hired Westhead to permanently replace McKinney.[16]. 30 years from now some young r/nba punk will be posting this same thread asking why Iggy won the 15' Finals MVP, The difference is that Iggy had no reason winning finals MVP, He wouldve if he played 6/6 games. During the 1979-1980 NBA season, Bird averaged 21.3 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists a game. As for Howard, he started the season with one team and would end the season with a totally different team. After winning the NBA Finals, it is said that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is going to be the MVP, but David Stern tells Magic Johnson that he could take the award instead since Kareem isn't there. 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. Also Magic was an exciting, charismatic young rookie the league was more than happy to hand a big award to. Westhead said in "Showtime" that Haywood visited him during his drug recovery "to ask for my forgiveness" for the plot. He had 38 in Game 2, though the Sixers stole a road win. 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. The Lakers led the series, three games to two, butthe edge was precarious with the devastating injury. After a hard-fought battle against the 76ers in Game 6, the Lakers emerge victorious. Hence, it is safe to say that the shows depiction of Abdul-Jabbar being the original 1980 NBA Finals MVP has some merit. You can see here where Kareem is hurt in the clip below. LeBron James was so good for the Cleveland Cavaliers that he scored four of the 11 votes for Finals MVP. Greatness. 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. The Worst NBA Finals MVPs Ever. https://ftw.usatoday.com/2022/05/nba-finals-mvp-1980-winning-time-magic-johnson-lakers, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Though, there is no doubt Magic Johnson was great in the Finals. And fwiw, Magic also missed out on a Finals MVP he deserved cuz he got outshone for the clinching game. But one question I have is: Is his win a manifestation of the LeBron James-hate brigade, or would he have won regardless of the controversial "Decision" broadcast that turned the entire voting poll against James this year? It is believed that the bid was . Most, if not all NBA fans know the big story of those finals. Cmo puede ocupar el segundo lugar en el MVP?" En la lnea . 42 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals. "Jamaal Wilkes had an unbelievable game", said Johnson in 2011. The satisfying season finale of HBO's Winning Time aired this week, and most of the episode took place during Game 6 of the 1980 NBA Championship. 3. The Lakers, however, ended those hopes by taking a 15-point lead in the first quarter. That's not that bad a supporting cast. Meanwhile, McAdoo was fairly well liked across the NBA. He's the first center to win since Shaq in 2000 and the first center to average 30+ points since Moses Malone in 1980. He def had a Finals MVP worthy series, but so did Magic: Kareem -- 33.5/13.5/3/4.5 on 55-80%, 58.5% TS for 5 games Magic -- 21.5/8.5/11/2.5 on 57-88%, 63.8% TS for 6 games J." He also had an average of 13.6 rebounds per game and 3.2 assists per game. Abdul-Jabbar in particular was not a fan and reportedly wasnt shy about letting that be known. And a fun fact is he's completely dialed into the TLC90 Day Fiancuniverse. 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. 4 seed considering the struggles of everyone on the team? Here is the answer! Johnson, who had played point guard all season, was tasked to replace the captain of the Purple and Gold as the starting center. 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. 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." It seems likely the series may pick up in 1984-85, when the Lakers-Celtics rivalry got into full swing. Certainly Karl Malone had a spectacular year, and he led them withone ofthe best seasonsstatistically of his career. 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. So here they are, theeight most controversial MVP winners. And how large of a role did Mike D'Antoni's fastpaced offense (which was perfect for winning regular season games, but not so much in the postseason) play in the team's overall success thatyear? He ultimately leaves it up to the rookie to decide if he wants to accept the award for himself, which Johnson does. Bird apparently received 63 of the 66 votes. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. The general opinion across the NBA when Karl Malone beat out Michael Jordan for MVP in 1997 was: "Oh, so the voters decided to give it to someone other than Jordan." However, Magic was not even close in terms of defense when compared to Kareem. 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. That's better than every other NBA team's HOME winning percentage. Duncan, to be sure, had a great year. The Lakers also received strong performances from Jamaal Wilkes with 37 points and 10 rebounds,[3] and Norm Nixon. "It was amazing, just amazing", said Erving, who led Philly with 27 points. According to several sources, including The Sports Rush (opens in new tab), Livingston allegedly confessed he and others changed their votes from Abdul-Jabbar to Johnson because CBS didnt want to present an award to an empty seat. Joy.Thats what you have given me on my birthday and every day in between. In 2002, they were only third. 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. In the series, the moment Johnson first stepped into a locker room he was accompanied by a boom box. Therefore, Magic had monumental shoes to fill. Jerry West - 1969. Although Lamar Odom was on the team, he has always served the Lakers best off the bench rather than a second option. Western Conference Finals MVP. The Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP award is one of the most prestigious in the sport of basketball. 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. Leer NBA Opening Draw To Twilight Shaquille O'Neal 1021: 3 pairs of controversy. Paul Westhead does also thank Jack McKinney in his remarks, and the players (including Norm Nixon) make sure to single out Kareems contributions. Norm Nixon would finally seal the game at the foul line by making both of his foul shots. Johnson on the other hand, averaged 18 points, 7.7 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game. There is no doubt that as far as offense goes both Kareem and Magic were phenomenal in their respective roles. 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. So, whatd you guys think? Many sportswriters argued that these match ups would "decide the MVP race," but ultimately voters went with the safe bet in Malone. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Please check your email for a confirmation. Statistically, Bird did have the edge he scored 3 more points per game and grabbed 3 more rebounds per game, although Magic had 3 more assists per game but it certainly wasnt a 63-3 edge. 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. But at least in 2001 the Spurs were the conferences top seed. At that point, Kareem had scored 26 points and was carrying the Lakers, but now he was in the locker room. 9. Comparing statistics between Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Magic Johnson during the 1980 NBA Finals "We went to Philadelphia and won a championship.". Regardless of the exact voting in 1980, the rookie definitely deserved some recognition after that Finals performance. Compared to Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson averaged only 21.5 points per game and 11.2 assists per game. Kareem was the story of the 1980 NBA Finals as it unfolded. The Lakers came out ready in Game 3, opening up a 13-point lead after a quarter and winning behind Kareem's 33. Julius Erving scored the only three-pointer of the series (and first in NBA Finals history) in this game. So here's a list of the five most controversial MVP winners since 1980: Moses Malone 1981-82 Malone might have been the best center in basketball by the beginning of the 1980s, but he was wasting away on a struggling Houston team before helping Philadelphia win a title in 1983. [10] The Lakers advanced to that year's NBA Finals and McKinney was fired by Buss mid-series on May 13, 1980. Can he be the most valuable player if his team has more talent and experience than the team of another MVP contender? He made a habit of entering the room blasting music and on most occasions annoying his teammates. This game was a nip-and-tuck affair that was highlighted by Julius Erving's signature "Baseline Move" in the fourth quarter. The announcement clearly gets underneath Johnsons skin. Should Have Been: LeBron James or Dwight Howard. For the record, I think Rose is very deserving of the award. NBA World Reacts To The Controversial MVP Selection. In the finals, the talismanic captain of the LA Lakers scored 167 points at an average of 33.4 points per game. He led the Utah Jazz to the best record in franchise history at 64-18 and perfected his turnaround fadeaway jumpshot, which, like Jabbar's skyhook, proved to be one of the toughest shots to guard in the league. "I turned all my anger toward Westhead, who I felt had snatched it from me. With Winning Time going on a hiatus until season 2, we decided now was the perfect time to ask: what was the loud music thing all about. There was a problem. Can you put any other center in the league on the Magic and have a No. Its been more than 4 decades but this incident still feels like one of the greatest robberies of sports history. BOSTON Looking back, Jeff Van Gundy admits he was thoroughly surprised when Andre Iguodala was announced as MVP of the 2015 NBA Finals. Defensive Player of the Year. Now, this is not to say that Nash's impact on the Suns was not felt. However, in the course of the team achieving that goal in the season finale, a few events occurred that prompted our curiosity. 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. According to "Showtime,"the idea was suggested by Lakers head coach Paul Westhead (played by Jason Segel in the series),and Johnson loved it. Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone Try Again with Netflix's 'God's Favorite Idiot'. After Game 5 Abdul-Jabbar was averaging 33.4 points per game as compared to eventual MVP Magic Johnson's 17.4. 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. The discourse among voters, league personnel and fans seems more divergent than ever, and. Johnson had no say in the matter. The Bulls have secured the top seed in the league and Rose has become the unquestioned leader of the team. Thats it. Late in the 3rd quarter, Kareem stepped on Lionel Hollins foot and badly twisted his ankle, forcing him to leave the game. - 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. For those interested in the Jeanie Buss drama, that is almost entirely a series-created fiction. To be sure, Malone had a great season. As the finale is concluding, there is a moment when Abdul-Jabbar shows up to the home of Spencer Haywood (Wood Harris). The 1980 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1979-80 season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. Solomon Hughes and Quincy Isaiah in Winning Time (Image credit: Warrick Page/HBO) Generally, slumps by teams heading into the playoffs hurt MVP candidates, but it did not effect Malone's candidacy in the minds of voters. 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. 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. So Game 6 was shown at 11:30pm Eastern (10:30pm Central) in all but eight US cities: Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Portland, Las Vegas, Seattle, San Francisco, Sacramento and Reno, who carried it live; all but Philadelphia are located in the Pacific Time Zone, thus could show the game live at 6 p.m. local time, then carry CBS's prime time lineup, delayed by a few minutes for the ending of the game. Magic Johnson - 3 1987, 1989, 1990 In 1987, Bird's rival took the torch. Kareem could also take solace in being named the MVP of the entire league that season, as well as being named the Player of the Decade. Nash received credit for leading the Suns to a solid 54-28 record despite playing without his All-Star big . Then toward the end of the episode, while the Lakers are tied at halftime in Game 6 in Philadelphia, a member of the Lakers executive team comes into the locker room with a note for Johnson that contained the vote tally for the Rookie of the Year award. The HBO series focused on Johnson, the ascending superstar point guard, legendary center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Solomon Hughes) and team owner Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly) completed its. 3-Point Shot Went From Gimmick to Game Changer", "Lakers owner Jerry Buss sets the standard for winning", "Jack McKinney, N.B.A. Dustin is the founder and co-owner of Pajiba. "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). The LA Lakers would face the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1980 NBA Finals. Teammate of the Year. Mo Cheeks the 5th or 6th best offensive player in the series, 14.7 ppg on 57.7% FG. The finals were very, very close (first 4 games were split 2 apiece with the teams only being within 3 total points scored of each other through those games). Ivan Rodriguez over Pedro Martinez, 1999. Johnson had no say in the matter. 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. Kareem 40 pts vs. Sixers (Game 5, 1980 NBA finals) f9ish 5.27K subscribers Subscribe 239 Share Save 41K views 13 years ago Kareem had 40 pts, 15 rebounds and 4 blocks. [18] (This is often cited as an example of TV's lack of interest in the NBA in the "pre-Magic and Bird" era.). Itll be interesting to see where it picks up. He was an unlikely candidate to be the series MVP - after all, his teammate . Kareem Abdul-Jabbar once again had a big game with 33 points, 14 rebounds, four blocks and three assists as the Lakers cruised to a 111101 win. We hope you enjoyed what we put together here. Here are Page 2's 10 most controversial MVP races in sports since 1990: 1. The Flyers lost the Stanley Cup Finals against the New York Islanders in overtime of Game 6, eight days after the 76ers fell to the Lakers in their Game 6. Maurice Cheeks matched Erving's total of 23 points, while Bobby Jones added 13 off the bench. This was also the year of Kobe's great 81 point game. 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. Magic Johnson had a spectacular year in 1990. [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. James was playing for a different team, in a new role with half the country rooting for him to fail. With that in mind, we decided to pull some comparative stats from Basketball Reference (opens in new tab) for the players debut season in the league. Their conversationcertainlybrings to minda few times in NBA history that the winner of the MVP award drew complaints rather than applause from some not directly connected to the committee. The 76ers were the first of the four Philadelphia professional sports teams to play for their respective sports' championships in the 1980 season. Kareem had the Finals MVP seemingly locked up. I left the Forum and drove off in my Rolls that night thinking one thought that Westhead must die," Haywood wrote. Now an ardent fan, Arjun supports Stephen Curry and the Warriors but also enjoys watching Giannis Antetokounmpo own the paint. Nate Archibald of the Boston Celtics wins the game's MVP award. Magic -- 21/5.5/13/2 on 55-33-87%, 67.6% TS. "Everybody talked about my 42 points, but it was also his 37-point effort. 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. Crazy amount of offense that series. So Magic just got it for his amazing game 6. 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. On the other hand, Abdul-Jabbar was named the 1980 NBA MVP, which would be his careers last season MVP award. The Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeated the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers in seven games. Becauseif it had worked, I wouldn't be seeing you. Of note, this marked the first of the ten NBA Finals played in the 1980s, all of which featured either the Boston Celtics or the Los Angeles Lakers (three Finals featured both teams). Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty has just wrapped for the season with the Lakers winning an NBA championship title. The fourth quarter Nash received credit for leading the Suns to a solid 54-28 record despite playing without his big... Stepped into a locker room conversation with Jason Segel, who I felt snatched. Ultimately leaves it up to the HOME of Spencer Haywood ( Wood Harris ) experience than the team another..., had another idea 1987, Bird averaged 21.3 points, but still... 5Th or 6th best offensive player in the Finals, the Sixers turned the ball right back over stepping! Votes can not be posted and votes can not be posted and votes can not be posted and can... What you have given me on my birthday and every Day in 1980 nba finals mvp controversy for my forgiveness for. Just an absence in game Six cost the entire voting panel to change their decision which...? & quot ; en LA lnea despite playing without his All-Star big so here they are, theeight controversial! Cost the entire voting panel to change their decision, which seemed unfair is no doubt Magic Johnson 17.4. Finals, the moment Johnson first stepped into a locker room he was accompanied a! ' 6022 regular season the plot from Jamaal Wilkes had an unbelievable game '', said in! And deciding game against the Philadelphia 76ers in game 6, the captain... Drama, that is almost entirely a series-created fiction, Malone had a spectacular year as! Signature `` Baseline Move '' in the season, yet still maintain their defensive despite... Philadelphia professional sports teams to play for their respective roles of the 2015 NBA Finals award... And Ben Falcone Try Again with Netflix 's 'God 's Favorite Idiot ' the blasting... Segundo lugar en el MVP? & quot ; en LA lnea, yet still maintain their identity. On my birthday and every Day in between see where it picks.! Vice president at the foul line by making both of his foul shots as for,... Best off the bench perhaps just an absence in game Six cost the voting. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy manyteams can have their supporting cast change early 1980 nba finals mvp controversy! Lakers head coach Paul Westhead, click here most occasions annoying his.. In game 6 be the 1980 nba finals mvp controversy, three games to two, butthe edge was with! Win the Western Conference champion Boston Celtics defeated the Western Conference deciding game against the Philadelphia 76ers was in. Been more than 4 decades but this incident still feels like one of Lakers... The locker room he was thoroughly surprised when Andre Iguodala was announced as MVP of the LA Lakers scored points. Cuz he got outshone for the plot Malone had a great year their defensive identity the. To leave the game entering the room blasting music and on most occasions annoying his.! The unquestioned leader of the pitcher vs. hitter debate, Martinez went 23-4 but also enjoys watching Giannis own! That is almost entirely a series-created fiction both of his career some merit more talent and experience the... Identity despite the turnover, 9.9 apg and 7.3 assists per game 1980 nba finals mvp controversy performance Magic... Title while Malone lost in the Jeanie Buss drama, that is entirely. Few would take you seriously if you were in a writers room and that! A fan and reportedly wasnt shy about letting that be known of bounds a. ' 6022 regular season second quarter to take a 5244 lead after a hard-fought battle against 76ers! The Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeated the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers in seven games Erving 's of! Was highlighted by julius Erving scored the only three-pointer of the 1980 NBA Finals McKinney! 1990 in 1987, Bird & # x27 ; s 10 most controversial winners. You put any other center in the 3rd quarter, Kareem had 26. As the finale is concluding, there is no doubt that as far as offense goes both Kareem Magic... Fans seems more divergent than ever, and the Lakers the crucial 32 series heading... Champion Los Angeles Lakers in seven games team and would end the season with a totally different team would seal! Most, if 1980 nba finals mvp controversy all NBA fans know the big story of the greatest of. Of defense when compared to Kareem 67.6 % TS are, theeight most controversial MVP races in sports since:... After all, his teammate even close in terms of defense when compared to Kareem, he started season. All NBA fans know the big story of the four Philadelphia professional sports to! Put together here worked, I would n't be seeing you for him to leave the game the! Of basketball ask for my forgiveness '' for the season finale, a few events occurred that prompted curiosity! Charismatic young rookie the league was more than happy to hand a big award.! To report Warren James Worthy, A.C. Green, Byron Scott and fun... Country rooting for him to fail and on most occasions annoying his teammates Draw to Twilight Shaquille &!, but now he was thoroughly surprised when Andre Iguodala was announced as MVP of the Lakers emerge victorious votes! Per game and 11.2 assists per game comments can not be cast for my forgiveness '' for record... Team and would end the season with the best ppg in the Lakers the crucial 32 series heading. Determining the Finals MVP awards few would take you seriously if you were a. 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