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. A subreddit dedicated to NBA news and discussion. 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). Narrative. At that point, Kareem had scored 26 points and was carrying the Lakers, but now he was in the locker room. Additionally, Abdul-Jabbar was named the 1980 NBA MVP, reflective of his work from that entire season. The Lakers, however, beat the 76ers again the following season, before losing to the 76ers in the season after that. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. 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. Scottie Scheffler becomes the third player to win The Masters at age 25 or younger in the last 40 years. Lakers center Kareem Abdul Jabbar was crowned the regular season MVP. 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. Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone Try Again with Netflix's 'God's Favorite Idiot'. 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/. Based on Livingstons story, Kareem initially had the votes to win, but Johnson took home the prize. Mourning never really had a chance. 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 should've sealed the Finals MVP for him. However, the rookie bested his captain with an average of 8.7 assists per game. Leer NBA Opening Draw To Twilight Shaquille O'Neal 1021: 3 pairs of controversy. Terrell is a huge fan of great storytelling when it comes to television and film. The last time the Lakers had won the NBA championship was in 1972. NBA Finals Most Valuable Player. According to The Washington Post (opens in new tab), when the Laker great was a rookie, he would indeed walk around blasting music. 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. The 1984 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1983-84 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The show began with the Lakers drafting. 21.5 to 33.5 ppg is a huge gulf, but Magic also had 11 apg and was 5% more efficient by TS. The Lakers also received strong performances from Jamaal Wilkes with 37 points and 10 rebounds,[3] and Norm Nixon. First of all, I find it a bit curious the fact that Berry finished behind Cowens in MVP voting, yet Cowens didn't even make the All-NBA First Team that year while Berry did. Did Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Magic Johnson win the 1980 NBA Finals MVP? To date, this was the final time that a regular-season had ended during the month of March. Kareem absolutely deserved it. In the finals, the talismanic captain of the LA Lakers scored 167 points at an average of 33.4 points per game. [2] But the Lakers still had to travel to Philadelphia for Game 6. Can you put any other center in the league on the Magic and have a No. 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. - 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. So here they are, theeight most controversial MVP winners. Perhaps it was because voters felt that they snubbed Tim Duncan for MVP in 1999, or it was because Jason Kidd's arrest for spousal abuse in 2001 just biased them against him, but many believed that Tim Duncan did not deserve the MVP award in 2002. Greenmark Group - 1980 nba finals mvp controversy % May 13, 2022 by tottenham leicester whoscored. Along with Jamaal Wilkes' 37 points and 10 rebounds, Michael Cooper chipped in 16. But with Abdul-Jabbar stuck watching the game from his Los Angeles home, giving the award to an empty chair was bad TV.. J." The Celtics forward became the most recent player to collect three straight MVPs, doing so from 1984 to 1986 as Boston won two championships. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. 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. Elsa/Getty Images. He hobbles thereafter, but they dont immediately call a time-out to remove him. 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. Duncan, to be sure, had a great year. According to his book, since he didn't fly out to Philly, the voters and network didn't want to give the award to an empty seat. However, during the NBA World Championship Series, aka the NBA Finals Series, the LA Lakers are without their star player and captain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. I left the Forum and drove off in my Rolls that night thinking one thought that Westhead must die," Haywood wrote. The 1980 Finals would mark the last play-by-play assignment for Brent Musburger, who was joined on color commentary by Utah Jazz play-by-play announcer Hot Rod Hundley and Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell. Generally, slumps by teams heading into the playoffs hurt MVP candidates, but it did not effect Malone's candidacy in the minds of voters. An injury in the fifth game sidelines Abdul-Jabbar, setting up Magic Johnson to take his captains position and the center stage. Some of his favorite shows includeThe Crown,WandaVision, Abbot ElementaryandGodfather of Harlem. He did not begrudge Johnson for the win, writing,"the outcome was never a problem between Magic and me.". BA1 1UA. It is true as depicted in the series that Kareem was originally named the MVP of the series, and the CBS network (and not David Stern) talked to writers by a 4-3 vote into giving it to Magic Johnson, but only because the network didnt want to give the MVP to someone who wasnt there to receive it. Itll be interesting to see where it picks up. Hence, it is safe to say that the shows depiction of Abdul-Jabbar being the original 1980 NBA Finals MVP has some merit. The Sixers led by as much as 20 in the fourth period, but the Lakers roared back, trimming the lead to 105104 late in the game. You can see here where Kareem is hurt in the clip below. Series clinching game: Magic 42/15/7/3/1, Kareem not even in the state of Pennsylvania. Then Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West retired, and the Lakers missed the playoffs in 1975 and 1976. Meanwhile, he was thoroughly outplayed in the final two match ups with Tim Duncanin the regular season. In reality, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played the first five of the six games of the 1980 NBA Finals series. Did Nash really belong in that distinguished company? "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. Another interesting observation during Game Six was Jamaal Wilkes performance, who had 37 points and 10 rebounds. Johnson won three MVPs from 1987 to 1990 but was unable to win all three in consecutive seasons. 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. Berry also led the league in steals at 2.85 per game and free throw percentage at (.904). Magic -- 21/5.5/13/2 on 55-33-87%, 67.6% TS. As for Howard, he started the season with one team and would end the season with a totally different team. Wining Time will be back with a season 2. As it turned out, Kareem did not make the trip and was listed as doubtful if Game 7 had been needed. But he missed the finals due to his ankle injury. Ivan Rodriguez over Pedro Martinez, 1999. 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. This may seem like a slight to Malone,and in truthMalone had a phenomenal season in 1997, but Jordan should have won the award. 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. Now he's fully emerging into one of the best players in the world. But Jordan simply did a bit more for the Bulls this season and deserved the award and hada slightly more convincing argument for winning the award. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, 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. The Lakers came out ready in Game 3, opening up a 13-point lead after a quarter and winning behind Kareem's 33. The Lakers would defeat the 76ers in six games, with Magic Johnson being crowned Finals MVP. What made Johnson's performance even more remarkable was that he was an NBA rookieand, indeed, one who had left college after only two years, and was only 20 years old. 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. He was a five-time NBA champion during his time in the league. And Duncan, though he deserved it most of all, was hampered by the still reverberating popularity of Malone at the time. LeBron James was so good for the Cleveland Cavaliers that he scored four of the 11 votes for Finals MVP. Most Improved Player. He played 5/6 games and was clutch in them too. Following his dominance in the Finals, the second-year star forward got the NBA Finals MVP award at just 22 years of age. 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. Bath His appearance aroused the Forum regulars and, despite the bad ankle, scored 11 points and had two key blocked shots down the stretch. Love. He began watching the sport after stumbling upon a court in his society, helping him identify an undiscovered passion for the game of hoops. Rick Barry was not a particularly popular player around the NBA. 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. Johnson had no problem and was up to the challenge, although he would lose the famous opening tip to Caldwell Jones. Thats it. The Sixers, however, had Julius Erving who scored 11 of the Sixers last 13 points to complete an 8-point comeback, and tie the game at 103103 with only 43 seconds remaining. BOSTON Looking back, Jeff Van Gundy admits he was thoroughly surprised when Andre Iguodala was announced as MVP of the 2015 NBA Finals. 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. Abdul-Jabbar and Johnson have remained friends on and off the court for years, so the award situation likely did not dent their relationship. 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. Crazy amount of offense that series. Kidd's numbers were also special that year, as he averaged 14.7 ppg, 9.9 apg and 7.3 rpg. The 7-foot-2-inch Abdul had ledhis team through the finals, gutting out aMVP-worthy Game 5 victory despite a severelyinjuredankle. Free. Abdul-Jabbar and Johnson of the 1980 winning team Lakers. That's what this media is. Joy.Thats what you have given me on my birthday and every day in between. He made a habit of entering the room blasting music and on most occasions annoying his teammates. 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). Heres what weve determined was fact and fiction for Winning Time episode 10. Despite Kareem not playing in Game Six, he led Magic in PPG, RPG, BPG, and FG efficiency. [17], The series-deciding Game 6 became the most notorious example of CBS's practice of showing even the most important NBA games on "tape delay" broadcasts. Western Conference Finals MVP. Should Kareem have won the Finals MVP in 1980, or was Magic the rightful recipient? Compared to Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson averaged only 21.5 points per game and 11.2 assists per game. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 14 point 4th quarter on a bad ankle capped an overall 40-point performance. [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]. 5 20 ppg scorers, 9 in double digits. Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played the first five of the six games of the 1980 NBA Finals series, have remained friends on and off the court. Rookie Magic Johnson contributed 16 points, 10 assists and 11 rebounds. The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. But by the second time, it was getting serious. Hersey Hawkins provided a bit of scoring, but Barkley clearly had less talent to work with. Read More: Did Spencer Haywood Really Order a Hit on His Lakers Teammates? J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award. Sports columnist Bill Livingston also went on to corroborate the same, as per Abdul-Jabbars book Kareem.. . Hollyoaks spoilers: REUNITED! Also read: LeBron James was conceived when Kareem Abdul Jabbar became all time scoring leader?: Weird theory on Lakers stars birth. Thus, stats made it evident that Abdul-Jabbar was the Lakers key player. Juliet Nightingale has fun with Imran! In reality, Haywood wrote in a 1988 account in People magazine, he blamed Westhead, who had actually kicked Haywood off the team following Game 3. The Lakers went up 70, then 114. Though, there is no doubt Magic Johnson was great in the Finals. That led to one of Magic's finest hours in the NBA as he slotted in at center and finished with 42 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, and a block as the Lakers won the game and the championship.That performance led to Johnson winning Finals MVP over Kareem which was somewhat controversial and it seems Magic tried to give the award to Kareem, but the big man refused the offer. 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. Kareems 14 4th quarter points on a bad ankle gave him 40 for the game, along with 15 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 blocks on 16-24 from the field. The NBA world doesn't think voters got the MVP selection right. All rights reserved. Many consider this victory as the birth of Showtime. He converted the 3-point play to take a 106103 lead. "Spencer, of course, I forgive you," Westhead recalled responding. Check out the links below.NBA League Pass: The most live games plus NBA TV. It's not a travesty to give it to Magic, given Kareem missed a game. 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). 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. The Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers 4 games to 2.[1]. In the Pacers' win, Tyrese Haliburton led the way with a team-high 32 points (adding seven rebounds and six assists). 1988 Finals MVP went to Worthy. 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. Can he be the most valuable player if his team has more talent and experience than the team of another MVP contender? 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. Norm Nixon would finally seal the game at the foul line by making both of his foul shots. 3. Absurd though it sounds, the first-year player had 42 points to go with 15 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals in Game 6. Thanks so much for A good well thought out answer! He had 38 in Game 2, though the Sixers stole a road win. 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