May 16, 1980: Point Center

PHILADELPHIA - In the quest for a championship, there are almost always tough decisions to consider, sacrifices to be made. Every team gets injuries and bad luck - the ones who best deal with them end up holding the trophy at the end of the year.

In 1980, the Los Angeles Lakers were faced with a dilemma. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, their hall-of-fame center, had been dominating the series, and the Lakers held a 3 games to 2 lead on the 76ers. However, Abdul-Jabbar had injured his ankle near the end of game 5, and though he gamely returned near the end of the game, there were questions about how effective he'd be. The Lakers made the tough decision of holding Kareem out of game 6, keeping him home in Los Angeles to get treatment, while they went to Philadelphia to play without him.

With Kareem out, the Lakers needed a center. With no true backup they could trust, they turned to their rookie point guard, Magic Johnson, and asked if he could take over for the game.

Now it might seem odd to have a point guard starting at center, but at 6-9, Magic was no traditional point guard. Plus, the only real task he had to perform as a center was taking the center jump to start the game. After that, it was simply time to play.

And did Magic ever play. Officially, Magic played every position for the Lakers in that game, but really, he simply played the game. He didn't have a set position or a set role - just lead the team. He led them to an 11-0 lead to start the game. When the Sixers took an 8-point lead in the second quarter, Magic led the Lakers back to a halftime tie. When the Sixers cut the lead to 103-101 with five minutes left, Magic led his tired team to a game- and season-closing 20-6 run to wrap up the championship.

Magic's final numbers were staggering: 42 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals. All from a 20-year-old rookie who was playing out of position. And while Kareem dominated the series statistically, averaging 33 points and 13 rebounds a game, Magic's game 6 performance was enough to give him the MVP award.

Game 6 also represented the day that Magic officially "arrived" in the NBA, the day that all the promise he showed in leading Michigan State to the national championship the year before came to fruition. With Magic asserting himself in 1980, and Larry Bird doing the same against the 76ers the next year, the NBA had found its pair of superstars to lead it through the rest of the decade.