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.
Showing posts with label Philadelphia 76ers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Philadelphia 76ers. Show all posts
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
May 11, 1980: The Baseline Move
PHILADELPHIA - Julius Erving's career has come to be defined by two moments. The first was the foul-line dunk in the 1976 ABA slam-dunk contest, and the second was The Baseline Move in 1980. While the foul-line dunk was impressive, he was by no means the first player to do that, and it happened during an exhibition, with nobody on the floor who was trying to stop him.
The Baseline Move, though, is a different story. Instead of an exhibition, it was an NBA Finals game. Instead of having the court to himself, he was driving into a crowded lane. And in finishing his move, he ended up scoring on one of the best players in NBA history.
Erving's drive has become so famous that it has overshadowed the game itself. For the record, the 76ers won Game 4 105-102 to even the series 2-2. But that's not what people remembered. Everybody remembers Erving's drive and layup in the fourth quarter.
After driving past Mark Landsberger, Erving had what appeared to be an open path along the baseline for an easy layup. He jumped, the ball secured in his large right hand, ready for a dunk. Then, Lakers hall-of-fame center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar jumped up to contest. Erving adjusted in mid air, lowering the ball and spinning his body, before scoping the ball up and off the backboard and in. By the time he shot, every part of his body was behind the backboard except his right hand.
The fans went ballistic, the 76ers were inspired, and the Lakers were shocked. Perhaps the best reaction came from Lakers legend Magic Johnson:
"Here I was, trying to win a championship, and my mouth just dropped open. He actually did that! I thought, 'What should we do? Should we take the ball out, or should we give him the ball back and ask him to do it again?' It's still the greatest move I've ever seen in a basketball game, the all-time greatest."
While the 76ers didn't win the 1980 finals (more on that later this month), they did win in 1983, giving Erving an NBA title to go with two ABA championships. He made 16 all-star teams in his career and is in the hall-of-fame. But he's remembered for dunking from the foul line and for scoring from behind the backboard.
The Baseline Move, though, is a different story. Instead of an exhibition, it was an NBA Finals game. Instead of having the court to himself, he was driving into a crowded lane. And in finishing his move, he ended up scoring on one of the best players in NBA history.
Erving's drive has become so famous that it has overshadowed the game itself. For the record, the 76ers won Game 4 105-102 to even the series 2-2. But that's not what people remembered. Everybody remembers Erving's drive and layup in the fourth quarter.
After driving past Mark Landsberger, Erving had what appeared to be an open path along the baseline for an easy layup. He jumped, the ball secured in his large right hand, ready for a dunk. Then, Lakers hall-of-fame center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar jumped up to contest. Erving adjusted in mid air, lowering the ball and spinning his body, before scoping the ball up and off the backboard and in. By the time he shot, every part of his body was behind the backboard except his right hand.
The fans went ballistic, the 76ers were inspired, and the Lakers were shocked. Perhaps the best reaction came from Lakers legend Magic Johnson:
"Here I was, trying to win a championship, and my mouth just dropped open. He actually did that! I thought, 'What should we do? Should we take the ball out, or should we give him the ball back and ask him to do it again?' It's still the greatest move I've ever seen in a basketball game, the all-time greatest."
While the 76ers didn't win the 1980 finals (more on that later this month), they did win in 1983, giving Erving an NBA title to go with two ABA championships. He made 16 all-star teams in his career and is in the hall-of-fame. But he's remembered for dunking from the foul line and for scoring from behind the backboard.
Monday, May 3, 2010
May 3, 1981: Bird takes flight
BOSTON - It shouldn't have been surprising that the Celtics and 76ers took their playoff series to Game 7 in 1981. They tied for the best record in the league at 62-20 and split their regular-season series. Boston had home-court advantage for their playoff series only because they had a better record against conference opponents.
The first six games of the Eastern Conference Finals did nothing to separate the two teams. Games 4, 5, and 6 were all two-point games, leading to the highly anticipated Game 7.
Instead of a basketball game, fans were treated to a rugby match. Players were hitting the floor on every drive and after every rebound. The high-scoring pace of the first six games of the series gave way to a slugfest in Game 7. Both teams made it abundently clear that there would be no baskets in the lane.
Aside from the team aspect, this game was billed as an individual battle between the aging star, Philadelphia's Julius Erving, and the rising star, Boston's Larry Bird. As the fourth quarter started, it seemed that Erving would get the better of this matchup, scoring 10 points in the fourth quarter to get to 21 points for the game. Things started to change at the 2:51 mark, when Erving fouled Bird on a dunk attempt (hitting the floor hard, of course). After Bird made the free throws, the game was tied at 89, and Bird clamped down.
There was the drive by Erving that Bird blocked, sending both to the floor. There were two more possessions where Bird didn't let Erving touch the ball. With a minute left, Erving was forced into a miss, which Bird rebounded, following by him dribbling down the court and banking home a 15-footer to give the Celtics the lead with 1:05 to play.
After a trade of turnovers, Philadelphia hit a free-throw to cut the deficit to one. Boston missed on the next possession, and Philadelphia got the rebound in time to call time out with one second left. Bobby Jones threw the subsequent in-bounds pass toward the rim, hoping to find Erving for a series-winning alley-oop dunk. Erving was open, but the pass was high, hitting the backboard, and the Celtics had their victory.
Bird's reaction was priceless. He stood at the free-throw line, putting both his hands behind his hand, jumping up and down as the fans swarmed him. He lingered on the court for a few minutes, letting the fans pound him on the back and head. He had arrived, bringing the Celtics to the NBA finals in only his second season. Eleven days later, Boston was the NBA champion. Things would only go up from there.
The first six games of the Eastern Conference Finals did nothing to separate the two teams. Games 4, 5, and 6 were all two-point games, leading to the highly anticipated Game 7.
Instead of a basketball game, fans were treated to a rugby match. Players were hitting the floor on every drive and after every rebound. The high-scoring pace of the first six games of the series gave way to a slugfest in Game 7. Both teams made it abundently clear that there would be no baskets in the lane.
Aside from the team aspect, this game was billed as an individual battle between the aging star, Philadelphia's Julius Erving, and the rising star, Boston's Larry Bird. As the fourth quarter started, it seemed that Erving would get the better of this matchup, scoring 10 points in the fourth quarter to get to 21 points for the game. Things started to change at the 2:51 mark, when Erving fouled Bird on a dunk attempt (hitting the floor hard, of course). After Bird made the free throws, the game was tied at 89, and Bird clamped down.
There was the drive by Erving that Bird blocked, sending both to the floor. There were two more possessions where Bird didn't let Erving touch the ball. With a minute left, Erving was forced into a miss, which Bird rebounded, following by him dribbling down the court and banking home a 15-footer to give the Celtics the lead with 1:05 to play.
After a trade of turnovers, Philadelphia hit a free-throw to cut the deficit to one. Boston missed on the next possession, and Philadelphia got the rebound in time to call time out with one second left. Bobby Jones threw the subsequent in-bounds pass toward the rim, hoping to find Erving for a series-winning alley-oop dunk. Erving was open, but the pass was high, hitting the backboard, and the Celtics had their victory.
Bird's reaction was priceless. He stood at the free-throw line, putting both his hands behind his hand, jumping up and down as the fans swarmed him. He lingered on the court for a few minutes, letting the fans pound him on the back and head. He had arrived, bringing the Celtics to the NBA finals in only his second season. Eleven days later, Boston was the NBA champion. Things would only go up from there.
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