1981-82 NBA Finals

Result

Games

Finals MVP

Magic Johnson. Magic Johnson was named Finals MVP, capping the series with a Game 6 stat line of 13 points, 13 rebounds, and 13 assists.

Series context

The 1981-82 season marked a turbulent but ultimately triumphant year for the Los Angeles Lakers. After an early-season stumble, owner Jerry Buss fired head coach Paul Westhead and promoted assistant Pat Riley, who installed the fast-paced "Showtime" offense built around a healthy Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and newly added pieces Kurt Rambis and Bob McAdoo. The Lakers surged to a strong record and rolled through the first two rounds of the playoffs before meeting Philadelphia in the Finals for a rematch of their 1980 championship series. The 76ers, led by Julius Erving and a deep supporting cast including Andrew Toney, Darryl Dawkins, and Bobby Jones, finished with a strong record but were forced into a grueling first-round series under the era's playoff seeding rules, then survived a seven-game Eastern Conference Finals against Boston, rallying from a series deficit and winning Game 7 on the road behind Andrew Toney's scoring. The Finals opened in Los Angeles, where the Lakers stole home-court advantage in dramatic fashion, winning Game 1 124-117 after erupting for a huge run that buried the 76ers early. Philadelphia answered in Game 2, controlling the boards en route to a 110-94 win that tied the series. The Lakers took command back on their home floor with a 129-108 rout in Game 3, paced by Norm Nixon's 29 points, and followed with a 111-101 win in Game 4 to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. Philadelphia refused to fold, however, humiliating the Lakers 135-102 in Game 5 as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was held to just six points, forcing the series back to Los Angeles. The Lakers closed it out in Game 6, winning 114-104 to capture their second championship in three years and their first under Pat Riley. Magic Johnson's do-everything Game 6, 13 points, 13 rebounds, and 13 assists, epitomized the Showtime era that was just beginning, and he was named Finals MVP for the second time in his young career, having also won the award as a rookie in 1980. The championship reaffirmed Los Angeles as the league's model franchise heading into a decade that would see them clash repeatedly with an emerging Celtics powerhouse in Boston. Los Angeles finished the regular season 57-25, best in the Western Conference, and swept Phoenix in the second round to reach the Finals. Philadelphia went 58-24, good for second in the Atlantic Division behind Boston, then swept Atlanta in the first round and beat Milwaukee in six games before its Eastern Conference Finals classic against the Celtics, in which the 76ers built a 3-1 lead only to see Boston win two straight to force a decisive Game 7, which Philadelphia won on the road. Attendance was strong throughout the Finals, with the Lakers drawing 17,505 fans per game at the Forum and the 76ers drawing 18,364 at the Spectrum. The series marked the first time all games of an NBA Finals were broadcast live nationally by CBS rather than on tape delay, and the clinching Game 6 gave the Lakers a title clinched on their own home court, the first time that had happened in the Finals since 1977.

Sources

• Wikipedia - 1982 NBA Finals
• Basketball-Reference - 1982 NBA Finals