1980–81 Los Angeles Lakers season

Last updated

1980–81   Los Angeles Lakers season
Head coach Paul Westhead
General manager Bill Sharman
Owner(s) Jerry Buss
Arena The Forum
Results
Record54–28 (.659)
PlaceDivision: 2nd (Pacific)
Conference: 3rd (Western)
Playoff finish First round
(lost to Rockets 1–2)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television KHJ
Radio AM 570 KLAC
< 1979–80 1981–82 >
A ticket for a March 1981 game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks. Los Angeles Lakers at Dallas Mavericks 1981-03-17 (ticket).jpg
A ticket for a March 1981 game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks.

The 1980-81 NBA season was the Lakers' 33rd season in the NBA and the 21st season in Los Angeles. The Lakers were attempting to become the first team since 1969 to repeat as NBA Champions. Despite missing Magic Johnson for 45 games due to a knee injury, the Lakers still managed an impressive 54-28 record during the regular season, and they were the #3 seed heading into the Western Conference playoffs. However, the underdog Houston Rockets eliminated the Lakers in a best-of-three first round series two games to one.

Contents

NBA draft

The Lakers did not have a first-round pick in the 1980 Draft. Their first selection was Wayne Robinson, the 31st pick overall, but he never played a game for the Lakers. Future NBA Coach Butch Carter was their second selection at #37 overall.

RoundPickPlayerPositionNationalitySchool/Club Team
231 Wayne Robinson ForwardFlag of the United States.svg  United States Virginia Tech
237 Butch Carter GuardFlag of the United States.svg  United States Indiana

Roster

1980–81 Los Angeles Lakers roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.NameHeightWeightDOB (YYYY-MM-DD)From
C 33 Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem  (C)7 ft 2 in (2.18 m)225 lb (102 kg)1947-04-16 UCLA
PF 8, 40 Brewer, Jim 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)210 lb (95 kg)1951-12-03 Minnesota
SF 24 Carter, Butch 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)180 lb (82 kg)1958-06-11 Indiana
PF 9 Chones, Jim 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)220 lb (100 kg)1949-11-30 Marquette
SG 21 Cooper, Michael 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)170 lb (77 kg)1956-04-15 New Mexico
SG 25 Hardy, Alan 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)195 lb (88 kg)1957-05-25 Michigan
SG 14 Holland, Brad 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)180 lb (82 kg)1956-12-06 UCLA
SG 32 Johnson, Magic  Cruz Roja.svg (C)6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)215 lb (98 kg)1959-08-14 Michigan State
PG 15 Jordan, Eddie 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)170 lb (77 kg)1955-01-29 Rutgers
PF 54 Landsberger, Mark 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)215 lb (98 kg)1955-05-21 Arizona State
PG 10 Nixon, Norm 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)170 lb (77 kg)1955-10-11 Duquesne
SF 52 Wilkes, Jamaal 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)190 lb (86 kg)1953-05-02 UCLA
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Cruz Roja.svg Injured

Roster
Last transaction: December 2, 1980

Roster Notes

Regular season

Season standings

Pacific Division
W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Phoenix Suns 5725.695–36–521–2022–8
x-Los Angeles Lakers 5428.6593.030–1124–1719–11
x-Portland Trail Blazers 4537.54912.030–1115–2618–12
Golden State Warriors 3943.47618.026–1513–2810–20
San Diego Clippers 3646.43921.022–1914–2714–16
Seattle SuperSonics 3448.41523.022–1912–297–23
#
Western Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1c-Phoenix Suns 5725.695–
2y-San Antonio Spurs 5230.6345
3x-Los Angeles Lakers 5428.6593
4x-Portland Trail Blazers 4537.54912
5x-Kansas City Kings 4042.48817
6x-Houston Rockets 4042.48817
7 Golden State Warriors 3943.47618
8 Denver Nuggets 3745.45120
9 San Diego Clippers 3646.43921
10 Seattle SuperSonics 3448.41523
11 Utah Jazz 2854.34129
12 Dallas Mavericks 1567.18342

Notes

Record vs. opponents

1980-81 NBA Records
TeamATLBOSCHICLEDALDENDETGSWHOUINDKCKLALMILNJNNYKPHIPHOPORSASSDCSEAUTAWAS
Atlanta —2–42–41–52–01–14–22–01–11–51–10–21–53–22–41–50–21–11–11–11–12–01–4
Boston 4–2—5–14–12–02–04–11–12–03–31–12–03–36–05–13–32–02–02–02–01–11–15–1
Chicago 4–21–5—5–11–11–15–11–11–13–22–01–13–33–23–32–40–20–20–21–11–12–05–1
Cleveland 5–11–41–5—2–01–13–31–10–22–40–20–20–63–30–50–61–11–11–11–10–21–14–2
Dallas 0–20–21–10–2—3–30–22–30–60–20–60–50–21–11–10–21–41–41–52–31–41–50–2
Denver 1–10–21–11–13–3—2–03–22–41–14–23–21–11–10–21–11–42–32–43–23–22–40–2
Detroit 2–41–41–53–32–00–2—0–21–12–41–10–21–53–31–51–40–20–20–21–10–20–21–5
Golden State 0–21–11–11–13–22–32–0—3–21–15–01–51–11–12–00–22–42–41–42–43–34–11–1
Houston 1–10–21–12–06–04–21–12–3—1–12–42–30–22–00–20–21–43–23–31–44–14–20–2
Indiana 5–13–32–34–22–01–14–21–11–1—2–00–22–45–13–20–61–10–22–01–10–21–14–2
Kansas City 1–11–10–22–06–02–41–10–54–20–2—0–51–12–01–10–23–23–22–43–22–35–11–1
Los Angeles2–00–21–12–05–02–32–05–13–22–05–0—0–22–02–01–12–43–32–33–36–03–21–1
Milwaukee 5–13–33–36–02–01–15–11–12–04–21–12–0—5–13–33–21–12–01–12–02–02–04–1
New Jersey 2–30–62–33–31–11–13–31–10–21–50–20–21–5—0–61–51–12–00–20–21–11–13–3
New York 4–21–53–35–01–12–05–10–22–02–31–10–23–36–0—3–31–11–10–22–02–02–04–2
Philadelphia 5–13–34–26–02–01–14–12–02–06–02–01–12–35–13–3—1–11–12–02–02–02–04–2
Phoenix 2–00–22–01–14–14–12–04–24–11–12–34–21–11–11–11–1—3–33–26–05–15–01–1
Portland 1–10–22–01–14–13–22–04–22–32–02–33–30–20–21–11–13–3—2–34–24–22–32–0
San Antonio 1–10–22–01–15–14–22–04–13–30–24–23–21–12–02–00–22–33–2—4–13–25–11–1
San Diego 1–10–21–11–13–22–31–14–24–11–12–33–30–22–00–20–20–62–41–4—5–13–20–2
Seattle 1–11–11–12–04–12–32–03–31–42–03–20–60–21–10–20–21–52–42–31–5—4–11–1
Utah 0–21–10–21–15–14–22–01–42–41–11–52–30–21–10–20–20–53–21–52–31–4—0–2
Washington 4–11–51–52–42–02–05–11–12–02–41–11–11–43–32–42–41–10–21–12–01–12–0—

Game log

Regular season

1980–81 game log
Total: 54-28 (home: 30-11; road: 24-17)
October: 9–2 (home: 5–1; road: 4–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
1October 10@ Seattle W 99-98 Jamaal Wilkes (22) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (12) Magic Johnson (8) Kingdome
35,233		1-0
2October 12 Houston W 114-103 Magic Johnson (30) Jim Chones (11) Magic Johnson (10) The Forum
11,142		2-0
3October 15@ Kansas City W 112-107 (OT) Jamaal Wilkes (31) Magic Johnson (12) Magic Johnson (14) Kemper Arena
5,753		3-0
4October 17 Phoenix W 116-109 Jamaal Wilkes (34) Jim Chones (16) Norm Nixon (9) The Forum
10,411		4-0
5October 19 Golden State W 125-107 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (29) Mark Landsberger (12) Norm Nixon (9) The Forum
10,644		5-0
6October 21@ Portland L 103-107 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (25) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (15) Magic Johnson (5) Memorial Coliseum
12,666		5-1
7October 24 Seattle W 104-98 Abdul-Jabbar & Wilkes (26) Jim Chones (15) Magic Johnson (12) The Forum
12,201		6-1
8October 25@ Utah W 127-99 Magic Johnson (33) Mark Landsberger (12) Magic Johnson (6) Salt Palace
12,058		7-1
9October 26 San Antonio L 102-108 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (30) Magic Johnson (13) Magic Johnson (11) The Forum
11,906		7-2
10October 28@ San Diego W 131-101 Magic Johnson (29) Abdul-Jabbar & Landsberger (10) Magic Johnson (10) San Diego Sports Arena
8,663		8-2
11October 31 Cleveland W 107-98 Jamaal Wilkes (23) Jim Chones (13) Norm Nixon (8) The Forum
9,728		9-2
November: 9–6 (home: 5–3; road: 4–3)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
12November 2 Denver L 121-123 Jamaal Wilkes (26) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (10) Magic Johnson (11) The Forum
11,661		9-3
13November 4 Portland W 119-118 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (28) Jim Chones (12) Magic Johnson (12) The Forum
10,100		10-3
14November 7@ Dallas W 126-102 Magic Johnson (32) Johnson & Landsberger (9) Norm Nixon (10) Reunion Arena
17,481		11-3
15November 8@ San Antonio L 109-112 Magic Johnson (28) Chones & Johnson (10) Norm Nixon (15) HemisFair Arena
16,114		11-4
16November 11@ Atlanta W 126-97 Jamaal Wilkes (22) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (10) Abdul-Jabbar & Johnson (8) Omni Coliseum
11,373		12-4
17November 12@ Houston L 104-107 Jamaal Wilkes (28) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (10) Magic Johnson (11) The Summit
11,527		12-5
18November 14 San Diego W 113-100 Jamaal Wilkes (22) Jim Chones (12) Magic Johnson (10) The Forum
11,808		13-5
19November 16 Dallas W 110-102 Magic Johnson (24) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (11) Magic Johnson (8) The Forum
10,893		14-5
20November 18 Kansas City W 107-94 Jamaal Wilkes (32) Jim Chones (18) Norm Nixon (14) The Forum
10,169		15-5
21November 20@ Phoenix L 99-102 Abdul-Jabbar & Wilkes (29) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (8) Norm Nixon (7) Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
12,660		15-6
22November 21 Phoenix W 116-88 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (29) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (20) Norm Nixon (7) The Forum
14,164		16-6
23November 23 Milwaukee L 94-110 Jamaal Wilkes (27) Jim Chones (13) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6) The Forum
14,814		16-7
24November 27@ Golden State W 128-119 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (40) Abdul-Jabbar & Chones (11) Norm Nixon (12) Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena
12,564		17-7
25November 29@ Denver W 124-123 (2OT) Jamaal Wilkes (30) Jim Chones (15) Norm Nixon (7) McNichols Sports Arena
14,811		18-7
26November 30 Chicago L 108-122 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (28)3 players tied (9) Eddie Jordan (9) The Forum
13,605		18-8
December: 8–7 (home: 5–2; road: 3–5)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
27December 3 San Diego L 114-120 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (33) Jim Chones (13) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (7) The Forum
9,346		18-9
28December 6@ Golden State L 103-119 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (27) Jim Chones (9) Norm Nixon (11) Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena
13,329		18-10
29December 7 Utah W 113-100 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (24) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (17) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (8) The Forum
11,564		19-10
30December 9@ Dallas W 103-92 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (29) Abdul-Jabbar & Chones (11) Norm Nixon (10) Reunion Arena
9,313		20-10
31December 10@ Houston W 109-108 Jamaal Wilkes (32) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (9) Norm Nixon (8) The Summit
10,632		21-10
32December 12@ Seattle W 113-107 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (30) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (8) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (9) Kingdome
22,448		22-10
33December 14 Golden State W 122-113 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (29) Jim Chones (11) Norm Nixon (14) The Forum
11,643		23-10
34December 16@ San Diego L 92-97 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (32) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (9) Norm Nixon (8) San Diego Sports Arena
9,044		23-11
35December 19 Portland L 106-110 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (34) Jim Chones (13) Norm Nixon (10) The Forum
12,190		23-12
36December 21 San Antonio W 135-122 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (42) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (13) Norm Nixon (10) The Forum
12,341		24-12
37December 23@ Portland L 102-108 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (42) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Eddie Jordan (6) Memorial Coliseum
12,666		24-13
38December 26 Indiana W 116-115 Jamaal Wilkes (33) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (15) Norm Nixon (12) The Forum
14,345		25-13
39December 27@ Phoenix L 106-116 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (27) Jim Chones (10) Norm Nixon (10) Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
12,660		25-14
40December 28 Philadelphia W 122-116 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (34) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (13) Norm Nixon (10) The Forum
17,505		26-14
41December 30@ Utah L 100-110 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (30) Jim Chones (12) Eddie Jordan (6) Salt Palace
12,393		26-15
January: 10–3 (home: 8–0; road: 2–3)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
42January 2@ San Antonio L 112-118 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (36) Jim Chones (11) Norm Nixon (15) HemisFair Arena
14,722		26-16
43January 6 Washington W 107-98 Norm Nixon (30) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (16) Norm Nixon (12) The Forum
11,033		27-16
44January 9 Seattle W 92-87 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (28) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (16) Norm Nixon (9) The Forum
12,596		28-16
45January 11 Detroit W 117-108 Jamaal Wilkes (33) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (9) Norm Nixon (10) The Forum
11,195		29-16
46January 13@ Cleveland W 108-104 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (29) Abdul-Jabbar & Brewer (8) Norm Nixon (9) Richfield Coliseum
7,316		30-16
47January 14@ Washington L 104-114 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (25) Abdul-Jabbar & Cooper (10) Norm Nixon (7) Capital Centre
10,372		30-17
48January 16@ New Jersey W 113-111 Jamaal Wilkes (32) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (11) Norm Nixon (13) Brendan Byrne Arena
8,462		31-17
49January 18@ Boston L 96-98 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (32) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (12) Eddie Jordan (5) Boston Garden
15,320		31-18
50January 21 Atlanta W 116-106 Jamaal Wilkes (26) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (10) Michael Cooper (9) The Forum
10,389		32-18
51January 23 Denver W 110-105 Jamaal Wilkes (30) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (15) Norm Nixon (9) The Forum
14,813		33-18
52January 26 Portland W 124-112 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (24) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (12) Norm Nixon (18) The Forum
10,681		34-18
53January 27 Utah W 111-104 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (27) Jim Chones (13) Norm Nixon (12) The Forum
10,453		35-18
54January 29 Kansas City W 118-104 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (35) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (13) Cooper & Nixon (10) The Forum
11,058		36-18
February: 8–4 (home: 3–2; road: 5–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
All-Star Break
55February 4@ Indiana W 102-96 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (29) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (16) Michael Cooper (9) Market Square Arena
15,966		37-18
56February 6@ Detroit W 111-102 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (25) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (14) Eddie Jordan (12) Pontiac Silverdome
12,205		38-18
57February 8@ Philadelphia L 99-102 Jamaal Wilkes (28) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (12) Abdul-Jabbar & Nixon (5) The Spectrum
18,276		38-19
58February 11 Boston L 91-105 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (32) Michael Cooper (11) Norm Nixon (10) The Forum
17,505		38-20
59February 13@ Houston W 114-105 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (30) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (12) Norm Nixon (10) The Summit
13,985		39-20
60February 15 Dallas W 107-99 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (35) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (12) Norm Nixon (9) The Forum
11,920		40-20
61February 17 New York W 96-87 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (28) Michael Cooper (11) Michael Cooper (9) The Forum
13,279		41-20
62February 20 Houston L 107-110 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (36) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (12) Norm Nixon (12) The Forum
14,470		41-21
63February 22@ New York W 96-93 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (32) Cooper & Landsberger (9) Cooper & Nixon (7) Madison Square Garden
19,591		42-21
64February 24@ Chicago W 107-97 Norm Nixon (24) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (11) Norm Nixon (13) Chicago Stadium
16,518		43-21
65February 25@ Milwaukee L 108-126 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (29) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (13) Norm Nixon (8) MECCA Arena
11,052		43-22
66February 27 New Jersey W 107-103 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (28) Abdul-Jabbar & Johnson (11) Cooper & Nixon (7) The Forum
17,505		44-22
March: 10–6 (home: 4–3; road: 6–3)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
67March 1 Phoenix L 96-101 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (28) Magic Johnson (10) Norm Nixon (9) The Forum
17,505		44-23
68March 3@ Kansas City W 99-98 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (24)3 players tied (8) Norm Nixon (8) Kemper Arena
12,208		45-23
69March 4@ Denver L 114-123 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (26) Mark Landsberger (10) Norm Nixon (7) McNichols Sports Arena
14,840		45-24
70March 10 San Antonio W 118-104 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (35) Magic Johnson (16) Norm Nixon (13) The Forum
16,703		46-24
71March 12@ San Diego W 122-116 Jamaal Wilkes (29) Magic Johnson (9) Magic Johnson (7) San Diego Sports Arena
13,043		47-24
72March 13 Kansas City W 116-101 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (28) Mark Landsberger (11) Magic Johnson (11) The Forum
17,505		48-24
73March 15 San Diego L 118-122 Jamaal Wilkes (27) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (9) Norm Nixon (12) The Forum
15,560		48-25
74March 17@ Dallas W 114-109 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (28) Magic Johnson (9) Johnson & Nixon (7) Reunion Arena
17,828		49-25
75March 18@ Phoenix L 114-126 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (27) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (8) Magic Johnson (8) Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
12,660		49-26
76March 20 Seattle W 133-119 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (34) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (8) Norm Nixon (10) The Forum
17,505		50-26
77March 21@ Portland W 117-111 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (31) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (19) Norm Nixon (15) Memorial Coliseum
12,666		51-26
78March 22@ Golden State W 120-118 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (31) Magic Johnson (8) Norm Nixon (15) Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena
13,239		52-26
79March 24 Golden State W 110-103 Johnson & Nixon (24) Magic Johnson (9) Magic Johnson (11) The Forum
17,505		53-26
80March 27@ Seattle W 97-90 Jamaal Wilkes (24) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (10) Magic Johnson (9) Kingdome
22,494		54-26
81March 28@ Utah L 110-112 (OT) Magic Johnson (41) Johnson & Landsberger (12) Magic Johnson (11) Salt Palace
12,383		54-27
82March 29 Denver L 146-148 (OT) Magic Johnson (33) Magic Johnson (15) Magic Johnson (17) The Forum
17,505		54-28
1980–81 schedule

Playoffs

1981 playoff game log
Total: 1–2 (home: 0–2; road: 1–0)
First Round: 1–2 (home: 0–2; road: 1–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1April 1 Houston L 107–111 Magic Johnson (26) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (15) Norm Nixon (10) The Forum
15,517		0–1
2April 3@ Houston W 111–106 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (27) Magic Johnson (18) Norm Nixon (11) The Summit
16,121		1–1
3April 5 Houston L 86–89 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (32) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (18) Magic Johnson (9) The Forum
14,813		1–2
1981 schedule

Player statistics

Note: GP= Games played; MPG= Minutes per Game; REB = Rebounds; AST = Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; PPG = Points per Game

PlayerGPMPGREBASTSTLBLKPTSPPG
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 8037.282127259228209526.2
Jamaal Wilkes 8137.443523512129182722.6
Norm Nixon 7937.523269614611135017.1
Jim Chones 8231.2657153399688210.8
Magic Johnson 3737.13203171272779821.6
Michael Cooper 8132.4336332133787639.4
Mark Landsberger 6915.7377271963905.7
Eddie Jordan 6016.5801957473065.1
Butch Carter 5412.465522313015.6
Jim Brewer 7814.22815543582172.8
Brad Holland 417.229232111303.2
Alan Hardy225.019319512.3
Myles Patrick 33.0210051.7
Tony Jackson27.0222021.0

Award winners/Honors

Transactions

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The 1990–91 NBA season was the Lakers' 43rd season in the National Basketball Association, and 31st in the city of Los Angeles. This season's highlight was Magic Johnson leading the Lakers to the NBA Finals, where they lost in five games to Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls. The Lakers would not return to the Finals until 2000. The season is generally considered the final season of the team's successful, uptempo Showtime era.

The 1991–92 NBA season was the Lakers' 44th season in the National Basketball Association, and 32nd in the city of Los Angeles. This was the start of a new era for the Los Angeles Lakers, as they were coming from an NBA Finals defeat to the Chicago Bulls in five games, but also with the sudden retirement of their long-time superstar, Magic Johnson, after he announced that he was HIV positive. Johnson would briefly come back and play in the 1992 NBA All-Star Game in Orlando despite controversy; he was selected along with teammate James Worthy, and won the All-Star MVP award, as the Western Conference defeated the Eastern Conference, 153–113.

The 1979-80 NBA season was the Lakers' 32nd season in the NBA and the 20th season in Los Angeles. It featured a 20-year old rookie Magic Johnson leading the Lakers to their seventh NBA Championship, defeating the Philadelphia 76ers led by Julius Erving in six games in the NBA Finals. This was also the team's first season under the ownership of Jerry Buss. Magic's season represented the birth of the Showtime Lakers.

The 1986–87 Los Angeles Lakers season was the 41st season of the franchise, 39th in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and 27th in Los Angeles. Coming from a shocking defeat to the Houston Rockets in the previous season's Western Conference Finals in five games, where they won the first game, but proceeded to drop the next four, the Lakers avenged their playoff upset by making the NBA Finals for the sixth time in the 1980s. Prior to reaching the NBA Finals, in the playoffs, the Lakers swept the Denver Nuggets in three games in the First Round, defeated the Golden State Warriors in five games in the Semi-finals, and swept the Seattle SuperSonics in four games in the Conference Finals. This team was named one of the 10 greatest teams in NBA history.

The 1982–83 NBA season was the Lakers' 35th season in the NBA and the 23rd season in Los Angeles. The Lakers were attempting to become the first team since the Boston Celtics in 1969 to repeat as NBA Champions. However, on April 10, 1983, rookie James Worthy injured his leg while attempting a putback in a home loss against Phoenix, ending his rookie season. Even without Worthy for the playoffs, the Lakers did make it to the NBA Finals, only to be swept in four games by the Julius Erving and Moses Malone led Philadelphia 76ers.

The 1988–89 Phoenix Suns season was the 20th season for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association. The Suns had the seventh overall pick in the 1988 NBA draft, which they used to select Tim Perry out of Temple University, and also selected future All-Star Dan Majerle from the University of Central Michigan with the fourteenth overall pick. During the off-season, the Suns fired head coach John Wetzel and replaced him with director of player personnel Cotton Fitzsimmons, who coached the team for the '70–'71 and '71–'72 seasons, and signed free agent and one-time All-Star forward Tom Chambers. The Suns showed a lot of improvement over the previous season, holding a 29–17 record at the All-Star break, posting a nine-game winning streak between March and April, and finishing second in the Pacific Division with a 55–27 record. All home games were played at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

The 1989–90 NBA season was the 21st season for the Phoenix Suns in the National Basketball Association.record. Cotton Fitzsimmons was head coach for a club that returned to the Western Conference Finals. All home games were played at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum. In December, the team traded Armen Gilliam to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Kurt Rambis, who won four championships with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Suns held a 28–17 record at the All-Star break, and finished third in the Pacific Division with a 54–28 record.

The 1994–95 NBA season was the 27th season for the Phoenix Suns in the National Basketball Association. During the off-season, the Suns signed free agents, All-Star forward Danny Manning, Wayman Tisdale, and Danny Schayes. The team was led by Paul Westphal, in his third year as head coach of the Suns. The Suns held the league's best record at 38–10 before the All-Star break, and finished the regular season with 59 wins and 23 losses, the first time in the franchise's history they had ended the season with 55 or more wins for three consecutive seasons. All home games were played at America West Arena.

The 1988–89 NBA season was the Seattle SuperSonics' 22nd season in the National Basketball Association. During the off-season, the Sonics acquired Michael Cage from the Los Angeles Clippers. The SuperSonics won their first three games of the season, and held a 28–18 record at the All-Star break. However, the team lost seven straight games between March and April, but then posted an 8-game winning streak afterwards, and finished third in the Pacific Division with a 47–35 record.

The 1999–2000 NBA season was the 33nd season for the Seattle SuperSonics in the National Basketball Association. The SuperSonics had the thirteenth overall pick in the 1999 NBA draft, and selected Corey Maggette out of Duke University, but soon traded him to the Orlando Magic in exchange for Horace Grant. The team also acquired Brent Barry from the Chicago Bulls, and signed free agents Vernon Maxwell, second-year forward Ruben Patterson and three-point specialist Chuck Person. Two years removed from the George Karl-era, the Sonics held a 31–20 record at the All-Star break, and managed to make the playoffs after a one-year absence, finishing fourth in the Pacific Division with a 45–37 record. They took the 2nd-seeded Utah Jazz to a fifth and decisive game in the Western Conference First Round before being eliminated on Utah's home floor.

The 1992–93 NBA season was the Lakers' 45th season in the National Basketball Association, and 33rd in the city of Los Angeles. The Lakers received the fifteenth overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft, and selected Anthony Peeler from the University of Missouri. During the off-season, the team signed free agent James Edwards, who won two championships with the Detroit Pistons. After playing in the Olympics, All-Star guard Magic Johnson attempted a comeback, but cut it short when other NBA players expressed fear of playing against him, most notably All-Star forward Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz. Under new head coach Randy Pfund, the Lakers played around .500 for the first half of the season holding a 26–23 at the All-Star break. At midseason, Sam Perkins was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics in exchange for Benoit Benjamin and top draft pick Doug Christie. However, the Lakers struggled playing below .500 for the remainder of the season, losing 11 of 12 games between March 17 and April 9, finishing fifth in the Pacific Division with a 39–43 record, their worst since 1974–75, but still qualified the playoffs as the #8 seed in the Western Conference.

The 1993–94 NBA season was the Lakers' 46th season in the National Basketball Association, and 34th in the city of Los Angeles. The Lakers received the twelfth overall pick in the 1993 NBA draft, and selected George Lynch from the University of North Carolina, and also selected Nick Van Exel from the University of Cincinnati with the 37th overall pick. During the off-season, the team acquired Sam Bowie from the New Jersey Nets, and re-signed free agent and former Lakers forward Kurt Rambis. The Lakers continued to struggle as they lost 9 of their first 12 games, and held a 18–29 record at the All-Star break. Head coach Randy Pfund was fired after a 27–37 start, and was replaced with interim Bill Bertka for the next two games.

The 1989–90 NBA season was the Lakers' 42nd season in the National Basketball Association, and 30th in the city of Los Angeles. The Lakers drafted Yugoslavian center Vlade Divac with the 26th overall pick in the 1989 NBA draft. Despite the retirement of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and an NBA Finals defeat in which they were swept in four games by the Detroit Pistons, the Lakers got off to a fast start winning ten of their first eleven games, and holding a 35–11 record at the All-Star break, on their way finishing the regular season with a league-best 63–19 record.

The 1993–94 NBA season was the Warriors' 48th season in the National Basketball Association, and their 31st in the San Francisco Bay Area. In the 1993 NBA draft, the Warriors selected Penny Hardaway from the University of Memphis with the third overall pick, but soon traded him to the Orlando Magic in exchange for top draft pick Chris Webber from the University of Michigan. During the off-season, the team signed free agent Avery Johnson. Without All-Star guard Tim Hardaway and sixth man Šarūnas Marčiulionis, who both missed the entire season with knee injuries, and with Chris Mullin missing the first 20 games with a finger injury, the Warriors struggled losing three of their first four games, but soon recovered later holding a 27–20 record at the All-Star break. The team improved over the previous season as they posted an 8-game winning streak in April, finishing third in the Pacific Division with a solid 50–32 record.

References

  1. ↑ "With Johnson Out, The Lakers Are Having Their Problems". Los Angeles Times . January 12, 1981. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
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