Los Angeles Lakers 1982 NBA Champions - Something to Prove

Overview

Although it seems amazing that any champion can be considered overlooked, the 1982 Los Angeles Lakers fit that mold. Anyone who knows of the NBA knows of 1980 and the coming out party of Magic Johnson in Game Six of the Finals and how the team pulled together for a special season. That same group of people also know about 1985 and the demolition of the Celtic jinx on the parquet floor of Boston Garden led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's redemptively dominant performance and Magic Johnson's quiet triple-double. Sandwiched in between those years, however, is a very significant championship year. From Magic's on and off court trauma with Paul Westhead to the inclusion of Pat Riley into the head coaching role and the beginning of Showtime. From the key roles of Bob McAdoo and Mitch Kupchack before such names as Byron Scott or A.C. Green were even around to the stardom of Abdul-Jabbar and Johnson, not to mention perhaps one of the greatest backcourt tandems in Johnson and Norm Nixon.