1981-82 Conflict in L.A. McAdoo sucrifices his personal success for the
Chamionship
1981-82 Conflict in L.A. McAdoo sucrifices his personal success for the
Chamionship
Frustrated by their last year Playoff failure, the Lakers started the
season with determination , but a disagreement between Coach Paul Westhead and
Magic Johnson led to Westhead's dismissal after 11 games into the season ( this
coach led the Lakersto 50 victories in his two seasons). His successor would be
Pat Riley, former player for the Lakers who had been part of the 1972
Championship team). Riley put a greater emphasis on the offense, which gave his
team 57 wins. Boston won a league-high 63 games and met Philadelphia for the
third straight year in the Conference Finals. The 76ers went up 3-1, but lost
two straight games and only a seventh game's win ( 120-106) secured them a berth
in the Finals against the Lakers. The LA team had swept Phoenix and San Antonio
on its way to the Finals, and had been enduring two-a-day practice sessions in
order not to be rusty for the Finals. Aftre winning Game 1 by seven points, the
Lakers won the series in six games and received the title.
McAdoo trades his personal success for a championship ring. Bob McAdoo
had won three consecutive scoring titles as a player for the Buffalo Braves, but
his team never achieved any success in the Playoffs. At the end of 1981, McAdoo
was traded to the LA Lakers, where he became a key player, averaging 16.7 ppg in
the Playoffs. "This is the happiest moment of my life," he said minutes after
the won the title, adding "People have said many bad things about me during my
career, but this dosen't matter anymore."
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