The 1974 NBA World Championship Series was between the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics verses the Western Conference champion Milwaukee Bucks ….as the Celtics won a hard fought 7 game series to win the NBA championship. Home court advantage apparently meant very little in this series…..when the Celtics decided to abandon man-to-man defense and double and triple team Kareem Abdul-Jabbar….who still scored 26 points…..as this maneuver resulted in freeing up Celtic C Dave Cowens more on the offensive end….as he hit 8 of 13 shots in the first half on his way to 28 points and 14 rebounds….while teammate John Havlicek added 16 as the Celtics cruised to an easy 102–87 win and their first title in the “post-Bill Russell era.”
The 1980 NBA World Championship Series was the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers verses the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers….as the Lakers won the championship by 4 games to 2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the league’s MVP, but midway through Game 5….but the Lakers center suffered a severely sprained ankle…..and did not make the trip to Philadelphia for Game 6….and was listed as doubtful if Game 7 had it been needed….but In Game 6, Magic Johnson played what may have been the greatest game of his career….while playing on the road, Johnson….a a 6’9″ rookie point guard….started the game at center and eventually played all five positions in a dominating performance…. as he scored a game-high 42 points and grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds….plus he handed out seven assists….as Johnson led the Lakers to the NBA crown.
