But since the evaluation is "most valuable player" rather than best player (which Jordan had on lockdown with his 33.6 ppg and 2.77 steals, both tops in the NBA), one could say that Barkley's team wouldn't have even made the playoffs without him. Now an ardent fan, Arjun supports Stephen Curry and the Warriors but also enjoys watching Giannis Antetokounmpo own the paint. The victory gave the Lakers the crucial 32 series lead heading back to Philadelphia. The Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers 4 games to 2. However, reporters apparently had to change their votes since the NBAs broadcaster did not want to present the award to an absent player. Therefore, viewers must be wondering if Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the original winner of the 1980 NBA Finals MVP? In his memoir, "Kareem," Abdul-Jabbar cites sportswriter Bill Livingston, who publicly said the voting NBA writers had originally chosen Abdul-Jabbar asfinals MVP but the group waspressured"either by the network (CBS) or the league" to change the vote. Maurice Cheeks matched Erving's total of 23 points, while Bobby Jones added 13 off the bench. Eastern Conference Finals MVP. Wining Time will be back with a season 2. The Lakers, however, beat the 76ers again the following season, before losing to the 76ers in the season after that. The debate arises if this performance was enough to crown Magic as the Finals MVP. The 1984 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1983-84 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. Mo Cheeks the 5th or 6th best offensive player in the series, 14.7 ppg on 57.7% FG. Did Nash really belong in that distinguished company? Norm Nixon would finally seal the game at the foul line by making both of his foul shots. Julius Erving scored 12 points in the first quarter on his way to 23, beginning the game with a dunk over Abdul-Jabbar. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Did Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Magic Johnson win the 1980 NBA Finals MVP? Sixth Man of the Year. An injury in the fifth game sidelines Abdul-Jabbar, setting up Magic Johnson to take his captains position and the center stage. Kareem wasn't totally robbed imo. Yeah, but in the 5/6 he did he seem to have been the better player? Johnson had no problem and was up to the challenge, although he would lose the famous opening tip to Caldwell Jones. Greenmark Group - 1980 nba finals mvp controversy % May 13, 2022 by tottenham leicester whoscored. But the truth is stranger than fiction. This was also the year of Kobe's great 81 point game. Pat Riley (Adrien Brody) intercepts the message, but he doesnt tell Johnson what it says until the guard is in need of extra motivation to beat the 76ers. The NBA world doesn't think voters got the MVP selection right. When hes not writing as Terrell, hes writing under his pseudonym Tavion Scott, creating scripts for his audio drama podcasts. No. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar continued to dominate, with 38 points in Game 2. Duncan, to be sure, had a great year. In the most recent vintage of the pitcher vs. hitter debate, Martinez went 23-4 . Kareem had the Finals MVP seemingly locked up. At that point, Kareem had scored 26 points and was carrying the Lakers, but now he was in the locker room. He scored 14 of those points in the fourth quarter alone. Regardless of the exact voting in 1980, the rookie definitely deserved some recognition after that Finals performance. Although Lamar Odom was on the team, he has always served the Lakers best off the bench rather than a second option. It is believed that the bid was . The Lakers and the Celtics didnt face each other in the NBA Finals until 1984-85 (a Lakers win), again in 1985-86 (the Celtics won) and again the following year, which saw the Lakers win (The Lakers were the more dominant team in the 80s, winning 5 Championships to three by the Celtics). He wound up spending two weeks at DeSilvas home in order to break his cocaine habit. Did Spencer Haywood Really Order a Hit on His Lakers Teammates. Abdul-Jabbar then limped back onto the floor. According to The Washington Post (opens in new tab), when the Laker great was a rookie, he would indeed walk around blasting music. Rookie Magic Johnson contributed 16 points, 10 assists and 11 rebounds. LeBron James was so good for the Cleveland Cavaliers that he scored four of the 11 votes for Finals MVP. In the Pacers' win, Tyrese Haliburton led the way with a team-high 32 points (adding seven rebounds and six assists). Perhaps it was because voters felt that they snubbed Tim Duncan for MVP in 1999, or it was because Jason Kidd's arrest for spousal abuse in 2001 just biased them against him, but many believed that Tim Duncan did not deserve the MVP award in 2002. As for Howard, he started the season with one team and would end the season with a totally different team. 1980 nba finals mvp controversy Arjun Julka is a NBA author at The SportsRush. Was this actually the final count? [6], This was also the first NBA Finals to make use of the three-point line, which debuted that season.[7]. All rights reserved. However, these numbers aren't vastly different from his numbers the previous year when he averaged 22.2 ppg, 12.2 rpg and 2.2 bpg. "I turned all my anger toward Westhead, who I felt had snatched it from me. In the fourth with a little over five minutes left, the Sixers rallied to cut the Laker lead to 103101. Meanwhile, Birds Celtics were defeated by Julius Ervings 76ers in the Eastern Conference Finals. The suggestion in "Winning Time" that it was Johnson's idea to start as center is dramatic license. Magic had an amazing game, but guess what it's a series award. In 2002, they were only third. He averaged 37.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 7.4 assists, and 43.9 minutes per game. The Worst NBA Finals MVPs Ever. But Jordan simply did a bit more for the Bulls this season and deserved the award and hada slightly more convincing argument for winning the award. Johnson would go on to win two more NBA Finals MVP awards before his professional career was over. Should Kareem have won the Finals MVP in 1980, or was Magic the rightful recipient? In reality, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played the first five of the six games of the 1980 NBA Finals series. "Winning Time" shows a locker room-bound Johnson agreeing to take the finals MVP award instead ofAbdul-Jabbar on the strong suggestion ofDavid Stern, the league's executive vice president forlegal affairs (and future commissioner). Additionally, Abdul-Jabbar was named the 1980 NBA MVP, reflective of his work from that entire season. "Winning Time" features Spencer Haywood (Wood Harris) plottingto kill the Lakers after the teamvoted to kick out the troubled forwardbecause of his cocaine use. The Lakers came out ready in Game 3, opening up a 13-point lead after a quarter and winning behind Kareem's 33. NBA History - 1980 Awards Award: There is no doubt that as far as offense goes both Kareem and Magic were phenomenal in their respective roles. Johnson, who was named as an All-Star starter during his first year in the league, lost out on Rookie of the Year honors to rival Larry Bird. The Sixers, however, had Julius Erving who scored 11 of the Sixers last 13 points to complete an 8-point comeback, and tie the game at 103103 with only 43 seconds remaining. Johnson, a rookie, became the third playerto win an NCAA title and NBA title in back-to-back years. The 7-foot-2-inch Abdul had ledhis team through the finals, gutting out aMVP-worthy Game 5 victory despite a severelyinjuredankle. The 1980 NBA Finals proved how special Magic was in game 6, with Kareem Abdul Jabbar unable to play Magic played center and scored 42 points. The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. James was playing for a different team, in a new role with half the country rooting for him to fail. Erving, continues weaving truth with dramatic license. These things are true, but in defense of Howard and James, both players had to make bigger adjustments and sacrifices to their games throughout the regular season than Rose did. Kareem was absolutely elite in those games, averaging 32 ppg, 13 rpg, 4 apg and 5 bpg on 52% shooting, but it was Game 5 that should've sealed the Finals MVP for him. Alan Diaz/AP Michael Jordan was robbed in the 1988 - 1989 and. Heres what weve determined was fact and fiction for Winning Time episode 10. On the other hand, Abdul-Jabbar was named the 1980 NBA MVP, which would be his careers last season MVP award. The Wizards' most recent contest on Tuesday ended in a 119-116 victory over the Hawks. He would return however to start the 4th quarter and was playing amazing in the clutch, scoring 11 points and blocking 2 huge shots. He had 38 in Game 2, though the Sixers stole a road win. Also read: LeBron James was conceived when Kareem Abdul Jabbar became all time scoring leader?: Weird theory on Lakers stars birth. Terrell is a huge fan of great storytelling when it comes to television and film. Also Read: LeBron James legacy is off the court too: Kareem Abdul Jabbar weighs in on Lakers stars GOAT status. According to unconfirmed reports, Abdul-Jabbar was originally voted as the Finals MVP. Had Game 7 been played, it would have tipped off at noon Pacific (3 p.m. Eastern). Fans caught up on HBOsWinning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynastysaw the first seasons finale last night. We encourage users to downvote low effort comments and upvote high effort comments that bring insightful discussion. Paul Westhead does also thank Jack McKinney in his remarks, and the players (including Norm Nixon) make sure to single out Kareems contributions. Enough of us saps changed our votes to deny Kareem the award 4-3. The team had even drafted Magic Johnson, who was the 1st pick in the 1979 NBA Draft. Also, is it true that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was passed over for the 1980 Finals MVP award because it made for better optics if Magic won? Warren Fox demands answers from Tony! Cmo puede ocupar el segundo lugar en el MVP?" En la lnea . He def had a Finals MVP worthy series, but so did Magic: Kareem -- 33.5/13.5/3/4.5 on 55-80%, 58.5% TS for 5 games, Magic -- 21.5/8.5/11/2.5 on 57-88%, 63.8% TS for 6 games. Johnson becamethe first and only rookie to win the NBA Finals MVP award. When it comes to the GOAT debate, the TSR author feels LeBron James is yet to receive a lot of his due but cannot deny marveling at Michael Jordans resume. He was an unlikely candidate to be the series MVP - after all, his teammate . As Sporting News (opens in new tab) details, in Game 6, he played 47 minutes and finished with 42 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and three steals. 1981 NBA Finals: A interview and racial controversy. Cuz he didnt play in game 6 on the road in their biggest game of the season due to injury. For marketing purposes in trying to build up the rivalry between Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, Stern wanted the latter to receive the recognition instead. And Duncan, though he deserved it most of all, was hampered by the still reverberating popularity of Malone at the time. Many sportswriters argued that these match ups would "decide the MVP race," but ultimately voters went with the safe bet in Malone. Magic Johnson's performance in Game 6 and the series earned him the 1980 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP). Certainly Karl Malone had a spectacular year, and he led them withone ofthe best seasonsstatistically of his career. Enough of us saps changed our votes to deny Kareem the award 4-3., https://thesportsrush.com/nba-news-kareem-abdul-jabbar-deserved-1980-finals-mvp-award-over-magic-johnson-statistics-give-the-lakers-center-a-massive-advantage-over-earvin-johnson/. What?! Abdul-Jabbar and Johnson of the 1980 winning team Lakers. Jim Chones effectively shut down the middle in place of Abdul-Jabbar and finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds, and held Darryl Dawkins to 14 points and a scant four rebounds. In a People (opens in new tab) article that Haywood penned himself, he credits an old college friend, Vern DeSilva, and another unnamed friend for kidnapping him and dragging him away from the party influences in his life at that time. REMINDER: This thread is only for serious and thought-provoking analysis. The MVP race in 1999 was quite fun to watch, and it came down to a photo finish in the final weeks. But at least in 2001 the Spurs were the conferences top seed. Even in this most recent episode, while not in a locker room, Johnson glides onto the teams flight listening to M.A.Z.E.s "Golden Time of the Day." ", Reilly just enjoyed the ride in 'Winning Time', Stars of new TV show "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty," John C. Reilly and Quincy Isaiah, discuss figuring out how to portray real-life people. Becauseif it had worked, I wouldn't be seeing you. 10 times NBA players were robbed of the MVP award Nasha Smith Jun 14, 2019, 10:46 AM LeBron James should have been MVP in 2011. Because May 16, 1980, was a Friday, the network did not want to preempt its two highest-rated shows, The Dukes of Hazzard and Dallas, even though both shows were already in reruns: the 197980 TV season had ended early, back in March (Dukes and Dallas both aired their season finale March 21), in anticipation of a strike that summer by the Screen Actors Guild. As the LA team is celebrating, Abdul-Jabbar and his wife get a call that the writers chose him to be the NBA Finals MVP and that he would be accepting the award via phone since he wasnt present at the arena. The Lakers, however, ended those hopes by taking a 15-point lead in the first quarter. Winning Time again explored the Magic Johnson vs Larry Bird narrative in its season finale. Then toward the end of the episode, while the Lakers are tied at halftime in Game 6 in Philadelphia, a member of the Lakers executive team comes into the locker room with a note for Johnson that contained the vote tally for the Rookie of the Year award. And his numbers were improved from the previous year: 18.8 ppg and 10.5 apg. 1 seed in the East for the first time in franchise history. Magic -- 21/5.5/13/2 on 55-33-87%, 67.6% TS. Magic even jumped center in the game's opening tip tomake a statement, as seen in the episode. The 1980 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1979-80 season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. Berry also led the league in steals at 2.85 per game and free throw percentage at (.904). The 1980 NBA World. 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