THE 1984-85 SEASON: REVENGE OF THE LAKERS, PART ONE

THE GOLDEN AGE OF BASKETBALL

The 1984-85 season began with Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers looking up at Larry Bird, MVP of the World Champion Boston Celtics; Bird had dominated the 1984 NBA Finals and willed the Celtics to a comeback victory in 7 games (Boston’s 8th consecutive win over the Lakers in a Championship series), while Magic bore the brunt of his “tragic” performance. Johnson and Coach Pat Riley used the overwhelming negative criticism of Johnson and the Lakers as fuel which propelled Los Angeles back to Boston Garden for a Bird-Magic rematch in the 1985 Finals, but the oldest player on the court would ultimately shine brightest. 35 year old Kareem Abdul-Jabbar would turn back the clock and lead the Lakers back from a demoralizing 34 point loss in game one to the NBA Title in six games, the Lakers becoming the first team to eliminate Boston in a Championship series on their home floor. Abdul-Jabbar’s brilliant performance was rewarded with his second Finals MVP award, a remarkable 14 seasons after his first with the 1971 World Champion Milwaukee Bucks. Steve relieves the 1984-85 regular season and Games 1-4 of a Classic NBA Finals Rematch.