When the 1981-82 NBA season began, the Los Angeles Lakers were still licking their wounds from being knocked out of the first round of the playoffs the previous spring.
Things didn’t exactly look any more hopeful when Magic Johnson publicly demanded a trade, and instead, head coach Paul Westhead was fired the next day.
Johnson was blamed for the firing, and the team seemed mired in bad vibes.
But a young assistant coach named Pat Riley succeeded Westhead, and he helped form the foundation for what quickly became known as “Showtime.”
Riley instituted a fast-breaking style of offense and attacking, trapping defense, and by the end of the regular season, the Lakers were looking formidable.
After sweeping the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference semifinals, L.A. took on the San Antonio Spurs, who were led by the great George Gervin.
The Spurs were a strong squad, but the Lakers won the first three games relatively easily, setting up a do-or-die Game 4 for San Antonio.
Norm Nixon scored 30 points for the Lakers, while Bob McAdoo, a midseason pickup and former scoring champ who had been accused of being selfish and washed-up, added 26 points off the bench in a 128-123 triumph.
The Lakers advanced to the NBA Finals undefeated in the postseason, and although Julius Erving and the Philadelphia 76ers were able to take two games from them, they couldn’t prevent L.A. from earning its second NBA championship in three years.
