The Los Angeles Lakers won three NBA championships in the first six seasons of the 1980s, including their first Finals triumph over the Boston Celtics in 1985.
After that, the challenge was to go from a great team to a dynastic one.
But L.A. was upset in the 1986 Western Conference Finals by Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets, which was a wake-up call for the entire franchise.
Head coach Pat Riley challenged everyone to have a career-best effort in 1987, and he zeroed in on Magic Johnson.
To that point, Johnson had been the game’s best point guard and orchestrator, but he wasn’t known as a scorer. With Kareem Abdul-Jabbar nearing age 40, Johnson needed to shoulder much more of the scoring burden.
He responded with a career-best season indeed, averaging 23.9 points and 12.2 assists per game and winning league MVP honors.
Johnson led the Lakers to the NBA’s best record and a trip back to the NBA Finals against who else but the Celtics.
L.A. took a 3-1 series lead thanks to Johnson’s “junior skyhook,” and after losing Game 5 in Boston, it returned home looking to close things out.
The first half of Game 6 was tight, but the Lakers dominated the third quarter, and just like that, the old and tired Celtics were done.
The final seconds of the contest featured an atmosphere that was something to behold.
With just under 20 seconds left, the Lakers collected a rebound off a missed free throw while leading by 13. A sellout crowd at The Forum counted down the final seconds in unison. Then they rushed the floor in a manner that West Coast fans weren’t known for.
After eight previous Finals losses to the Celtics, Lakers fans savored it as if it were caviar at the hottest restaurant on the Sunset Strip.
Johnson won his third Finals MVP award, but he, Riley, Abdul-Jabbar and the rest of them weren’t exactly done yet.
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