1981–82 Los Angeles Lakers season

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
1981–82 Los Angeles Lakers season
NBA champions
Conference champions
Division champions
Head coach
Owner(s)Jerry Buss
ArenaThe Forum
Results
Record57–25 (.695)
PlaceDivision: 1st (Pacific)
Conference: 1st (Western)
Playoff finishNBA Champions
(Defeated 76ers 4–2)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
TelevisionKHJ
RadioAM 570 KLAC
< 1980–81 1982–83 >

The 1981–82 NBA season saw the Lakers win their eighth NBA championship.

Draft picks[]

Round Pick Player Position Nationality College
8 179 Jay Triano  Canada Simon Fraser University

[1]

Roster[]

Los Angeles Lakers roster
  • v
  • t
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY-MM-DD) From
C 33 Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1947–04–16 UCLA
PF 8 Brewer, Jim 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Minnesota
G/F 21 Cooper, Michael 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1956–04–15 New Mexico
G 34 Johnson, Clay 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Missouri
G 32 Johnson, Magic 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1959–08–14 Michigan State
G 5 Jordan, Eddie 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Rutgers
F 54 Landsberger, Mark 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1955–05–21 Arizona State
C 11 McAdoo, Bob 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) North Carolina
SF 40 McGee, Mike 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1959–07–29 Michigan
SG 30 McKenna, Kevin 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Creighton
G 10 Nixon, Norm 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1955–10–11 Duquesne
PF 31 Rambis, Kurt 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 213 lb (97 kg) 1958–02–25 Santa Clara
G/F 52 Wilkes, Jamaal 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1953–05–02 UCLA
Head coach
  • Pat Riley
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Regular season[]

On November 18, 1981, at halftime while on the road at Utah, Magic Johnson and coach Paul Westhead had a verbal altercation in the locker room. It was stated by teammate Kareem Abdul-Jabbar that Johnson had offered input on the game, which resulted in Westhead twice telling him to "Shut up." Johnson then told reporters after this game that he would like to be traded anywhere, resulting in a barrage of media coverage. One day after these events, Lakers owner Jerry Buss held a press conference at The Forum, where he announced the firing of Westhead, with his replacement being Pat Riley as "coach" and general manager Jerry West as "offensive coach". West came to the podium and clarified to media that Riley was indeed the head coach and that West himself would simply provide him support on the bench, which lasted for a period of 12 games. Although Johnson denied responsibility for Westhead's firing,[2] he was booed across the league, even by Lakers' fans[3] However, Buss was also unhappy with the Lakers offense and had intended on firing Westhead days before the Westhead–Johnson altercation, but assistant GM West and GM Bill Sharman had convinced Buss to delay his decision.[4]

Season standings[]

Pacific Division
W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Los Angeles Lakers 57 25 .695 – 30–11 27–14 21–9
x-Seattle SuperSonics 52 30 .634 5.0 31–10 21–20 18–12
x-Phoenix Suns 46 36 .561 11.0 31–10 15–26 14–16
Golden State Warriors 45 37 .549 12.0 28–13 17–24 15–15
Portland Trail Blazers 42 40 .512 15.0 27–14 15–26 15–15
San Diego Clippers 17 65 .207 40.0 11–30 6–35 7–23


# Western Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 c-Los Angeles Lakers 57 25 .695 –
2 y-San Antonio Spurs 48 34 .585 9
3 x-Seattle SuperSonics 52 30 .634 5
4 x-Denver Nuggets 46 36 .561 11
5 x-Phoenix Suns 46 36 .561 11
6 x-Houston Rockets 46 36 .561 11
7 Golden State Warriors 45 37 .549 12
8 Portland Trail Blazers 42 40 .512 15
9 Kansas City Kings 30 52 .366 27
10 Dallas Mavericks 28 54 .341 29
11 Utah Jazz 25 57 .305 32
12 San Diego Clippers 17 65 .207 40


c - clinched homecourt advantage
y - clinched division title
x - clinched playoff spot

Record vs. opponents[]

1981-82 NBA Records
Team ATL BOS CHI CLE DAL DEN DET GSW HOU IND KCK LAL MIL NJN NYK PHI PHO POR SAS SDC SEA UTA WAS
Atlanta – 1–5 2–3 4–2 1–1 1–1 2–4 0–2 2–0 4–2 1–1 0–2 3–3 3–2 5–1 3–3 1–1 2–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 2–0 2–4
Boston 5–1 – 4–2 5–0 2–0 1–1 6–0 1–1 1–1 4–1 2–0 1–1 3–3 5–1 5–1 4–2 1–1 1–1 2–0 2–0 0–2 2–0 6–0
Chicago 3–2 2–4 – 5–1 1–1 1–1 0–6 0–2 1–1 3–3 1–1 2–0 1–5 2–4 3–2 1–5 0–2 1–1 1–1 2–0 1–1 1–1 2–4
Cleveland 2–4 0–5 1–5 – 2–0 0–2 1–5 1–1 1–1 1–5 1–1 0–2 0–6 0–6 0–6 0��5 0–2 1–1 0–2 1–1 0–2 2–0 1–5
Dallas 1–1 0–2 1–1 0–2 – 1–5 1–1 0–5 2–4 1–1 4–2 1–4 1–1 2–0 1–1 0–2 2–3 2–3 1–5 2–3 1–4 3–3 1–1
Denver 1–1 1–1 1–1 2–0 5–1 – 1–1 3–2 5–1 0–2 4–2 1–4 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 2–3 2–3 2–4 5–0 2–3 3–3 2–0
Detroit 4–2 0–6 6–0 5–1 1–1 1–1 – 2–0 2–0 2–4 2–0 0–2 2–4 2–4 3–3 2–3 0–2 0–2 0–2 2–0 1–1 1–1 1–4
Golden State 2–0 1–1 2–0 1–1 5–0 2–3 0–2 – 1–4 2–0 3–2 3–3 2–0 1–1 1–1 0–2 4–2 2–4 3–2 5–1 1–5 3–2 1–1
Houston 0–2 1–1 1–1 1–1 4–2 1–5 0–2 4–1 – 2–0 3–3 1–4 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 3–2 4–1 3–3 4–1 2–3 6–0 2–0
Indiana 2–4 1–5 3–3 5–1 1–1 2–0 4–2 0–2 0–2 – 1–1 0–2 0–6 4–2 3–2 0–6 1–1 1–1 2–0 2–0 1–1 1–1 1–5
Kansas City 1–1 0–2 1–1 1–1 2–4 2–4 0–2 2–3 3–3 1–1 – 1–4 1–1 1–1 2–0 0–2 2–3 0–5 1–5 4–1 2–3 3–3 0–2
Los Angeles 2–0 1–1 0–2 2–0 4–1 4–1 2–0 3–3 4–1 2–0 4–1 – 0–2 1–1 0–2 1–1 4–2 5–1 2–3 5���1 4–2 5–0 2–0
Milwaukee 3–3 3–3 5–1 6–0 1–1 1–1 4–2 0–2 1–1 6–0 1–1 2–0 – 4–1 3–3 4–2 1–1 2–0 1–1 2–0 0–2 2–0 3–2
New Jersey 2–3 1–5 4–2 6–0 0–2 1–1 4–2 1–1 1–1 2–4 1–1 1–1 1–4 – 4–2 3–3 2–0 1–1 1–1 2–0 0–2 2–0 4–2
New York 1–5 1–5 2–3 6–0 1–1 1–1 3–3 1–1 1–1 2–3 0–2 2–0 3–3 2–4 – 1–5 0–2 1–1 0–2 2–0 0–2 2–0 1–5
Philadelphia 3–3 2–4 5–1 5–0 2–0 1–1 3–2 2–0 1–1 6–0 2–0 1–1 2–4 3–3 5–1 – 1–1 2–0 0–2 2–0 2–0 2–0 6–0
Phoenix 1–1 1–1 2–0 2–0 3–2 3–2 2–0 2–4 2–3 1–1 3–2 2–4 1–1 0–2 2–0 1–1 – 3–3 4–1 4–2 3–3 3–2 1–1
Portland 0–2 1–1 1–1 1–1 3–2 3–2 2–0 4–2 1–4 1–1 5–0 1–5 0–2 1–1 1–1 0–2 3–3 – 3–2 4–2 3–3 4–1 0–2
San Antonio 1–1 0–2 1–1 2–0 5–1 4–2 2–0 2–3 3–3 0–2 5–1 3–2 1–1 1–1 2–0 2–0 1–4 2–3 – 3–2 4–1 3–3 1–1
San Diego 1–1 0–2 0–2 1–1 3–2 0–5 0–2 1–5 1–4 0–2 1–4 1–5 0–2 0–2 0–2 0–2 2–4 2–4 2–3 – 1–5 1–4 0–2
Seattle 1–1 2–0 1–1 2–0 4–1 3–2 1–1 5–1 3–2 1–1 3–2 2–4 2–0 2–0 2–0 0–2 3–3 3–3 1–4 5–1 – 5–0 1–1
Utah 0–2 0–2 1–1 0–2 3–3 3–3 1–1 2–3 0–6 1–1 3–3 0–5 0–2 0–2 0–2 0–2 2–3 1–4 3–3 4–1 0–5 – 1–1
Washington 4–2 0–6 4–2 5–1 1–1 0–2 4–1 1–1 0–2 5–1 2–0 0–2 2–3 2–4 5–1 0–6 1–1 2–0 1–1 2–0 1–1 1–1 —

Game log[]

Regular season[]

1981–82 game log
Total: 57-25 (Home: 30-11; Road: 27-14)
October: 0–1 (Home: 0–1; Road: 0–0)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
November: 12–4 (Home: 5–2; Road: 7–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
December: 12–2 (Home: 8–0; Road: 4–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
January: 7–5 (Home: 3–2; Road: 4–3)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
February: 10–5 (Home: 5–3; Road: 5–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
57 February 26 Philadelphia W 116–114 (2OT) The Forum 40–17
March: 8–6 (Home: 4–2; Road: 4–4)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
61 March 7 @ Philadelphia L 113–119 Spectrum 41–20
April: 8–2 (Home: 5–1; Road: 3–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
1981–82 schedule

Playoffs[]

1982 playoff game log
Conference Semi-finals: 4–0 (Home: 2–0; Road: 2–0)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Series
1 April 27 Phoenix W 115–96 Jamaal Wilkes (28) Bob McAdoo (12) Magic Johnson (10) The Forum
13,623 		1–0
2 April 28 Phoenix W 117–98 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (24) Magic Johnson (12) Magic Johnson (12) The Forum
15,558 		2–0
3 April 30 @ Phoenix W 114–106 Jamaal Wilkes (26) Magic Johnson (14) Magic Johnson (9) Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
14,660 		3–0
4 May 2 @ Phoenix W 112–107 Jamaal Wilkes (24) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (13) Magic Johnson (12) Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
11,932 		4–0
Conference Finals: 4–0 (Home: 2–0; Road: 2–0)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Series
1 May 9 San Antonio W 128–117 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (32) Magic Johnson (16) Magic Johnson (14) The Forum
15,700 		1–0
2 May 11 San Antonio W 110–101 Nixon, Wilkes (22) Kurt Rambis (15) Nixon, Johnson (9) The Forum
17,505 		2–0
3 May 14 @ San Antonio W 118–108 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (26) Johnson, Abdul-Jabbar (10) Nixon, Johnson (10) HemisFair Arena
15,800 		3–0
4 May 15 @ San Antonio W 128–123 Norm Nixon (30) Johnson, Abdul-Jabbar (9) Norm Nixon (10) HemisFair Arena
15,800 		4–0
NBA Finals: 4–2 (Home: 3–0; Road: 1–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Series
1 May 27 @ Philadelphia W 124–117 Nixon, Wilkes (24) Magic Johnson (14) Norm Nixon (10) Spectrum
18,364 		1–0
2 May 30 @ Philadelphia L 94–110 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (23) Magic Johnson (11) Norm Nixon (10) Spectrum
18,364 		1–1
3 June 1 Philadelphia W 129–108 Norm Nixon (29) Magic Johnson (9) Magic Johnson (8) The Forum
17,505 		2–1
4 June 3 Philadelphia W 111–101 Johnson, Wilkes (24) Abdul-Jabbar, Rambis (11) Norm Nixon (14) The Forum
17,505 		3–1
5 June 6 @ Philadelphia L 102–135 Bob McAdoo (23) Magic Johnson (10) Norm Nixon (13) Spectrum
18,364 		3–2
6 June 8 Philadelphia W 114–104 Jamaal Wilkes (27) Magic Johnson (13) Magic Johnson (13) The Forum
17,505 		4–2
1982 schedule

Player statistics[]

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game

Season[]

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG

Playoffs[]

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG

Awards and records[]

Awards[]

Records[]

Transactions[]

Trades[]

Free Agents[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-11-03. Retrieved 2012-11-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ^ Johnson; Novak (1999). My Life. p. 143. ISBN 1-902799-01-1.
  3. ^ "Magic Johnson Bio". NBA Encyclopedia: Playoff Edition. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
  4. ^ Ostler, Scott; Springer, Steve (1988). Winnin' Times : The Magical Journey of the Los Angeles Lakers. Collier Books. pp. 154–156, 159–160, 169. ISBN 0-02-029591-X.

External links[]

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