1986-87 Los Angeles Lakers: The Drive for Five Part 4/7

Once again the Lakers made a couple of key offseason moves, letting go of Maurice Lucas, moving A. C. Green into the starting lineup, and picking up Mychal Thompson from San Antonio. Head Coach Pat Riley also made a tactical adjustment in 1986-87 by shifting the offensive focus from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Magic Johnson. The moves paid off. Johnson won his first career NBA Most Valuable Player Award while leading the Lakers to a 65-17 record, the second-best mark in franchise history. Abdul-Jabbar, now 39 years old, chipped in 17.5 points per game, and Michael Cooper was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year. The Lakers earned another matchup with the Celtics in the NBA Finals by sweeping Denver, losing just one game to Golden State, and then sweeping Seattle. Los Angeles routed Boston in the first two games of the Finals, and the teams then split the next four contests, giving the Lakers their second championship in three seasons. Johnson earned the NBA Finals MVP Award to go with his regular-season MVP trophy. At the Lakers' championship celebration in Los Angeles, Coach Riley brashly declared that the Lakers would repeat as NBA champions in 1987-88. It was a bold statement that served to motivate the team throughout the next season.