NBA Betting

History of the NBA Finals

Philadelphia 76ers vs. Los Angeles Lakers - 1983

Courtesy Philadelphia 76ers

Erving's six-year wait for a championship culminated in a sweep of the Lakers.

What do you get when you add a force like Moses Malone to an All-Star cast of basketball players who always seem to fall a game or two short in their annual quest for the brass ring?

A dream come true.

Once Malone established in Game 1 of the National Basketball Association World Championship Series that he could handle Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, dominate the boards and force the Los Angeles Lakers to alter the defensive philosophy they used so successfully in winning the Western Conference, it was only a matter of time before Philadelphia's frustrated fans were rewarded with that championship they had been promised for so long.

The last time Malone played in the championship series finals, he literally carried an average Houston team in a six-game loss against Boston. He also infuriated the Celtics when he commented during that series that he could get four guys from his hometown of Petersburg, Va., and beat the Celtics.

That, of course, was a huge exaggeration, but this time, with an All-Star supporting cast that featured the scoring of Andrew Toney and Julius Erving, the ball handling of Maurice Cheeks and the defense of Bobby Jones, Malone was even more dominant and the 76ers rolled to a four-game sweep of the Lakers.

"Let's not make believe," Philadelphia Coach Billy Cunningham said when the euphoria had subsided. "The difference from last year was Moses. He gave us the consistency inside the Lakers had always gotten from Abdul-Jabbar. We got that and more from Moses."

The effect of Malone's dominating presence can be documented by the cumulative box score. Malone had 72 rebounds, Abdul-Jabbar 30. Malone was awesome on the offensive boards, building a 27-5 advantage over his counterpart. He also outscored the Lakers' All-Star center, 103-94, and anchored a pressing, trapping, swarming defense that slowed the fastbreaking Lakers into submission.

That Malone would be selected most valuable player of the championship series was never in doubt.

Los Angeles, crippled by injuries to rookie sensation James Worthy and scoring ace Bob McAdoo, still had managed to breeze past Portland, 4-1, and had outlasted Artis Gilmore and San Antonio, 4-2, to reach the championship series for the third time in four years.

"It's a great feeling going down the stretch of a close game and knowing you can go to Kareem when you need a basket," Magic Johnson said, summing up the Lakers' feelings as Abdul-Jabbar assumed an even larger role in the offense as the playoffs progressed.

In retrospect, however, that proved to be the Lakers' downfall. After depending so much on their 7-f oot-2 center against Portland and San Antonio, the rest of the Lakers were unable to generate enough points on their own when Abdul-Jabbar was restricted by Malone and the 76ers' sagging guards in the finals. After averaging 28.3 points in the first two series, Abdul-Jabbar was reduced to 23.5 against Philadelphia and nobody filled the void.

"Philadelphia is the best defensive team we've faced," Abdul-Jabbar said. "(Maurice) Cheeks, Bobby Jones and (Clint) Richardson are excellent defensive players. They put a lot of pressure on our guards and that makes it tough to get into our set offense."

Whenever the Lakers were unable to fast break-which was often because Philadelphia's first priority was to stop their running game-their main offensive tactic was getting the ball inside to Abdul-Jabbar.

"When I got the ball, the first thing I had to do was see where the help (doubleteam) was coming from," Abdul-Jabbar explained. "I looked to the guards first because generally it was either Cheeks or (Andrew) Toney.

"Moses doesn't play good defense, but he's so aggressive on the boards, he makes up for it. It's monotonous. He goes after every rebound."

Every rebound. Every single one. Nobody, with the possible exception of Boston's legendary Bill Russell, ever exhibited the tenacity Malone displayed in the playoffs.

In leading the 76ers to 12 victories in 13 games, the best postseason record in NBA history, the muscular 6-10, 250-pounder hauled down an average of 15.8 rebounds a game, including 70 on the offensive end.

Magic Johnson was second with 51 in 15 games and only two others (Jamaal Wilkes and Artis Gilmore) had more than 35.

"Malone made the difference in the series," Lakers Coach Pat Riley said. "He gave them a lift and got them going. He gave them confidence. The guy in the middle makes them a championship team."

Malone didn't waste any time establishing his supremacy in the pivot. In Game 1, he scored 27 points and grabbed a whopping 18 rebounds as the 76ers set the pattern that would hold throughout the series by pulling away at the end in a 113-107 victory.

In all four games, Philadelphia trailed at halftime. But the 76ers fought back to outscore the Lakers by a cumulative 124-79 score in the fourth quarters.

Before the championship series opened, the Lakers had been extended to the limit Friday night in San Antonio before edging the Spurs, 101-100. They said that it wasn't fair asking them to be physically and emotionally ready to play the 7fiers Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia. Los Angeles also was handicapped by the loss of McAdoo, who reinjured his leg in San Antonio. Mark Landsberger and Dwight Jones, playing in McAdoo's spot, contributed only four points.

"We really miss Mac's scoring," Johnson said. "That's a weapon -- a person (Philadelphia) has to guard all the time. That's what killed us more than anything. We could match up defensively, but we didn't have the scoring."

Norm Nixon played his best game of the series, tossing in 26 points despite a first quarter collision with Philadelphia's Toney. Nixon suffered a slightly separated left shoulder and was ineffective the next two games before sitting out the finale.

The Lakers found out quickly that it was not advantageous to have Abdul-Jabbar guard Malone the entire game.

"The 76ers do several things which makes it to our advantage not to have Kareem on Moses," Riley said. "In their transition game he's always the trailer and we don't want Kareem away from the basket."

Riley had two low-scoring forwards, Landsberger and Kurt Rambis, devoting most of their energy to defensing Malone.

Malone was delighted with the arrangement and said after his 27-point performance, "Kareem is a better defensive player than Landsberger. I love him on me. No 6-7 man can check me."

Although freed from his taxing defensive assignment, the 36-year-old Abdul-Jabbar still wilted down the stretch. He made five of six shots in the first half when the Lakers took a 57-54 lead, but made only three of nine after intermission.

"I had more fatigue than just about any time I can remember," he said after failing to get a rebound in the second half. "We'll do better in the next game after we've had a chance to rest."

Game 2, however, followed the same script as the opener with the Lakers running out of gas short of the finish line. They scored only 18 points in the fourth quarter of a 103-93 setback.

Los Angeles committed eight of its 20 turnovers in the final period when Johnson, Nixon and Wilkes all went scoreless.

"It was the same situation as Game 1," Riley said. "We played well in the first half, but didn't sustain it."

Again, Los Angeles built an early lead (54-45) and led at halftime, 55-51, but wore down as the game progressed. Although Malone was in foul trouble and sat out 5 1/2 minutes, the 76ers defense was too much in the closing minutes.

"If you don't get us early, you're in trouble," Cunningham said. "It's been characteristic of this team all through the playoffs to take over the game defensively in the second half."

One thing was uncharacteristic about Game 2: The Lakers set a championship series record for fewest free throws made and attempted, sinking only three of five -- all in the first half.

Before Game 3, Riley studied videotapes of the game and said that referee Darell Garretson made 15 calls, 14 against the Lakers.

Citing several newspaper articles in which Riley was critical of Garretson, NBA Vice President of Operations Scotty Stirling fined the Lakers coach $3,000.

The series shifted to the West Coast, but the script remained the same. Although the Lakers jumped off to another early lead and increased it to 43-27 midway through the second quarter, the 76ers wore them down once again.

Los Angeles opened the second half with five successive turnovers against the 76ers' pressure defense. With Erving scoring seven straight points, Philadelphia took a 63-58 lead.

The score was tied at 72 as the fourth quarter began, but Philadelphia reeled off 14 consecutive points and the game was history. Malone contributed 28 points and 19 rebounds, offsetting a 23-point, 15-rebound effort by Abdul-Jabbar.

"I'm not surprised to be up 3-0," Cunningham said. "And we won't be satisfied with a split in L.A. We want a sweep, we want this team to be remembered."

Defense again was the difference as the Lakers made only 41 percent of their shots and were limited to 42 points in the second half.

"We've always stressed defense here, but it's different this year with Moses," said Philadelphia's Bobby Jones, a seven-time member of the NBA's All-Defensive team.

"Our first priority is to stop Magic in the open court," Jones explained. "Everybody has responsibility for him. Whoever is closest picks him up and someone else would head for the basket to seal off his penetration. The idea is to get two men on him and make him pass as soon as possible. The closer he gets to the basket, the more effective his passes become."

Johnson, who averaged 45 minutes a game in the series, led everybody with 50 assists, but made only 40 percent of his shots while averaging 19 points a game.

"It's tough to get the ball inside against the Sixers," Johnson said. "They create as many offensive problems as anyone we've played. They put a lot of pressure on you and try to take away the things you like to do best."

The Lakers led the league in shooting percentage (.529) during the regular season, but they made only 43 percent of their shots in the last two games.

Without Magic free to dish off to Wilkes and Nixon on the wings, the Lakers simply didn't get the high-percentage shots they were accustomed to getting.

"With Moses going to the boards, two or three of us could concentrate on getting back on defense," Jones said. "Every time they got a fast-break opportunity, we were waiting for them."

When the Lakers were forced to slow down and set up, the 76ers collapsed around Abdul-Jabbar, forcing low-percentage outside shots. And with Nixon and McAdoo sidelined, Game 4 was anticlimactic. For the fourth straight time, Philadelphia overcame a halftime deficit and won going away, 115-108.

The Lakers, trying desperately to avoid a sweep, led 93-82 after three quarters, but it was as if the 76ers were toying with them, teasing them into dreaming of at least one victory.

Malone scored nine of his 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the final period as the Lakers were outscored, 33-15.

The Laker fans at the Forum got a dose of dramatics when Erving broke the game open with seven straight points in the final two minutes.

The incomparable Dr. J tied the score at 106 by intercepting an Abdul-Jabbar pass and going coast to coast for one of his patented slam dunks. After Johnson made one of two free throws, Erving took a pass from Cheeks, drove the middle and made a three-point play that put the 76ers in front by two. Abdul-Jabbar made one of two foul shots, then Erving, failing to find an open man, calmly sank a jumper from the top of the key with 24 seconds to play, dooming any Laker comeback hope.

"We did it the hard way," said Erving, who had been waiting six years to win his first NBA championship. "We did it better than anybody else. For this to happen the way it did I think is a wonderful story."

And, as happens every spring, the inevitable question was waiting for the newly-crowned champions as they emerged from their postgame shower. Can you repeat?

"Sixty-five (victories in the regular season), 12 in the playoffs, we're the best team now," said Malone, whose pre-playoff prediction of "Four, Four, Four" almost came true.

When asked if this Philadelphia team was the best ever, Moses hedged, but gave fans something to look forward to this season. "I won't say we're the best ever," he said. "But if we come back next year, then it's the best ever."

Erving, 33 and graying, also is eagerly looking forward to this season. "For us, this is the beginning," he said. "This isn't the end of a long, cumbersome journey -- this is the beginning."