1980 NBA Finals
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In the 1980 NBA Finals, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 4 games to 2.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the key to the Los Angeles Lakers success (he was named MVP of the league that year). However, in a Game 5 victory, the Laker center suffered a severely sprained ankle. The Lakers led the best-of-seven series three-games-to-two, but were traveling to Philadelphia for Game 6 without their best player, Abdul-Jabbar.
Enter Magic Johnson, whose greatest game of career arguably came in his rookie season: May 16, 1980, in Game 6 of the NBA Finals at Philadelphia. Filling in for the injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic (a point guard) started the game at center and eventually played every position on the floor in a dominating performance. Scoring a game-high 42 points and grabbing a game-high 15 rebounds (along with passing out 7 assists), Magic Johnson led the Lakers to the NBA crown, stunning Julius Erving, the Philadelphia 76ers, and a national television audience who came to understand the moniker "Magic." Magic Johnson was thus, named the 1980 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player.
On a side note, here, in Game 4 of the 1980 Finals, Julius Erving executed the legendary Baseline Move, an incredible behind-the-board reverse layup and one of the most spectacular basketball moves ever.
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