1971–72 Los Angeles Lakers season
NBA champions
Conference champions
Division champions
Head coachBill Sharman
OwnersJack Kent Cooke
ArenaThe Forum
Results
Record69–13 (.841)
PlaceDivision: 1st (Pacific)
Conference: 1st (Western)
Playoff finishNBA Champions
(Defeated Knicks 4–1)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
TelevisionKTLA
RadioKABC

During the 1971–72 season the Los Angeles Lakers won their first National Basketball Association (NBA) title since moving to Los Angeles. The Lakers defeated the New York Knicks in five games to win the title, after going 69–13 during the regular-season, a record that stood for 24 seasons until the 1995–96 Chicago Bulls went 72–10. During the regular season, they would also go on an NBA record 33-game winning streak. The team went on to win 81 regular season and playoff games overall, a record that would stand alone for 14 years until the Boston Celtics matched it in 1986. Widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball teams of all time, the 1971–72 Lakers were named as one of the Top 10 Teams in NBA History in 1996.

The Lakers defeated the Chicago Bulls in 4 games in the Western Conference Semifinals. The team then defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in a 6-game Western Conference Finals. The Lakers then got to the NBA Finals once again for the 14th time in league history. They faced the New York Knicks in a rematch of the 1970 NBA Finals. The Knicks were defeated in 5 games, the Lakers claimed their sixth title in team history and the first since 1954. Wilt Chamberlain won Finals MVP.

Offseason

  • Traded a 1971 2nd round draft pick to the Cincinnati Royals for guard Flynn Robinson.
  • Hired Bill Sharman as the new head coach to replace Joe Mullaney.
  • Traded a 1972 2nd round draft pick to the Portland Trail Blazers for center Leroy Ellis.
  • Claimed forward John Q. Trapp off waivers from the Houston Rockets.

NBA draft

Round Pick Player Position Nationality School/Club Team
1 13 Jim Cleamons Guard  United States Ohio State

Roster

1971–72 Los Angeles Lakers roster
Players Coaches
Pos.No.NameHeightWeightDOBFrom
F 22 Baylor, Elgin 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1934-09-16 Seattle
C 13 Chamberlain, Wilt 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 275 lb (125 kg) 1936-08-21 Kansas
G 11 Cleamons, Jim 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1949-09-13 Ohio State
C 14 Ellis, Leroy 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1940-03-10 St. John's
F 24 Erickson, Keith 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1944-04-19 UCLA
G 25 Goodrich, Gail 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1943-04-23 UCLA
F 52 Hairston, Happy 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 255 lb (116 kg) 1942-05-31 NYU
F 5 McMillian, Jim 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1948-03-11 Columbia
G 12 Riley, Pat 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1945-03-20 Kentucky
G 21 Robinson, Flynn 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1941-04-28 Wyoming
F 31 Trapp, John Q. 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1945-10-02 UNLV
G 44 West, Jerry 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1938-05-28 West Virginia
Head coach
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Roster
Last transaction: 2013-03-22

Regular season

Since moving to Los Angeles, the Lakers were repeatedly foiled by the Boston Celtics in their attempts to capture an NBA title. The Lakers lost the championship to them six times in eight years. In 1970, with the aging Celtics out of title contention, the Lakers lost in the NBA finals to the New York Knicks. In 1971, after losing Jerry West to a season-ending injury in February, they lost in the Western Conference finals to the powerful Milwaukee Bucks.

Going into the 1971–72 season, many experts thought the chance at a championship had passed for this aging team. Star players Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, and Jerry West were all in their 30s, and had all missed significant time due to injuries in the prior two seasons. The defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, led by superstar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, appeared to be starting a new NBA dynasty. But new coach Bill Sharman still believed the Lakers had the talent to contend. He introduced strict conditioning drills and implemented a running fast break-based offense. He re-tooled Wilt Chamberlain's game to focus on defense, rebounding, and jump-starting the fast break with quick outlet passes to guards Jerry West and Gail Goodrich. The only casualty of this system was the aging Baylor, who could not physically handle the up-tempo practices and offense and retired 9 games into the season. He was replaced at small forward by Jim McMillian who played at a near all-star level.

Shortly thereafter, the Lakers strung together a record 33-game win streak. The streak ended on January 9, 1972, against the Milwaukee Bucks.[1] The Lakers and Bucks then staged a season-long race for the league's best record, with the Lakers setting a then NBA record with 69 wins (the Bucks had the second-best record at 63–19).

Season standings

Pacific Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Neutral Div
y-Los Angeles Lakers 6913.841–36–531–72–121–3
x-Golden State Warriors 5131.6221827–821–203–314–10
Seattle SuperSonics 4735.5732228–1218–221–112–12
Houston Rockets 3448.4153515–2014–235–59–15
Portland Trail Blazers 1864.2205114–264–350–34–20
#
Western Conference
Team W L PCT
1 z-Los Angeles Lakers6913.841
2 y-Milwaukee Bucks6319.768
3 x-Chicago Bulls5725.695
4 x-Golden State Warriors5131.622
5 Phoenix Suns4933.598
6 Seattle SuperSonics4735.573
7 Houston Rockets3448.415
8 Detroit Pistons2656.317
9 Portland Trail Blazers1864.220
z – clinched division title
y – clinched division title
x – clinched playoff spot

Record vs. opponents

1971–72 NBA Records
Team ATL BAL BOS BUF CHI CIN CLE DET GSW HOU LAL MIL NYK PHI PHO POR SEA
Atlanta —2–40–44–20–53–34–23–23–21–40–52–33–13–33–24–01–4
Baltimore 4–2—2–23–31–44–21–53–21–43–21–40–52–44–04–13–12–3
Boston 4–02–2—6–03–24–25–15–02–35–01–42–33–36–02–34–02–3
Buffalo 2–43–30–6—1–33–34–22–41–30–40–40–41–53–30–42–40–4
Chicago 5–04–12–33–1—3–14–05–13–35–11–32–43–24–15–16–02–3
Cincinnati 3–32–42–43–31–3—6–22–32–30–41–40–52–22–22–32–20–5
Cleveland 2–45–11–52–40–42–6—1–30–42–21–30–41–52–40–44–20–4
Detroit 2–32–30–54–21–53–23–1—0–53–31–41–51–41–42–42–20–4
Golden State 2–34–13–23–13–33–24–05–0—5–11–52–22–34–12–34–24–2
Houston 4–12–30–54–01–54–02–23–31–5—1–50–50–54–11–34–23–3
Los Angeles 5–04–14–14–03–14–13–14–15–15–1—4–14–15–04–26–05–1
Milwaukee 3–25–03–24–04–25–04–05–12–25–01–4—2–34–14–26–06–0
New York 1–34–23–35–12–32–25–14–13–25–01–43–2—3–31–43–13–2
Philadelphia 3–30–40–63–31–42–24–24–11–41–40–51–43–3—1–42–24–1
Phoenix 2–31–43–24–01–53–24–04–23–23–12–42–44–14–1—6–03–2
Portland 0–41–30–44–20–62–22–42–22–42–40–60–61–32–20–6—0–6
Seattle 4–13–23–24–03–25–04–04–02–43–31–50–62–31–42–36–0—

Game logs

Regular season

1971–72 game log
Total: 69–13 (Home: 36–5; Road: 33–8)
October: 6–3 (home: 1–2; road: 5–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
1 Fri, Oct 15, 1971 @ Detroit 132–103 Wilt Chamberlain (26) Wilt Chamberlain (15) Jerry West (9) Cobo Arena
10,613		 1–0
2 October 16, 1971 @ New York W 119–104 McMillian (28) Chamberlain (19) West (6) Madison Square Garden
19,296		 2–0
3 Tue, Oct 19, 1971 @ Buffalo 123–106 Gail Goodrich (24) Wilt Chamberlain (12) Gail Goodrich (6) Buffalo Memorial Auditorium
9,127		 3–0
4 October 20, 1971 @ Atlanta W 126–104 McMillian (39) Chamberlain (25) McMillian (6) Alexander Memorial Coliseum
5,543		 4–0
5 October 22, 1971 Chicago L 106–113 Goodrich (26) Chamberlain (18) Hairston (6) The Forum
15,086		 4–1
6 Sun, Oct 24, 1971 @ Houston 113–103 Gail Goodrich (31) Chamberlain, Hairston (13) Gail Goodrich (6) Hofheinz Pavilion
4,061		 5–1
7 Fri, Oct 29, 1971 Cincinnati 107–119 Gail Goodrich (31) Wilt Chamberlain (32) Jim McMillian (7) The Forum
12,442		 6–1
8 Sat, Oct 30, 1971 @ Seattle 106–115 Flynn Robinson (28) Happy Hairston (13) Gail Goodrich (7) Seattle Center Coliseum
13,138		 6–2
9 Sun, Oct 31, 1971 Golden State 109–105 Gail Goodrich (38) Wilt Chamberlain (24) Wilt Chamberlain (6) The Forum
11,303		 6–3
November: 14–0 (home: 9–0; road: 5–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
10 November 5, 1971 Baltimore W 110–106 Goodrich (31) Chamberlain (25) Chamberlain, West (6) The Forum
11,168		 7–3
11 Sat, Nov 6, 1971 @ Golden State 105–89 Jerry West (28) Wilt Chamberlain (17) Jerry West (8) Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena
10,625		 8–3
12 November 7, 1971 New York W 103–96 West (29) Chamberlain (22) West (8) The Forum
15,397		 9–3
13 November 9, 1971 @ Chicago W 122–109 McMillian (28) Chamberlain (20) West (13) Chicago Stadium
9,082		 10–3
14 Wed, Nov 10, 1971 @ Philadelphia 143–103 Gail Goodrich (34) Wilt Chamberlain (14) Jerry West (10) Spectrum
9,503		 11–3
15 Fri, Nov 12, 1971 Seattle 107–115 Jerry West (28) Wilt Chamberlain (22) Jerry West (8) The Forum
16,550		 12–3
16 Sat, Nov 13, 1971 @ Portland 130–108 LeRoy Ellis (27) Wilt Chamberlain (13) Jerry West (11) Memorial Coliseum
9,990		 13–3
17 November 14, 1971 Boston W 128–115 Goodrich (36) Chamberlain (31) Chamberlain (10) The Forum
17,505		 14–3
18 Tue, Nov 16, 1971 Cleveland 90–108 Jerry West (25) Wilt Chamberlain (15) Wilt Chamberlain (6) The Forum
10,475		 15–3
19 Fri, Nov 19, 1971 Houston 99–106 Gail Goodrich (32) Wilt Chamberlain (23) Chamberlain, Goodrich, West (6) The Forum
11,484		 16–3
20 November 21, 1971 Milwaukee W 112–105 Goodrich (27) Chamberlain (26) West (13) The Forum
17,505		 17–3
21 Thu, Nov 25, 1971 @ Seattle 139–115 Jerry West (26) Wilt Chamberlain (15) Jerry West (13) Seattle Center Coliseum
13,170		 18–3
22 Fri, Nov 26, 1971 Detroit 113–132 Wilt Chamberlain (31) Wilt Chamberlain (31) Jerry West (18) The Forum
17,101		 19–3
23 Sun, Nov 28, 1971 Seattle 111–138 Jerry West (25) Wilt Chamberlain (26) Jerry West (8) The Forum
15,544		 20–3
December: 16–0 (home: 7–0; road: 9–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
24 December 1, 1971 @ Boston W 124–111 West (45) Chamberlain (20) Chamberlain (6) Boston Garden
8,584		 21–3
25 Fri, Dec 3, 1971 @ Philadelphia 131–116 Jim McMillian (41) Wilt Chamberlain (25) Jerry West (9) Spectrum
14,923		 22–3
26 Sun, Dec 5, 1971 Portland 107–123 Hairston, West (20) Wilt Chamberlain (27) Jerry West (10) The Forum
17,505		 23–3
27 Wed, Dec 8, 1971 @ Houston 125–120 Gail Goodrich (42) Happy Hairston (15) Jerry West (6) Hofheinz Pavilion
9,346		 24–3
28 Thu, Dec 9, 1971 @ Golden State 124–111 Jerry West (38) Wilt Chamberlain (15) Jerry West (11) Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena
8,892		 25–3
29 Fri, Dec 10, 1971 Phoenix 117–126 (OT) Gail Goodrich (32) Wilt Chamberlain (28) Jerry West (11) The Forum
17,505		 26–3
30 December 12, 1971 Atlanta W 104–95 Gail Goodrich (32) Chamberlain (24) West (14) The Forum
17,505		 27–3
31 Tue, Dec 14, 1971 @ Portland 129–114 Chamberlain, Goodrich (24) Wilt Chamberlain (18) Jerry West (15) Memorial Coliseum
9,048		 28–3
32 Fri, Dec 17, 1971 Golden State 99–129 Gail Goodrich (25) Wilt Chamberlain (18) Jerry West (9) The Forum
15,552		 29–3
33 Sat, Dec 18, 1971 @ Phoenix 132–106 Gail Goodrich (28) Wilt Chamberlain (16) Jerry West (7) Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
12,534		 30–3
34 Sun, Dec 19, 1971 Philadelphia 132–154 Wilt Chamberlain (32) Wilt Chamberlain (34) Jerry West (10) The Forum
17,505		 31–3
35 Tue, Dec 21, 1971 @ Buffalo 117–103 Jerry West (33) Wilt Chamberlain (22) Jerry West (10) Buffalo Memorial Auditorium
10,602		 32–3
36 December 22, 1971 @ Baltimore W 127–120 West (37) Hairston (17) West (9) Baltimore Civic Center
8,468		 33–3
37 Sun, Dec 26, 1971 Houston 115–137 Jerry West (34) Happy Hairston (21) Jerry West (17) The Forum
17,505		 34–3
38 Tue, Dec 28, 1971 Buffalo 87–105 Jerry West (24) Happy Hairston (14) Jerry West (8) The Forum
17,505		 35–3
39 Thu, Dec 30, 1971 @ Seattle 122–106 Jim McMillian (34) Wilt Chamberlain (24) Jerry West (11) Seattle Center Coliseum
13,106		 36–3
January: 8–4 (home: 4–1; road: 4–3)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
40 January 2, 1972 Boston W 122–113 Goodrich (40) Hairston (19) West (12) The Forum
17,505		 37–3
41 Wed, Jan 5, 1972 @ Cleveland 113–103 Jim McMillian (29) Happy Hairston (19) Jerry West (14) Cleveland Arena
11,178		 38–3
42 January 7, 1972 @ Atlanta W 134–90 Jim McMillian (26) Chamberlain, Hairston (14) West (13) Alexander Memorial Coliseum
7,192		 39–3
43 January 9, 1972 @ Milwaukee L 104–120 West (20) Hairston (18) West (6) MECCA Arena
10,746		 39–4
44 Tue, Jan 11, 1972 @ Detroit 123–103 Wilt Chamberlain (29) Wilt Chamberlain (18) Jerry West (9) Cobo Arena
10,050		 40–4
45 Wed, Jan 12, 1972 @ Cincinnati 107–108 Wilt Chamberlain (24) Happy Hairston (23) Jerry West (7) Cincinnati Gardens
5,231		 40–5
46 Fri, Jan 14, 1972 @ Philadelphia 135–121 Jerry West (30) Wilt Chamberlain (20) Jerry West (13) Spectrum
12,919		 41–5
All-Star Break
47 January 21, 1972 New York L 101–104 Chamberlain (28) Chamberlain (19) West (8) The Forum
17,505		 41–6
48 Sat, Jan 22, 1972 @ Phoenix 102–116 Jerry West (26) Wilt Chamberlain (20) Jerry West (8) Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
12,534		 41–7
49 Tue, Jan 25, 1972 Phoenix 119–129 Gail Goodrich (33) Wilt Chamberlain (18) Jerry West (7) The Forum
17,505		 42–7
50 Fri, Jan 28, 1972 Houston 105–118 Gail Goodrich (28) Chamberlain, Hairston (18) Jerry West (9) The Forum
16,183		 43–7
51 Sun, Jan 30, 1972 Portland 131–153 Gail Goodrich (29) Wilt Chamberlain (24) Jerry West (14) The Forum
17,007		 44–7
February: 12–3 (home: 7–1; road: 5–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
52 February 4, 1972 Milwaukee W 118–105 West (37) Chamberlain (25) West (13) The Forum
17,505		 45–7
53 Sat, Feb 5, 1972 @ Golden State 108–96 Gail Goodrich (30) Wilt Chamberlain (22) Jerry West (14) Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena
13,502		 46–7
54 February 6, 1972 Baltimore W 151–127 Trapp (27) Hairston (13) West (10) The Forum
17,103		 47–7
55 February 8, 1972 @ New York W 107–102 Goodrich (36) Chamberlain (20) West (7) Madison Square Garden
19,588		 48–7
56 February 9, 1972 @ Atlanta W 117–113 West (31) Hairston (11) Goodrich, West (4) Alexander Memorial Coliseum
7,192		 49–7
57 February 11, 1972 @ Boston L 108–121 West (25) McMillian (10) West (11) Boston Garden
15,315		 49–8
58 February 13, 1972 N Baltimore
(at College Park, MD)		 W 121–110 McMillian (31) Hairston (20) West (11) Cole Field House
14,239		 50–8
59 Tue, Feb 15, 1972 Cincinnati 118–125 Gail Goodrich (33) Wilt Chamberlain (19) Jerry West (13) The Forum
15,161		 51–8
60 Wed, Feb 16, 1972 @ Phoenix 109–110 McMillian, West (26) Wilt Chamberlain (21) Jerry West (8) Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
12,534		 51–9
61 Fri, Feb 18, 1972 Portland 114–125 Gail Goodrich (34) Happy Hairston (19) Jerry West (10) The Forum
15,357		 52–9
62 Sat, Feb 19, 1972 @ Portland 115–94 Happy Hairston (21) Wilt Chamberlain (19) Jerry West (12) Memorial Coliseum
11,903		 53–9
63 February 20, 1972 Boston W 132–113 West (39) Chamberlain (30) West (9) The Forum
17,505		 54–9
64 Tue, Feb 22, 1972 Detroit 135–134 (OT) Jerry West (37) Wilt Chamberlain (21) Jerry West (12) The Forum
14,245		 54–10
65 Wed, Feb 23, 1972 N Houston 110–115 Jerry West (36) Wilt Chamberlain (14) Goodrich, West (6) Heart O' Texas Fair Complex
7,621		 54–11
66 Fri, Feb 25, 1972 Cincinnati 88–109 Gail Goodrich (25) Wilt Chamberlain (14) Jerry West (7) The Forum
17,036		 55–11
67 February 27, 1972 Chicago W 123–118 (OT) West (36) Chamberlain (23) West (12) The Forum
17,505		 56–11
68 February 29, 1972 @ New York W 114–111 West (32) Chamberlain (19) West (7) Madison Square Garden
19,588		 57–11
March: 11–2 (home: 8–1; road: 3–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
69 March 1, 1972 N Milwaukee
(at Madison, WI)		 W 109–108 West (28) Hairston (20) West (6) Wisconsin Field House
9,227		 58–11
70 March 3, 1972 Atlanta W 114–104 Goodrich (33) Hairston (25) Chamberlain, West (7) The Forum
17,282		 59–11
71 March 5, 1972 Baltimore L 94–108 West (25) Hairston (27) West (6) The Forum
17,505		 59–12
72 Tue, Mar 7, 1972 Philadelphia 97–114 Gail Goodrich (25) Wilt Chamberlain (18) Jerry West (7) The Forum
17,505		 60–12
73 Fri, Mar 10, 1972 Cleveland 98–132 Gail Goodrich (30) Wilt Chamberlain (18) Jerry West (8) The Forum
14,861		 61–12
74 Sun, Mar 12, 1972 Buffalo 102–141 Hairston, McMillian (23) Wilt Chamberlain (17) Erickson, West (8) The Forum
14,090		 62–12
75 Tue, Mar 14, 1972 @ Detroit 129–116 Jim McMillian (30) Wilt Chamberlain (14) Jerry West (14) Cobo Arena
5,982		 63–12
76 Wed, Mar 15, 1972 @ Cincinnati 121–116 Jerry West (32) Wilt Chamberlain (24) Jerry West (16) Cincinnati Gardens
5,516		 64–12
77 March 17, 1972 Milwaukee W 123–107 McMillian (27) Chamberlain (24) West (10) The Forum
17,505		 65–12
78 Sun, Mar 19, 1972 Golden State 99–162 Gail Goodrich (30) Happy Hairston (20) Jerry West (13) The Forum
17,505		 66–12
79 March 21, 1972 @ Chicago W 109–104 Goodrich (29) Chamberlain (29) West (11) Chicago Stadium
17,729		 67–12
80 Wed, Mar 22, 1972 @ Cleveland 120–124 Goodrich, West (31) Wilt Chamberlain (19) Jerry West (12) Cleveland Arena
10,819		 67–13
81 Fri, Mar 24, 1972 Phoenix 110–112 Gail Goodrich (36) Wilt Chamberlain (19) Jerry West (10) The Forum
17,505		 68–13
82 Sun, Mar 26, 1972 Seattle 98–124 Gail Goodrich (24) Wilt Chamberlain (23) Jerry West (11) The Forum
17,505		 69–13
1971–72 schedule

Playoffs

1972 playoff game log
Western Conference Semifinals: 4–0 (home: 2–0; road: 2–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1 March 28, 1972 Chicago W 95–80 Goodrich (32) Chamberlain, Hairston (17) West (10) The Forum
17,505		 1–0
2 March 30, 1972 Chicago W 131–124 West (37) Chamberlain (21) West (11) The Forum
17,505		 2–0
3 April 2, 1972 @ Chicago W 108–101 West (31) Chamberlain (14) West (9) Chicago Stadium
17,805		 3–0
4 April 4, 1972 @ Chicago W 108–97 Goodrich (27) Chamberlain (31) West (10) Chicago Stadium
18,847		 4–0
Western Conference Finals: 4–2 (home: 2–1; road: 2–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1 April 9, 1972 Milwaukee L 73–93 Hairston (16) Chamberlain (24) West (6) The Forum
17,505		 0–1
2 April 12, 1972 Milwaukee W 135–134 McMillian (42) Chamberlain (17) West (13) The Forum
17,505		 1–1
3 April 14, 1972 @ Milwaukee W 108–105 Goodrich (30) Chamberlain (14) West (8) MECCA Arena
10,746		 2–1
4 April 16, 1972 @ Milwaukee L 88–114 West (24) Chamberlain, Hairston (11) Chamberlain, West (4) MECCA Arena
10,746		 2–2
5 April 18, 1972 Milwaukee W 115–90 McMillian (25) Chamberlain (26) West (10) The Forum
17,505		 3–2
6 April 22, 1972 @ Milwaukee W 104–100 West (25) Chamberlain (24) West (9) MECCA Arena
10,746		 4–2
NBA Finals: 4–1 (home: 2–1; road: 2–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1 April 26, 1972 New York L 92–114 Goodrich (20) Chamberlain (19) West (7) The Forum
17,505		 0–1
2 April 30, 1972 New York W 106–92 Goodrich (31) Chamberlain (24) West (13) The Forum
17,505		 1–1
3 May 3, 1972 @ New York W 107–96 Chamberlain (26) Chamberlain, Hairston (20) West (8) Madison Square Garden
19,588		 2–1
4 May 5, 1972 @ New York W 116–111 (OT) West (28) Chamberlain (24) West (7) Madison Square Garden
19,588		 3–1
5 May 7, 1972 New York W 114–100 Goodrich (25) Chamberlain (29) West (9) The Forum
17,505		 4–1
1972 schedule

Player statistics

Regular season

Player GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
Elgin Baylor926.6.433.8156.32.011.8
Wilt Chamberlain8242.3.649.42219.24.014.8
Jim Cleamons385.3.350.7781.00.92.6
LeRoy Ellis7414.6.460.6954.20.64.6
Keith Erickson1517.5.482.8572.62.35.7
Gail Goodrich8237.1.487.8503.64.525.9
Happy Hairston8034.4.461.77913.12.413.1
Jim McMillian8038.1.482.7916.52.618.8
Pat Riley6713.8.447.7431.91.16.7
Flynn Robinson6415.7.490.8601.82.29.9
John Q. Trapp5813.1.443.6993.10.75.7
Jerry West7738.6.477.8144.29.725.8

Playoffs

Player GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
Wilt Chamberlain1546.9.563.49221.03.314.7
Jim Cleamons62.8.571N/A0.70.71.3
LeRoy Ellis1310.3.463.2503.20.83.0
Gail Goodrich1538.3.445.8982.53.323.8
Happy Hairston1538.5.440.79413.12.113.5
Jim McMillian1541.6.447.8575.71.519.1
Pat Riley1516.3.333.7501.90.95.2
Flynn Robinson710.3.463.7001.90.76.4
John Q. Trapp107.1.242.5711.60.52.0
Jerry West1540.5.376.8304.98.922.9

NBA Finals

The Los Angeles Lakers played against the New York Knicks in the NBA finals during the postseason.

Game 1

Although without Willis Reed because of his knee injury. Jerry Lucas scored 26 points but was only one of several Knicks who was red hot. Bill Bradley hit 11 of 12 shots from the field as New York shot 53 percent for the game. The team took advantage of a nearly perfect first half to jump to a good lead and won easily, 114–92. Early in the second half, the Forum crowd began filing out dejectedly. It looked like another Los Angeles fold in the Finals.

Game 2

Knicks forward Dave DeBusschere hurt his side and didn't play after the first half. Hairston scored 12 points in the second half, and Los Angeles evened the series with a 106–92 win.

Game 3

DeBusschere attempted to play in the first half and missed all six of his field-goal attempts. He was hurting and elected not to play in the second half. DeBusschere explained, "I didn't feel I was helping the team." The Lakers danced out to a 22-point lead and regained the home-court advantage with a 107–96 win.

Game 4

The game went into overtime, but at the end of regulation, Wilt Chamberlain picked up his fifth foul. In 13 NBA seasons, he had never fouled out of a game, a history he was immensely proud of but also one that usually led to him playing less aggressively when he was on the verge of getting a 6th foul. As the press waited for Wilt to take the floor and hurt the Lakers by reverting to a passive style, he instead came out in a shotblocking fury that propelled the Lakers to a 116–111 win. At three games to one, their lead now seemed insurmountable.

Game 5

The Lakers won their sixth NBA championship by the score of 114–100. This was their first championship since moving to Los Angeles in 1960. Jerry West also won his first NBA championship after 12 years of waiting. Wilt Chamberlain scored 24 points and 29 rebounds and earned the NBA Finals MVP Award.

Award winners

References

  1. 1 2 Ferraro, Michael X.; Veneziano, John (2007). Numbelievable!. Chicago: Triumph Books. p. 58. ISBN 978-1-57243-990-0.
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