1984 NBA Finals
GAME 1
Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Summary
Larry v. Magic: Game-by-Game Media Coverage
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's headache gave Los Angeles Coach Pat Riley a stomachache, and Abdul-Jabbar's 32 points yesterday made the Boston Celtics hurt all over.
Abdul-Jabbar, who has had a long history of migraine problems but has not been troubled by them recently, shook off another attack and scored 23 points in the first half yesterday, leading the Lakers to a 115-109 victory and a 1-0 lead in the National Basketball Association Championship Series.
Game Two is Thursday in Boston.
"I had a very bad migraine headache this morning," said Abdul-Jabbar,
37, who hit 12 of 17 field goals in the game. "I've been getting adjusted regularly by a chiropractor, but I haven't had a migraine since last August.
"When I got this one, I knew what to do. It involves a neck adjustment. Once our trainer put my neck back in line, I was fine. It didn't bother me at all."
Abdul-Jabbar said he slept on the plane with his neck crooked Saturday, then woke up at 6 a.m. with the headache. He skipped a 9 a.m. team meeting and didn't arrive for the 1 p.m. game until noon.
"Kareem was phenomenal in the first quarter," said Riley, referring to Abdul-Jabbar's 13 points in the opening period, which helped the Lakers build an 18-point lead in the first eight minutes. "The headache was probably a blessing in disguise. It gave him three hours more sleep.
"He needed the rest. In my heart, I knew he'd play, but when I heard about it, it gave me indigestion."
"I'm a professional and you learn to play under adverse conditions," Abdul-Jabbar said. "This was a very important game for us to win because it puts something in the Celtics' minds. They must have felt they would win at home and would maintain their home court advantage."
The Celtics, who are seeking an unprecedented 15th NBA title, had won their first nine post-season games at home, including the last seven by an average margin of nearly 17 points. But the Celtics never came closer than four points after the initial Los Angeles spurt, disappointing a sellout crowd of 14,890.
Larry Bird, averaging 27.5 points in the playoffs, and Boston's leading scorer in each of its last 11 games, had only two field goals and 12 points midway through the third period, with Los Angeles ahead 83-64. But with AbdulJabbar and Earvin "Magic" Johnson on the bench with four fouls apiece, Bird led a 24-9 run with eight points in the final 1:22 of the quarter, including a three-pointer that made it 92-88 at the buzzer.
The game was close throughout the fourth period but the Celtics were never able to catch up.
James Worthy added 20 points and Johnson 18 for the Lakers. Kevin McHale led the Celtics with 25, Bird had 24 and Dennis Johnson 23.
The Lakers, overcoming the effects of a Friday night game and a fivehour plane flight Saturday, outscored the Celtics 25-6 during a seven-minute span to take a 28-10 lead with 3:59 left in the first quarter.
Boston cut the 18-point deficit to 3422 at the end of the first period as McHale hit eight points in the final 2:58, four of them on rebound-follow shots. Two more second-shot baskets early in the second quarter narrowed the deficit to 36-26, but another Boston cold spell allowed the Lakers to rebuild their advantage to 18, 48-30.
Nine straight Boston points, five by Johnson and four by McHale, made it 56-48. A three-point goal by Michael Cooper just before the buzzer left Los Angeles ahead 65-52 at halftime.
Both teams have won three NBA titles since 1974, but they have not faced each other in a Championship Series since 1969, when Boston beat Los Angeles in seven games. That victory was the seventh series triumph without a loss for the Celtics over the Lakers in the finals.
Overall, the Celtics are 14-1 in Championship Series appearances. The Lakers are 8-10 in the finals, including 5-1 when the franchise was in Minneapolis
from 1947-59.
1 comment:
At this rate, the finals on this blog may last until June!
Post a Comment