1984 all over Again?

May 26, 1985

CAN LAKERS FORGET 1984?

It's fascinating to speculate on what the Los Angeles Lakers are thinking and feeling as they sit in their Boston hotel, awaiting tomorrow's Game 1 rematch with the Celtics.

Does Magic Johnson think about the pain and embarrassment of his mistakes in last year's series? Does he remember his post-series depression when he locked himself in his apartment for three days? Does he think about how his name and reputation were abused from coast-to-coast even though he set a series record with 95 assists? Does it bother him when the Celtics call him Tragic Johnson?



Does Kurt Rambis think about Kevin McHale's Jack Tatum clothesline tackle in Game 4? Everyone says the series changed after that play. McHale says people started calling him Sid Vicious. Cedric Maxwell said, "Before that play, they just ran wild, but after that, they stopped at the crosswalk, pushed the button, looked both ways, and walked across."

Does Kareem Abdul-Jabbar remember the annoying and frightful fire alarms at LA's hotel headquarters in Boston? Does he think about the night he needed oxygen in the Garden blastfurnace, or those young thugs who attacked him while stampeding the court to "celebrate" Boston's Game 7 victory?

Does James Worthy remember that floating crosscourt pass, which Gerald Henderson stole to rescue the Celtics from certain defeat in Game 2? Does Worthy remember Maxwell giving him the choke sign at the free throw line, and talking trash throughout Game 7?

Does coach Pat Riley remember calling the Celtics "thugs," and pledging to beef up LA's rebounding game after Boston won Game 7?

How do the Lakers feel when they read that M.L. Carr calls them "the Fakers?" Is there a danger of getting too pumped up? It's taken a year to get back to this point. Are the talented Lakers on an unstoppable search and destroy mission, or might they be distracted by the bitter nightmare of 1984?

The Lakers still think they had the better team last year and many of the Celtics will admit that LA was more talented.

These Lakers appear more frightening and invincible than last year's edition, but they know they haven't done anything until they beat the Celtics. That is why the trappings of this series are irresistable - no matter who wins or how many games it takes.