Lakers Look Unstoppable in '86

June 1985

Lakers Look Unstoppable in '86

Champagne dripped off Pat Riley's chin. His shirt was soaked. His immaculate hair was mussed. His spirits were soaring. His mind was racing.

It was no more than 15 minutes after the Los Angeles Lakers had won the 1985 NBA championship.



"We lost the first game and then won four of the next five,' said the Lakers coach. "We were not going to be denied.

"Now, our job is: What to do about next year?'

Twenty-two other teams -- including the Boston Celtics, who became the 16th straight team unable to win consecutive NBA championships -- are wondering the same thing: What to do about the Lakers next year?

"Unfortunately,' said Mavericks player personnel director Rick Sund, "I don't think there is anything anybody can do about them. The Lakers had the best team this year. They have the same team coming back. Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar) looks very young to me. And another thing -- Pat Riley is maturing and getting better as a coach. I think the Lakers are going to be the team to beat next year.'

Which is not to say they will repeat as champions. No one has repeated since the Celtics in 1968 and 1969.

"Maybe the psychologists should conduct a study in this matter,' Riley said. "Maybe one of the reasons teams have trouble repeating is the motivation. Maybe we wanted it a little more than they (the Celtics) did, just by degrees.'

And once teams get to the championship level, a small edge can translate into a title.

Can the Lakers keep that edge? Can they get even better? It is unlikely the Lakers will get any help from the draft because they do not pick until 23rd in the first round.

They have five free agents: Kurt Rambis, Larry Spriggs, Mike McGee, Ronnie Lester and Earl Jones, the latter having spent much of the year on the injured list. They have said they will re-sign Rambis, who made $325,000 this season.

The Lakers do have one intriguing way of improving. Bob McAdoo has an option year left on his contract, which paid him $933,000 this season. But the option belongs to the Lakers.

If they do not exercise it, they can replace the $933,000 with another player because McAdoo technically will be a free agent. The collective-bargaining agreement allows free agents to be replaced at full salary. Stories in Los Angeles papers have quoted Lakers executives anonymously saying they will not exercise their option.

Abdul-Jabbar, a unanimous selection as the championship series Most Valuable Player after he averaged 25 points, 9.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.4 blocks, has said he will retire after next season. He will make $2,030,000 in his last year. The collective-bargaining agreement allows teams to replace one-half of the salary of a retired player, meaning the Lakers will have at least another $1,000,000 to work with in the 1986-87 season.

Even after Abdul-Jabbar departs, however, the Lakers will have Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Byron Scott and Michael Cooper -- a good nucleus of superstars and stars. They may have to fight off the challenges of a maturing Houston Rockets team led by Ralph Sampson and Akeem Olajuwon.

Perhaps Portland, Denver and Dallas also will challenge in the next few years. But the Lakers will be hard to catch.

"We may never close the gap,' Sund said. "The Lakers may have been one of the best (teams) in the history of league. What we've got to hope is they come down a little bit. Two years ago when Philadelphia won the championship (sweeping the Lakers, 4-0), no one thought they could be caught. Last year Boston won, and no one thought they could be beat. But they were hurt by injuries. That could happen to anyone, including the Lakers.

"We have to hope we mature and that they don't reach the pinnacle they reached this year. But they won 62 games and the world championship. They have a great team. We -- the Dallas Mavericks and everyone else in the Western Conference -- have to be realistic.'