the official stats partner of the NBA. DeBusschere attempted to play in the first half and missed all six of his field-goal attempts. Chamberlain was named Most Valuable Player of the Finals. February 13–4 (Home: 7–1; Road: 5–2; Neutral: 1–1), March 12–2 (Home: 8–1; Road: 3–1; Neutral: 1–0), Conference Semifinals 4–0 (Home: 2–0; Road: 2–0), Conference Finals 4–2 (Home: 2–1; Road: 2–1). The Lakers won their sixth NBA championship by the score of 114–100.

He was replaced at small forward by Jim McMillian who played at a near all star level.

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In 1971-72, the Lakers put together the longest regular season winning streak in major professional sports history, rattling off 33 consecutive victories behind a talented roster led by Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain and Gail Goodrich. At that point the Lakers had rung up a 33-game winning streak, an American professional sports record. The defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, led by superstar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar appeared to be starting a new NBA dynasty. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Bertka provided us with a copy of a Sharman practice schedule (attached below), then took us through it. The Los Angeles Lakers played against the New York Knicks in the NBA finals during the postseason. He also became the first player in NBA history to record a field-goal percentage above .700 -he finished at .727. Los Angeles Lakers 1972 Championship Roster : Player : Position : Height : Weight : Born : … All rights reserved.

Shortly thereafter, the Lakers strung together a record 33-game win streak. At season's end, Bill Sharman was named NBA Coach of the Year.

He was hurting and elected not to play in the second half. Going into the 1971–72 season, many experts thought the chance at a championship had passed for this aging team. The Lakers breezed right through the playoffs, sweeping the Chicago Bulls in the conference semifinals, ousting the Bucks in six games in the conference finals, and then zipping by the Knicks in the Finals, four games to one. Are you a Stathead, too? But new coach Bill Sharman still believed the Lakers had the talent to contend.

Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. 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. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. The Lakers honored Jerry West with a bronze statue at the STAPLES Center. Jerry West Celebrated at Statue Unveiling, The Men Who Led the Lakers | Bill Sharman. The streak ended on January 9, 1972, against the Milwaukee Bucks. DeBusschere explained, "I didn't feel I was helping the team."

New York took the series in five games to wrest the title away from the defending champions. Golden State Warriors vs. Milwaukee Bucks, Scores from any date in BAA/NBA or ABA history.

The Lakers may have lost Baylor, but they did have a balanced, mature, and experienced team with Hairston and second-year player Jim McMillian as forwards, Chamberlain in the pivot, and West and Goodrich at the guard spots. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Regular Season 1971/72 Scores, highlights, Los Angeles Lakers 1972 Championship : Playoffs 1972 The Fixture of the the championship and other playoff data. 1971-72 Lakers NBA Champions 33 Game Win Streak Longest Winning Streak in NBA History Join our linker program. Since the Lakers came to Los Angeles in 1960, two people that never set foot on the actual basketball court stand out as constantly impactful contributors.

Knicks forward Dave DeBusschere hurt his side and didn't play after the first half. In 1996, the 1971-72 Lakers were named as one of the Top 10 Teams in NBA History. Full Site Menu. The Lakers lost the championship to them six times in eight years.

All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Among the greatest teams in NBA history, the Lakers had stormed through the regular season with a then-record 69 wins to only 13 losses, including a ridiculous 33-game winning streak, an American professional sports record. West led the league by dishing out 9.7 assists per game, and he and Goodrich each averaged better than 25 points. The team paced the league in points, rebounds, and assists. Bill Bradley hit 11 of 12 shots from the field as New York shot 53 percent for the game. League Champion: Los Angeles Lakers. NBA 1972 Playoffs: Won NBA Western Conference Semifinals (4-0) versus Chicago Bulls (Series Stats) Won NBA Western Conference Finals (4-2) versus Milwaukee Bucks (Series Stats) ... > Los Angeles Lakers > 1971-72 Roster and Stats. 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. At three games to one, their lead now seemed insurmountable. The Lakers lost the championship to them six times in eight years. Subscribe to our Free Newsletter, This Month in Sports ReferenceFind out when we add a feature or make a change. During the 1971–72 season the Los Angeles Lakers won their first National Basketball Association (NBA) title since moving to Los Angeles.

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.