At age 38! I'm old enough to remember a young, athletic
Posted on: July 5, 2020 at 14:35:42 CT
scif MU
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...version who was totally dominant. As he got older, he was so skilled and smart. He had no weaknesses.
"The Lakers reached the NBA Finals eight times in the 10 seasons between 1979-80 and 1988-89. They won five titles, beating Boston and Philadelphia twice each and the Detroit Pistons once. The 1985 series against Boston was perhaps the most satisfying for Abdul-Jabbar. At age 38, the league's senior center was thought by many observers to be washed up. In Game 1 it looked as though they were right -- Abdul-Jabbar had only 12 points and three rebounds in his matchup with Robert Parish. The Celtics romped to a 148-114 win in what became known as the "Memorial Day Massacre."
During the next two days Abdul-Jabbar watched hours of game films and took part in marathon practice sessions that included over one hour of sprinting drills. Repeated attempts by Riley to persuade Abdul-Jabbar to take a break failed.
In Game 2, Abdul-Jabbar recorded 30 points, 17 rebounds, eight assists and three blocked shots in a 109-102 Lakers win. Los Angeles went on to win the series in six games. In the Lakers' four victories, Abdul-Jabbar averaged 30.2 points, 11.3 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 2.0 blocks. In one memorable sequence, Abdul-Jabbar grabbed a rebound, drove the length of the court and swished a sky-hook. He even dove for a loose ball. "What you saw," Riley told Sports Illustrated, "was passion." Abdul-Jabbar was named Finals MVP."