Los Angeles Lakers: Revisiting Showtime in Halloween 1985
The Showtime Los Angeles Lakers started their season in 1985 right on the tail end of a disappointing Game 7 loss in the NBA finals to the Boston Celtics.
1984-1985 saw the Phoenix Suns sneak into the eight seed during the regular season at 36-46, only to get swept by the Los Angeles Lakers 3-0. This was before the NBA switched to the best of seven formats for the first round in 2003.
Phoenix would go all the way to the conference finals as a six seed this season, only to get bounced by the Lakers once again, this time in six during the Western Conference Finals.
The Lakers were coming in off their second championship of the decade, taking out the Boston Celtics. The series ended up being an instant classic, with the Lakers winning it in six. Kareem Abdul-Jabar earned every bit of his Finals MVP award. So coming into this season, the Lakers were still riding the wave from their championship.
The Lakers traveled to Phoenix for their third game of the season, with wins over the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks already under their belt. It was the beginning of a season that saw the Lakers win 62 games, and getting revenge on the Celtics in a rematch of the finals, taking them down in six.
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The Los Angeles Lakers won the game against Phoenix 144-107, using the second and third quarters to gain most of this lead. Byron Scott led the Lakers with 31 points, going 11-of-13 from the field and 9-of-11 from the free throw line. Magic only had six points but tallied 12 assists with just over 22 minutes of game time.
After holding a one-point lead after the first quarter, the Lakers were able to outscore Phoenix by 15 in the second. The Lakers maintained the second quarter pace by outscoring the Suns by 13 in the third quarter, essentially breaking the game wide open.
An interesting fact about this game, which reflects this area in general, is that the Lakers put up 144 points without making a 3-pointer. The Lakers shot 34-of-46 from the free throw line, and had a pace of 123.3, above the current league average of 101.4.
Phoenix failed to make a 3-pointer as well, but just attempting two of them. The Lakers lone shot from downtown came from shooting guard Mike McGee.
The season ended up being a magical one for the Lakers. Any time you can avenge a finals loss from the year before, it’s a thing of beauty, 2010 Kobe Bryant can attest to that.
Next. 50 Greatest Lakers In Franchise History. dark
Without this Lakers team, we would not have had the legacy or clout to bring over some of the big names we’ve had over the years. So let’s take a moment to appreciate the one and only Showtime Lakers.