Los Angeles Lakers: Greatest conference semifinals in franchise history

By Jason Reed | May 3, 2020

SALT LAKE CITY - MAY 08: Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers is defended by Wesley Matthews #23 of the Utah Jazz during Game Three of the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2010 NBA Playoffs on May 8, 2010 at Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

3. 1982 dominating sweep over the Phoenix Suns

The second championship in the Showtime Lakers era came in 1982 and it was arguably the best version of the team that Laker fans fell in love with in the 80s. The long list of legends and Hall of Famers on this team is just absurd.

This team had Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar still in the tail-end of his prime, Jamaal Wilkes, Bob McAdoo, Bob Cooper, Norm Nixon, Mitch Kupchak and Kurt Rambis. The only person missing from this team that was a staple of the Showtime era was James Worthy, who joined the team the following season as a rookie.

The Lakers’ dominance was showcased in their record, 57-25, and how easily they got to the NBA Finals. After a first-round bye, the Lakers absolutely demolished the Phoenix Suns in the conference semifinals to move onto the Western Conference Finals, where they also swept the San Antonio Spurs.

The Suns had only one game, Game 4, in which the winning margin was decided by five or fewer points. All in all, the Lakers outscored the Suns by 51 points in four games.

That is absolutely insane considering the Suns were the fifth seed in the Western Conference that season. The Suns were a talented team led by Hall of Famer Dennis Johnson that got completely outmatched by the Showtime Lakers.

The Lakers had six players average in double digits in scoring in this series, three of which averaged 20 or more points.

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