Index
NBA Finals
|
1972 |
||
| BOXSCORE | Los Angeles Lakers | New York Knicks |
| GAME1 | 4 | 1 |
| GAME2 | REGULAR SEASON STATS | REGULAR SEASON STATS |
| GAME3 | NBA FINALS STATS | NBA FINALS STATS |
| GAME4 | MVP: Wilt Chamberlain | |
| GAME5 | ||
| GAME6 | ||
| GAME7 | ||
Game #1 @Los Angeles
The Lakers came in with their 69-13 record but found themselves on the short end of some sizzling shooting by New York. The Knicks came out early and made their first five shots and 16 of their first 20. Jerry Lucas, who hit nine of his first 11, luring Wilt out from under the hoop, led the way. Bill Bradley made 11 of 12 shots and Walt Frazier collected a triple-double to lead the Knick onslaught. The Knicks shot 72% from the field in the first quarter and ended up almost 54% for the game. Phil Jackson contributed in the second half off the bench when he made four of six shots to help prevent any Laker run. Gail Goodrich scored 11 points in the first quarter but made only one of 11 shots the rest of the way. Trailing 67-49 at the half, any Laker comeback was thwarted by their five of 27 shooting in the third quarter.
| NEW YORK MN FG-FGA FT-FTA RB AS PF PTS |
| Bradley 36 11-12 7-9 3 4 4 29 |
| DeBusschere 43 9-18 1-1 18 6 3 19 |
| Lucas 44 13-21 0-0 7 4 3 26 |
| Frazier 44 6-14 2-4 12 11 2 14 |
| Monroe 15 3-5 0-1 1 1 4 6 |
| Meminger 28 0-3 1-3 6 4 1 1 |
| Barnett 6 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 0 |
| Jackson 10 5-8 3-6 0 0 2 13 |
| Mast 4 2-3 0-0 4 0 0 4 |
| Miles 4 0-2 2-2 3 0 0 2 |
| Paulk 3 0-2 0-0 0 0 1 0 |
| Rackley 3 0-3 0-0 0 0 0 0 |
| TOTALS 49-91 16-26 55 30 21 114 |
| LOS ANGELES MN FG-FGA FT-FTA RB AS PF PTS |
| McMillian 38 5-15 4-4 2 0 2 14 |
| Hairston 37 5-10 2-4 11 0 3 12 |
| Chamberlain 40 5-11 2-3 19 1 4 12 |
| West 37 3-15 6-6 1 7 1 12 |
| Goodrich 32 8-22 4-6 3 2 3 20 |
| Robinson 16 3-7 1-1 3 1 3 7 |
| Riley 16 1-7 0-1 2 1 2 2 |
| Ellis 14 3-4 0-0 1 2 2 6 |
| Cleamons 5 1-2 0-0 1 2 2 2 |
| Trapp 5 2-4 1-1 1 0 2 5 |
| TOTALS 36-97 20-26 44 16 24 92 |
| New York 33 34 19 28 - 114 |
| Los Angeles 28 21 19 24 - 92 |
| A - 17,505 |
Game #2 @Los Angeles
The Knicks looked like they were ready to give the L.A. fits again before foul trouble and injury derailed their hopes. New York was leading 44-42 when Dave DeBusschere suffered a pulled muscle in his right side and would play only 78 more seconds. Los Angeles closed the half with a 9-6 run to take a 51-50 lead into the locker room. With Willis Reed and now DeBusschere sidelined, Knick hopes inside were done in when Jerry Lucas picked up four fouls in the third quarter. New York couldn't find the range in the third as L.A. raced to a 79-61 lead entering the fourth. The Knicks would cut the lead to 10 at the 3:59 mark but hoops by Gail Goodrich and LeRoy Ellis sealed the deal.
| NEW YORK MN FG-FGA FT-FTA RB AS PF PTS |
| Bradley 42 9-18 0-0 1 3 4 18 |
| DeBusschere 20 3-7 1-3 10 0 1 7 |
| Lucas 42 6-14 4-5 11 5 5 16 |
| Frazier 47 9-14 3-3 7 7 3 21 |
| Monroe 24 3-9 1-2 1 3 2 7 |
| Meminger 24 1-4 1-4 2 1 2 3 |
| Jackson 32 6-12 6-8 11 1 4 18 |
| Rackley 6 1-3 0-0 2 0 0 2 |
| Mast 1 0-1 0-0 0 0 1 0 |
| Miles 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 |
| Paulk 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 |
| TOTALS 38-82 16-25 45 20 22 92 |
| LOS ANGELES MN FG-FGA FT-FTA RB AS PF PTS |
| McMillian 45 5-14 1-1 5 2 2 11 |
| Hairston 36 6-11 3-3 9 1 4 15 |
| Chamberlain 48 10-19 3-7 24 4 3 23 |
| West 41 6-21 3-3 6 13 2 15 |
| Goodrich 40 14-18 3-4 1 5 4 31 |
| Riley 15 2-5 2-3 1 1 3 6 |
| Ellis 9 2-5 1-2 9 1 0 5 |
| Trapp 6 0-3 0-0 0 0 1 0 |
| TOTALS 45-96 16-23 55 27 19 105 |
| New York 26 24 11 31 - 92 |
| Los Angeles 30 21 28 27 - 105 |
| A - 17,505 |
Game #3 @New York
New York came out hot back home at Madison Square Garden but the Lakers responded. After trailing going into the second quarter, L.A. shut down the Knicks. After being tied at 36 and L.A. took a 52-47 lead into the half. Dave DeBusschere continued to be bothered by his pulled muscle in his right side. He would not play in the second half. The Knicks would make only seven of 23 shots in the third quarter as the Lakers forged their largest lead at 76-54. New York would rally to within 90-82 in the fourth as their shooting and defense kicked it up a notch. Jerry West then came up with a steal and fed Happy Hairston for a hoop. Wilt Chamberlain followed it with two made free throws and a dunk to make it 96-82. The Knicks would cut it back to seven at 101-94 but it was too late.
| LOS ANGELES MN FG-FGA FT-FTA RB AS PF PTS |
| Hairston 41 5-17 3-4 20 0 2 13 |
| McMillian 42 5-16 6-6 8 3 3 16 |
| Chamberlain 48 9-10 8-11 20 1 4 26 |
| West 41 10-28 1-3 2 8 4 21 |
| Goodrich 43 9-20 7-7 2 2 3 25 |
| Riley 19 2-8 2-2 2 1 3 6 |
| Ellis 6 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0 |
| TOTALS 40-99 27-33 54 15 20 107 |
| NEW YORK MN FG-FGA FT-FTA RB AS PF PTS |
| Bradley 45 5-17 3-4 4 3 4 13 |
| DeBusschere 20 0-6 0-0 9 2 1 0 |
| Lucas 47 11-21 1-2 14 6 5 23 |
| Frazier 38 9-15 7-7 6 4 3 25 |
| Monroe 26 2-11 0-0 4 5 0 4 |
| Meminger 14 2-3 2-2 2 2 2 6 |
| Jackson 26 6-10 0-0 7 1 5 12 |
| Barnett 19 6-9 1-3 1 1 4 13 |
| Mast 3 0-0 0-0 1 0 2 0 |
| Rackley 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0 |
| TOTALS 41-92 14-18 48 24 27 96 |
| Los Angeles 23 29 28 27 - 107 |
| New York 28 19 18 31 - 96 |
| A - 19,588 |
Game #4 @New York
Jerry West's hot shooting kept L.A. close in the first half as New York led by three at the intermission. In the late third and early fourth, West slumped and missed nine consecutive shots as the Knicks took a 90-83 lead. The Lakers rallied as Gail Goodrich and Happy Hairston combined for six points as L.A. closed to within 94-93. West hit a jumper with 3:55 to give L.A. a 95-94 lead. The teams would trade baskets with New York leading 98-97 with less than two minutes left. Wilt Chamberlain hit two free throws to make it 99-98 with 1:38 to play. After a foul on Chamberlain, Jerry Lucas made one of two to tie it with 58 seconds left. Jim McMillian missed with 31 seconds but Chamberlain grabbed the board. West would then knock down a shot to give L.A. a 101-99 lead at the 11-second mark. Dave DeBusschere missed a spinning runner but Walt Frazier tipped it in with three ticks left on the clock. West then missed at the buzzer. In the overtime, McMillian hit back-to-back jumpers to give L.A. a 109-107 lead but Bill Bradley tied it from the line. West hit free throws, Lucas missed a shot and Goodrich grabbed the ball and went coast-to-coast to give L.A. a 115-111 lead that sealed it.
| LOS ANGELES MN FG-FGA FT-FTA RB AS PF PTS |
| Hairston 45 7-12 4-6 19 3 3 18 |
| McMillian 47 8-23 7-7 3 2 5 23 |
| Chamberlain 53 5-11 2-5 24 3 5 12 |
| West 45 9-25 10-12 6 7 2 28 |
| Goodrich 45 9-20 9-10 3 1 5 27 |
| Ellis 14 2-3 0-0 3 1 1 4 |
| Riley 16 2-5 0-0 1 1 3 4 |
| TOTALS 42-99 32-40 59 18 24 116 |
| NEW YORK MN FG-FGA FT-FTA RB AS PF PTS |
| Bradley 43 12-21 2-3 4 4 5 26 |
| DeBusschere 48 6-18 1-2 13 1 4 13 |
| Lucas 53 11-22 3-4 8 11 4 25 |
| Barnett 22 6-11 1-3 1 1 2 13 |
| Frazier 50 10-15 4-7 8 8 4 24 |
| Jackson 15 2-6 0-0 8 0 2 4 |
| Meminger 25 2-5 1-1 5 2 5 5 |
| Monroe 9 0-3 1-1 2 1 2 1 |
| TOTALS 49-101 13-21 49 28 28 111 |
| Los Angeles 26 27 25 23 15 - 116 |
| New York 28 28 25 20 10 - 111 |
| A - 19,588 |
Game #5 @Los Angeles
The Lakers took control in the second half and pulled away to win their fourth straight game of the series to capture the NBA title. The Lakers were able to stay in a 53-53 tie by manhandling New York on the boards. The inspired play of Walt Frazier was the catalyst for the Knicks. Los Angeles had a 31-16 advantage on the boards in the first half and would win the battle 36-23 in the second half. Wilt Chamberlain and Happy Hairston combined for 43 rebounds to dominate the inside. The Lakers took the lead for good at the 11-minute mark of the fourth quarter when they went up 85-83.
| NEW YORK MN FG-FGA FT-FTA RB AS PF PTS |
| Bradley 35 4-16 4-4 1 2 3 12 |
| DeBusschere 35 6-15 1-3 14 2 6 13 |
| Lucas 47 5-14 4-4 9 5 4 14 |
| Frazier 47 14-24 3-6 7 10 3 27 |
| Monroe 29 4-15 8-8 2 3 1 16 |
| Meminger 18 2-3 0-0 2 1 3 4 |
| Jackson 24 4-6 2-2 3 1 3 10 |
| Barnett 1 0-0 0-0 1 1 0 0 |
| Mast 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 |
| Miles 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 |
| Paulk 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0 |
| Rackley 1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 |
| TOTALS 39-94 22-27 39 25 24 100 |
| LOS ANGELES MN FG-FGA FT-FTA RB AS PF PTS |
| Hairston 42 4-8 5-5 14 3 2 13 |
| McMillian 45 8-15 4-5 3 0 4 20 |
| Chamberlain 47 10-14 4-9 29 4 2 24 |
| West 42 10-28 3-5 5 9 3 23 |
| Goodrich 38 6-18 13-14 4 2 4 25 |
| Riley 15 2-8 3-4 3 0 3 7 |
| Ellis 8 0-0 0-0 8 1 1 0 |
| Robinson 1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 |
| Cleamons 1 1-2 0-0 1 0 0 2 |
| Trapp 1 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 |
| TOTALS 41-94 32-42 67 21 19 114 |
| New York 24 28 25 22 - 100 |
| Los Angeles 26 27 30 31 - 114 |
| A - 17,505 |
COMPOSITE BOX SCORE
| LOS ANGELES G MN FG-FGA FT-FTA REB AST PF PTS | PPG | RPG | APG |
| Chamberlain 5 246 39-65 19-35 116 13 18 97 | 19,4 | 23,2 | 2,6 |
| McMillian 5 217 31-83 22-23 21 7 16 84 | 16,8 | 4,2 | 1,4 |
| West 5 206 38-117 23-29 20 44 12 99 | 19,8 | 4,0 | 8,8 |
| Hairston 5 201 27-58 17-22 73 7 14 71 | 14,2 | 14,6 | 1,4 |
| Goodrich 5 198 45-98 36-41 13 12 19 126 | 25,2 | 2,6 | 2,4 |
| Riley 5 81 9-33 7-10 9 4 14 25 | 5,0 | 1,8 | 0,8 |
| Ellis 5 51 7-12 1-2 21 5 5 15 | 3,0 | 4,2 | 1,0 |
| Robinson 2 17 3-8 1-1 3 1 3 7 | 3,5 | 1,5 | 0,5 |
| Trapp 3 12 2-7 1-1 1 1 3 5 | 1,7 | 0,3 | 0,3 |
| Cleamons 2 6 2-4 0-0 2 2 2 4 | 2,0 | 1,0 | 1,0 |
| TOTALS 5 203-485 127-164 279 96 106 533 | |||
| NEW YORK G MN FG-FGA FT-FTA REB AST PF PTS | PPG | RPG | APG |
| Lucas 5 233 46-92 12-15 49 31 21 104 | 20,8 | 9,8 | 6,2 |
| Frazier 5 226 48-82 19-27 40 40 15 115 | 23,0 | 8,0 | 8,0 |
| Bradley 5 201 41-84 16-20 13 16 20 98 | 19,6 | 2,6 | 3,2 |
| DeBusschere 5 166 24-64 4-9 64 11 15 52 | 10,4 | 12,8 | 2,2 |
| Meminger 5 109 6-17 5-10 17 10 13 17 | 3,4 | 3,4 | 2,0 |
| Jackson 5 107 23-42 11-16 29 3 16 57 | 11,4 | 5,8 | 0,6 |
| Monroe 5 99 12-43 10-12 10 13 9 34 | 6,8 | 2,0 | 2,6 |
| Barnett 4 48 12-20 2-6 4 3 7 26 | 6,5 | 1,0 | 0,8 |
| Rackley 4 11 1-7 0-0 2 0 1 2 | 0,5 | 0,5 | 0,0 |
| Mast 4 9 2-4 0-0 5 0 3 4 | 1,0 | 1,3 | 0,0 |
| Miles 3 6 0-2 2-2 3 0 0 2 | 0,7 | 1,0 | 0,0 |
| Paulk 3 5 0-2 0-0 0 0 2 0 | 0,0 | 0,0 | 0,0 |
| TOTALS 5 215-459 81-117 236 124 122 511 |