<< 1980-81 Los Angeles Lakers | 1982-83 Los Angeles Lakers >>
Magic Johnson was back in action in 1981-82 after an injury-riddled sophomore season. This helped bring the Los Angeles Lakers back to legitimate title contention, as they went 57-25, securing the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
Their dominance only grew in the playoffs, as they received a first round bye, then proceeded to sweep their second round matchup and the Conference Finals matchup against the Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs, respectively. With this, they got to their second NBA Finals of the showtime era.
Meanwhile, the Eastern Conference was once again a bloodbath at the top between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers. They met in the Conference Finals once again, but this time it was the 76ers who prevailed to prevent a Lakers-Celtics Finals.
In the NBA Finals, Julius Erving did all he could for the 76ers, averaging 25 points and 8.3 rebounds. However, the 76ers were simply no match for a deep Lakers team, and L.A. would win in six games to get to eight total championships and two in three years.
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