1971–72 Los Angeles Lakers season

Pro basketball team season (won NBA championship) March 2026 August 2023 Los Angeles Lakers 1972 yes yes yes 69 13 Pacific 1 1 Bill Sharman The Forum Jack Kent Cooke KTLA KABC NBA champions(Defeated Knicks 4–1) LAL During the 1971–72 season, the Los Angeles Lakers won their first National Basketball Association (NBA) title since moving to Los Angeles. The Lakers defeated the New York Knicks in five games to win the title, after going 69–13 during the regular-season, a record that stood for 24 seasons until the 1995–96 Chicago Bulls went 72–10. During the regular season, they would also go on an NBA record 33-game winning streak. The team went on to win 81 regular season and playoff games overall, a record that would stand alone for 14 years until the Boston Celtics matched it in 1986. Widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball teams of all time, the 1971–72 Lakers were named as one of the Top 10 Teams in NBA History in 1996. The Lakers defeated the Chicago Bulls in 4 games in the Western Conference Semifinals. The team then defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in a 6-game Western Conference Finals. The Lakers then got to the NBA Finals once again for the 14th time in league history. They faced the New York Knicks in a rematch of the 1970 NBA Finals. The Knicks were defeated in 5 games, the Lakers claimed their sixth title in team history and the first since 1954. Wilt Chamberlain won Finals MVP. Their record of outscoring opponents by 12.3 points per game in the regular season would eventually be broken by the 2024-25 Oklahoma City Thunder, at 12.9 points per game.The Mind-Blowing Second Coming of the Oklahoma City Thunder https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/05/magazine/oklahoma-city-thunder-nba-finals.html New York Times 6 June 2025 en 5 June 2025 Offseason Traded a 1971 2nd round draft pick to the Cincinnati Royals for guard Flynn Robinson. Hired Bill Sharman as the new head coach to replace Joe Mullaney. Traded a 1972 2nd round draft pick to the Portland Trail Blazers for center Leroy Ellis. Claimed forward John Q. Trapp off waivers from the Houston Rockets. NBA draft Round Pick Player Position Nationality School/Club team 1 13 Jim Cleamons Guard Ohio State 4 64 Roger Brown Center Kansas 5 81 Lee Dedmon Forward UNC Roster Los Angeles Lakers 1971–72 22 Elgin Baylor F 6 5 225 Seattle 1934-09-16 13 Wilt Chamberlain C 7 1 275 Kansas 1936-08-21 11 Jim Cleamons G 6 3 185 Ohio State 1949-09-13 14 Leroy Ellis C 6 10 210 St. John's 1940-03-10 24 Keith Erickson F 6 5 195 UCLA 1944-04-19 25 Gail Goodrich G 6 1 170 UCLA 1943-04-23 52 Happy Hairston F 6 7 255 NYU 1942-05-31 5 Jim McMillian F 6 5 225 Columbia 1948-03-11 12 Pat Riley G 6 4 205 Kentucky 1945-03-20 21 Flynn Robinson G 6 1 185 Wyoming 1941-04-28 31 John Q. Trapp F 6 7 210 UNLV 1945-10-02 44 Jerry West G 6 2 175 West Virginia 1938-05-28 *Bill Sharman https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/1972.html 2013-03-22 Regular season Since moving to Los Angeles, the Lakers were repeatedly foiled by the Boston Celtics in their attempts to capture an NBA title. The Lakers lost the championship to them six times in eight years. In 1970, with the aging Celtics out of title contention, the Lakers lost in the NBA finals to the New York Knicks. In 1971, after losing Jerry West to a season-ending injury in February, they lost in the Western Conference finals to the powerful Milwaukee Bucks. Going into the 1971–72 season, many experts thought the chance at a championship had passed for this aging team. Star players Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, and Jerry West were all in their 30s, and had all missed significant time due to injuries in the prior two seasons. The defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, led by superstar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, appeared to be starting a new NBA dynasty. But new coach Bill Sharman still believed the Lakers had the talent to contend. He introduced strict conditioning drills and implemented a running fast break-based offense. He re-tooled Wilt Chamberlain's game to focus on defense, rebounding, and jump-starting the fast break with quick outlet passes to guards Jerry West and Gail Goodrich. The only casualty of this system was the aging Baylor, who could not physically handle the up-tempo practices and offense and retired 9 games into the season. He was replaced at small forward by Jim McMillian who played at a near all-star level. Shortly thereafter, the Lakers strung together a record 33-game win streak. The streak ended on January 9, 1972, against the Milwaukee Bucks.Numbelievable! 58 Michael X. Ferraro John Veneziano Triumph Books Chicago 2007 978-1-57243-990-0 The Lakers and Bucks then staged a season-long race for the league's best record, with the Lakers setting a then NBA record with 69 wins (the Bucks had the second-best record at 63–19). Season standings LAL LAL z – clinched division title y – clinched division title x – clinched playoff spot Game logs Regular season Los Angeles Lakers 1972 Total: 69–13 (Home: 36–5; Road: 33–8) Los Angeles Lakers October yes 1 2 5 1 |- | 1 | October 15 | @ Detroit | 132–103 | Wilt Chamberlain (26) | Wilt Chamberlain (15) | Jerry West (9) | Cobo Arena10,613 | 1–0 |- | 2 | October 16 | @ New York | W 119–104 | McMillian (28) | Chamberlain (19) | West (6) | Madison Square Garden19,296 | 2–0 |- | 3 | October 19 | @ Buffalo | 123–106 | Gail Goodrich (24) | Wilt Chamberlain (12) | Gail Goodrich (6) | Buffalo Memorial Auditorium9,127 | 3–0 |- | 4 | October 20 | @ Atlanta | W 126–104 | McMillian (39) | Chamberlain (25) | McMillian (6) | Alexander Memorial Coliseum5,543 | 4–0 |- | 5 | October 22 | Chicago | L 106–113 | Goodrich (26) | Chamberlain (18) | Hairston (6) | The Forum15,086 | 4–1 |- | 6 | October 24 | @ Houston | 113–103 | Gail Goodrich (31) | Chamberlain, Hairston (13) | Gail Goodrich (6) | Hofheinz Pavilion4,061 | 5–1 |- | 7 | October 29 | Cincinnati | 107–119 | Gail Goodrich (31) | Wilt Chamberlain (32) | Jim McMillian (7) | The Forum12,442 | 6–1 |- | 8 | October 30 | @ Seattle | 106–115 | Flynn Robinson (28) | Happy Hairston (13) | Gail Goodrich (7) | Seattle Center Coliseum13,138 | 6–2 |- | 9 | October 31 | Golden State | 109–105 | Gail Goodrich (38) | Wilt Chamberlain (24) | Wilt Chamberlain (6) | The Forum11,303 | 6–3 Los Angeles Lakers November 9 0 5 0 |- | 10 | November 5 | Baltimore | W 110–106 | Goodrich (31) | Chamberlain (25) | Chamberlain, West (6) | The Forum11,168 | 7–3 |- | 11 | November 6 | @ Golden State | 105–89 | Jerry West (28) | Wilt Chamberlain (17) | Jerry West (8) | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena10,625 | 8–3 |- | 12 | November 7 | New York | W 103–96 | West (29) | Chamberlain (22) | West (8) | The Forum15,397 | 9–3 |- | 13 | November 9 | @ Chicago | W 122–109 | McMillian (28) | Chamberlain (20) | West (13) | Chicago Stadium9,082 | 10–3 |- | 14 | November 10 | @ Philadelphia | 143–103 | Gail Goodrich (34) | Wilt Chamberlain (14) | Jerry West (10) | Spectrum9,503 | 11–3 |- | 15 | November 12 | Seattle | 107–115 | Jerry West (28) | Wilt Chamberlain (22) | Jerry West (8) | The Forum16,550 | 12–3 |- | 16 | November 13 | @ Portland | 130–108 | LeRoy Ellis (27) | Wilt Chamberlain (13) | Jerry West (11) | Memorial Coliseum9,990 | 13–3 |- | 17 | November 14 | Boston | W 128–115 | Goodrich (36) | Chamberlain (31) | Chamberlain (10) | The Forum17,505 | 14–3 |- | 18 | November 16 | Cleveland | 90–108 | Jerry West (25) | Wilt Chamberlain (15) | Wilt Chamberlain (6) | The Forum10,475 | 15–3 |- | 19 | November 19 | Houston | 99–106 | Gail Goodrich (32) | Wilt Chamberlain (23) | Chamberlain, Goodrich, West (6) | The Forum11,484 | 16–3 |- | 20 | November 21 | Milwaukee | W 112–105 | Goodrich (27) | Chamberlain (26) | West (13) | The Forum17,505 | 17–3 |- | 21 | November 25 | @ Seattle | 139–115 | Jerry West (26) | Wilt Chamberlain (15) | Jerry West (13) | Seattle Center Coliseum13,170 | 18–3 |- | 22 | November 26 | Detroit | 113–132 | Wilt Chamberlain (31) | Wilt Chamberlain (31) | Jerry West (18) | The Forum17,101 | 19–3 |- | 23 | November 28 | Seattle | 111–138 | Jerry West (25) | Wilt Chamberlain (26) | Jerry West (8) | The Forum15,544 | 20–3 Los Angeles Lakers December 7 0 9 0 |- | 24 | December 1 | @ Boston | W 124–111 | West (45) | Chamberlain (20) | Chamberlain (6) | Boston Garden8,584 | 21–3 |- | 25 | December 3 | @ Philadelphia | 131–116 | Jim McMillian (41) | Wilt Chamberlain (25) | Jerry West (9) | Spectrum14,923 | 22–3 |- | 26 | December 5 | Portland | 107–123 | Hairston, West (20) | Wilt Chamberlain (27) | Jerry West (10) | The Forum17,505 | 23–3 |- | 27 | December 8 | @ Houston | 125–120 | Gail Goodrich (42) | Happy Hairston (15) | Jerry West (6) | Hofheinz Pavilion9,346 | 24–3 |- | 28 | December 9 | @ Golden State | 124–111 | Jerry West (38) | Wilt Chamberlain (15) | Jerry West (11) | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena8,892 | 25–3 |- | 29 | December 10 | Phoenix | 117–126 (OT) | Gail Goodrich (32) | Wilt Chamberlain (28) | Jerry West (11) | The Forum17,505 | 26–3 |- | 30 | December 12 | Atlanta | W 104–95 | Gail Goodrich (32) | Chamberlain (24) | West (14) | The Forum17,505 | 27–3 |- | 31 | December 14 | @ Portland | 129–114 | Chamberlain, Goodrich (24) | Wilt Chamberlain (18) | Jerry West (15) | Memorial Coliseum9,048 | 28–3 |- | 32 | December 17 | Golden State | 99–129 | Gail Goodrich (25) | Wilt Chamberlain (18) | Jerry West (9) | The Forum15,552 | 29–3 |- | 33 | December 18 | @ Phoenix | 132–106 | Gail Goodrich (28) | Wilt Chamberlain (16) | Jerry West (7) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum12,534 | 30–3 |- | 34 | December 19 | Philadelphia | 132–154 | Wilt Chamberlain (32) | Wilt Chamberlain (34) | Jerry West (10) | The Forum17,505 | 31–3 |- | 35 | December 21 | @ Buffalo | 117–103 | Jerry West (33) | Wilt Chamberlain (22) | Jerry West (10) | Buffalo Memorial Auditorium10,602 | 32–3 |- | 36 | December 22 | @ Baltimore | W 127–120 | West (37) | Hairston (17) | West (9) | Baltimore Civic Center8,468 | 33–3 |- | 37 | December 26 | Houston | 115–137 | Jerry West (34) | Happy Hairston (21) | Jerry West (17) | The Forum17,505 | 34–3 |- | 38 | December 28 | Buffalo | 87–105 | Jerry West (24) | Happy Hairston (14) | Jerry West (8) | The Forum17,505 | 35–3 |- | 39 | December 30 | @ Seattle | 122–106 | Jim McMillian (34) | Wilt Chamberlain (24) | Jerry West (11) | Seattle Center Coliseum13,106 | 36–3 Los Angeles Lakers January 4 1 4 3 |- | 40 | January 2 | Boston | W 122–113 | Goodrich (40) | Hairston (19) | West (12) | The Forum17,505 | 37–3 |- | 41 | January 5 | @ Cleveland | 113–103 | Jim McMillian (29) | Happy Hairston (19) | Jerry West (14) | Cleveland Arena11,178 | 38–3 |- | 42 | January 7 | @ Atlanta | W 134–90 | Jim McMillian (26) | Chamberlain, Hairston (14) | West (13) | Alexander Memorial Coliseum7,192 | 39–3 |- | 43 | January 9 | @ Milwaukee | L 104–120 | West (20) | Hairston (18) | West (6) | MECCA Arena10,746 | 39–4 |- | 44 | January 11 | @ Detroit | 123–103 | Wilt Chamberlain (29) | Wilt Chamberlain (18) | Jerry West (9) | Cobo Arena10,050 | 40–4 |- | 45 | January 12 | @ Cincinnati | 107–108 | Wilt Chamberlain (24) | Happy Hairston (23) | Jerry West (7) | Cincinnati Gardens5,231 | 40–5 |- | 46 | January 14 | @ Philadelphia | 135–121 | Jerry West (30) | Wilt Chamberlain (20) | Jerry West (13) | Spectrum12,919 | 41–5 |- align="center" |colspan="9" bgcolor="#bbcaff"|All-Star Break |- style="background:#cfc;" |- bgcolor="#bbffbb" |- | 47 | January 21 | New York | L 101–104 | Chamberlain (28) | Chamberlain (19) | West (8) | The Forum17,505 | 41–6 |- | 48 | January 22 | @ Phoenix | 102–116 | Jerry West (26) | Wilt Chamberlain (20) | Jerry West (8) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum12,534 | 41–7 |- | 49 | January 25 | Phoenix | 119–129 | Gail Goodrich (33) | Wilt Chamberlain (18) | Jerry West (7) | The Forum17,505 | 42–7 |- | 50 | January 28 | Houston | 105–118 | Gail Goodrich (28) | Chamberlain, Hairston (18) | Jerry West (9) | The Forum16,183 | 43–7 |- | 51 | January 30 | Portland | 131–153 | Gail Goodrich (29) | Wilt Chamberlain (24) | Jerry West (14) | The Forum17,007 | 44–7 Los Angeles Lakers February 7 1 5 2 |- | 52 | February 4 | Milwaukee | W 118–105 | West (37) | Chamberlain (25) | West (13) | The Forum17,505 | 45–7 |- | 53 | February 5 | @ Golden State | 108–96 | Gail Goodrich (30) | Wilt Chamberlain (22) | Jerry West (14) | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena13,502 | 46–7 |- | 54 | February 6 | Baltimore | W 151–127 | Trapp (27) | Hairston (13) | West (10) | The Forum17,103 | 47–7 |- | 55 | February 8 | @ New York | W 107–102 | Goodrich (36) | Chamberlain (20) | West (7) | Madison Square Garden19,588 | 48–7 |- | 56 | February 9 | @ Atlanta | W 117–113 | West (31) | Hairston (11) | Goodrich, West (4) | Alexander Memorial Coliseum7,192 | 49–7 |- | 57 | February 11 | @ Boston | L 108–121 | West (25) | McMillian (10) | West (11) | Boston Garden15,315 | 49–8 |- | 58 | February 13 | N Baltimore(at College Park, MD) | W 121–110 | McMillian (31) | Hairston (20) | West (11) | Cole Field House14,239 | 50–8 |- | 59 | February 15 | Cincinnati | 118–125 | Gail Goodrich (33) | Wilt Chamberlain (19) | Jerry West (13) | The Forum15,161 | 51–8 |- | 60 | February 16 | @ Phoenix | 109–110 | McMillian, West (26) | Wilt Chamberlain (21) | Jerry West (8) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum12,534 | 51–9 |- | 61 | February 18 | Portland | 114–125 | Gail Goodrich (34) | Happy Hairston (19) | Jerry West (10) | The Forum15,357 | 52–9 |- | 62 | February 19 | @ Portland | 115–94 | Happy Hairston (21) | Wilt Chamberlain (19) | Jerry West (12) | Memorial Coliseum11,903 | 53–9 |- | 63 | February 20 | Boston | W 132–113 | West (39) | Chamberlain (30) | West (9) | The Forum17,505 | 54–9 |- | 64 | February 22 | Detroit | 135–134 (OT) | Jerry West (37) | Wilt Chamberlain (21) | Jerry West (12) | The Forum14,245 | 54–10 |- | 65 | February 23 | N Houston | 110–115 | Jerry West (36) | Wilt Chamberlain (14) | Goodrich, West (6) | Heart O' Texas Fair Complex7,621 | 54–11 |- | 66 | February 25 | Cincinnati | 88–109 | Gail Goodrich (25) | Wilt Chamberlain (14) | Jerry West (7) | The Forum17,036 | 55–11 |- | 67 | February 27 | Chicago | W 123–118 (OT) | West (36) | Chamberlain (23) | West (12) | The Forum17,505 | 56–11 |- | 68 | February 29 | @ New York | W 114–111 | West (32) | Chamberlain (19) | West (7) | Madison Square Garden19,588 | 57–11 Los Angeles Lakers March 8 1 3 1 |- | 69 | March 1 | N Milwaukee(at Madison, WI) | W 109–108 | West (28) | Hairston (20) | West (6) | Wisconsin Field House9,227 | 58–11 |- | 70 | March 3 | Atlanta | W 114–104 | Goodrich (33) | Hairston (25) | Chamberlain, West (7) | The Forum17,282 | 59–11 |- | 71 | March 5 | Baltimore | L 94–108 | West (25) | Hairston (27) | West (6) | The Forum17,505 | 59–12 |- | 72 | March 7 | Philadelphia | 97–114 | Gail Goodrich (25) | Wilt Chamberlain (18) | Jerry West (7) | The Forum17,505 | 60–12 |- | 73 | March 10 | Cleveland | 98–132 | Gail Goodrich (30) | Wilt Chamberlain (18) | Jerry West (8) | The Forum14,861 | 61–12 |- | 74 | March 12 | Buffalo | 102–141 | Hairston, McMillian (23) | Wilt Chamberlain (17) | Erickson, West (8) | The Forum14,090 | 62–12 |- | 75 | March 14 | @ Detroit | 129–116 | Jim McMillian (30) | Wilt Chamberlain (14) | Jerry West (14) | Cobo Arena5,982 | 63–12 |- | 76 | March 15 | @ Cincinnati | 121–116 | Jerry West (32) | Wilt Chamberlain (24) | Jerry West (16) | Cincinnati Gardens5,516 | 64–12 |- | 77 | March 17 | Milwaukee | W 123–107 | McMillian (27) | Chamberlain (24) | West (10) | The Forum17,505 | 65–12 |- | 78 | March 19 | Golden State | 99–162 | Gail Goodrich (30) | Happy Hairston (20) | Jerry West (13) | The Forum17,505 | 66–12 |- | 79 | March 21 | @ Chicago | W 109–104 | Goodrich (29) | Chamberlain (29) | West (11) | Chicago Stadium17,729 | 67–12 |- | 80 | March 22 | @ Cleveland | 120–124 | Goodrich, West (31) | Wilt Chamberlain (19) | Jerry West (12) | Cleveland Arena10,819 | 67–13 |- | 81 | March 24 | Phoenix | 110–112 | Gail Goodrich (36) | Wilt Chamberlain (19) | Jerry West (10) | The Forum17,505 | 68–13 |- | 82 | March 26 | Seattle | 98–124 | Gail Goodrich (24) | Wilt Chamberlain (23) | Jerry West (11) | The Forum17,505 | 69–13 LAL 1972 Playoffs Los Angeles Lakers yes 1972 Los Angeles Lakers Western Conference Semifinals yes yes no 2 0 2 0 |- | 1 | March 28 | Chicago | W 95–80 | Goodrich (32) | Chamberlain, Hairston (17) | West (10) | The Forum17,505 | 1–0 |- | 2 | March 30 | Chicago | W 131–124 | West (37) | Chamberlain (21) | West (11) | The Forum17,505 | 2–0 |- | 3 | April 2 | @ Chicago | W 108–101 | West (31) | Chamberlain (14) | West (9) | Chicago Stadium17,805 | 3–0 |- | 4 | April 4 | @ Chicago | W 108–97 | Goodrich (27) | Chamberlain (31) | West (10) | Chicago Stadium18,847 | 4–0 |- Los Angeles Lakers Western Conference Finals yes no 2 1 2 1 |- | 1 | April 9 | Milwaukee | L 72–93 | Hairston (16) | Chamberlain (24) | West (6) | The Forum17,505 | 0–1 |- | 2 | April 12 | Milwaukee | W 135–134 | McMillian (42) | Chamberlain (17) | West (13) | The Forum17,505 | 1–1 |- | 3 | April 14 | @ Milwaukee | W 108–105 | Goodrich (30) | Chamberlain (14) | West (8) | MECCA Arena10,746 | 2–1 |- | 4 | April 16 | @ Milwaukee | L 88–114 | West (24) | Chamberlain, Hairston (11) | Chamberlain, West (4) | MECCA Arena10,746 | 2–2 |- | 5 | April 18 | Milwaukee | W 115–90 | McMillian (25) | Chamberlain (26) | West (10) | The Forum17,505 | 3–2 |- | 6 | April 22 | @ Milwaukee | W 104–100 | West (25) | Chamberlain (24) | West (9) | MECCA Arena10,746 | 4–2 |- Los Angeles Lakers NBA Finals yes no 2 1 2 0 |- | 1 | April 26 | New York | L 92–114 | Goodrich (20) | Chamberlain (19) | West (7) | The Forum17,505 | 0–1 |- | 2 | April 30 | New York | W 106–92 | Goodrich (31) | Chamberlain (24) | West (13) | The Forum17,505 | 1–1 |- | 3 | May 3 | @ New York | W 107–96 | Chamberlain (26) | Chamberlain, Hairston (20) | West (8) | Madison Square Garden19,588 | 2–1 |- | 4 | May 5 | @ New York | W 116–111 (OT) | West (28) | Chamberlain (24) | West (7) | Madison Square Garden19,588 | 3–1 |- | 5 | May 7 | New York | W 114–100 | Goodrich (25) | Chamberlain (29) | West (9) | The Forum17,505 | 4–1 |- LAL 1972 yes Player statistics Regular season Player GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG Elgin Baylor 9 26.6 .433 .815 6.3 2.0 11.8 Wilt Chamberlain 82 42.3 .649 .422 19.2 4.0 14.8 Jim Cleamons 38 5.3 .350 .778 1.0 0.9 2.6 LeRoy Ellis 74 14.6 .460 .695 4.2 0.6 4.6 Keith Erickson 15 17.5 .482 .857 2.6 2.3 5.7 Gail Goodrich 82 37.1 .487 .850 3.6 4.5 25.9 Happy Hairston 80 34.4 .461 .779 13.1 2.4 13.1 Jim McMillian 80 38.1 .482 .791 6.5 2.6 18.8 Pat Riley 67 13.8 .447 .743 1.9 1.1 6.7 Flynn Robinson 64 15.7 .490 .860 1.8 2.2 9.9 John Q. Trapp 58 13.1 .443 .699 3.1 0.7 5.7 Jerry West 77 38.6 .477 .814 4.2 9.7 25.8 Playoffs Player GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG Wilt Chamberlain 15 46.9 .563 .492 21.0 3.3 14.7 Jim Cleamons 6 2.8 .571 N/A 0.7 0.7 1.3 LeRoy Ellis 13 10.3 .463 .250 3.2 0.8 3.0 Gail Goodrich 15 38.3 .445 .898 2.5 3.3 23.8 Happy Hairston 15 38.5 .440 .794 13.1 2.1 13.5 Jim McMillian 15 41.6 .447 .857 5.7 1.5 19.1 Pat Riley 15 16.3 .333 .750 1.9 0.9 5.2 Flynn Robinson 7 10.3 .463 .700 1.9 0.7 6.4 John Q. Trapp 10 7.1 .242 .571 1.6 0.5 2.0 Jerry West 15 40.5 .376 .830 4.9 8.9 22.9 NBA Finals 1972 NBA Finals The Los Angeles Lakers played against the New York Knicks in the NBA finals during the postseason. Game 1 Although without Willis Reed because of his knee injury. Jerry Lucas scored 26 points but was only one of several Knicks who was red hot. Bill Bradley hit 11 of 12 shots from the field as New York shot 53 percent for the game. The team took advantage of a nearly perfect first half to jump to a good lead and won easily, 114–92. Early in the second half, the Forum crowd began filing out dejectedly. It looked like another Los Angeles fold in the Finals. Game 2 Knicks forward Dave DeBusschere hurt his side and didn't play after the first half. Hairston scored 12 points in the second half, and Los Angeles evened the series with a 106–92 win. Game 3 DeBusschere attempted to play in the first half and missed all six of his field-goal attempts. He was hurting and elected not to play in the second half. DeBusschere explained, "I didn't feel I was helping the team." The Lakers danced out to a 22-point lead and regained the home-court advantage with a 107–96 win. Game 4 The game went into overtime, but at the end of regulation, Wilt Chamberlain picked up his fifth foul. In 13 NBA seasons, he had never fouled out of a game, a history he was immensely proud of but also one that usually led to him playing less aggressively when he was on the verge of getting a 6th foul. As the press waited for Wilt to take the floor and hurt the Lakers by reverting to a passive style, he instead came out in a shotblocking fury that propelled the Lakers to a 116–111 win. At three games to one, their lead now seemed insurmountable. Game 5 The Lakers won their sixth NBA championship by the score of 114–100. This was their first championship since moving to Los Angeles in 1960. Jerry West also won his first NBA championship after 12 years of waiting. Wilt Chamberlain scored 24 points and 29 rebounds and earned the NBA Finals MVP Award. Award winners Bill Sharman, NBA Coach of the YearNBA & ABA Coach of the Year Award Winners https://www.basketball-reference.com/awards/coy.html 2025-03-19 Basketball-Reference.com en Jerry West, All-NBA First Team Jerry West, All-NBA Defensive First Team Wilt Chamberlain, All-NBA Defensive First Team Wilt Chamberlain, NBA Leader, Shooting Percentage (.649) References External links 1971 Lakers on Database Basketball 1971–72 Lakers on Basketball Reference Los Angeles Laker Category:Los Angeles Lakers seasons Category:NBA championship seasons Category:Western Conference (NBA) championship seasons Los Angle Los Angle