European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 31, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Daily decade in review sports lakers the magic touch the associated press conducted a poll of sports enlers and editors to de Termine the Best in sports in the 1980s. Today the stars and stripes daily mag Azine continues its series on some of the winners. By Hal Bock associated press to months before the 1980s began. Jack Mckinney the new coach of the los Angeles lakers went Oul Lor his morning bicycle ride it turned Oul to be the Start of a one Way trip to the top of the Aba Lor the most successful franchise in sports Over the last decade Mckinney s ride ended in a crash Landing a frightening Accident in which the coach suffered a fractured  and serious head injuries he was replaced by his assistant. Paul Westhead who took the lakers to the Aba championship the first of five titles and eight trips to the finals in 10 years no team in any sport won As Many titles during the decade including play Olls and the lakers made it to the postseason every year with nine division titles including the last eight in a Row los Angeles posted a record of 702-277. A 721 winning percentage going into this season that s better than seven victories in every 10 games a remarkable record of consistency in a sport whose teams sometimes seem to be Riding a see a All of this was accomplished with Only occasional help rom the draft los Angeles never has had a Rookie of the year or trades the lakers rarely made significant deals during the decade so How did los Angeles do it9 magic Earvin Johnson magic to his pals led Michigan state to the Mcaa title As a Sophomore in 1979 and then declared Lor the Aba draft. The lakers owners of the no. 1 pick As the result of losing free agent Gail Goodrich to the jazz three years earlier grabbed the magic Man would t you Magazine the payoff was immediate Johnson set a fistful of club records As a Rookie and then punctuated the performance when in the final game of the playoffs Gamst Philadelphia the game that would make the lakers champions he replaced injured Kareem Abdul Jabbar at Center and produced 42 Points. 15 rebounds and seven assists. Basketball people still talk with Awe about that map show the next year with Johnson sidelined Lor 45 games by torn cartilage in his loll knee the lakers finished second to Phoenix and were eliminated in the first round of the play Olls by Houston. It was a rare and bitter disappointment for the defending world champs. The following summer the lakers signed Johnson to a lifetime $25 million contract but in the Early weeks of the 1981 82 season rouble was brewing magic Lound himself on a collision course with Westhead and when owner Jerry Buss was forced to make a Choice the coach exited and Pat Riley inherited his seat on the Bench again the payroll came last 17 wins in the next 20 games the lakers won 57 games became the first team in Aba history to sweep consecutive playoff series and Defeated Philadelphia Lor their second world championship in three years and then the Best got belter thanks to a 2-year-old Trade with Cleveland. Los Angeles inherited the first pc in the 1982 draft and chose James worthy fresh off North Carolina s Mcaa champs Johnson led the league in assists and Abdul Jabbar passed career milestones of 14,000 rebounds and 29,000 Points. But when worthy broke in leg in the last week of the season the Kareem Abdul Jabbar Here shooting Over the celtics Robert Parish stood tall for the lakers in the 80s. Pla Olls became a struggle and Philadelphia gained some revenge with a 40 championship series sweep for 15 magnificent seasons. Abdul Jabbar had distinguished himself As the Aba s quintessential Center a Tower of Power under the Basket then. 10 Days before the end of the 1984 season he became the higher scorer in league history lolling one of his patented sky Hooks to break will Chamberlain s record the Basket appropriately on a iced from magic Johnson pushed Abdul Jab bars total io31.421 Points a total that would sir catch to 38.387 Belore he retired at decade s end Johnson set playoff assist records for a single game 24 and the championship round 21. But the lakers came up Short losing the litle in seven games to Boston the next year. The lakers launched a Lour year siege that would deliver three world championships three times they would win 62 games and the other year 1986 87. They won 65 los Angeles won the Pacific division by a league record 20 games in 1985 and beat Boson in the championship series in 1985-86, Abdul Jabbar soared past 35,000 Points for his career and los Angeles raised ils division winning margin to 22 games Bui Houston stunned the lakers in the Western conference final and that As much As anything seemed to Stillen the resolve of the team the next year los Angeles won 65  and capped the season with its fourth championship of the decade defeating the celtics in six games As soon As the lakers won that title Riley guaranteed a repeat something no Aba team had managed since 1968 69 another 62 win season set the stage Lor another championship this time in seven games against Detroit this time there were no guarantees of repeat. For a while it seemed As if the lakers might be capable of that especially when they swept their first 11 play Oll games Bui injuries to Byron Scott and Johnson stripped the lakers of their backcourt in the final and the pistons won the Tille sunday december 31, 1989 the stars and stripes Page 13