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I didn't start watching the NBA until 1989 and had a few questions about the team who upset the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.
1. What caused the Lakers to lose the WCF after being in the Finals the previous three seasons to a team that came out of nowhere?
2. Why didn't Rockets return to the NBA Finals after 1986 after upsetting the Lakers?
I saw that Kareem and Magic played in the game when Sampson hit the Buzzer Beater so I was wondering was other players injured for the Lakers during that series?
I didn't start watching the NBA until 1989 and had a few questions about the team who upset the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.
1. What caused the Lakers to lose the WCF after being in the Finals the previous three seasons to a team that came out of nowhere?
2. Why didn't Rockets return to the NBA Finals after 1986 after upsetting the Lakers?
I saw that Kareem and Magic played in the game when Sampson hit the Buzzer Beater so I was wondering was other players injured for the Lakers during that series?
Even in the NBA, upsets happen; three-peating is no joke
The Lakers won in 1985 and 1987. Had they won in 1986, it would have been a threepeat. The Rockets just ruined the Lakers threepeat attempt
I am talking about the 1985-86 season which was the Finals that included the Celtics and Rockets. Since the Celtics won in 1984 and the Lakers won in 1985, if the Lakers won in 1986 it would have been a repeat not a three-peat. The Lakers were only in a position to repeat in 1989 when they face the Pistons again in the Finals after winning in 1987 and 1988.
If you want to see Old School fast break basketball, watch the 1stQ of game 3. It took a little bit to get going - but I forgot how fast they played. I think there were only one or two three pointers that were made, or even attempted.
I don't know if there was an explanation; biggest upset of the 1980's, except perhaps the defending champion Sixers, one of the greatest of all-time, losing all 3 home games in the 1984 first round, and losing 3 games to 2 to the Nets. I remember too everybody lamenting the lengthy NBA playoffs that year, stating that they should skip right to Lakers-Celtics. Took everybody by surprises, even more so the fact that Houston won in just 5 games, culminating with that crazy Sampson shot in one second off the in-bounds.
I didn't start watching the NBA until 1989 and had a few questions about the team who upset the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.
1. What caused the Lakers to lose the WCF after being in the Finals the previous three seasons to a team that came out of nowhere?
2. Why didn't Rockets return to the NBA Finals after 1986 after upsetting the Lakers?
I saw that Kareem and Magic played in the game when Sampson hit the Buzzer Beater so I was wondering was other players injured for the Lakers during that series?
1). It was the coming out party of Akeem Olajuwon! That is why. He dominated that series.
2). The drug suspensions of Mitchell Wiggins(Andrew Wiggin's Dad) and Lewis Lloyd were the big reasons why. They were very good guards.
Btw, the game 5 where Sampson hit buzzer beater was also the incident between Olajuwon and Mitch Kupchak(ex Laker's GM). Olajuwon swinging...lol. It was interesting.
1). It was the coming out party of Akeem Olajuwon! That is why. He dominated that series.
2). The drug suspensions of Mitchell Wiggins(Andrew Wiggin's Dad) and Lewis Lloyd were the big reasons why. They were very good guards.
Btw, the game 5 where Sampson hit buzzer beater was also the incident between Olajuwon and Mitch Kupchak(ex Laker's GM). Olajuwon swinging...lol. It was interesting.
I believe you can drop John Lucas into the drug suspension line as well. March 1986 was when he got waived and entered rehab. Rockets had to go PG by committee after that.
Ralph Sampson succumbed to injuries as well. So long, Twin Towers!
About that fight, Dream holding Sampson away from Mo Lucas after a hard foul earlier in the game boggles the mind over how Dream himself got tossed.
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