NBA Playoffs: The 30 most unforgettable individual playoff runs
By Corey Rausch
NBA: The 30 most unforgettable individual playoff runs: 8. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1980)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had been in Los Angeles for four seasons before he won the championship in the fifth. For Laker fans and Abdul-Jabbar himself, it was well worth the wait. The 1980s saw the Lakers (and the Celtics as previously mentioned) build a dynasty that would last the decade. This was the first of eight finals trips for the Lakers and Abdul-Jabbar was spectacular.
Over the 15 games he played, Abdul-Jabbar averaged 31.9 points, 12.1 rebounds, 3.9 blocks, 3.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game. They knocked out the Phoenix Suns in five games in the first round of the postseason and the Sonics in five games in the second round. Abdul-Jabbar was unsurprisingly dominant and looked poised to ride to the title.
The Lakers went up 3-2 on the Philadelphia 76ers in the Finals when injury-shortened the run for Abdul-Jabbar. Rookie Magic Johnson would play the hero in the deciding Game 6 and is the man most fans remember from that run. Johnson was great, averaging 18.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, 9.4 assists (league-best) and 3.1 steals (league-best) per game. But for the majority of the playoffs, it was all about Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. This pair was made for success and would only get better together over time.