May 7, 1972: The Los Angeles Lakers beat the New York Knicks, 114-100 at The Forum, outside Los Angeles in Inglewood, California, in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. This gives the Lakers the series, 4 games to 1, and their 1st NBA Championship since 1954, when they were in Minneapolis.
The Lakers had lost their last Finals in Minneapolis, in 1959. They moved to Los Angeles a year later. They lost the Finals in 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968 and 1969. All 7 of these defeats were to the Boston Celtics. Then the Celtics got old, and the Lakers thought the path to a title was clear. But in 1970, they lost the Finals to the Knicks, and lost the Western Conference Finals to the Milwaukee Bucks in 1971.
So, despite having Elgin Baylor from the 1958-59 season onward, Jerry West from 1960-61 onward, Gail Goodrich from 1965-66 onward, and Wilt Chamberlain from 1968-69 onward, they lost 8 straight appearances in the NBA Finals; and failed to win a title in their 1st 11 seasons in Los Angeles.
Early in the 1971-72 season, Baylor retired. But right after that, the Lakers went on a 33-game winning streak, still the longest in the history of major league sports in North America. They won 69 regular-season games, a new NBA record that would stand for 24 years. They swept the Chicago Bulls in the 1st round of the Playoffs, then dethroned the Bucks in 6 games. The Knicks won Game 1 of the Finals, 114-92. But the Lakers took the next 4 straight: 106-92, 107-96, 116-111 in overtime, and 114-100.
The Lakers were coached by Bill Sharman, who had played on the Celtics' dynasty. The season before, 1970-71, he had coached the Utah Stars to the title in the American Basketball Association. He and Alex Hannum were the only coaches to win the title in both the NBA and the ABA. Hannum had won the NBA with the 1967 Philadelphia 76ers, including Chamberlain; and the ABA with the 1969 Oakland Oaks.
This title also made Los Angeles the 1st city to have basketball's pro and college champions in the same calendar year, as UCLA won the NCAA Tournament. Oddly, given the Lakers' 12 NBA Championships since moving moving to Los Angeles, and the Bruins' 11 National Championships, this remains the only time it's ever happened. (UCLA won in 1965, '68, '69 and '73, but the Lakers lost in the Finals each time; the Lakers won the title in 1980, but UCLA lost the Final.) If you count Ann Arbor as part of the Detroit metropolitan area, then 1989, with the University of Michigan and the Pistons, remains the only other time it's ever been done.
The Knicks won the rubber Finals with the Lakers in 1973. After that, both teams got old. It would take the Lakers until 1980, with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Earvin "Magic" Johnson, before they reached, and won, the Finals again.
Despite baseball's Dodgers having moved from Brooklyn, and won the World Series in 1959, 1963 and 1965, the Lakers surpassed them as Los Angeles' most popular sports team. They remain so.
The Lakers would follow that 1980 title, under coach Paul Westhead, with titles in 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988, under coach Pat Riley. Riley was a reserve on the 1972 Lakers: That's him in the photo above, wearing Number 12, and a cheesy mustache. Oddly, the Lakers have never retired his number, the way they've retired 13 for Chamberlain, 22 for Baylor, 25 for Goodrich and 44 for West, along with some later players.
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May 7, 1972 was a Saturday. The ABA Finals were between Games 1 and 2. The Indiana Pacers would beat the New York Nets, 4 games to 2.
Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals was played. The Boston Bruins beat the New York Rangers, 3-2 at Madison Square Garden. This was the 1st time any building with that name played host to the NBA and Stanley Cup Finals in the same year. It would happen again in 1994. The Bruins won the Cup in 6 games.
These games were played in Major League Baseball:
* The New York Yankees lost to the Oakland Athletics, 7-5 at the Oakland Coliseum. Reggie Jackson went 1-for-4 with an RBI. Unfortunately, he wasn't yet playing for the Yankees. Ron Blomberg of the Yankees and Dave Duncan of the A's hit home runs.
* The New York Mets beat the San Diego Padres, 8-6 at Shea Stadium. Tommie Agee hit a home run in the bottom of the 10th inning, making Tug McGraw a winner in relief of Gary Gentry.
* The Montreal Expos beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 1-0 at Jarry Park in Montreal. The Dodgers' 1st baseman made an error in the bottom of the 13th inning, allowing Mike Jorgensen to reach base and John Boccabella to score the winning run. The 1st baseman's name was Bill Buckner.
* The Minnesota Twins beat the Boston Red Sox, 8-4 at Fenway Park in Boston. Harmon Killebrew went 1-for-2 with 2 walks and 2 RBIs. Rod Carew went 2-for-4 with a walk and 2 RBIs. Carl Yastrzemski went 1-for-4 with a walk and 2 RBIs.
* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the San Francisco Giants, 8-3 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Greg Luzinski hit a home run. Willie Mays did not appear in the game. Four days later, the Giants traded him to the Mets.
* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Kansas City Royals, 5-4 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Brooks Robinson went 1-for-3 with a walk.
* The Cleveland Indians beat the Chicago White Sox, 3-0 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Milt Wilcox pitched a 3-hit shutout.
* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Cincinnati Reds, 9-6 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. Roberto Clemente went 3-for-5 with 2 RBIs. Willie Stargell hit 2 home runs and had 5 RBIs. Pete Rose went 0-for-5. Johnny Bench went 1-for-4.
* The Detroit Tigers beat the Texas Rangers, 7-4 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Al Kaline went 1-for-4 with a walk and an RBI.
* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Atlanta Braves, 5-4 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. Lou Brock went 3-for-4 with 2 stolen bases. Hank Aaron did not play.
* The Milwaukee Brewers beat the California Angels, 5-2 at Anaheim Stadium (now Angel Stadium of Anaheim).
And in English soccer, the FA Cup Final was played at the old Wembley Stadium in West London. Cupholders Arsenal, of North London, were defeated by Yorkshire team Leeds United, 1-0, on a diving header by Allan Clarke. Arsenal had edged Leeds for the Football League title the season before, winning both the League and the Cup, for "The Double." For all their success, 1972 remains the only FA Cup won by Leeds.
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