Suvarna Garge (Editor)

1989–90 Los Angeles Lakers season

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Head coach
  
Pat Riley

Arena
  
Great Western Forum

Owner(s)
  
Jerry Buss

Record
  
63–19 (.768)

Place
  
Division: 1st (Pacific) Conference: 1st (Western)

Playoff finish
  
Conference Semifinals (Eliminated 1–4)

The 1989–90 NBA season was the Lakers' 42nd season in the National Basketball Association and 30th in the city of Los Angeles. Despite the retirement of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the Lakers got off to a fast start winning ten of their first eleven games, on their way finishing the regular season with a league-best 63–19 record. However, after defeating the Houston Rockets in four games in the first round of the playoffs, the Lakers were upset in the Western Conference Semifinals by the 5th-seeded Phoenix Suns in five games. It was the first time in nine years that the Lakers did not reach the Western Conference Finals, ending a run that started in 1981—the longest series of consecutive NBA Conference Finals appearances since Bill Russell's Boston Celtics in 1969.

Contents

Ninth-year head coach Pat Riley resigned after the season and was replaced by Mike Dunleavy. He would return to coach the New York Knicks for the 1991–92 season. Following the season, Orlando Woolridge was traded to the Denver Nuggets.

Magic Johnson won the league's MVP trophy—his third in four years—in a controversial voting over Charles Barkley of the Philadelphia 76ers. Johnson received fewer first-place votes (27 of the 92 cast) than Barkley (38), but totaled 636 points in the ballot compared to Barkley's 614.

Three members of the team, Johnson, James Worthy and A.C. Green were all selected for the 1990 NBA All-Star Game.

Season standings

z – clinched division title y – clinched division title x – clinched playoff spot

West First Round

(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (8) Houston Rockets: Lakers win series 3–1

  • Game 1 @ Great Western Forum, Los Angeles (April 27): Los Angeles 101, Houston 89
  • Game 2 @ Great Western Forum, Los Angeles (April 29): Los Angeles 104, Houston 100
  • Game 3 @ The Summit, Houston (May 1): Houston 114, Los Angeles 108
  • Game 4 @ The Summit, Houston (May 3): Los Angeles 109, Houston 88

    • Last Playoff Meeting: 1986 Western Conference Finals (Houston won 4–1)

    West Conference Semifinals

    (1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (5) Phoenix Suns: Suns win series 4–1

  • Game 1 @ Great Western Forum, Los Angeles (May 8): Phoenix 104, Los Angeles 102
  • Game 2 @ Great Western Forum, Los Angeles (May 10): Los Angeles 124, Phoenix 100
  • Game 3 @ Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix (May 12): Phoenix 117, Los Angeles 103
  • Game 4 @ Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix (May 13): Phoenix 114, Los Angeles 101
  • Game 5 @ Great Western Forum, Los Angeles (May 15): Phoenix 106, Los Angeles 103

    • Last Playoff Meeting: 1989 Western Conference Finals (Los Angeles won 4–0)

    Awards and records

  • Magic Johnson, NBA Most Valuable Player Award
  • Pat Riley, NBA Coach of the Year Award
  • Magic Johnson, All-NBA First Team
  • James Worthy, All-NBA Third Team
  • Magic Johnson, NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award
  • Vlade Divac, NBA All-Rookie Team 1st Team

    • References

    1989–90 Los Angeles Lakers season Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA