75 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE LAKERS

<< BIG GAME JAMES

Need a victory in a big game? Turn to James Worthy, who averaged more points, rebounds and assists in the playoffs than he did during the season.

PURPLE AND GOLD

Or, as Jerry Buss preferred it to be called, “Forum Blue and Gold.” But it’s Purple and Gold, and remains the classic uniform for the team.

WHITE UNIFORMS Just kidding. No one likes the white uniforms. If it’s not Purple and Gold, it’s not the Lakers. And it seems they have more intensity in those colors.

ELGIN BAYLOR

He soared above the rim in the days when most players didn’t get airborne. If you don’t include Baylor among the list of greatest Lakers, you’ve made a mistake.

KOBE BRYANT The tragic ending should never overshadow the years of brilliance. Never has a death seemed to hit an entire city so hard.

SHOWTIME The perfect name for a fast-breaking, highenergy team that made pleasing the crowd while winning a combination teams have been searching for since. MAGIC-BIRD Lakers vs. Celtics. West vs. East. Showtime vs. Lunch Pail. Two of the greatest ever who wanted to win, but had mutual respect and eventually, friendship.

JUNE 9, 1985

The Lakers had faced the Celtics eight times in the NBA Finals, and were 0-8. But on this date, Kareem AbdulJabbar scored 29, James Worthy 28 and a 111-100 victory meant the Lakers had finally beaten the Celtics to win an NBA title. And it was in Boston too, to make it even sweeter.

33 IN A ROW

The 1972-72 Lakers won 33 games in a row. Still the longest winning streak among the four major pro U.S. sports.

3,338 IN A ROW

That’s how many games Chick Hearn called before missing one because he needed bypass surgery. He was 85 at the time.

THE SHAQ-KOBE DYNASTY Watching Shaquille O’Neal dominate. Watching Kobe Bryant grow into one of the greatest ever. We’d love to watch it all over again.

THE SHAQ-KOBE FEUD

In today’s world, the petulant disagreements between the two seem quaint. Turns out, the only two players who could stop Shaq and Kobe were Shaq and Kobe.

KOBE-TO-SHAQ ALLEY-OOP

The Lakers were down by 15 to Portland in Game 7 of the 2000 conference finals. They then outscored the Trail Blazers 15-0 and a stirring comeback was punctuated by an amazing pass from Bryant that O’Neal plucked out of midair and slammed home. We all seemed to run joyously back downcourt with him.