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[soft music]

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HOWARD COSELL: The National
Basketball Association

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captured the sports headlines
this week

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with the brouhaha
in Los Angeles.

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On Wednesday,
Lakers superstar Magic Johnson

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decided he was unhappy,
demanded to be traded.

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REPORTER:
The NBA leader in assists

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and the steals
averaging 17 points a game

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demanded Wednesday
night to be traded,

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if Paul Westhead
remained as coach.

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- Well, Magic got his wish.
Coach Paul Westhead was canned.

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- Paul Westhead has been fired
as the coach

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of the Los Angeles Lakers
after the team star,

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Magic Johnson,
said he wanted to be traded.

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LETTERMAN: Paul Westhead,
the people said

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that you might have
been responsible

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for him
leaving the organization.

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- All I asked was,
"I want to be traded,"

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and then all the other
things came out.

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- I went on David Letterman,

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and I didn't want to continue
to bash Coach Westhead.

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You know, I'm not that dude.
I just wanted to move on.

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I wanted us to get back
to our winning ways.

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I wanted us to get back
to runnin' and gunnin',

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because we were not
doing that.

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PAUL:
It doesn't seem that long ago

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that we were running
a World Championship.

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And I say adios
to the people of Los Angeles.

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PAUL: It was my first time
being fired.

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But I learned a long time ago

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that if someone's
going to fire you,

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don't beg.

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PAUL: That's what you want,
then...okay.

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KAREEM: It was gonna come down
to Earvin or Paul.

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Paul couldn't do what Earvin
did on the court. [laughs]

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So, you know,
if the coach can't make...

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A very, very key player happy,

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we're not gonna win
as many games as we could.

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And that-that's just the fact.

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BUSS: In the best interest of
the entire Laker organization,

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we have appointed Jerry West
as offensive coach.

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Pat Riley will stay as coach
for the Lakers.

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- Well, first of all,
I'd like to clear up one thing.

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I'm gonna be working
for Pat Riley.

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And I feel that my response--

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- With or for?
- With and for Pat Riley.

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And I think my responsibility
is to him,

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because I feel in my heart
that he is the head coach.

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And hopefully my position here
won't be a long-range position.

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PAT: Dr. Buss announced Jerry
was gonna be the head coach.

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And then Jerry came up
and said,

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"No, Pat's gonna be
the head coach."

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And then I got up there
and said,

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"Well, if nobody wants it.
I'll take it, you know?"

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- Ed Arnold has been covering
the story all day,

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is with the new coach--
Ed and Pat Riley, yes.

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- Well, Pat Riley
is the new coach.

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Actually, there are
two new coaches

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according to Dr. Jerry Buss,
the owner of the team.

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One is Jerry West.

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The other one of course is
Pat Riley, who's with me now.

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What will the status be
between you and Jerry?

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- Well, right now, Eddie,
because I'm familiar with, uh,

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you know, the total concept
of the Laker team

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offensively and defensively,
I will be in charge.

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Jerry will, uh, support me
offensively

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in the suggestions
and, uh, you know,

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in that capacity until
a further date if there is one.

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- So at the press conference,
my dad is explaining

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that Pat
would be coaching defense

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and Jerry would be
coaching the offense.

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But when Jerry West came in
and contradicted my dad,

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my dad had to defer
to Jerry West,

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therefore making him the shot
caller in the organization.

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- I offered Jerry West the job,

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and I said, "You may use
or not use Pat Riley

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"to whatever level you choose,

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"and I will hold you
responsible

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"for the overall program.

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And in particular, I want you
to improve our offense."

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Uh, after that,
Jerry talked to Pat,

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the news conference was held,

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and he said, "Pat Riley
will be the head coach."

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You see, with the authority
that I gave him,

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he has the right to do that.

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My feeling is,
"Jerry, you take this,

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"and you do
what you think is right

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and what you think is best."

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If that's what he thinks
is best,

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I have every faith in him.

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- So Pat Riley
is running the ball club?

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- Uh...that's correct.

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- I don't think my dad
was angry about it,

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but it definitely set a tone

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for their relationship
going forward.

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You know, that's not how my
dad would wanna be thought of,

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that he wasn't
the sole decision maker.

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- Magic, if you disagree
with Pat Riley

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as you did with Paul Westhead,
would you ask to be traded?

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- Well, we'll just have
to wait till that comes.

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[laughs]

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I can't answer that now.
How can I answer that?

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And like I said,
I just wait till it come.

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REPORTER:
Your thoughts on Pat Riley.

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- Well, uh, he's the coach now.

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He's the man
I have to work for.

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I hope, uh,
that things go smoothly.

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REPORTER: Think you'll have
any problem at all

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with the players?
- I don't think so. I hope not.

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Uh, you know,
they're professionals,

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and, uh, you know,
this day has come and gone.

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And tomorrow night
they're playing against a team

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that beat them
by 30 points last week.

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So I think their incentive
is-is to play, and, uh,

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and I don't think I'll have
any problems with them.

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♪ ♪

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PAT: One of the things
about Dr. Buss

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is that he wanted the team
to be a family.

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As much as we are together
as a team,

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the only way you're ever
gonna win is to be a family,

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is really be tight
and to trust one another.

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SINGERS: ♪ California love ♪

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♪ Ooh ooh ♪

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♪ California ♪

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♪ Knows how to party ♪

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♪ California
knows how to party ♪

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ANNOUNCER: There he is.
His first shot as an owner.

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ANNOUNCER:
You think he likes it?

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SINGER: ♪ California ♪

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♪ ♪

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BUSS: At this moment,
I can't believe it.

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SINGER: ♪ California ♪

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INTERVIEWER: What's the future?

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Want to replace your father

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at the top?
- Yeah. [laughs]

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SINGER: ♪ In the city ♪

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BUSS: Between my daughters
and my sons,

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there are certainly enough
sports teams to go around.

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♪ ♪

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INTERVIEWER: Are you
and the rest of the family,

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are you guys
all on the same page?

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SINGER: ♪ We keep it rockin' ♪

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REPORTER: The Lakers,
caught in the middle

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of a family power struggle.

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SINGERS ♪ Rockin', rockin' ♪

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[intense musical buildup]

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BUSS: I think I've really
left them with something.

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[soft, dramatic chord]

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♪ ♪

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[upbeat music]

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♪ ♪

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MAGIC:
My teammates didn't like

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that Dr. Buss and I
were close,

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but what made life
even worse than that

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is when he gave me the 25-year,
$25-million contract.

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- 21-year-old
Earvin Magic Johnson

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has just pulled off a trick

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that makes Harry Houdini look
like a two-bit carnival act.

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The 6'8 guard
who led the Lakers

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to a world championship finish
his rookie season

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has signed a new contract.
It is a whopper, folks.

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The two-year veteran will earn
about $500 per hour

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based on a 40-hour work week
for the next 25 years.

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That comes out to a nice,
neat little sum

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of $25 million.

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It is the richest
and the longest

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in professional sports history.

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- Magic came to me and said,
"I would like to be a Laker

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"throughout my entire
playing career.

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Could we sign
a long-term contract?"

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I said, "Yes, we can."

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So you have to visualize what
salaries will be at that time.

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And, uh, my guess is

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for a star of Magic's caliber
at that time,

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the price
will be a million dollars.

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So we signed him
for a million dollars a year.

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- People were saying
that Dr. Buss was crazy,

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because at that time,
that-that kind of money

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goin' around the NBA
was just--that was crazy.

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JOHNNY: Every owner in every
league in America

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was upset at my father
for starting this precedent.

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They were saying,
"You're about to ruin sports."

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BUSS: What we wanted to do

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was work Magic
into the front office

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after the basketball days
are over.

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MAGIC: He said,
"I'm gonna explain

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the Laker business to you,
the real business."

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Took me through what season
ticket holders mean,

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the TV contract mean.

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He just became a father figure
and a mentor

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all at the same time.

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BUSS: Magic and I kind of feel
that our fortunes

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will be tied together
for the foreseeable future.

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- And then all hell
broke loose.

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[laughing]

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Kareem was mad.
Like, "What? Wait a minute.

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Is he the player,
or is he management now?"

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STEVEN:
Kareem took it personally.

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He seemed absolutely upset.

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He referred to him as--
in the headline,

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I think it was a spoiled child.

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"If this guy's worth 25 million
for 25 years,

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what am I worth?"
kind of thing.

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He wasn't happy about it.

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DAVID: This was a contract
that gave you everything

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in the State of California
south of Ohio.

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Now did Kareem--was it true
that he went into

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Jerry Buss' office and said,
"What's the deal here?"

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- Well, he just wanted

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all the rest
of California and Phoenix.

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[both laughing]

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- I just understood it
in terms of it being, um,

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he was a key employee.

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You wanna keep him
as long as you can.

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And, you know,
I-I wasn't gonna get jealous.

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They weren't gonna
give me 25 years.

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[laughs[ And they didn't--

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they wouldn't wanna be
paying me when I was 50.

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[moody music]

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JAMAAL: The contract certainly
represented their closeness,

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and it raised a question of,

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"Is he one of us
or one of them?"

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- Whew, man.
It was like nobody liked me.

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"Don't speak to him.
Don't say nothing to him.

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Uh...we wanna see
what he's made of."

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All that, man.

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It's like I didn't have
a friend in the world.

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Matter of fact,
they had a meeting about it.

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[laughing]

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And they came to me and said,

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"Earvin, you know,
it's a unwritten rule.

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You can't be close
with the owner."

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And I said,
"Well, I don't care

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"about no unwritten rule.

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"I'm going to be close
with Dr. Buss,

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and you guys
can't make me stop."

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JAMAAL: If we're talking in
the locker room or the shower

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and, you know, we're talking

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about what players
talk about off the record,

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is he gonna go back
and report it to management?

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- You can't go out to dinner
with the owner

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three nights in a row

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and then come sit in
the locker room with everybody.

244
00:10:33,508 --> 00:10:34,717
PERSON:
Well, that's what Magic did.

245
00:10:34,717 --> 00:10:38,263
- And everybody was like this.
[chuckles]

246
00:10:38,263 --> 00:10:40,306
- Now, wait a minute.

247
00:10:40,306 --> 00:10:44,269
I never told Dr. Buss one story

248
00:10:44,269 --> 00:10:48,481
about any story
that I heard on the bus,

249
00:10:48,481 --> 00:10:50,608
on the plane,
in the locker room,

250
00:10:50,608 --> 00:10:53,319
and then when we're out
at a nightclub partying.

251
00:10:53,319 --> 00:10:57,615
I never said anything
to Dr. Buss about your life,

252
00:10:57,615 --> 00:10:59,576
my life, my private life.

253
00:10:59,576 --> 00:11:03,121
Never. Matter of fact,
he's never asked me.

254
00:11:03,121 --> 00:11:05,290
- Whether you're talking
to the owner or not,

255
00:11:05,290 --> 00:11:07,417
it would be perceived that way.

256
00:11:07,417 --> 00:11:09,836
You know,
that's a very thin line.

257
00:11:09,836 --> 00:11:11,588
- And we walked out.
I said, "Listen, man.

258
00:11:11,588 --> 00:11:14,924
I'm here to play basketball.
I'm here to win."

259
00:11:14,924 --> 00:11:16,926
- I didn't get involved
in those kinds of discussions.

260
00:11:16,926 --> 00:11:18,595
They didn't ask me
what I thought about

261
00:11:18,595 --> 00:11:20,346
what somebody should get paid,

262
00:11:20,346 --> 00:11:22,390
and so my thing
was always about,

263
00:11:22,390 --> 00:11:23,808
"How do we keep this together?"

264
00:11:29,939 --> 00:11:31,399
JAMAAL: Coach Riley
had been a player.

265
00:11:31,399 --> 00:11:33,026
He'd been in the booth.
He had been around.

266
00:11:33,026 --> 00:11:35,320
So we all had
a relationship with him.

267
00:11:35,320 --> 00:11:37,488
It wasn't like
he was a stranger.

268
00:11:37,488 --> 00:11:41,659
KURT: Pat Riley came in,
and he was like one of us.

269
00:11:41,659 --> 00:11:44,287
We'd hang out in bars
after games and drink.

270
00:11:44,287 --> 00:11:46,164
He was just like
one of the players.

271
00:11:46,164 --> 00:11:49,167
PAT: Well, I was with Kurt,
'cause he's an alcoholic.

272
00:11:49,167 --> 00:11:51,085
[laughs]

273
00:11:51,085 --> 00:11:52,462
No, he wasn't.

274
00:11:54,172 --> 00:11:56,341
Now I'm a real coach...
[laughs] okay?

275
00:11:56,341 --> 00:11:57,508
Here's what coaches do.

276
00:11:57,508 --> 00:11:59,969
They stand up
and they yell and scream.

277
00:11:59,969 --> 00:12:02,639
And they wave their arms
all over the place,

278
00:12:02,639 --> 00:12:04,015
and they put fingers
in the air or two up,

279
00:12:04,015 --> 00:12:07,018
one up, three up, whatever it.
Fist up.

280
00:12:07,018 --> 00:12:10,480
And I can remember Magic
one time looking over to me,

281
00:12:10,480 --> 00:12:12,857
and he just waved me off.

282
00:12:12,857 --> 00:12:14,609
I talked to him in
the next day at practice,

283
00:12:14,609 --> 00:12:17,487
and he said, "Coach,
we love you to death, man."

284
00:12:17,487 --> 00:12:19,322
He said,
"But could you just sit down?

285
00:12:19,322 --> 00:12:21,491
[laughing]
Just sit down a little bit."

286
00:12:21,491 --> 00:12:24,160
He said, "I got this.
We got this."

287
00:12:25,286 --> 00:12:27,747
After talking to Magic,
I sat down too much,

288
00:12:27,747 --> 00:12:29,540
and then I wasn't
doing anything.

289
00:12:29,540 --> 00:12:32,669
And then we had somewhat
of a spell where we're losing.

290
00:12:34,879 --> 00:12:36,965
Dr. Buss called me in

291
00:12:36,965 --> 00:12:39,050
and didn't talk
about basketball or anything.

292
00:12:39,050 --> 00:12:40,927
Talked about his family,
his background,

293
00:12:40,927 --> 00:12:44,055
where he's from, all this
stuff, asked about me.

294
00:12:44,055 --> 00:12:46,140
And then at the end
he's, "Pat, just coach.

295
00:12:46,140 --> 00:12:49,852
"Just be a coach, you know?
And don't worry about it.

296
00:12:49,852 --> 00:12:52,981
Don't be afraid of whatever.
Go out there and coach."

297
00:12:52,981 --> 00:12:54,649
ANNOUNCER:
And now the starting lineup

298
00:12:54,649 --> 00:12:56,734
of the Los Angeles Lakers.

299
00:12:56,734 --> 00:12:59,279
PAT: The Lakers
had a struggle last year.

300
00:12:59,279 --> 00:13:01,739
We lost our
World Championship,

301
00:13:01,739 --> 00:13:03,449
but we're going to get it back.

302
00:13:03,449 --> 00:13:05,535
ANNOUNCER:
Head coach, Pat Riley.

303
00:13:05,535 --> 00:13:08,121
KURT: Everybody loved him,
everybody loved the situation

304
00:13:08,121 --> 00:13:09,831
that he had brought to the team

305
00:13:09,831 --> 00:13:13,084
and the freedom
that he kind of recreated.

306
00:13:13,084 --> 00:13:14,711
He opened up the gates again.

307
00:13:14,711 --> 00:13:16,004
Said, "You know,
we're gonna run.

308
00:13:16,004 --> 00:13:17,588
I'm gonna trust you guys."

309
00:13:17,588 --> 00:13:19,882
SPORTSCASTER: Right side,
in deep, bank of...

310
00:13:19,882 --> 00:13:22,051
ANNOUNCER: Having to ply
your craft at the Forum

311
00:13:22,051 --> 00:13:25,596
in Los Angeles is a difficult
task for any coach.

312
00:13:25,596 --> 00:13:27,140
After all, they're used
to winners here,

313
00:13:27,140 --> 00:13:29,642
and it's Hollywood,
so you have to put on a show.

314
00:13:29,642 --> 00:13:31,602
How well has Pat Riley done?

315
00:13:31,602 --> 00:13:33,813
Well, the record
speaks for itself.

316
00:13:33,813 --> 00:13:35,440
NORM: We started playing
happy again.

317
00:13:35,440 --> 00:13:36,941
We got back into our system

318
00:13:36,941 --> 00:13:40,778
and playing the style of play
that we played in 1980.

319
00:13:40,778 --> 00:13:42,572
♪ ♪

320
00:13:42,572 --> 00:13:45,450
MITCH: I signed as a free
agent with the Lakers in 1981,

321
00:13:45,450 --> 00:13:49,704
and I got hurt, like, the end
of December, my first year.

322
00:13:49,704 --> 00:13:50,997
ANNOUNCER: Left side of Magic.
Down the middle of Kupchak.

323
00:13:50,997 --> 00:13:53,541
Kupchak runs over a man.
Kupchak's hurt.

324
00:13:53,541 --> 00:13:55,835
- Joe "Jellybean" Bryant
steps in front of me

325
00:13:55,835 --> 00:13:57,086
to draw a charge,

326
00:13:57,086 --> 00:14:00,590
and I planted my left foot
to try to stop.

327
00:14:00,590 --> 00:14:02,341
You know, I never felt
anything like that.

328
00:14:02,341 --> 00:14:04,427
So I knew something
was really wrong,

329
00:14:04,427 --> 00:14:05,678
and I missed close
to two years.

330
00:14:05,678 --> 00:14:07,555
REPORTER: What's it feel like
to have to spend

331
00:14:07,555 --> 00:14:09,140
Christmas day in a hospital?

332
00:14:09,140 --> 00:14:11,142
- Well, it's not the best
possible situation

333
00:14:11,142 --> 00:14:12,393
for me to be in,

334
00:14:12,393 --> 00:14:14,812
but it was a way for me
to get my parents

335
00:14:14,812 --> 00:14:17,106
to stay out here
for a couple extra days.

336
00:14:17,106 --> 00:14:19,525
Dr. Buss stood by me
when I got injured,

337
00:14:19,525 --> 00:14:23,154
and not only that,
he hired me as a scout.

338
00:14:23,154 --> 00:14:26,157
BOB: Mitch Kupchak
tore his knee up,

339
00:14:26,157 --> 00:14:30,620
and they needed another
power forward type/center.

340
00:14:30,620 --> 00:14:32,121
And I was out there.

341
00:14:32,121 --> 00:14:33,915
REPORTER:
On Christmas Eve, 1981,

342
00:14:33,915 --> 00:14:37,085
Bob McAdoo is asked
to sign up with the LA Lakers.

343
00:14:37,085 --> 00:14:39,253
REPORTER: McAdoo was the
league's most valuable player

344
00:14:39,253 --> 00:14:42,006
in 1975, the league's scoring
champ three times,

345
00:14:42,006 --> 00:14:43,716
and he owns a career
scoring average

346
00:14:43,716 --> 00:14:45,968
of 26.4 points per game.

347
00:14:45,968 --> 00:14:49,055
- I had done everything
individually that a player

348
00:14:49,055 --> 00:14:50,640
could do in the league.

349
00:14:50,640 --> 00:14:52,809
I needed a championship.

350
00:14:52,809 --> 00:14:55,561
ANNOUNCER: Great defense by
McAdoo from the corner.

351
00:14:55,561 --> 00:14:57,230
STEVEN: That power forward
is Bob McAdoo,

352
00:14:57,230 --> 00:14:59,732
the former MVP,
former scoring leader.

353
00:14:59,732 --> 00:15:02,110
And he's there for one reason.
He wants a ring.

354
00:15:02,110 --> 00:15:03,903
And then you've got
Kurt Rambis.

355
00:15:03,903 --> 00:15:06,489
And he was just there because
he wanted to play basketball.

356
00:15:06,489 --> 00:15:08,783
KURT: We were in Indiana.

357
00:15:08,783 --> 00:15:10,535
I'm a rookie. I'm not playing.

358
00:15:10,535 --> 00:15:13,079
I'm just hanging out, watching
the game, and stuff like that.

359
00:15:13,079 --> 00:15:16,415
And Riley points down at
the end of the bench and goes,

360
00:15:16,415 --> 00:15:21,003
"You. Yeah, you. Get in."

361
00:15:21,003 --> 00:15:24,757
And I went in and focused
on defense and rebounding,

362
00:15:24,757 --> 00:15:26,551
and I did a good job

363
00:15:26,551 --> 00:15:28,427
and ended up
starting the rest of the year.

364
00:15:28,427 --> 00:15:30,388
ANNOUNCER: Starting at
forward in his first year

365
00:15:30,388 --> 00:15:34,517
from Santa Clara,
number 31, Kurt Rambis.

366
00:15:34,517 --> 00:15:36,561
ANNOUNCER: They've shot to the
lead of the Pacific Division

367
00:15:36,561 --> 00:15:37,770
in just two months.

368
00:15:37,770 --> 00:15:40,398
The brand of basketball
is exciting.

369
00:15:40,398 --> 00:15:42,233
Whatever the Lakers
didn't do for Westhead

370
00:15:42,233 --> 00:15:44,610
they're doing now
for their new head coach.

371
00:15:44,610 --> 00:15:47,155
JEANIE: I'll never forget the
day, I said, "Hey, Riles."

372
00:15:47,155 --> 00:15:49,115
And he stopped me and he said,

373
00:15:49,115 --> 00:15:53,786
"Gotta start calling me Coach.
I'm Coach now."

374
00:15:55,163 --> 00:15:59,625
We saw him transform and take
on that leadership role.

375
00:15:59,625 --> 00:16:01,544
- That's when he went
with the haircuts

376
00:16:01,544 --> 00:16:03,421
and the suits and everything,

377
00:16:03,421 --> 00:16:05,756
and he started looking
more like a mafia don

378
00:16:05,756 --> 00:16:08,217
than a basketball coach.
[laughs]

379
00:16:08,217 --> 00:16:10,970
- Riley's look was so iconic

380
00:16:10,970 --> 00:16:13,890
that multiple people
stole it for movies.

381
00:16:13,890 --> 00:16:16,684
Kurt Russell
steals Pat's look.

382
00:16:16,684 --> 00:16:19,770
Michael Douglas
steals Pat's look.

383
00:16:19,770 --> 00:16:22,231
- Before that,
he looked like a hippie,

384
00:16:22,231 --> 00:16:24,775
and I don't mean that
disrespectfully.

385
00:16:24,775 --> 00:16:26,360
I mean that respectfully.

386
00:16:27,612 --> 00:16:29,947
NORM: The money was different.
He can afford suits now.

387
00:16:29,947 --> 00:16:33,326
You know, he was the coach
of Showtime Lakers.

388
00:16:34,660 --> 00:16:36,871
He's been handed
a championship team,

389
00:16:36,871 --> 00:16:40,416
and all he has to do is just
get on the backs and ride it.

390
00:16:40,416 --> 00:16:43,794
STEVEN: He was like a cowboy
who turned his horse loose

391
00:16:43,794 --> 00:16:44,795
and let him romp
through the meadows.

392
00:16:44,795 --> 00:16:46,505
They got their game back.

393
00:16:46,505 --> 00:16:48,758
They got their ability
to do the fast break back.

394
00:16:48,758 --> 00:16:50,301
They got showtime back,
and they--

395
00:16:50,301 --> 00:16:52,929
so they were just thrilled
to play for him.

396
00:16:52,929 --> 00:16:55,389
[quiet music]

397
00:16:55,389 --> 00:16:57,808
JULIUS:
'82, we were representing

398
00:16:57,808 --> 00:17:00,686
the Eastern Conference again.
[laughs]

399
00:17:00,686 --> 00:17:02,897
I'm not gonna say that
we were overconfident,

400
00:17:02,897 --> 00:17:04,649
under-confident, or anything.

401
00:17:04,649 --> 00:17:07,652
We just know that, you know,

402
00:17:07,652 --> 00:17:09,946
we were
trying to climb a mountain.

403
00:17:09,946 --> 00:17:11,697
ANNOUNCER: Welcome to game one

404
00:17:11,697 --> 00:17:13,407
of the NBA World
Championship Series.

405
00:17:13,407 --> 00:17:16,202
The Lakers against the 76ers.

406
00:17:16,202 --> 00:17:18,120
And it promises perhaps to be

407
00:17:18,120 --> 00:17:21,207
the fastest-paced championship
series of all time.

408
00:17:21,207 --> 00:17:23,751
- Jerry, no man in the history
of sports

409
00:17:23,751 --> 00:17:25,419
has ever purchased a franchise

410
00:17:25,419 --> 00:17:28,839
and reached the championship
round two out of three years.

411
00:17:28,839 --> 00:17:30,174
- Ah, that pleases me
very well.

412
00:17:30,174 --> 00:17:31,676
Now we just gotta
win it, Chick.

413
00:17:31,676 --> 00:17:33,636
- Well, you've got
the ingredients to win it.

414
00:17:33,636 --> 00:17:34,887
I think that
you'll have to say that.

415
00:17:34,887 --> 00:17:38,099
- In 1982, the Lakers
and the 76ers met again.

416
00:17:38,099 --> 00:17:41,561
And, uh, this time, I didn't
see it as an even match.

417
00:17:41,561 --> 00:17:43,062
ANNOUNCER: This is a
lightning-fast team,

418
00:17:43,062 --> 00:17:45,231
maybe the best fast
break team of all time.

419
00:17:45,231 --> 00:17:47,191
I'm talking about the Lakers.
- Rambis to Nixon...

420
00:17:47,191 --> 00:17:48,734
over the shoulder pass
to Rambis.

421
00:17:48,734 --> 00:17:50,278
On to Wilkes!

422
00:17:50,278 --> 00:17:52,280
STEVEN: It was still a tough
series to win six games,

423
00:17:52,280 --> 00:17:54,407
but you never had the feeling
they were gonna lose.

424
00:17:54,407 --> 00:17:56,367
ANNOUNCER: Number six.

425
00:17:56,367 --> 00:17:59,453
Lakers lead three games
to two.

426
00:17:59,453 --> 00:18:04,041
- All the press was Julius
Erving getting a championship.

427
00:18:04,041 --> 00:18:05,126
And I said to myself,

428
00:18:05,126 --> 00:18:07,420
"He'll get this over
my dead body."

429
00:18:07,420 --> 00:18:08,838
And I meant it.

430
00:18:08,838 --> 00:18:11,132
[dramatic music]

431
00:18:11,132 --> 00:18:13,634
JULIUS: He was probably very
hungry...[laughing]

432
00:18:13,634 --> 00:18:15,136
for a title.

433
00:18:15,136 --> 00:18:19,724
So we gave Bob McAdoo
his appropriate respect.

434
00:18:19,724 --> 00:18:21,642
ANNOUNCER:
At the other end is Erving.

435
00:18:21,642 --> 00:18:24,395
Here comes a long pass.
He's got it. He's underneath.

436
00:18:24,395 --> 00:18:26,689
He has a block by McAdoo
from behind.

437
00:18:26,689 --> 00:18:29,358
McAdoo blocked the shot
to Cooper to Wilkes.

438
00:18:29,358 --> 00:18:31,986
Wilkes all the way to Kareem.
Slam dunk.

439
00:18:31,986 --> 00:18:33,237
[crowd cheering]

440
00:18:33,237 --> 00:18:34,739
NORM: Riley just...

441
00:18:34,739 --> 00:18:37,700
rode that thing
to a championship, man.

442
00:18:37,700 --> 00:18:40,328
ANNOUNCER: Three. Two. One.

443
00:18:40,328 --> 00:18:42,705
The Lakers
are the World Champions!

444
00:18:42,705 --> 00:18:45,333
[crowd cheering]

445
00:18:45,333 --> 00:18:49,920
[stirring music]

446
00:18:49,920 --> 00:18:56,927
♪ ♪

447
00:18:56,927 --> 00:18:59,096
BRANDON: Congratulations.
Fantastic job.

448
00:18:59,096 --> 00:19:00,473
PAT: I'll tell you what,
Brandon.

449
00:19:00,473 --> 00:19:02,224
The players deserve
all the credit,

450
00:19:02,224 --> 00:19:04,101
because they're
the ones that play.

451
00:19:04,101 --> 00:19:05,853
They trusted me
early in the season

452
00:19:05,853 --> 00:19:07,647
when I didn't know
what I was doing,

453
00:19:07,647 --> 00:19:08,981
and we've come a long way.

454
00:19:08,981 --> 00:19:11,108
BRANDON: When did this team
start to believe

455
00:19:11,108 --> 00:19:12,401
in your leadership?

456
00:19:12,401 --> 00:19:14,320
PAT: Well, I just think
they believed in themselves.

457
00:19:14,320 --> 00:19:16,989
I always thought they just
started throwing a little bit.

458
00:19:16,989 --> 00:19:18,741
Hit him. Right here. Doing it!

459
00:19:18,741 --> 00:19:21,410
Thank you, Brandon.
Thank you, everyone.

460
00:19:21,410 --> 00:19:22,995
- Congratulations.
Let's grab--

461
00:19:22,995 --> 00:19:24,413
ANNOUNCER: The Lakers have won
two of the last three.

462
00:19:24,413 --> 00:19:25,915
So, Larry,

463
00:19:25,915 --> 00:19:28,167
make the presentation to
Jerry Buss here on a big day.

464
00:19:28,167 --> 00:19:30,378
[cheers and applause]

465
00:19:30,378 --> 00:19:33,381
BUSS: Larry, I'm going
to accept this trophy

466
00:19:33,381 --> 00:19:36,676
on behalf
of the fans of the Lakers.

467
00:19:36,676 --> 00:19:42,348
I know there are millions and
millions and millions of fans

468
00:19:42,348 --> 00:19:45,810
who watched this game tonight,
and wherever you are,

469
00:19:45,810 --> 00:19:50,523
I want you to know the team
won it for you, the fans.

470
00:19:50,523 --> 00:19:52,441
Thank you very much.

471
00:19:52,858 --> 00:19:56,112
[upbeat music]

472
00:19:56,112 --> 00:20:00,074
♪ ♪

473
00:20:00,074 --> 00:20:03,452
KAREEM: Being able to win two
championships in three years

474
00:20:03,452 --> 00:20:05,204
is really gratifying.

475
00:20:05,204 --> 00:20:07,748
To see the whole city
come together,

476
00:20:07,748 --> 00:20:10,960
Spanish language
theater downtown

477
00:20:10,960 --> 00:20:13,295
is congratulating us
in Spanish,

478
00:20:13,295 --> 00:20:16,006
Chinatown,

479
00:20:16,006 --> 00:20:18,718
all the different
ethnic enclaves.

480
00:20:18,718 --> 00:20:20,803
They all seem to be
Laker fans.

481
00:20:22,430 --> 00:20:27,017
TODD: L. A. is a city where,
you know,

482
00:20:27,017 --> 00:20:30,521
as Wu-Tang would say
form like Voltron, right?

483
00:20:30,521 --> 00:20:33,107
I mean, so you have, like,
all these different cities,

484
00:20:33,107 --> 00:20:35,568
different communities,
different areas

485
00:20:35,568 --> 00:20:40,197
that are in many ways
their own unique entity.

486
00:20:40,197 --> 00:20:43,993
What the Lakers do is,
with their success,

487
00:20:43,993 --> 00:20:45,494
they're able to help

488
00:20:45,494 --> 00:20:50,541
create a more cohesive
sense of the city.

489
00:20:51,959 --> 00:20:53,169
FLEA: When I moved to L. A.,

490
00:20:53,169 --> 00:20:55,337
my high school
was like a third white,

491
00:20:55,337 --> 00:20:58,424
a third Black,
a third Latino, 10% Asian.

492
00:20:58,424 --> 00:21:00,217
And everyone had
different music they liked.

493
00:21:00,217 --> 00:21:02,720
But everybody loved Earth,
Wind & Fire.

494
00:21:02,720 --> 00:21:04,513
The music was transcendent.

495
00:21:04,513 --> 00:21:07,683
And with basketball
and with the Lakers,

496
00:21:07,683 --> 00:21:11,103
it felt the same way
is that gave me that feeling.

497
00:21:11,103 --> 00:21:12,772
BUSS: We wanted to
put on a show.

498
00:21:12,772 --> 00:21:14,440
We wanted to entertain
the people.

499
00:21:14,440 --> 00:21:18,486
We wanted it to be very
indigenous to Los Angeles.

500
00:21:18,486 --> 00:21:21,655
And the Lakers do have
the personality of Los Angeles.

501
00:21:21,655 --> 00:21:23,324
- Oh, yeah. It's real.
Don't come off.

502
00:21:23,324 --> 00:21:24,992
Yeah, I figured, well,

503
00:21:24,992 --> 00:21:26,452
the Lakers can't
win championships forever,

504
00:21:26,452 --> 00:21:28,829
but I can keep their memory
on my arm forever.

505
00:21:31,290 --> 00:21:32,958
PERSON: You know
when you're here in L. A.

506
00:21:32,958 --> 00:21:34,376
and you want
to entertain yourself,

507
00:21:34,376 --> 00:21:37,296
you'll go to a concert,
you'll go to a Dodger game,

508
00:21:37,296 --> 00:21:38,964
you'll go to the race tracks.

509
00:21:38,964 --> 00:21:40,925
What he loves is that all
the people that he's admired

510
00:21:40,925 --> 00:21:43,177
all his life, when they want
to entertain themself,

511
00:21:43,177 --> 00:21:44,845
they come here to the Forum.

512
00:21:44,845 --> 00:21:46,347
ANNOUNCER: Jerry Buss
not only bought himself

513
00:21:46,347 --> 00:21:49,642
some well-known numbers,
he bought some fancy company.

514
00:21:49,642 --> 00:21:51,894
The Forum may be in Englewood

515
00:21:51,894 --> 00:21:54,438
and the team names
may say Los Angeles,

516
00:21:54,438 --> 00:21:56,899
but some nights,
it's all Hollywood

517
00:21:56,899 --> 00:22:00,694
JEANIE: Laker games were known
to have celebrities.

518
00:22:00,694 --> 00:22:03,113
JAMAAL: And not just a game
every now and then.

519
00:22:03,113 --> 00:22:04,782
They were there all the time.

520
00:22:04,782 --> 00:22:06,617
They may have been stars
in Hollywood,

521
00:22:06,617 --> 00:22:09,119
but for two hours,
they were Laker fans.

522
00:22:09,119 --> 00:22:10,496
Pure and simple.

523
00:22:10,496 --> 00:22:12,957
- What they say? Celebrities
watching celebrities.

524
00:22:12,957 --> 00:22:15,668
[laughing]

525
00:22:15,668 --> 00:22:17,253
- The NBA bought into it too.

526
00:22:17,253 --> 00:22:19,630
Because here you are, you got
a team that's in Hollywood,

527
00:22:19,630 --> 00:22:21,423
and all these big stars
at the game.

528
00:22:21,423 --> 00:22:24,260
And this team played
this fast-paced kind of game.

529
00:22:24,260 --> 00:22:26,595
It fit the whole narrative,
you know.

530
00:22:26,595 --> 00:22:29,640
What he was trying to create--
his persona.

531
00:22:29,640 --> 00:22:31,517
JAMAAL: He was made for it,
you know.

532
00:22:31,517 --> 00:22:35,896
I mean, he was the ringleader,
and he thoroughly enjoyed it.

533
00:22:35,896 --> 00:22:37,565
And we watched him enjoy it,

534
00:22:37,565 --> 00:22:38,899
and we enjoyed
watching him enjoy it.

535
00:22:38,899 --> 00:22:40,359
You know what I mean?

536
00:22:40,359 --> 00:22:41,986
And he enjoyed
watching us enjoy it.

537
00:22:41,986 --> 00:22:44,280
I mean,
it was that kind of thing.

538
00:22:44,280 --> 00:22:48,325
- He became...
this overnight celebrity.

539
00:22:48,325 --> 00:22:51,370
[disco music]

540
00:22:51,370 --> 00:22:54,874
PERSON: And then he created
the Forum Club.

541
00:22:54,874 --> 00:22:58,168
MAGIC: I gotta have a spot
after the game

542
00:22:58,168 --> 00:23:00,504
that everybody want to get in.

543
00:23:00,504 --> 00:23:02,548
I'ma create the Forum Club.

544
00:23:04,466 --> 00:23:06,093
JEANIE: He was going to games
every night.

545
00:23:06,093 --> 00:23:08,596
So instead of saying,
"Hey, tonight we're going out

546
00:23:08,596 --> 00:23:11,223
to this restaurant
or out to this club,"

547
00:23:11,223 --> 00:23:14,059
it was now at the Forum.

548
00:23:14,059 --> 00:23:15,769
NORM: All those people you saw
on the floor,

549
00:23:15,769 --> 00:23:18,355
they would be in the Forum Club
after the game.

550
00:23:18,355 --> 00:23:19,773
- That was the place to be.

551
00:23:19,773 --> 00:23:23,235
You know, I was upset
when I missed it, you know?

552
00:23:23,235 --> 00:23:25,988
JEANIE: My dad would take
the center table

553
00:23:25,988 --> 00:23:28,407
that everybody could see
if they walked by,

554
00:23:28,407 --> 00:23:32,411
and he made sure that his
table was full of celebrities.

555
00:23:32,411 --> 00:23:34,330
- It was like
the Roman Empire, okay?

556
00:23:34,330 --> 00:23:37,333
You'd walk into the left,
and there was a big dinner.

557
00:23:37,333 --> 00:23:41,879
- I got so many calls from
so many athletes, celebrities.

558
00:23:41,879 --> 00:23:44,298
"Hey, you think you can
talk to Dr. Buss

559
00:23:44,298 --> 00:23:46,926
that I can sit
at his table for dinner?"

560
00:23:46,926 --> 00:23:48,594
[laughing]

561
00:23:48,594 --> 00:23:51,430
JOHN: We didn't have curfew at
any other city except L. A.

562
00:23:51,430 --> 00:23:54,642
and for good reason.

563
00:23:54,642 --> 00:23:56,143
You hurry up, took a shower,

564
00:23:56,143 --> 00:23:59,897
and you went up the back
stairways to the Forum Club.

565
00:23:59,897 --> 00:24:01,899
I probably did the fastest
shower I've ever took.

566
00:24:01,899 --> 00:24:04,234
I think I got my hand wet.

567
00:24:04,234 --> 00:24:08,364
You walk in,
and there's every color girl.

568
00:24:08,364 --> 00:24:10,866
There's, I mean, fine.

569
00:24:10,866 --> 00:24:15,746
It was not a ugly soul
in the whole spot.

570
00:24:15,746 --> 00:24:18,248
MICHAEL: Forum Club was
a magnificent place.

571
00:24:18,248 --> 00:24:21,085
That's the second-best place
on Earth to be

572
00:24:21,085 --> 00:24:22,836
other than the Playboy Mansion.

573
00:24:22,836 --> 00:24:25,089
I was married at the time,

574
00:24:25,089 --> 00:24:26,674
so the only time I went
to the Forum Club

575
00:24:26,674 --> 00:24:28,342
was with my wife in my hand,

576
00:24:28,342 --> 00:24:30,970
and I always kept
my blinders on.

577
00:24:30,970 --> 00:24:33,263
So I was just
looking straight ahead,

578
00:24:33,263 --> 00:24:35,516
'cause I knew
I'd hear about it.

579
00:24:35,516 --> 00:24:37,893
- When you looked at our team
back then,

580
00:24:37,893 --> 00:24:41,814
everybody was married
except for me and Magic.

581
00:24:41,814 --> 00:24:43,899
JOHNNY: One time I was just
sitting there

582
00:24:43,899 --> 00:24:46,276
and a player came out of this

583
00:24:46,276 --> 00:24:50,489
office closet area with a
woman, a little disheveled,

584
00:24:50,489 --> 00:24:55,411
and the player said,
"Wow, that was great."

585
00:24:55,411 --> 00:24:57,329
- One night
I'd like to be single.

586
00:24:57,329 --> 00:24:59,623
[laughing]

587
00:24:59,623 --> 00:25:01,709
INTERVIEWER: Was cocaine
all up in the Forum Club

588
00:25:01,709 --> 00:25:02,960
to your knowledge?

589
00:25:02,960 --> 00:25:05,129
ROB: There was the Forum Club,

590
00:25:05,129 --> 00:25:09,383
and then there was
the Press Lounge.

591
00:25:09,383 --> 00:25:13,220
The real action went on in the
Press Lounge, to be truthful.

592
00:25:13,220 --> 00:25:14,972
There was a guy,

593
00:25:14,972 --> 00:25:17,391
and I was always very happy
that he was there.

594
00:25:17,391 --> 00:25:19,518
- Oh, well, one thing, uh,
I can tell you for sure,

595
00:25:19,518 --> 00:25:21,353
it wasn't me.

596
00:25:23,856 --> 00:25:25,274
- The Lakers, the Kings,
the Forum,

597
00:25:25,274 --> 00:25:28,027
you know, the family--
everything's going right.

598
00:25:28,027 --> 00:25:30,404
Our lives had totally changed.

599
00:25:32,865 --> 00:25:34,283
JEANIE: Selling tickets--

600
00:25:34,283 --> 00:25:38,203
that was just to gain
the first experience.

601
00:25:38,203 --> 00:25:40,247
Then he would try to find

602
00:25:40,247 --> 00:25:43,751
a place for you that
would fit your personality.

603
00:25:43,751 --> 00:25:46,336
- He wanted to be just like
the Kennedys, you know,

604
00:25:46,336 --> 00:25:49,506
and he wanted
to see his children

605
00:25:49,506 --> 00:25:51,717
take over the business.

606
00:25:51,717 --> 00:25:53,761
♪ ♪

607
00:25:53,761 --> 00:25:57,097
BUSS: At some time in the
future, I will retire.

608
00:25:57,097 --> 00:26:00,017
And, uh, I would
like to continue

609
00:26:00,017 --> 00:26:02,728
to operate the Forum
as a family business.

610
00:26:02,728 --> 00:26:04,688
But they're going
to need experience in order

611
00:26:04,688 --> 00:26:07,483
to direct something
the size of the Forum

612
00:26:07,483 --> 00:26:09,401
and the Lakers and the Kings.

613
00:26:09,401 --> 00:26:11,737
[energetic music]

614
00:26:11,737 --> 00:26:14,448
- So I want to introduce you
to 19-year-old general manager

615
00:26:14,448 --> 00:26:16,325
of the Los Angeles Strings,
Jeanie Buss.

616
00:26:16,325 --> 00:26:18,285
She's the daughter of Forum,
Kings,

617
00:26:18,285 --> 00:26:20,287
Lakers owner, Jerry Buss.

618
00:26:20,287 --> 00:26:22,873
And, Jeanie,
you're gonna be a junior at USC

619
00:26:22,873 --> 00:26:24,416
majoring
in business administration.

620
00:26:24,416 --> 00:26:25,918
So let me ask you a business
or finance question.

621
00:26:25,918 --> 00:26:28,045
How is Team Tennis
going financially this year?

622
00:26:28,045 --> 00:26:29,713
- It's going pretty well.

623
00:26:29,713 --> 00:26:32,800
I stand to lose a little bit,
but not as much as my dad lost

624
00:26:32,800 --> 00:26:35,135
in the first time
with Team Tennis.

625
00:26:35,135 --> 00:26:36,261
- Martina is playing Billy--

626
00:26:36,261 --> 00:26:38,514
JEANIE: Prior to my dad
buying the Lakers,

627
00:26:38,514 --> 00:26:42,017
he owned a team
in World Team Tennis.

628
00:26:43,519 --> 00:26:46,438
When he asked if I wanted
to run the team,

629
00:26:46,438 --> 00:26:49,441
I was like,
"Of course, yes. Yeah."

630
00:26:49,441 --> 00:26:51,944
And I said, "This is great.
Now I can quit school."

631
00:26:51,944 --> 00:26:54,488
And he said,
"No, no, no, no. No."

632
00:26:54,488 --> 00:26:56,532
It's like,
"You have to go to school,

633
00:26:56,532 --> 00:26:58,242
"and you can have the job.

634
00:26:58,242 --> 00:27:01,745
But if you--you can't
take the job and quit school."

635
00:27:03,330 --> 00:27:05,124
CLAIRE: Jerry believed

636
00:27:05,124 --> 00:27:08,794
that you should
throw people into the pool,

637
00:27:08,794 --> 00:27:12,881
and if they can swim,
they survive.

638
00:27:12,881 --> 00:27:17,302
And I felt...sorry for them,

639
00:27:17,302 --> 00:27:20,347
because they were thrown
into things

640
00:27:20,347 --> 00:27:23,684
that they didn't understand.

641
00:27:26,770 --> 00:27:30,357
JOHNNY: My dad called me,
and he says, "You know,

642
00:27:30,357 --> 00:27:34,194
the funniest thing happened.
I get a call from the MISL,"

643
00:27:34,194 --> 00:27:37,030
which is Major
Indoor Soccer League,

644
00:27:37,030 --> 00:27:41,577
"And they want us to field
a team in Los Angeles."

645
00:27:41,577 --> 00:27:43,620
REPORTER:
This is son John Buss.

646
00:27:43,620 --> 00:27:45,706
He's the president
of the Los Angeles Lasers,

647
00:27:45,706 --> 00:27:47,374
an indoor soccer team.

648
00:27:47,374 --> 00:27:49,543
JOHNNY: My dad said, "Johnny,
you take over the Lasers.

649
00:27:49,543 --> 00:27:52,045
You do what needs to be done."

650
00:27:52,045 --> 00:27:53,130
And I rarely,

651
00:27:53,130 --> 00:27:55,007
maybe once or twice a year,

652
00:27:55,007 --> 00:27:57,426
ever talk to him
about the business

653
00:27:57,426 --> 00:27:59,469
of the Indoor Soccer League.

654
00:28:00,637 --> 00:28:02,014
JANIE: Johnny's the oldest,

655
00:28:02,014 --> 00:28:05,475
and there were a lot of
probably pressures

656
00:28:05,475 --> 00:28:07,686
that I can't relate to.

657
00:28:07,686 --> 00:28:10,939
My dad kind of threw them
into the fire,

658
00:28:10,939 --> 00:28:13,400
because that's the only way
you're gonna learn.

659
00:28:13,400 --> 00:28:14,818
REPORTER: But what is it
besides cheering

660
00:28:14,818 --> 00:28:17,237
that a general manager does?
During the season,

661
00:28:17,237 --> 00:28:19,364
Jeanie's here every day
keeping track

662
00:28:19,364 --> 00:28:21,992
of what's happening in tennis,
because after all,

663
00:28:21,992 --> 00:28:25,078
she will want to draft
the best players available,

664
00:28:25,078 --> 00:28:27,372
a trait she hope
runs in the family.

665
00:28:27,372 --> 00:28:31,209
- Right after we decided that
she would run the franchise,

666
00:28:31,209 --> 00:28:32,794
the draft came up.

667
00:28:32,794 --> 00:28:36,506
She brought in a sheet of paper
with all of the names and said,

668
00:28:36,506 --> 00:28:38,508
"Well, let's draft the team."

669
00:28:38,508 --> 00:28:40,302
- He looked at the list
and then looked at me,

670
00:28:40,302 --> 00:28:42,596
and he said,
"I want you to do it."

671
00:28:42,596 --> 00:28:43,889
- And she said,
"Well, I thought

672
00:28:43,889 --> 00:28:45,432
you'd give me
some suggestions."

673
00:28:45,432 --> 00:28:47,476
- He said, "I want you to have
the responsibility.

674
00:28:47,476 --> 00:28:50,354
"I want you to know what it
feels like when people say,

675
00:28:50,354 --> 00:28:51,855
"'What have you done?
What have you picked?'

676
00:28:51,855 --> 00:28:55,150
I want you to get the blame
or to get the recognition."

677
00:28:55,150 --> 00:28:56,360
- "Let's make no mistake
about it.

678
00:28:56,360 --> 00:28:58,236
It's your team,
it's your ball game,

679
00:28:58,236 --> 00:29:00,322
and it's up to you."

680
00:29:00,322 --> 00:29:02,866
JOHNNY: This was grooming for,
you know,

681
00:29:02,866 --> 00:29:04,952
what he wanted us to do,

682
00:29:04,952 --> 00:29:08,997
and that was to be involved
in a family business.

683
00:29:08,997 --> 00:29:11,625
JIM: It was John
does the Lasers.

684
00:29:11,625 --> 00:29:13,168
Jeanie does the Strings.

685
00:29:13,168 --> 00:29:14,503
And so at the Forum,

686
00:29:14,503 --> 00:29:17,214
my dad had it pretty much
running like a machine.

687
00:29:17,214 --> 00:29:19,925
And it wasn't--I wasn't--
I was part of the machine

688
00:29:19,925 --> 00:29:23,095
but not an intricate part
of the machine.

689
00:29:23,095 --> 00:29:25,347
But never did I say,
"Well, gosh, it would be nice

690
00:29:25,347 --> 00:29:27,140
if I had a team
or something like that."

691
00:29:27,140 --> 00:29:29,059
No.

692
00:29:29,935 --> 00:29:34,356
JANIE: I could see jealousy,
uh, between...

693
00:29:34,356 --> 00:29:35,774
well, all of us.

694
00:29:35,774 --> 00:29:37,776
I mean, I think we were all--

695
00:29:37,776 --> 00:29:40,696
well, I know I was a bit
jealous of Jeanie,

696
00:29:40,696 --> 00:29:44,116
but she's older than me,
so she got the opportunity

697
00:29:44,116 --> 00:29:47,744
before I got a chance
to do something.

698
00:29:47,744 --> 00:29:50,205
- Janie's jealous
that Jeanie did this.

699
00:29:50,205 --> 00:29:53,917
Or Jimmy's jealous of Jeanie,
and Jeanie's jealous of me.

700
00:29:53,917 --> 00:29:56,837
And, you know, it was
that jealousy kind of thing.

701
00:29:56,837 --> 00:29:59,089
- They might have been, um,
you know,

702
00:29:59,089 --> 00:30:01,675
intimidated by my ambition,

703
00:30:01,675 --> 00:30:07,305
but it was more the media
that I got the center stage,

704
00:30:07,305 --> 00:30:09,850
that I got the spotlight.

705
00:30:09,850 --> 00:30:13,311
I got a lot of attention
because I was a woman

706
00:30:13,311 --> 00:30:17,983
in a traditionally,
you know, male sports world.

707
00:30:17,983 --> 00:30:22,696
And, you know, that probably
was frustrating for them,

708
00:30:22,696 --> 00:30:24,698
but that, I couldn't help.

709
00:30:24,698 --> 00:30:26,992
INTERVIEWER: What's the future?
What do you really want to do?

710
00:30:26,992 --> 00:30:28,660
Hope to replace your father
at the top?

711
00:30:28,660 --> 00:30:32,247
- Yeah, I've already
told him that. He knows that.

712
00:30:32,247 --> 00:30:36,960
I think he's kind of surprised
that his daughter

713
00:30:36,960 --> 00:30:40,589
would be saying that and really
wanting to fill his shoes.

714
00:30:40,589 --> 00:30:43,341
But I think someday
I could do it.

715
00:30:43,341 --> 00:30:44,926
INTERVIEWER:
What about the idea

716
00:30:44,926 --> 00:30:47,345
that there's been just
too much too soon for Jeanie?

717
00:30:47,345 --> 00:30:51,516
- Oh, certainly,
there's that possibility, uh...

718
00:30:51,516 --> 00:30:57,481
And I think any conscionable
father would think of that.

719
00:30:57,481 --> 00:30:59,775
On the other hand,
sooner or later,

720
00:30:59,775 --> 00:31:02,486
she's going to have to come
to grips with that.

721
00:31:02,486 --> 00:31:04,529
[edgy music]

722
00:31:04,529 --> 00:31:06,156
JEANIE: That's when he said,

723
00:31:06,156 --> 00:31:08,825
"Jeanie, I want you
to meet Linda Zafrani."

724
00:31:09,868 --> 00:31:11,953
DEBBIE: I was working
for Playboy,

725
00:31:11,953 --> 00:31:14,790
and Dr. Buss
was dating my little sister,

726
00:31:14,790 --> 00:31:18,043
who was also working
for Playboy.

727
00:31:18,043 --> 00:31:21,546
Dr. Buss, he was onto
the next young beauty,

728
00:31:21,546 --> 00:31:24,674
and my sister was devastated.

729
00:31:24,674 --> 00:31:27,052
So I called Dr. Buss up,
and I said,

730
00:31:27,052 --> 00:31:29,137
"I don't think it's fair,
what you did to Debbie,

731
00:31:29,137 --> 00:31:31,598
and I think
you should marry her."

732
00:31:31,598 --> 00:31:34,101
He's like,
"I'm not gonna marry her,

733
00:31:34,101 --> 00:31:37,938
"but I appreciate
how you stuck up for her.

734
00:31:37,938 --> 00:31:41,817
And I wonder, would you
consider working for me?"

735
00:31:42,859 --> 00:31:45,237
JEANIE: My dad said,
"I want you and Linda

736
00:31:45,237 --> 00:31:46,863
to work together."

737
00:31:46,863 --> 00:31:49,282
As he explained it,

738
00:31:49,282 --> 00:31:52,577
"Linda's got
that street smart toughness

739
00:31:52,577 --> 00:31:55,622
that I think you need."

740
00:31:55,622 --> 00:31:59,084
LINDA: He wanted someone that
he thought she could trust

741
00:31:59,084 --> 00:32:02,587
to help facilitate her ability
to do both things,

742
00:32:02,587 --> 00:32:05,882
go to school and work.

743
00:32:05,882 --> 00:32:08,927
And even though
she had older brothers,

744
00:32:08,927 --> 00:32:11,513
she was the front-facing
person.

745
00:32:11,513 --> 00:32:13,598
So she had added stress.

746
00:32:19,729 --> 00:32:23,400
STEVEN: In 1982, there was
another big coin flip.

747
00:32:23,400 --> 00:32:24,484
It was the Lakers
against the Clippers.

748
00:32:24,484 --> 00:32:25,819
Lakers had the pick,

749
00:32:25,819 --> 00:32:28,196
because they had traded
Don Ford to Cleveland,

750
00:32:28,196 --> 00:32:29,573
and Cleveland finished last.

751
00:32:29,573 --> 00:32:30,991
REPORTER: What do you guys
feel here?

752
00:32:30,991 --> 00:32:32,325
You win the Championship,

753
00:32:32,325 --> 00:32:33,910
you're the best team
in the NBA,

754
00:32:33,910 --> 00:32:36,079
and you get
the number one draft pick.

755
00:32:36,079 --> 00:32:39,749
- Well, I feel that every
Championship team

756
00:32:39,749 --> 00:32:41,501
and the reason
that you don't repeat

757
00:32:41,501 --> 00:32:43,295
is 'cause you don't get better.

758
00:32:43,295 --> 00:32:45,380
But this year,
we'll get a little better

759
00:32:45,380 --> 00:32:46,715
with this first choice.

760
00:32:46,715 --> 00:32:49,009
And it might help us
for next season.

761
00:32:49,009 --> 00:32:50,552
- Rich get richer?

762
00:32:50,552 --> 00:32:52,762
- Yeah, so to speak
the rich gets richer.

763
00:32:52,762 --> 00:32:53,847
[laughs]

764
00:32:55,140 --> 00:32:57,184
ANNOUNCER: For the first pick,

765
00:32:57,184 --> 00:33:00,854
Cleveland to Los Angeles...
Los Angeles.

766
00:33:00,854 --> 00:33:04,941
[dramatic music]

767
00:33:04,941 --> 00:33:07,736
♪ ♪

768
00:33:07,736 --> 00:33:12,407
He's 6'9, 225 pounds
from North Carolina--

769
00:33:12,407 --> 00:33:14,659
James Worthy.

770
00:33:14,659 --> 00:33:16,328
ANNOUNCER: Worthy helped lead
the Tar Heels

771
00:33:16,328 --> 00:33:19,581
to the NCAA Championship
this past season as a junior.

772
00:33:19,581 --> 00:33:22,709
He chose to give up his final
year of college eligibility

773
00:33:22,709 --> 00:33:26,671
and made himself available
for the NBA draft.

774
00:33:26,671 --> 00:33:28,548
EDDIE: And you have added
more excitement to a stable

775
00:33:28,548 --> 00:33:30,634
that is already
plenty exciting.

776
00:33:30,634 --> 00:33:32,052
James Worthy--
didn't take you long

777
00:33:32,052 --> 00:33:34,137
to make that selection,
Dr. Buss.

778
00:33:34,137 --> 00:33:37,015
- It took us a lot of thought
though quite honestly, Eddie.

779
00:33:37,015 --> 00:33:40,852
We were very torn between
the three top people.

780
00:33:40,852 --> 00:33:42,729
They're all so good. I mean,
usually this doesn't happen.

781
00:33:42,729 --> 00:33:44,397
Usually, there's one
or two outstanding.

782
00:33:44,397 --> 00:33:47,901
But three outstanding players,
we spent a lot of time,

783
00:33:47,901 --> 00:33:50,362
and I guess about a week
or 10 days ago

784
00:33:50,362 --> 00:33:52,364
we came to the conclusion
that it had to be James Worthy.

785
00:33:52,364 --> 00:33:55,033
PERSON: Do you feel
with the success

786
00:33:55,033 --> 00:33:56,534
that they've already got
that you'll be able to get into

787
00:33:56,534 --> 00:33:58,870
that starting lineup
right off the top?

788
00:33:58,870 --> 00:34:00,705
- That's not one of
my main objectives.

789
00:34:00,705 --> 00:34:02,958
I just want to come and learn.

790
00:34:02,958 --> 00:34:04,793
I think it'll be a learning
experience for me, and...

791
00:34:04,793 --> 00:34:07,212
I was a pretty good player
coming outta college.

792
00:34:07,212 --> 00:34:10,674
And so I was not arrogant,
but I was very confident.

793
00:34:10,674 --> 00:34:12,259
I thought I could start.

794
00:34:14,469 --> 00:34:16,930
The first week
of training camp,

795
00:34:16,930 --> 00:34:18,223
I would walk into the gym,

796
00:34:18,223 --> 00:34:20,350
and I would look around,
and I would say,

797
00:34:20,350 --> 00:34:23,603
"Okay, there's Kareem...

798
00:34:23,603 --> 00:34:26,231
"Jamal Wilkes...

799
00:34:26,231 --> 00:34:28,483
"Norm Nixon.

800
00:34:28,483 --> 00:34:29,818
There's Magic."

801
00:34:29,818 --> 00:34:32,279
But then I saw Kurt Rambis.

802
00:34:32,279 --> 00:34:36,741
Kurt Rambis
had these thick glasses on.

803
00:34:36,741 --> 00:34:38,410
Like, he looked like
a science professor,

804
00:34:38,410 --> 00:34:42,247
and I said,
"I can get that spot."

805
00:34:42,247 --> 00:34:45,625
KURT: My hair, my mustache,
the glasses.

806
00:34:45,625 --> 00:34:49,004
It just kind of made me
look like a normal person

807
00:34:49,004 --> 00:34:50,672
walkin' down the street

808
00:34:50,672 --> 00:34:53,591
and not the guy that was
starting for the Lakers.

809
00:34:53,591 --> 00:34:55,135
But I could not believe

810
00:34:55,135 --> 00:34:57,762
they were bringing
somebody in to take my job.

811
00:34:57,762 --> 00:35:02,350
So I did everything I possibly
could to let him know,

812
00:35:02,350 --> 00:35:04,352
"If you're gonna take my job,

813
00:35:04,352 --> 00:35:06,479
you got
your work cut out for you."

814
00:35:07,397 --> 00:35:10,275
- That first week, every time
I got within his area

815
00:35:10,275 --> 00:35:14,654
where he operated, Kirk Rambis
kicked my ass like a ragdoll.

816
00:35:14,654 --> 00:35:18,033
- [laughing]

817
00:35:18,033 --> 00:35:20,327
Yeah. That makes me feel good
right now.

818
00:35:20,327 --> 00:35:21,828
[laughing]

819
00:35:21,828 --> 00:35:23,413
That-that was my intention.

820
00:35:23,413 --> 00:35:25,624
- So I humbly
had to sit on the bench.

821
00:35:27,417 --> 00:35:29,544
It was a lesson in patience

822
00:35:29,544 --> 00:35:32,255
when you're playing
with the team

823
00:35:32,255 --> 00:35:35,800
that really
doesn't need you right now.

824
00:35:35,800 --> 00:35:37,802
SPORTSCASTER: Jerry, things
are really on the uptick

825
00:35:37,802 --> 00:35:39,638
in the NBA,
and I think the Lakers

826
00:35:39,638 --> 00:35:40,972
are sitting right up on top.

827
00:35:40,972 --> 00:35:42,390
You've got
a very exciting ball club,

828
00:35:42,390 --> 00:35:43,850
and I see that things
are gonna continue.

829
00:35:43,850 --> 00:35:45,977
We have a tremendous
amount of excitement

830
00:35:45,977 --> 00:35:49,189
out in Los Angeles and
I think across the country.

831
00:35:49,189 --> 00:35:51,691
As more of the exciting
players come into the NBA,

832
00:35:51,691 --> 00:35:54,194
I-I think there's gonna be
a terrific upswing.

833
00:35:55,862 --> 00:35:59,074
JEANIE: My dad always kept
his eye on the business.

834
00:35:59,074 --> 00:36:02,994
Like, this wasn't just a
plaything and he got lucky.

835
00:36:02,994 --> 00:36:06,456
You know, he wanted his team
to always be competitive.

836
00:36:07,332 --> 00:36:10,794
PERSON:
The 76ers in 1983 had Dr. J,

837
00:36:10,794 --> 00:36:12,462
and they had Moses Malone

838
00:36:12,462 --> 00:36:14,923
and they had great defenders
like Bobby Jones.

839
00:36:14,923 --> 00:36:16,591
They were the real deal.

840
00:36:16,591 --> 00:36:19,052
PAT: We beat 'em in '80.
We beat 'em in '82.

841
00:36:19,052 --> 00:36:22,097
You know,
they were ready theirs.

842
00:36:22,097 --> 00:36:23,932
JULIUS: Win, lose, or draw,
you know,

843
00:36:23,932 --> 00:36:26,351
this doesn't define who I am.

844
00:36:26,351 --> 00:36:31,356
You know, basketball
is what I do, not what I am.

845
00:36:31,356 --> 00:36:34,734
And as much as I used
to tell myself that,

846
00:36:34,734 --> 00:36:37,278
you know, I realized that

847
00:36:37,278 --> 00:36:38,863
everybody didn't think
that way.

848
00:36:38,863 --> 00:36:40,657
[laughing]

849
00:36:40,657 --> 00:36:43,284
And so it was a relief,
you know, in '83,

850
00:36:43,284 --> 00:36:47,539
when we finally got over
the hump and beat them.

851
00:36:47,539 --> 00:36:49,708
ANNOUNCER: Here he comes.

852
00:36:49,708 --> 00:36:51,960
Well, he's off the clock.

853
00:36:51,960 --> 00:36:54,337
[continues in background]

854
00:36:54,337 --> 00:36:57,966
BOB: Injuries.
The injuries killed us.

855
00:36:57,966 --> 00:37:02,220
It was
too much firepower gone.

856
00:37:02,220 --> 00:37:05,348
If me, James Worthy,

857
00:37:05,348 --> 00:37:06,891
and Norm Nixon were healthy,

858
00:37:06,891 --> 00:37:08,601
no way they would beat us.

859
00:37:08,601 --> 00:37:10,270
JULIUS: Wasn't our fault
you were injured.

860
00:37:10,270 --> 00:37:15,191
[laughs] And next man up's
gotta do his job or whatever.

861
00:37:15,191 --> 00:37:20,572
So I don't think when you beat
a team four straight times

862
00:37:20,572 --> 00:37:22,866
that they can say
they were the better team.

863
00:37:24,367 --> 00:37:27,871
Th-That doesn't make sense.
That's delusional behavior.

864
00:37:27,871 --> 00:37:29,956
BUSS: My hat's off
to the victors,

865
00:37:29,956 --> 00:37:31,416
and, uh, this is what
it's all about.

866
00:37:31,416 --> 00:37:34,419
The winning, the losing,
the struggle--it's great.

867
00:37:34,419 --> 00:37:36,045
PAT: I would've much rather
been on the other end

868
00:37:36,045 --> 00:37:37,547
of this thing tonight,

869
00:37:37,547 --> 00:37:40,425
but I'm gonna raise my glass
to them too tonight.

870
00:37:45,889 --> 00:37:47,640
JULIUS: Funny. You know
what he said to me?

871
00:37:47,640 --> 00:37:50,560
He says, "Got those skeletons
removed from the closet, huh?"

872
00:37:50,560 --> 00:37:53,396
[chuckling] I said, "Yeah, Pat.

873
00:37:53,396 --> 00:37:55,857
They're gone." [laughs]

874
00:37:55,857 --> 00:37:57,609
DAVID: Why does it seem
to be impossible

875
00:37:57,609 --> 00:38:00,487
to repeat Championships
in that league?

876
00:38:00,487 --> 00:38:02,197
- Because the teams
you beat get better.

877
00:38:02,197 --> 00:38:03,656
- Yeah. Yeah.

878
00:38:03,656 --> 00:38:06,409
- Like we beat Philly,
they went out and got Moses.

879
00:38:06,409 --> 00:38:09,204
[laughter]
So, uh, they beat us,

880
00:38:09,204 --> 00:38:10,580
and I don't know
what might happen.

881
00:38:10,580 --> 00:38:12,415
We-we might get a good play
or...

882
00:38:12,415 --> 00:38:13,958
NORM: When you do lose,

883
00:38:13,958 --> 00:38:15,752
there are some things
that start happening.

884
00:38:15,752 --> 00:38:17,837
You know, you always
gonna have scapegoats.

885
00:38:17,837 --> 00:38:20,173
And, you know, like,
it was Kareem's fault.

886
00:38:20,173 --> 00:38:21,758
It was this one's fault.

887
00:38:21,758 --> 00:38:23,802
This guy is negative
in the locker room.

888
00:38:23,802 --> 00:38:25,887
This guy is doing this.

889
00:38:25,887 --> 00:38:29,098
JERRY: Sometimes you make
subtle changes in your team.

890
00:38:29,098 --> 00:38:30,975
We needed someone
bigger out there,

891
00:38:30,975 --> 00:38:33,603
and I didn't think
Norm was a great complement

892
00:38:33,603 --> 00:38:35,104
to Magic Johnson.

893
00:38:35,104 --> 00:38:36,397
- Jerry had come to--
I always laugh about it.

894
00:38:36,397 --> 00:38:37,941
Say, "I'll never trade you."

895
00:38:37,941 --> 00:38:39,984
I said, "That's a kiss of death
like the Italians."

896
00:38:39,984 --> 00:38:42,237
[laughs] Muah, muah.

897
00:38:42,237 --> 00:38:43,488
I said,
"Oop, I'm outta here now."

898
00:38:43,488 --> 00:38:45,824
I told my brother.
I said, "Oop, I'm gone."

899
00:38:45,824 --> 00:38:47,909
[laughing]

900
00:38:47,909 --> 00:38:49,744
BYRON: I'm originally
from Inglewood, California,

901
00:38:49,744 --> 00:38:52,121
and been here all my life,
you know?

902
00:38:52,121 --> 00:38:54,874
So Inglewood is home.
It's where I was raised.

903
00:38:54,874 --> 00:38:56,501
You know, so when I get a call
from Jerry West

904
00:38:56,501 --> 00:38:58,545
saying that we're gonna make
a trade for you today,

905
00:38:58,545 --> 00:39:00,964
I almost fell out--
you know, fell out my bed.

906
00:39:00,964 --> 00:39:02,465
[laughs]

907
00:39:02,465 --> 00:39:04,759
JERRY: Getting one of the best
prospects in the draft,

908
00:39:04,759 --> 00:39:06,427
that was exciting for me.

909
00:39:06,427 --> 00:39:11,516
And also the three-point line
had become in vogue then,

910
00:39:11,516 --> 00:39:13,601
and that was his specialty
when he first started out.

911
00:39:13,601 --> 00:39:15,103
BYRON: Jerry West said,
"You know,

912
00:39:15,103 --> 00:39:16,563
we're gonna win
more championships

913
00:39:16,563 --> 00:39:18,940
with you than we ever
would have with Norm."

914
00:39:18,940 --> 00:39:21,985
MICHAEL: Magic, myself,
and Norm,

915
00:39:21,985 --> 00:39:23,778
we were the trio.
We always talk about

916
00:39:23,778 --> 00:39:26,239
we had the best three
guard combo in the league.

917
00:39:26,239 --> 00:39:29,742
So when they pulled
that trade off, it hurt a lot.

918
00:39:29,742 --> 00:39:31,911
MAGIC: All three of us had
a real bond

919
00:39:31,911 --> 00:39:33,788
out on the basketball court.

920
00:39:33,788 --> 00:39:39,544
And so when he got traded,
you know,

921
00:39:39,544 --> 00:39:42,630
that was a--that was
a tough moment for me.

922
00:39:42,630 --> 00:39:44,382
- People were mad.

923
00:39:44,382 --> 00:39:46,759
They were incensed
and mourning.

924
00:39:47,802 --> 00:39:50,179
PERSON: Jack Nicholson,
he wore black for three games.

925
00:39:50,179 --> 00:39:52,015
I said, "What the hell
is this all about?"

926
00:39:52,015 --> 00:39:54,559
He said, "That's the dumbest
trade I've ever seen."

927
00:39:54,559 --> 00:39:56,477
- Well, he wears
all black a lot.

928
00:39:56,477 --> 00:39:58,938
So maybe he's always
in mourning,

929
00:39:58,938 --> 00:40:01,190
but I'm a fan of the Lakers,

930
00:40:01,190 --> 00:40:03,568
and I respect players.

931
00:40:03,568 --> 00:40:05,236
But these guys
were my friends.

932
00:40:05,236 --> 00:40:08,615
And to this day, I wish
they hadn't traded Norman.

933
00:40:08,615 --> 00:40:10,575
NORM: Jack and Lou,
they were fans,

934
00:40:10,575 --> 00:40:12,160
and they know the game,

935
00:40:12,160 --> 00:40:13,828
and they knew me
on a personal level.

936
00:40:13,828 --> 00:40:16,164
They knew me very well
on a personal level.

937
00:40:16,164 --> 00:40:17,624
They didn't wanna see me go,

938
00:40:17,624 --> 00:40:19,125
and they didn't like
what happened.

939
00:40:19,125 --> 00:40:20,418
JERRY:
That was a difficult time.

940
00:40:20,418 --> 00:40:23,379
Probably the first time
in my life I went home,

941
00:40:23,379 --> 00:40:25,715
and I said to myself,

942
00:40:25,715 --> 00:40:30,011
"Is this gonna work like
I hope it works?"

943
00:40:30,011 --> 00:40:31,304
BYRON:
Jerry West makes this trade.

944
00:40:31,304 --> 00:40:33,806
Brings in this unproven
rookie, you know?

945
00:40:33,806 --> 00:40:35,558
So they had to test me.

946
00:40:35,558 --> 00:40:37,727
- We gave him
the cold shoulder.

947
00:40:37,727 --> 00:40:40,104
We fucked with him.

948
00:40:40,104 --> 00:40:41,522
- I didn't know then
that meant that,

949
00:40:41,522 --> 00:40:43,900
"Yeah, we're gonna
try to kick your ass.

950
00:40:43,900 --> 00:40:46,611
Every day in practice,
we're gonna go at you."

951
00:40:46,611 --> 00:40:48,821
- We wanted to see
if he could weather the storm.

952
00:40:48,821 --> 00:40:51,157
- That went on for about
four or five days to a week.

953
00:40:51,157 --> 00:40:52,700
And then I just told 'em--
I said, "Listen,

954
00:40:52,700 --> 00:40:55,495
next one y'all throw a elbow,
I'm punching the shit out you."

955
00:40:55,495 --> 00:40:56,829
I said,
"I'm just letting you know.

956
00:40:56,829 --> 00:40:58,790
I'm tired of this shit."
And that was it.

957
00:40:58,790 --> 00:41:00,583
And they was like,
"Okay, all right.

958
00:41:00,583 --> 00:41:02,210
This kid got some balls.
He's tough."

959
00:41:04,087 --> 00:41:05,672
From that point on me,
Magic, and Coop

960
00:41:05,672 --> 00:41:07,298
went everywhere together.

961
00:41:08,424 --> 00:41:12,303
MAGIC: Byron, and as I call
him B, we always knew

962
00:41:12,303 --> 00:41:15,848
that if we were going to
win a championship,

963
00:41:15,848 --> 00:41:18,518
he was gonna play a key role.

964
00:41:24,983 --> 00:41:27,318
ANNOUNCER:
The Lakers and the Celtics.

965
00:41:27,318 --> 00:41:30,863
So many memories.
So many golden moments.

966
00:41:30,863 --> 00:41:33,658
The Celtics and Bill Russell
always winning

967
00:41:33,658 --> 00:41:35,326
when they met
for the Championship.

968
00:41:35,326 --> 00:41:39,288
For the Lakers, Jerry West
always magnificent in defeat.

969
00:41:39,288 --> 00:41:40,581
Now we are ready
to start again.

970
00:41:40,581 --> 00:41:42,208
INTERVIEWER:
How obsessed with winning

971
00:41:42,208 --> 00:41:44,419
did your father become
in '84 and '85

972
00:41:44,419 --> 00:41:46,212
during
the Lakers-Celtics rivalry?

973
00:41:46,212 --> 00:41:48,506
- [laughing]

974
00:41:48,506 --> 00:41:50,967
He reminded me of...

975
00:41:50,967 --> 00:41:54,595
of any big sports fan,
you know?

976
00:41:54,595 --> 00:41:56,723
It was the pinnacle of sports,

977
00:41:56,723 --> 00:42:00,309
of what sports is all about,
of rivalry.

978
00:42:00,309 --> 00:42:03,604
To him, the rivalries
were the greatest thing

979
00:42:03,604 --> 00:42:05,690
you could ever have in sports.

980
00:42:05,690 --> 00:42:10,194
- The whole Boston-Laker
rivalry goes back to the '60s.

981
00:42:12,530 --> 00:42:14,365
JERRY: The period
when I was playing,

982
00:42:14,365 --> 00:42:15,867
the Celtics
were there every year,

983
00:42:15,867 --> 00:42:17,160
and we had good teams.

984
00:42:17,160 --> 00:42:18,661
But we were just not
good enough to beat them.

985
00:42:18,661 --> 00:42:20,079
ANNOUNCER:
The ball game is over.

986
00:42:20,079 --> 00:42:22,540
The Boston Celtics
are the World Champions,

987
00:42:22,540 --> 00:42:24,375
and the Boston Celtics
have won

988
00:42:24,375 --> 00:42:26,210
their fifth
World Championship.

989
00:42:26,210 --> 00:42:27,962
ANNOUNCER: The Boston Celtics
have given Bostonians

990
00:42:27,962 --> 00:42:29,422
something to talk about.

991
00:42:29,422 --> 00:42:30,506
ANNOUNCER: That's it.
The game is over.

992
00:42:30,506 --> 00:42:32,050
ANNOUNCER: What a rivalry.

993
00:42:32,050 --> 00:42:34,343
ANNOUNCER: The Boston Celtics
have done it again.

994
00:42:34,343 --> 00:42:37,805
Another jewel in that crown.

995
00:42:37,805 --> 00:42:43,394
- I have not been to Boston
since I played as a player.

996
00:42:43,394 --> 00:42:47,065
PAT: The albatross
we felt was on our back

997
00:42:47,065 --> 00:42:48,566
to sort of break this hex.

998
00:42:48,566 --> 00:42:50,777
JAMES: I grew up
watching the Celtics

999
00:42:50,777 --> 00:42:52,737
and that parquet floor.

1000
00:42:52,737 --> 00:42:56,032
It was amazing on television.

1001
00:42:56,032 --> 00:42:58,201
But when you get in there,
it's pretty shitty.

1002
00:42:58,201 --> 00:43:01,996
ALL: Beat L. A. Beat L. A.

1003
00:43:01,996 --> 00:43:03,706
JAMAAL: In the winter,
we'd play in Boston.

1004
00:43:03,706 --> 00:43:06,292
It seemed like the heat
never worked.

1005
00:43:06,292 --> 00:43:10,046
In the summers, the air
conditioning never worked.

1006
00:43:10,046 --> 00:43:12,548
We'd stay in the hotel,
and it seemed like the alarms

1007
00:43:12,548 --> 00:43:15,384
would go off
all hours of the night.

1008
00:43:15,384 --> 00:43:19,263
And that seemed to
only happen in Boston.

1009
00:43:19,263 --> 00:43:21,641
MICHAEL: We got a chance
to eradicate

1010
00:43:21,641 --> 00:43:24,769
the ghosts from the past,
to clear the air

1011
00:43:24,769 --> 00:43:28,397
for Jerry West, Elgin Baylor,
Wilt Chamberlain.

1012
00:43:28,397 --> 00:43:31,317
All the times that they could
never beat Boston,

1013
00:43:31,317 --> 00:43:34,153
we got a chance to do that.

1014
00:43:34,153 --> 00:43:36,614
LARRY: We knew how important
it was to beat the Lakers

1015
00:43:36,614 --> 00:43:38,241
because of the history.

1016
00:43:38,241 --> 00:43:39,784
In Boston,
there's always a buzz,

1017
00:43:39,784 --> 00:43:42,328
but when the Lakers
came to town, it was different.

1018
00:43:42,328 --> 00:43:45,206
I mean, our fans knew
when we played the Lakers,

1019
00:43:45,206 --> 00:43:46,833
that's the ultimate game.

1020
00:43:46,833 --> 00:43:49,127
- The bottom line is,

1021
00:43:49,127 --> 00:43:51,879
if you're wearing
the Laker uniform,

1022
00:43:51,879 --> 00:43:53,881
you hate the Celtic uniform.

1023
00:43:53,881 --> 00:43:55,383
And if you're wearing
the Celtic uniform,

1024
00:43:55,383 --> 00:43:57,552
you hate the Laker uniform.
It's just the bottom line.

1025
00:43:57,552 --> 00:44:00,888
[heavy music]

1026
00:44:00,888 --> 00:44:03,516
ANNOUNCER: Next up, North
Station, Boston County.

1027
00:44:03,516 --> 00:44:05,309
ANNOUNCER: All right.
The stage is set.

1028
00:44:05,309 --> 00:44:07,520
It's the Celtics
and the Lakers.

1029
00:44:07,520 --> 00:44:10,314
Game one.

1030
00:44:10,314 --> 00:44:13,109
FLEA: I remember being glued
to the television

1031
00:44:13,109 --> 00:44:15,903
watching those
Lakers-Celtics games.

1032
00:44:15,903 --> 00:44:18,906
And back then had like,
you know, a cheap little TV

1033
00:44:18,906 --> 00:44:22,743
about this big and just staring
at it with intensity.

1034
00:44:22,743 --> 00:44:24,829
ANNOUNCER: Now Magic Johnson
the man with the ball,

1035
00:44:24,829 --> 00:44:26,122
and he gets it
quickly into Kareem

1036
00:44:26,122 --> 00:44:28,374
who's fouled
and gets the basket.

1037
00:44:28,374 --> 00:44:29,542
ANNOUNCER: I'd say right now,

1038
00:44:30,084 --> 00:44:32,336
the Lakers are pretty much
in control of this game.

1039
00:44:32,336 --> 00:44:34,881
But the Los Angeles Lakers
have won in Boston,

1040
00:44:34,881 --> 00:44:37,216
ending a nine-game playoff
streak at home

1041
00:44:37,216 --> 00:44:40,720
and have beaten
the Boston Celtics 115 to 109

1042
00:44:40,720 --> 00:44:43,723
to take a one-to-nothing
lead in the best of seven

1043
00:44:43,723 --> 00:44:45,933
for the NBA
World Championship.

1044
00:44:45,933 --> 00:44:47,643
- We won the first game.

1045
00:44:47,643 --> 00:44:49,145
- The Los Angeles Lakers

1046
00:44:49,145 --> 00:44:51,230
handed the Celtics
their first home court defeat

1047
00:44:51,230 --> 00:44:52,732
in ten playoff games this year.

1048
00:44:52,732 --> 00:44:54,108
ANNOUNCER: We're live
at Boston Garden

1049
00:44:54,108 --> 00:44:55,401
for game number two

1050
00:44:55,401 --> 00:44:57,987
of the NBA
World Championship Series.

1051
00:44:57,987 --> 00:45:00,531
PAT: I made some coaching
blunders in the second game

1052
00:45:00,531 --> 00:45:01,949
I thought really cost us.

1053
00:45:01,949 --> 00:45:04,410
ANNOUNCER: The Lakers have it
with 20 seconds to go

1054
00:45:04,410 --> 00:45:06,746
and lead
the Celtics 113 to 111.

1055
00:45:08,497 --> 00:45:10,625
Worthy will inbound
to Magic Johnson.

1056
00:45:10,625 --> 00:45:12,418
Worst comes the worst,
the Celtics will have to--

1057
00:45:12,418 --> 00:45:13,794
Oh! there's a steal by
Henderson

1058
00:45:13,794 --> 00:45:14,921
who lays it up again.

1059
00:45:14,921 --> 00:45:17,715
JAMES: The pass that I made

1060
00:45:17,715 --> 00:45:19,634
was trying
to get it to Byron Scott,

1061
00:45:19,634 --> 00:45:24,347
which Gerald Henderson
intercepted and laid it in.

1062
00:45:24,347 --> 00:45:26,849
Forced us to overtime.

1063
00:45:26,849 --> 00:45:29,352
[cheers and applause]

1064
00:45:29,352 --> 00:45:32,939
If I don't make that pass,

1065
00:45:32,939 --> 00:45:34,190
I think we go up 2:0.

1066
00:45:34,190 --> 00:45:35,816
And there's no way
they're gonna beat us.

1067
00:45:35,816 --> 00:45:37,235
We're going back to L. A.

1068
00:45:37,235 --> 00:45:39,362
- Today, we will define
the word choke.

1069
00:45:39,362 --> 00:45:40,988
A choke is a device on a car

1070
00:45:40,988 --> 00:45:43,199
to improve
the gas and air mixture.

1071
00:45:43,199 --> 00:45:45,201
It is also what
the Los Angeles Lakers

1072
00:45:45,201 --> 00:45:47,745
did in Boston last night.
Sorry.

1073
00:45:47,745 --> 00:45:51,249
- Then the series became real.
You know, became real.

1074
00:45:51,249 --> 00:45:53,251
We went home
then beat 'em by 30.

1075
00:45:53,251 --> 00:45:55,378
ANNOUNCER: The game was around
the most lopsided defeat

1076
00:45:55,378 --> 00:45:57,338
in Boston playoff history.

1077
00:45:57,338 --> 00:45:59,674
And the Celtics
looked like beaten men.

1078
00:45:59,674 --> 00:46:03,344
- What changed the tenor
of that series

1079
00:46:03,344 --> 00:46:06,264
was in game four.

1080
00:46:06,264 --> 00:46:08,516
- I can remember
going in that game, it's--

1081
00:46:08,516 --> 00:46:10,643
we always--so we gotta do
whatever we can do

1082
00:46:10,643 --> 00:46:12,103
to win this basketball game,

1083
00:46:12,103 --> 00:46:15,189
because if we don't win
this one, it's over.

1084
00:46:15,690 --> 00:46:17,650
ANNOUNCER: McHale is doubled.

1085
00:46:17,650 --> 00:46:19,485
Dennis Johnson
is short with it.

1086
00:46:19,485 --> 00:46:21,612
Cooper to Kareem
to Worthy to Rambis.

1087
00:46:21,612 --> 00:46:23,155
He should go the distance--
oh!

1088
00:46:23,155 --> 00:46:27,243
And now let's watch it.
Cooper and the Celtics.

1089
00:46:27,243 --> 00:46:28,953
And now the bench is empty.

1090
00:46:30,413 --> 00:46:34,458
As Larry Bird
helps Kurt Rambis up.

1091
00:46:34,458 --> 00:46:37,503
He was decked by two Celtics
and hit the floor hard.

1092
00:46:37,503 --> 00:46:39,005
- It wasn't like
we was going out there

1093
00:46:39,005 --> 00:46:41,590
to try to hurt somebody,
and Kevin McHale is not known

1094
00:46:41,590 --> 00:46:43,759
to knock people down
like that.

1095
00:46:43,759 --> 00:46:45,344
But when it happened

1096
00:46:45,344 --> 00:46:47,638
I'm going, "Jesus, Kevin,
what was that all about?"

1097
00:46:47,638 --> 00:46:49,890
FLEA: Watching the
clotheslining of Rambis--

1098
00:46:49,890 --> 00:46:52,268
it was so intense.

1099
00:46:52,268 --> 00:46:53,519
I'm sure that, you know,

1100
00:46:53,519 --> 00:46:55,021
there was some begrudging
professional respect.

1101
00:46:55,021 --> 00:46:57,648
Like, you know, game
recognizing game and all that,

1102
00:46:57,648 --> 00:46:59,483
but there's just
this feeling of

1103
00:46:59,483 --> 00:47:02,486
they really hated each other.

1104
00:47:02,486 --> 00:47:04,113
BOB: It was brutal. Ha ha.

1105
00:47:04,113 --> 00:47:06,657
In today's game,
that would've been

1106
00:47:06,657 --> 00:47:08,868
a $50,000 fine,

1107
00:47:08,868 --> 00:47:12,079
and he'd been suspended
for the next game.

1108
00:47:12,079 --> 00:47:15,624
But in the rough
and tumble world of the '80s

1109
00:47:15,624 --> 00:47:17,918
of the NBA, didn't happen.

1110
00:47:17,918 --> 00:47:19,837
LARRY:
We riled them a little bit.

1111
00:47:19,837 --> 00:47:22,089
We were a physical team,

1112
00:47:22,089 --> 00:47:23,883
but that one play
sort of changed things.

1113
00:47:23,883 --> 00:47:26,886
ANNOUNCER: And the Boston
Celtics have evened this NBA

1114
00:47:26,886 --> 00:47:30,681
World Championship Series
at two games apiece.

1115
00:47:30,681 --> 00:47:33,976
- When we go back,
and we get buried in game five

1116
00:47:33,976 --> 00:47:39,148
in probably the most
uncomfortable arena

1117
00:47:39,148 --> 00:47:40,566
that you could ever be in.

1118
00:47:40,566 --> 00:47:42,526
It had to be
120 degrees in there.

1119
00:47:42,526 --> 00:47:44,320
- It's like 91 or 92 degrees.

1120
00:47:44,320 --> 00:47:45,821
'Cause we didn't have
air condition.

1121
00:47:45,821 --> 00:47:47,698
They're not used
to that in L. A.

1122
00:47:47,698 --> 00:47:49,742
Had a teammate told me,
"Can you imagine

1123
00:47:49,742 --> 00:47:51,660
"how many people's faces
would melt in here

1124
00:47:51,660 --> 00:47:54,497
if it was 91, 92
with all the plastic surgery?"

1125
00:47:54,497 --> 00:47:55,915
[laughing]

1126
00:47:55,915 --> 00:47:58,709
- You just have to give
both clubs a lot of credit

1127
00:47:58,709 --> 00:48:01,337
for enduring
a 48-minute steam bath.

1128
00:48:01,337 --> 00:48:04,590
We lost that game,
and we came back in game six

1129
00:48:04,590 --> 00:48:07,510
and basically meekly
won game six.

1130
00:48:07,510 --> 00:48:09,804
We have a chance to do
something that no other team

1131
00:48:09,804 --> 00:48:12,932
has ever done--
go back to Boston Garden

1132
00:48:12,932 --> 00:48:15,726
and win a World Championship
on that parquet floor.

1133
00:48:15,726 --> 00:48:18,938
And, uh, we lost in game seven.

1134
00:48:18,938 --> 00:48:20,147
ANNOUNCER: Final second.

1135
00:48:20,147 --> 00:48:22,274
ALL: Five. Four. Three. Two.

1136
00:48:22,274 --> 00:48:24,902
ANNOUNCER: Cooper does it
to three--it's over.

1137
00:48:26,904 --> 00:48:28,906
PAT: We choked.
I choked as a coach.

1138
00:48:28,906 --> 00:48:31,867
I didn't do a good job.
Some of the most miserable

1139
00:48:31,867 --> 00:48:35,746
I have ever been
was after that seventh game.

1140
00:48:35,746 --> 00:48:38,082
We felt we gave away
a championship,

1141
00:48:38,082 --> 00:48:42,002
and that's the summer
that they came after us

1142
00:48:42,002 --> 00:48:43,504
and called us sissies,

1143
00:48:43,504 --> 00:48:46,924
called us fakers, called us
the Hollywood softies,

1144
00:48:46,924 --> 00:48:48,426
Tragic Magic.

1145
00:48:48,426 --> 00:48:51,220
You know, whatever it was,
they came after us, man.

1146
00:48:51,220 --> 00:48:52,763
LARRY: The Lakers, the fakers,

1147
00:48:52,763 --> 00:48:55,516
and a bunch of sissies
and this and that.

1148
00:48:55,516 --> 00:48:57,935
That's all part of the game,
you know?

1149
00:48:57,935 --> 00:49:00,438
[quiet music]

1150
00:49:00,438 --> 00:49:05,109
- Losing always set my dad
off into a dark place.

1151
00:49:06,694 --> 00:49:09,947
To be so close
and to lose to the Celtics,

1152
00:49:09,947 --> 00:49:11,657
you know, it made him

1153
00:49:11,657 --> 00:49:15,119
that much more
determined to beat them.

1154
00:49:15,119 --> 00:49:17,872
- And then we spent the whole
summer thinking about it.

1155
00:49:17,872 --> 00:49:22,209
And then that whole season
in '85 we dedicated that season

1156
00:49:22,209 --> 00:49:25,588
just to get back to the finals
and hoping they were there.

1157
00:49:25,588 --> 00:49:28,883
PERSON: Whatever you do,
don't look at the camera, Gary.

1158
00:49:28,883 --> 00:49:32,386
GARY: I came in after
they had lost in '84,

1159
00:49:32,386 --> 00:49:36,807
and it was very apparent to me
the goal for this team

1160
00:49:36,807 --> 00:49:40,311
was not to win
an NBA Championship.

1161
00:49:40,311 --> 00:49:43,689
The goal was to beat
the Boston Celtics

1162
00:49:43,689 --> 00:49:46,025
to win the NBA Championship.

1163
00:49:46,025 --> 00:49:48,569
ALL: We want Boston.
We want Boston.

1164
00:49:48,569 --> 00:49:50,237
ANNOUNCER:
For a full year now,

1165
00:49:50,237 --> 00:49:51,947
this has been the L. A. cry,

1166
00:49:51,947 --> 00:49:54,533
wanting Boston
but really wanting redemption.

1167
00:49:54,533 --> 00:49:57,119
PERSON: They needed to play
the Celtics,

1168
00:49:57,119 --> 00:50:00,539
and they needed to beat them
for all the skeletons

1169
00:50:00,539 --> 00:50:04,251
to come out of the closet
and sort of release this curse

1170
00:50:04,251 --> 00:50:07,046
that seemed to be
hanging over their head.

1171
00:50:07,046 --> 00:50:08,881
- Oh, I hope the Lakers do it.
They should do it.

1172
00:50:08,881 --> 00:50:10,216
- Why do you think
they should?

1173
00:50:10,216 --> 00:50:11,884
- Because they owe it to us
to do it.

1174
00:50:11,884 --> 00:50:13,177
- Lakers for sure.

1175
00:50:13,177 --> 00:50:14,553
- Oh, it's gonna be the Lakers?
- Yes, for sure.

1176
00:50:14,553 --> 00:50:15,888
- Yeah.
You live in L. A. of course?

1177
00:50:15,888 --> 00:50:17,431
- Of course.

1178
00:50:17,431 --> 00:50:18,974
- You lived in Boston,
you wouldn't be saying that.

1179
00:50:18,974 --> 00:50:21,727
- I wouldn't live in Boston.

1180
00:50:21,727 --> 00:50:23,479
- Lakers.
- Why do you say Lakers?

1181
00:50:23,479 --> 00:50:24,855
- They have the Magic Man.

1182
00:50:24,855 --> 00:50:26,232
They have Kareem.
They have everybody.

1183
00:50:26,232 --> 00:50:27,691
Worthy's going off
through the whole series.

1184
00:50:27,691 --> 00:50:29,902
Can't nobody stick it.

1185
00:50:29,902 --> 00:50:32,738
FLEA: You know, after Lakers
lost, I was devastated.

1186
00:50:32,738 --> 00:50:35,074
You know,
I despised the Celtics.

1187
00:50:35,074 --> 00:50:38,827
Uh, you know, Larry Bird,
Kevin McHale, Robert Parish,

1188
00:50:38,827 --> 00:50:43,040
Danny Ainge, Jerry Sichting--
all of those guys, man.

1189
00:50:43,040 --> 00:50:44,833
I hated 'em.

1190
00:50:46,377 --> 00:50:48,420
SELLER: Pick 'em out.
Pick 'em out.

1191
00:50:48,420 --> 00:50:51,757
Hey go, Celtics.
Beat L. A., souvenirs here.

1192
00:50:51,757 --> 00:50:54,301
PERSON: Hit the road, Jack.
Yeah. Get outta here. Jack.

1193
00:50:54,301 --> 00:50:56,887
It's the Celtics all the away.

1194
00:50:56,887 --> 00:50:58,973
FAN: The fans in L.A.
are phony fans.

1195
00:50:58,973 --> 00:51:00,391
The fans here are true fans.

1196
00:51:00,391 --> 00:51:02,810
FAN: The fans here
are more sports-oriented.

1197
00:51:02,810 --> 00:51:06,146
They're not movie-goers
and here to see the stars.

1198
00:51:06,146 --> 00:51:08,190
You know,
they want to see a good game.

1199
00:51:08,190 --> 00:51:09,775
- Who's gonna win it?

1200
00:51:09,775 --> 00:51:12,403
The Celtics because
there's no other reason why.

1201
00:51:12,403 --> 00:51:14,446
The Celtics are the balls.

1202
00:51:14,446 --> 00:51:15,739
- I don't know if you know
anything about

1203
00:51:15,739 --> 00:51:16,865
Boston sports out there,

1204
00:51:16,865 --> 00:51:19,910
but they're still
doing that stuff.

1205
00:51:19,910 --> 00:51:22,037
Best fans in the world.
They're behind their teams.

1206
00:51:22,037 --> 00:51:25,499
STEVEN: The perception was
this was the bitter cold,

1207
00:51:25,499 --> 00:51:28,335
tough East Coast where you
had a fight for everything.

1208
00:51:28,335 --> 00:51:29,962
And L. A.'s where all
the surfers are

1209
00:51:29,962 --> 00:51:32,047
and the Hollywood
and the glamor

1210
00:51:32,047 --> 00:51:33,757
and the babes on every corner.

1211
00:51:33,757 --> 00:51:36,051
I mean, it's just--it's
the perception of the cities,

1212
00:51:36,051 --> 00:51:37,636
not just the teams.

1213
00:51:37,636 --> 00:51:40,139
ALL: Beat L. A.! Beat L. A.!

1214
00:51:40,139 --> 00:51:42,516
Going into the finals,
the Lakers were facing

1215
00:51:42,516 --> 00:51:44,852
the Boston Celtics
for the ninth time,

1216
00:51:44,852 --> 00:51:47,855
and they had lost
all of the previous eight.

1217
00:51:47,855 --> 00:51:50,566
- The Lakers are determined
to break through this time,

1218
00:51:50,566 --> 00:51:52,192
but time will tell.

1219
00:51:52,192 --> 00:51:55,946
ANNOUNCER: And we're underway.
Here's Magic pushing it up.

1220
00:51:55,946 --> 00:51:58,282
James Worthy. Air ball.

1221
00:51:58,282 --> 00:51:59,825
There's a three on one break.

1222
00:51:59,825 --> 00:52:01,035
Two on one.

1223
00:52:01,035 --> 00:52:03,120
Worthy misses the shot.

1224
00:52:03,120 --> 00:52:05,623
20-point lead
for the Celtics on the Lakers

1225
00:52:05,623 --> 00:52:07,082
in this first half.

1226
00:52:07,082 --> 00:52:09,335
And Worthy steps on the line.
He took the call.

1227
00:52:09,335 --> 00:52:11,795
ANNOUNCER: I'd very concerned
if I was Pat Riley.

1228
00:52:11,795 --> 00:52:13,380
ANNOUNCER: Mike. Hook shot.

1229
00:52:13,380 --> 00:52:15,799
And that breaks the record.

1230
00:52:15,799 --> 00:52:17,926
The Boston Celtics
have set a record

1231
00:52:17,926 --> 00:52:19,511
for the most points
in one game

1232
00:52:19,511 --> 00:52:20,971
in a Championship Series.

1233
00:52:20,971 --> 00:52:22,640
[buzzer] And that'll do it.

1234
00:52:22,640 --> 00:52:24,850
No contest. Game one.

1235
00:52:24,850 --> 00:52:27,436
But it's just game one.
Best of seven.

1236
00:52:27,436 --> 00:52:31,065
Give it to the Boston Celtics
by a wide margin.

1237
00:52:31,065 --> 00:52:32,775
- The media went crazy.
We're over the hill.

1238
00:52:32,775 --> 00:52:34,109
We're done.

1239
00:52:34,109 --> 00:52:36,153
What a horrible performance.

1240
00:52:36,153 --> 00:52:38,238
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is too old.

1241
00:52:38,238 --> 00:52:41,200
He was run off the court
by Parish and McHale,

1242
00:52:41,200 --> 00:52:43,410
and he looked like an old man.

1243
00:52:43,410 --> 00:52:44,870
I mean, they really killed us.

1244
00:52:44,870 --> 00:52:48,082
The media killed us,
and deservedly so.

1245
00:52:48,082 --> 00:52:52,586
We choked in '84, and we
choked in the first game.

1246
00:52:52,586 --> 00:52:56,048
And I had a simple, not rule,

1247
00:52:56,048 --> 00:52:58,676
but an understanding that
when we went to a game,

1248
00:52:58,676 --> 00:53:01,720
we all went together
and nobody else.

1249
00:53:01,720 --> 00:53:02,930
No family, no friends, nobody.

1250
00:53:02,930 --> 00:53:04,390
We all went together
on the bus.

1251
00:53:04,390 --> 00:53:06,767
And so I said,
"Let's get on the bus at 6:00."

1252
00:53:06,767 --> 00:53:08,977
Then I looked to my right.

1253
00:53:10,854 --> 00:53:13,565
Kareem's running
towards the bus,

1254
00:53:13,565 --> 00:53:15,275
and there's a gentleman
following him.

1255
00:53:15,275 --> 00:53:18,445
And I recognized
that it was father, Big Al.

1256
00:53:18,445 --> 00:53:22,157
[soft, stirring music]

1257
00:53:22,157 --> 00:53:25,244
KAREEM: My dad was starting
to demonstrate

1258
00:53:25,244 --> 00:53:27,204
the, uh, process of dementia.

1259
00:53:29,081 --> 00:53:31,333
He had gotten separated
from my mom.

1260
00:53:31,333 --> 00:53:33,877
So I grabbed him,
and I took him on the bus.

1261
00:53:36,255 --> 00:53:38,841
PAT: He said, "Can my dad go
to the game with me?"

1262
00:53:38,841 --> 00:53:42,636
And I said, "Absolutely."
[small laugh]

1263
00:53:42,636 --> 00:53:46,265
♪ ♪

1264
00:53:46,265 --> 00:53:51,645
The last time that I saw
my father was in 1970.

1265
00:53:51,645 --> 00:53:54,565
I was saying goodbye to them

1266
00:53:54,565 --> 00:53:56,984
and he opened the door
and came out, and he said,

1267
00:53:56,984 --> 00:53:59,403
"Just remember
what I always taught you.

1268
00:53:59,403 --> 00:54:01,530
"That, you know, some place,
you know, somewhere,

1269
00:54:01,530 --> 00:54:05,033
"sometime you're gonna have to
plant your feet, stand firm,

1270
00:54:05,033 --> 00:54:07,619
"and make a point
about who you are

1271
00:54:07,619 --> 00:54:09,747
"and where you came from.

1272
00:54:09,747 --> 00:54:11,165
"Just remember that, Pat.

1273
00:54:11,165 --> 00:54:12,791
When that time comes,
you do it," you know?

1274
00:54:12,791 --> 00:54:14,626
And he just patted me
on the shoulder and left.

1275
00:54:14,626 --> 00:54:17,296
I never saw him again
after that.

1276
00:54:17,296 --> 00:54:19,715
So when I gave
my final comments

1277
00:54:19,715 --> 00:54:21,049
before we went out
on the court,

1278
00:54:21,049 --> 00:54:23,343
I started talking about dads,
my dad,

1279
00:54:23,343 --> 00:54:25,637
and everybody else's dad
that I knew there.

1280
00:54:25,637 --> 00:54:29,016
And, uh, it was
a very emotional time.

1281
00:54:30,559 --> 00:54:35,814
The last words
that I said to the team:

1282
00:54:35,814 --> 00:54:38,192
"We're going out tonight
to plant our feet, stand firm,

1283
00:54:38,192 --> 00:54:42,362
"make a point about who we
are, we're world champions,

1284
00:54:42,362 --> 00:54:45,324
and about where we came from,
we come from L. A."

1285
00:54:47,743 --> 00:54:51,455
Kareem bringing his father
on the bus inspired me.

1286
00:54:51,455 --> 00:54:54,833
It changed my speech
and talked about dads.

1287
00:54:54,833 --> 00:54:56,502
MICHAEL: It was probably
one of the greatest

1288
00:54:56,502 --> 00:54:59,588
motivation speech to a team
that you could ever give

1289
00:54:59,588 --> 00:55:01,632
to get them ready,
where you could feel it

1290
00:55:01,632 --> 00:55:03,550
from how he got it,
and how his dad got it

1291
00:55:03,550 --> 00:55:04,927
and gave it to him.

1292
00:55:04,927 --> 00:55:07,638
And Pat Riley gave it to us.
And, boy, it was perfect.

1293
00:55:11,225 --> 00:55:12,684
ANNOUNCER: When you think
back to Monday,

1294
00:55:12,684 --> 00:55:14,186
it is still hard to believe

1295
00:55:14,186 --> 00:55:17,648
that the Celtics
beat the Lakers by 34 points.

1296
00:55:17,648 --> 00:55:19,149
But I think the thing
to keep in mind

1297
00:55:19,149 --> 00:55:21,818
is that frequently
in a seven-game series,

1298
00:55:21,818 --> 00:55:24,988
it is the second game
which dictates the tempo

1299
00:55:24,988 --> 00:55:28,784
and the mood for the remainder
of the series.

1300
00:55:28,784 --> 00:55:31,870
PAT: This was the major
breakthrough moment

1301
00:55:31,870 --> 00:55:35,916
for that team
to really own their greatness,

1302
00:55:35,916 --> 00:55:39,628
to own it
with this tremendous adversity.

1303
00:55:39,628 --> 00:55:42,839
ANNOUNCER: The Celtics only
loss in their last 22

1304
00:55:42,839 --> 00:55:45,300
were these Lakers
in game one a year ago.

1305
00:55:45,300 --> 00:55:47,094
It's a new year, a new game.

1306
00:55:47,094 --> 00:55:50,389
one nothing. Boston lead.

1307
00:55:50,389 --> 00:55:51,974
And the Lakers control.

1308
00:55:51,974 --> 00:55:53,517
BYRON: When you're trying to
win a championship,

1309
00:55:53,517 --> 00:55:56,061
in that environment,
in that stadium,

1310
00:55:56,061 --> 00:55:59,439
with the players that they had,
it wasn't easy at all.

1311
00:55:59,439 --> 00:56:01,733
ANNOUNCER: And here comes L. A.
pushing it up the way.

1312
00:56:01,733 --> 00:56:04,528
MAGIC: I knew every time
I went to try to dunk,

1313
00:56:04,528 --> 00:56:06,655
I was gonna get hit.
James knew it.

1314
00:56:06,655 --> 00:56:08,407
JAMES: Magic knew when
he went to the hole

1315
00:56:08,407 --> 00:56:09,950
he was gonna get hit.

1316
00:56:09,950 --> 00:56:12,828
That was a part of game
as far as we was concerned.

1317
00:56:12,828 --> 00:56:15,872
Boston thought we were soft
and found out we weren't.

1318
00:56:17,082 --> 00:56:18,500
MAGIC: We got some players,

1319
00:56:18,500 --> 00:56:19,918
and they're gonna
take your head off

1320
00:56:19,918 --> 00:56:22,129
if that's what type of game
you want to play.

1321
00:56:22,129 --> 00:56:24,047
ANNOUNCER: This kind of pace
when they have a big lead.

1322
00:56:24,047 --> 00:56:25,841
Bird is fouled as he goes in.

1323
00:56:25,841 --> 00:56:28,260
- And you don't see
Larry Bird often--

1324
00:56:28,260 --> 00:56:29,636
BYRON: We were a team
that could play

1325
00:56:29,636 --> 00:56:31,471
any style of basketball
that you want to play.

1326
00:56:31,471 --> 00:56:33,307
And we still gonna play our
style at the end of the day.

1327
00:56:33,307 --> 00:56:34,683
We're still gonna
get up and down.

1328
00:56:34,683 --> 00:56:36,101
We're still gonna be showtime.

1329
00:56:36,101 --> 00:56:37,936
But if you want to be
half court and gritty,

1330
00:56:37,936 --> 00:56:39,521
we'll play that way.

1331
00:56:39,521 --> 00:56:40,981
If you want to be physical,
we'll play that way.

1332
00:56:40,981 --> 00:56:43,191
And then we gonna still get up
and down the floor.

1333
00:56:44,693 --> 00:56:46,069
ANNOUNCER:
Ladies and gentlemen,

1334
00:56:46,069 --> 00:56:47,321
welcome to Boston Garden.

1335
00:56:47,321 --> 00:56:48,780
We go to game number six.

1336
00:56:48,780 --> 00:56:51,700
The Los Angeles Lakers have
achieved a 3-to-2 advantage.

1337
00:56:51,700 --> 00:56:53,994
They want to stifle
the Celtics here today

1338
00:56:53,994 --> 00:56:57,748
and become
the 1985 World Champions.

1339
00:57:00,626 --> 00:57:02,586
ROB: There's no way
I was gonna miss it.

1340
00:57:02,586 --> 00:57:06,006
I was shooting a movie.
The studio wouldn't let me fly.

1341
00:57:06,006 --> 00:57:08,925
I'd hired a sea plane
to secretly pick me up,

1342
00:57:08,925 --> 00:57:10,302
flew to Boston,

1343
00:57:10,302 --> 00:57:13,513
and got in my seats
just in time for tip-off.

1344
00:57:13,513 --> 00:57:15,265
Unfortunately, they cut
to me in the audience

1345
00:57:15,265 --> 00:57:16,516
in the broadcast.

1346
00:57:16,516 --> 00:57:18,352
ANNOUNCER:
Rob Lowe, the actor here.

1347
00:57:18,352 --> 00:57:20,479
ROB: And the studio found out
that I was there.

1348
00:57:20,479 --> 00:57:22,481
They were not happy.

1349
00:57:24,024 --> 00:57:27,027
ANNOUNCER: Kareem controls.
Five rebounds for Kareem.

1350
00:57:27,027 --> 00:57:30,656
[exciting music]

1351
00:57:30,656 --> 00:57:32,532
♪ ♪

1352
00:57:32,532 --> 00:57:36,703
And Magic Johnson finds
redemption a year later.

1353
00:57:36,703 --> 00:57:38,038
MAGIC: We were tired
of hearing

1354
00:57:38,038 --> 00:57:40,248
how we were 0 and 8
against the Celtics.

1355
00:57:40,248 --> 00:57:44,169
So it was just a big relief
for all of us, you know,

1356
00:57:44,169 --> 00:57:46,963
to finally get
that monkey off our back.

1357
00:57:46,963 --> 00:57:49,257
ANNOUNCER: The Lakers
are winning it.

1358
00:57:49,257 --> 00:57:50,759
Three in six years.

1359
00:57:50,759 --> 00:57:54,930
L.A. comes to Boston
and wins the World Title.

1360
00:57:54,930 --> 00:57:57,015
KAREEM: We're the only team
to win a World Championship

1361
00:57:57,015 --> 00:58:00,477
in Boston Garden
other than the Celtics.

1362
00:58:00,477 --> 00:58:02,521
After what we had gone
through the year before

1363
00:58:02,521 --> 00:58:05,357
being called sissies
and fakers,

1364
00:58:05,357 --> 00:58:07,859
being able to come back
after that and win it

1365
00:58:07,859 --> 00:58:09,528
in Boston Garden--

1366
00:58:09,528 --> 00:58:12,114
I'll go to my grave
smiling about that.

1367
00:58:12,114 --> 00:58:15,075
LARRY: I really wanted to win
it two years in a row,

1368
00:58:15,075 --> 00:58:17,577
'cause nobody's
done it a long time.

1369
00:58:17,577 --> 00:58:20,414
And, uh, we were good enough
to beat 'em.

1370
00:58:20,414 --> 00:58:22,582
Then they came in Boston
and beat us in Boston.

1371
00:58:22,582 --> 00:58:24,334
I didn't think
they could ever do that.

1372
00:58:25,252 --> 00:58:27,546
FLEA: They're so uplifting
when they win championships.

1373
00:58:27,546 --> 00:58:30,799
And when they beat the Celtics
and did it in Boston,

1374
00:58:30,799 --> 00:58:33,260
it's those things
that suck you in forever.

1375
00:58:33,260 --> 00:58:36,972
- I feel it now. You know,
I just--I just got a moment.

1376
00:58:36,972 --> 00:58:39,933
- God, was it fun
to root against them.

1377
00:58:39,933 --> 00:58:43,854
Oh...the best.

1378
00:58:43,854 --> 00:58:45,272
REPORTER: Coach,
does it make it any sweeter

1379
00:58:45,272 --> 00:58:46,815
defeating the Celtics here...
- Yeah.

1380
00:58:46,815 --> 00:58:48,900
- Where you lost it last year?
- Gad damn parquet floor.

1381
00:58:48,900 --> 00:58:50,485
On our championship rings,
we're gonna have

1382
00:58:50,485 --> 00:58:52,404
a parquet floor with a diamond
in the middle of it.

1383
00:58:52,404 --> 00:58:53,780
- This is what every kid
who's ever picked up

1384
00:58:53,780 --> 00:58:55,615
a basketball
dreams about doing.

1385
00:58:55,615 --> 00:58:56,950
I couldn't be happier, man.

1386
00:58:56,950 --> 00:58:58,368
I'm the happiest guy
in the world right now.

1387
00:58:58,368 --> 00:59:00,537
- We had the people back
in L. A. waiting on us now.

1388
00:59:00,537 --> 00:59:03,832
We know they're partying
for us. It's just great.

1389
00:59:03,832 --> 00:59:08,044
- Now the title is back.
- In L. A. Party hard.

1390
00:59:08,044 --> 00:59:10,922
Everybody in L. A.,
party for us.

1391
00:59:10,922 --> 00:59:12,174
'Cause we're gonna party

1392
00:59:12,174 --> 00:59:13,383
- We'll party for the rest
of this summer.

1393
00:59:13,383 --> 00:59:15,093
- It's time to get down.

1394
00:59:15,093 --> 00:59:17,429
- Hey, look at this!

1395
00:59:17,429 --> 00:59:20,974
[overlapping shouting]
[camera lenses snapping]

1396
00:59:20,974 --> 00:59:24,352
This has removed
the most odious sentence

1397
00:59:24,352 --> 00:59:26,313
in the English language.

1398
00:59:26,313 --> 00:59:28,023
It can never again be said

1399
00:59:28,023 --> 00:59:30,609
that the Lakers have
never beaten the Celtics.

1400
00:59:32,486 --> 00:59:34,946
[cheers and applause]

1401
00:59:34,946 --> 00:59:37,783
JEANIE: When you've tasted
that winning,

1402
00:59:37,783 --> 00:59:39,493
it's a-an addiction.

1403
00:59:39,493 --> 00:59:43,246
You wanna keep winning,
and how is that gonna happen?

1404
00:59:43,246 --> 00:59:45,499
You know,
my dad was determined.

1405
00:59:45,499 --> 00:59:47,584
This was,
"Let's keep this going.

1406
00:59:47,584 --> 00:59:49,878
What else can we do?
Bring it on."

1407
00:59:49,878 --> 00:59:51,129
PERSON: Ladies and gentlemen,

1408
00:59:51,129 --> 00:59:54,216
the unbelievable
Dr. Jerry Buss.

1409
00:59:54,216 --> 00:59:56,426
[cheers and applause]

1410
00:59:56,426 --> 01:00:00,263
PERSON: We're number one.
We're number one.

1411
01:00:00,263 --> 01:00:03,058
ALL: We're number one.
We're number one.

1412
01:00:03,058 --> 01:00:06,520
JEANIE: But the ego that it
takes to keep winning

1413
01:00:06,520 --> 01:00:10,148
may be what destroys
the people around you.

1414
01:00:10,148 --> 01:00:13,235
[crowd continues cheering,
chanting]

1415
01:00:13,235 --> 01:00:16,238
[dramatic music]

1416
01:00:16,238 --> 01:00:23,245
♪ ♪