1983-84 Season: Magic vs Bird
I’ve discovered two new interests in the last six months or so: Alternate History and NBA. So I thought why not combine the two with the help of NBA 2k24. This thread will be looking at how the Knicks not trading away their 1984 draft pick could have affected their approach to the 83-84 season and the subsequent effect of the 1984 draft and beyond..
September 1983:
The New York Knicks, off the back of a Conference Semi Final season in the 1982-83 season, decided on a quiet summer. Guard Darrell Walker was selected using their Round 1 (12th) Draft Pick whilst Sly Williams was traded to Atlanta Hawks with Rudy Macklin coming the other way. With the Knicks front office satisfied with the roster, rumors of a trade with the Pacers for Billy Knight remained just that, rumors. The Knicks headed into the season hoping that the exploits of Bernard King and Bill Cartwright would be enough for at worst another playoff appearance.
As November began, the reigning champs’ fortunes didn’t get much better. The Bulls, many people's tips for last place in the East, stung a surprise with a 113-100 win in Philly. This left Philly with a 1-2 start to the season, with both defeats at home against the supposed worst two teams in the East. Not only were the Portland Trail Blazers on the opposite side of the country to the 76ers, but they were also on the other side of the form guide early on. A 134-131 victory over the Utah Jazz gave the Trail Blazers a 7-2 start to the season. Also making a good start in the West were the Warriors, who defeated San Antonio Spurs mid way through the month to make it an 8-2 start to the season. That defeat for the Spurs was their 5th straight as despite the best efforts of George Gervin they made a poor start to the season. The Bulls, not content with upsetting Philly, took things a step further with a stunning victory over Boston in Chicago. The 98-102 loss for the Celtics was their first of the season (8-1) and a continuation of a much better than expected start for the Bulls. The Celtics recovered days later however, inflicting a commanding 121-93 win in Philly as the 76ers suffered a 5th straight loss in a 3-8 start. Ralph Sampson (1983 No 1 Draft Pick for the Rockets) had made a strong start to the season, picking up rookie of the month in October, and looked likely to retain that award in November thanks to a superb 39 point showing as the Rockets beat the Mavericks 124-120 in Dallas.
The Jazz, tipped by many to make the playoffs for the first time this season, had started a slightly disappointing 9-9. And 9-9 became 9-10 at the start of December thanks to a 117-120 loss in Phoenix. Another poor year the Jazz may have kickstarted relocation talks as the team had been disappointing since its move to Utah. By the end of the month, the Jazz were 19-12 in the West and any talk of relocation had gone quiet. The Lakers were the dominant team in the West once more, as they also won in Phoenix (100-97) to go 10 straight wins early on in the season (18-3). In the East, with Philadelphia floundering, it was up to the Detroit Pistons to challenge Boston for the conference title. Unfortunately for Detroit, when it came to actually challenging Boston on the court they continually came up short. Detroit and Boston met for the fourth and final time in mid December and 27 points for Isiah Thomas was not enough to stop Boston winning 112-101 in Detroit and giving them a 4-0 record over the Pistons for the 83-84 campaign. There were a couple of surprise thrashings in December. In San Antonio, Philly’s surprise struggles continued with a 75-122 loss to the Spurs whilst in a battle of 3rd vs 2nd in the West, Utah secured a 117-84 victory in Denver to tighten up the Midwest division. At the other end of the West division, the Rockets suffered an 8th straight loss with a 107-101 defeat to Boston. Golden State’s impressive start to the season was also being undone as a 93-105 loss in LA gave them five straight losses to end the year. One team that wasn’t losing was the Celtics. They finished the year with a 117-109 victory against the Dallas Mavericks to record 22 straight wins. They would go into 1984 with their eyes on the Lakers’ 32 win record.
Jim Paxson started 1984 well with 27 points as the Trail Blazers won 93-120 at home to the Kansas City Kings. For the Kings, it would be the start of a 1-14 month that saw their chance at a playoff spot diminish. The New York Knicks had had an underwhelming first half of the season, sat outside the playoff spots in the East going into 1984. They did however lift the mood with an impressive 100-108 win against the Lakers. That would be as good as it got this season for the Knicks however. The Lakers bounced back from that loss with a 120-98 win in Cleveland that would start another impressive run for them, this time an 11 game streak that left them well clear at the top of the West. Adrian Dantley was looking impressive in an ever improving Jazz side. They won 110-108 in San Diego to move to 24-13 for the season. An incredible story meanwhile was being written in Boston as Larry Bird’s 25 points saw Boston comfortably beat a decent Bucks side 85-113 at Boston Gardens. This moved Boston onto 31 straight victories, one short of the Lakers record. Next up, a trip to Cleveland with a chance to equal a record not many thought would even be neared let alone equalled. Unfortunately for the Celtics, whether it was all the talk about the record or just an inspired Cleveland, they would fall one short of the record in a 109-127 loss to the Cavaliers. Larry Bird took out his frustration on the Chicago Bulls with a 51 point game to get Boston back on the victory train a couple of days later. Back in the West, Houston Rockets ended January with a 95-107 victory over Golden State. Earlier talk of purposeful tanking seemed a little premature as this win was Houston’s 5th straight to get them back within touching distance of the playoffs.
Tanking was instead the talk of the East. The Bulls, struggling to put any sort of form together, had fallen well out of playoff contention and had started racking up losses at a fast rate. Given their roster, most of these losses weren’t exactly unexpected but the uninspiring performances weren’t exactly giving much evidence that the Bulls were desperately trying to avoid being in the coin toss for number one draft pick. They were going to soon have competition in the East though. With an injury to Bernard King at the start of February, the Knicks’ hopes of any sort of rewarding season faded and instead they went on a sustained run of losses. Bill Cartwright saw his minutes dramatically reduced and without him or King the Knicks recorded 16 straight losses through February to find themselves level at the bottom of the East with the Bulls. The race to the bottom was on. With the Knicks and the Bulls going down, the other team that might have been in contention for that last spot was the Pacers. However, without a draft pick of their own (traded to Portland), they instead found form and 7 wins in February including a 121-99 win in Boston pushed them into playoff contention. The Pistons had established themselves as the No 2 side in the East this season. A thrilling game against the Cavs in which 33 points from Isiah Thomas gave them a 111-112 win started a month-long winning streak for Detroit. Despite a 76ers resurgence, it was the Nets who were currently holding that 3rd spot in the East. A 108-101 loss to the Cavs was their first in 10 and it was that nine game run that had them a more than safe bet for another playoff appearance. The 76ers meanwhile had an accomplishment of their own. A 88-114 win over the Knicks moved them into a positive record for the first time since their opening day victory as they banished any ideas about missing out on the playoffs altogether. February was also the month that the top two sides of the season, Boston and LA, met each other. Larry Bird was the star of both games, however the Lakers were still able to take the win at home by a 107-116 margin. A win for the Celtics in Boston however left no one much the wiser as to how a potential Championship finals showdown might end up. Behind the Lakers in the West, Utah Jazz lost four straight at the end of the month to put Denver in pole position to secure the Midwest division.
The race for the playoffs started to hot up in March as teams found form at the right time. A 111-119 win for Cleveland against the Spurs started an 11-4 run that moved them well inside the playoff line. An unexpectedly good season for the unfancied Cavs. With the Knicks and the Bulls having seemingly no interest in the playoff fight, it looked like the Pacers and the Bullets would fight it out in the East for the last spot. There was a four way fight for one spot in the West. With the Rockets also looking down rather than up and the top seven teams well clear it was left to the Clippers, Warriors, Spurs and the Kings to try and climb themselves into that last position. Clippers ended March one game clear with it all still to play for. In the race for the No 1 draft pick, Bernard King had returned from injury and the Knicks started to look like a semi respectable basketball team again. A 97-100 win over the Bullets was one of five wins in March that brought them within a game of the Bulls who were going 1-13 in the same month. Despite good performances from Ralph Sampson, the Rockets were not contending in games. A 91-124 loss to the Trail Blazers a good example of how their second half of the season was going. The Rockets were a lock for that coin toss; the only question was who would be on the other side of the coin.
1st April Playoff Picture:
East
7. Cavaliers - 34-40
8. Pacers - 25-49
---------------------------
9. Bullets - 25-50
10. Bulls - 23-50
11. Knicks - 22-52
West
7. Mavericks - 40-34
8. Clippers - 30-45
----------------------------
9. Warriors - 29-45
10. Spurs - 28-47
11. Kings - 28-47
12. Rockets - 23-51
April started with a Knicks / Bulls double header. Two games that neither team wanted to win. King and Cartwright were on tiny minutes in both games whilst the Bulls were giving subs and reserves majority minutes throughout. Perhaps unsurprisingly, both teams found a way to lose one game each, leaving both teams still in with a chance of that draft pick. The battle for the last Eastern playoff spot threw up a tasty game in Washington. In a close game throughout it was the Bullets who emerged with a crucial win, 92-94 over Indiana. In the West, a hard fought 103-100 win for the Clippers over Portland gave them a massive boost in their playoff push as others around them faded away. A couple of days later in the West, Denver Nuggets won 129-123 in Phoenix to clinch the Midwest division title and secure 2nd seed in the playoffs. In perhaps the biggest surprise of the season the Celtics, who were going for the greatest regular season record ever, suffered a 95-98 loss in New York. There were muted celebrations from New York, who had potentially just played their way out of the draft pick they so desired. The East playoff battle continued right up the last game of the season. Despite the defeat earlier in the month to the Bullets, the Pacers had kept themselves in contention and now had a rematch with the Bullets in what was now an end of season shootout. The winner would make the playoffs and clearly Jeff Ruland wanted to play in the playoffs. 43 points gave Washington a 108-115 victory and a playoff appearance. The big story was now the bottom spot in the East. The Knicks still had it in their hands and thanks to a 92-91 defeat to the Cavaliers and a 100-107 loss to the 76ers, the Knicks successfully tanked their way to place in the coin toss and a potential number one pick in the most stacked draft in recent history.
East 1st Round
Boston Celtics 3-0 Washington Bullets
Bullets reward for getting into the playoffs is an unsurprising sweep from the Celtics
New Jersey Nets 0-3 Philadelphia 76ers
76ers poor start to the season a distant memory as Moses Malone powers them into the semi's
Milwaukee Bucks 2-3 Atlanta Hawks
Dominique Wilkins is top scorer in 4 of the 5 games to help Hawks upset Bucks and advance
Detroit Pistons 3-1 Cleveland Cavaliers
Detroit continue impressive season by breezing past Cavaliers
West 1st Round
Los Angeles Lakers 3-2 San Diego Clippers
Clippers fight back from 2-0 down to force game 5.` Abdul-Jabber with 35 points as Lakers win 115-88 in decider
Phoenix Suns 3-2 Seattle SuperSonics
Phoenix come from 2-0 down to advance to Western semi's
Portland Trail Blazers 3-2 Utah Jazz
Despite Adrian Dantley's 41 points, Trail Blazers sneak past the Jazz in game 5 131-129
Denver Nuggets 1-3 Dallas Mavericks
Mark Aguirre the star as Dallas shock Denver to advance
East Semi-Finals
Boston Celtics 4-0 Philadelphia 76ers
76ers title defense over as Celtics continue incredible season
Detroit Pistons 4-0 Atlanta Hawks
Detroit win 3 of the 4 games by 20+ points to cruise into finals
West Semi-Finals
Los Angeles Lakers 4 -2 Phoenix Suns
The only non sweep of the semi's as Suns give Lakers some problems but fall short
Portland Trail Blazers 4-0 Dallas Mavericks
Portland take advantage of the Nuggets elimination to sweep the Mavs en route to Finals
East Final
Boston Celtics 4-1 Detroit Pistons
Pistons end Celtics winning run but still lose in 5, Larry Bird with 44 points in game 3
West Final
Los Angeles Lakers 4-3 Portland Trail Blazers
Portland force game 7 with 1 point win in game 6. Magic, Worthy, Kareem and Wilkes all with 20+ points in game 7
Up Next:
The 1984 off season
NBA: The Difference a Trade Makes
September 1983:
The New York Knicks, off the back of a Conference Semi Final season in the 1982-83 season, decided on a quiet summer. Guard Darrell Walker was selected using their Round 1 (12th) Draft Pick whilst Sly Williams was traded to Atlanta Hawks with Rudy Macklin coming the other way. With the Knicks front office satisfied with the roster, rumors of a trade with the Pacers for Billy Knight remained just that, rumors. The Knicks headed into the season hoping that the exploits of Bernard King and Bill Cartwright would be enough for at worst another playoff appearance.
1983-84 Season: Magic vs Bird
The most eye opening result on the opening night came in Milwaukee. The Bucks dispatched the Indiana Pacers by 49 points in a 78-127 win. Not that the Bucks beating the Pacers at home was a surprise, but the manner and size of the win pointed to another long and difficult season for the Pacers. The first big match up came in Detroit when the Celtics rocked up. A difficult encounter on paper for Boston was dealt with comfortably in a 116-97 win, ominous signs early on for the rest of the league. In the West, Los Angeles Lakers were hoping to go one better than last season's runner up finish but found themselves on the end of an early season shock as Kansas City Kings rocked up in LA and left with a 106-104 narrow win. Nevertheless, a Lakers defeat would still be a rare sight through the rest of the season. And that wasn’t the only shock of the opening week. Philadelphia 76ers, having won the opening game of their title defense, were on the end of a shock 108-105 loss at home to the Indiana Pacers. The same Pacers who had been romped by the Bucks mere days earlier.As November began, the reigning champs’ fortunes didn’t get much better. The Bulls, many people's tips for last place in the East, stung a surprise with a 113-100 win in Philly. This left Philly with a 1-2 start to the season, with both defeats at home against the supposed worst two teams in the East. Not only were the Portland Trail Blazers on the opposite side of the country to the 76ers, but they were also on the other side of the form guide early on. A 134-131 victory over the Utah Jazz gave the Trail Blazers a 7-2 start to the season. Also making a good start in the West were the Warriors, who defeated San Antonio Spurs mid way through the month to make it an 8-2 start to the season. That defeat for the Spurs was their 5th straight as despite the best efforts of George Gervin they made a poor start to the season. The Bulls, not content with upsetting Philly, took things a step further with a stunning victory over Boston in Chicago. The 98-102 loss for the Celtics was their first of the season (8-1) and a continuation of a much better than expected start for the Bulls. The Celtics recovered days later however, inflicting a commanding 121-93 win in Philly as the 76ers suffered a 5th straight loss in a 3-8 start. Ralph Sampson (1983 No 1 Draft Pick for the Rockets) had made a strong start to the season, picking up rookie of the month in October, and looked likely to retain that award in November thanks to a superb 39 point showing as the Rockets beat the Mavericks 124-120 in Dallas.
The Jazz, tipped by many to make the playoffs for the first time this season, had started a slightly disappointing 9-9. And 9-9 became 9-10 at the start of December thanks to a 117-120 loss in Phoenix. Another poor year the Jazz may have kickstarted relocation talks as the team had been disappointing since its move to Utah. By the end of the month, the Jazz were 19-12 in the West and any talk of relocation had gone quiet. The Lakers were the dominant team in the West once more, as they also won in Phoenix (100-97) to go 10 straight wins early on in the season (18-3). In the East, with Philadelphia floundering, it was up to the Detroit Pistons to challenge Boston for the conference title. Unfortunately for Detroit, when it came to actually challenging Boston on the court they continually came up short. Detroit and Boston met for the fourth and final time in mid December and 27 points for Isiah Thomas was not enough to stop Boston winning 112-101 in Detroit and giving them a 4-0 record over the Pistons for the 83-84 campaign. There were a couple of surprise thrashings in December. In San Antonio, Philly’s surprise struggles continued with a 75-122 loss to the Spurs whilst in a battle of 3rd vs 2nd in the West, Utah secured a 117-84 victory in Denver to tighten up the Midwest division. At the other end of the West division, the Rockets suffered an 8th straight loss with a 107-101 defeat to Boston. Golden State’s impressive start to the season was also being undone as a 93-105 loss in LA gave them five straight losses to end the year. One team that wasn’t losing was the Celtics. They finished the year with a 117-109 victory against the Dallas Mavericks to record 22 straight wins. They would go into 1984 with their eyes on the Lakers’ 32 win record.
Jim Paxson started 1984 well with 27 points as the Trail Blazers won 93-120 at home to the Kansas City Kings. For the Kings, it would be the start of a 1-14 month that saw their chance at a playoff spot diminish. The New York Knicks had had an underwhelming first half of the season, sat outside the playoff spots in the East going into 1984. They did however lift the mood with an impressive 100-108 win against the Lakers. That would be as good as it got this season for the Knicks however. The Lakers bounced back from that loss with a 120-98 win in Cleveland that would start another impressive run for them, this time an 11 game streak that left them well clear at the top of the West. Adrian Dantley was looking impressive in an ever improving Jazz side. They won 110-108 in San Diego to move to 24-13 for the season. An incredible story meanwhile was being written in Boston as Larry Bird’s 25 points saw Boston comfortably beat a decent Bucks side 85-113 at Boston Gardens. This moved Boston onto 31 straight victories, one short of the Lakers record. Next up, a trip to Cleveland with a chance to equal a record not many thought would even be neared let alone equalled. Unfortunately for the Celtics, whether it was all the talk about the record or just an inspired Cleveland, they would fall one short of the record in a 109-127 loss to the Cavaliers. Larry Bird took out his frustration on the Chicago Bulls with a 51 point game to get Boston back on the victory train a couple of days later. Back in the West, Houston Rockets ended January with a 95-107 victory over Golden State. Earlier talk of purposeful tanking seemed a little premature as this win was Houston’s 5th straight to get them back within touching distance of the playoffs.
Tanking was instead the talk of the East. The Bulls, struggling to put any sort of form together, had fallen well out of playoff contention and had started racking up losses at a fast rate. Given their roster, most of these losses weren’t exactly unexpected but the uninspiring performances weren’t exactly giving much evidence that the Bulls were desperately trying to avoid being in the coin toss for number one draft pick. They were going to soon have competition in the East though. With an injury to Bernard King at the start of February, the Knicks’ hopes of any sort of rewarding season faded and instead they went on a sustained run of losses. Bill Cartwright saw his minutes dramatically reduced and without him or King the Knicks recorded 16 straight losses through February to find themselves level at the bottom of the East with the Bulls. The race to the bottom was on. With the Knicks and the Bulls going down, the other team that might have been in contention for that last spot was the Pacers. However, without a draft pick of their own (traded to Portland), they instead found form and 7 wins in February including a 121-99 win in Boston pushed them into playoff contention. The Pistons had established themselves as the No 2 side in the East this season. A thrilling game against the Cavs in which 33 points from Isiah Thomas gave them a 111-112 win started a month-long winning streak for Detroit. Despite a 76ers resurgence, it was the Nets who were currently holding that 3rd spot in the East. A 108-101 loss to the Cavs was their first in 10 and it was that nine game run that had them a more than safe bet for another playoff appearance. The 76ers meanwhile had an accomplishment of their own. A 88-114 win over the Knicks moved them into a positive record for the first time since their opening day victory as they banished any ideas about missing out on the playoffs altogether. February was also the month that the top two sides of the season, Boston and LA, met each other. Larry Bird was the star of both games, however the Lakers were still able to take the win at home by a 107-116 margin. A win for the Celtics in Boston however left no one much the wiser as to how a potential Championship finals showdown might end up. Behind the Lakers in the West, Utah Jazz lost four straight at the end of the month to put Denver in pole position to secure the Midwest division.
The race for the playoffs started to hot up in March as teams found form at the right time. A 111-119 win for Cleveland against the Spurs started an 11-4 run that moved them well inside the playoff line. An unexpectedly good season for the unfancied Cavs. With the Knicks and the Bulls having seemingly no interest in the playoff fight, it looked like the Pacers and the Bullets would fight it out in the East for the last spot. There was a four way fight for one spot in the West. With the Rockets also looking down rather than up and the top seven teams well clear it was left to the Clippers, Warriors, Spurs and the Kings to try and climb themselves into that last position. Clippers ended March one game clear with it all still to play for. In the race for the No 1 draft pick, Bernard King had returned from injury and the Knicks started to look like a semi respectable basketball team again. A 97-100 win over the Bullets was one of five wins in March that brought them within a game of the Bulls who were going 1-13 in the same month. Despite good performances from Ralph Sampson, the Rockets were not contending in games. A 91-124 loss to the Trail Blazers a good example of how their second half of the season was going. The Rockets were a lock for that coin toss; the only question was who would be on the other side of the coin.
1st April Playoff Picture:
East
7. Cavaliers - 34-40
8. Pacers - 25-49
---------------------------
9. Bullets - 25-50
10. Bulls - 23-50
11. Knicks - 22-52
West
7. Mavericks - 40-34
8. Clippers - 30-45
----------------------------
9. Warriors - 29-45
10. Spurs - 28-47
11. Kings - 28-47
12. Rockets - 23-51
April started with a Knicks / Bulls double header. Two games that neither team wanted to win. King and Cartwright were on tiny minutes in both games whilst the Bulls were giving subs and reserves majority minutes throughout. Perhaps unsurprisingly, both teams found a way to lose one game each, leaving both teams still in with a chance of that draft pick. The battle for the last Eastern playoff spot threw up a tasty game in Washington. In a close game throughout it was the Bullets who emerged with a crucial win, 92-94 over Indiana. In the West, a hard fought 103-100 win for the Clippers over Portland gave them a massive boost in their playoff push as others around them faded away. A couple of days later in the West, Denver Nuggets won 129-123 in Phoenix to clinch the Midwest division title and secure 2nd seed in the playoffs. In perhaps the biggest surprise of the season the Celtics, who were going for the greatest regular season record ever, suffered a 95-98 loss in New York. There were muted celebrations from New York, who had potentially just played their way out of the draft pick they so desired. The East playoff battle continued right up the last game of the season. Despite the defeat earlier in the month to the Bullets, the Pacers had kept themselves in contention and now had a rematch with the Bullets in what was now an end of season shootout. The winner would make the playoffs and clearly Jeff Ruland wanted to play in the playoffs. 43 points gave Washington a 108-115 victory and a playoff appearance. The big story was now the bottom spot in the East. The Knicks still had it in their hands and thanks to a 92-91 defeat to the Cavaliers and a 100-107 loss to the 76ers, the Knicks successfully tanked their way to place in the coin toss and a potential number one pick in the most stacked draft in recent history.
Eastern Conference Standings
1. Boston Celtics - 72-10
2. Detroit Pistons - 55-27
3. Milwaukee Bucks - 45-37
4. New Jersey Nets - 44-38
5. Philadelphia 76ers - 40-42
6. Atlanta Hawks - 39-43
7. Cleveland Cavliers - 37-45
8. Washington Bullets - 29-53
---------------------------------------
9. Indiana Pacers - 28-54
10. Chicago Bulls - 26-56
11. New York Knicks - 25-57
Western Conference Standings
1. Los Angeles Lakers - 66-16
2. Denver Nuggets - 51-31
3. Portland Trail Blazers - 50-32
4. Phoenix Suns - 47-35
5. Seattle SuperSonics - 46-36
6. Utah Jazz - 46-36
7. Dallas Mavericks - 44-38
8. San Diego Clippers - 34-48
---------------------------------------
9. Golden State Warriors - 32-50
10. San Antonio Spurs - 30-52
11. Kansas City Kings - 30-52
12. Houston Rockets - 26-56
1. Boston Celtics - 72-10
2. Detroit Pistons - 55-27
3. Milwaukee Bucks - 45-37
4. New Jersey Nets - 44-38
5. Philadelphia 76ers - 40-42
6. Atlanta Hawks - 39-43
7. Cleveland Cavliers - 37-45
8. Washington Bullets - 29-53
---------------------------------------
9. Indiana Pacers - 28-54
10. Chicago Bulls - 26-56
11. New York Knicks - 25-57
Western Conference Standings
1. Los Angeles Lakers - 66-16
2. Denver Nuggets - 51-31
3. Portland Trail Blazers - 50-32
4. Phoenix Suns - 47-35
5. Seattle SuperSonics - 46-36
6. Utah Jazz - 46-36
7. Dallas Mavericks - 44-38
8. San Diego Clippers - 34-48
---------------------------------------
9. Golden State Warriors - 32-50
10. San Antonio Spurs - 30-52
11. Kansas City Kings - 30-52
12. Houston Rockets - 26-56
Regular Season Awards:| Player of the Month | |
|---|---|
| Month | Player |
| October | Sidney Moncrief (Bucks) |
| November | Larry Bird (Celtics) |
| December | Isiah Thomas (Pistons) |
| January | Jack Sikma (SuperSonics) |
| February | Moses Malone (76ers) |
| March | Magic Johnson (Lakers) |
| April | Kareem Abdul-Jabber (Lakers) |
| Rookie of the Month | |
|---|---|
| Month | Player |
| October | Ralph Sampson (Rockets) |
| November | Ralph Sampson (Rockets) |
| December | Ralph Sampson (Rockets) |
| January | Clyde Drexler (Trail Blazers) |
| February | Ralph Sampson (Rockets) |
| March | Ralph Sampson (Rockets) |
| All Star Lineups (East 120-117 West) | |
|---|---|
| Eastern | Western |
| Isiah Thomas | Magic Johnson |
| Sidney Moncrief | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| Larry Bird | Adrian Dantley |
| Moses Malone | Walter Davis |
| Robert Parish | Mark Aguirre |
| Otis Birdsong | George Gavin |
| World B.Free | Jack Sikma |
| Jeff Ruland | Alex English |
| Bernard King | Gus Williams |
| Dominique Wilkins | Ralph Sampson |
| Marques Johnson | Kiki Vandeweghe |
| Dennis Johnson | Darrell Griffith |
| Individual Awards | |
|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player | Magic Johnson (Lakers) |
| Rookie of the Year | Ralph Sampson (Rockets) |
| Sixth Man of the Year | Kevin McHale (Celtics) |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Tree Rollins (Hawks) |
| Most Improved Player | Sleepy Floyd (Warriors) |
| Team Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| All-NBA 1st | All-NBA 2nd | All-NBA 3rd |
| Magic Johnson (Lakers) | Gus Williams (SuperSonics) | Walter Davis (Suns) |
| Isiah Thomas (Pistons) | Rolando Blackman (Mavericks) | Otis Birdsong (Nets) |
| Larry Bird (Celtics) | Mark Aguirre (Mavericks) | Dominique Wilkins (Hawks) |
| Cliff Robinson (Cavaliers) | Alex English (Nuggets) | Clark Kellogg (Pacers) |
| Moses Malone (76ers) | Jeff Ruland (Bullets) | Jack Sikma (SuperSonics) |
| Team Awards | |
|---|---|
| All-Defensive 1st | All-Rookie 1st |
| Sidney Moncfrief (Bucks) | Ralph Sampson (Rockets) |
| Magic Johnson (Lakers) | Ennis Whatley (Bulls) |
| Larry Bird (Celtics) | Clyde Drexler (Trail Blazers) |
| Bobby Jones (76ers) | Darrell Walker (Knicks) |
| Tree Rollins (Hawks) | Roy Hinson (Cavaliers) |
The Playoffs
East 1st Round
Boston Celtics 3-0 Washington Bullets
Bullets reward for getting into the playoffs is an unsurprising sweep from the Celtics
New Jersey Nets 0-3 Philadelphia 76ers
76ers poor start to the season a distant memory as Moses Malone powers them into the semi's
Milwaukee Bucks 2-3 Atlanta Hawks
Dominique Wilkins is top scorer in 4 of the 5 games to help Hawks upset Bucks and advance
Detroit Pistons 3-1 Cleveland Cavaliers
Detroit continue impressive season by breezing past Cavaliers
West 1st Round
Los Angeles Lakers 3-2 San Diego Clippers
Clippers fight back from 2-0 down to force game 5.` Abdul-Jabber with 35 points as Lakers win 115-88 in decider
Phoenix Suns 3-2 Seattle SuperSonics
Phoenix come from 2-0 down to advance to Western semi's
Portland Trail Blazers 3-2 Utah Jazz
Despite Adrian Dantley's 41 points, Trail Blazers sneak past the Jazz in game 5 131-129
Denver Nuggets 1-3 Dallas Mavericks
Mark Aguirre the star as Dallas shock Denver to advance
East Semi-Finals
Boston Celtics 4-0 Philadelphia 76ers
76ers title defense over as Celtics continue incredible season
Detroit Pistons 4-0 Atlanta Hawks
Detroit win 3 of the 4 games by 20+ points to cruise into finals
West Semi-Finals
Los Angeles Lakers 4 -2 Phoenix Suns
The only non sweep of the semi's as Suns give Lakers some problems but fall short
Portland Trail Blazers 4-0 Dallas Mavericks
Portland take advantage of the Nuggets elimination to sweep the Mavs en route to Finals
East Final
Boston Celtics 4-1 Detroit Pistons
Pistons end Celtics winning run but still lose in 5, Larry Bird with 44 points in game 3
West Final
Los Angeles Lakers 4-3 Portland Trail Blazers
Portland force game 7 with 1 point win in game 6. Magic, Worthy, Kareem and Wilkes all with 20+ points in game 7
1984 Championship Finals
Game 1: Los Angeles Lakers 117-100 Boston Celtics
Abdul Jabber with 30 points as Lakers take advantage of dominant 3rd Quarter to go 1-0 up
Game 2: Los Angeles Lakers 94-88 Boston Celtics
Another strong end to the game for Lakers who turn around a 5 point halftime deficit to win both away games
Game 3: Boston Celtics 141-134 Los Angeles Lakers
Boston keep the series alive by turning around a 16 point 1st Quarter deficit in an incredible game.
Game 4: Boston Celtics 105-107 Los Angeles Lakers
Abdul-Jabber wins it with 2 seconds to go to give Lakers one hand on the trophy, Larry Bird misses 3 point attempt to win it for Celtics
Game 5: Los Angeles Lakers 112-82 Boston Celtics
Boston's incredible season comes up short as Lakers win in 5 to secure a 9th NBA Championship. Despite it being dubbed the Bird v Magic finals, it was Kareem Abdul-Jabber who stole the show in the end.
1983-1984 NBA Championship Result
Boston Celtics 1-4 Los Angeles Lakers
Finals MVP
Kareem Abdul-Jabber
Game 1: Los Angeles Lakers 117-100 Boston Celtics
Abdul Jabber with 30 points as Lakers take advantage of dominant 3rd Quarter to go 1-0 up
Game 2: Los Angeles Lakers 94-88 Boston Celtics
Another strong end to the game for Lakers who turn around a 5 point halftime deficit to win both away games
Game 3: Boston Celtics 141-134 Los Angeles Lakers
Boston keep the series alive by turning around a 16 point 1st Quarter deficit in an incredible game.
Game 4: Boston Celtics 105-107 Los Angeles Lakers
Abdul-Jabber wins it with 2 seconds to go to give Lakers one hand on the trophy, Larry Bird misses 3 point attempt to win it for Celtics
Game 5: Los Angeles Lakers 112-82 Boston Celtics
Boston's incredible season comes up short as Lakers win in 5 to secure a 9th NBA Championship. Despite it being dubbed the Bird v Magic finals, it was Kareem Abdul-Jabber who stole the show in the end.
1983-1984 NBA Championship Result
Boston Celtics 1-4 Los Angeles Lakers
Finals MVP
Kareem Abdul-Jabber
Up Next:
The 1984 off season
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