1991–92 Los Angeles Lakers season

The 1991–92 NBA season was the Lakers' 44th season in the National Basketball Association, and 32nd in the city of Los Angeles.[1] This was the start of a new era for the Los Angeles Lakers, as they were coming from an NBA Finals defeat to the Chicago Bulls in five games, but also with the sudden retirement of their longtime superstar, Magic Johnson, after he announced that he was HIV positive.[2] Johnson would briefly come back and play in the 1992 NBA All-Star Game, winning the All-Star MVP award. During the offseason, the Lakers acquired Sedale Threatt from the Seattle SuperSonics. Starting the season without Johnson for the first time since 1979, the Lakers won 10 of their first 13 games, including a nine-game winning streak. However, they struggled in February, losing seven straight games and posting a 3–9 record during the month. The Lakers ultimately finished sixth in the Pacific Division with a 43–39 record, which was their worst record since the 1975–76 season.[3]

1991–92 Los Angeles Lakers season
Head coachMike Dunleavy
OwnersJerry Buss
ArenaGreat Western Forum
Results
Record43–39 (.524)
PlaceDivision: 6th (Pacific)
Conference: 8th (Western)
Playoff finishFirst Round
(Lost to Trail Blazers 1–3)
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
TelevisionKCAL-TV
Prime Ticket
RadioKLAC

As the #8 seed in the Western Conference, the Lakers were defeated in the first round of the playoffs by the Portland Trail Blazers, 3–1.[4] Following the season, Mike Dunleavy left and took a coaching job with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Draft picks
Round Pick Player Position Nationality College
2 52 Anthony Jones Forward  United States Oral Roberts

Roster
Roster listing
Los Angeles Lakers roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.NameHeightWeightDOB (YYYY-MM-DD)From
SF 6 Brown, Chucky 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 214 lb (97 kg) North Carolina State
PF 41 Campbell, Elden 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Clemson
C 12 Divac, Vlade 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 243 lb (110 kg)
PF 45 Green, A. C. 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Oregon State
C 54 Haley, Jack 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) UCLA
SF 25 Owens, Keith 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) UCLA
PF 14 Perkins, Sam 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) North Carolina
SG 4 Scott, Byron 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Arizona State
SG 34 Smith, Tony 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Marquette
PG 2 Sparrow, Rory 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Villanova
SG 20 Teagle, Terry 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Baylor
PG 3 Threatt, Sedale 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) West Virginia Tech
SF 42 Worthy, James 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) North Carolina
Head coach
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

Regular season

Season standings
Pacific Division W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Portland Trail Blazers5725.695—33–824–1721–9
x-Golden State Warriors5527.671231–1024–1719–11
x-Phoenix Suns5329.646436–517–2417–13
x-Seattle SuperSonics4735.5731028–1319–2216–14
x-Los Angeles Clippers4537.5491229–1216–2513–17
x-Los Angeles Lakers4339.5241424–1719–2213–17
Sacramento Kings2953.3542821–208–336–24
y - clinched division title
x - clinched playoff spot
# Western Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 c-Portland Trail Blazers5725.695–
2 y-Utah Jazz5527.6712
3 x-Golden State Warriors5527.6712
4 x-Phoenix Suns5329.6464
5 x-San Antonio Spurs4735.57310
6 x-Seattle SuperSonics4735.57310
7 x-Los Angeles Clippers4537.54912
8 x-Los Angeles Lakers4339.52414
9 Houston Rockets4240.51215
10 Sacramento Kings2953.35428
11 Denver Nuggets2458.29333
12 Dallas Mavericks2260.26835
13 Minnesota Timberwolves1567.18342
z - clinched division title
y - clinched division title
x - clinched playoff spot

Record vs. opponents

The Lakers were the first team in NBA history to start the season with three straight overtime games, with their season opener being a double-overtime loss to the Houston Rockets. They went 1-2 during that time. After a third loss, to the Phoenix Suns, they went on a nine-game winning streak to finish November with an 11-4 record, which would be their longest winning streak of the season. They struggled in February, going 3-9, with a seven-game losing streak. They would finish the season with a 43-39 record, placing sixth in the Pacific Division and clinching the eighth and final seed for the playoffs.

1991-92 NBA Records
Team ATL BOS CHA CHI CLE DAL DEN DET GSW HOU IND LAC LAL MIA MIL MIN NJN NYK ORL PHI PHO POR SAC SAS SEA UTA WAS
Atlanta —3–12–20–50–52–02–01–41–12–01–41–10–22–23–12–03–12–22–22–22–00–21–10–21–11–12–2
Boston 1–3—3–11–33–11–11–14–01–11–12–22–02–03–22–20–22–33–25–03–11–11–12–01–12–01–13–1
Charlotte 2–21–3—0–42–31–11–11–41–10–23–20–21–11–32–31–11–30–43–13–11–10–21–12–01–10–22–2
Chicago 5–03–14–0—3–22–02–04–11–11–13–12–01–14–03–22–04–04–03–13–11–12–02–01–12–01–14–0
Cleveland 5–01–33–22–3—1–11–13–11–11–15–01–12–03–13–12–02–24–03–14–01–10–22–01–11–11–14–0
Dallas 0–21–11–10–21–1—3–20–20–44–21–11–30–41–11–13–20–20–21–10–22–20–41–30–50–41–40–2
Denver 0–21–11–10–21–12–3—0–20–42–30–20–41–30–21–12–31–10–22–02–01–31–32–21–41–31–51–1
Detroit 4–10–44–11–41–32–02–0—1–12–02–20–22–02–23–21–12–22–24–03–10–22–02–01–11–11–13–1
Golden State 1–11–11–11–11–14–04–01–1—2–22–03–23–21–12–04–02–01–12–01–13–22–35–02–23–21–32–0
Houston 0–21–12–01–11–12–43–20–22–2—1–12–22–22–01–13–21–11–12–01–11–33–13–13–21–31–42–0
Indiana 4–12–22–31–30–51–12–02–20–21–1—0–22–03–14–12–02–21–32–22–21–10–21–12–00–21–12–2
L.A. Clippers 1–10–22–00–21–13–14–02–02–32–22–0—2–32–02–04–01–10–22–01–13–22–32–32–22–31–30–2
L.A. Lakers 2–00–21–11–10–24–03–10–22–32–20–23–2—2–01–13–12–02–02–02–02–31–44–11–31–41–31–1
Miami 2–22–33–10–41–31–12–02–21–10–21–30–20–2—4–02–02–21–43–11–40–20–22–01–11–11–15–0
Milwaukee 1–32–23–22–31–31–11–12–30–21–11–40–21–10–4—2–00–41–33–13–10–20–20–21–11–11–13–1
Minnesota 0–22–01–10–20–22–33–21–10–42–30–20–41–30–20–2—0–20–20–20–20–40–41–30–60–42–30–2
New Jersey 1–33–23–10–42–22–01–12–20–21–12–21–10–22–24–02–0—2–33–13–21–11–11–11–10–20–22–3
New York 2–22–34–00–40–42–02–02–21–11–13–12–00–24–13–12–03–2—4–13–11–11–11–10–22–02–04–0
Orlando 2–20–51–31–31–31–10–20–40–20–22–20–20–21–31–32–01–31–4—3–20–20–20–21–11–10–22–3
Philadelphia 2–21–31–31–30–42–00–21–31–11–12–21–10–24–11–32–02–31–32–3—0–21–11–11–12–00–25–0
Phoenix 0–21–11–11–11–12–23–12–02–33–11–12–33–22–02–04–01–11–12–02–0—3–24–13–13–22–22–0
Portland 2–01–12–00–22–04–03–10–23–21–32–03–24–12–02–04–01–11–12–01–12–3—5–02–24–12–22–0
Sacramento 1–10–21–10–20–23–12–20–20–51–31–13–21–40–22–03–11–11–12–01–11–40–5—1–31–41–32–0
San Antonio 2–01–10–21–11–15–04–11–12–22–30–22–23–11–11–16–01–12–01–11–11–32–23–1—3–11–40–2
Seattle 1–10–21–10–21–14–03–11–12–33–12–03–24–11–11–14–02–00–21–10–22–31–44–11–3—3–12–0
Utah 1–11–12–01–11–14–15–11–13–14–11–13–13–11–11–13–22–00–22–02–02–22–23–14–11–3—2–0
Washington 2–21–32–20–40–42–01–11–30–20–22–22–01–10–51–32–03–20–43–20–50–20–20–22–00–20–2—

Game log

Playoffs

West First Round

(1) Portland Trail Blazers vs. (8) Los Angeles Lakers: Blazers win series 3–1

  • Game 1 @ Memorial Coliseum, Portland (April 23): Portland 115, LA Lakers 102
  • Game 2 @ Memorial Coliseum, Portland (April 25): Portland 101, LA Lakers 79
  • Game 3 @ Great Western Forum, Los Angeles (April 29): LA Lakers 121, Portland 119 (OT)
  • Game 4 @ Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas (May 3): Portland 102, LA Lakers 76

Last Playoff Meeting: 1991 Western Conference Finals (Los Angeles won 4-2)

Player statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game

Season
Player GP REB AST STL BLK PTS AVG
Vlade Divac3624760553540511.3
A. C. Green827621179136111613.6

Playoffs

Magic’s retirement

Starting point guard Magic Johnson missed the first three games with an unspecified "stomach ailment". On November 7, 1991, Johnson announced that he had tested positive for HIV and would immediately retire.[2] Johnson discovered his condition after attempting to purchase life insurance and failing the HIV test conducted by Lakers team doctor. During the press conference, he stated that his wife Cookie and unborn child were HIV negative and that he would become an advocate for HIV education and prevention. The NBA world was shocked; U. S. president George H. W. Bush said: "For me, Magic is a hero, a hero for anyone who loves sports."[5] Johnson was still listed on the roster, as an injured reserve, and continued to be paid.

Johnson was voted in on the West team for the 1992 NBA All-Star Game. Columnists and other people speculated on whether he would play. Because HIV is spread through blood, some players voiced concerns about being infected if Johnson were to get a bleeding wound and touch them. Utah Jazz forward Karl Malone was the most vocal player to express concern.[6] Nevertheless, Johnson played in the All-Star Game, leading the West to a 153-113 win and being named the All-Star Most Valuable Player (MVP). The game ended with 14.5 seconds remaining; when Johnson drained a last-minute three-pointer, other players ran on the court to congratulate Johnson and exchange high-fives. It would be Johnson's last game until he made a brief return at the end of the 1995–96 season.[7]

Magic and the Dream Team

Despite being HIV positive, Johnson was chosen for the US team for the 1992 Summer Olympics. The squad was quickly dubbed the Dream Team because of its abundance of NBA stars such as Jordan, Karl Malone and Bird, but Johnson was the main attraction. At the Olympic Opening Ceremony, German tennis player Steffi Graf ordered colleague Barbara Rittner to photograph her with Johnson, and in the match against Spain, Spanish captain Juan Antonio San Epifanio and his squad demonstratively hugged him, showing that his HIV infection did not matter to them. During the tournament, Johnson struggled with knee problems and played for only a fraction of the games. The point guard position was mostly run by Utah Jazz all-time assist leader John Stockton, but Johnson's presence alone was enough to provoke standing ovations from the crowd. He used the spotlight to attempt to inspire HIV positive people in several interviews.

Awards and Records

Transactions

References
  1. 1990-91 Los Angeles Lakers
  2. "Magic Johnson Ends His Career, Saying He Has AIDS Infection". The New York Times. November 8, 1991.
  3. Los Angeles Lakers Franchise Index at basketball-reference.com
  4. "Long Lakers Season Comes to a Close". The New York Times. May 5, 2014.
  5. "On Capitol Hill, the Battle for AIDS Funds Heats Up". The New York Times. November 9, 1991.
  6. Bork (1994), pp. 90-94
  7. "Johnson Finally Says the Magic Words: 'It's On'". The New York Times. January 30, 1996.
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