You play to win the game!
1981 Postseason, May 20th
LA TIMES
"...Though giving everything they have, the LA Lakers lost their final game against the Houston Rockets in game 7 with a final score of 95-98… Though the blame could be placed on a uncharastically lackluster performance of Magic Johnson or on the front office of Paul Westhead, this editor none the less fears that current rookie owner, Carrie O'Brian, has run out of her Irish luck which carried her to her first titl-"
Carrie threw the paper in the trash. What filth, these bastards will publish anything they like and people will listen without question. Perhaps Bruce had a point on the nature of journalists. But she wasn't here in her office in the UCLA Health Training Center to stew on the media and on could have been's, it's time to tackle the next season and think about how she should approach it.
Most Important is the current storm clouds hanging over head coach Paul Westhead and her star player Magic Johnson. It all started when Westhead after the Finals criticized, and if you read between the lines, blamed him for the loss. Magic almost immediately fired back and in much less uncertain terms, blamed him for the loss due to his coaching style being inflexible and timid.
This presented an opportunity for Carrie, she inherited Westhead and she never really got along with him and on the Final even a blind racoon could see that he was being out coached and never in a million years will she ever get rid of her star player. So with a flick of her wrist she signed the papers and sacked him. To replace him was also an easy choice, his assistant Patrick Riley really grew on her, alongside his relation with the players and his support of more attacking style tactics made him a shoe-in. He just needs to be informed about it. As the thought finishes Patrick Riley enters.
"Si-M'am, you wanted to see me?"
"Yes Riley, please take a seat" as she pointed at the chair in front of her.
"M'am, if you'll excuse me. Where is head coach Westhead?" he said as he sat on his chair.
"He's fired, you're now the interim head coach"
Riley freezes for a moment before collecting himself "I see, I guess this will be a long meeting…"
LA Times
"Shock firing as Paul Westhead shown the door; Pat Riley now interim head coach"
"While the greater LA area was enjoying the nice weather it appears the sun just didn't shine on Paul Westhead, as in a surprise move owner Carrie O'Brian has fired and replaced him with former assistant head coach Pat Riley in a recent press conference…"
""We will do everything in our power to achieve the 1982 Championship with a new and greater focus on aggression and utilizing our current talent" said Carrie in her press conference with a proud Riley at her side. This will be her first major managerial change-up in her career as owner. Whether this will bring home gold or doom to this franchise will be seen."
1981 June 2th
"What did they offer?" Because what she just heard sounded illogical, a sham even. Yet still her new GM Jerry West repeated himself.
"The Cleveland Cavaliers want Jamaal Wilkes for an unprotected first round pick in 1984."
Carrie sat silent in her conference room as she and her head coach and GM sat around a conference table.
"Why would they offer a first round pick for Jamaal? No offense to the guy, but that would cripple their ability for future development" Responded Carrie.
West spoke calmly "You're fairly recent so you wouldn't know it but their current owner Ted Stepien is a bit… short sighted to say the least. In the 1979 draft he gave us the exact same deal. Chad Kinch for the first round pick in the 1982 draft and last year he wanted the same deal with the Houston Rockets but that fell through. What I think is happening is that he wants a championship title at all costs but he doesn't have the patience to slowly build a roster via drafts so he trades and signs free agents. Good for a season maybe but it can cripple a team in the long term".
"So what, he saw a nearly thirty year old player have a good season and now he's throwing everything and the kitchen sink to get him while crippling his team long term?" Carrie replied, astonished.
Jerry nodded. Carrie begins to think and spoke to Riley "If hypothetically we traded Wilkes would that impact the team dynamic?"
Riley sighed and said "Wilkes is a good player no doubt about it, but he's also not integral in our attacking plan. But if we were to trade him we need to replace him with either our draft picks or a free agency signing or both".
Carrie responded "Do you have a couple of names on the top of your head?"
Riley took his bag and picked up a thick folder from within and swiped through it and responded " Well for free agency I earmarked two good players: one Mickey Johnson from the Milwaukee Bucks and Paul Westphal from the Sonics. Of the two Mickey Johnson is the one I want, he's a journeyman and played an underappreciated role in their playoff run with an average of 16 points per game, 7 rebound per game, has a great mid-range shot and I heard good things about his work ethic".
Jerry responded "For the draft there are two players we should look for: Herb Williams or Larry Nance. Herb is a good scorer that can provide rebounds and play defense, so an all rounder, while Larry is very good in providing shot blocks and rebounds and can score in the transition but after that it gets difficult for him. I suggest we go for Herb but a lot of eyes are on him, so if he's taken we'll have to settle for Nance".
"Do keep in mind that this is not guaranteed." Riley warned "The drafts are not guaranteed, the free agents could blow us off. That 1984 draft could be a bust. I'm not saying I'm against it, but this is a great risk we're taking".
Silence descended on the conference room. Suddenly Carrie said "You don't win championships by playing it safe, do it."
LA Times
The Great Lakers gamble: Jamaal Wilkes to Clevaland for a first round pick in 1984
Mickey Johnson signs for the LA Lakers and dons the purple and gold
Wikipedia: 1981 NBA Draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Team |
| 1 | 14 | Herb Williams | Indiana Pacers |
| … | … | … | … |
| 1 | 19 | Larry Nance | Los Angeles Lakers |
LA Times
1982 Lakers 4-3 Philadelphia 76er, game 7: 114-104 MVP: Magic Johnson
It's coming home! Lakers defeat the Philadelphia 76er in game 7
"The great comeback from the 76er who went from a 3-0 serie to a 3-3 have been finally put to rest by the Lakers, as Magic Johnson played a fantastic offense with his partner Kurt Rambis being fed the ball alongside other great performances from Micheal Cooper and Mickey Johnson all putting the dreams of the 76er to rest"
1982 NBA Draft, June 29th
ABC archived footage
"...and the LA Lakers for their first overall pick select… James Worthy!"
LA Times
1983 LA Lakers 4-3 Philadelphia 76er, game 7: 94-93 MVP: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
"Deja-vu! As Lakers mount comeback after starting 1-3"
"Fans from last season might experience a strong sense of deja vu but this time with the tables turned! As they played a disastrous 1-3 with standouts from Moses Malone being able to outplay and out-fox the Lakers; But after a reportedly mean grilling session in the halftime of game 5 from Carrie herself and reorienting to a more defensive style play, they managed to mount a come back and defeat the 76ers. With highlights from Kareem and rookies Larry Nance and James Worthy, especially surprising after the near health scare from the latter. The LA Lakers managed to clinch the title off of the 76er, for a second time in a row. Now some fans dare dream of a 3 peat but whether this is a possibility or the mad talk of fans still feeling the good cheer from victory is to be seen"
1984 LA Lakers 3-3 Boston Celtics, game 7, 103-103, end of Q4
His lungs were burning. If he closed his eyes it really felt like he was breathing in fire, with his knees weak he collapsed in his seat as the overtime break of 2 minutes and thirty seconds ticked by. Damn this team, nothing could be simple for the Lakers right? Of course the team from the land of Hollywood, that is owned by one the largest stars in Hollywood and who is married to the co-owner to LucasFilm, needs to play so damn dramatic as if there is a camera in the stands, with three back to back to back damn fucking post-seasons going to game 7. With '82 and the fear of nearly choking it away and the relief of finally stomping them dead or the miraculous comeback in '83 after Carrie ripped the team and coach a new one and mounted the greatest comeback in his career,
so far.
But lucky number three managed to not be so lucky. This was more of a meat grinder, they won some, we won some. Neither side truly held the other down because both sides knew what the Lakers were chasing, a 3 peat, something only beaten by the Celtics and their 8-peat from '59 to '66.
Truly Larry Nance was tired. After being subbed in the second half and being forced to play defense against Larry Bird, that damn fucker, anyone would feel tired.
"-And don't forget! We're not playing just for another ring here! We're fighting for a place in the basketball hall of fame! Don't let them get in your head and keep playing as you have and give it everything you have! You don't win championships by playing it safe!"
His team owner was yelling at them. Ah. He must have missed the pep-talk, luckily she said to keep playing as they have. With a groan he walked to his spot as a soft forward.
"Keep your head in the game Larry! We can't afford to lose now or else Carrie will have our heads on a platter, eh. Hey, you okay?" Magic Johnson snuck beside him, grabbed his shoulder and began yelling at him. With a loud affirmation, he finally took his spot and the ball was thrown in the air. After that everything became blurry as he entered a trance as they played, besides moments of clarity when Bird was shit talking to him, but he ignored him.
After 4 minutes and 50 seconds, the score was still a draw and after a failed three pointer from Kevin Mchale, time seemed to slow down as the ball gently fell into his hands. He looked at the clock. 00:03. Not enough time. Looks like a second overtime will be called.
"You don't win championships by playing it safe!". Something struck him like an electric bolt and like a robot he took two steps so that he was near his team's 3 point line and then threw the ball.
This was stupid, insane even. This won't even hit the rim. Yet when the loud horn called for the end of the periode, he didn't hear it, perhaps no one heard it as everyone looked at the ball, who seemed as if it was in a world of its own. High above the hopes and dreams of all the fans, players and management. And as gentle as an angel, landed in the hoop, hitting nothing but net.
His eyes were deceiving him. As a pregnant silence reigned in the stands. He still couldn't believe it, until the loudest pandemonium he ever heard broke loose. As fans poured down from their seats and his fellow players carried him on their shoulders. He couldn't help but think.
"Truly, a Hollywood movie"
1984 LA Lakers 4-3 Boston Celtics, game 7, 128-125, MVP: Magic Johnson
Post season 1984, O'Brian residence, June 19th
"What a season right, Bruce?"
"Yeah, especially after that buzzer beater from that Nance guy right? Sheesh, I heard that kids are trying to replicate his reverse three point shot. The press calls it the 'Miracle of Los Angeles'" Bruce responded
The happily married couple were sitting on their sofa while watching ABC for the 1984 NBA draft.
"Could you remind me again how you got the third overall pick again?" Bruce continued.
"Well back in '81, the Cavs wanted a player named Jamaal Wilkes for a first round pick in '84. I accepted, the Cavs did okay at first and then collapsed. Hard. So bad that they had to make a new rule to stop others from giving too many first round picks, the so-called 'Stepien rule'. Anyway the Cavs had the third worst record thus they received third which is then directly given to the Lakers" Carrie replied with a bit of pride in her voice.
"Ahh, okay. So this guy you're picking. Do you think he's any good?"
"I'm more than confident."
"... and the LA Lakers for their third overall pick select…
Michael Jordan!..."
A.N: If I have to look at a another basketball stat sheet I will puke. This started as a fun question while I was taking a hike "Wouldn't it be funny if the Lakers of Carrie have Michael Jordan?" that quickly turned into a rabithole of me looking at possible trades, coaches, owners, drafts and so many damn players and their stats, in the vain hope to make this scenario atleast a bit realistic. For those wondering for my justification for their victories. '81-'82: OTL they won fairly easy but to stimulate that they're working with new players I made it more evenly matched. '82-'83: OTL Wilkes was injured alongside James Worthy who was on the NBA All-Rookie First Team and who was also a cantidate for Rookie of the year but injury made him miss many games. So with more integrated players from last year and a healthy James Worthy it would been roughly 50/50, so I threw a coin and the Lakers won, barely. '83-'84 was a very close Finals games OTL with two games going into overtime and it going to game 7. So ITL a miracle shot clinched the title and gives the city of LA a 3-peat. For any basketball nerds who visit this thread, please have mercy, I'm but a foolish stinking Euro. Also Magoose if I have overstepped my boundry for making it to '83-'84 or my other shenanigans you could strike it as non-canon but remember Carrie dice does not forget and rarely forgives.
