1983–84 Los Angeles Lakers season
The 1983–84 season for the Los Angeles Lakers saw them lose in the 1984 NBA Finals against Larry Bird's Boston Celtics in seven well-fought games. The Lakers were coming off of an NBA Finals loss to the Julius Erving and Moses Malone led Philadelphia 76ers, in which they were swept in four games. The Los Angeles Lakers, powered by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson with his 13.1 assists per game, ended up winning 54 games in the 1983–84 NBA season. On April 5, 1984, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had a 12-foot shot over Mark Eaton of the Utah Jazz to surpass Wilt Chamberlain as the NBA's all-time leading scorer with 31,421 points.
In the playoffs, the Lakers defeated the Kansas City Kings in the first round, Dallas Mavericks in the second, and the Phoenix Suns in the 1984 Western Conference Finals in order to advance to what is called the "greatest NBA Finals in history", against Larry Bird's formidable, 62–20 Boston Celtics. The Lakers' early step on the green team in the Championship caused Bird to label teammates "sissies". The words inspired the Celtics, and shot down the Lakers, and the C's won game 7 111–102, a Laker heartbreaker, and still, arguably, the most memorable Finals of the 1980s.Draft picks
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
Roster
Regular season
Season standings
Record vs. opponents
Game log
Playoffs
West First Round
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Kansas City Kings: Lakers win series 3–0
- Game 1 @ The Forum, Los Angeles : Los Angeles 116, Kansas City 105
- Game 2 @ The Forum, Los Angeles : Los Angeles 109, Kansas City 102
- Game 3 @ Kemper Arena, Kansas City : Los Angeles 108, Kansas City 102
Last Playoff Meeting: 1955 Western Division SemifinalsWest Conference Semifinals
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks: Lakers win series 4–1
- Game 1 @ The Forum, Los Angeles : Los Angeles 134, Dallas 91
- Game 2 @ The Forum, Los Angeles : Los Angeles 117, Dallas 101
- Game 3 @ Reunion Arena, Dallas : Dallas 125, Los Angeles 115
- Game 4 @ Reunion Arena, Dallas *: Los Angeles 122, Dallas 115
- Game 5 @ The Forum, Los Angeles : Los Angeles 115, Dallas 99
Last Playoff Meeting: This is the first meeting between the Lakers and Mavericks.Los Angeles Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns: Lakers win series 4–2
- Game 1 @ The Forum, Los Angeles : Los Angeles 110, Phoenix 94
- Game 2 @ The Forum, Los Angeles : Los Angeles 118, Phoenix 102
- Game 3 @ Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix : Phoenix 135, Los Angeles 127
- Game 4 @ Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix : Los Angeles 126, Phoenix 115
- Game 5 @ The Forum, Los Angeles : Phoenix 126, Los Angeles 121
- Game 6 @ Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix : Los Angeles 99, Phoenix 97
Last Playoff Meeting: 1982 Western Conference SemifinalsNBA Finals
| Game | Home team | Score | Road Team | Series |
| Game 1 | Boston Celtics | 109–115 | Los Angeles Lakers | LA 1–0 |
| Game 2 | Boston Celtics | 124–121* | Los Angeles Lakers | TIED 1–1 |
| Game 3 | Los Angeles Lakers | 137–104 | Boston Celtics | LA 2–1 |
| Game 4 | Los Angeles Lakers | 125–129* | Boston Celtics | TIED 2–2 |
| Game 5 | Boston Celtics | 121–103 | Los Angeles Lakers | BOS 3–2 |
| Game 6 | Los Angeles Lakers | 119–108 | Boston Celtics | TIED 3–3 |
| Game 7 | Boston Celtics | 111–102 | Los Angeles Lakers | BOS 4–3 |
*overtime
Boston beats Los Angeles 4–3Player statistics
Season
Playoffs
Awards and records
