Published June 26, 2023
The NBA Time Machine:
1980
New Beginnings
Rookie Takeover
It had been years since the league received a duo of elite rookie prospects. The last time was perhaps in 1969, when Elvin Hayes and Wes Unseld – who ironically won a championship together years later – were drafted by the San Diego Rockets and Baltimore Bullets.
This new era of the NBA was now slated to watch the uprising of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, two great college players that had coincidentally clashed in the NCAA championship game. Johnson’s Michigan State Spartans defeated Bird’s Indiana State Sycamores, which set the tone for what could be a long-term superstar feud in the future. To make destiny feel even more clear, they were drafted to historic rivals in the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics, respectively.
Larry Bird
Bird’s impact stunned the basketball world, as the Celtics transformed from being a bottom feeder to possessing the league’s best overall record. His combination of scoring prowess, crafty playmaking and good defense revitalized the team, most notably former superstars Dave Cowens and Tiny Archibald.
He was a runaway favorite for the Rookie of the Year award, joining Cowens and Tom Heinsohn as the only Celtics recipients. He also finished fourth in M.V.P. voting.
Magic Johnson
Expectations for Johnson were a bit different – projections casted him as a possible future cornerstone, but not the Lakers’ surefire leader. They still had a five-time M.V.P. in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and providing the superstar with another great piece was the goal of the draft.
His integration to the roster was absurd, continuing to play as a guard despite media declaring him as a forward. A backcourt duo of Norm Nixon and Johnson was a playmaking delight, and helped Abdul-Jabbar achieve the highest field goal percentage of his career.
However, Johnson’s impact may have been larger than the stat sheet implied. The late-70’s Lakers were characterized by sluggish, deliberate halfcourt play that was over-reliant on Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring. This made them incredibly efficient, but also predictable in playoff situations.
The rookie’s affinity for fast-paced ball movement and abusing the fast break made the team play with greater energy overall, becoming the top-ranked offense league-wide. Such a style also established them as must-watch television, a reputation the charismatic Johnson only solidified more.
Up in Utah
While the New Orleans Jazz were beloved by Louisianan citizens, their existence in the southern state was unsustainable due to financial concerns. Not only was their facility situation awful – with the Louisiana Superdome charging absurd prices for home games – but they could not withstand the atrocious amusement tax in the state either.
Bad decisions also plagued the organization. After signing Gail Goodrich in 1976, they sent draft capital to the Los Angeles Lakers as compensation. Part of this was their highest pick in the 1979 draft – the Lakers used that pick this season to select Magic Johnson, who was already an All-Star as a rookie. The Jazz had also given up the rights to Moses Malone in exchange for one of those draft picks, leaving them with few valuable assets. Malone was voted as the league’s M.V.P. in 1979 and blossomed into a legitimate superstar.
The front office eventually opted for a hard reset, moving to Salt Lake City and becoming the Utah Jazz. They could at least bank on the idea that the small market had a dedicated fanbase, considering the presence of the ABA’s Utah Stars not too long ago.
At the very least, Lakers forward Adrian Dantley was traded to the franchise and surprisingly developed into a lethal scorer. He finished top three in points per game, scoring twenty-eight on excellent shooting splits.
From Way Downtown!
The concept of an extra-valuable, long-distance field goal had existed since the mid-40’s. Colleges experimented with it in spurts for a very long time, and other professional leagues – including the American Basketball League, Eastern Professional Basketball League, and American Basketball Association – had incorporated it into their rulebook.
After witnessing the popularity of the three-point shot in the ABA, the NBA was eager to give it a chance. They adopted it on a one-year trial, initially met with significant friction. Many viewed the mechanic as a cheap gimmick to garner fan interest, but there was not enough resistance to denounce the decision entirely.
Three-pointers were seldom used, only accounting for about three of a team’s ninety field goals on average. It was also considered inefficient, with the league finishing at about twenty-eight percent overall.
Regardless, there were a few specialists. Fred Brown of the Seattle SuperSonics led the league on a blistering hot forty-four percent a game, and Rick Barry of the Houston Rockets finished first in three-point attempts on above-average efficiency as well.
The best overall three-point shooting team was the Boston Celtics by a large margin – Chris Ford and Larry Bird were both great from outside. The former also delivered the first ever recorded three-point field goal on opening night, helping Boston secure a win against the Houston Rockets.
Big Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks had already secured a gem of a player in Marques Johnson, who was entering his third year. However, a mid-season trade brought Bob Lanier of the Detroit Pistons to the team, which had exciting implications.
Milwaukee had a 20-6 record after acquiring Lanier, which translated to a sixty-win pace. Their overall points per game increased by eight in this stretch, confirming the big man’s ability to impact any roster.
Cable
The Madison Square Garden Network had televised a handful of NBA events, including the 1969 playoffs and some New York Knicks games. The league signed a deal with the network – which rebranded as The USA Network in April of 1980 – to earn its first ever cable television partnership.
Standout Players
Around the League
Team Standings
Notes
An asterisk (*) indicates that the team qualified for the playoffs.