# 1971–72 Los Angeles Lakers season

During the 1971–72 season, the Los Angeles Lakers won their first National Basketball Association (NBA) title since moving to Los Angeles. The Lakers defeated the New York Knicks in five games to win the title, after going 69–13 during the regular-season, a record that stood for 24 seasons until the 1995–96 Chicago Bulls went 72–10. During the regular season, they would also go on an NBA record 33-game winning streak. The team went on to win 81 regular season and playoff games overall, a record that would stand alone for 14 years until the Boston Celtics matched it in 1986. Widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball teams of all time, the 1971–72 Lakers were named as one of the Top 10 Teams in NBA History in 1996.
The Lakers defeated the Chicago Bulls in 4 games in the Western Conference Semifinals. The team then defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in a 6-game Western Conference Finals. The Lakers then got to the NBA Finals once again for the 14th time in league history. They faced the New York Knicks in a rematch of the 1970 NBA Finals. The Knicks were defeated in 5 games, the Lakers claimed their sixth title in team history and the first since 1954. Wilt Chamberlain won Finals MVP.

## Offseason

* Traded a 1971 2nd round draft pick to the Cincinnati Royals for guard Flynn Robinson.
* Hired Bill Sharman as the new head coach to replace Joe Mullaney.
* Traded a 1972 2nd round draft pick to the Portland Trail Blazers for center Leroy Ellis.
* Claimed forward John Q. Trapp off waivers from the Houston Rockets.

### NBA draft

| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | School/Club Team |
| 1 | 13 | Jim Cleamons | Guard | United States | Ohio State |

## Regular season

Since moving to Los Angeles, the Lakers were repeatedly foiled by the Boston Celtics in their attempts to capture an NBA title. The Lakers lost the championship to them six times in eight years. In 1970, with the aging Celtics out of title contention, the Lakers lost in the NBA finals to the New York Knicks. In 1971, after losing Jerry West to a season-ending injury in February, they lost in the Western Conference finals to the powerful Milwaukee Bucks.
Going into the 1971–72 season, many experts thought the chance at a championship had passed for this aging team. Star players Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, and Jerry West were all in their 30s, and had all missed significant time due to injuries in the prior two seasons. The defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, led by superstar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, appeared to be starting a new NBA dynasty. But new coach Bill Sharman still believed the Lakers had the talent to contend. He introduced strict conditioning drills and implemented a running fast break-based offense. He re-tooled Wilt Chamberlain's game to focus on defense, rebounding, and jump-starting the fast break with quick outlet passes to guards Jerry West and Gail Goodrich. The only casualty of this system was the aging Baylor, who could not physically handle the up-tempo practices and offense and retired 9 games into the season. He was replaced at small forward by Jim McMillian who played at a near all-star level.
Shortly thereafter, the Lakers strung together a record 33-game win streak. The streak ended on January 9, 1972, against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Lakers and Bucks then staged a season-long race for the league's best record, with the Lakers setting a then NBA record with 69 wins (the Bucks had the second-best record at 63–19).

### Season standings

| Pacific Divisionvte | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Neutral | Div |
| y-Los Angeles Lakers | 69 | 13 | .841 | – | 36–5 | 31–7 | 2–1 | 21–3 |
| x-Golden State Warriors | 51 | 31 | .622 | 18 | 27–8 | 21–20 | 3–3 | 14–10 |
| Seattle SuperSonics | 47 | 35 | .573 | 22 | 28–12 | 18–22 | 1–1 | 12–12 |
| Houston Rockets | 34 | 48 | .415 | 35 | 15–20 | 14–23 | 5–5 | 9–15 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 18 | 64 | .220 | 51 | 14–26 | 4–35 | 0–3 | 4–20 |
| # | Western Conferencevte | Western Conferencevte | Western Conferencevte | Western Conferencevte |
| # | Team | W | L | PCT |
| 1 | z-Los Angeles Lakers | 69 | 13 | .841 |
| 2 | y-Milwaukee Bucks | 63 | 19 | .768 |
| 3 | x-Chicago Bulls | 57 | 25 | .695 |
| 4 | x-Golden State Warriors | 51 | 31 | .622 |
| 5 | Phoenix Suns | 49 | 33 | .598 |
| 6 | Seattle SuperSonics | 47 | 35 | .573 |
| 7 | Houston Rockets | 34 | 48 | .415 |
| 8 | Detroit Pistons | 26 | 56 | .317 |
| 9 | Portland Trail Blazers | 18 | 64 | .220 |
    z – clinched division title
    y – clinched division title
    x – clinched playoff spot

### Record vs. opponents

1971–72 NBA Records :
| Team | ATL | BAL | BOS | BUF | CHI | CIN | CLE | DET | GSW | HOU | LAL | MIL | NYK | PHI | PHO | POR | SEA |
| Atlanta | — | 2–4 | 0–4 | 4–2 | 0–5 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 3–2 | 3–2 | 1–4 | 0–5 | 2–3 | 3–1 | 3–3 | 3–2 | 4–0 | 1–4 |
| Baltimore | 4–2 | — | 2–2 | 3–3 | 1–4 | 4–2 | 1–5 | 3–2 | 1–4 | 3–2 | 1–4 | 0–5 | 2–4 | 4–0 | 4–1 | 3–1 | 2–3 |
| Boston | 4–0 | 2–2 | — | 6–0 | 3–2 | 4–2 | 5–1 | 5–0 | 2–3 | 5–0 | 1–4 | 2–3 | 3–3 | 6–0 | 2–3 | 4–0 | 2–3 |
| Buffalo | 2–4 | 3–3 | 0–6 | — | 1–3 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 2–4 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 1–5 | 3–3 | 0–4 | 2–4 | 0–4 |
| Chicago | 5–0 | 4–1 | 2–3 | 3–1 | — | 3–1 | 4–0 | 5–1 | 3–3 | 5–1 | 1–3 | 2–4 | 3–2 | 4–1 | 5–1 | 6–0 | 2–3 |
| Cincinnati | 3–3 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 1–3 | — | 6–2 | 2–3 | 2–3 | 0–4 | 1–4 | 0–5 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 0–5 |
| Cleveland | 2–4 | 5–1 | 1–5 | 2–4 | 0–4 | 2–6 | — | 1–3 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 1–5 | 2–4 | 0–4 | 4–2 | 0–4 |
| Detroit | 2–3 | 2–3 | 0–5 | 4–2 | 1–5 | 3–2 | 3–1 | — | 0–5 | 3–3 | 1–4 | 1–5 | 1–4 | 1–4 | 2–4 | 2–2 | 0–4 |
| Golden State | 2–3 | 4–1 | 3–2 | 3–1 | 3–3 | 3–2 | 4–0 | 5–0 | — | 5–1 | 1–5 | 2–2 | 2–3 | 4–1 | 2–3 | 4–2 | 4–2 |
| Houston | 4–1 | 2–3 | 0–5 | 4–0 | 1–5 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 3–3 | 1–5 | — | 1–5 | 0–5 | 0–5 | 4–1 | 1–3 | 4–2 | 3–3 |
| Los Angeles | 5–0 | 4–1 | 4–1 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 4–1 | 3–1 | 4–1 | 5–1 | 5–1 | — | 4–1 | 4–1 | 5–0 | 4–2 | 6–0 | 5–1 |
| Milwaukee | 3–2 | 5–0 | 3–2 | 4–0 | 4–2 | 5–0 | 4–0 | 5–1 | 2–2 | 5–0 | 1–4 | — | 2–3 | 4–1 | 4–2 | 6–0 | 6–0 |
| New York | 1–3 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 5–1 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 5–1 | 4–1 | 3–2 | 5–0 | 1–4 | 3–2 | — | 3–3 | 1–4 | 3–1 | 3–2 |
| Philadelphia | 3–3 | 0–4 | 0–6 | 3–3 | 1–4 | 2–2 | 4–2 | 4–1 | 1–4 | 1–4 | 0–5 | 1–4 | 3–3 | — | 1–4 | 2–2 | 4–1 |
| Phoenix | 2–3 | 1–4 | 3–2 | 4–0 | 1–5 | 3–2 | 4–0 | 4–2 | 3–2 | 3–1 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 4–1 | 4–1 | — | 6–0 | 3–2 |
| Portland | 0–4 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 4–2 | 0–6 | 2–2 | 2–4 | 2–2 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 0–6 | 0–6 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 0–6 | — | 0–6 |
| Seattle | 4–1 | 3–2 | 3–2 | 4–0 | 3–2 | 5–0 | 4–0 | 4–0 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 1–5 | 0–6 | 2–3 | 1–4 | 2–3 | 6–0 | — |

## Game logs
### Regular season

1971–72 game log Total: 69–13 (Home: 36–5; Road: 33–8) :
October: 6–3 (home: 1–2; road: 5–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
1
Fri, Oct 15, 1971
@ Detroit
132–103
Wilt Chamberlain (26)
Wilt Chamberlain (15)
Jerry West (9)
Cobo Arena 10,613
1–0
2
October 16, 1971
@ New York
W 119–104
McMillian (28)
Chamberlain (19)
West (6)
Madison Square Garden 19,296
2–0
3
Tue, Oct 19, 1971
@ Buffalo
123–106
Gail Goodrich (24)
Wilt Chamberlain (12)
Gail Goodrich (6)
Buffalo Memorial Auditorium 9,127
3–0
4
October 20, 1971
@ Atlanta
W 126–104
McMillian (39)
Chamberlain (25)
McMillian (6)
Alexander Memorial Coliseum 5,543
4–0
5
October 22, 1971
Chicago
L 106–113
Goodrich (26)
Chamberlain (18)
Hairston (6)
The Forum 15,086
4–1
6
Sun, Oct 24, 1971
@ Houston
113–103
Gail Goodrich (31)
Chamberlain, Hairston (13)
Gail Goodrich (6)
Hofheinz Pavilion 4,061
5–1
7
Fri, Oct 29, 1971
Cincinnati
107–119
Gail Goodrich (31)
Wilt Chamberlain (32)
Jim McMillian (7)
The Forum 12,442
6–1
8
Sat, Oct 30, 1971
@ Seattle
106–115
Flynn Robinson (28)
Happy Hairston (13)
Gail Goodrich (7)
Seattle Center Coliseum 13,138
6–2
9
Sun, Oct 31, 1971
Golden State
109–105
Gail Goodrich (38)
Wilt Chamberlain (24)
Wilt Chamberlain (6)
The Forum 11,303
6–3 :
November: 14–0 (home: 9–0; road: 5–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
10
November 5, 1971
Baltimore
W 110–106
Goodrich (31)
Chamberlain (25)
Chamberlain, West (6)
The Forum 11,168
7–3
11
Sat, Nov 6, 1971
@ Golden State
105–89
Jerry West (28)
Wilt Chamberlain (17)
Jerry West (8)
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena 10,625
8–3
12
November 7, 1971
New York
W 103–96
West (29)
Chamberlain (22)
West (8)
The Forum 15,397
9–3
13
November 9, 1971
@ Chicago
W 122–109
McMillian (28)
Chamberlain (20)
West (13)
Chicago Stadium 9,082
10–3
14
Wed, Nov 10, 1971
@ Philadelphia
143–103
Gail Goodrich (34)
Wilt Chamberlain (14)
Jerry West (10)
Spectrum 9,503
11–3
15
Fri, Nov 12, 1971
Seattle
107–115
Jerry West (28)
Wilt Chamberlain (22)
Jerry West (8)
The Forum 16,550
12–3
16
Sat, Nov 13, 1971
@ Portland
130–108
LeRoy Ellis (27)
Wilt Chamberlain (13)
Jerry West (11)
Memorial Coliseum 9,990
13–3
17
November 14, 1971
Boston
W 128–115
Goodrich (36)
Chamberlain (31)
Chamberlain (10)
The Forum 17,505
14–3
18
Tue, Nov 16, 1971
Cleveland
90–108
Jerry West (25)
Wilt Chamberlain (15)
Wilt Chamberlain (6)
The Forum 10,475
15–3
19
Fri, Nov 19, 1971
Houston
99–106
Gail Goodrich (32)
Wilt Chamberlain (23)
Chamberlain, Goodrich, West (6)
The Forum 11,484
16–3
20
November 21, 1971
Milwaukee
W 112–105
Goodrich (27)
Chamberlain (26)
West (13)
The Forum 17,505
17–3
21
Thu, Nov 25, 1971
@ Seattle
139–115
Jerry West (26)
Wilt Chamberlain (15)
Jerry West (13)
Seattle Center Coliseum 13,170
18–3
22
Fri, Nov 26, 1971
Detroit
113–132
Wilt Chamberlain (31)
Wilt Chamberlain (31)
Jerry West (18)
The Forum 17,101
19–3
23
Sun, Nov 28, 1971
Seattle
111–138
Jerry West (25)
Wilt Chamberlain (26)
Jerry West (8)
The Forum 15,544
20–3 :
December: 16–0 (home: 7–0; road: 9–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
24
December 1, 1971
@ Boston
W 124–111
West (45)
Chamberlain (20)
Chamberlain (6)
Boston Garden 8,584
21–3
25
Fri, Dec 3, 1971
@ Philadelphia
131–116
Jim McMillian (41)
Wilt Chamberlain (25)
Jerry West (9)
Spectrum 14,923
22–3
26
Sun, Dec 5, 1971
Portland
107–123
Hairston, West (20)
Wilt Chamberlain (27)
Jerry West (10)
The Forum 17,505
23–3
27
Wed, Dec 8, 1971
@ Houston
125–120
Gail Goodrich (42)
Happy Hairston (15)
Jerry West (6)
Hofheinz Pavilion 9,346
24–3
28
Thu, Dec 9, 1971
@ Golden State
124–111
Jerry West (38)
Wilt Chamberlain (15)
Jerry West (11)
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena 8,892
25–3
29
Fri, Dec 10, 1971
Phoenix
117–126 (OT)
Gail Goodrich (32)
Wilt Chamberlain (28)
Jerry West (11)
The Forum 17,505
26–3
30
December 12, 1971
Atlanta
W 104–95
Gail Goodrich (32)
Chamberlain (24)
West (14)
The Forum 17,505
27–3
31
Tue, Dec 14, 1971
@ Portland
129–114
Chamberlain, Goodrich (24)
Wilt Chamberlain (18)
Jerry West (15)
Memorial Coliseum 9,048
28–3
32
Fri, Dec 17, 1971
Golden State
99–129
Gail Goodrich (25)
Wilt Chamberlain (18)
Jerry West (9)
The Forum 15,552
29–3
33
Sat, Dec 18, 1971
@ Phoenix
132–106
Gail Goodrich (28)
Wilt Chamberlain (16)
Jerry West (7)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 12,534
30–3
34
Sun, Dec 19, 1971
Philadelphia
132–154
Wilt Chamberlain (32)
Wilt Chamberlain (34)
Jerry West (10)
The Forum 17,505
31–3
35
Tue, Dec 21, 1971
@ Buffalo
117–103
Jerry West (33)
Wilt Chamberlain (22)
Jerry West (10)
Buffalo Memorial Auditorium 10,602
32–3
36
December 22, 1971
@ Baltimore
W 127–120
West (37)
Hairston (17)
West (9)
Baltimore Civic Center 8,468
33–3
37
Sun, Dec 26, 1971
Houston
115–137
Jerry West (34)
Happy Hairston (21)
Jerry West (17)
The Forum 17,505
34–3
38
Tue, Dec 28, 1971
Buffalo
87–105
Jerry West (24)
Happy Hairston (14)
Jerry West (8)
The Forum 17,505
35–3
39
Thu, Dec 30, 1971
@ Seattle
122–106
Jim McMillian (34)
Wilt Chamberlain (24)
Jerry West (11)
Seattle Center Coliseum 13,106
36–3 :
January: 8–4 (home: 4–1; road: 4–3)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
40
January 2, 1972
Boston
W 122–113
Goodrich (40)
Hairston (19)
West (12)
The Forum 17,505
37–3
41
Wed, Jan 5, 1972
@ Cleveland
113–103
Jim McMillian (29)
Happy Hairston (19)
Jerry West (14)
Cleveland Arena 11,178
38–3
42
January 7, 1972
@ Atlanta
W 134–90
Jim McMillian (26)
Chamberlain, Hairston (14)
West (13)
Alexander Memorial Coliseum 7,192
39–3
43
January 9, 1972
@ Milwaukee
L 104–120
West (20)
Hairston (18)
West (6)
MECCA Arena 10,746
39–4
44
Tue, Jan 11, 1972
@ Detroit
123–103
Wilt Chamberlain (29)
Wilt Chamberlain (18)
Jerry West (9)
Cobo Arena 10,050
40–4
45
Wed, Jan 12, 1972
@ Cincinnati
107–108
Wilt Chamberlain (24)
Happy Hairston (23)
Jerry West (7)
Cincinnati Gardens 5,231
40–5
46
Fri, Jan 14, 1972
@ Philadelphia
135–121
Jerry West (30)
Wilt Chamberlain (20)
Jerry West (13)
Spectrum 12,919
41–5
All-Star Break
47
January 21, 1972
New York
L 101–104
Chamberlain (28)
Chamberlain (19)
West (8)
The Forum 17,505
41–6
48
Sat, Jan 22, 1972
@ Phoenix
102–116
Jerry West (26)
Wilt Chamberlain (20)
Jerry West (8)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 12,534
41–7
49
Tue, Jan 25, 1972
Phoenix
119–129
Gail Goodrich (33)
Wilt Chamberlain (18)
Jerry West (7)
The Forum 17,505
42–7
50
Fri, Jan 28, 1972
Houston
105–118
Gail Goodrich (28)
Chamberlain, Hairston (18)
Jerry West (9)
The Forum 16,183
43–7
51
Sun, Jan 30, 1972
Portland
131–153
Gail Goodrich (29)
Wilt Chamberlain (24)
Jerry West (14)
The Forum 17,007
44–7 :
February: 12–3 (home: 7–1; road: 5–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
52
February 4, 1972
Milwaukee
W 118–105
West (37)
Chamberlain (25)
West (13)
The Forum 17,505
45–7
53
Sat, Feb 5, 1972
@ Golden State
108–96
Gail Goodrich (30)
Wilt Chamberlain (22)
Jerry West (14)
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena 13,502
46–7
54
February 6, 1972
Baltimore
W 151–127
Trapp (27)
Hairston (13)
West (10)
The Forum 17,103
47–7
55
February 8, 1972
@ New York
W 107–102
Goodrich (36)
Chamberlain (20)
West (7)
Madison Square Garden 19,588
48–7
56
February 9, 1972
@ Atlanta
W 117–113
West (31)
Hairston (11)
Goodrich, West (4)
Alexander Memorial Coliseum 7,192
49–7
57
February 11, 1972
@ Boston
L 108–121
West (25)
McMillian (10)
West (11)
Boston Garden 15,315
49–8
58
February 13, 1972
N Baltimore (at College Park, MD)
W 121–110
McMillian (31)
Hairston (20)
West (11)
Cole Field House 14,239
50–8
59
Tue, Feb 15, 1972
Cincinnati
118–125
Gail Goodrich (33)
Wilt Chamberlain (19)
Jerry West (13)
The Forum 15,161
51–8
60
Wed, Feb 16, 1972
@ Phoenix
109–110
McMillian, West (26)
Wilt Chamberlain (21)
Jerry West (8)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 12,534
51–9
61
Fri, Feb 18, 1972
Portland
114–125
Gail Goodrich (34)
Happy Hairston (19)
Jerry West (10)
The Forum 15,357
52–9
62
Sat, Feb 19, 1972
@ Portland
115–94
Happy Hairston (21)
Wilt Chamberlain (19)
Jerry West (12)
Memorial Coliseum 11,903
53–9
63
February 20, 1972
Boston
W 132–113
West (39)
Chamberlain (30)
West (9)
The Forum 17,505
54–9
64
Tue, Feb 22, 1972
Detroit
135–134 (OT)
Jerry West (37)
Wilt Chamberlain (21)
Jerry West (12)
The Forum 14,245
54–10
65
Wed, Feb 23, 1972
N Houston
110–115
Jerry West (36)
Wilt Chamberlain (14)
Goodrich, West (6)
Heart O' Texas Fair Complex 7,621
54–11
66
Fri, Feb 25, 1972
Cincinnati
88–109
Gail Goodrich (25)
Wilt Chamberlain (14)
Jerry West (7)
The Forum 17,036
55–11
67
February 27, 1972
Chicago
W 123–118 (OT)
West (36)
Chamberlain (23)
West (12)
The Forum 17,505
56–11
68
February 29, 1972
@ New York
W 114–111
West (32)
Chamberlain (19)
West (7)
Madison Square Garden 19,588
57–11 :
March: 11–2 (home: 8–1; road: 3–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
69
March 1, 1972
N Milwaukee (at Madison, WI)
W 109–108
West (28)
Hairston (20)
West (6)
Wisconsin Field House 9,227
58–11
70
March 3, 1972
Atlanta
W 114–104
Goodrich (33)
Hairston (25)
Chamberlain, West (7)
The Forum 17,282
59–11
71
March 5, 1972
Baltimore
L 94–108
West (25)
Hairston (27)
West (6)
The Forum 17,505
59–12
72
Tue, Mar 7, 1972
Philadelphia
97–114
Gail Goodrich (25)
Wilt Chamberlain (18)
Jerry West (7)
The Forum 17,505
60–12
73
Fri, Mar 10, 1972
Cleveland
98–132
Gail Goodrich (30)
Wilt Chamberlain (18)
Jerry West (8)
The Forum 14,861
61–12
74
Sun, Mar 12, 1972
Buffalo
102–141
Hairston, McMillian (23)
Wilt Chamberlain (17)
Erickson, West (8)
The Forum 14,090
62–12
75
Tue, Mar 14, 1972
@ Detroit
129–116
Jim McMillian (30)
Wilt Chamberlain (14)
Jerry West (14)
Cobo Arena 5,982
63–12
76
Wed, Mar 15, 1972
@ Cincinnati
121–116
Jerry West (32)
Wilt Chamberlain (24)
Jerry West (16)
Cincinnati Gardens 5,516
64–12
77
March 17, 1972
Milwaukee
W 123–107
McMillian (27)
Chamberlain (24)
West (10)
The Forum 17,505
65–12
78
Sun, Mar 19, 1972
Golden State
99–162
Gail Goodrich (30)
Happy Hairston (20)
Jerry West (13)
The Forum 17,505
66–12
79
March 21, 1972
@ Chicago
W 109–104
Goodrich (29)
Chamberlain (29)
West (11)
Chicago Stadium 17,729
67–12
80
Wed, Mar 22, 1972
@ Cleveland
120–124
Goodrich, West (31)
Wilt Chamberlain (19)
Jerry West (12)
Cleveland Arena 10,819
67–13
81
Fri, Mar 24, 1972
Phoenix
110–112
Gail Goodrich (36)
Wilt Chamberlain (19)
Jerry West (10)
The Forum 17,505
68–13
82
Sun, Mar 26, 1972
Seattle
98–124
Gail Goodrich (24)
Wilt Chamberlain (23)
Jerry West (11)
The Forum 17,505
69–13 :
1971–72 schedule :

### Playoffs

1972 playoff game log :
Western Conference Semifinals: 4–0 (home: 2–0; road: 2–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
1
March 28, 1972
Chicago
W 95–80
Goodrich (32)
Chamberlain, Hairston (17)
West (10)
The Forum 17,505
1–0
2
March 30, 1972
Chicago
W 131–124
West (37)
Chamberlain (21)
West (11)
The Forum 17,505
2–0
3
April 2, 1972
@ Chicago
W 108–101
West (31)
Chamberlain (14)
West (9)
Chicago Stadium 17,805
3–0
4
April 4, 1972
@ Chicago
W 108–97
Goodrich (27)
Chamberlain (31)
West (10)
Chicago Stadium 18,847
4–0 :
Western Conference Finals: 4–2 (home: 2–1; road: 2–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
1
April 9, 1972
Milwaukee
L 73–93
Hairston (16)
Chamberlain (24)
West (6)
The Forum 17,505
0–1
2
April 12, 1972
Milwaukee
W 135–134
McMillian (42)
Chamberlain (17)
West (13)
The Forum 17,505
1–1
3
April 14, 1972
@ Milwaukee
W 108–105
Goodrich (30)
Chamberlain (14)
West (8)
MECCA Arena 10,746
2–1
4
April 16, 1972
@ Milwaukee
L 88–114
West (24)
Chamberlain, Hairston (11)
Chamberlain, West (4)
MECCA Arena 10,746
2–2
5
April 18, 1972
Milwaukee
W 115–90
McMillian (25)
Chamberlain (26)
West (10)
The Forum 17,505
3–2
6
April 22, 1972
@ Milwaukee
W 104–100
West (25)
Chamberlain (24)
West (9)
MECCA Arena 10,746
4–2 :
NBA Finals: 4–1 (home: 2–1; road: 2–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
1
April 26, 1972
New York
L 92–114
Goodrich (20)
Chamberlain (19)
West (7)
The Forum 17,505
0–1
2
April 30, 1972
New York
W 106–92
Goodrich (31)
Chamberlain (24)
West (13)
The Forum 17,505
1–1
3
May 3, 1972
@ New York
W 107–96
Chamberlain (26)
Chamberlain, Hairston (20)
West (8)
Madison Square Garden 19,588
2–1
4
May 5, 1972
@ New York
W 116–111 (OT)
West (28)
Chamberlain (24)
West (7)
Madison Square Garden 19,588
3–1
5
May 7, 1972
New York
W 114–100
Goodrich (25)
Chamberlain (29)
West (9)
The Forum 17,505
4–1 :
1972 schedule :

## Player statistics
### Regular season

| Player | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
| Elgin Baylor | 9 | 26.6 | .433 | .815 | 6.3 | 2.0 | 11.8 |
| Wilt Chamberlain | 82 | 42.3 | .649 | .422 | 19.2 | 4.0 | 14.8 |
| Jim Cleamons | 38 | 5.3 | .350 | .778 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 2.6 |
| LeRoy Ellis | 74 | 14.6 | .460 | .695 | 4.2 | 0.6 | 4.6 |
| Keith Erickson | 15 | 17.5 | .482 | .857 | 2.6 | 2.3 | 5.7 |
| Gail Goodrich | 82 | 37.1 | .487 | .850 | 3.6 | 4.5 | 25.9 |
| Happy Hairston | 80 | 34.4 | .461 | .779 | 13.1 | 2.4 | 13.1 |
| Jim McMillian | 80 | 38.1 | .482 | .791 | 6.5 | 2.6 | 18.8 |
| Pat Riley | 67 | 13.8 | .447 | .743 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 6.7 |
| Flynn Robinson | 64 | 15.7 | .490 | .860 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 9.9 |
| John Q. Trapp | 58 | 13.1 | .443 | .699 | 3.1 | 0.7 | 5.7 |
| Jerry West | 77 | 38.6 | .477 | .814 | 4.2 | 9.7 | 25.8 |

### Playoffs

| Player | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
| Wilt Chamberlain | 15 | 46.9 | .563 | .492 | 21.0 | 3.3 | 14.7 |
| Jim Cleamons | 6 | 2.8 | .571 | N/A | 0.7 | 0.7 | 1.3 |
| LeRoy Ellis | 13 | 10.3 | .463 | .250 | 3.2 | 0.8 | 3.0 |
| Gail Goodrich | 15 | 38.3 | .445 | .898 | 2.5 | 3.3 | 23.8 |
| Happy Hairston | 15 | 38.5 | .440 | .794 | 13.1 | 2.1 | 13.5 |
| Jim McMillian | 15 | 41.6 | .447 | .857 | 5.7 | 1.5 | 19.1 |
| Pat Riley | 15 | 16.3 | .333 | .750 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 5.2 |
| Flynn Robinson | 7 | 10.3 | .463 | .700 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 6.4 |
| John Q. Trapp | 10 | 7.1 | .242 | .571 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 2.0 |
| Jerry West | 15 | 40.5 | .376 | .830 | 4.9 | 8.9 | 22.9 |

## NBA Finals

The Los Angeles Lakers played against the New York Knicks in the NBA finals during the postseason.

### Game 1

Although without Willis Reed because of his knee injury. Jerry Lucas scored 26 points but was only one of several Knicks who was red hot. Bill Bradley hit 11 of 12 shots from the field as New York shot 53 percent for the game. The team took advantage of a nearly perfect first half to jump to a good lead and won easily, 114–92. Early in the second half, the Forum crowd began filing out dejectedly. It looked like another Los Angeles fold in the Finals.

### Game 2

Knicks forward Dave DeBusschere hurt his side and didn't play after the first half. Hairston scored 12 points in the second half, and Los Angeles evened the series with a 106–92 win.

### Game 3

DeBusschere attempted to play in the first half and missed all six of his field-goal attempts. He was hurting and elected not to play in the second half. DeBusschere explained, "I didn't feel I was helping the team." The Lakers danced out to a 22-point lead and regained the home-court advantage with a 107–96 win.

### Game 4

The game went into overtime, but at the end of regulation, Wilt Chamberlain picked up his fifth foul. In 13 NBA seasons, he had never fouled out of a game, a history he was immensely proud of but also one that usually led to him playing less aggressively when he was on the verge of getting a 6th foul. As the press waited for Wilt to take the floor and hurt the Lakers by reverting to a passive style, he instead came out in a shotblocking fury that propelled the Lakers to a 116–111 win. At three games to one, their lead now seemed insurmountable.

### Game 5

The Lakers won their sixth NBA championship by the score of 114–100. This was their first championship since moving to Los Angeles in 1960. Jerry West also won his first NBA championship after 12 years of waiting. Wilt Chamberlain scored 24 points and 29 rebounds and earned the NBA Finals MVP Award.

## Award winners

* Bill Sharman, NBA Coach of the Year
* Jerry West, All-NBA First Team
* Jerry West, All-NBA Defensive First Team
* Wilt Chamberlain, All-NBA Defensive First Team
* Wilt Chamberlain, NBA Leader, Shooting Percentage (.649)