Editing Magic Johnson (section)

=== Battles against the Celtics (1983–1987) ===
[[File:Magic Lipofsky.jpg|thumb|Johnson with the [[Los Angeles Lakers]] {{circa}} 1987]]
Prior to Johnson's [[1983–84 Los Angeles Lakers season|fifth season]], West—who had become the Lakers general manager—traded Nixon to free Johnson from sharing the ball-handling responsibilities.<ref>{{cite news |last=Schrader |first=Steve |title=Ticker: Jerry West still fielding Magic Johnson-Norm Nixon questions |date=March 23, 2014 |newspaper=Detroit Free Press |url=http://www.freep.com/article/20140323/SPORTS03/303230065/ticker?odyssey=obinsite |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140324014222/http://www.freep.com/article/20140323/SPORTS03/303230065/ticker?odyssey=obinsite |archive-date=March 24, 2014 |access-date=May 9, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> Johnson averaged another double-double season, with 17.6&nbsp;points, 13.1&nbsp;assists, and 7.3&nbsp;rebounds per game.<ref name="stats" /> The Lakers reached the [[1984 NBA Finals|Finals]] for the third year in a row, where Johnson's [[1983–84 Los Angeles Lakers season|Lakers]] and Bird's [[1983–84 Boston Celtics season|Celtics]] met for the first time in the postseason.<ref name="1984finals">{{cite web |website=NBA Encyclopedia: Playoff Edition |title=Celtics Win First Bird–Magic Finals Showdown |url=http://www.nba.com/history/finals/19831984.html|access-date=May 18, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512145314/http://www.nba.com/history/finals/19831984.html|archive-date=May 12, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Lakers won the first game, and led by two points in Game 2 with 18&nbsp;seconds to go, but after a [[layup]] by [[Gerald Henderson]], Johnson failed to get a shot off before the final buzzer sounded, and the Lakers lost 124–121 in overtime.<ref name="1984finals" /> In Game 3, Johnson responded with 21&nbsp;assists in a 137–104 win, but he made several crucial errors late in the contest during Game 4. In the final minute of the game, Johnson had the ball stolen by Celtics center [[Robert Parish]], and then missed two free throws that could have won the game. The Celtics won Game 4 in overtime, and the teams split the next two games. In the decisive Game 7 in Boston, as the Lakers trailed by three points in the final minute, opposing point guard [[Dennis Johnson]] stole the ball from Johnson, a play that effectively ended the series.<ref name="1984finals" /> Friends [[Isiah Thomas]] and [[Mark Aguirre]] consoled him that night, talking until the morning in his Boston hotel room amidst fan celebrations on the street.<ref name="auto">{{Cite book |last=Lazenby |first=Roland |url=http://archive.org/details/showinsidestoryo00laze/page/237 |title=The Show: The Inside Story of the Spectacular Los Angeles Lakers in the Words of Those Who Lived It |year=2006 |location=New York |publisher=McGraw-Hill |page=237 |isbn=978-0-07-143034-0}}</ref><ref name=thomsen>{{cite magazine |last=Thomsen |first=Ian |title=Isiah blasts Magic Johnson over criticisms in forthcoming book |date=October 22, 2009 |magazine=Sports Illustrated |url=https://www.si.com/more-sports/2009/10/22/isiah-magic |access-date=December 4, 2017 |archive-date=January 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115191809/https://www.si.com/more-sports/2009/10/22/isiah-magic |url-status=live}}</ref> During the Finals, Johnson averaged 18.0&nbsp;points on .560&nbsp;shooting, 13.6&nbsp;assists, and 7.7&nbsp;rebounds per game.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/NBA_1984_finals.html |title=1984 NBA Finals Composite Box Score |work=basketball-reference.com|access-date=February 19, 2008|archive-date=October 21, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081021010039/http://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/NBA_1984_finals.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Johnson later described the series as "the one championship we should have had but didn't get".<ref>{{cite book |last=Johnson |first=Earvin "Magic" |author2=William Novak |title=My Life |year=1999 |page=196 |publisher=Black Book Company |isbn=1-902799-01-1}}</ref>

In the [[1984–85 NBA season|1984–85 regular season]], Johnson averaged 18.3&nbsp;points, 12.6&nbsp;assists, and 6.2&nbsp;rebounds per game, and led the [[1984–85 Los Angeles Lakers season|Lakers]] into the [[1985 NBA Finals]], where they faced the [[1984–85 Boston Celtics season|Celtics]] again. The series started poorly for the Lakers when they allowed an NBA Finals record 148&nbsp;points to the Celtics in a 34-point loss in Game 1.<ref name="85finals">{{cite web |website=NBA Encyclopedia: Playoff Edition |title=Aging Abdul-Jabbar Finds Youth |url=http://www.nba.com/history/85jabbar_moments.html|access-date=May 17, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120210020433/http://www.nba.com/history/85jabbar_moments.html|archive-date=February 10, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> However, Abdul-Jabbar, who was now 38&nbsp;years old, scored 30&nbsp;points and grabbed 17&nbsp;rebounds in Game 2, and his 36&nbsp;points in a Game 5 win were instrumental in establishing a 3–2 lead for Los Angeles.<ref name="85finals" /> After the Lakers defeated the Celtics in six games, Abdul-Jabbar and Johnson, who averaged 18.3&nbsp;points on .494&nbsp;shooting, 14.0&nbsp;assists, and 6.8&nbsp;rebounds per game in the championship series,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/NBA_1985_finals.html |title=1985 NBA Finals Composite Box Score |website=Basketball-Reference.com|access-date=May 11, 2008|archive-date=September 23, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110923012030/http://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/NBA_1985_finals.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |website=NBA Encyclopedia: Playoff Edition |title=Kareem, Lakers Conquer the Celtic Mystique |url=http://www.nba.com/history/finals/19841985.html|access-date=May 17, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304073836/http://www.nba.com/history/finals/19841985.html|archive-date=March 4, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> said the Finals win was the highlight of their careers.<ref>{{cite book |last=Johnson |author2=Novak |title=My Life |year=1999 |page=199 |publisher=Black Book Company |isbn=1-902799-01-1}}</ref>

Johnson again averaged a double-double in the [[1985–86 NBA season]], with 18.8&nbsp;points, 12.6&nbsp;assists, and 5.9&nbsp;rebounds per game.<ref name="stats" /> The [[1985–86 Los Angeles Lakers season|Lakers]] advanced to the [[1986 NBA Playoffs|Western Conference Finals]], but were unable to defeat the [[1985–86 Houston Rockets season|Houston Rockets]], who advanced to the Finals in five games.<ref>{{cite web |website=NBA Encyclopedia: Playoff Edition |title=1986 Playoff Results |url=http://www.nba.com/history/playoffs/19851986.html|access-date=May 17, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120210020516/http://www.nba.com/history/playoffs/19851986.html|archive-date=February 10, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the [[1986–87 NBA season|next season]], Johnson averaged a career-high of 23.9&nbsp;points, as well as 12.2&nbsp;assists and 6.3&nbsp;rebounds per game,<ref name="stats" /> and earned his first [[NBA Most Valuable Player Award|regular season MVP award]].<ref>{{cite web |title=All-Time #NBArank: Magic No. 4 |publisher=ESPN |date=February 10, 2016 |url=https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/page/nbarank4/all-nbarank-4|access-date=December 27, 2020|archive-date=November 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108104536/https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/page/nbarank4/all-nbarank-4|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/awards/awards_1987.html#mvp |title=1986–87 NBA MVP Voting |website=Basketball-Reference|access-date=February 19, 2008|archive-date=February 17, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080217094314/http://www.basketball-reference.com/awards/awards_1987.html#mvp|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[1986–87 Los Angeles Lakers season|Lakers]] met the [[1986–87 Boston Celtics season|Celtics]] for the third time in the [[1987 NBA Finals|NBA Finals]], and in Game 4 Johnson hit a last-second hook shot over Celtics [[frontcourt|big men]] Parish and [[Kevin McHale (basketball)|Kevin McHale]] to win the game 107–106.<ref name="finals87">{{cite web |website=NBA Encyclopedia: Playoff Edition |title=Magic Maneuvers Lakers Past Celtics |url=http://www.nba.com/history/finals/19861987.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622091755/http://www.nba.com/history/finals/19861987.html |archive-date=June 22, 2011}}</ref> The game-winning shot, which Johnson dubbed his "junior, junior, junior [[hook shot|sky-hook]]",<ref name="finals87" /> helped Los Angeles defeat Boston in six games. Johnson was awarded his third Finals MVP title after averaging 26.2&nbsp;points on .541&nbsp;shooting, 13.0&nbsp;assists, 8.0&nbsp;rebounds, and 2.33&nbsp;steals per game.<ref name="finals87" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/NBA_1987_finals.html |title=1987 NBA Finals Composite Box Score |website=Basketball-Reference|access-date=November 3, 2008|archive-date=August 8, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110808123105/http://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/NBA_1987_finals.html|url-status=live}}</ref>