Magic Johnson Talks About Being Motivated by the 1984 NBA Finals Loss in Lakers News

One of the low moments in the Los Angeles Lakers franchise’s history was the NBA Finals in 1984. That was expected to be the season when the Los Angeles Lakers defeated their enduring foe, the Boston Celtics. But the Lakers were defeated in seven games, mostly as a result of some horrible errors made by the late Magic Johnson

‘Tragic’ Johnson earned the moniker from his performance, and it was unclear if he would be able to help the Lakers recover from losing two straight NBA Finals. Magic was upset over the 1984 Finals, but it also inspired him.

On a Renaissance Man appearance with Jalen Rose, he discussed this and said that while he wept all summer, he also used the defeat to assess his own performance and put in the required work to return the next year even stronger:

This was the first time I committed blunders that were crucial to our team losing the title. Because I let my teammates down and was the reason we didn’t win the title, I sobbed for three months during the summer, Jalen. But Jalen, the first thing I had to do was admit to myself that I wasn’t as good as I thought I was. I have to return to the lab. I have to return to work. The toughest thing you had to do was self-evaluate. Anyone who wants to get better must evaluate themselves and be honest with themselves. In essence, I was conducting a SWOT analysis of myself. And what is that? Threats, Opportunities, Weaknesses, and Opportunities.

I had to put in some practice to improve my jump shot. I have to watch out that I never again make serious errors. I therefore became better during that summer. I began practicing firing a little sky hook, working on it continuously. I was exercising each and every day. I was exercising three times every day. Isiah [Thomas] and I worked out at midnight after returning from a short snooze in the afternoon and early morning. We were inserting it. God intended for me to play the Celtics again in 1985 and for us to defeat them as a result because I improved and didn’t make crucial errors.

The Lakers finished the season with 62 victories and the best record in the Western Conference under Magic’s direction. The Lakers breezed through the postseason and ran into the Celtics in the championship series, where they would ultimately triumph against them for the first time in team history.

Loss may sometimes be the catalyst for change, and Magic handled disappointment in the right manner. use it as inspiration to achieve the greatest success and future satisfaction.

Report: Former Lakers star Lamar Odom signs deal to become professional boxer - Lakers Daily

Any Lakers player, but especially those who played them in the Finals, harbors animosity for the Celtics, and former Lakers big Lamar Odom has his own tale to tell as to why he despises that team.

Odom recounted the 2008 Finals, in which the Lakers lost, and how Celtics supporters encircled the team bus and started shaking it after the series defeat. He will never forget that, and it only served to enhance the joy of beating Boston in 2010.