5/20/1989 1989 NBA Playoffs Western Conference Finals Game 1, Phoenix Suns at Los Angeles Lakers, Great Western Forum, Inglewood, CA


 32 years ago today...

May 20, 1989 - Inglewood, CA

The Phoenix Suns lost Game 1 of the 1989 NBA Western Conference Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers 127 - 119 at the Great Western Forum.
As fate would have it, Lebron James' late game 3-pointer to defeat the Golden State Warriors last night puts the defending NBA Champion Lakers against the Suns in the first round of the playoffs this season. For the second-seeded Suns, it is the team's first playoff appearance in the past 10 years and a very tough opening round draw.
In 1989, the Lakers would go on to sweep the Suns 4-0 and move on to the NBA Finals where they were swept in turn by Isiah Thomas and the Bad Boy Detroit Pistons.
The Lakers were led by James Worthy with 32 points. Magic Johnson had a double-double with 18 points and 12 assists. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Byron Scott and A.C. Green rounded out the Lakers starting lineup.
Suns point guard Kevin Johnson outperformed Magic statistically with 27 points and 18 assists in a losing effort. Jeff Hornacek and Tom Chambers also scored in double digits.
Attending this Western Conference Finals game was a last-minute opportunity. We were in Hollywood filming TV commercials when the between-takes chatter was all about the Lakers and Suns in the playoffs. An enterprising producer picked up on the conversation, made a phone call, and a pair of center court tickets for the sold out game were handed to my client. He invited me to join him with instructions to bury the added expense of an additional hotel room night, flight change fees, cab fare and miscellaneous "entertainment" costs in the overall production budget. Creative accounting ensued.
Attending a Lakers home game is a star-studded affair. We saw Jack Nicholson and record producer Lou Adler sitting in row 1 midcourt. Dyan Cannon, who I had a crush on since the "Honeysuckle Rose" movie with Willie Nelson nine years earlier, was also at courtside.
I was happy to see that the Suns Coach at the time, Cotton Fitzsimmons, was just named to the next class to be inducted in to the Basketball Hall of Fame, joining Lakers Coach Pat Riley with this honor. The "Cotton Express" towel he signed for me was whipped in to a fan frenzy at Suns home playoff games that year at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, aka "the Madhouse On McDowell."



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