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ON THIS DAY: May 7, 1972 – First Title Win in Los Angeles

From 1962 to 1970, the Lakers would appear in seven of the nine NBA Finals during that span. Every series ended in heartbreaking fashion as the team was unable to capture its first title in Los Angeles and lost six of those matchups to the rival Boston Celtics (the other came against the New York Knicks).

First year head coach Bill Sharman replaced Joe Mullaney after a two-year stint and took over the reins of a lineup that featured the likes of Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Gail Goodrich, and Jerry West, among others.

Baylor would only play in 11 regular season games in his final two seasons before retiring.