Bucks/Lakers 48 Years Later Notes

Some notes likely not anywhere else, regarding early NBA season battles between “fine records” Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers’ teams, 48 years apart.

Last night, in a battle of (24-4) teams, each of whom having lost their most recent tilt (Dallas even without budding star, Luka Doncic and on the road, ended the Bucks’ 18 game win skein, one only exceeded in franchise annals by their then NBA record win skein, set in their lone title season in ’70-’71–while Indiana ended the Lakers’ 14 game road winning streak), the 5 point, home favorite Bucks, won (111-104) vs the Lakers.

It was just over 48 years ago, with a future great NBA center, Bill Walton, then a sophomore about to lead UCLA to the college crown, happily watching Kareem Abdul Jabbar vs Wilt Chamberlain, the same franchises each took (17-3) records, into a Lakers’ home (112-105) victory.

Some pretty startling similarities, likely not noted elsewhere.

Kareem Abdul Jabbar scored 39 points in the loss and 39 again, 7 weeks later, when the Bucks’ home win ended the Lakers’ remarkable 33 game winning streak.

In the Lakers’ November 21, 1971 win, Pat Riley, who played vs the then Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul Jabbar) in high school and coached him on 4 Lakers’ title teams in the 1980’s, hit on 7 of 11 shots in a strong game.

John Block made his only shot in the November 1971 game and really helped Milwaukee end the Lakers’ win skein, shooting 7 of 11 (the Bucks’ Lucius Allen went 9 of 13), in the January 9, 1972 game.

Mr. Block as a Houston Rockets player. The Rockets played games on the same day as all 3 Bucks/Lakers games cited above, splitting vs the Warriors 48 or so years ago and winning vs the L.A. Clippers, in L.A. last night.