The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the New York Knicks 4 games to 1 in the best-of-seven NBA Finals series to conclude the 1971-72 NBA season. The victory gave the Lakers their first NBA championship after failing in their previous seven trips to the NBA Finals since moving to Los Angeles. It was the Lakers' first championship since winning one as the Minneapolis Lakers in 1954.

Wilt Chamberlain won NBA Finals MVP honors, averaging 19.4 points and 23.2 rebounds in the series.

The Lakers had home-court advantage for the Finals, which were played under the 2-2-1-1-1 format. The Lakers won four of the five regular-season meetings in 1971-72, including all three games played in New York.

Team	Knicks	Lakers
Regular Season	48-34, 2nd in Atlantic Division	69-13, 1st in Pacific Division
Conference Semifinals	Def. (2) Baltimore Bullets, 4-2	Def. (3) Chicago Bulls, 4-0
Conference Finals	Def. (1) Boston Celtics, 4-1	Def. (2) Milwaukee Bucks, 4-2

The Knicks made 16 of their first 20 shots, shot 72 percent in the first half and led 67-49 at the half. The Lakers were unable to make any sort of comeback after shooting just 5-of-27 from the field in the third quarter.

The Knicks were led by Bill Bradley, who made 11-of-12 shots and finished with a game-high 29 points. Walt Frazier added a triple-double with 14 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists. Jerry Lucas had 26 points while holding Wilt Chamberlain to just 12 points on 5-of-11 from the field. Gail Goodrich led the Lakers with 20 points but was just 8-of-22 from the field. The Lakers shot just 39 percent for the game.

With the Knicks leading 44-42, Dave DeBusschere pulled a muscle in his right side. The Lakers closed the half on a 9-6 run to take a 51-50 lead. The Lakers took advantage of DeBusschere's absence, outscoring the Knicks 28-11 in the third quarter. DeBusschere tried briefly to play in the third quarter but left for good with 11 minutes left in the quarter.

Wilt Chamberlain bounced back from a subpar Game 1 with 23 points and 24 rebounds. Gail Goodrich led the Lakers with a game-high 31 points. Walt Frazier led the Knicks with 21 points. The Lakers' defense forced the Knicks into 26 turnovers.

Dave DeBusschere watched from the bench in the second half as the Lakers outscored the Knicks 28-18 in the third quarter and led by as many as 22. The Knicks again struggled in the third quarter, hitting just 7-of-23 from the field. The Knicks got as close as seven points in the fourth quarter.

Wilt Chamberlain had a game-high 26 points and 20 rebounds while Gail Goodrich added 25 points. Happy Hairston also grabbed 20 rebounds for the Lakers. Walt Frazier led the Knicks with 25 points while Jerry Lucas added 23 points and 14 rebounds.

Walt Frazier's tip-in with three seconds left forced overtime. Jerry West, who had put the Lakers ahead with a 25-footer just eight seconds earlier, missed a shot at the buzzer.

Jim McMillian scored the first two baskets of the extra period. Bill Bradley followed up with two baskets of his own to tie the game at 111 with 1:35 to go. The Lakers scored the final five points of the game -- two free throws by Jerry West, a basket by Gail Goodrich and a free throw for Goodrich.

West finished with a game-high 28 points and Goodrich added 27. Bradley led the Knicks with 26 points while Walt Frazier added 24.

The Lakers won their first NBA championship in Los Angeles. The Lakers arrived from Minneapolis 12 years ago in Jerry West's rookie year. The Minneapolis Lakers won five NBA championships during the George Mikan era but had lost 7 times in the NBA Finals since moving to Los Angeles.

West had 23 points and Gail Goodrich led the Lakers with 25 points but it was the dominant play of Wilt Chamberlain that was the difference. Chamberlain, despite a severely sprained right wrist, had 24 points and 29 rebounds on his way to becoming NBA Finals MVP. Behind Chamberlain, the Lakers outrebounded the Celtics 67-39 in the game. Walt Frazier led the Knicks with a game-high 27 points and 10 assists.

The Lakers used a decisive 13-2 run in the fourth quarter to take a 98-85 advantage with five minutes remaining. Los Angeles outscored New York 61-47 in the second half.

When the NBA compilied its list of the 60 Greatest Playoff Moments to coincide with the league's 60th anniversary, Chamberlain's MVP performance ranked No. 45 on the list.