1972 NBA Finals: Knicks at Lakers, Gm 5 part 11/11

Game 5 - Lakers 114, Knicks 100

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 Knicks 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.