BY THE NUMBERS

8-0: Laker record in road games in the playoffs, making them the first NBA championship team to go unbeaten on the road.

3-0: Laker record in the middle three games of the Finals, making them the third team to accomplish the feat in 2-3-2 format. The Detroit Pistons (1990) and Chicago Bulls (1991) also won three in a row on the road.

5: Teams that lost the first game of the NBA Finals and won the next four--the Lakers this year, the Chicago Bulls in 1991, the New York Knicks in 1973, the Lakers in 1972 and the Minneapolis Lakers in 1953.

3: Teams that Phil Jackson either coached or played for that lost the first game of the NBA Finals and won the next four--the Lakers this year, the Chicago Bulls in 1991 and New York Knicks in 1973.

14: Teams that lost the first game of the NBA Finals and won the championship, with the 1998 Chicago Bulls being the most recent before the Lakers.

30-6: Lakers’ record this season with Derek Fisher in the lineup, an .833 percentage. The Lakers were 41-21 without Fisher, a .661 percentage.

12-11: The Philadelphia 76ers’ record in the 2001 playoffs.

A RING TO IT

Number of NBA championship teams that selected players were on:

11--Bill Russell (Boston)

10--Sam Jones (Boston)

8--John Havlicek (Boston)

8--Satch Sanders (Boston)

8--”Jungle Jim” Loscutoff (Boston)

6--Bob Cousy (Boston)

6--Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Milw., Lakers)

6--Michael Jordan (Chicago)

6--Scottie Pippen (Chicago)

5--Jim Pollard (Minneapolis Lakers)

5--Don Nelson (Boston)

5--Magic Johnson (Lakers)

5--Dennis Rodman (Detroit, Chicago)

5--Ron Harper (Chicago, Lakers)

4--George Mikan (Minneapolis)

4--Kurt Rambis (Lakers)

4--Steve Kerr (Chicago, San Antonio)

4--Will Perdue (Chicago, San Antonio)

4--Horace Grant (Chicago, Lakers)

4--Robert Horry (Houston, Lakers)

3--James Worthy (Lakers)

3--Dennis Johnson (Seattle, Boston)

3--Paul Silas (Boston, Seattle)

3--Larry Bird (Boston)

3--Byron Scott (Lakers)

3--Bill Wennington (Chicago)

3--A.C. Green (Lakers)

2--Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia, Lakers)

2--Dave Cowens (Boston)

2--Bobby Dandridge (Milw., Washington)

2--Mitch Kupchak (Washington, Lakers)

2--Bill Walton (Portland, Boston)

2--Greg Kite (Boston)

2--Mike Smrek (Lakers)

2--Bill Laimbeer (Detroit)

2--Isiah Thomas (Detroit)

1--Jerry West (Lakers)

1--Jim Cleamons (Lakers)

1--Oscar Robertson (Milwaukee)

1--Elvin Hayes (Washington)

1--Wes Unseld (Washington)

DOUBLE ENTRY

Number of NBA championship teams that selected individuals played on or coached:

10--K.C. Jones, eight as player (Boston), two as coach (Boston)

10--Tom Heinsohn, eight as player (Boston), two as coach (Boston)

9--Phil Jackson, one as player (New York), eight as coach (Chicago, Lakers)

5--Bill Sharman, four as player (Boston), one as coach (Lakers)

5--Pat Riley, one as player (Lakers), four as coach (Lakers)

3--Red Holzman, one as player (Rochester), two as coach (New York)

2--Larry Costello, one as player (Philadelphia), one as coach (Milwaukee)

2--Billy Cunningham, one as player (Philadelphia), one as coach (Philadelphia)

Note--Bill Russell was player-coach on two of Boston’s championship teams. Buddy Jeanette was a player-coach on one championship team (Baltimore).

NO ENTRY

Selected players who were never on NBA championship teams:

Charles Barkley, Elgin Baylor, George Gervin, Artis Gilmore, Bob Lanier, Pete Maravich, Karl Malone, Sidney Moncrief, John Stockton, Nate Thurmond and Dominique Wilkins.