The Kings and New York Rangers face off in the Stanley Cup final beginning Wednesday. It will be the sixth time that Los Angeles and New York have met to decide a title in a major sport, and the first time since 1981.
A look at the past bicoastal moments:
Dodgers vs. Yankees, 1963 World Series
Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax was lit up in the first inning of Game 1. Tom Tresh and Mickey Mantle homered for a 3-0 lead. Wait, only R.P. McMurphy saw that.
The Yankees were on their game in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo Nest." Koufax was on his in real life. He pitched two complete games and the Dodgers swept. In Game 1, Koufax's curve really was snapping off like a firecracker. He struck out 15, then a World Series record, in a 5-2 victory in the opener. He struck out eight more in a 2-1 series clincher.
Footnote: Mantle did homer off Koufax in Game 4. By then, Yankees fans had tuned out. Not even McMurphy wanted to watch the World Series.
Lakers vs. Knicks, 1970 NBA Finals.
Conspiracy theorist, ones in Los Angeles anyway, would like to believe that Willis Reed was never injured. It was all a motivational ploy, an elaborate hoax by the New York Times.
Alas, an injured Reed really did hobble onto the court for warm-ups before Game 7. He really did sink his first two shots to show that beating the Lakers in the final wasn't just a Boston thing. Of course, Walt Frazier's 36 points, 19 rebounds and seven assists might have had something to do with it as well.
Footnote: Jerry West sank a 63-footer at the buzzer to send Game 3 into overtime. Today, it would have been a three-pointer that won the game and, thus, allowed the Lakers to take the title in six games. Back then, the Knicks shrugged and won Game 3 in overtime.
Lakers vs. Knicks, 1972 NBA Finals
This wasn't so much a season as a coronation.
The Lakers won 33 consecutive games at one point and finished with a then-NBA record 69 victories. They needed to win a tough series with Chicago and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's Milwaukee team to get to the finals. After losing Game 1, the Lakers breezed to their first NBA title. This time, Reed missed the entire series.
Footnote: Los Angeles Times writer Mal Florence was sent to cover the Lakers during their record winning streak. When the streak finally was ended by Milwaukee, Florence was called home. On seeing him in the hotel, Lakers Coach Bill Sharman ask Florence, "Mal, where are you going?" Florence replied, "I don't cover losers."
Lakers vs. Knicks, 1973 NBA Finals
Payback.
The Lakers won Game 1, then were whisked out of the series in five games. This series featured 13 future Hall of Famers: nine as players, four as coaches. That included a brutal power forward (the Knicks' Phil Jackson) and a guard who was once drafted by the Dallas Cowboys (the Lakers' Pat Riley. The Knicks have not won a title since. The Lakers have won 10, nine with either Riley or Jackson as their coach.
Footnote: Wilt Chamberlain's career ended with a Game 5 loss. His last basket was an uncontested fast break dunk with one second left.
Dodgers vs. Yankees, 1977 World Series
Fortunately, no one asked Dodgers Manager Tommy Lasorda what he thought of Reggie Jackson's performance. The stream of obscenities would have caused Tommy to spontaneously combust.
Jackson homered on his last four swings in the six-game series, three coming in the Game 6 series clincher. Even more amazing was that Yankees' center fielder Mickey Rivers threw a guy out at the plate. Steve Garvey was cut down trying to score from first in the sixth inning of Game 1. Replays showed he was safe. Important? The Yankees won in 12 innings.
Footnote: New York needed this won after enduring Son of Sam and a blackout that summer.
Dodgers vs. Yankees, 1978 World Series
That Jackson guy again. The Dodgers were up in the series, 2-1, and had a 3-1 lead in the sixth inning of Game 4. Then …
With Thurman Munson was on second and Jackson on first, Lou Piniella hit a soft liner to shortstop Bill Russell, who dropped the ball. Russell stepped on second. But Jackson, caught between first and second, stuck his hip out and deflected the ball into foul territory. While Garvey yelled at the umpire, Munson scored. The Yankees won in 10 innings and then won the next two games to win the Series.
Footnote: In Game 1, rookie Bob Welch struck out Jackson on a 3-and-2 pitch with two on and two out in the ninth. Jackson claimed afterward that he was distracted by Bucky Dent, who was running from second on the pitch. Years later, Jackson admitted Welch just bested him.
Dodgers vs. Yankees, 1981 World Series
The Dodgers rallied from a 2-0 series deficit to win in six games. Three, count 'em, three Dodgers shared the MVP award: Ron Cey, Pedro Guerrero and Steve Yeager. But this was George Steinbrenner's series.
The Yankees owner called a news conference in his hotel room after New York lost Game 3 and claimed he and two Dodger fans had fought in the elevator. He had as proof a cast on his left hand. The story was never confirmed. Steinbrenner issued a public apology to the city of New York after the Yankees lost.
Footnote: The Cincinnati Reds had baseball's best record in 1981. But a strike forced the season to be split into two halves. The Dodgers and Houston Astros were the NL West teams that made the postseason.
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