Coached by former Boston Celtics star Bill Sharman and led by future Hall of Famers Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West and Gail Goodrich, the 1971-72 Lakers began their historic run of victories on November 5, 1971 when they beat the Baltimore Bullets in Baltimore, 110-106. They set a new NBA record with their 21st win on December 11, beating the Atlanta Hawks 104-95 and surpassing the 20-game winning streak the Bucks had put together the previous year.
The defending National Basketball Association (NBA) champion Bucks got their revenge on January 9, when a keyed-up Abdul-Jabbar scored 39 points, outplaying Chamberlain (15 points) with more rebounds (20 vs. 12), blocked shots (10 vs. 6) and assists (5 vs. 2). Abdul-Jabbar’s dominance, combined with a "get-back" defense formulated by Bucks Coach Larry Costello, decisively halted the Lakers’ historic streak.
After ending their season with a then-record 69 wins, Chamberlain and his team beat the Bucks in the Western division title match. This got them a berth in the NBA finals, where they decisively defeated the New York Knicks, four games to one. Chamberlain retired from professional basketball in 1973, and two years later Abdul-Jabbar joined the Lakers, where he later teamed with Magic Johnson to make Los Angeles the dominant team of the 1980s.
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