 In the 1972 NBA Finals , the Lakers again met the New York Knicks ; the Knicks were shorthanded after losing 6 ' 9 " Willis Reed to injury , and so , undersized 6 ' 8 " Jerry Lucas had the task to defend against the 7 ' 1 " Chamberlain . However , prolific outside shooter Lucas helped New York to win Game 1 , hitting nine of his 11 shots in the first half alone ; in Game 2 , which the Lakers won 106 – 92 , Chamberlain put Lucas into foul trouble , and the Knicks lost defensive power forward Dave DeBusschere to injury . In Game 3 , Chamberlain scored 26 points and grabbed 20 rebounds for another Lakers win , and in a fiercely battled Game 4 , the Lakers center was playing with five fouls late in the game . Having never fouled out in his career – a feat that he was very proud of – he played aggressive defense despite the risk of fouling out , and blocked two of Lucas ' shots in overtime , proving those wrong who said he only played for his own stats ; he ended scoring a game @-@ high 27 points . But in that game , he fell on his right hand , and was said to have " sprained " it ; it was actually broken . For Game 5 , Chamberlain 's hands were packed into thick pads normally destined for defensive linesmen in American Football ; he was offered a painkilling shot , but refused because he feared he would lose his shooting touch if his hands became numb . In Game 5 , Chamberlain recorded 24 points , 29 rebounds , eight assists and eight blocked shots . ( While blocked shots were not an official NBA stat at that time , announcer Keith Jackson counted the blocks during the broadcast . ) Chamberlain 's outstanding all @-@ around performance helped the Lakers win their first championship in Los Angeles with a decisive 114 – 100 win . Chamberlain was named Finals MVP , and was admired for dominating the Knicks in Game 5 while playing injured . 
