SHOWTIME AT THE FORUM KAREEM-MAGIC ERA'S CONTAGIOUS SENSE OF JOY INVITED EVERYONE ALONG ON FAST BREAK TO GREATNESS.

Byline: Vincent Bonsignore Staff Writer

The Lakers' Showtime era first blossomed in 1980, springing to life in the form of Magic Johnson's exuberance, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's excellence and Jerry Buss' extravagance.

But the seed for the Lakers' dominant, magical dynasty of the 1980s was sown in 1975 when the Milwaukee Bucks satisfied Abdul-Jabbar's wish to be traded to the Lakers. Three years later, it was given water when Jamaal Wilkes was imported from Golden State. Sunshine was provided with the drafting of Magic in 1979, the same year Buss, a free-spending, win-at-all-costs real estate tycoon with a Ph.D., purchased the team from eccentric Jack Kent Cooke.

The success that followed may never be matched, not by the current Lakers or anyone else. And say what you want about the Bulls' six NBA titles from 1991-1998, but no one did it more consistently or entertainingly as the Lakers, who won five titles from 1980-1988 and reached the NBA finals nine time in 11 years.

Along the way they helped define a city and its unique style while mirroring the wild times of the 1980s.

This was entertainment, unabashed fun and champagne drenched championship trophies.

``There's only one reason to play the game,'' Johnson said. ``And that's to show you're the best. Well, two reasons actually, the other is to have fun. But you can't have fun unless you're winning and prove you are the best.''

Looking back it's hard to believe it came together the way it did. But like all great dynasties, it took genius, luck, conviction and a little bit of magic to pull it off.

The foundation was set by Abdul-Jabbar, the incredibly gifted former UCLA star who spent the first four years of his pro career in Milwaukee, leading the Bucks to the NBA title in 1971.

Fortune was on the Lakers' side in this case. Abdul-Jabbar forced the Bucks' hand, asking them to trade him to either New York, his hometown, or Los Angeles, where he went to college.

In a stunning gesture of goodwill, Milwaukee obliged by sending the 7-foot-2 center to the Lakers in exchange of center Elmore Smith, guard Brian Winters and rookies David Meyers and Junior Bridgeman.

Abdul-Jabbar's arrival didn't guarantee instant success - over the next three years the Lakers were decent but not great - but when he eventually teamed with Magic and other great Showtime Lakers like James Worthy, Wilkes, Michael Cooper and Byron Scott, Abdul-Jabbar's contributions were immeasurable.

``I don't think people realized how important Kareem was in terms of leadership,'' said Pat Riley, who coached the Lakers from 1982-91. ``As he got to be 40, his skills weren't like they had been 10 years earlier, but he was still one of the most dominating players in the league. But his real contribution was in leadership because other players looked up to him.''

Abdul-Jabbar provided stability in the paint and maturity in the locker room, but it was Magic who gave the Lakers an identity.

Before Magic arrived in 1979, the Lakers - and the NBA - lacked personality. But that all changed when the 6-foot-9 Johnson, with his array of skills and smiles, came aboard as the first pick overall in the 1979 draft.

It was a touch of magic that brought Johnson to Los Angeles. The Lakers obtained the pick from the New Orleans Jazz as compensation for the 1976 free agent signing of Gail Goodrich. Then they won a coin flip with Chicago to get the first pick. Had they lost, Sidney Moncrief would have been a Laker instead of Magic.

Johnson, who would take the Lakers to a world championship in his rookie year, immediately injected confidence, flair and enthusiasm. It was impossible for those around him not to get pulled in.

``I used to go to all the drafts. At that time, we had Magic come out to be interviewed. If he didn't like it, he could go back to school,'' said Lakers play-by-play announcer Chick Hearn. ``It was an illuminating hour and a half. Cooke asked (Magic's father), `Mr. Johnson, what will it take to bring your son here?' Mr. Johnson didn't want to respond. Magic spoke up and said, `I'll handle it,' and he outlined it. Mr. Cooke said, `That's a high number.' And Magic said, `I'm a very good player.' And that settled it.''

As it turned out, Magic underestimated himself. He wasn't just a good player but a great one. Johnson was big enough to see over most defenders - let alone the smallish point guards assigned to guard him - and strong enough to post up in the paint. His brilliance was far-reaching, beating opponents with his rebounding, scoring, dribbling and passing.

A leader who despised losing, Johnson was fun-loving off the court, embracing fellow stars and the 12th man on the bench with equal intensity.

And he played with a passion.

``The name Magic made him seem so much more flashy,'' Riley said. ``Sure, he could be flamboyant occasionally, but you never saw unnecessary behind-the-back passing or anything like that. He did things with a purpose.''

After drafting Johnson, Cooke sold the Lakers to Buss. Then, in 1982 Jerry West, the Hall of Fame L.A. guard who coached the team from 1976-79, took over for Bill Sharman as general manager.

Sharman, who helped build the foundation for the Showtime dynasty, became the team's president. Sharman's throat condition, which also led to his premature retirement as coach in 1973, prevented him from carrying out his role as general manager.

With West and Sharman plotting the future and Buss giving them enough space and money to do their jobs, the Lakers built around Abdul-Jabbar and Johnson over the next decade.

``Everything is geared toward making the Lakers winners,'' Sharman said.

When the Lakers won their first title with Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar in 1980, beating the Julius Erving-led 76ers four games to two, the primary supporting cast members were guard Norm Nixon, forward Wilkes and reserve swingman Cooper.

The following year, after Magic missed most of the season with a knee injury, L.A. was upset by Houston in a first-round miniseries.

The shocking loss forced changes - the most notable being the addition of Washington power forward Mitch Kupchak for Jim Chones, Brad Holland and a pair of draft picks.

Kupchak was expected to fill a void in the front line alongside Abdul-Jabbar, whose rebounding was declining. Unfortunately, Kupchak was lost to a season-ending knee injury in December. To replace Kupchak, the Lakers signed free agent Bob McAdoo.

There were other problems brewing. Johnson became dissatisfied with Lakers coach Paul Westhead's offense, which was geared toward dumping the ball to Abdul-Jabbar. Johnson asked the Lakers to fire Westhead, who had replaced Jack McKinney in 1980 after McKinney was seriously injured in a bike accident, or trade him.

Buss sided with Magic, firing Westhead 11 games into the season and replacing him with Pat Riley. The Lakers then won 17 of their next 20 games on their way to beating the 76ers for their second NBA title in three years.

McAdoo was a key player off the bench behind the then-unknown Kurt Rambis, who took over at power forward after Kupchak got hurt.

The bold signing of McAdoo, whose reputation had been tarnished over the years, showed how gutsy West is when making moves.

West asserted himself again and again over the years. He drafted James Worthy No. 1 overall in 1982 over Dominique Wilkens and Terry Cummings. A year later he traded popular point guard Norm Nixon for the rights to rookie Byron Scott. Both transactions were questioned at the time, but as history proved, West made the right call in each case.

Scott and Worthy were key contributors on the next three Lakers' championship teams.

Worthy gave the Lakers speed, a devastating finisher on the fast break and another post-up option besides Abdul-Jabbar. Scott was a deadly outside shooter, fierce defender and another guy to run alongside Magic on the fast break.

West was responsible for both players coming to Los Angeles. In later years he'd secure A.C. Greene with the 23rd pick in the 1995 draft and add Mychal Thompson in a decisive late-season trade in 1987. The additions helped the Lakers win back-to-back titles over the Celtics and Pistons in 1987 and 1988.

Buss, the encouraging owner, deserves credit for giving West freedom.

``Jerry and I have kind of developed a lot of rules,'' Buss said, ``where I can speak my mind and tell him exactly who to play, how to draft, what coach we should have, what style of basketball we should have. And after I finish my speech on all of these things, then he tells me how we're really going to to it.''

The beginning of the end of Showtime era was 1989, a season in which the Lakers were swept by the Pistons in the NBA Finals and lost Abdul-Jabbar to retirement.

Ironically, that team was considered one of the best in L.A. history, but hamstring injuries to Magic and Scott in the finals prevented a Lakers' three-peat.

The next season, L.A. fell to Phoenix in the Western Conference Finals, forcing the exit of Riley in favor of Mike Dunleavy. In his first year, Dunleavy guided the Lakers to the NBA Finals, where they lost to Michael Jordan and the Bulls.

It was the last finals appearance for the Showtime group.

The wondrous run officially ended the following year when Magic retired after contracting the HIV virus. Johnson came back briefly in 1996, but he left for good at the end of the season.

The Lakers suffered through mediocre years until 1996, when the seeds of another potential dynasty were sown. The arrival of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, much like Magic and Kareem so many years before, has already brought L.A. another NBA championship.

Shaq and Bryant have plenty of time to equal or surpass the Showtime Lakers, and with West, Buss and Phil Jackson putting the pieces together, they just might do it.

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4 photos

Photo: (1) The Lakers-Celtic rivalry was fuled by Magic Johnson and Larry Bird going one-on-one in the NBA finals. Daily News archive (2) Kareen Abdul Jabbar set the foundation for the 1980s when he came from Milwaukee. (3) James Worthy gave the Laksers speed and he was devastating finished on the fast break. Daily News archive (4) no caption (Magic Johnson) Daily News archive