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| West didn't win a ring until his 12th NBA Season |
6-2 175lbs, Cheylan, WV (5/28/1938)
NBA Draft: 1960, Round 1, 2nd overall - West Virginia
NBA Championships: 1 (1972)
NBA Finals MVPs: 1 (1969, losing team)
Career Playoff Stats: 153 games, 29.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 6.4 apg
Clutchness: West was second option for the Lakers (behind Elgin Baylor) until the 1964-65 playoffs. In particular, West smashed on the Baltimore Bullets in the Western Finals best-of-five series to the tune of 46.3 points per game (NBA record) including a unforgettable performance in Game 2 when he dropped 52 points on 20-21 field goals and 12-12 free throws. In 1969, West became the only player in NBA history to be named Finals MVP in a losing effort. He had a triple-double in Game 7 (42 points, 13 rebounds, 12 assists) but it wasn't enough to top the powerhouse that was the Boston Celtics. West's most famous moment of 'clutchness' came in the 1970 NBA Finals against the Knicks. West drained a 60-foot prayer in Game 3 with under three seconds left that sent the game into overtime, where the Lakers eventually pulled out the victory. Click here to watch the shot.
Clutch-in-question: His career record in NBA Finals appearances is 1-8, losing the first eight in a row. West played in a Finals Game 7 four times and averaged 35.3 points per game, but is still 0-4 in those games. West also played with Hall-of-Famers for most of his career that arguably carried him (Baylor, Gail Goodrich, Wilt Chamberlain). The one championship West won in 1972, he himself says that he wasn't the main reason the Lakers won the title, saying, "I played terrible basketball in the Finals, and we won… It was particularly frustrating because I was playing so poorly that the team overcame me. Maybe that's what a team is all about."
Career Playoff History
Result/ Points scored in deciding game/ Highest scoring teammate pts/ Significant opp. stats
1960-61: loss, 3-4 St. Louis Hawks, Western Finals; West - 29 points, Elgin Baylor - 39 pts in Game 7; Bob Pettit (STL) - 31 pts
61-62: loss, 3-4 Boston Celtics, NBA Finals; West - 35 pts, Baylor - 41 pts in Game 7; Bill Russell (BOS) - 30 pts, 40 rebounds
62-63: loss, 2-4 Boston Celtics, NBA Finals; West - 32 pts, Baylor - 28 pts in Game 6;
63-64: loss, 2-3 St. Louis Hawks, Western Semis; West - 25 pts, Baylor - 28 pts in Game 5; Lenny Wilkens (STL) - 30 pts
64-65: loss, 1-4 Boston Celtics, NBA Finals; West - 33 pts in Game 5, Baylor DNP - injury
65-66: loss, 3-4 Boston Celtics, NBA Finals; West - 37 pts in Game 6 win (forced Game 7) Gail Goodrich - 28 pts; West - 36 pts, Baylor - 18 pts in Game 7; Russell (BOS) - 25 pts, 32 rebounds
66-67: DNP - injury; loss, 0-3 San Francisco Warriors, Western Semis
67-68: loss, 2-4 Boston Celtics, NBA Finals; West - 22 pts, Baylor - 28 pts in Game 6; John Havlicek (BOS) - 40 pts
68-69: loss, 3-4 Boston Celtics, NBA Finals; West - 42 pts, Baylor - 20 pts, Wilt Chamberlain - 18 pts in Game 7
69-70: loss, 3-4 New York Knicks, NBA Finals; West - 28 pts, Chamberlain - 21 pts in Game 7; Walt Frazier (NY) - 36 pts, 19 assists
70-71: DNP - injury; loss, 1-4 Milwaukee Bucks, Western Finals
71-72: won, 4-1 New York Knicks, NBA Finals; West - 23 pts, Goodrich - 25 pts, Chamberlain - 24 pts in Game 5
72-73: loss, 1-4 New York Knicks, NBA Finals; West - 12pts, Goodrich - 28 pts in Game 5
73-74: loss, 1-4 Milwaukee Bucks, Western Semis; West played in only 1 game and scored 4 pts
Statistics and info gathered from:
http://www.databasebasketball.com/
http://www.basketball-reference.com/
http://www.nba.com/
http://www.wikipedia.org/
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