1971-72 The Lakers finally win title in 5-game series against New York.
1971-72 The Lakers finally win title in 5-game series against New York.
Through the best days of Elgina Baylor, the Lakers had never been able to
beat theplayers from Boston. Baylor had been named to the All-NBA First Team 10
times in his career, but during the 1971-72 season, he decided to retire due to
his injuries and age (37). Bill Sharman, the old Celtic guard, had been brought
to LA to become a coach leading the team to its victories. With Wilt Chamberlain
(35) and Jerry West (33) thinking about the end of their careers, Sharman needed
new players to around his aging stars to be able to win. Forward Jim McMillian
and Happy Hairston and guard Gail Goodrich were the missing parts of his puzzle
as they demonstrated during a smashing series ( 33-game winning streak - NBA
record) that stretched from November 5 to January 7. The Lakers finished with a
69-13 record (the best result in NBA history). Chamberlain led the league in
field goal percentage (.649), rebounding (19.2), while Goodrich (25.9) and West
(25.8) reached the top of the scoring.
The Lakers swept Chicago four straight and bested Milwaukee in six games as
Chamberlain defeated Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. New York defeated Baltimore and Boston
in the Eastern Conference Playoffs, but without Willis Reed in the Finals,
proved no match for the Lakers, who got finally their Championship in five
games.
West learns how to teamplay. Like Baylor, West had been brilliant each
time in the Finals, but didn't seem so dominant when the Lakers finally won the
Championship. "I played terrible basketball in the Finals and we won," West
said. "I don't think it's fair to me, because I did my best in other years when
we lost. Now, when we won, I was just another piece of the machinery, but that
is what the teamwork is all about"
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