Lakers: 20 Greatest Individual Performances in Franchise History
By Eric Yee
11. Elgin Baylor’s 71 Point Outburst Against the Knicks
Speaking of the Knicks …
As the video references, Elgin Baylor may very well be one of the most underrated players in NBA history.
One interesting tidbit about this performance is that it was in the first year that the Lakers moved to Los Angeles.
It is hard to justify how a 71-point performance, good for eighth all time in terms of most points scored in a game, is only 11th on this list, but the Lakers’ history is full of amazing individual games.
Per Lakers Nation, according to Knick Johnny Green,
"Elgin did nothing unusual in that game. It was just a typical Baylor performance. He just came down the floor, his teammates would clear out an area, and he’d shoot — a jump shot or a driving layup, followed up by a rebound if he missed. Each particular shot had nothing amazing about it. It was just that Elgin was such an amazing player"
Baylor’s stats attest to Greens’ comments as he put up astronomical numbers in his prime.
For his career, Baylor averaged 27.4 points and 13.5 rebounds a game, which is impressive to say the least. but in his prime he put up seasons of 30 and 16, 35 and 20, and 38 and 19, all without a three point line.
Next: Kobe Outscores the Mavs Through 3 Quarters