Los Angeles Lakers: 30 greatest individual performances in team history

Los Angeles Lakers: 30 greatest individual performances in team history: 4. Jerry West goes down swinging

For the younger generation, they have a hard time recognizing who’s the white left handed figure in the NBA logo. Even when it’s revealed to be Jerry West, inquisitive looks are plastered on the faces of players who weren’t born when he was running the league. But while his prime is at times swept underneath the rug, make no mistake about it, West was about as good as you could get.

Unfortunately for the NBA silhouette, his NBA Finals record often sullies a great career. With nine trips to the game’s biggest stage, West only managed to win once. Following that theme, is the 1969 Finals as West’s Lakers took on the Boston Celtics. With both teams winning three games apiece, it all came down to a Game 7. West wanted to win, desperately. He put up 43 points, 13 assists and 12 boards.

Yet, despite his heroics, the Lakers came up two points short. It was yet another Finals loss on the record of West. And while he was still rewarded by winning Finals MVP, he failed to add more championship hardware to his name. Still, his performance goes down as one of the greatest in Laker history.