Los Angeles Lakers: 30 greatest individual performances in team history: 29. Elmore Smith blocks everything
He was never considered a great player, never made an All-Star team, was never chosen for All-NBA and never made an NBA Finals, let alone with a title but Elmore Smith was a very good player for nearly a decade. On one night, in particular, no one was better.
Initially, blocks weren’t considered an essential statistic. It wasn’t kept track of until the mid-1970s. Once tabs were kept on it, Smith took full advantage. Scoring and rebounding were how he made his way into the league but he stuck around due to his ability to block shots.
During the 1973-74 season, Smith dared everyone to attack the rim. In late October of 1973, Smith rejected 10 shots. He followed that up a few days later by blocking 14 which was an NBA record. Seemingly not satisfied and with other teams not getting the memo, Smith sent a clear message. The defensive minded big man blocked 17 shots against the Portland Trail Blazers, a record that still stands today. He also holds the record for the most blocked shots in a half with 11.
You would think the rest of the league would wake up and not test him on the inside. Instead, the Houston Rockets believed they could get around him a week later and that resulted in 14 more blocked shots. Smith would lead the league in blocks that year with 4.85, good for third most all-time in a single season. The Lakers didn’t have much postseason success that year, losing to the Milwaukee Bucks in the Conference Semis but still, even with the long list of all-time great centers that the Lakers have had at their disposal including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O’Neal, none have been able to touch Elmore Smith and his 17 block night.