MVPs: 0. Finals MVPs: 1. All-NBA 1st Team: 10. 2nd Team: 2. All Star: 14. MVP: 1.
Defensive POY: 0. All-Defense 1st Team: 4. 2nd Team: 1.
Points Champ: 1. Assists Champ: 1.
Career Averages: 27 PPG/ 6 RPG/ 7 APG/ 2.6 SPG/ .7 BPG/ .474 eFG%/ .814 FT%.
Best Season: 31/ 7/ 6/ .473/ .860 (1965-66).
Postseason Averages: 29 PPG/ 6 RPG/ 6 APG/ .5 SPG/ 2.1 BPG/ .563 eFG%/ .504 FT%.
Best Postseason: 41/ 6/ 5/ .442/ .890 (1965).
Championships: 1 (#1 player). Runner-ups: 9 (#1 player on 5, #2 player on 4).
Why he's below Shaquille O'Neal: These two put up some of the most insane Finals stat lines in NBA history. The difference is Shaq did it in wins, and West did it in losses. That, combined with Shaq's longer career, give Shaq a slight edge in my opinion.
Why he's above the rest: It's kind of weird that someone nicknamed "Mr. Clutch" was 1-9 in his Finals series, but he earned the nickname despite the losses. Here are his stat lines in Finals game 7's: 29-12 (assists weren't recorded) in 1961. 35-6 in 1962. 36-10-3 in 1966. 42-13-12 in 1969 (earning him Finals MVP in the loss). 28-6-5 in 1970. An injury in the first minute of the 1967 playoffs ruined his chance at winning the only Finals of the 60s that didn't feature the Celtics. If he avoids injuries and a few more shots fall for the Lakers in all those game 7's, West could have 4 or 5 championships and be talked about as a top-5 player. He holds the records for highest average in a single postseason and in a single playoff series and is third in career postseason scoring average and career Finals scoring average. He had an all-around game too, making 5 All-Defense teams and leading the league in assists once. Jerry West is better than you probably realize, and I hope people start to recognize that while he's still with us.
Highlights:
Game Video:
Comments