One Final Game: Jerry West
Date: February 3, 1974
Jerry West is a prime example of why it’s difficult to evaluate players solely on the basis of championships. He was an absolutely elite two-way guard for the Los Angeles Lakers throughout the 1960s but could never break through against the Bill Russell Celtics. Finally, late in his career he and the Lakers broke through after Russell’s retirement, winning a title in 1972.
West would play two more seasons after winning that title before retiring, remarkably keeping his per-game scoring average above 20 points in both. His final season came in 1973-74, when West carried on without his former co-stars, Elgin Baylor or Wilt Chamberlain. Injuries piled up and West played just 31 games, returning for only one brief appearance in a playoff game before hanging up the sneakers for good.
In the third-to-last game of his career, the Los Angeles Lakers hosted the Portland Trail Blazers. West scored just 19 points, but he absolutely dominated the box score otherwise. He was everywhere, snatching 14 rebounds (his most in six years), dishing 10 assists and swiping an insane seven steals. The Lakers pummeled Portland to the tune of a 33-point win.
West was inconsistent during his final season, often scoring 30 points one night and three the next. Some nights, though, he still had it, and “The Logo” showed why he was the best guard of the NBA’s first 25 years.