Jerry West is the logo of the NBA for a reason. He was one of the first true superstars of the NBA and one of the greatest players in the history of the league.
West is also one of the league’s most prolific scorers with a career average of 27 points per game, and 11 consecutive seasons of averaging at least 25 points.
But great players step it up when the lights shine brightest and they didn’t call West ‘Mr. Clutch’ for nothing. He proved his impressive scoring ability during the 1965 Western Division Finals.
On this week in 1965, West and the Lakers dispatched of the Baltimore Bullets in six games. During this series, West set an NBA record by averaging 46.3 points in the series.
West scored at least 40 points in each of the six games of the series, including a then-record 52 points in the Lakers’ Game 2 victory.
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Unfortunately for West, the season ended as most of West’s seasons did, with a loss to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals.
With West failing to win a championship for much of his career, it takes some of the luster off of some of his impressive scoring feats. However, this should not be forgotten as West did things that very few people were ever able to accomplish.
Throughout the entire 1965 playoffs West averaged 40.6 points to go along with more than five rebounds and five assists. He was truly unstoppable at his peak.
There have been a number of amazing scorers to come through the NBA, but none of them were able to accomplish what West did in 1965. This week we remember him for setting the NBA record by averaging 46.3 points in one playoff series.
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