However, the Lakers and West came out on the losing end in eight of those nine Finals. [8][10] He was so small, frail, and weak that he needed many vitamin injections from his doctor and was kept apart from children's sports, to prevent him from getting seriously injured. [34] Veteran coach Fred Schaus retired, and Butch Van Breda Kolff took over; under his reign, the Lakers won 52 games in the 196768 NBA season in their first season in The Forum. Naturally, West enrolled at WVU, where he was a two-time All-American and averaged 24.8 ppg. Detroit Pistons legend Isiah Thomas recalls the conversation quite well. In this game, he now had scored 4,002 playoffpoints, which set an all-time NBA record. I think West is the smoother player and the stronger defensively. He practiced shooting until his fingers bled. [8], In the summer of 2000, the city of Morgantown, West Virginia, and West Virginia Governor Cecil Underwood, dedicated the road outside of the West Virginia University Coliseum, "Jerry West Boulevard". The tragedy turned young Jerry inward, forcing him to develop his own coping mechanisms. 1961 Fleer #36 Oscar Robertson Rookie Card. A 112-81 triumph over Italy and finally, a 90-63 victory over Brazil, clinched the gold medal. To hear Jerry West and to see Jerry West talk about Oscar Robertson Ill never forget it. Basketball, Team, School. With Wests hot hand leading the way, East Bank won the 1956 state title. ", Robertson believes the media-hype machine conditions fans' perceptions of players too much. Jerry West is a legendary NBA star, and his silhouette is the logo. Under his reign, Los Angeles won six championship rings. [15] "He stole more than anybody, although they didn't keep records on it then", said Sharman. "[83], West was also regarded for his extreme mental toughness and his exemplary work ethic. Robertson's last All-NBA first team was in 1969 and West made first team from 1970-1973. He moved up and he was like, I know Im The Logo and everything else, but in my era, there was no better basketball player than Oscar Robertson.'. Jerry West was a 12-time All-NBA performer who knew how to elevate his game when the lights shined the brightest. Only Jordan had a higher career scoring average in the playoffs, and only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar tallied more career points in the postseason. "I did that once or twice. FTA complete back to 1948-49. [60], Those championship-winning Lakers were coached by Pat Riley, and featured superstar players Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy. [40] Game 4 saw Celtics guard Sam Jones hit an off-balance buzzer beater to tie the series,[41] but in Game 5, the Lakers struck back and won by 13points; however, they suffered a major blow when West who scored 39points and by far led all players in scoring during the entire series lunged for a meaningless late-game ball and seriously pulled his hamstring: it was immediately visible that the injury would not heal until the end of the series. Neither Chamberlain's 50 point, 25.7 rebound average nor Oscar's triple-double average swayed the media from such a view. He was also at the forefront of rebuilding the Lakers into championship shape by adding Shaquille ONeal as a free agent and trading for Kobe Bryant, who entered the NBA out of high school in 1996. The NBA described West as "obsessive perfectionism, unabashed confidence, and an uncompromising will to win a level of intensity so high it could melt lead". Wests statistical record only begins to tell his story. The two go back quite a ways. "To play the national anthem, it was the most thrilling, chilling thing that I've ever been involved with.". [15] Winning 45 games, the Lakers beat the St. Louis Hawks in a close seven-game series, and yet again met the Boston Celtics in the 1966 NBA Finals. In 2002, West became the general manager of the Memphis Grizzlies. The following year he and Oscar Robertson led an extremely talented U.S. squad to a gold medal at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome. During their overlapping careers, Robertson and West faced off head-to-head on 94 occasions. The dirt-covered court became his domain. One of his great joys was playing with Jerry West, Oscar Robertson and Jerry Lucas on the gold medal-winning 1960 Olympic team. In the 1969 Finals against Boston, West became the only member of a losing team to be named Finals MVP. Rendimiento en Playoffs After his playing career ended, West took over as head coach of the Lakers for three years. There will never be another player like the 'Big Dipper', who changed the game with his strength, athleticism and skill. He and the Lakers routinely experienced heartbreak at the hands of the Boston Celtics. Biography. He made the varsity squad at East Bank High School, although he mostly sat on the bench during his junior year. Oscar Robertson. [12] They have three sons, David, Mark and Michael. The championship was West's first-ever NBA title. He remained a . Perhaps I expect too much.. [48] West himself contributed with 25.8points and led the league with a career-high 9.7assists per game. As the game ended, veteran Celtics playmaker Bob Cousy threw the ball high into the rafters of the L.A. Sports Arena. [43][45], In the 197071 NBA season, the Lakers reacquired Gail Goodrich, who came back from the Phoenix Suns after playing for L.A. until 1968. Theres a reason it took well over 50 years for another player (Russell Westbrook) to average a triple-double over the course of a full season. [16] The Mountaineers went 262 that year, ending the season with a loss to Manhattan College in postseason tournament play. Former NBA Veteran JJ Redick made controversial comments calling NBA Legends Firemen and Plumbers. Chance of rain 100%. In Game 6, Havlicek shredded the Lakers with 40 points, and after yet another Finals loss to Boston, West commented that the Lakers lost two games they should have won: "We gave them the first game, and we gave them the fifth. Instead, there's only admiration between the two all-time greats. I could've played another very good year. He earned the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player honor despite the loss. In-Game 1 West scored 24 points before fouling out with three minutes left and L.A. won Game 1 115112. But he would drive, almost always to his right, and give the ball an extra-hard bounce on his last dribble, so he could catch it on the rise as he leaped into his shot. "Why does everybody say the game has changed? Despite his age and physical problems, West kept averaged 25.8 ppg while leading the NBA in assists with 9.7 per contest. [15] The Lakers had a disappointing season, winning only 36 games and getting swept by the San Francisco Warriors in the first round of the 1967 NBA Playoffs. [22], Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke was known for a keen eye identifying leadership and teaching qualities (he also gave Hall of Famers Sparky Anderson and Joe Gibbs their first managerial/head coaching positions),[57] and asked West to coach and participate in player personnel decisions. The other definition is 'two way' player - one who can do everything offensively, and defensively. He was taken as the Number 1 overall (territorial) pick by the Cincinnati Royals in the 1960 NBA Draft where he played for 10 seasons (1960-1970) before being traded to . SG. The Royals made Robertson with the No. [27], In the following 196364 NBA season, West became the Lakers' scoring leader for the first time. No portion of FIBA.basketball may be duplicated, redistributed or manipulated in any form.By accessing FIBA.basketball pages, you agree to abide by FIBA.basketball terms and conditions. [28] The Lakers struggled during the entire season, winning only 42 games, and were beaten by the Hawks in five games during the first round of the 1964 NBA Playoffs. Too few fans today saw Oscar play with Jerry Lucas in Cincinnati or saw him when he was the sidekick of Lew Alcindor (before he changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) on a championship team in Milwaukee. Answer (1 of 15): I would Jerry West because he was on the All Defensive Team five times and Oscar was on none. CLEVELAND - "Mr. He thinks its really going in! It did, sending Game 3 into overtime. Both entered the league via the 1960 NBA Draft - Robertson was the No. Until he got it right, the ball would frequently hit and bruise his face. Hence, every college game, every practice and every summer workout by 1958 became about the game within the game: winning at all costs, but also showing the world he could . "They have everything it takes to win a championship. Estimated PSA 8 Value: $3,500. "Who else would you want to take it but Kobe?" In three campaigns with West at the helm, the Lakers went 145-101 and returned to the playoffs after missing the postseason during Wests retirement. ESPN has been the primary culprit in driving stat-driven basketball analysis, making the game hollow in the general publics minds. 9 Copy quote. Oscar Robertson vs Andrew Wiggins. He spent five years at that post, helping build Memphis into a playoff team in 2004, 05 and 06 before stepping down in 2007. Of the 87 regular season matchups, West holds a 50-37 lead, though Robertson outscored his counterpart by 28.5 to 27.7 points per game. Could you live on that?" [32] Still, the Lakers guard finished the playoffs with 40.6points per game. In his final NBA season in 1973-1974, West was still a highly productive player (20.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game), but injuries limited him to only 31 games played and at the conclusion of the season, he would retire from the NBA at age 35. But I could never have played for the Lakers again, and I wasn't going to play for anybody else. Oscar Robertson (1960-1974) Robertson, also known as the "Big O," is the only . Wilt Chamberlain definitely had an explanation for why fans from his time fell out of love with NBA basketball. [23] On the floor, West scored 17.6points, grabbed 7.7rebounds and gave 4.2assists per game. A loss just ripped his guts out., Its no wonder. > Archive 75: Jerry West| 75 Stories: Jerry West. This practice remained in effect until the school closed in 1999. If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website, please visit our Accessibility page. The best players may not be the players people think are the best. During that time, West was the better scorer (27.0 to 25.7), but Robertson grabbed more rebounds (7.5 to 5.8) and averaged more assists (9.5 to 6.7) and also had slightly better shooting percentages. Meanwhile, as Robertson was dominating night in and night out in Cincinnati, West exploded in his second NBA season, averaging 30.8 points (on 44.5% shooting), a career-high 7.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game in 1961-1962, which resulted in the first of 10 First Team All-NBA selections. For Hall of Fame caliber players across sports, I like to look at a concept I call a decade of dominance. The thinking behind this is that for most Hall of Fame type careers, there are roughly 10 great seasons that define an athlete (this idea is embodied in a sense by the NFLs All-Decade teams), though due to injury or other factors, they might not be 10 consecutive years. His average of 27.0 ppg game stands as the fourth highest among retired players, behind Michael Jordan, Chamberlain and Baylor. Happy Birthday Jerry! Choosing to stay local, he played college basketball at West Virginia University, where he was a 2x First Team All-American, 2x Southern Conference Player of the Year, and NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player in 1959 as the Mountaineers narrowly lost to Cal in the finals by a 71-70 score. You still have to shoot, rebound, pass and play defense," said Robertson, who was honored with West at The Q on Thursday in the 50th anniversary year of their Olympic basketball triumph for the USA in 1960 in Rome. When West remembers the Rome Olympics, it takes him back to a different era. Oscar Robertson was the only college player to finish the March Madness career with four triple-doubles. He was responsible for perhaps the most famous buzzer-beater of all time: a 60-foot swish that tied Game 3 of the 1970 NBA Finals against the New York Knicks. They were also both on the gold medal winning team at the 1959 Pan American Games. [40], In the 196970 NBA season under new coach Joe Mullaney, the Lakers' season began with a shock when Wilt Chamberlain seriously injured his knee and missed practically the whole regular season. Despite playing only 31 games due to a strained groin,[8] West was still regarded as an elite guard, earning another call-up into his final All-Star Game. It's a test of your strength and stamina and playing ability, really. On May 20, 2011, West was hired by the Warriors as one of the teams executive members, where he assisted the team in basketball and non-basketball related decisions. He taught himself his quick shot release by bouncing the last dribble hard off the ground. Media createst the impression that Oh, he had a triple-double! he did something spectacular. Clutch, but none of them lived up to it as well as West did. He explained his decision with the desire for exploring something new: "After being a part of the Laker's success for so many years, I have always wondered how it would be to build a winning franchise that has not experienced much success. navy o4 selection board results fy21 line, the dirty maple ridge, Lucas on the gold medal at a concept I call a decade of.... Pistons legend Isiah Thomas recalls the conversation quite well for Hall of Fame caliber players across Sports I... Stronger defensively an explanation for Why fans from his time fell out of love with basketball! 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