Los Angeles Lakers: Inside and Outside

Part Two of Four

After Mikan left, the Lakers franchise headed south. The club had tumbled below .500 in 1955-56, the team's first losing season. The tumble continued in 1957-58, when the Lakers posted only 19 victories and a pathetic .264 winning percentage. They didn't even have a permanent home arena, see-sawing between the Minneapolis Auditorium and the Minneapolis Armory among others.

However, one bright spot appeared before the 1958-59 season. Seattle University's Elgin Baylor. Baylor was a flashy, high-scoring forward who was viewed in his early years as the deadliest weapon in basketball. Baylor became the first rookie ever to win the All-Star Game MVP award. Baylor himself led the 33-39 Lakers to the NBA Finals, however the mighty Celtics proved to much, knocking the Lakers out in four quick games. For the next twelve years, Baylor would remain the highest scoring forward in the NBA.

But for the Lakers as a whole, things were declining. Dowtown Minneapolis was suffering through a period of urban decline, and arena attendance was dwindling. In 1959, with Mikkelson now retired, the Lakers posted their second worst record ever. Baylor was the NBA's third leading scorer behind Wilt Chamberlain and Jack Twyman. Behind Baylor's 33-plus playoff scoring average, the Lakers surprisingly made it to the Western Division finals before being beaten by the St. Louis Hawks.

By this time, the Minneapolis club's fate was sealed. For six seasons they had suffered through declining support, bad draft selections, bad trades, and bad coaching selections. Lakers owner Bob Short had already experimented with basketball popularity in Los Angeles. So, it was no surprise that the following season they were the Los Angeles Lakers.

The top player coming out of college was Oscar Robertson. Everyone wanted him. However, only the Cincinnatti Royals got him. So, the Lakers had to settle for Jerry West, from West Virginia. None could tell then that when he retired, he'd be known as perhaps the greatest clutch shooter of all time. Their record improved by 11-games, they again pushed a strong St. Louis Hawks team (featuring Cliff Hagan, Clyde Lovellette, and Bob Pettit) to a seventh game in the Western Division Finals. The Hawks won the final two games by a total of 3 points.

The Lakers rise was slowed the next year by the Cold War crisis, as Elgin Baylor was called to serve. Playing in only 48 games, Baylor averaged 38.3 ppg. In the playoffs, with Baylor back, they pushed the Celtics to a seventh game overtime in the NBA Finals. This began a decade of blown championship opportunities. The following year, West had a hamstring injury, and the Lakers lost to the Celtics in a six-game Finals. The next year, Baylor shattered his knee-cap in the first round of the playoffs, and despite West's 40.8 ppg playoff scoring average the Celtics again beat them.

In 1966, the Celtics beat the Lakers in a 95-93 seventh game to claim their 8th straight championship. In 1968, they again lost to the Celtics in the Finals. In 1969, things changed drastically. For one thing, they now had a new arena. The team also discarded their white and blue uniforms for purple and gold. But the biggest deal of all, Wilt Chamberlain. The Lakers traded Archie Clark, Darral Imhoff, and Jerry Chambers for Wilt. Now, they would be unbeatable. Wilt, Baylor, and West. How could you lose?

After rolling through the season, the Lakers jumped out to a 2-0 series lead in the Finals. However, the Celtics mystique kicked in, and Boston won in seven games. The following season, 1969-70, would see the Lakers play the New York Knicks in the Finals. West, Baylor, and Wilt against the basketball minded Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, Dave DeBusschere, and Bill Bradley. In game five, Reed fell to the ground with a leg injury. The Knicks were able to hold on and win anyhow. However, in the sixth game, without Reed to guard Wilt, the Lakers cruised to a 135-113 win, and a seventh game. Moments before the seventh game, Reed hobbled onto the court, and the Knicks never looked back.

Things would change the following year. The Lakers won 33 straight and posted a 69-13 record, at that time, the best in the history of the league. The Lakers again played the Knicks in the Finals, but this time they won. Finally the terrifying trio of Wilt, Baylor, and West accomplished what had been expected of them. The following year, the same matchup occured, however the Knicks were able to pull off another championship. The next six years, the Lakers would not see the Finals.

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