In 1969, Jerry West lost the Finals as the Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Boston Celtics in seven games, becoming the first and only player to be selected as the Finals MVP.
On Sunday, the Oklahoma City Thunder won its first NBA title as it was known as the Seattle Super Sonics. It wasn’t surprising.
Most of the time, fans know who won the Final MVP before it’s announced. The 2015 Andre Iguodala and 2007 Tony Parker are recent exceptions, but winners are generally predictable and the SGA is a bet favorite to win awards before the playoffs begin.
56 years ago, on May 5, 1969, Jerry West shocked the world.
In the 1969 final of the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics, the Lakers jumped for a 2-0 lead, leading 3-2, but were unable to finish the job.
West finished with 37.9 points and 7.4 assists. Both are the most in the series, but the Celtics, led by John Havelisek, Sam Jones and Bill Russell, have proven too much for Lakers’ supportive cast members Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain.
This was the first time that the final MVP was awarded to the 1969 final. West was awarded the Final MVP Award as the Celtics celebrated their second title in a row and celebrated their 11th overall.
West ends his career 1-8 in the final, but 30.5 points per game are third in final history, behind only Rick Barry and Michael Jordan.
His 37.9 points per game in the 1969 showdown was not satisfied with winning the Finals MVP, but it is the fifth game ever.
Jerry West had been in a similar situation before. In 1959, the West Virginia climber lost to the University of California at the NCAA Championship. West scored 28 points in that game and was named the best player in the tournament.
By the time he won the Finals MVP in 1969, he had two such awards, but there was no title to show it.
West ultimately beat the Celtics and won the 1972 NBA Finals, but Chamberlain was named MVP. Almost 50 years from the fact, West is still bitter about his award.
“I have two suspicious honours that I wouldn’t recommend to anyone,” West said in a 2015 interview.
“I was the most valuable player in the (NCAA) Finals and hit at points in California. I was the most valuable player in the Celtics’ seven-game loss. I don’t know of any other players who weren’t “honor.” ”
Before Jordan and Kobe Bryant, West was known as one of the greatest competitors in the league, but his single ring is very close to multiple occasions, but still stabbed.