The 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers were a star studded team and one that will forever be remembered for its 33 game winning streak.
The record has stood for over 40 years, but there is a chance that the ’72 Lakers will be dethroned by the Miami Heat this season. Miami is currently riding a 24-game winning streak and although it has to win 10 more games in order to beat the record, the possibility is there.
Looking ahead, the Heat only have two or three tough matchups on their schedule, something that scares the members of the 1971-72 Lakers team.
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Lakers legend Jerry West spoke to the AP and he talked about the team and what it accomplished that year. The roster was led by West, Wilt Chamberlain and Gail Goodrich, and along with the 33-game winning streak, those three men guided the team to a championship that very season.
“We had one of those teams that comes along every once in a while,” West said. “The only bad thing about it is we were really too old to be able to sustain it. But it was easy. And when we lost, it was like, ‘I can’t believe we lost.’ It was like two-and-a-half months. It was a very special time.”
At the time the Lakers beat the record, no one expected any other team to come close to challenging the mark. Before the 1971-72 Lakers, the record for most consecutive wins was 20 set by the Milwaukee Bucks, something the Lakers crushed by stringing together 33 victories.
The Heat continued their streak in Cleveland on Wednesday against the Cavaliers. The Cavs are once again in the bottom half of the Eastern Conference and had no Kyrie Irving in the lineup. After a rally in the second half, the Heat went on to capture their 24th consecutive victory.
West also joined ESPN on Wednesday to talk about the Heat’s current streak, and his thoughts on their ability to possibly match the Lakers’ record.
httpvhd://youtu.be/I9xsLxCynr4
