Written by: Emily Wilson
No one can win alone. A joint effort is vital to the success of any team, there is no doubt about that. But sometimes, an individual performance can transcend the team dynamic and stand alone, remaining in the collective fan-conscience for days, months, years, and decades as a legendary example of basketball lore.
It’s not a prerequisite that these amazing performances take place during the playoffs, but with the added pressure of the NBA’s grandest stages and the significant meanings of playoff games, most of them do. Excellent players rise to the presented challenges to showcase their athletic greatness.
The Lakers organization has been home to many such players in its storied history. In light of the playoffs, and in the hope that we’ll see multiple impressive performances during this post-season, here is a list of the top 10 individual performances in Lakers history:
(Note: While it is not a prerequisite for a stand-out individual performance to be a playoff performance, it certainly helps, simply because the added pressure of the NBA’s grandest stages could render any average competitor motionless, it tends to be that the most excellent players stand out and succeed during the playoffs.)
10: KOBE BRYANT vs. Seattle Super Sonics, 2003
In this game, Kobe set the still-NBA record for most three-point field goals made in a game, at 12. He now shares that record with Donyell Marshall, but nonetheless, 12-for-18 shooting from three-point territory is decidedly impressive.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mn3nw6eodrE
Next: Elmore Smith and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
[phpbay]Lakers Swingman, 3, “”, “”[/phpbay]
9: ELMORE SMITH vs. Portland Trail Blazers, 1973
Blocked shots were first recorded as an official NBA statistic during the 1973-1974 season. The Lakers’ Elmore Smith blocked 17 shots in a game that very season against the Portland Trail Blazers, setting the record for most in a game. And all these years later, no one has met his match. During that same game, he set the record for most blocks in a half (11), which both Manute Bol and George T. Johnson tied. But it remains to be seen if the grand total of 17 will be ever be reached or outdone by another.
8: KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR vs. Boston Celtics, Game 6 NBA Finals, 1985
Abdul-Jabbar played innumerable great games as a Laker. But this one, in which he scored 32 points, gathered six boards and had four blocks in only 29 minutes, at age 38, is a true testament to the duration and consistency of his incredible career, along with the talent and competitive drive that age and years of intense physical activity could not hinder.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCkKzIlCh-8
Next: Elgin Baylor and Shaquille O’Neal
[phpbay]Lakers Swingman, 3, “”, “”[/phpbay]
7: ELGIN BAYLOR vs. New York Knicks, 1960
Baylor scored 71 points against the Knicks while collecting 25 rebounds. That’s obviously impressive by itself. But the achievement was compounded by the fact that, in doing so, he broke the NBA’s then single-game scoring record of 64 points. That record had been set by Elgin Baylor. There’s nothing like outdoing a personal best that also happens to be the league-best.
6: SHAQUILLE O’NEAL vs. Philadelphia 76ers, Game 2 NBA Finals, 2001
Shaq came very close to the elusive quadruple-double in this game. And not coincidentally, it was in the NBA Finals. He stepped up to lead the Lakers towards the title with 28 points, 20 rebounds, nine assists and eight blocks in what many claim to be the defining game of his career and the defining example of the kinds of numbers Shaq was always capable of.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L82_EchHzr4
Next: George Mikan and James Worthy
[phpbay]Lakers Swingman, 3, “”, “”[/phpbay]
5: GEORGE MIKAN vs. Washington Capitals, Game 5 BAA Finals, 1949
This performance was pre-NBA, but regardless, it’s an incredible account of a Lakers commitment to the game and sacrifice for the team. During game 4 of the series, dominant star George Mikan suffered a broken wrist. But that didn’t stop him. He played in Game 5, somehow still managing to score 22 points. Even though the Lakers lost the game, they won the series, and much of that credit goes to Mikan’s example of what it means to be a competitor.
4: JAMES WORTHY vs. Detroit Pistons, Game 7 NBA Finals, 1988
In another clutch Game 7 performance ‘Big Games James’ lived up to his name. He scored 36 points, took down 16 rebounds and had 10 assists, helping the Lakers earn back-to-back championships, this one over a very tough Detroit Pistons team.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ah6qfPa_yeU
Next: Jerry West
[phpbay]Lakers Swingman, 3, “”, “”[/phpbay]
3: JERRY WEST vs. Boston Celtics, Game 7 NBA Finals, 1969
Because of his performance in Game 7, and his performances in the previous six games, Jerry West was named the NBA Finals MVP in 1969. The catch: the Lakers lost. West remains the only player in NBA history to have won that honor while on the losing side. In that Game 7, he produced 43 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists.
Next: Kobe Bryant Torches the Raptors
[phpbay]Lakers Swingman, 3, “”, “”[/phpbay]
2: KOBE BRYANT (3-way tie) vs. Dallas Mavericks, 2003; vs. Toronto Raptors, 2006; vs. New York Knicks, 2009
-During a regular season game in 2003, Kobe scored 62 points through three quarters. He was benched at that point, leaving us to imagine what total could have been racked up if he had been given the chance to play in the 4th. For the icing on the already incredible cake, let’s not forget what the Dallas Mavericks total score was through those same three quarters: 61.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCeg0-g-XdI
-To score 81 points in this modern NBA climate is unheard of. Along with six rebounds and three assists, Kobe Bryant achieved that feat, and single handedly dismantled the Toronto Raptors. With the team as it is now, it would be hard to imagine Kobe ever scoring this many points again, but in 2006, the one-man-show was welcomed with the open-arms of all Kobe admirers.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeXZY4eVLlo
-Finally there was Kobe’s 61-point night at Madison Square Garden in 2009, in which a most unlikely thing occurred: Knicks fans chanted ‘M-V-P!’ ‘M-V-P!’ We won’t likely ever hear a Madison Square Garden crowd cheer on an opposing player like that again. But as great basketball fans in a great basketball city, the New Yorkers gave respect where it was due.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCN6n_AVWR0
Next: Magic Johnson
[phpbay]Lakers Swingman, 3, “”, “”[/phpbay]
1. EARVIN ‘MAGIC’ JOHNSON vs. Philadelphia 76ers, Game 6 NBA Finals, 1980
When league MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar went down with an ankle injury in Game 5 of the 1980 NBA Finals, the Lakers’ chance at winning the series was on unsteady ground. But something unexpected happened in Game 6: rookie Magic Johnson, a 6’9″ point guard, started at center for Abdul-Jabbar, scoring 42 points, grabbing 15 rebounds, giving out seven assists and playing all five positions at given points throughout the game. The 20-year-old won the NBA Finals MVP and remains the only rookie to have ever done so. That game provided the basketball world with an idea of just how wonderful his career (as a lifelong Laker, thank goodness) was going to be.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYNDWaEmqto
[phpbay]Lakers Swingman, 3, “”, “”[/phpbay]