Top 10 Best NBA Trios in History
Greatest Trios in NBA History: Number 7
LA Lakers; Chamberlain, West, and Goodrich (1972 NBA Champions)
In 1969, the Los Angeles Lakers were the media darlings of the NBA. Their off-season acquisition of superstar Wilt Chamberlain all but guaranteed them their first championship in Los Angeles. There was just one problem; those pesky Boston Celtics just wouldn’t stop fighting.
Chamberlain was injured in the fourth quarter and was famously kept out of the game by a head coach who was angry that his star asked to be subbed out. To make matters worse, a Boston Celtics journeyman hit a lucky late-fourth-quarter jump shot that bounced high off the rim before sailing through the net. The Lakers went on to lose Game 7 in front of their hometown fans at the Forum.
In 1970, the Lakers again reached the NBA Finals, this time losing to the New York Knicks in seven games. Shortly after the beginning of the 1972 regular season, Lakers legend Elgin Baylor decided it was time for him to retire. This left the leadership of the team to superstars Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, and Gail Goodrich. The team would go on to win 33 consecutive regular season games, a record that still stands to this day.
In the 1972 NBA Finals, the team would defeat the New York Knicks, the opponent who had bested them in 1970. The Lakers had finally won an NBA Championship in Los Angeles! Chamberlain, West, and Goodrich’s Lakers are considered one of the best teams in NBA history, and their run to the championship paved the way for the Lakers’ dynasty of the 1980s.