When it comes to the uncrowned king of the NBA, who do you think of first? 8 finals, not a single champion, who is worse than him? Elgin Baylor, such a great and tragic legend.
In 1958, Baylor was selected by the Lakers as a champion. Baylor averaged 24.9 points per game in the rookie season, leading the Lakers to the Finals, but was swept by the Celtics. Leading the team to the finals in the first year of his career, Baylor is looking forward to the day when he wins the championship sooner or later. But he didn't know that this was the beginning of the curse of his career.........
In 1962, Baylor served in the military and could only play games on weekends, playing 48 games, averaging 38.3 points per game, leading the Lakers and Celtics to the second division finals. Before the game, not many people were optimistic about the Lakers, and the game hit the King Mountain, the Battle of The King Mountain, Baylor slashed 61 points to help the Lakers get the match point, but in the end, the Lakers were reversed by the Celtics, and Baylor once again rubbed shoulders with the championship.
In 1963, 1965 and 1966, Baylor's Lakers were defeated by the Celtics in the Finals. After winning the championship in 1966, the Celtics had completed eight consecutive championships, but Baylor was still empty-handed. In 1968, the Lakers met the Celtics for the sixth time, but they still failed to shake the powerful Celtics. Then came 1969, Baylor's last meeting with the Celtics, in which the Lakers pushed the Celtics into a desperate situation, and West played the greatest solo performance in NBA Finals history. But even so, the Lakers still lost in the seven battles.
After the Finals, Bill Russell announced his retirement, and the Greenshirts dynasty followed suit. Baylor was 35 years old, and his knees were no longer as healthy as they had been when he was younger. The following season, Baylor played just 54 games. In the Finals against the New York Knicks, opponent's center Willis Reed was injured in G5, G7 staged the return of the king, and the Lakers once again drank and hated to grab seven battles. Baylor's last assault on the championship still ended in failure.
1971-1972 was the last two years of Baylor's NBA career, and he announced his retirement after playing only 11 games due to a knee injury. However, shortly after Baylor announced his retirement, the Lakers set a trail of 33 longest wins in NBA history. He also avenged the Knicks in the finals and won the championship after an 18-year absence. Heaven seemed to have made a big joke with Baylor.
14 years of professional life, 8 finals, but never tasted the taste of the championship. The mighty Boston Celtics, like an unattainable mountain, always stood in front of Baylor.