Los Angeles Lakers Greatest Moments: Elgin Baylor scores 61 points in the Finals
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Selecting the greatest moments of the Lakers history is not an easy task, because it is full of great moments, situations and facts that were significant. Sometimes so significant that they changed the way the game was played. Baylor establish a Finals record: 61 points Long before Julius Erving (Dr.J) and Michael Jordan stepped into a basketball court, Baylor was one of first players to make it an aerial game, and was recognized for his ability to change direction in midair on his way to the hoop. That April 14, 1962, he had to deal with Tom "Satch" Sanders, one of the best defenders in the league, and with the legendary Bill Russell to get his 61 points, but the result of his effort was that he established and NBA Finals record that is still waiting to be broken. To add magnitude to those 61 points, only one player in history has scored more in a playoff game. Maybe you have heard of him, a shooting guard called Michael Jordan. But he needed 2 overtimes to get his 63 points. Baylor's career average of 27.4 points per game is still the best ever for a forward and the third highest all-time, only behind Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain.
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Though the Celtics won the 1961-62 Championship, those Finals will be remembered for ever because game 5 was the stage for Elgin Baylor's best performance:
he scored 61 points and grabbed 22 rebounds in a 126-121 Laker victory at the Boston Garden.