1:16 PM Tue, Jan 30, 2007 | Permalink
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Sports fans are always enamored with streaks. Let's face it we love to count; most points, least points, most victories etc.. So when the Phoenix Suns reeled off 17 straight victories the question just who has the longest winning streak in the NBA is certainly asked. The answer is the Los Angeles Lakers during the 1971-1972 season, 33 games.
It was quite a year. Wilt Chamberlain was the Center, and although he's remembered for his scoring records in other seasons, he was not the first option. Bill Sharman earned Coach of the Year honors, and looking back at the roster you'll see some other NBA greats. Gail Goodrich and Jerry West were the leading scorers, but perhaps the real reason the team was unstoppable was a look at the boards. For the first time ever two players, Wilt Chamberlain and Happy Hairston finished with more than 1,000 rebounds on the same team. Chamberlain grabbed 1572 misses, while Harriston cleaned up 1045. In short there was no worry about gunning it, the big guys were there for second chances.
The streak was finally stopped by the Milwaukee Bucks which featured another Hall of Fame big man in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. But in the playoffs the Lakers beat the Bucks in the Western Conference Finals 4 games to 2 and then the Knicks 4 games to 1. The Lakers regular season record was 69-13, which stood until Michael Jordan and the Bulls set a new mark in the '95-'96 season with 72 victories.
And while the team will be remembered by the famous trio of Goodrich, West & Chamberlain, there was another guard on the team who is better known as a head coach. His name, Pat Riley.
The '71-'72 season will always be remembered for the Lakers incredible streak, and one more thing. It was the season the San Diego Rockets moved to Houston along with two guys named Calvin Murphy and Rudy Tomjanovich.
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