Whenever the NBA community speaks about the 1960s, the Boston Celtics are usually mentioned and associated with that era. They were the most successful team during that decade, winning nine of the ten available championships since Wilt Chamberlain and the Philadelphia 76ers won the 1967 title.
The Lakers were the bridesmaids for six of the nine titles, even though they had one of the most talented rosters. Elgin Baylor headlined the team, which also had an All-Star backcourt of Jerry West and Gail Goodrich .
Former Lakers teammate Kermit Washington loved being teammates with those players, as they made the game easy for the rest of the team.
"Gail could shoot, handle, and go to the hole. He and Jerry were sort of interchangeable, either could handle the ball or shoot," Washington said to SLAM Magazine. "Gail had a great knack for getting open and Jerry always knew where to find him. Gail came out of UCLA and in those days, that meant he was fundamentally flawless."
Goodrich and West could have been a modern backcourt
Goodrich and West had skill sets that were ahead of the time in the '60s. They were more perimeter-focused in a time when there was no three-point line. The backcourt could have easily thrived in an era with more points at the perimeter.
The game evolved after the '60s when teams started to run sets for their guards to score. Back then, guards were meant to feed the big men in the paint like Baylor and Wilt for the Los Angeles Lakers . However, the Lakers used their guards well as perimeter threats and playmakers who could change the game at any point.
Despite losing multiple times while with the Lakers, the backcourt was solid. They still had a strong partnership with each other, and it all paid off when they won the 1972 championship. Goodrich was the team's leading scorer at 25.6 points per game, while Jerry chipped in with 19.8 and 8.8 assists.
While Wilt won Finals MVP with his absurd production of 19.4 points and 23.2 rebounds per game, the backcourt had a strong impact. The Lakers needed that "superteam" push since they came close many times to a title with Goodrich and West leading the way.
Goodrich and West often get overlooked
When discussing all-time great backcourts, Gail and Jerry get overlooked. The Laker's backcourt was a prime example of how two great guards could form a dominant and sustainable partnership. Modern-day duos like Steph Curry and Klay Thompson were affected by how influential Goodrich and West were back in the day.
They are arguably as good as them, but the NBA community has forgotten about them. West is still a big name because of his popularity as the NBA logo and being synonymous with the Lakers, but Goodrich also deserves more love as one of the great guards of the past.
Washington shone a spotlight on them, and they deserve every bit of the praise. Hopefully, more people could recall Goodrich and West and how good they were during their prime as Lakers.
Related: Jerry West on whether the Showtime Lakers' 5 titles was a greater feat than the Celtics' championships in the 60s: "I could not say"
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