Jerry West Not Against Heat Breaking Lakers’ Record 33-Game Win Streak

Unlike some of his former teammates from the fabled 1971-1972 Los Angeles Lakers, Jerry West doesn’t fear the Miami Heat approaching their 33-game winning streak. The Logo has been keeping close tabs on LeBron James and co., and West fully embraces their historic run. Per the NY Times: “That thrilling, 98-95 victory in Cleveland was the Heat’s 24th in a row, leaving them 9 shy of the record set by the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers — West’s Lakers. One of the N.B.A.’s most hallowed marks could potentially fall in three weeks. ‘I think it’s great for the league,’ West said. ‘If they would break it, my gosh, I think it would be a wonderful story. I have no problem with that.’ […] Far from feeling threatened, West seemed intrigued by the Heat’s drive toward the record. ‘I think it could very easily be broken this year,’ he said. ‘I really do believe that.’ […] The Lakers’ streak stretched from Nov. 5, 1971 to Jan. 7, 1972. Only 10 games were decided by single digits. The rest were blowouts — a point of pride to West. ‘They played some close games this year,’ West said of the Heat, ‘but our games really weren’t close.’ The only other distinction West drew was in the quality of opposition. The N.B.A. in 1971-72 was a 17-team league, with the elite talent more tightly concentrated. The Lakers’ streak was ended by a Milwaukee Bucks team featuring two Hall of Famers, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson. Today, West said, ‘I see some very poor teams out there” and few that can challenge the Heat. ‘Expansion has diluted the talent,’ West said. ‘It hasn’t made talent better. So it’s harder to get a lot of good players on one team today.'”