I believe that the Boston Celtics would have been defeated if Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, and Elgin Baylor had collaborated while they were at their best, prior to aging and injuries.
The fact that Elgin Baylor had changed by the time he played with Wilt was something that Lakers detractors frequently overlook, forget, or just plain don’t know. Wilt was also forced to miss a whole season due to his own knee issues. After so many seasons of playing 48 minutes a game, getting double and triple teamed, and getting mugged every night, Wilt had lost his identity. Jerry West was left to carry the scoring burden as a result, and by the playoffs, he was exhausted and running on fumes.
The Celtics, on the other hand, started five Hall of Famers and typically had two or three more on the bench. They had a far more talented team, possibly the best NBA club ever assembled.
The fact that the Celtics won 11 titles in 13 years is therefore not surprising. Not only in NBA history, but in all of professional sports history, that is the greatest dynasty.
Although the Lakers’ detractors like to claim that the Lakers were defeated by an elderly Celtics squad, the Lakers’ studs were actually injured and past their prime. All of the Celtics’ veteran players could take a nap and still win. Lakers were unable to.
However, at their heyday, Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, and Elgin Baylor would have undoubtedly ended the Celtics dynasty. The greatest “big three” of all time would have been that.
