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The Curse of Elgin Baylor Trivia Quiz

Elgin Baylor may be one of the NBAs greatest players, but just about anything he was involved in turned bad for him.

A multiple-choice quiz by GoodVibe. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
GoodVibe

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
230,369

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
278

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. What college did Baylor attend? Hint

Seattle Pacific

Central Washington

Western Washington

Seattle University

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Question 2 of 10

2. 1959 was Baylor's first season in the NBA. What happened to the team he played for in his first season? Hint

Lost in conference finals

Finished dead last

Missed playoffs by one spot

Lost in finals

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Question 3 of 10

3. The 1960-1961 season was the first season the Lakers played in Los Angeles. The Lakers lost in the Western Conference Finals for the second consecutive year. Who did they lose to?

Answer: (One word. Team name only)

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Question 4 of 10

4. 1962-1970 would not be good for Baylor and the Lakers. In that nine-year span, how many times were the Lakers in the finals? Hint

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Question 5 of 10

5. The 1972 season was considered most ironic for Baylor. Which is not true about that season? Hint

The Lakers were 68-14 in 1972

Baylor was forced to retire

The Lakers won 33 consecutive games in 1972

The Lakers won the 1972 NBA title

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Question 6 of 10

6. Baylor became the head coach of an expansion team during the 1970s.

True

False

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Question 7 of 10

7. In 1986, Baylor became the assistant General Manager of the Los Angeles Clippers. What was their record in 1987? Hint

11-71

12-70

10-70

13-69

8. During the tenure of Baylor as GM, the Clippers made a number of bad draft picks and trades. The first happened in 1988 when the Clippers drafted Danny Manning and Hershey Hawkins in the first round. How many seasons combined did Manning and Hawkins play for the Clippers? Hint

4-1/2

6-1/2

7-1/2

5-1/2

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Question 9 of 10

9. What year did the Clippers have the first pick in the NBA draft? Hint

1996

1997

1998

1999

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Question 10 of 10

10. In 2005, the Clippers had their highest finish in the Pacific Division during the Elgin Baylor era, placing third. However, they had also placed 7th, or in last place, how many times in 19 seasons. Hint

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. What college did Baylor attend?

Answer: Seattle University

In 1958, the Redhawks were in the Final Four, but lost to Kentucky. Seattle University did not make a Final Four for 45+ years after that. Its program was also downgraded to Division II in 1980.

2. 1959 was Baylor's first season in the NBA. What happened to the team he played for in his first season?

Answer: Lost in finals

The Minneapolis Lakers lost to the Boston Celtics in 4 games. This was the first of eight consecutive titles for the Celtics. 1959 was also the first of seven consecutive All-Star appearances and eleven overall for Baylor. That year, Baylor was also the NBAs Rookie of the Year and All-Star MVP.

3. The 1960-1961 season was the first season the Lakers played in Los Angeles. The Lakers lost in the Western Conference Finals for the second consecutive year. Who did they lose to?

Answer: Hawks

Before the Hawks played in Atlanta, they were in St. Louis.

4. 1962-1970 would not be good for Baylor and the Lakers. In that nine-year span, how many times were the Lakers in the finals?

Answer: 7

The Lakers made the playoffs all those seasons, but couldn't close the books. They lost six times to the Celtics in the finals (1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969), in 1970 against Willis Reed and the Knicks, and twice in the Western Conference Finals to the Warriors.
1966 was also the only year during that span Baylor was not an All-Star.

5. The 1972 season was considered most ironic for Baylor. Which is not true about that season?

Answer: The Lakers were 68-14 in 1972

Knee problems forced the forward to retire without an NBA ring to his name. The game after Baylor left, the Lakers got the first of their 33 consecutive wins. That season, the 69-13 Lakers beat New York Knicks in five games.

6. Baylor became the head coach of an expansion team during the 1970s.

Answer: True

Baylor was an assistant coach and head coach of the New Orleans (later Utah) Jazz from 1975-1979. They did not make the playoffs. Baylor went 86-135 as a head coach. In 1977, Baylor was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame. In 1979, the Jazz moved to Utah.

7. In 1986, Baylor became the assistant General Manager of the Los Angeles Clippers. What was their record in 1987?

Answer: 12-70

At the time, it was the second worst record in NBA history. In the strike-shortened 1999 season, the Clippers went 9-41.

Answer: 5-1/2

Manning played for the Clippers until 1994 when he was traded to the Hawks. Hawkins never played as a Clipper. He was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers soon after.

9. What year did the Clippers have the first pick in the NBA draft?

Answer: 1998

The Clippers drafted Michael Olowokandi, considered one of the biggest flops in the NBA. Other major failures include Danny Ferry (second pick in 1989, traded to Cleveland before playing a single game), Antonio McDyess (second pick in 1995, traded to Denver that season for Rodney Rogers and Brent Barry (son of Rick)), and Darius Miles (third pick in 2000, traded in 2002).

Answer: 9

The Clippers also only made the playoffs three times (1992, 1993, 1997). In those three times, the Clippers lost in the first round of the playoffs, won four playoff games, and finished above .500 only once in 1992. In 2006, the Clippers made the playoffs for only the fourth time during the 20 years of Baylor's time as GM.

Source: Author GoodVibe

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Nightmare before going online.
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