[Ever wonder why the late-great Paul Westphal wore number 44? Here’s Westphal’s “honest’ explanation as told to Bob Wischnia, then a Phoenix-based freelancer. Wischnia would move the next year to become deputy editor of the magazine Runner’s World, leaving pro basketball in his tracks. But several months before making tracks, Wischnia’s piece appeared in the March 1976 issue of Hoop Magazine.]
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The comparison is inevitable. And although they haven’t been calling Paul Westphal of the Phoenix Suns Mr. Clutch just yet, the similarity of his playing style to Jerry West’s is more than mere coincidence.
“I was born and grew up in Southern California [Redondo Beach],” Westphal says. “Ever since I can remember, I’ve been watching the Lakers play and, really, I couldn’t help but be influenced by Jerry West. We do have similar builds and similar approaches to the game, and so naturally I do play a little like him. But I didn’t just try to be another Jerry West.
“Sure, I’ve met him a few times, and he’s always gone out of his way to he helpful,” Westphal adds. “When I hurt my knee in college [at Southern Cal], he telephoned and told me he had the same problem and the same doctor, and that I shouldn’t worry about it. So, my whole life, I admit, I’ve been very aware of him. He’s easily the best example for any guard to follow.”
Westphal was the first-round selection of the Boston Celtics in the 1972 draft. Soon after, when he signed and began looking for a uniform number, Westphal found out that most of the numbers that he wanted were hanging from the rafters of Boston Garden. He had worn 25 through high school and college. But K.C. Jones had already eliminated that one. All that was left was 34, 37, and 44. Guess which one he took? Does it help if we tell you that Jerry West’s number was 44?
“Nobody believes me, but getting 44 was pure luck,” Westphal says. “It’s a nice enough number, but I swear I didn’t pick it because West wore it, too. Honest.”
In addition to his old number, Westphal has West’s penchant for taking the ball to the basket, using the rim to protect the shot. Or, he’ll take it in and slam dunk with either hand. At 6-feet-4 Westphal may well be the dunkingest guard in the National Basketball Association. He’s exciting to watch, which is fine for Phoenix fans because he came to the Land of the Sun from the Celtics in exchange for Charlie Scott, a truly exciting performer.
“Some people have said that I’m ambidextrous, but I’m not,” says Westphal. “I can shoot and dribble left-handed, but I don’t write or do anything else that way. My older brother Bill, who played at USC and is now head basketball coach at Occidental College, taught me to play at a very early age, and even then, he emphasized that I learn how to use both hands.”
Rated an excellent shooter, Westphal finished second last year among guards, behind Butch Beard, in field goal percentage. Averaging slightly less than 10 points a game with the Celtics, Westphal shot .510 from the floor, which was seventh best among all players.
This is his fourth year in the league, but the first in which he’s started. At Boston, he played behind such standouts as Jo Jo White and Don Chaney. “I might’ve started once with the Celtics,” said the 25-year-old Westphal. “The guys over there just didn’t get hurt much. I thought I might have started this year. You never want to be traded away from a potential championship team, but the way things have worked out has been great.”
Westphal and his wife Cindy, the quintessential Southern California couple, never felt they fit it into the Boston scene. Neither one liked the Boston winters. “Let’s face it,” he says, “I’m from the West and love the sun and being outside. I’ve just built my own tennis court, and the great thing about Phoenix is you can play every day of the year.
“I feel more relaxed in Phoenix and feel my capabilities are being used better. I also have a feeling of much more freedom, and Coach MacLeod has helped make me a confident player,” Westphal points out.
He goes on: “That’s one thing about West that I always admired. When the Lakers needed a basket, West always took the shot. He took it because he wanted it and knew he could make it. That’s the kind of confidence I hope to develop.”
From Way Downtown 