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Who would win between this years Warriors and Lakers showtime
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Last: 8 yr ago by Texas A&M
There is no right answer but yes is amusing to debate.
show time Lakers would give them a better series than these Cavs that is for sure.
I actually went to high school in L..A. And that Showtime was my favorite team at the time. I think both teams would have some matchup advantages vs the other IMO.
Beats me who would win in a series. Showtime Lakers and this Golden State Warriors team both belong in the 'one of the all time great teams' conversation...along with the Larry Bird Celtics, those Jordan Bulls teams, Shaq & Kobe Lakers, etc.
If only we could make a time machine and create an NBA Playoff with say the top-8 'all-time great' teams and let them go at it.
show time Lakers would give them a better series than these Cavs that is for sure.
I actually went to high school in L..A. And that Showtime was my favorite team at the time. I think both teams would have some matchup advantages vs the other IMO.
Beats me who would win in a series. Showtime Lakers and this Golden State Warriors team both belong in the 'one of the all time great teams' conversation...along with the Larry Bird Celtics, those Jordan Bulls teams, Shaq & Kobe Lakers, etc.
If only we could make a time machine and create an NBA Playoff with say the top-8 'all-time great' teams and let them go at it.
quote:
The impulse to compare great teams across different eras is both understandable and absurd. Although these questions make for fun hypotheticals, so many variables have changed over time that it's nearly impossible to render a conclusive verdict for any fantasy matchup.
This hasn't stopped Magic Johnson from asserting that the Showtime Lakers would beat this year's Warriors, a sentiment with which his former teammate Mychal Thompson (Klay's dad) fervently disagrees. Given this, as well as the hullabaloo over a hypothetical matchup between the Warriors and the 199596 Bulls and Charles Barkley's incessant dismissiveness of the Dubs, we felt it our duty to determine the most intriguing (not necessarily the best) historical opponents Golden State could face. At the very least, these squads would give the Warriors a better fight than the 2016 Cavs.
https://theringer.com/warriors-fantasy-matchups-golden-state-lakers-magic-johnson-2049ec66056c#.7fvhiylp5
Assuming the Warriors go on to win the title, I think they have the best claim to the greatest team of all time mantle. 73 regular season wins + 16 playoffs wins and a title = 89 total wins and a title. That's unprecedented.
IMO, the only other team with a legit claim as greatest team of all time would be the 95-96 Bulls. 72 regular season wins + 15 playoff wins = 87 total wins and a title. The only reason I respect the Bulls' claim is because they went 87-13 (87.0%) overall while the Warriors will go 89-15 (85.6%) at best if they sweep.
Magic can GTFO. Showtime Lakers never won more than 65 regular season games. That's not to say the Showtime Lakers couldn't beat the Warriors on a given night. Lots of factors play into that analysis. But in lieu of playing the actual game (which cannot be done), the edge goes to the Warriors because of what they accomplished on the court.
IMO, the only other team with a legit claim as greatest team of all time would be the 95-96 Bulls. 72 regular season wins + 15 playoff wins = 87 total wins and a title. The only reason I respect the Bulls' claim is because they went 87-13 (87.0%) overall while the Warriors will go 89-15 (85.6%) at best if they sweep.
Magic can GTFO. Showtime Lakers never won more than 65 regular season games. That's not to say the Showtime Lakers couldn't beat the Warriors on a given night. Lots of factors play into that analysis. But in lieu of playing the actual game (which cannot be done), the edge goes to the Warriors because of what they accomplished on the court.
As with all these comparisons, how is the game going to be officiated and what era's rules will be used.
Generally, I side with the warriors
Generally, I side with the warriors
It would be awesome to see a 2016 team drop into the 80s NBA.
On one side, the 80s team would be packing the paint and just get annihilated from the 3-pt line. A great outside shooting team in the 80s average like 5 attempts per game.
On the other side, the 2016 team would probably have to take 5 or 6 routine fouls per game that would be called flagrant today.
In the end, I'd probably bet on the 3-ball raining team winning. That's just too many points to make up.
On one side, the 80s team would be packing the paint and just get annihilated from the 3-pt line. A great outside shooting team in the 80s average like 5 attempts per game.
On the other side, the 2016 team would probably have to take 5 or 6 routine fouls per game that would be called flagrant today.
In the end, I'd probably bet on the 3-ball raining team winning. That's just too many points to make up.
The best part of magics rant was about how James worthy would be a match up problem for the Warriors as opposed to what the warriors are facing now in Lebron. I don't why it's so hard for the retired players to just answer with that's a stupid question because it can never be settled. They come across as bitter old guys claiming how everything was better in the past. I can't remember who but someone had a great response of like "the Warriors would win because we are like 60 years old. "
IMO Both the 80's Lakers and 80's Celtics would abuse either of these teams.
I'd love to watch any 80s team try to guard a guy like Westbrook or LeBron.
quote:Maybe physically, but how can you win the game when you can't shoot?
IMO Both the 80's Lakers and 80's Celtics would abuse either of these teams.
In '86, the Celtics vs. Rockets finals there were 17 3s made in the entire 6-game series.
In '16, in 3 games so far there have seen 57 made 3s.
That is almost 3 per game competing with almost 20 per game and they are shooting a higher percentage today.
quote:True. But the current teams would struggle with Bird/McHale/Parish or Magic/Jabbar/Worthy.
I'd love to watch any 80s team try to guard a guy like Westbrook or LeBron.
To me the two franchises after the 80's who's style translates the best are the 90's Bulls or any one of the Spurs championship teams.
quote:Depends on the team. I think the 14 Spurs or 16 Spurs would have matched up with either quite well.quote:True. But the current teams would struggle with Bird/McHale/Parish or Magic/Jabbar/Worthy.
I'd love to watch any 80s team try to guard a guy like Westbrook or LeBron.
To me the two franchises after the 80's who's style translates the best are the 90's Bulls or any one of the Spurs championship teams.
If Steven Adams is playing out of his mind like he did in the playoffs this year, OKC could match up well and Boston/LA wouldn't have an answer for Westbrook. I think OKC matches up against the 80s teams better than the Cavs or Warriors, but the Cavs and Warriors might hit 20 threes in a game, and that is going to be tough for the 80s teams to defend since the tended to collapse their defense in the middle.
quote:If you LITERALLY brought the 80's Lakers in a time machine to play a team like 2015-2016 Oklahoma City, you'd no doubt see the difference in average athleticism in today's NBA players vs guys 30 years ago.
I'd love to watch any 80s team try to guard a guy like Westbrook or LeBron.
I was recently listening to a podcast of some former NBA players discussing this sort of thing, and they said today's players have much more advanced strength & conditioning programs, sports science techniques, nutritional programs, personal trainers and chefs, etc.
Another huge difference they mentioned is the coaching advantages present in 2016 versus in the 80's. The sports analysis, the scouting, everything today is much more advanced than it was 30 years ago in terms of how teams are prepared, the details of the scouting report using extensive analytic techniques, and how changes are made in-game.
They said back in the 80's a lot of NBA players rarely lifted any weights during the off-season. They would really take most of the summer off in terms of regimented workouts, while now pretty much things often go year round. There was not nearly the emphasis on diets and so forth.
That is why these hypothetical 'which team would win' debates, when you are talking about teams from such different eras...you have to make so many assumptions on what rules are you talking about, would you assume the 80's Laker's team had trained and taken advantage of the same strength & conditioning resources available to a team like the Warriors have in 2016, would Pat Riley and his coaching staff imported from the 80's also knowledge and be up to speed with all the latest coaching technologies and analytics?
Cause if you LITERALLY just as I said brought the ShowTime Lakers to 2016 in a time machine as-is, same players and coaches and coaching techniques right from the 80's and gave them say a week to prepare and then they had to face the 2016 Golden State Warriors in a 7 game series, I think they'd probably lose in 5 games. In some respects it would be like asking a guy in a WWII airplane to go up against a guy flying an F-18 jet.
I could see by middle of Game #2, the Golden State Special Assistant of Sports Science Analysis is coming up to Steve Kerr with his I-Pad and going, 'Steve, looks like everytime we go with this lineup against this Laker current lineup, we've been +15, and also this play scheme is working 76% of the time, etc. Here, let me show you some video clips real quick...' Meanwhile, Pat Riley is over on the 80's Lakers Bench with his dry erase marker and going 'Guys, that one dude seems to be really killing James from deep, lets try putting A.C. on him.'
You also have to make some assumptions about the type of officiating. If you put the Detroit title teams against the Warriors with the rules in place from back then, the Warriors would be beaten into submission by the end of the first game.
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