No, the Heat are not going to do it!

[High_Gravity]

Miami beat the Spurs without Lebron and Wade, they are winning the championship for sure.

 

[Billo_Really]

False, the 87 Lakers played the 87 Celtics.

The 87 Celtics had the same lineup as the 86 Celtics.

So what's the difference?

I'll tell ya, they happened to play the best NBA team in history. There isn't a single team in NBA history that could beat the 87 Lakers in a 7 game series. As far as NBA champions go, they are the top of the food chain.

 

[High_Gravity]

False, the 87 Lakers played the 87 Celtics.

The 87 Celtics had the same lineup as the 86 Celtics.

So what's the difference?

I'll tell ya, they happened to play the best NBA team in history. There isn't a single team in NBA history that could beat the 87 Lakers in a 7 game series. As far as NBA champions go, they are the top of the food chain.

Dude, a year makes a difference. The Celtics were banged up in 87 and not as healthy as they were the year prior.

 

[Billo_Really]

Dude, a year makes a difference. The Celtics were banged up in 87 and not as healthy as they were the year prior.

Cry me a river.

They wouldn't of won even if they were healthy.

The 87 Lakers were the best team in NBA history.

They started the season 39-3.

They were 12-2 in the playoffs.

 

[High_Gravity]

Dude, a year makes a difference. The Celtics were banged up in 87 and not as healthy as they were the year prior.

Cry me a river.

They wouldn't of won even if they were healthy.

The 87 Lakers were the best team in NBA history.

They started the season 39-3.

They were 12-2 in the playoffs.

So why couldn't the Lakers beat the Celtics in 86?

 

[Billo_Really]

So why couldn't the Lakers beat the Celtics in 86?

Ralph Samson.

 

[High_Gravity]

So why couldn't the Lakers beat the Celtics in 86?

Ralph Samson.

Well from our conversation a year shouldn't matter right? how come the Celtics were able to beat Samson and the Lakers couldn't?

 

[Billo_Really]

Well from our conversation a year shouldn't matter right? how come the Celtics were able to beat Samson and the Lakers couldn't?

Houston didn't match up well against the Celtics.

They beat the Lakers on a fluke play with one second left in game 6.

If someone had put a body on Samson and prevented him from jumping up so close to the rim, the Finals would've been a different story.

 

[TheGreatGatsby]

Loin boy:

First off. Shame on you for not knowing the difference between the 86 C's and the 87 C's. You're not a 15 year-old kid and you've intimately followed the Lakers and by extension the C's.

The 86 C's were so good that year that everyone was saying that nobody had a shot at them that year. And you might think that to be surprising but it's really not. We saw a flash of the 86's during the Memorial Day Massacre (85).

Following 84, Maxwell did a contract hold-out. When he came back, he was fat and out of shape. And then he broke his leg and when he came back for the playoffs, he was more/less a non factor when he had been their star PF. You may say big deal, but imagine if someone like Worthy or Cooper went down. It'd be a big deal.

During the 85 offseason, the C's traded Maxwell and draft picks for Bill Walton. The 86 C's were great and I've read and listened to many experts opinions from that time and nobody thought anybody could beat the C's, including the Lakers. They were that good.

That team is regarded as the best passing team of all-time. but it's also worth noting that they were the number one rated defensive team from that season.

Of course Bird was in top form too, putting up ungodly numbers - 25.8 ppg, 9.8 reb, 6.8 Asts, 2.0 Stls, .496 FG, .423 3FG, .896 as all starters were in double figures for scoring.

The 87 C's were a shell of a team. Bird was in top form. But every other main player was dealing with serious injuries. McHale was playing on bad ankles against the wishes of team doctors, who wanted to end his season with surgery. He later stated, that shortened his career. Parish was on two bad ankles that forced him to sit-out the 86 ECF Gm 6. Ainge also missed three playoff games with his own ankle injuries. Also, Bill Walton played in a whole 10 games that year and was a non-factor during the playoffs and the finals.

 

[TheGreatGatsby]

Well from our conversation a year shouldn't matter right? how come the Celtics were able to beat Samson and the Lakers couldn't?

Houston didn't match up well against the Celtics.

They beat the Lakers on a fluke play with one second left in game 6.

If someone had put a body on Samson and prevented him from jumping up so close to the rim, the Finals would've been a different story.

One fluke play? They beat them at the Forum w/o Olajuwon (who had been ejected). And they did it b/c they went 12 deep (Craig Ehlo was their 12th man). Also, the Rockets were up 3-1 and that game still would have went to OT had Sampson missed that shot.

The Lakers played in the weak WC and for once they didn't have to play a cream puff team for what had otherwise been akin to a birth right for a finals appearance and they ran into the buzz saw. You're just lucky that Sampson hurt his knee the next year. Meanwhile, the C's had to contend with teams like the Bad Boys.

 

[Rocko]

So why couldn't the Lakers beat the Celtics in 86?

Ralph Samson.

That was the luckiest play in the playoffs ever.

 

[Rocko]

So why couldn't the Lakers beat the Celtics in 86?

Ralph Samson.

Well from our conversation a year shouldn't matter right? how come the Celtics were able to beat Samson and the Lakers couldn't?

I'm Paul and this is between y'all, but there's no defense for this.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXOts9kaiLQ]Ralph Sampson Shocks the Lakers with the Game Winner - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Billo_Really]

I'm Paul and this is between y'all, but there's no defense for this.

Ralph Sampson Shocks the Lakers with the Game Winner - YouTube

No one is guarding the inbound passer. James Worthy is guarding a piece of wood. Kareem is not the defensive power a Bill Russell or a Wilt Chamberlain is. And Samson makes a one-in-a-lifetime shot.

That shot was a fluke. That series was a fluke. And to be quite honest, I'm still pissed off about it.

 

[Billo_Really]

That was the luckiest play in the playoffs ever.

Not to me.

The Don Nelson bounce is the luckiest for me.

 

[Billo_Really]

Loin boy:

First off. Shame on you for not knowing the difference between the 86 C's and the 87 C's. You're not a 15 year-old kid and you've intimately followed the Lakers and by extension the C's.

The 86 C's were so good that year that everyone was saying that nobody had a shot at them that year. And you might think that to be surprising but it's really not. We saw a flash of the 86's during the Memorial Day Massacre (85).

Following 84, Maxwell did a contract hold-out. When he came back, he was fat and out of shape. And then he broke his leg and when he came back for the playoffs, he was more/less a non factor when he had been their star PF. You may say big deal, but imagine if someone like Worthy or Cooper went down. It'd be a big deal.

During the 85 offseason, the C's traded Maxwell and draft picks for Bill Walton. The 86 C's were great and I've read and listened to many experts opinions from that time and nobody thought anybody could beat the C's, including the Lakers. They were that good.

That team is regarded as the best passing team of all-time. but it's also worth noting that they were the number one rated defensive team from that season.

Of course Bird was in top form too, putting up ungodly numbers - 25.8 ppg, 9.8 reb, 6.8 Asts, 2.0 Stls, .496 FG, .423 3FG, .896 as all starters were in double figures for scoring.

The 87 C's were a shell of a team. Bird was in top form. But every other main player was dealing with serious injuries. McHale was playing on bad ankles against the wishes of team doctors, who wanted to end his season with surgery. He later stated, that shortened his career. Parish was on two bad ankles that forced him to sit-out the 86 ECF Gm 6. Ainge also missed three playoff games with his own ankle injuries. Also, Bill Walton played in a whole 10 games that year and was a non-factor during the playoffs and the finals.

I'm not saying the 86 team wasn't good. But I'm a Laker fan. I fuckin' hate the Celtics. 9 straight finals losses will do that to ya. But we beat them in '85 and we had the horses to beat them in '86. If we wouldn't have lossed to Houston and went on to the Finals, the Celtics could not stop Kareem, they have no answer for Magic, Cooper can slow Bird down, McHale can't guard Worthy, the Lakers "team speed" and constant fast breaks (even on made baskets), would give the Celtics fits.

BTW, my vote for best passing team in history is a tie between the '77 Portland Trailblazers and the '70 New York Knicks.

 

[Billo_Really]

One fluke play? They beat them at the Forum w/o Olajuwon (who had been ejected). And they did it b/c they went 12 deep (Craig Ehlo was their 12th man). Also, the Rockets were up 3-1 and that game still would have went to OT had Sampson missed that shot.

The Lakers played in the weak WC and for once they didn't have to play a cream puff team for what had otherwise been akin to a birth right for a finals appearance and they ran into the buzz saw. You're just lucky that Sampson hurt his knee the next year. Meanwhile, the C's had to contend with teams like the Bad Boys.

Sampson never lived up to his billing. That was a fluke series. The Lakers went to the Finals 9 times in 10 years and won 5 of them. I believe in '85, we had to play 3 straight 7 game series just to get there. That's pretty tough.

BTW, the Western Conference today kicks ass over the east.

 

[TheGreatGatsby]

I'm Paul and this is between y'all, but there's no defense for this.

Ralph Sampson Shocks the Lakers with the Game Winner - YouTube

No one is guarding the inbound passer. James Worthy is guarding a piece of wood. Kareem is not the defensive power a Bill Russell or a Wilt Chamberlain is. And Samson makes a one-in-a-lifetime shot.

That shot was a fluke. That series was a fluke. And to be quite honest, I'm still pissed off about it.

If you look at the shot, he actually got a pretty good look and shot at the basket despite the time and the awkward look of it.

The Rockets had won the previous three games by 10, 8, 8 and had they not won that game, it is very likely they would have won the next game in Houston. They were a good team. They had won their division.

They had six guys who averaged double digits and went twelve deep as I said. You know you're pretty good when you have five guys like Olajuwon, Sampson, McCray, Wiggins and Peterson for your front court. My hell, the Miami Heat don't have two front court guys of that caliber (unless you count LBJ as front court).

 

[TheGreatGatsby]

Sampson never lived up to his billing. That was a fluke series. The Lakers went to the Finals 9 times in 10 years and won 5 of them. I believe in '85, we had to play 3 straight 7 game series just to get there. That's pretty tough.

BTW, the Western Conference today kicks ass over the east.

Sampson hurt his knee the next year. It's common knowledge that he was never the same after that. The dude was three-time player of the year at Virginia. Only one to ever do that I think.

Sampson was there the year before Hakeem. He was out of the league by 92 b/c of his knee. Hakeem played many years longer.

But Sampson's rookie year before he had to share some of the glory with Hakeem and when he was playing his natural 5 spot; he had his best per 36 min numbers as 23, 12, 2.2, 2.6. That's about as good as it gets, really. And no, I don't want to hear about Wilt's ungodly numbers. B/C if a guy like Sampson played against 6'5" centers he would have had them also.

 

[TheGreatGatsby]

I'm not saying the 86 team wasn't good. But I'm a Laker fan. I fuckin' hate the Celtics. 9 straight finals losses will do that to ya. But we beat them in '85 and we had the horses to beat them in '86. If we wouldn't have lossed to Houston and went on to the Finals, the Celtics could not stop Kareem, they have no answer for Magic, Cooper can slow Bird down, McHale can't guard Worthy, the Lakers "team speed" and constant fast breaks (even on made baskets), would give the Celtics fits.

BTW, my vote for best passing team in history is a tie between the '77 Portland Trailblazers and the '70 New York Knicks.

The 87 C's were only a bad call away from beating the Lakers anyways and the 85 C's lost b/c Stern switched the format last minute to put Game 5 in LA and not Boston. Both those teams were close and imo should've won. Ironically, 84 was the year the Lakers looked the best in those series. C's just got in their heads though.

I think Walton may have said he believed the 77 Blazers were the best passing team; but I'm not 100 percent on that. It could've been best defensive team, so I'm a bit hazy.

I just haven't seen a team pass like the 86 C's though. The Spurs of the last couple years have been up there. But that's more of a system and they don't have the instincts or abilities to make some of the passes consistently that those 86 C's did. I'm not familiar enough with the 77 Blazers or 70 Knicks to say no for sure; but I would just doubt it. Probably the closest team to rivaling the passing the 86 C's would be the 00, 01, 02 Kings; I would say.

 

[TheGreatGatsby]

Oh and I wish the Lakers would have played the C's in 86. That's the one year that they would not have presented a challenge. Kareem was on his downhill. Magic was still a year from hitting the MVP level, Green was just a rookie. Thompson was not there yet. It would have just been a contain Worthy series and sweep their asses series. The Lakers saved a lot of face by shrinking against the Rockets in 5 (a team that the C's nearly swept).