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"Lake Show", "Showtime", basketball, Great Western Forum, Lakers, Los Angeles Lakers, National Basketball Association, NBA, pro basketball, Staples Center
Image courtesy of espn.com
COMPARING TWO LAKER DYNASTIES
As this iconic SoCal sports franchise, a franchise that has more than captured the hearts of SoCal fans for nearly forty years, continues their dark and dysfunctional days,
I have thought about how in my lifetime those Lakers have enjoyed two real glory eras;
- The Shaquille O’Neal/Kobe Bryant-led “Lake Show” that won three straight NBA titles from 2000-2002, and…
- The Laker team that I grew up with – “Showtime”, led by James Worthy, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
I remember back in 2000 explaining to a friend, a rabid Shaq and Kobe Laker fan, the comparison between that Laker team and the “Showtime” Lakers, and stating which team was better and why.
I have subsequently explained which team was clearly better to other fans, including my brother.
In other words,
WHICH LAKER TEAM WOULD WIN IN A BEST-OF-SEVEN SERIES?
I have told people who I firmly felt would win that match-up,
And now, before I officially state such, I’ll go ahead and compare those two Laker teams by position, starting with the…
POINT GUARD: Magic Johnson vs Derek Fisher
With all due respect to Fisher, who was a perfectly good point guard for the Lake Show and was, along with Kobe and Shaq, essential to those Lakers’ three straight NBA championships,
When comparing him to Magic, whose accomplishments are so many that, except for the fact that his assists per game average is still the highest in NBA history,
And the fact that as far as number of titles, Johnson beats Fisher 5-3,
Excuse me when I say…
“HA HA HA HA HA HA HA !!!”
SHOOTING GUARD: Byron Scott vs Kobe Bryant
Another no contest, no-brainer choice, only it’s the other way around from the point guard position.
While Byron Scott was a perfect compliment to Magic during those “Showtime” days,
Kobe ranks in the NBA’s all-time top five in,
- Points (3rd – only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone have more)
- Field Goals made (5th)
- Free Throws Made (3rd)
Plus his five titles – he won another two in 2009 and 2010 – which matches the “Showtime” guys,
Induces another bout of laughter from me when compared with Scott.
Magic Johnson (#32) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (#33) during a game. Photo courtesy of sportskeeda.com
POWER FORWARD: James Worthy vs Robert Horry
Though both men won three champions each as Lakers…
- CAREER POINTS AVERAGE: Worthy 17.6 > Horry 7.0
- CAREER REBOUNDS AVERAGE: Worthy 5.1 > Horry 4.8
- ASSISTS PER GAME AVERAGE: Worthy 3.0 > Horry 2.1
- FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE: Worthy .521 > Horry .425
And having seen both play, it’s clear to me that Worthy was more of an essential player, while Horry, judging by his numbers,was much more of a compliment, a second chair guy, to Shaq and Kobe.
Which is why Worthy gets the crystal clear nod and induces even more laughs here.
SMALL FORWARD: A.C. Green vs Rick Fox
An edge to Green, due to him getting more rebounds and having a higher field goal percentage.
Plus he was the perfect partner to Magic, while Fox seemed more of a second fiddle to Shaq and Kobe,
Was extremely tough on defense,
Was the Lou Gehrig (without the disease, of course) of basketball due to his record 1.192 consecutive games played,
And, in an NBA culture where there were and still are readily available and gorgeous women to do whatever,
Green more than gets much respect from me by sticking to his Christian morals, as he played his entire career while remaining a virgin.
The two men responsible for the Lakers’ turn of the 21st Century dynasty: Shaquille O’ Neal (left) and Kobe Bryant (right). Photo courtesy of newarena.com
CENTER: Shaquille O’ Neal vs Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Don’t get me wrong – I think “The Big Diesel” was a GREAT, GREAT player.
When owner Jerry Buss signed Shaq in 1996 (along with drafting Kobe), that signaled the beginning of an emerging dynasty.
He was an absolute monster rebounder and was the dominant center in the 1990s and 2000s.
And his personality and charisma – wow!
Only one thing, however…
Only an idiot would pick Shaq over the man who scored more points than anyone else in the history of basketball.
Especially when one compares their free throw percentages;
- Kareem – .721
- Shaq – .527
Plus Kareem solidly beats Shaq in all-time rebounds, assists, and points per game average.
And in a match-up, I only have one thing to say: SKYHOOK.
And if Shaq tried to defend that outside the paint, all Kareem would do is to dish to Worthy in the paint for a slam dunk.
I won’t even start on how Shaq would be hacked and sent to the line to clank his charity shots.
So sorry Shaq, but when compared to the Captain, I’m forced to say…
“HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!”
Magic Johnson (#32) and James Worthy (#42) with three Lakers who, in my view, were a top factor in the “Showtime” dynasty: Kurt Rambis (left), Michael Cooper (second from left), and Mychal Thompson (far right). Photo courtesy of onlinegambling.com
BENCH: Michael Cooper/Kurt Rambis/Mychal Thompson vs Brian Shaw/Devean George/Ron Harper
This comparison, along with Magic vs Derek Fisher, induces the biggest laughs from me.
With all due respect, compared to the “Showtime” Lakers, the bench from the 2000s “Lake Show” was irrelevant.
While that “Showtime” bench was a significant reason why those Lakers were the team of the 80s, particularly with regards to Rambis and Cooper, who were not to be messed with on defense, with Cooper being downright scary and mean.
That bench would toy with the “Lake Show” bench.
Which was why those 80s Lakers were considered to go eight deep,
While the early 2000s Lakers were generally considered to only go two deep.
That is the foremost reason I’m about to make this statement…
IN A BEST-OF-SEVEN SERIES BETWEEN THE 1980s “SHOWTIME” LAKERS AND THE EARLY 2000s “LAKE SHOW”, IT WOULDN’T EVEN BE CLOSE.
AS GOOD AS THE SHAQ AND KOBE LAKERS WERE, “SHOWTIME” WOULD DOMINATE THEM IN A FOUR GAME SWEEP.
I USED TO SAY THAT ALL FOUR OF THOSE GAMES WOULD BE BLOWOUTS FROM ANYWHERE BETWEEN TWENTY-FIVE AND THIRTY-FIVE POINTS, BUT DUE TO KOBE’S TALENT, I’LL SAY THAT ONE OF THOSE GAMES WOULD BE RELATIVELY CLOSE.
NOT NECESSARILY A GOING DOWN TO THE WIRE CLOSE, BUT A GAME IN WHICH SHOWTIME WOULD WIN BY AROUND TEN POINTS.
Those are my convictions, and I’m more than sticking to them.
If any Laker fan out there disagrees with these assessments, I happily invite him/her/them to debate in the comments – either here, on Facebook, or on Twitter, why those early 2000s Lakers would have ANY chance of beating Magic, Kareem, and “Showtime”.
Meanwhile, I do hope that the Lakers can get back to their winning ways one day;
Hopefully sooner than later.
The heart of the “Showtime” era Lakers (from left to right): Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, and Magic Johnson. Photo courtesy of espn.com