The '87 Lakers are the BEST team in the game

[noodlebombz]

Quote: Originally Posted by Traceur

The '87 Lakers (and the '86 Celtics) are the top 2 teams in NBA history. I have no problem with the Lakers being rated so high all across the board. As a matter of fact, BOTH of those teams would smoke ANY of Jordans' Bulls teams.

Jordan getting smoked? Please, give me whatever you must be smoking. Bob Marley would rise from his grave and make a song about how strong it would be for anyone to even dream about a prime Jordan squad to get smoked.

The 8th seeded Chicago Bulls went 30-52 during the 1985-86 NBA season, but still managed to sneak into the playoffs to face the best team in the league that year: the (67-15) Boston Celtics. Although the Bulls were eventually eliminated by the Celtics, a 23-year-old Michael Jordan set an NBA Playoff record in Game 2 of that series: 63 points. Jordan's best teammate on that squad was I believe The Iceman or Oakley. This was also before The Zen Master. At the time, this Chicago team had the 5th worse record for any playoff team in history. Game 2 in BOS went into double OT. Any team that requires a double overtime definitely means they got smoked. I mean jeez what a blowout! Not even worth watching after the first quarter.

Since this thread is about the 87 Lakers, let's pit them up against the 96 Bulls. The short answer to this question would be the Chicago Bulls on the premise that their defense was superior to that of the 1987 Lakers.

It’s interesting to note that both Magic Johnson (1987) and Michael Jordan (1996) won both the regular season MVP award as well as the finals MVP award.

The game has always preached that defense wins championships, and that proclamation favors the 1996 Chicago Bulls’ lockdown defenders over L.A.’s 1987 Lakers, who were also very effective defenders in their own right.

But the Bulls had many other advantages. For example, no one on that Lakers team could have shut down Michael Jordan—he would have definitely gotten his points like he always did. But possibly more harmful to the Showtime Lakers is that they also had no answer for the versatile triple-double threat of Scottie Pippen.

Furthermore, there was no rebounder on the Showtime Lakers that could have come close to Dennis Rodman’s dominance on the glass. A.C. Green’s team-leading 7.3 RPG in the 1987 playoffs (for the Lakers) is doubled by Rodman’s 13.7 RPG in the 1996 playoffs. In addition, Pippen’s 8.5 RPG would ensure that the top two rebounders wore a Bulls uniform and that Chicago would dominate the boards.

You also have to remember that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was a good role player on this team and far from his dominating prime. Put Lew Alcindor on the Showtime Lakers and you have a much closer rivalry comparison between these two dynasties.

When Magic was in offensive mode, the stealthy and superior defensive Jordan would have thrown Magic out of rhythm. If Magic could be thrown out of rhythm (even by a little bit), it would exponentially decrease the Lakers' chances of winning.

The 1996 Bulls had three entries on that year’s NBA All-Defensive First Team (Jordan, Pippen and Rodman), while the Showtime Lakers had only one (Michael Cooper) in 1987. Cooper was a gutsy player that also won the Defensive Player of the Year Award that season.

This logic points out that the Showtime Lakers would not be able to approach their normal offensive prowess because of the suffocating defensive game of the 1996 Bulls.

Simply put, three of the league’s best defenders (Jordan, Pippen and Rodman) working in unison will overwhelm a team that has only one of the league’s best defenders in Cooper.

Consequentially, the Bulls’ record-breaking 72-win season (1996) is a testament to this fact.

Showtime’s defense was very good, but the Bulls defense was even better.

The 1996 Bulls would get their points while using lockdown defense to simultaneously ensure that Magic’s 1987 Lakers didn’t get all of theirs.

You cannot ignore the fact that the 1996 Chicago Bulls were both an offensive and defensive juggernaut.

Winner: Chicago Bulls.

Smoke that.

[GisherJohn24]

Quote: Originally Posted by noodlebombz

Jordan getting smoked? Please, give me whatever you must be smoking. Bob Marley would rise from his grave and make a song about how strong it would be for anyone to even dream about a prime Jordan squad to get smoked. The 8th seeded Chicago Bulls went 30-52 during the 1985-86 NBA season, but still managed to sneak into the playoffs to face the best team in the league that year: the (67-15) Boston Celtics. Although the Bulls were eventually eliminated by the Celtics, a 23-year-old Michael Jordan set an NBA Playoff record in Game 2 of that series: 63 points. Jordan's best teammate on that squad was I believe The Iceman or Oakley. This was also before The Zen Master. At the time, this Chicago team had the 5th worse record for any playoff team in history. Game 2 in BOS went into double OT. Any team that requires a double overtime definitely means they got smoked. I mean jeez what a blowout! Not even worth watching after the first quarter. Since this thread is about the 87 Lakers, let's pit them up against the 96 Bulls. The short answer to this question would be the Chicago Bulls on the premise that their defense was superior to that of the 1987 Lakers. It’s interesting to note that both Magic Johnson (1987) and Michael Jordan (1996) won both the regular season MVP award as well as the finals MVP award. The game has always preached that defense wins championships, and that proclamation favors the 1996 Chicago Bulls’ lockdown defenders over L.A.’s 1987 Lakers, who were also very effective defenders in their own right. But the Bulls had many other advantages. For example, no one on that Lakers team could have shut down Michael Jordan—he would have definitely gotten his points like he always did. But possibly more harmful to the Showtime Lakers is that they also had no answer for the versatile triple-double threat of Scottie Pippen. Furthermore, there was no rebounder on the Showtime Lakers that could have come close to Dennis Rodman’s dominance on the glass. A.C. Green’s team-leading 7.3 RPG in the 1987 playoffs (for the Lakers) is doubled by Rodman’s 13.7 RPG in the 1996 playoffs. In addition, Pippen’s 8.5 RPG would ensure that the top two rebounders wore a Bulls uniform and that Chicago would dominate the boards. You also have to remember that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was a good role player on this team and far from his dominating prime. Put Lew Alcindor on the Showtime Lakers and you have a much closer rivalry comparison between these two dynasties. When Magic was in offensive mode, the stealthy and superior defensive Jordan would have thrown Magic out of rhythm. If Magic could be thrown out of rhythm (even by a little bit), it would exponentially decrease the Lakers' chances of winning. The 1996 Bulls had three entries on that year’s NBA All-Defensive First Team (Jordan, Pippen and Rodman), while the Showtime Lakers had only one (Michael Cooper) in 1987. Cooper was a gutsy player that also won the Defensive Player of the Year Award that season. This logic points out that the Showtime Lakers would not be able to approach their normal offensive prowess because of the suffocating defensive game of the 1996 Bulls. Simply put, three of the league’s best defenders (Jordan, Pippen and Rodman) working in unison will overwhelm a team that has only one of the league’s best defenders in Cooper. Consequentially, the Bulls’ record-breaking 72-win season (1996) is a testament to this fact. Showtime’s defense was very good, but the Bulls defense was even better. The 1996 Bulls would get their points while using lockdown defense to simultaneously ensure that Magic’s 1987 Lakers didn’t get all of theirs. You cannot ignore the fact that the 1996 Chicago Bulls were both an offensive and defensive juggernaut. Winner: Chicago Bulls. Smoke that.

Great read here. I agree with you. I think the Celts and Lakers probably had better bench, but the Bulls had the greateset player in the world. I would have loved to see a 98 Bulls VS 86 Celts or 98 Bulls with the 87 Lakers. So all we can do is go with history and playing 2k of course. . Jordan proved he could take over a game regardless of who was on the court. He made guys like John Paxon look (probably) better than they actually were. He just made it happen. Comes down to clutch and desire. I'm not a bulls fan, but Jordan's legacy cannot be dialed down a notch, they clearly had the best team in the world.

[GisherJohn24]

Quote: Originally Posted by gremdog8

Offline, sure they can. Online though , nope so I see no issue with the complaining cause he is overrated for a 39-40 yr old on the tail end of his career and be rated just as good as a Prime Hakeem/Shaq?

wait, can you use the legends teams online?

[jeebs9]

I see a lot of talk but no playing.

Good luck stopping Kareem.... If anyone knows how to post up. You can easily go for 50 without a sweat. Magic picked up Jordan after the first quarter. And that sky hook is really hard to defend.