ambchang
02-13-2010, 06:05 PM
Just finished watching the 1985 Lakers-Celtics championship, with the Lakers beating the Celtics in a championship series for the 1st time in history. The teams had contrasting styles, with the Lakers being a devastating fastbreak team , and the Celtics of a hard-nosed, down in the trenches team.
Injuries played a large role, with Bird obviously not 100%, Maxwell not playing, and the Celtics without a bench.
Announcers
What do you know? Tom Heinsohn wasn't a hack back then. He was biased towards the Celtics, which is obviously understandable, but he was actually giving credit to the Lakers, and he even criticized a couple of calls going in favour of the Celtics. Maybe he went senile in the last 25 years, or maybe just realized Celtics fans wanted a homer announcer.
Dick Stockton provided little insights, but he didn't really get in the way. Most definitely better than the dumbass announcers we have nowadays.
Referees
They were competent! They tightened the reigns when things were getting out of hand, they let them play during the end of close games, most calls were consistent and even. I remembered refereeing being better, but I didn't remember it being this obvious.
Fans
Celtic fans were classy, they appreciated good basketball, and supported their team with fervor, and even showed appreciation when the Lakers won. Laker fans, on the other hand, were horrible. Apparently, they didn't became human scum the last few years, they always had been. Chanting "Bullshit, Bullshit" whenever there is a call they don't like, just utterly classness.
Difference with today's game
Let's put this to rest, they were NOT better shooters back then. They were not as specialized back then, and everyone can shoot a 15 foot jumper, but they didn't have 3pt range, and couldn't nail wide open jumpers with any regularity. At least not more so than today.
Which brings out a second point, the defense was horrible back then. Dennis Johnson would leave Magic open, and back down 10 feet from him, daring Magic to shoot, and Magic wouldn't even do that! The same thing happens on the other end! This is just incredible. The rotations were non-existent, there were no complex defensive schemes, it was a bunch of guys running around and defending one on one, with the occasional double team. It doesn't even compare to today's defense.
They were not more physical either, the amount of contact allowed in the paint was comparable to today's game. There was more perimeter contact, with hand-checks and slaps allowed on penetrators, though. Let me clarify, tolerance for violence was higher, people would be throwing punches, and refs wouldn't even kick the perpetrators off the court, but what was a foul then is very similar to what is a foul now.
Passing though, was much better, players rotate the ball well, and teamwork was in full display throughout the series. Much was due to the fact that the two best passers in the history of the game were playing.
Finally, there wasn't any of that bs show boating, after people dunked, they didn't do those stupid poses, they just run down court and start defending.
Lakers
Kareem was the best that ever played, and he showed it in this series. With the exception of the first game, he dominated at age 38, controlling the Lakers halfcourt offense with his decision making in the low post. His skyhook was automatic, his passes were on the spot every time, just an incredible incredible player. The defense wasn't as good as it once was, as he was outmuscled for rebounding position multiple times, but his length and positioning still helped anchor the Laker defense, which helped fuel their fastbreak game.
Magic wasn't the leader he would become later. It was still clearly Kareem's team, but he ran the fast break better than anyone in the world. He was quick for his size, can penetrate the lane, and his passes were fantastic. He didn't pass the ball to where you are, he passes the ball to where you should be. Magic controlled the tempo of the game, and rebounds great for a PG. The two man game he played with kareem and Worthy was simply unstoppable.
Worthy was quick, his release was automatic, and the Celtics had no answer for him. He would be the Lakers offense when Kareem or Magic wasn't on the floor. His defense on Bird was decent, but nothing to boast about, but when your team's 2nd/3rd option is playing your opponents's franchise player even, you know you have won.
Byron Scott sucked in the series on offense, missing shots with regularity, and it seems like the Celtics made it a point to stop him, and he didn't adjust. His defense on Ainge/Wedman was great though, helping shut down the Celtics perimeter players and allowed the Lakers to swarm the paint.
Rambis was throwing his body all over the floor, rebounding with authority, and was tough on McHale. He didn't back down at all, and he made his open shots. If he played today, he would be a valuable 3rd option.
Michael Cooper was the only player that I saw playing any modern day defense. He stuck to his man throughout, never giving up an inch. He was knocking down open jumpers, and even played backup PG (not that well, as the Lakers offense would just stall with him there).
Mitch Kupchak was the bad boy on the Lakers, throwing those sinister elbows, slapping people in the head, rebounding and defending. He also finished well around the rim.
Bob McAdoo can shoot well most of the time. He can't in this series, and was basically useless in all but a couple of games.
Riley played KC Jones like a drum. He made adjustments in Game 2, putting Magic on Ainge on defense, so that when Lakers go on offense, there is a greater time before Dennis Johnson can pick Magic up, freeing Magic up to run the Lakers fastbreak. He would also force the ball down low to Kareem in the halfcourt, spreading the court, and Jones never found the answer. he also make the necessary adjustments to give his players the right amount of rest.
Celtics
Bird was hurt throughout the series, and he would miss shots he would normally make. But despite this, he was dynamite in the 4th quarter. He had key rebounds, made steals, and even blocked a shot to pull the Celtics back in Game 4. This guy never quits, and is no doubt one of the greatest who ever played.
McHale destroyed the Lakers frontline, he was too tall and strong for Worthy, and way too quick for Kareem, Kupchak and Rambis. He played solid defense, and grabbed key rebounds with his long arms. But his passing ... well, wasn't that great. McHale fouling out in Game 6 destroyed the Celtics hope.
Parish was fantastic the first couple of games, but became less and less effective as the series went on. It seems like he was just out of gas. His defense was great, but Kareem was greater. No shame in that.
Ainge struggled from the outside more and more as the series went on. Again, it seemed like fatigue had a lot of do with it. His defense on Scott was great, his defense on Magic, not so much. He was a big time pain though, protesting every call, and put in those unsportsmanlike shoves that could injure opposing players.
How Dennis Johnson not get into the HoF remains a mystery. He struggled from the outside in many games, but he directed the Celtics offense well, played a great two man game with Bird, and his defense on Magic allowed the Celtics to hang on the series.
Scott Wedman can shoot well from the outside, but his release would be too slow for today's game. He was also tough and is not afraid to mix it up inside.
Greg Kite was all hustle. He is not afraid to take a couple of elbows, and dish out a few of his own.
KC Jones was not a good coach. He refused the bench, causing his starters to run out of gas at the end of the series. The Celtics played defense well enough, but their offense seemed to be the best when Bird took over the game instead. It looks more like Bird and Johnson were the coaches instead of KC Jones.
Injuries played a large role, with Bird obviously not 100%, Maxwell not playing, and the Celtics without a bench.
Announcers
What do you know? Tom Heinsohn wasn't a hack back then. He was biased towards the Celtics, which is obviously understandable, but he was actually giving credit to the Lakers, and he even criticized a couple of calls going in favour of the Celtics. Maybe he went senile in the last 25 years, or maybe just realized Celtics fans wanted a homer announcer.
Dick Stockton provided little insights, but he didn't really get in the way. Most definitely better than the dumbass announcers we have nowadays.
Referees
They were competent! They tightened the reigns when things were getting out of hand, they let them play during the end of close games, most calls were consistent and even. I remembered refereeing being better, but I didn't remember it being this obvious.
Fans
Celtic fans were classy, they appreciated good basketball, and supported their team with fervor, and even showed appreciation when the Lakers won. Laker fans, on the other hand, were horrible. Apparently, they didn't became human scum the last few years, they always had been. Chanting "Bullshit, Bullshit" whenever there is a call they don't like, just utterly classness.
Difference with today's game
Let's put this to rest, they were NOT better shooters back then. They were not as specialized back then, and everyone can shoot a 15 foot jumper, but they didn't have 3pt range, and couldn't nail wide open jumpers with any regularity. At least not more so than today.
Which brings out a second point, the defense was horrible back then. Dennis Johnson would leave Magic open, and back down 10 feet from him, daring Magic to shoot, and Magic wouldn't even do that! The same thing happens on the other end! This is just incredible. The rotations were non-existent, there were no complex defensive schemes, it was a bunch of guys running around and defending one on one, with the occasional double team. It doesn't even compare to today's defense.
They were not more physical either, the amount of contact allowed in the paint was comparable to today's game. There was more perimeter contact, with hand-checks and slaps allowed on penetrators, though. Let me clarify, tolerance for violence was higher, people would be throwing punches, and refs wouldn't even kick the perpetrators off the court, but what was a foul then is very similar to what is a foul now.
Passing though, was much better, players rotate the ball well, and teamwork was in full display throughout the series. Much was due to the fact that the two best passers in the history of the game were playing.
Finally, there wasn't any of that bs show boating, after people dunked, they didn't do those stupid poses, they just run down court and start defending.
Lakers
Kareem was the best that ever played, and he showed it in this series. With the exception of the first game, he dominated at age 38, controlling the Lakers halfcourt offense with his decision making in the low post. His skyhook was automatic, his passes were on the spot every time, just an incredible incredible player. The defense wasn't as good as it once was, as he was outmuscled for rebounding position multiple times, but his length and positioning still helped anchor the Laker defense, which helped fuel their fastbreak game.
Magic wasn't the leader he would become later. It was still clearly Kareem's team, but he ran the fast break better than anyone in the world. He was quick for his size, can penetrate the lane, and his passes were fantastic. He didn't pass the ball to where you are, he passes the ball to where you should be. Magic controlled the tempo of the game, and rebounds great for a PG. The two man game he played with kareem and Worthy was simply unstoppable.
Worthy was quick, his release was automatic, and the Celtics had no answer for him. He would be the Lakers offense when Kareem or Magic wasn't on the floor. His defense on Bird was decent, but nothing to boast about, but when your team's 2nd/3rd option is playing your opponents's franchise player even, you know you have won.
Byron Scott sucked in the series on offense, missing shots with regularity, and it seems like the Celtics made it a point to stop him, and he didn't adjust. His defense on Ainge/Wedman was great though, helping shut down the Celtics perimeter players and allowed the Lakers to swarm the paint.
Rambis was throwing his body all over the floor, rebounding with authority, and was tough on McHale. He didn't back down at all, and he made his open shots. If he played today, he would be a valuable 3rd option.
Michael Cooper was the only player that I saw playing any modern day defense. He stuck to his man throughout, never giving up an inch. He was knocking down open jumpers, and even played backup PG (not that well, as the Lakers offense would just stall with him there).
Mitch Kupchak was the bad boy on the Lakers, throwing those sinister elbows, slapping people in the head, rebounding and defending. He also finished well around the rim.
Bob McAdoo can shoot well most of the time. He can't in this series, and was basically useless in all but a couple of games.
Riley played KC Jones like a drum. He made adjustments in Game 2, putting Magic on Ainge on defense, so that when Lakers go on offense, there is a greater time before Dennis Johnson can pick Magic up, freeing Magic up to run the Lakers fastbreak. He would also force the ball down low to Kareem in the halfcourt, spreading the court, and Jones never found the answer. he also make the necessary adjustments to give his players the right amount of rest.
Celtics
Bird was hurt throughout the series, and he would miss shots he would normally make. But despite this, he was dynamite in the 4th quarter. He had key rebounds, made steals, and even blocked a shot to pull the Celtics back in Game 4. This guy never quits, and is no doubt one of the greatest who ever played.
McHale destroyed the Lakers frontline, he was too tall and strong for Worthy, and way too quick for Kareem, Kupchak and Rambis. He played solid defense, and grabbed key rebounds with his long arms. But his passing ... well, wasn't that great. McHale fouling out in Game 6 destroyed the Celtics hope.
Parish was fantastic the first couple of games, but became less and less effective as the series went on. It seems like he was just out of gas. His defense was great, but Kareem was greater. No shame in that.
Ainge struggled from the outside more and more as the series went on. Again, it seemed like fatigue had a lot of do with it. His defense on Scott was great, his defense on Magic, not so much. He was a big time pain though, protesting every call, and put in those unsportsmanlike shoves that could injure opposing players.
How Dennis Johnson not get into the HoF remains a mystery. He struggled from the outside in many games, but he directed the Celtics offense well, played a great two man game with Bird, and his defense on Magic allowed the Celtics to hang on the series.
Scott Wedman can shoot well from the outside, but his release would be too slow for today's game. He was also tough and is not afraid to mix it up inside.
Greg Kite was all hustle. He is not afraid to take a couple of elbows, and dish out a few of his own.
KC Jones was not a good coach. He refused the bench, causing his starters to run out of gas at the end of the series. The Celtics played defense well enough, but their offense seemed to be the best when Bird took over the game instead. It looks more like Bird and Johnson were the coaches instead of KC Jones.