Warriors: Shaq says his 2001 Lakers team would beat the Warriors

[Killakobe81]

David retired after 03, but yeah, I agree 05 was the best Spurs team. 99 and 03 was too much of a defensive team, with very little offense. 07 was not really that great as Duncan was already past his absolute prime and so was Manu. 14 was great but it was really a got hot at the right time team.

If it wasn't for Duncan's ankles, 05 was by far the best. Manu was playing like a top 5 SG of all time in that playoff. Tony wasn't that great as his outside shot was still horrible, but the Duncan/Manu 1-2 punch was as good as any we have ever seen, including the Shaq/Kobe, Jordan/Pippen, Bird/McHale, Kareem/Magic.

My bad you are right about David ... wasit Nazy or Rasho the big for 2005?
I do think though Duncan/Manu is a notch below the guys you mentioned more so on the Manu side ...
Dont get me wrong I loved his game ... but Manu is probably lowest on that list of the all time great players and I hate McHale tbh. I think Kevin is the only one you can make a case for bumping Manu over.

[ambchang]

My bad you are right about David ... wasit Nazy or Rasho the big for 2005?
I do think though Duncan/Manu is a notch below the guys you mentioned more so on the Manu side ...
Dont get me wrong I loved his game ... but Manu is probably lowest on that list of the all time great players and I hate McHale tbh. I think Kevin is the only one you can make a case for bumping Manu over.

It was Nazr.

Manu, overall, is most definitely multiple notches below the other mentioned in that group, but the 2005 playoff Manu was every bit as good as those second bananas were in their respective le runs.

People see the raw numbers and felt that Manu wasn't as good, but they don't remember that the Spurs play a very slow pace, and also played against a team like the Pistons in the finals, which also played at a very slow pace. Manu's ability to create for the Spurs were huge in that playoffs, and if he didn't pull the groin in Game 2 (or was that Game 3), the Spurs would have won the series in 5 or 6.

86 McHale, coincidentally, could be considered as one of the best 2nd banana seasons of all time.

[Killakobe81]

It was Nazr.

Manu, overall, is most definitely multiple notches below the other mentioned in that group, but the 2005 playoff Manu was every bit as good as those second bananas were in their respective le runs.

People see the raw numbers and felt that Manu wasn't as good, but they don't remember that the Spurs play a very slow pace, and also played against a team like the Pistons in the finals, which also played at a very slow pace. Manu's ability to create for the Spurs were huge in that playoffs, and if he didn't pull the groin in Game 2 (or was that Game 3), the Spurs would have won the series in 5 or 6.

86 McHale, coincidentally, could be considered as one of the best 2nd banana seasons of all time.

Not ting on his 1986 run which IIRC included a 50 point game ...
Im saying career wise Manu is the lowest ranked of the #2 punches on that list.
Like i said Manu was at his attacking and play-making best but I still dont think he was as good as those other guys.
TBH though Wade is the better player overall (career) 2005 era Manu is my 2nd favorite SG (post MJ)

I just think as a 1-2 they are a notch below

Shaqobe (2000-2002)
Magic/Kareem (circa 85)
Magic/Worthy (circa 87)
Bird/Mchale (84-86)
Lebron/Wade (2011-2014)

and of course Jordan Pippen (both 3 peats)
but they do deseerve mention with those great duos to bad Manu couldnt hold his end for very long at that level ...

[ambchang]

Not ting on his 1986 run which IIRC included a 50 point game ...
Im saying career wise Manu is the lowest ranked of the #2 punches on that list.
Like i said Manu was at his attacking and play-making best but I still dont think he was as good as those other guys.
TBH though Wade is the better player overall (career) 2005 era Manu is my 2nd favorite SG (post MJ)

I just think as a 1-2 they are a notch below

Shaqobe (2000-2002)
Magic/Kareem (circa 85)
Magic/Worthy (circa 87)
Bird/Mchale (84-86)
Lebron/Wade (2011-2014)

and of course Jordan Pippen (both 3 peats)
but they do deseerve mention with those great duos to bad Manu couldnt hold his end for very long at that level ...

I think we agree more than disagree. 2005 was the bomb, but yeah, his career most definitely do not stack up.

McHale though, as much as you hate him, is up there for sure. I would say he has an argument as the 2nd best PF of all time, over Barkley, Garnett, Dirk or pedo. I would personally go Duncan, Dirk, Garnett, Barkley, Pedo, McHale, but an argument could be made that McHale was really that great. his post moves were second to none, including Hakeem, and he was great defensively. he was smart, and the only thing that wasn't elite in was passing. He could easily be a 1st option on a perennial contender, but then he played with Bird.

The Duncan/Manu 2005 duo really gets underrated. They were really dominant in their run, and they went up against some of the best defenses in modern NBA history and still produced. That said, Duncan really wasn't at his absolute prime, and was playing on two bum ankles. Going head to head, 03 Duncan would eat 05 Duncan alive.

[Caltex2]

NT

[lefty]

ing Durant and Westbrook almost put them away. 2001 Lakers would eat them alive

/thread

[lefty]

Of course he did. And that 1986 was truly special.
Look we are talking fantasy and we are talking one year runs ...and no doubt that 1986 team was one of the best passing, shooting and they defended their home-court like no other.

yet and still despite the romaticism of that team ...the Lakers of 87 had the more efficient offense. so were the 1992 Bulls. In fact, the 1986 is not even the most efficient Boston team all-time that would be the 1988 team that lost to the Pistons.
in 1987 Klay's dad added the needed bench size to counter Walton.. Magic was in MVP form. And worthy was at his apex. Kareem was still scoring 17.5 ay 39 and Scott averaged 17 on 43.6% from the 3pt line .... Add the fact that tthe core of that team beat prime Bird in 1985 and 1987 I just dont think they could beat the 87 Lakers ... in fact, after 1984 they never did.

I do think they beat us in 1986 if the Rox did not that was their year ...

The Lakers had a bench and the Celtics didn't.

Boston starters played a lot during many years and the FO and coaching staff n3ver developed a real bench.

Add to that the fact that the EC was way tougher than the WC and also the fact that Bird hurt his back on 85

It's no wonder they went into the 87 Finals hobbling (they also played the Pistons that year)

[Thread]

It's no wonder they went into the 87 Finals hobbling (they also played the Pistons that year)

A ruse to get the Lakers to ease up. Uh, uh. Alcindor had been thru the same ing machination with the Bucks and had learn't his lessons.

[Fabbs]

psssh.
Lenny Bias died or you Gaykers would have never led again.

LakerPhan talking about LeBrons waltz thru the East.
1987 West Conf was the biggest joke in history.
Stern took out Houstons backcourt with the cocaine busts (the entire league and nation was tooting, not just Houston)
Spurs owner accepted regular blowjobs in exchange for deadline trading Mic e Thompson for Kwame Brown.
Celtics injured to boot. Pull your feathers away from your eyes.

[Horse]

I think we can now say many teams would've beat these warriors. They are so mentally weak that when it's not going their way they fall apart. I think the '99 Spurs would beat them, they could slow it down and kill them inside while that D was amazing. Ofcourse which set of rules they played by could make a big difference.

[Killakobe81]

I think we agree more than disagree. 2005 was the bomb, but yeah, his career most definitely do not stack up.

McHale though, as much as you hate him, is up there for sure. I would say he has an argument as the 2nd best PF of all time, over Barkley, Garnett, Dirk or pedo. I would personally go Duncan, Dirk, Garnett, Barkley, Pedo, McHale, but an argument could be made that McHale was really that great. his post moves were second to none, including Hakeem, and he was great defensively. he was smart, and the only thing that wasn't elite in was passing. He could easily be a 1st option on a perennial contender, but then he played with Bird.

The Duncan/Manu 2005 duo really gets underrated. They were really dominant in their run, and they went up against some of the best defenses in modern NBA history and still produced. That said, Duncan really wasn't at his absolute prime, and was playing on two bum ankles. Going head to head, 03 Duncan would eat 05 Duncan alive.

I dont diagree on Mchale ...his post game is filthy.
But if you stack his career including his time as a high level collegian

versus

Manu's winning as a Spur ...
Success for Agentina etc.

I think Gino might have a case, because McHale's feet betrayed him. My point was that Manu's career may come closest to Mchale's as far as accomplishments go ...
I do think we mostly agree here.


Both ESPN and SI lists have McHale ranked below Pippen, Wade, Kobe, Magic etc.
SO although I agree McHale's career was and is greater than Gino's that was the only career of the guys we mentioned he had any shot at "catching" or "eclipsing"

[Caltex2]

I think we can now say many teams would've beat these warriors. They are so mentally weak that when it's not going their way they fall apart. I think the '99 Spurs would beat them, they could slow it down and kill them inside while that D was amazing. Ofcourse which set of rules they played by could make a big difference.

That and if their long range shot is off, they're in trouble. Not to mention, how do you compare them to teams either before the 3-point shot was brought into the NBA or before it became a very important part of the game?

[Stalin]

Shaq is right, this warriors team is flawed and all you need to beat this team is a solid rotation of quality bigs like what the 01' Lakers had featuring the prime shaq. OKC only had two white bigs who're horribly overrated (adams and kanter) plus fake Ibaka and still managed to push the Warriors to the brink of precipice, though they ended up blowing 2 match points and losing the series somehow. Bogut is their only big that they can count on to prevent themselves from being bullied in the paint, and dude's fat and slow as . Their midget lineup may turns things around every now and then (like game 6 against OKC) but it doesn't always work. Today's warriors are just a revised version of the Phoenix Suns of the mid 00s imho, and they're only kicking asses in the league today because the old contenders have either been going downhill for a while (like Mavs and Spurs) or started rebuilding already (Lakers).

[lefty]

Not to mention 2001 Kobe would have killed GS' backcourt

[Floyd Pacquiao]

Have the Warriors?

16 Thunder.

[tbdog]

16 Thunder.

They were 3rd in the west, and 5th overall, and 5 games less than their 2013 finals team. I suppose they are good. They did beat the Spurs, but they also peaked early in the playoffs. While the Warriors have had 2 playoff runs and up to this point, this would be their second 'good' team they are playing. In 01, all 8 teams in the Western conference won over 50 wins. Compared to this year rockets 41, Portland 46.

[Clipper Nation]

Not to mention 2001 Kobe would have killed GS' backcourt

Kobe? The only thing that scrub ever "killed" was his own teams.

[Thread]

Kobe? The only thing that scrub ever "killed" was his own teams.

Had he not "killed" Portland in '00 we'd be light 5 NBA les.

[Caltex2]

More like Portland committed suicide.

[Killakobe81]

Had he not "killed" Portland in '00 we'd be light 5 NBA les.

CN's Kobe hate is so over the top ...
not worth responding to the low-brow humor ...
At least Amb has some subtext to his ...

[dbreiden83080]

Nobody was allowed to touch you back then. Shot what like 5,000 free throws in the 2002 WCF..

[lefty]

Kobe? The only thing that scrub ever "killed" was his own teams.

Kobe was unstoppable during the 2001 playoffs tbh

[littleavery1948]

Nobody was allowed to touch you back then. Shot what like 5,000 free throws in the 2002 WCF..

Do you know what's comical? The Kings actually shot more FT's than the Lakers during the series. So without the rigging in the fourth quarter, the Kings shot 37 more free-throws than the Lakers. Game 5 was just as bad, but it was throughout the entire game, while the Kings got screwed in one quarter.

[Thread]

Do you know what's comical? The Kings actually shot more FT's than the Lakers during the series. So without the rigging in the fourth quarter, the Kings shot 37 more free-throws than the Lakers. Game 5 was just as bad, but it was throughout the entire game, while the Kings got screwed in one quarter.

Only pussies & assholes blame the officiating.

[Capt Bringdown]

Kobe was unstoppable during the 2001 playoffs tbh

Kobe.
There's not a big man that in today's league that can come close to guarding Shaq in his prime. GS? LOL.
Shaq would have his way inside against GS.