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| Source:Jonny Arnett- the big three of the Showtime Los Angeles Lakers. |
"A breakdown of what made the 1987 Showtime Lakers so dominant.
The game of Basketball has been my passion since I was 5 years old. I grew up as a kid watching my dad's recorded VHS tapes of playoff games through the 70s and 80s, and collected all the Basketball cards. Something about the game and what it represents just hooked me from a very young age.
My love for the game only continues to grow as time goes on. I love studying and analyzing the game, with an unbiased perspective. Feel free to subscribe, follow me on social media, and celebrate this amazing game and it's rich history with me!
I post videos every week on NBA history, predictions, hypothetical scenarios and current NBA topics."
From Jonny Armett
You can start with the fact that the Lakers of this era not just started 3 franchise, Hall of Fame players in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the greatest center of all-time and I believe the best player in NBA history.
And then Earvin Magic Johnson, the greatest player to ever play point guard and perhaps the best all around player in NBA history.
The Lakers also had Big James Worthy, who would be the best all around player on most NBA teams during that era.
How about the greatest head coach in Pat Riley, at least from the 1980s, the great general manager, at least from the 1980s and one of the best NBA players ever in Jerry West.
The 87 Lakers were the best offensive NBA team in the league, at least during the 87 season and the best defensive team that season as well.
The Lakers had role players like Byron Scott, who would've been an All Starr off-guard on most other NBA teams. Their sixth-man Michael Cooper, would've been the starting off-guard on most other NBA teams. Their backup center number one big man off the bench Mychal Thompson, was a 20 point a game scorer and mid-range double-figure scorer, before he came to Los Angeles.
Even with the fact their their starting center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar turned 40 that season and was in his 18th season, he was still give the Lakers 17 points, 6 rebounds, a block, and 3 assists a game, and was still one of the best centers in the NBA at this point. Teams still had to double team or give up easy baskets to him. You can talk about Phil Jackson's Chicago Bulls from the 1990s all you want, but the Lakers as a team were better than the Bulls. The Lakers best players and role players were better than the Bulls. And I would also take the Boston Celtics from the 80s over the 90s Bulls as well.
