Pat Riley’s famous guarantee was what kept LA going against hungrier teams and making sure they didn’t become fat cats already satisfied with previous success
The 1987-88 NBA talent pool was ridiculous. Mavs, Cavs, Bulls, Pistons, Jazz, Blazers, Nuggets, Sonics, Knicks, Bullets, Hawks, Celtics and Lakers had teams loaded with talent.
Yes, load of talent, some of the greats from the late 70's and early 80's were still hanging around and all of the talent from the recent drafts starting to hit their stride...talent level was simply insane!
Don't forget those Bucks teams because they were still tough during that time because they took on the Celtics a tough series in the 1987 Eastern Conference Semifinals in 7 games before the Celtics played the Pistons in the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals. I also I remembered in the early to mid 1980's the Bucks, Celtics, & Sixers played each other real tough in the playoffs and them were tough series in the Eastern Conference back then.
@@williamwright1749 Oh hell yeah! Cummings, Moncrief, Pressey, Bridgeman and I think they had Sikma in 87, didn't they also have John Lucas for a while? I know they had Craig Hodges as well. I can't quite remember if they had this was the year Lucas was playing well and either got hurt or was suspended for his off-the-court drug issues. The years get mixed up for me. I tell ya, the Bucks were contenders year in and year out, starting out the 80s with Lanier, Marques and company to the 87 squad we are discussing the Bucks were legit title contenders most seasons. They gave the Sixers and Celtics all they wanted. Yep, didn't mean to leave out the Bucks, they were a solid squad throughout the 80's. I was a huge Atlanta Hawks fan and suffered as I watched the Celtics, Sixers or Bucks put my guys out as it seemed the Hawks, like the Bucks, always won 50+ every season. Good stuff...
That fucking James worthy with that first step was so quick ! And he didn’t fuck around he was so quick and decisive with his moves. Not to mention him n magic n Byron Scott were like turning loose greyhounds on the break.. and AC green was fucking fast in his own right
@@coreyrowe4119 I think the Mavs would have beaten Utah. Utah would’ve had no answer for Aguirre or Rolando Blackman. Sam Perkins and Roy Tarpley would have been a combined match for Karl Malone.
Those 80’s Laker teams were so tough, for every year of the decade. They were to the 80’s what the Celtics were to the 60’s, with the exception being that the 80’s Lakers played in a much more competitive era. And before anyone thinks I’m some kind of Laker fan, I am most certainly not. My Sixers did just as well as Boston did against LA during that decade; each team went 1-2 in the finals against Kareem and his crew. They had quite the dynasty.
The Lakers after sweeping the Spurs in the 1st round, had to play 3 straight game 7's before finally getting past the bad boy Pistons to make good on Riley's "re-peat" guarantee, and become the 1st team to win at least 2 straight since Russell's Celtics in the 60's. Also, by this point James Worthy was clearly the 2nd best player on the team behind Magic, and Byron Scott may have been the 3rd guy after that. Kareem was on his last legs even though he still was a good player into his 40's.
