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Celtics and Lakers, Then and Now
Our local ESPN radio affiliate here in Phoenix ran a call-in poll during the NBA Finals on how this year's Celtics and Lakers would fare against their Larry and Magic counterparts. The voting was overwhelmingly in the opinion of not very well. A second part of the poll was how many of today's players could start for the 1980's versions. The end result was.....
Boston Celtics Starting Five and sixth man:
PG: Dennis Johnson
SG: Paul Pierce
C: Robert Parrish
SF: Larry Bird
PF: Kevin McHale
6th: Kevin Garnett
It was clear by the poll results Garnett could/should have started, the reason he was put in the sixth man postion was his flexibility. He could play the 3,4, or 5, while McHale was limited to the 4-5, and Parrish just to the 5. If Garnett started, the Celts would be in trouble if anyone else on the front line had gotten in foul trouble. So, it was only a matter of flexibility and not ability.
Los Angeles Lakers Starting Lineup and Sixth Man:
PG: Magic Johnson
SG: Kobe Bryant
C : Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
SF: A.C. Green
PF: James Worthy
6th Jamaal Wilkes
The small forward spot brought up the most argument, as referenced by the true small forward, Worthy, being at the power spot. There wasn't alot of support for either Kurt Rambis or Michael Cooper being starters, and despite Cooper winning Defensive Player of the Year twice during the Showtime run, he was not overly considered to fill the sixth man spot.
How would Kobe have fared being the third option on offense? (At least). This was clearly Magic's team, with Kareem and Worthy being the main beneficiaries of Magic's ball distribution. I don't think he would have been a very happy camper.
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