Skip to main content

Stars From Six Decades Of Celtics-Lakers Rivalry Clash In One Game

Our on-line draft of 32 Celtics stars is complete, and we have now whittled down that number to the Sweet Sixteen. The only current player to make the cut is Al Horford. The remaining 15 Boston players are either retired or deceased, having played for The Green for more than two full seasons over the past sixty years. The 16 stars from the Lakers squad is as formidable.


CELTICS:

BIGS

Bill Russell
Dave Cowens
Robert Parish
Al Horford

WINGS

Kevin Garnett
John Havlicek
Paul Pierce
Larry Bird
Tom Heinsohn
Kevin McHale
Reggie Lewis
Dennis Johnson
Sam Jones

BALL HANDLERS

Bob Cousy
JoJo White
Tiny Archibald

LAKERS:

BIGS

Wilt Chamberlain
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Shaquille O'Neal
Pau Gasol
George Mikan

WINGS

Magic Johnson
Elgin Baylor
Kobe Bryant
James Worthy
Bob MaAdoo
Jamaal Wilkes
Michael Cooper

BALL HANDLERS
Jerry West
Byron Scott
Gail Goodrich
Derek Fisher

What sticks out immediately is the triple-tower combo of Wilt, Shaq and Kareem. The Celtics can't match the length of this trio, but if Red Auerbach is at the helm for the Boston group, expect the Guys in Green to run - and keep running. The quintet to accomplish that would consist of Russ, Cowens, Bird, Hondo and Cooz. Bill, Cooz and "Jarrin" John were infamous for running opponents into the ground with fast breaks ignited by Russell's rebounding and long outlet passes. In the end, none of the huge center trio for Los Angeles can match Russ' supreme athleticism, Cowens' quickness, McHale's inside moves, Garnett's intensity or the mid-range shooting of Robert and Al.


If LA's starting back court consisted of West and Bryant, the best defensive remedy for the Celtics would be Havlicek and Dennis Johnson. Tiny and JoJo could always penetrate, but their outside shooting and facilitation would be the tickets to a victory. Sam following the break would get many opportunities to once again loft outside shots over the fingertips of Wilt. And at the wing position, Reggie's lightning baseline drives, Tommy's hook shots and rebounding and Paul's persistent pressure on the offensive end can't be minimized.

Let's face it. These 16-man rosters are omnipotent. But if I was forced to pick my all-time top-5 from each team (assuming they play in the modern NBA), for Boston I would go with Big Bill at center, Bird at small forward, Hondo at shooting guard and DJ at the point. How about the power forward slot? Give me either Dave Cowens, Kevin McHale or Kevin Garnett for that position. It's just too close to call.


For the Lakers, it is West and Kobe in the back court, Wilt at center, Kareem at power forward and Magic at small forward. And the LA bench can't be ignored, with Shaq, Gasol, Worthy, Baylor and Goodrich in the second unit. And never forget that revered UCLA coach, John Wooden, once called "Silk" Wilkes the "ideal" basketball player. So who wins in a one-game series? What do you think.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Elm Street Nightmare

 A true-and-suspenseful horror tale of haunting, homicides and the hunt for triple-murderer, Daniel Laplante - as told by the cops that were there By Lt. Thomas Lane (Ret.)  Daniel Laplante - cold, calm, clever, calculating- Photo: YouTube   Elm Street  surfaces on four occasions in the Laplante saga: 1.) He  resided on Elm Street  in Townsend, Massachusetts 2.) He  kidnapped a woman  at gunpoint on  Elm Street, Pepperell , Massachusetts 3.) He was arrested and transported to Massachusetts State Police Barracks on Elm Street in Concord . 3.) He was  tried, convicted   and sentenced for the murders at  Superior Court , corner of  Elm Stree t and Gorham Street, Lowell, Massachusetts. When evil and cleverness reside in the same mind, the stage is often set for true horror. Such was the case with triple-murderer, Daniel Laplante . As a 16-year old , he quickly transitioned from: Minor thefts and breaking into homes To: Taunting and threatening a father and his two daughters as an unseen

Rules of survival: When search-and-rescue turns into body recovery

 How the Hell did this happen? Two days after 19-year-old Emily Sotelo was supposedly dropped off in Franconia Notch (NH) at roughly 5:00 AM ET, Sunday, November 20, 2022 by her mother, to hike several mountains alone, the search continues for the young lady. Photo by Linda Lane The information from news agencies indicated that Emily started hiking the trails while it was still dark. She was supposedly wearing only sneakers, a coat and workout pants. I can persona;ly attest that the weather in the area was very cold with high wind speeds, and gaining elevation on the trails would only add to the horrendous conditions. Ms. Sotelo was reportedly a seasoned hiker, but had little or no experience hiking in winter. At the peaks, temperatures on that Sunday dropped to zero degrees with a wind chill of minus-30 degrees. It is beyond my comprehension to imagine a hiker-of-experience tackling that kind of travel - in extreme weather - with only basic clothes and few (or no) supplies. I have hik

Nik Stauskas adds "shooting with size" voiced by Brad Stevens

 As a 6'6" shooting guard, 28-year-old Nik Stauskas adds that shooting with size sorely needed by the Boston Celtics. Drafted 8th-overall by the Sacramento Kings in 2014, Stauskas has bounced around to various teams since then. Nik Stauskas' deal with the Boston Celtics includes non-guaranteed salary for the second season in 2022-23, a source tells @celticsblog . — Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) March 4, 2022 Nik has never averaged more than 9.5 points per game in the NBA, but Boston is most likely counting on his production for Grand Rapids in the G League as the incentive to sign him. In 17 games thus far, he has averaged 24.7 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 4.8 APG - while shooting 50% on field goals and 45% on treys. Nik Stauskas is signing a two-year deal with the Boston Celtics, his agents Mark Bartelstein and Andy Shiffman of @PrioritySports tell ESPN. Stauskas had an historic week, scoring 100 points on 57 and 43 point performances in back-to-back games for Grand Rapids. — Adrian Wo