Magic leading the 1991 Lakers to the Finals.

[Lebron23]

You're missing the obvious.

Without Kareem, the Lakers were no longer capable of winning even 1 championship, while they were capable of winning FIVE with him.. That's a massive chasm (5-time champion, to not capable of winning at all), as would be expected when you remove the GOAT center.

Same thing with MJ - you take him off the Bulls and they go from 3-peat champion dynasty, to ordinary, 2nd round exit team.. MJ's supporting cast that executed on a 3-peat champion-level couldn't even make it past the 2nd round without him!!!... Then you bring him back, and it's 3-peat dynasty again.. That's the GOAT impact.

Did you just deleted and copied paste your posts??? What's Jordan's playoffs record without Scottie Pippen?? At least Magic was able to led the Lakers in the NBA Finals without Kareem.

[3ball]

At least Lakers made it to the Finals in 1991 without Kareem

You're missing the obvious.

Without Kareem, the Lakers were no longer capable of winning even 1 championship, while they were capable of winning FIVE with him.. That's a massive chasm, as would be expected when you remove the GOAT center (5-time champion... to not capable of winning ANY).

Same thing with MJ - you take him off the Bulls and they go from 3-peat champion dynasty, to ordinary 2nd round exit team.

Just think - MJ's supporting cast that executed on a 3-peat champion-level couldn't even make it past the 2nd round without him!!!... Then you bring him back, and it's 3-peat dynasty again.. That's the GOAT impact.

[Lebron23]

This just in hot off the presses- Magic Johnson was pretty ****ing good lol

He's my 2nd favorite player of all time after LeBron.

[3ball]

What is Jordan's playoffs record without Scottie Pippen?? At least Magic was able to led the Lakers in the NBA Finals without Kareem.

Oh yes, yes, please.... pretty please....

Let's compare MJ's supporting cast without Pippen, to Magic's supporting cast without Kareem.. Please, let's do this.. I'll let you start it off.. Go ahead.

Idiot... It's only amazing for Magic to make the Finals without a dominant big man because he'd never done it before.. Whereas Jordan actually WON 6 rings without a dominant big man.

You want to compare Magic's cast without Kareem to MJ's without Pippen?

James Worthy - 19/5/4 in Finals
Vlade Divac - 18/9 in Finals
Sam Perkins - 17/8 in Finals
Elden Campbell - 8/2 in Finals
AC Green - 6/6 in Finals

>

Scottie Pippen - 21/9/6 in Finals
Horace Grant - 15/8 in Finals
John Paxson - 13/2 in Finals
Bill Cartwright - 9/5 in Finals
Craig Hodges - 4/1 in Finals


The stats show that Magic's cast easily gave him more help, even when you include Pippen on the Bulls.
.

[smoovegittar]

Never a quality post. Ever.

[97 bulls]

You're missing the obvious.

Without Kareem, the Lakers were no longer capable of winning even 1 championship, while they were capable of winning FIVE with him.. That's a massive chasm, as would be expected when you remove the GOAT center (5-time champion... to not capable of winning ANY).

Same thing with MJ - you take him off the Bulls and they go from 3-peat champion dynasty, to ordinary 2nd round exit team.

Just think - MJ's supporting cast that executed on a 3-peat champion-level couldn't even make it past the 2nd round without him!!!... Then you bring him back, and it's 3-peat dynasty again.. That's the GOAT impact.

This is intellectually dishonest. You know that Kareem was an old man even going back to 87. The Lakers losing 43 year old Jabaar and then replacing hin with Vlade Divac and Sam Perkins is nowhere near the same as the Bulls losing Jordan in his prime and his being replaced by Pete Myers. And you've been told this repeatedly.

[97 bulls]

Oh yes, yes, please.... pretty please....

Let's compare MJ's supporting cast without Pippen, to Magic's supporting cast without Kareem.. Please, let's do this.. I'll let you start it off.. Go ahead.

Idiot... It's only amazing for Magic to make the Finals without a dominant big man because he'd never done it before.. Whereas Jordan actually WON 6 rings without a dominant big man.

You want to compare Magic's cast without Kareem to MJ's without Pippen?

James Worthy - 19/5/4 in Finals
Vlade Divac - 18/9 in Finals
Sam Perkins - 17/8 in Finals
Elden Campbell - 8/2 in Finals
AC Green - 6/6 in Finals

>

Scottie Pippen - 21/9/6 in Finals
Horace Grant - 15/8 in Finals
John Paxson - 13/2 in Finals
Bill Cartwright - 9/5 in Finals
Craig Hodges - 4/1 in Finals


The stats show that Magic's cast easily gave him more help, even when you include Pippen on the Bulls.
.

No accounting for the defensive side of the ball. Or the way Paxson was lights out during that series.

[LAZERUSS]

You're missing the obvious.

Without Kareem, the Lakers were no longer capable of winning even 1 championship, while they were capable of winning FIVE with him.. That's a massive chasm, as would be expected when you remove the GOAT center (5-time champion... to not capable of winning ANY).

Same thing with MJ - you take him off the Bulls and they go from 3-peat champion dynasty, to ordinary 2nd round exit team.

Just think - MJ's supporting cast that executed on a 3-peat champion-level couldn't even make it past the 2nd round without him!!!... Then you bring him back, and it's 3-peat dynasty again.. That's the GOAT impact.

Here is REALITY my friend.

In the '88 post-season, Kareem was worthless. Plain-and-simple. Betty White could have replaced him, and LA STILL would have won a title. In fact, with KAJ's horrific Finals (13-4 .414 FG%) and AWFUL game seven (4 points, on 2-7 shooting), you can safely say that Magic's Lakers won DESPITE him.

And lt's go back to '87, in a season in which Magic dominated both MJ and Bird H2H...Kareem was basically a "third-wheel." I have long maintained that that '87 Laker team could havee just as easily handed his minutes to Thompson and Green, and been just as successful.

How about '82? Bob McAdoo gave the Lakers just as much as Kareem did in that Finals, and again, could hav easily replaced his minutes.

And how about KAJ's last dominant season, in '80? The first five games of those Finals were nip-and-tuck, with LA ekeing out a 3-2 series lead. However, in that fifth game, Kareem sprained his ankle, and had to sit out game six in Philly. I still recall the announcers before that game asking...."Where will the Lakers find KAJ's 33 ppg and 14 rpg from?" Guess what, MAGIC stepped up, like he always did, and put together one of the GOAT Finals games in NBA history, with a 42 point game, on 14-23 and 14-14, with 15 rebounds (which was five more than anyone else who played that game), and seven assists in a blowout win on Philly's home floor.

So I would say, that in REALITY, Magic would have won several rings withOUT Kareem.

Magic=GOAT.

[Hey Yo]

Here is REALITY my friend.

In the '88 post-season, Kareem was worthless. Plain-and-simple. Betty White could have replaced him, and LA STILL would have won a title. In fact, with KAJ's horrific Finals (13-4 .414 FG%) and AWFUL game seven (4 points, on 2-7 shooting), you can safely say that Magic's Lakers won DESPITE him.

And lt's go back to '87, in a season in which Magic dominated both MJ and Bird H2H...Kareem was basically a "third-wheel." I have long maintained that that '87 Laker team could havee just as easily handed his minutes to Thompson and Green, and been just as successful.

How about '82? Bob McAdoo gave the Lakers just as much as Kareem did in that Finals, and again, could hav easily replaced his minutes.

And how about KAJ's last dominant season, in '80? The first five games of those Finals were nip-and-tuck, with LA ekeing out a 3-2 series lead. However, in that fifth game, Kareem sprained his ankle, and had to sit out game six in Philly. I still recall the announcers before that game asking...."Where will the Lakers find KAJ's 33 ppg and 14 rpg from?" Guess what, MAGIC stepped up, like he always did, and put together one of the GOAT Finals games in NBA history, with a 42 point game, on 14-23 and 14-14, with 15 rebounds (which was five more than anyone else who played that game), and seven assists in a blowout win on Philly's home floor.

So I would say, that in REALITY, Magic would have won several rings withOUT Kareem.

Magic=GOAT.

Jamaal Wilkes was averaging 18ppg before game 6. Then put up 37 and 10 in game 6. So he more than doubled his avg. and definitely helped LA find where they were going to replace Kareem's scoring and rebounding.

Great game by Magic, but didn't nearly do it all himself like some perceive.

[LAZERUSS]

Jamaal Wilkes was averaging 18ppg before game 6. Then put up 37 and 10 in game 6. So he more than doubled his avg. and definitely helped LA find where they were going to replace Kareem's scoring and rebounding.

Great game by Magic, but didn't nearly do it all himself like some perceive.

Certainly not. Nor did MJ.

BUT, it does PROVE that the Lakers could win their BIGGEST game, withOUT Kareem.

And, as I mentioned earlier, they actually won a Finals...DESPITE his sorry ass in '88.

Clearly, give a PRIME Magic any type of talent at the center position, as was the case in the '82 Finals, when McAdoo basically replaced Kareem for long stretches...and he was capable of leading them to a title.

Magic=GOAT.

[SHAQisGOAT]

Magic was still terrific in 1991, not far from his peak level at all, and he had developed a 3pt shot by then.

Pretty sad how his and Bird's career ended...

[LAZERUSS]

Magic was still terrific in 1991, not far from his peak level at all, and he had developed a 3pt shot by then.

Pretty sad how his and Bird's career ended...

Bird was actually the "Master of MJ." And you're right...too bad.

I'll have to dig up the regular season and post-season H2H's between MJ, in his highest scoring season in '87, and Bird, who might have been at his peak.

He absolutely crushed MJ that year.