A Flashback to the Last Time the Celtics and Lakers Played in the FInals

Today, I re-watched (for about the 100th time) game 4 of the 1987 Finals and tried to compare and contrast that game with how the NBA is today. Here are some random, useless, bullet-points:

• The Lakers started a 40 Year old Kareem at Center. Could you imagine Shaq or Duncan playing until 40? I think it would be a pretty pitiful site.
• The biggest difference in the games from the 80s and the games today is that no one really took outside shots. Most shots were taken in the paint and no one really attempted three-pointers. The first three-point attempt didn’t come until 4 minutes into the game. The first make didn’t come until about thirty seconds later (both by Ainge). I want to say there weren’t any other three-point attempts by either team until the fourth quarter (one by Cooper, a couple by Bird).
• Outside of Kareem, by this time the Lakers were just the younger, more explosive team.
  
• Both Danny Ainge and Byron Scott were 6-4 shooting guards. 6-4 shooting guards are now seen as somewhat undersized. 
• Jake O’Donnell officiated this game. If you’re not familiar with Jake, he’s the guy that kicked Clyde Drexler out for no reason in game two of the 1995 Western Conference Finals and got banned from the league. I remember watching that game and seeing the entire Rocket team have to hold Drexler back from killing O’Donnell. It was obvious that the two really didn’t like each other. Jake was both an NBA ref and AL umpire from 1967-1971. In 1971 he dropped baseball and focused strictly on baseball. 
• How the hell did they let Tommy Heinson--an unabashed Boston homer--become the color commentator for the Finals. That would be like having Bill Simmons call this year’s Finals. Although, I must say he really didn’t show much Boston hommerism during his time as the color man for CBS. I guess it’s no worst than having Lakers lover Magic Johnson on Inside the NBA during the Western Conference Finals.
• Larry Bird threw a dead on left-handed outlet pass off the dribble down the length of the floor that was absolutely amazing. 
• Gotta give Magic props for going from a guy with no outside shot, to a guy that could hit from the outside pretty consistently. Although pretty ugly, he turned a shotput like set shot into a pretty effective shot.
• It’s safe to say that by 1987, Magic was better at the Skyhook than Kareem. He was pretty money shooting that shot from the low block. Remember when he came back in 1996? That was pretty much his go to move that season.
• Could you imagine guarding A.C. Green with that Jeri Curl? On another note, I’m pretty sure some black hipster somewhere is conjuring up thoughts of hanging out at McCarren pool this summer sporting such a greased up look. Just let your soul glow, baby.
• Above the rim play was pretty much non-existent in 1987. No wonder MJ was able to come in and steal the spotlight the way he did.
• Every big man that gets a defensive rebound keeps the ball above their head held tight with both hands looking for a teammate to outlet the ball to.
• Trevor Ariza should study tapes of Michael Cooper. I think he’s got the potential to turn into the new millennium version of Coop for these Lakers. Actually he should watch video of both Worthy and Cooper and try to combine the games of both of them. 
• Did every player over 6-7 in the NBA in 1987 have a low post game? Seriously, even Rambis new how to seal his man, jump to the ball, and drop step to the basket. 
• If Kevin Garnett ever would have picked up the post moves and footwork of Kevin McHale, we might be talking about Garnett being the greatest player of all time. I mean, I think he might have the best low post footwork in the history of basketball. While Baby Bynum is studying tapes of Kareem, he should also pick up a few of McHale. 
• In the second quarter, Celtics back up Greg Kite took down James Worthy with a hard foul that would have gotten him kicked out of the game this day in age. Worthy, Kareem and several Lakers got up and surrounded Kite, with Worthy tagging Kite with a few good jabs. Of course, this was the 80s, so no one was thrown out, and no one was suspended for the next game. If that were today, they would have suspended key players on each team and absolutely ruined a classic series. Worthy would have been vilified as a thug, and pompous columnists would have called the NBA a league of overpaid thugs in need of serious reform.
• On another note, why would you ever start anything with a teammate of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar? Ask Kent Benson what happens when you get Kareem angry.
• The Celtics pretty much had no bench in 87. That was the big difference maker between their teams in 86 and 87. In 86, they had the 6th man of the year Bill Walton coming in and contributing 18 solid minutes per night during the playoffs. In 87, the Celtics had to settle for Greg Kite as their 6th man. The Lakers on the other hand came with Mychal Thompson, Michael Cooper, and Kurt Rambis off of the bench. Although the Celtics do have more of a bench now than they did in 87, the Lakers bench is probably the best in the league. That might be the difference maker in this year’s series. 
• Speaking of Thompson, did you know that the 87 Lakers had four number one overall draft picks on their squad? Kareem (1969), Mychal Thompson (1978), Magic Johnson (1979), and James Worthy (1982).  They also had Byron Scott, who was the fourth pick overall in 1983. No wonder they were so good.
• James Worthy's footwork was a thing of beauty. The way he split defenders with spin moves is very similar to the way Paul Pierce currently splits defenders. Except when Pierce does it, it’s more of a lumbering forceful thing, while when Worthy did it, it was like watching some sort of graceful Gazelle at work.
• In the third quarter, 6-4 Byron Scott steps up to and pushes a 6-10 Kevin McHale after a cheap shot. Did McHale forget B-Scott was from the Wood? You know, the thing I like about the 80s is that there was no b.s. posturing. Guys didn’t act like they wanted to fight, just to seem tough. They really would knock you on your ass if you came at them the wrong way. 
• The Boston Garden just didn’t look like a comfortable place to watch a basketball game. It was more like a hot muggy high school gymnasium than a home for a professional team. I’m sure it probably smelled like one too. My high school gym smelled like a combination of processed nacho cheese, old shoes, and chlorine (we had a pool under our basketball court). What did yours smell like?
• There’s no doubt in my mind that Kevin McHale would own the league today if he played today. I can’t say enough about how good that guy was with the basketball on the low block. 
  
• Dick Stockton: “And Pat Riley is not a happy coach right now…even though he’s well dressed” What?
• Larry Bird played pretty miserable in this game (Outside of his big time corner three pointer late in the fourth). This is not the game you want to watch if you want to see the greatness of Larry Bird at work. Unless of course you like watching great outlet passes. People talk about how great guys like Bill Walton were at outlet passes. But Bird might be right up there with Walton as the greatest outlet passer of all time. Rambis was pretty good at the outlet when he started for the Lakers earlier in his career. It’s a skill that is highly valuable for fast breaking teams. Shaq should watch some video of Rambis, Bird, Walton, and Kevin Love throwing outlet passes so that he can become more of an asset to the Suns.
• Of course the game ends with Magic’s classic baby skyhook. People think Len Bias’s untimely death and Larry Bird’s bad back ended the Celtics dynasty. But that Magic Johnson skyhook is what officially ended the Celtics dynasty.