Best teams(for a single season) of the 1980s?
Posted: Mon May 2, 2022 2:54 pm
Which team were the best in the 1980s for one season?
Regarding 80s as 79-80 season to 88-89 season.
Top 10 SRSes are:
1 1985-86 Boston Celtics* 9.06
2 1985-86 Milwaukee Bucks* 8.69
3 1986-87 Los Angeles Lakers* 8.32
4 1988-89 Cleveland Cavaliers* 7.95
5 1980-81 Philadelphia 76ers* 7.76
6 1982-83 Philadelphia 76ers* 7.53
7 1979-80 Boston Celtics* 7.37
8 1986-87 Atlanta Hawks* 7.18
9 1980-81 Milwaukee Bucks* 7.14
10 1985-86 Los Angeles Lakers* 6.84
Fwiw this means the poll options are first, third, sixth and nineteenth ('89 Pistons [6.24] also behind '89 Suns, '85 Bucks and multiple Celtics and Lakers teams). Pistons missed Salley, Dumars and Mahorn for spells (all in 67-72 games played range).
Of the three main named candidates at a glance they all look quite top heavy. As such they might seem vulnerable to injury (though as noted Boston had one and were still as good as they were).
Celtics have 5.5 quality players (Walton can't go full time). Playoff rotation cuts down on Sichting and Wedman. Some of their minutes come from a McHale absence (plays 68 games). They lost some depth from '84 with the Henderson trade which should have been just about to pay off.
76ers have the 4 good starters and Jones.
The Lakers face less of a cliff edge, though their depth is big heavy. Jabbar,Green, Rambis and [after the trade] Thompson gives them a little more insurance at the bigs. Johnson, Scott and Worthy are all covered by Cooper (and even Magic is a big "outside" player forcing the others to defend down a position).
Obviously my judgements on quality are arbitrary and more off general reputation and production than super deep research into those years teams (as in serious film study or anything, I have read books, though a while ago [and the Lakers don't have one for that specific year otoh]).