btw, the OP said prime which means that the Celtics . . . in addition to Russell, Garnett, McHale etc. inside also get to trot out the only briefly glimpsed, rare, elusive, HEALTHY BILL WALTON who in his brief season and a half prime was voted all NBA (and MVP) over prime Kareem once (and 2nd team behind him for the other 2/3 season) and All-Defense over Kareem both healthy seasons.
Oh, and I'd start DJ over Cousy and probably Sam Jones over Havlicek though Havlicek would get starter minutes as the greatest 6th man of all time (McHale comes off the bench too behind either Walton or Garnett) and use Cousy as an energy push the pace guy at point. This gives the Celtics a slower, more halfcourt oriented game but with great passers like Bird, Walton, and Russell in the front court, I'm not worried about playmaking and finding the open man as much as I am about defending the big guards of the Lakers.
Lakers vs Celtics Franchise - Which Franchise would win a 7
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ps, since both teams, like all-star teams tend to do, have MORE than enough scoring, this lessens the impact of great go-to scorers and increases the impact of great defenders and passers.
Better defensive team:
Russell > Wilt
Walton > Kareem
Bird<Kobe/Elgin
Jones/Havlicek < West
DJ > Magic
Better passing team
Russell > Wilt
Walton > Kareem
Bird > Kobe
Jones < West
DJ < Magic
Team that doesn't have as many huge egos who feel the need to be the main man and have the ball in their hands
Russell > Wilt/Shaq
Walton > Kareem
Bird = Kobe
S Jones/Havlicek > West
DJ > Magic
Better defensive team:
Russell > Wilt
Walton > Kareem
Bird<Kobe/Elgin
Jones/Havlicek < West
DJ > Magic
Better passing team
Russell > Wilt
Walton > Kareem
Bird > Kobe
Jones < West
DJ < Magic
Team that doesn't have as many huge egos who feel the need to be the main man and have the ball in their hands
Russell > Wilt/Shaq
Walton > Kareem
Bird = Kobe
S Jones/Havlicek > West
DJ > Magic
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The Celtics are not stopping the Lakers, you have Magic running the point(self explanatory), combined with one of the greatest scorers of all time and also you will not be able to double down on the bigs. Who ever is being guarded by Walton will ABUSE him if its either Kareem, Shaq or Wilt and combine that with Mr.Clutch's shooting, its a wrap. Also, defensively good luck getting into the Lakers paint ,seriously. Russel wasn't unbelievable at the offensive end like the Laker Bigs and so for the Celtics to win they have to shoot the LIGHTS out!
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yeah, big difference is that the Lakers bigs are great post scorers and the Celtics bigs aren't. That said, if Walton beat out Kareem in the best years of Kareem's life for 1st team all-defense . . . he isn't likely to get abused any more than Russell (not to say they won't, just to say that there aren't any significantly better defenders out there than Russell and Walton . . .a nd that includes Hakeem/Mutumbo/etc.)
“Most people use statistics like a drunk man uses a lamppost; more for support than illumination,” Andrew Lang.
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penbeast0 wrote:btw, the OP said prime which means that the Celtics . . . in addition to Russell, Garnett, McHale etc. inside also get to trot out the only briefly glimpsed, rare, elusive, HEALTHY BILL WALTON
Which is absurd. What happens when the all-time Celtics face the all-time Blazers? It should be a PC Board law: Players should only be eligible for an all-time franchise team in the state they were in for that team.
Oh, and I'd start DJ over Cousy and probably Sam Jones over Havlicek

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wigglestrue wrote:-= original quote snipped =-
Which is absurd. What happens when the all-time Celtics face the all-time Blazers? It should be a PC Board law: Players should only be eligible for an all-time franchise team in the state they were in for that team.
If you get every player in their prime, then the Celtics get Wilkins, Pistol Pete, Payton, walton ect..
While the lakers would also have a claim on Payton. They would also get Karl Malone, Connie Hawkins, Bob McAdoo, ect...
It would be kinda stupid to do that.
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Lakers have great scorers
Celtics have great defenders
Theres only 1 basketball
Every team has enough offense to win
I like the Celtics
1. The Lakers are too slow. You cant play KAJ and Shaq together. Wilt is basicly a super Ben Wallace by the time hes a Laker
2. Celtics are so much better balanced and again they play defense and have players who can play w/o the ball.
Celtics have great defenders
Theres only 1 basketball
Every team has enough offense to win
I like the Celtics
1. The Lakers are too slow. You cant play KAJ and Shaq together. Wilt is basicly a super Ben Wallace by the time hes a Laker
2. Celtics are so much better balanced and again they play defense and have players who can play w/o the ball.
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Warspite wrote:Lakers have great scorers
Celtics have great defenders
Theres only 1 basketball
Every team has enough offense to win
I like the Celtics
1. The Lakers are too slow. You cant play KAJ and Shaq together. Wilt is basicly a super Ben Wallace by the time hes a Laker
2. Celtics are so much better balanced and again they play defense and have players who can play w/o the ball.
Wilt Chamberlein is a superior Ben Wallace? (no comment) Also, EVERYONE IS IN THEIR PRIMES READ THE FIRST POST OF THE THREAD. Also when you say that both teams have enough offense; the Lakers offense is far greater than the Celtics its not even close. And combine that with the Celtics lack of interior offensive this match-up would be very one-sided. And why can't you play Kareem and Shaq together? Cause the Celtics front court wouldn't have a chance?