Would the Pistons Bad Boys be able to beat the Lakers of now?

I think Laimbeer's ability to hit three pointers and Edward's midranged
game would keep Shaq from just hanging under the basket. . .
then again .. this is the new zone league

Detroit's Guards would torch the Laker's guards

Rocket River

 

Zeke wasn't a hacker. Laimbeer WAS possibly the best hacker in the game, but you should have also included Rick Mahorn. Did Mahorn EVER do anything else in his career?

Honestly, it's hard to believe that the early 90's Pistons could beat the Lakers of today.

I think "hacking" Kobe and Shaq would only result in foul trouble for the Pistons, and would work against them. An occasional intimidation of Kobe going to the basket by fouling him hard may change the flow of the game somewhat.

Dumars, as good as he was defensively, would have a hard time with the bigger, taller Kobe down low. I think the matchup of these two teams could be swayed depending on whether or not we are playing today's "zone" rules, or the strict man to man of the early 90's.

Let's look at some matchups:

Fisher vs. Isiah Thomas - Easy pick here. Thomas was better at every aspect of the game. He was the glue on that Pistons team, and kept his composure down the stretch. Fisher is great at spotting up off the Shaq double team and hitting threes, that's about it.

Dumars vs. Kobe - Tough matchup, but I think Kobe gets the edge, merely because of size and athleticism. At the end of the day though, it may be a wash, as Dumars could fill it up from the perimeter.

Rodman vs. Fox - Rodman is the better rebounder and defender, Fox is the superior offensive player. I guess this just depends on how aggressive Fox is feeling that day. I go with Rodman here.

Laimbeer vs. Walker or Horry - Well, this is really tough. Laimbeer was an adept spot up shooter on the perimeter, and was a physical player, with little athleticism. But he was savvy and smart. Walker is a solid rebounder with a decent low post game, and I'd say Laimbeer would have an edge, if only mental, over Walker. Horry I think is a different story. I think Laimbeer would have trouble guarding the versatile Horry, and staying with him on cuts, etc. Laimbeer would have to keep a watchful eye on Horry.

James Edwards vs. Shaq - Do I even need to comment on this one? Shaq would abuse Edwards, a finesse player, on both ends of the court.

Bench - I give this to the Lakers. The Pistons had Mahorn (no offense, just a hacker and rebounder) and Vinnie Johnson (and the Microwave was either HOT or COLD, nothing in between), Mark Aguirre, but after that..........*crickets chirping* The Lakers have extremely capable, athletic players in George, Medvedenko, Mitch Richmond, Shaw, Jelani McCoy, and even Mark Madsen. Add Lindsey Hunter as a good shooter and defender too.

Defense - Pistons slightly.....even though Shaq is a defensive presence insode, and blocks some shots, the Pistons had Rodman, Dumars playing tough defense, and Mahorn and Laimbeer to hack would-be slashers.

Coach - TOUGH TOUGH call. I say it's a wash. Jackson, winner of 8 championships or Daly, who ran his Pistons ironically like a well oiled engine.

Home court advantage could make all the difference for either team. I just think LA has too many thoroughbreds.

 

with the tear that the Lakers were on the last 2 years, I don't think there are very many teams that could have stopped them.

Detroit certainly wouldn't be one of them, imo.

 

I thought Aguirre Started
Didn't they have John Spider Sally on the bench too

Rocket River

 

I guess it depends on what year you're talking about. Aguirre did start some, and so did Rodman.

Even if you add Spider Salley, who in my opinion was merely a decent sub, LA still has a distinct edge on the bench.

 

Uh, if some of you guys think the 94-95 Rockets can beat the Lakers, then the Pistons would sweep the Lakers.

I don't think the 94-95 Rockets would have beaten the Lakers, but I do think the 89-90 Pistons would have.

Basically because LA lacks physical players other than Shaq. If Madsen and Horry could provide a physical presence, then LA would win.

Also, Rodman was not the rebounder he became in the mid-90s. Rodman would average like 10 a game, but not the 16 a game.

 

It would depend on the rules I think. The Pistons couldn't play their physical style today because they'd all get flagrants and foul out. With old school rules they would frustrate the hell out of Shaq and Kobe. It would be fun to watch.

 

Like Timing said, depends on the refs. 80s refs = Pistons romp. 2000 refs = Lakers romp.

 

Shaq would destroy anyone the pistons put in front of him. Kobe would kill dumars. Thomas would get his usual numbers though.

The only teams that i think could take the lakers at full strentgh would be the 95' rockets , Bill Russell's Celtics , and Chamberlain's 76'ers, and the first jordan 3 peat team.

 

Didn't Dumars defend MJ well? If he could defend MJ, he can defend Kobe.

 

Pistons, bany! Pistons crush coddled, whiney, cry-baby lakers in 4. And I like the lakers. Lakers do not have the mental game to hang. Any double ejection means Pistons win. Frustrated Lakers have troubles as is, compound that with master manipulators Daly. Thomas, Dumars, Rodman, Lambier. Yes, they couldn't stop Shaq rolling to the hole, but I bet they foul him out. No one did that better. They could hook Shaq for three and flop for 2 more, easy. They had enough big bodies to jam at him, and frustrate the big aristotle into something stupid, too. Kobe total non-factor, and I'm a big Kobe fan. You need to roll tape if you don't appreciate!

 

Pistons. They are far better at every starters comparison (Isiah vs. Fisher--joke, Aguire vs. Fox--joke, Laimbeer/Edwards (take your pick) over Walker/Horry (take your pick)--joke) other than Shaq and Kobe--and Dumars would be one of the best players to neutrelize Kobe.

And the bench is NO comparison at all--Rodman, Salley, VJ as the core--the Pistons probably the best bench since the Celtic dynasties.

No offense, but anyone who thinks the best Rocket teams could beat the current Lakers, but the Piston's couldn't, doesn't know that Pistons team too well.

 

So the refs aren't a factor, Scar? Do you seriously think any team whose style of play necessitated the term "Bad Boys" in the 80s could be as effective today?

 

Freak, I am not saying the refs couldn't impact the outcome. But I think the refs would have to be awefully extreme to make up the talent differential between the teams. That Detriot team had 7 or 8 guys better than any current Laker outside of Shaq and Kobe--and that would be too much for the one overwhelming Laker advantage--Shaq versus anyone. I also think the Showtime Lakers teams are better than the current Laker teams, and I would take my chances with a Wilt-Baylor-West Lakers team as well. The best players today are as good as better as the best players from years ago, but the supporting cast players are far inferior. I am still not sold this year's Lakers team will get through Sac because of Sac's advantage in role players. I know I am in the minority with this opinion, but I really don't believe the Lakers are a sure bet this year to win. They probably will win, but this year's Sac team should play them a lot like the Portland team of 2 years ago that easily could have beat them.

 

Not really. I know he had a reputation for doing that. But, I believe he was one of those guys who "contained" MJ, by not letting him score more or less than aroudn 30 ppg.

Moreover, when he and MJ did go to war, that was before MJ developed his deadly fadeaway, which would have been money in the bank against the 6 ft 3 Dumars.

Kobe's fadeaway isn't quite as good as MJ's, but it's almost as unstoppable when it's on.

 

The reason why teams from diferrent eras have more talent than the Lakers, is because of expansion.

 

Yes, Dumars did defend Jordan well.

As far as whoever said LA had a better bench than Detroit, I'm assuming you never saw the Pistons actually play.

I'm going with the Pistons here guys. They had a big man that could shoot and bring Shaq away from the basket. Their power forwards were better. They had enough bodies and depth to hack the crap out of Shaquille and make him shoot free throws all day long (Mahorn, Salley, Laimbeer, Rodman, Edwards.....30 fouls there not counting guards or small forwards). As a matter of fact, I can't think of any other team that could throw as many bodies at a big man simply to foul him. Isiah is gonna dominate whoever guards him, and Dumars can hold his on with Kobe. Vinny and Agguire can't be contained either (assuming you have Kobe checking Dumars....if not then he'll get off). Most importantly, they wouldn't fear LA like these sissy ass teams do today.

Besides, if they could beat Magic's Lakers, how do you figure that they would lose to the 2K squad?

 

I don't think they beat Magic's Lakers, unless you consider a Worthy-less, Scott-Less, Magic-hobbled skeleton crew version if I remember. However, they did take the full Lakers squad to 7 games the year before though, so they were very evenly matched with the later Lakers teams (who probably were not as good as the Laker teams a couple of years before when Kareem and Cooper were younger and MacAdoo and Wilkes were also contributers).

I honestly don't think Fox, Horry, Fisher, Hunter or Walker would have ever played a single meaningful minute if they were on Detriot squad or maybe even the LA showtimes squads (well maybe Horry could have played some spot minutes). KR, I agree with you the weakness in roll players has to do with more league expansion.

 

I don't know about expansion being that big of a factor currently. I'm sure the increased marketing/popularity of basketball in the US as well as overseas, as well as just the increased population in the US and world in general have balanced that out. What isn't helping though I think are all the underclassmen in the league and guys coming straight out of high school.

I still think the Pistons brand of basketball would not fly with today's refs at all. They played thug ball, and gained a huge advantage out of instilling fear into the opponent. Their entire frontline would be ejected by the end of the first quarter in today's game. I also think you're overrating the Piston supporting players a bit Scar. Could Rodman have done a better job of defending Duncan last year than Horry did? Doubtful. Fisher last playoffs was easily comparable to Vinnie Johnson -- the guy simply did not miss. Who on the Laker team is Mark Aguirre going to post up at 6'4"? Don't get me wrong, I hate the Lakers, but the Pistons were known for their defense, and I don't think the refs would let them play it today.