Over the past few weeks, debates over the greatest teams in NBA history have gained steam. In particular, a hypothetical matchup between the 2001 Los Angeles Lakers led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, and the 2017 Golden State Warriors featuring Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green, has been fiercely debated.
Green appeared on Shaq’s podcast and the two went back and forth over who would ultimately come out on top with each articulating why their side is superior. While most of the focus obviously goes towards the stars, both teams also had exceptional role players with the likes of Derek Fisher, Robert Horry and Rick Fox having a major impact on the Lakers success.
Fisher won five NBA Championships with the Lakers and was the starting point guard on that 2001 team and he recently appeared on the Draymond Green Show. Fisher was a bit more reasonable in his argument with Green but still made his points:
The best point Fisher made in regards to a series between the Lakers and Warriors is which set of rules would this hypothetical meeting be played under. Teams could be a lot more physical in the early 2000s and as Fisher noted, if he is able to grab and bang on Curry without being called for a bunch of fouls it makes a huge difference. And the same can be said if the more current rules were in place which would allow Curry, Durant and Thompson to run around more freely.
But this is also why these kinds of debates are extremely difficult and comparing teams from different eras is almost impossible. Especially with how prevalent the 3-pointer is in today’s game, teams from previous eras would struggle to keep up offensively. But it is reasonable to believe that those teams would adjust if they were placed in today’s era, but there is just no way to account for that.
The 2001 Lakers and 2017 Warriors are each legendary teams in their own right and a meeting between them would be one for the ages. With how proud each side is, neither would back down about their team being superior so this will likely remain a debate that continues on for a long time.
Draymond Green recalls trash-talking Lakers legend Kobe Bryant as a rookie
Draymond Green never faced off with Shaq on the court, but he did have some battles with Kobe Bryant and the Warriors star recalled a moment with the Lakers legend during his rookie season.
Green spoke about trying to trash talk Kobe despite the protests of Curry and Thompson. When Kobe missed a potential game-winning shot at the end of regulation, Green took credit only for Bryant to completely dismiss him being a factor in the miss.
Green added that it hurt for Kobe to completely brush off Green’s efforts and the Lakers ultimately won the game in overtime.
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