Los Angeles Lakers icon James Worthy played in three NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics during his Hall of Famer career. He was on the winning side twice — in 1985 and ’87. As much as he cherishes those victories, the loss in 1984 haunts him to this day. However, that defeat changed the way he and his teammates approached the championship finale. In the very next year, Worthy and the team were not just playing for themselves “but for all those teams that lost” in the past.
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On former teammate Bryon Scott’s Fast Break podcast, Worthy said they wanted to avenge the city, the franchise, and cast out the demons during the 1985 Finals against the Celtics. He said,
“[In 1985] We represented not only ourselves but all those teams that lost, all the fans. I mean that’s hard to lose 7 times. We lost to them once and I thought life was over. So that to me, bringing that back to the franchise, and doing that finally, cos it was a heavy burden for a lot of years. that to me was the special one.”
The Lakers and Celtics have squared off a record 12 times against each other in the Finals. They had faced each other eight times prior to the 1985 series. And Boston had won each of those matchups, starting in 1959. Both the sides dominated the league in the 1960s and 1980s, but the bragging rights at the end of the season always belonged to the Celtics.
Of course, Worthy and Co. had a lot at stake. And no wonder he rated the 1985 win, his first ever, as the most memorable moment of his career.
He ranked it higher than the side’s 1988 triumph against the Detroit Pistons, when he was the Finals MVP. That’s understandable: after all, it was not against the Celtics.
And, when Worthy picked the best team he ever played for, it was the 1987 championship winning side. Again, they pipped Boston to the title that year.
Worthy believes ’87 Lakers were better than the class of 2001
Worthy believes the 1986-87 Lakers wasn’t only the best team he ever played on, but also the best roster the franchise has ever fielded. When asked if it was better than the 2000-01 roster that went 16-1 in the playoffs to win a championship for the second straight year, he said,
“Unless I’ve been on the court with you, how are we going to gauge that? Do I think I could bust some a*s? Yeah, I know what our team was about.”
The 2000–01 Lakers, led by Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, are regarded as one of the most dominant teams in NBA history. Had it not been for Allen Iverson’s historic 50-game explosion in the NBA Finals, they would have finished the playoffs undefeated. Regardless, their 16-1 record is tied for best ever, alongside the 2016-17 Warriors.
The 1986-87 Lakers weren’t as dominant but went 15-3 in the postseason after finishing the season at 65-17, which is pretty impressive. Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s dominance ensured they won every game they played in LA.
Debating which of the two greatest Lakers rosters ever assembled would win in a hypothetical series is a tough ask. And Worthy was right in saying that it’s impossible to gauge and agree on the outcome.
