Cran do you think those Laker teams would clearly rank as the best team over the last 3 decades?
tough call.
without a doubt, those 1980's fakers squads were stacked, and the only time they had competition was when they played against teams with good size and length. (remember the 1987-88 pistons squad that had 5 players listed at 6'10" or taller?)
but it's always fair to question what was going on in the WORSTern conference.
remember, before the playoff format changed, the first round of the post-season was a BYE.
after the format changed, the WORSTern conference still didn't offer competitive series' because most of the teams were doormats. the road to the WORSTern conference finals in the 1980s was always a parade of doormats (most hovering at or below .500): phoenix suns, golden state warriors, seattle supersonics, san antonio spurs.
the denver nuggets, portland trailblazers, and to a lesser extent, the utah jazz were more entertaining (in terms of competition).
but even considering the questionable competition level in the WORSTern conference, the fakers presented a formidable attack on BOTH sides of the ball. showtime wouldn't have been possible without the rebounding and defense.
i'd say the 1980's fakers squads were
hands down the best squads in the last 3 decades of franchise history. and given that they were in the NBA finals 8 out of 10 years, it's a fairly strong argument that they are the best team of the past 3 decades.
