The Showtime Lakers Could Dominate Today's NBA With Their Game

"Showtime," led by Magic Johnson, ushered in a new era of basketball in the 1980s that resulted in five NBA championships for the LA Lakers.

[{"selector":"#anim-549c947a-8bca-473b-b04a-6eedba8c8f0e","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-ef13541f-072c-4da6-ab21-62662f95eb48","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 220.11393%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Former NBA champion and Laker, Kyle Kuzma, believes that "Showtime" would be successful in the league today.

[{"selector":"#anim-986f9a9c-d84a-44eb-8ccd-f2050ae1ab99","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-a256546c-152a-41f0-a4df-db1b02a7c9c7","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 263.32655%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Kuzma was a recent guest on "The Draymond Green Show," where he discussed different eras of basketball with Draymond Green.

[{"selector":"#anim-8bd1b486-3bb4-403e-b6b2-649df6145787","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-0815ad47-645d-4b82-98cf-d6c8a94b10b9","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 220.11393%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

They called comparing eras dumb before complimenting Johnson and the "Showtime" Lakers. Kuzma even thinks that they would have dominated the current NBA.

[{"selector":"#anim-472e1cd7-b67c-4013-ba5f-149f7e08a4f9","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-c12b4aea-8485-42a7-9642-06ad76933245","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 165.08545%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

"It's dumb (to compare eras). There's also play styles and there's officiating," Kuzma said. "Are we gonna play with hand checks? Or are we playing with freedom of movement? There's certain teams that can get away with certain things."

[{"selector":"#anim-99b54c83-4ac8-44e6-8ba7-5ddd6718368f","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-69031b10-7aa1-4705-ab83-e2ed7c29566a","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 132.06836%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

"I believe that the 'Showtime' Lakers, they would f*ing dominate this era. I was watching Magic in the '80s, his highlights like earlier in the summer. People don't realize he was fast as st. No, no, he was fast as hell. He was getting the rebound, up the court in three dribbles and that's the NBA now."

[{"selector":"#anim-ef21407c-1cbe-441f-82b6-5bf9c202bc6e","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-a3ef1432-a250-4f8b-80d2-e7926f462114","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 139.37807%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

The 1980s Lakers were all about the fastbreak and run-and-gun style of basketball. Paul Westhead started it and won a championship in 1980, but started to change it the next season.

[{"selector":"#anim-a37afa32-872f-45ef-bd5f-b51f2b142841","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-28b8e3b4-b49e-4aae-9744-490381d7c6e2","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 170.47008%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Buss replaced Westhead with Pat Riley, who revolutionized the team's up-tempo style. Johnson would start the fastbreak and feed to players such as James Worthy, Michael Cooper and Byron Scott.

[{"selector":"#anim-165b4a5f-8230-4c89-82c8-efbf4208b493","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-aa446c08-931e-44a7-90f0-5d2afd2813dc","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 151.27040%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Whenever an opposing team stops the fastbreak, the Lakers will just settle into their half-court offense. Abdul-Jabbar would dominate the paint with his patented skyhook.

[{"selector":"#anim-2fc5c1de-5034-4eb6-bfff-19c9d1120468","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-b59c134f-6783-4e30-b72c-df7da04bae3c","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 170.47008%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

At the end of the day, the Lakers went to nine NBA Finals during the era and won five championships.

[{"selector":"#anim-115bf92e-a3be-43e9-ba2f-dddb7604537f","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-60a99212-6d8b-42f4-b345-c8017cb7416b","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 340.94017%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]