Almost 10 years on Lakers Return to 2003-2004 scenario

Last time we had a Dream Team it was the 03-04 season, Gary Payton, Shaq, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant & Devean George as Our starting five, now 8 years after that ended we have, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol, Steve Nash & Ron Artest A.K.A. Metta World Peace, So I Hope That We Have Dwight for many Years not just one and Nash for at least 2 Season, we must alos learn from our mistakes.

Most people associate 2003-04 formula to failure. They didn't win the ring. Period.

I don't agree at all, the idea was good, two former All-Star veterans to complement the best All-Star duo of the league. It was a very good attempt IMHO. Bad luck with injuries, yet they got to the Finals. Shaq trade put an end to any continuation of that formula so we could judge better. Despite this they got to the Finals, is that really a big failure? They won prime Spurs (2003 champs) and KG's Wolves in playoffs. You don't give credit to losing the Finals until years pass and you don't play Finals every season. It's not that easy.

Alghough this is a very different team, it's a very genuine and complete mix, we have a very deep team right now. My only concern are potential injuries, we need those mathematical Popovic's rotations in a long 82-games season.

Shaq/Malone/George/Kobe/Payton
vs
Dwight/Gasol/MWP/Kobe/Nash

It is an interesting comparison. On paper, I think Malone>Gasol and Kobe8>Kobe24. However, Payton didn't fit well in the triangle system all season. And Kobe was in legal trouble all season long. And, the most important, Malone injured in the Finals. Have said that, That Lakers team still managed to beat prime Duncan's team and prime KG's team(KG's MVP season).

There is no doubt that LBJ is at his prime now. So, can you beat his team this year?

It's easy being a Laker fan that's all I can say

The 2003-2004 had no bench and a bunch of old players minus Kobe plus with very bad chemistry...

The 2003-2004 was really good, better than a couple of the threepeat teams....until the injuries cropped up.

1. They were 21-3 until Malone hurt his knee
2. Every starter except Payton would eventually get hurt and miss significant time.
3. They still made it to the Finals, where they got Sterned and then Malone got hurt again.

Chemistry was never an issue...clicking on all cylinders that team was magnificent, and dominant, even with Gump playing at SF.

Two completely different teams. Shaq, kobe, and Payton all had selfish attitudes, kobe and shaqs hatred for eachother was nearing its climax, Kobe got accused of rape

But most importantly the players were completely different. Nash is nothing like Payton as a man and player. Pau is much more a glue guy and ball mover than Malone was, Dwight is a defensive superstar and lateral center that runs around the floor while shaq was a blob at that point who was incredible offwnsively but just couldn't move enough defensively consistently, and Ronald is a defensive genius that is strong as an ox with hands that move like lightning while gump was gump

Different rosters completely

I don't understand this comparison at all.

The 03-04 team was actually really good. Going off memory I believe Malone missed 41 games, Shaq missed 17, and Kobe also missed 17. Then in the final regular season game against Portland Malone got injured again and played through it in the playoffs. And we still made it to the Finals.

Malone was 40 and that was his last year in the league. Payton was 35 and retired a few years later and never fit in the triangle. He wanted more touches. But they did get to the finals and were supposed to crush Detroit but Detroit proved over the years that they were a great TEAM.

I think the 2012 team is better. Nash, though older than Payton, is a much better point guard period and doesn't rely on athleticism so technically, he might be able to play at a high level for 5 more years. Malone was still a solid player but Gasol fits so well with Nash.

Past Kobe destroys current Kobe but past Kobe was a ball hog for many stretches and wasn't mature enough to be "the man" yet. Current Kobe still has ball hog tendencies but he knows how to cut it back when required. And i would take a prime Howard over 04 Shaq.

Plus, the pieces on this team just fit much better. They all brijg something different to the table.

there's absolutely ZERO doubt in my mind that we would have beaten the Pistons with a healthy Malone

pound4pound1 wrote:there's absolutely ZERO doubt in my mind that we would have beaten the Pistons with a healthy Malone

Lol. Keep telling yourself that. The Piston team exposed our old age. They were a very young, athletic and long team that had one of the best defensive squads ever. I mean if the series went 6 or 7, i might entertain your theory but they destroyed us. Once Prince shut down Kobe, what did we really have outside of Shaq?

Prime Billups, Hamilton, Wallace, Sheed, Prince, etc. That was a heck of a team.

Lets Go Lakers wrote:

pound4pound1 wrote:there's absolutely ZERO doubt in my mind that we would have beaten the Pistons with a healthy Malone

Lol. Keep telling yourself that. The Piston team exposed our old age. They were a very young, athletic and long team that had one of the best defensive squads ever. I mean if the series went 6 or 7, i might entertain your theory but they destroyed us. Once Prince shut down Kobe, what did we really have outside of Shaq?

Prime Billups, Hamilton, Wallace, Sheed, Prince, etc. That was a heck of a team.

that team was overrated and got lucky we were gimpy...if you dont think a healthy Malone would have made a difference, then that's on you...i saw how that Lakers team was rolling with Malone in the lineup

I keep seeing this comparison & shaking my head.. Payton was an athletic defender that wanted to get his points just as much as his assists.. Nash is a completely different player & it's clear age isn't slowing him down in the same way it did GP.. We also don't have Phil & the triangle restricting Nash.. I think what Malone had left in the tank that season & the injuries he was hobbled with was more comparable to Jamison than Pau.. If Dwight misses a significant amount of time, Pau will be an allstar again.. We also have a more mature & much smarter version of Kobe, that has openly told these guys he needs their help to win more rings.. This is going to be special to watch

That Piston team was like those Rocket teams in the 80s... perfect constitution to beat a ridiculously loaded Lakers team. In my mind, I don't think we beat that team for these reasons -

1 - Billups was playing at an MVP level. Even if Payton wasn't injured, I don't know if he could have dealt with Billups. Keep in mind, our team was almost taken down by Troy Hudson in the prior round.
2 - Tayshaun Prince had Kobe's card for that series. Kobe eventually would own Prince after a few years, but I still think Prince was a game-changer 2004. This played right into our Kobe vs. Shaq chemistry issues. Kobe felt challenged, ball hogged, and had no problem freezing out Shaq in the process.
3 - Pistons just had EPIC chemistry on defense. Frustrating every step of the way.

As for this year's team - it's nothing like 2003-4. Like others have mentioned, entirely different players & playing styles. The difference between coaching staff/philosophy is almost like night and day as well.

I still feel like we would've beat Detroit if we were healthy. Not only was Malone injured but so was Horace and Rick Fox...ppl also forget that DFish had surgery that offseason so he wasn't healthy either. Just a slew of injuries killed that team. I think it was late in the Minnesota series where Malone tweaked his ankle or knee and was gimpy from then on and we were never the same.

As for the comparison...it's nothing alike. Our guys now are closer to their primes. Sure Pau, Kobe, Nash, and Ron might not be in their primes, but outside of Ron I still think these guys are top 2-3 in the league at their positions and still play at a high level. Malone and GP weren't close to their primes.

2 entirely different teams

i'm just hoping the end result is different this year