Magic Johnson's 1991 playoff run was his greatest performance ever..

[NYC Rebel]

I get it...he had multiple championship runs prior to this season, Finals MVP's and so on. But that 1991 playoff run?

1990 Lakers
I think Lakers fans know that setting at the time.

• Kareem was gone
• Team in transition
• 2nd year pout mouth center in Vlade Divac
• Rookie Elden Campbell
• Old man Terry Teague being the first man to come off the bench
• Tony Smith inconsistent flat top matching his play.
• Sam Perkins becoming a stretch 4.
• Worthy and Scott last year being effective.

The Lakers were pretty much already outside the championship window. The choking ass Blazers were fresh off a Finals loss to the Pistons the season prior.

Portland Chokers
The Blazers were in their formative years of being prime time pretenders and chokers and shyt. This was the year that ended with it being sandwiched between two finals appearances (90 & 92). They won the West two straight seasons, and at that time, there was a run where the loser of the NBA finals from the year prior took the next step to become winners.. The Lakers did that to the Pistons in 88'. Pistons did that to the Lakers in 89'. So it was supposed to be the choking ass Blazers turn in 1990. The Blazers led the NBA in wins that season. The Lakers came in third in the west and had the fifth best record in the NBA. Coming into the playoffs, they really weren't viewed as contenders.

Magic
This was imo, Magic's greatest run as an NBA player. This dude CARRIED....straight CARRIED that Lakers team. Gunning vs. Hakeem, going toe to toe with Chris Mullin...culminating with owning the Blazers and imo, making the smartest play I've ever seen to close an NBA playoff series.







the smartest play to end a 1 point game and end a playoff series in NBA history


Magic will always be my GOAT.

 

[10bandz]

You make some good points, my pops always told me how magic in 91 was underrated. They weren’t really the “showtime” lakers anymore and still made the finals.

Vlade was in his 2nd year though, first as a starter. Only 22 though and started on a finals team thanks to magic

 

[NYC Rebel]

You make some good points, my pops always told me how magic in 91 was underrated. They weren’t really the “showtime” lakers anymore and still made the finals.

Vlade was in his 2nd year though, first as a starter. Only 22 though and started on a finals team thanks to magic

You're right. That's back when Magic used to BARK on Vlade. Straight BARK on him multiple times a game. I used to feel sorry for Vlade but Magic was straight up shaping him to help carry the load during that run.

Dude was such a leader man....

 

[Sccit]

YUP WOULDA WON THE TITLE HAD WORTHY NEVER BEEN INJURED

MAGIC WOULDA HAD ANOTHER 4-5 GOOD YEARS HAD HE NOT CAUGHT HIV IN HIS PRIME AND BEEN FORCED TO RETIRE EARLY

DEFINITELY WOULDA HAD A BETTER CASE FOR GOAT AND MAYBE WOULDA WON ANOTHER 1-2 TITLES

 

[Jesus Is Lord]

Best leader ever. The first player I’d want to play with.

 

[get these nets]

funny that you mentioned Divac

if Divac had done the EXACT same thing in the Kings series against the Lakers (Horry shot)..................would have changed the course of NBA history

Take note of Magic camped down in the paint to grab the rebound and then BOXING out Duckworth to grab the rebound

there was a Suns/Lakers series years later where the Lakers missed the go ahead basket with seconds left........ALL Jason Richardson had to do was lean back and box out Artest for the rebound.....you either get the board or you get the foul call as the other guy climbs your back for the rebound..
no box out....Artest grabs rebound and the rest is history


Magic was just a special player who played better when the money was on the table, by that year he had so much playoff experience that there was NOTHING he hadn't seen before. People pay attention to the flash and no look passes, but they ignore the fundamentally sound way that he played the game.

GOAT

 

[10bandz]

You're right. That's back when Magic used to BARK on Vlade. Straight BARK on him multiple times a game. I used to feel sorry for Vlade but Magic was straight up shaping him to help carry the load during that run.

Dude was such a leader man....

Yup that’s that “buck” alter ego. Byron Scott always be on the laker channel like “yeah, Buck is a guy you don’t wanna fukk with and the whole team knew it”

 

[NYC Rebel]

Yup that’s that “buck” alter ego. Byron Scott always be on the laker channel like “yeah, Buck is a guy you don’t wanna fukk with and the whole team knew it”

Magic used to SPAZZ THE fukk OUT when on that shyt. Everybody got it. Refs...everyone.

 

[get these nets]

Yup that’s that “buck” alter ego. Byron Scott always be on the laker channel like “yeah, Buck is a guy you don’t wanna fukk with and the whole team knew it”

knuck if you buck

 

[get these nets]

You're right. That's back when Magic used to BARK on Vlade. Straight BARK on him multiple times a game. I used to feel sorry for Vlade but Magic was straight up shaping him to help carry the load during that run.

Dude was such a leader man....

Divac was shook. There's a clip of Magic screaming on him during a game and Divac flinching as if he's expecting to get slapped.

I don't recall him screaming on other players like that, but by that time the old guard was gone and he was trying to get the younger guys ready to compete for rings................Divac probably took longer to adjust to NBA or American basketball

 

[get these nets]

Magic used to SPAZZ THE fukk OUT when on that shyt. Everybody got it. Refs...everyone.

Magic bumping the ref and getting T'd up and tossed is only remembered by those who saw the game. If youtube didn't exist, nobody else would ever believe it happened.

 

[Alexander The Great]

was 31 years old. came in 2nd in MVP voting that season, a year after WINNING the MVP. Magic was STILL in his prime in 1991. damn shame idiots made him stay retired, cause you know the Lakers wouldn't have just rode out his last few years. they would have tried to make a move to win another championship

 

[Miggs]

Averaged close to a triple double for the series....He had no help unfortunately.

 

[Miggs]

was 31 years old. came in 2nd in MVP voting that season, a year after WINNING the MVP. Magic was STILL in his prime in 1991. damn shame idiots made him stay retired, cause you know the Lakers wouldn't have just rode out his last few years. they would have tried to make a move to win another championship

Hard to say..Lakers FO wasted elite players in there prime with shyt teams a few times...The early 90s wasnt a glamorous time for the Lakers around the league,those years until Shaq arrived probably wouldnt have been much different if Magic continued playing...Go look at that roster in the 91 Finals hard to believe they even got there with that group.

 

[Bigblackted4]

Yes I was just watching games from that run he was incredible