ESPN Films 30 For 30 Documentary “C Bags/Lakers: Best Of Enemies”

To me, 85 was the greatest, but 10 was close behind. 87 was probably our beat team that beat a Boston team. 08 we weren't healthy or good enough. 84.... we just choked it away and it still hurts.

 

agreed. I was born in 1990 and didn't become a Lakers fan till 1997. I already knew most of the stuff in this 3 part - 30 for 30 series but there were a few things I had no idea about:

1) How Bill Russell somehow got selected at #3 by the C Bags and what Red did to make it happen. Give #1 team a dancing performance (haha couldn't believe it). Team #2 wasn't going to draft him because of race.

2) Magic requested a trade because of head coach

3) How during this time many of Magic's teammates didn't like him and thought he was getting preferential treatment by Dr. Buss. I always thought Magic was always liked

4) How many mental, stupid, unclutch errors Magic had during the Finals in '84(I believe it was) with the missing free throws and not getting a shots off, turnovers, etc in big moments of the games. And how he overcame all this to be incredible going forward.

All of this opened my eyes more to a lot of things because I was able to compare it to the Kobe & Shaq days and Kobe days of being the man. Overall, great history lesson when it came to certain things.

I might also get some hatred for saying this but I thought some of the things M.L. Carr and Maxwell said in the interview talking what happened in the past was pretty funny. Ex: When Maxwell talks about never ever believing white guys could be that good and the God puts him on a team with Larry and Kevin, haha.

 

The 25 year / $25 million contract was a big part of it. They knew Magic and Dr Buss partied all the time and hung out, but the lifetime contract is what set them over the edge. Kareem went to management and asked if he worked for Magic. Remember, Kareem was far and away our best player at this time. Magic didn't take over as the best player until around 85.

 

Good point, I forgot about that contract from the series.

 

In today's numbers, that would be like a $1 Billion over 25 years.

For comparison sake:

Larry Bird
1980 BOS $650,000
1981 BOS $650,000
1982 BOS * $937,500
1983 BOS * $1,225,000
1984 BOS * $1,512,500
1985 BOS $1,800,000
1986 BOS $1,800,000
1987 BOS * $1,800,000
1988 BOS $1,800,000
1989 BOS $1,800,000
1990 BOS * $1,650,000
1991 BOS $1,500,000
1992 BOS $7,070,000
1993 BOS $2,300,000
Career $26,495,000


Magic Johnson
1980 LAL $500,000
1981 LAL $500,000
1982 LAL * $1,000,000
1983 LAL * $1,500,000
1984 LAL * $2,000,000
1985 LAL $2,500,000
1986 LAL $2,500,000
1987 LAL * $2,500,000
1988 LAL $2,500,000
1989 LAL $3,142,860
1990 LAL * $2,771,430
1991 LAL $2,400,000
1992 LAL $2,500,000
1993 LAL $2,500,000
1994 LAL $2,500,000
1995 LAL $14,660,000
1996 LAL * $225,000
Career $46,199,290 -- NOTE: Much of the last 2 seasons was to complete the 25 year contract (in less years) and then get him lined up with his true worth. I could be off on the exact numbers, but I think they restructured his contract to make it a 10 year / $25 million deal once contracts took off with the emergence of the NBA (that him and Bird created)

 

1. 1985 - Redemption
2. 2010 - Redemption 2.0
3. 1987 - by then we were way better, they were old and breaking down...had some fight but still old and breaking down.

1984 was gifted and 2008 was growing pains (no Bynum, Ariza out for the most part).

"...one thing in life I hate is the B****n *******."
- Earvin "Magic" Johnson to end Part 3. Amen!

 

No doubt. Nineteen Eighty Five was the GREATEST championship for the Lakers as a franchise and in our rivalry. There is no second place when compared to that team, beating that team, on that floor. None. Exercised a lot of demons on that day.

 

Day 1 purchase for me when this comes out on Blu-Ray.

 

09 Ariza was pretty damn good, but I'm not sure he was strong enough to guard Pierce. The job Artest did on him in 10 can't be ignored.

It would've been a great series.