Kobe Bryant got into another hypothetical debate with ESPN's Mike Greenberg after noting he's unbothered by comparisons for the title of GOAT against the likes of Michael Jordan and LeBron James, this time picking his best Los Angeles Lakers team over today's Golden State Warriors in a best-of-seven series:
“We would win, that's what I would say,” said Bryant with a smile. “To give you a really tactical answer, it's really about who can impose whose will and style of play. Do we do a good job of moving the ball and getting into open areas and slowing the game down or does Golden State control the tempo, control the pace with their shooting and their ball movement.
“To be completely honest, it's hard to tell who would win. I like our chances. Shaq's a handful and you can't forget that he could run the floor like a guard.”
This matchup would also be a battle that would come in question if the Warriors achieve a three-peat at the end of the season, as it was those early 2000s Lakers that achieved that feat most recently, powered by the dynamic duo of Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal.
That debate would gauge the effectiveness of the triangle system and slow-down tactics versus the pace-and-space of today's game, one the Warriors popularized and has quickly invaded the league.
Shaq was as dominant a force as this league has ever seen, while the trio of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant catching fire at the same time has proved unstoppable to this day.
A seven-game series would most importantly come down to coaching and adjustments, making this a war of tactics between Zen Master Phil Jackson and former student Steve Kerr to devise the best strategy going into the next game.