Lakers: Robert Horry Responds on Whether 2001 LA Team Would Beat 2017 Warriors
Apparently, this is the week for players, past and present, to answer fan questions on Twitter. LeBron James' "Q&A" session got all the pub, but former Lakers forward Robert Horry also solicited questions from basketball fans.
Horry told fans about what he feels was his best games as a Laker (Game 2 in the 1997 Western Conference Semifinals against the Jazz), his favorite championship memory in Los Angeles (Mark Madsen dancing at the Lakers 2001 championship parade), and his favorite teammate of all-time (Sam Cassell).
One fan asked Horry who would win if the 2001 Lakers and the 2017 Warriors played each other. The seven-time NBA champion kept it short and sweet, but did comically bring up a good point.
The 2017 Warriors, led by Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson, won 67 games in the regular season and went 16-1 in the playoffs en route to their second title in three years. They didn't lose a game in the playoffs until the Finals against LeBron James and the Cavaliers. That Warriors team is arguably one of the greatest teams of all-time.
The 2001 Lakers had a 56-win regular season and posted a 15-1 (the first round back in those days was best-of-five) postseason record to win their second-consecutive title.
Both teams were incredible, but Horry might have a point - no one on that Warriors team, not even Draymond Green, would be able to consistently slow down Shaq. Hell, no one in 2001 could slow down Shaq.
We'll never know the answer, but one thing is for sure, there would be a few Warriors in foul trouble.