Columnist Analysis 2: Lakers’ standard is what Heat are chasing (March 24, 2013)

(Link: http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2013/03/23/revisiting-lakers/FhZNYwTHoUVA0yW6HCKU5J/story.html)

While the Miami Heat was in the midst of the second-longest winning streak in NBA history, Ryan recounts the Los Angeles Lakers’ 33 consecutive victories in 1971-72. He delves deep into the specifics of the streak, why it happened and how it ended. This column is a feature because Ryan is comparing the two streaks while detailing the important events of that impressive season by Lakers.

Ryan is attempting to illustrate how different the Lakers and the NBA were in comparison to the Heat and the league today. He does not have an outright positive or negative opinion about either of the specific teams in this column. The only direct comparison between the players of the 1971-72 Lakers and 2012-13 Heat comes at the end: “Who’d win a Lakers-Heat series? Well, I don’t know who would guard LeBron, but I do think Wilt would have reverted to his Phase I self after sizing up the Miami post people. I’ll let it go at that.” He includes this snippet at the end to add more intrigue to what could have been if the teams with the two best streaks could have faced off. By just incorporating that paragraph, Ryan is implicitly showing that there are not too many Wilt Chamberlain types in the NBA today. There is currently a dearth of size in the league.

For most of the column, Ryan discusses the Lakers because while everyone in the media was talking about the Heat’s winning streak, he decides to shed light on the other part of the story. He immediately states, “[The Lakers] averaged 121 points a game. Right there, you know it was a very different NBA.” Even without the 3-point shot, the old NBA teams were all about scoring: “Keep in mind the Lakers scored 121 points a game without any threes, that shot being eight seasons down the road.” Ryan reemphasizes the Lakers’ scoring average because he wants to inform the reader that it is difficult to compare these winning streaks from different generations.

Ryan is successful in making his point here because he demonstrates how the Lakers were completely different from the Heat today. I agree with his sentiment that the NBA was different, but I disagree that the streaks are different. They can be compared because a win is a win. Compiling that many victories in a row is a remarkable accomplishment in any sport at any time in history. The Heat should be celebrated for its incredible achievement.