Lakers rumors: How “Showtime” lineup matches up versus Golden State
By Keith Rivas
Zaza Pachulia vs Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Absolutely no disrespect to Pachulia, but he has absolutely no chance winning this match up. This isn’t like a 1 vs 8 seed in the playoffs where there’s even a small chance of an upset.
The current Warriors center has zero accolades other than being an accessory piece on one of the best teams ever assembled. Abdul-Jabbar, on the other hand, is in the conversation of GOAT as well as one of the best Lakers players in team history.
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For one reason or another, Abdul-Jabbar proved to be one of many talented centers that the Lakers were able to put in the right position to always contend.
Here’s a list featuring some of what Abdul-Jabbar has over Pachulia:
- 19x All-Star vs zero All-Star appearances
- 6x NBA champ vs zero championships
- 15x All-NBA and 11x All-Defensive vs no appearances in either category
- 6x league MVP vs no MVP awards
- 1969-70 ROY vs no ROY
- 2x Finals MVP vs no Finals MVP
And that’s just the short list.
At this point, the Lakers should feel grateful that they have such a favorable match up. Playing against a fast-paced offensive team, they’re going to need all that they can get.
Abdul-Jabbar was nothing short of a difference maker in his career. In fact, it was a difference most teams could figure out.
He wins this bout with Pachulia every time, even if he wasn’t feeling 100%.