Maybe they got better "star power", but we got a better team.
Imagine a 7 game series: (player must be at least 3 years on roster)
LAKERS:
Starting five: Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, James Worthy, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Bench: Norm Nixon, Jerry West, Gail Goodrich, Michael Cooper, Jamaal Wilkes, Elgin Baylor, Paul Gasol, Bob McAdoo, George Mikan, Shaquille O'Neal
CELTICS:
Starting five: Nate Archibald, Ray Allen, Larry Bird, Kevin Garnett, Bill Russell
Bench: Bob Cousy, Jo-Jo White, Dennis Johnson, Sam Jones, John Havlicek, Paul Pierce, Kevin McHale, Dave Cowens, Bill Walton, Robert Parish
Lakers best position are center. Wilt, KAJ, Shaq...but they can't play together because spacing would be terrible with Magic and Worthy being poor outside shooters and Kobe being so-so and very selfish. Also, C's has great defenders on "5" position in Russ, Parish, Walton, KG and McHale. Bench provide some shooting in West in Goodrich. They dont have a real "power forward". Pau Gasol is closest they got, but prime Pau would be eaten alive by prime KG, prime McHale or prime Cowens.
Celtics have a much more balaced roster. Archibald controls game, but if Magic goes crazy, put DJ or Hondo on Magic. Shooting? Allen and Bird are deadly shooters from everywhere. KG could score inside and outside. On the bench you have White, Hondo and Pierce capable of shooting from outside, and McHale, Cowens, Walton and Parish all had a great touch for big men.
Celtics advantage: Defense. Russell is GDPOAT. KG, Hondo and DJ probably in TOP 15 all-time. McHale, Walton, Parish, Cowens, Jones great defenders. Bird very, very underated defender, especially if he had KG and Russ alongside.
Celtics advantage: Shooting. Bird, Allen, Pierce all have won 3point contest. Jones, Havlicek very good shooters. McHale, Cowens, Parish and Walton among best shooting big men ever
Celtics advantage: Clutchness. Lakers have Mr.Clutch West. Magic was once Tragic. Kobe has balls, but too much hero ball. Celtics? Bird probably greatest clucth player ever. Sam Jones was known as Mr.Clucth as well. Hondo great under pressure. Ray Allen, how much game winning 3pts he scored? DJ was also clutch. If a game comes to wire...Celtics were much better free throw shooters. You put Hondo, Allen, Bird, McHale/Garnett, Parish/Walton and you have a unit who shoots probably 85%. No week links. Lakers? Can't play Shaq or Wilt in clutch. Outside Kobe and West there's nobody on C's level.
Celtics advantage: Selflessness. Magic Johnson was great. But Kobe, Wilt? On Celtics, Bird, KG, Russ, Walton, Hondo, Cousy, Jones, Cowens...you can go on and on...
Celtics advantage: Passing. Magic were great passer. Nixon and West too. Wilt, KAJ and Pau solid for centers. But C's? Cousy led league 8 times. Archibald also was asist leader. Bird greatest passing forward ever. Walton greatest passing center ever. Hondo, Russ, KG, DJ, White, Cowens all very good passers
Celtics advantage: Heart. If you go to war you go with Bird, Russ, KG, Cowens and Hondo. They will dive to the floor, sacrifise own body, play with broken finger, nose... Its not even close.
Here it is. Lakers nation can have this. C's all-time greatest TEAM would destroy Fakers greatest TEAM. And this is a TEAM sport.