SAN ANTONIO VS. LOS ANGELES PHILADELPHIA VS. MILWAUKEE

Wednesday, May 30 Lakers can run the table By Dr. Jack Ramsay Special to ESPN.com The Los Angeles Lakers still have to win an NBA title to be considered one of the greatest single-season playoff teams of all time. But they have won 11 straight playoff games and are capable of becoming the first team in NBA history to run the table in the playoffs. Kobe Bryant has his eyes set on another NBA championship. If they went undefeated in the playoffs, the Lakers would go down as one of the all-time greatest championship teams. The only way the Lakers can avoid making history is if they beat themselves. But they have remained focused and poised, even when faced with adversity. In Game 2 against San Antonio, I watched the Lakers during timeouts when they were behind by 10-14 points in the first half. There was no sign of negativism among any of the players. They showed quiet confidence and determination that eventually they would turn the game around, and they did to take a big 2-0 series lead in the Western Conference finals. On Friday, they blew out the Spurs by 39 points to claim a 3-0 series lead and Sunday's 29-point victory was simply mind-boggling. Remember, the Spurs were a 58-win team this season and looked dominant until running into the Lakers. When compared to great playoff teams of the past, the Lakers' overall quality among their starters may be lacking. But they have two players, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, who may be recognized as two of the greatest all-time players by the time they are finished. Kobe, in particular, is playing at an extremely high level, doing everything from playing defense, to scoring, rebounding and passing. Plus, he has total team dedication and is a huge clutch player. They are the two most dominating players at their positions in the game. There may be several guards with tremendous skills, but nobody can match Kobe. And in the basket area, Shaq is clearly the league's most powerful player. Other than Kobe and Shaq, the other starters -- Rick Fox, Horace Grant and Derek Fisher -- do a terrific job and are great team players who make themselves valuable. In Game 1, when Grant did a terrific job on Tim Duncan, he didn't score a point. The Lakers' bench is very thin, with only two players who contribute -- Robert Horry and Brian Shaw. Neither player produces big numbers. It's incredible how the Lakers have turned their season around since April 1, winning 18 straight games. The way they are playing, I don't see any team beating them. But if the Lakers get complacent, San Antonio is good enough to beat them and even take the series. Complacency could have set in as early as Game 3 on Friday night, especially with the Lakers going home and feeling the home court can win the series for them. San Antonio should have been playing desperate basketball, but the Lakers were up to the challenge, and then some. As an overall team, the Lakers are playing just superb basketball and shouldn't lose to the Spurs or anyone else. Until the Lakers can continue their dominant run, win another title and prove they belong in such select company, here are my top five greatest single-season playoff teams in NBA history: 1. 1983 Philadelphia 76ers It's hard to overlook what Philadelphia did, losing only one game of 13 playoff games and sweeping the Lakers in the NBA Finals. Their only loss came against Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference finals. The 76ers were an excellent team, with Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Andrew Toney, Maurice Cheeks and Bobby Jones. Malone was a dominating big man. Toney, Cheeks and Bobby Jones were excellent defenders. Erving was outstanding in the open court. Coach Billy Cunningham got his talented team to play together at a high level. 2. 1971 Milwaukee Bucks The Bucks were 12-2 in the playoffs and swept the Washington Bullets in the NBA Finals. Their main players were Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson. The Big O was the catalyst and the glue who handled the ball and did everything. He was aided by Abdul-Jabbar, who was young and just getting to a dominant part of his career. Among the rest of the team, they had Bobby Dandridge and some very good role players. 3. 1996 Chicago Bulls They won a record 72 games during the regular season, then went 15-3 in the playoffs and beat Seattle 4-2 in the NBA Finals. The '96 group was the most dominant of Chicago's six championship teams. They were excellent defensively, with Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman. Jordan and Pippen were clearly the best defenders at their positions in the game. Rodman had maybe lost a little of his defensive ability, but he was still very good and a terrific rebounder. They had solid role players, with Ron Harper, Toni Kukoc, Luc Longley and Steve Kerr. 4. 1986 Boston Celtics The Celtics went 15-3 in the playoffs and defeated Houston 4-2 in the NBA Finals with a cast that included a starting lineup of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Dennis Johnson and Danny Ainge, and Bill Walton and Scott Wedman off the bench. They were a strong team across the board. 5. 1950 Minneapolis Lakers The Lakers were 11-2 in the playoffs, losing both games to Syracuse in the NBA Finals. The team had everything, with George Mikan, Jim Pollard, Slater Martin, Vern Mikkelsen and Arnie Ferrin. Mikan was the power player in the middle. Mikkelsen was a horse of a big forward. Pollard was the Elgin Baylor, Julius Erving and Kevin Garnett of his time -- a great all-around player. Hall of Fame coach Dr. Jack Ramsay is a game analyst for ESPN Radio and a regular contributor to ESPN.com. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories

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