[Highlights] The top 10 plays from the 1982 NBA Finals.
“Take that, large person” is officially the best bit of basketball commentary I’ve ever heard.
Every time I get my wendy’s order handed to me through the drive through window
Reminds me of Sharpay in High School Musical
“EVAPORATE Tall Person”
As he was saying it, it felt like he wanted to say the n word so bad.
Not everything is about race.
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Shit literally didn’t even cross my mind and I’m hella racist.
Personally not something I would say even jokingly in a basketball sub considering the current state of things.
Idc that you’re sensitive and get upset at sarcastic reddit comments tbh. If you’re fr upset at that comment you should probably stay away from social media in general.
What are the current state of things? Can you explain what you mean by that?
Holy cow youre so edgy and cool man
“In these hard times”
Shutup
You are edgy and cool. Your apathy is so admirable and cool. You have friends and your parents like when you visit
you used ai for that picture, didn’t you Hank? It’s so cool! Like, you’re a fan of this really niche show that nobody watches, and you put a gun in their hand? Very impressive!
Do you have classes on being cool? Or is it just that natural for you?
weirdo
You live in Detroit
You live in your mom’s basement who cares
Goddamn. Idk if it’s just those old rims but these dunks look crazy
I mean it’s Dr. J and Darryl Dawkins (aka Dr. Dunk, aka sir slam, aka the mad dunker) – they’re two of the greatest dunkers and in-game dunkers specifically of all time
Dr. J was a dunking pioneer, as a high flying small forward, and man he could get up there. And Dawkins used to name his dunks, the one where he broke the backboard was “The Chocolate-Thunder-Flying, Robinzine-Crying, Teeth-Shaking, Glass-Breaking, Rump-Roasting, Bun-Toasting, Wham-Bam, Glass-Breaker-I-Am-Jam”. Dr. J would be in everyone’s “Top 15” if he had played his whole career in the NBA, nephews don’t know because half of his greatness was in the ABA.
Moses Malone and Dr J at the same time was like watching two titans play mini golf.
You can see in these highlights just how having Malone over Dawkins would have completely rewritten Dr. J’s legacy from the early 80s. Malone was so much better, and you can see the difference even watching just a minute or two of Dawkins.
Dawkins was way more fun as an interview, though :)
Malone and J in 83 is often held as one of the leagues best team ever
“fo, fo, fo”
almost backed it up too
Damn skippy they sure did. Iconic line.
Yup. I was a religious NBA watcher from 76 on through the 80s and the 83 Sixers and 86 Celtics were probably the two best I’ve seen.*
*as a Blazers fan, eff LA
To be fair, most probably do that because you have to draw the line somewhere. If you include the ABA in your rankings, you have to include the pre-NBA leagues and that’s just a mess. Where would you even put guys like Holman or Leroy Edwards?
Big fro Dr. J was a whole other beast
I think it’s a combination of the short-shorts making the stride lengths look crazy long, and the rims bouncing up and down a lot more than they do now.
Could it be that they’re thinner than modern players ? I always felt like thin guys make dunks look more impressive, like Ja Morant today. While I never found Shaq dunk impressive despite the immense power he released.
IDK.. Zion’s dunks look pretty damn cool.
Being smaller makes dunk more impressive imo. Chris Paul few dunks look insane and being small is a big part why drose and Westbrook dunks are beauties.
His dunk on Howard was pretty cool.
I mean… Spud Webb…
They definitely were playing a higher pace than a decade ago, which tends to favor thinner, lighter players. But now? I think we’re seeing folks get thinner and thinner the last few years as pace has increased.
That Sixers team had insane athleticism.
But but plumbers and farmers! It’s pre-2005!
Streamers and podcasters now!
It’s the hoop, if giannis shook the rim it would look insane
It’s the old longer nets that give them that extra something
From the highlights one might think the Sixers swept that series
That’s what I was thinking. I was looking for Moses…. Not for another year
We need a top 10 plays from 83. Ending with the mo cheeks dunk
Fo Fo Fo
Such an underrated quote
Or even won it lmao
Love me some Doctor J highlights! Thank you kindly!
These highlights were both refreshing and amazing. Dude could absolutely fly. I wonder if Bron’s one-hand tomahawk took any cues from Dr. J’s one-handed cup dunks.
Dr J’s 3rd NBA Finals and 3rd loss.
A young Stephen A Smith would’ve been shitting on him.
The following year, the Sixers swept them. I think the Sixers only lost one game in the playoffs that year.
Fo’ Fi’ Fo’
People overlook it but that 83 sixers is a crazy super team. 4 all stars that year, with 6MOY all defensive first team Bobby Jones who was an all star 2 the previous two years. One of the greatest teams of all time for sure
FO FO FO
If it’s any consolation, he won the ABA title before the merger after 1975.
He was arguably the best player in all of basketball in the mid to late 1970s regardless if he was in the ABA.
He was putting up numbers better than top 3 mvp voting in the NBA by a few points and rebounds for a few years in a row.
Maybe literally based on his age in 1982!
*The top 9 plays from the 76ers in the 1982 NBA Finals & 1 great pass from Magic
8 great plays, 1 great Magic pass, 1 great goaltend.
It was a pretty amazing goaltend, flat footed jump to get a ball at almost 12 feet.
Yeah were there only 2 games televised that year or what
the rest of the plays they were just attempting granny shots
The Dr J strides are just beautiful. He makes the game look good.
The Dawkins dunk was indeed thunderous.
And chocolate
This goes way harder than I thought it was going to
Kurt! Nice dunk!
The only highlight of the Lakers is by Kurt Rambis, lol.
You mean Clark Kent
Never seen Rambis and Superman in the same room together…
As it should be! The OP is a 76ers homer or bandwagoner regardless, after watching these clips, I went on YouTube to watch most of the 1982 game one NBA finals at the Spectrum. The memories! Being an old head, I would always say that 70s and 80s basketball was more pure than modern day basketball. However, I have to admit, the game has significantly evolved. For the first quarter, I did not notice or see any three-point shot taken. Even good shooters like Andrew Tony, Norm Nixon, would triple Dr. and take a pull-up jumper from 15 feet. The game was so 70s back then even in the 80s.
Who’s number 11 throwing everyone’s shit?!
The “Dr of Defense” Caldwell Jones.
Thank you! Gonna have to check more of his highlights/game. What a rim protector!
C-well!
I mean. It was the time of Dr.J and Moses. Also when Bird and Magic later played. No one with intelligence was accusing them of playing plumbers.
It was the 80s not the 50s. That said, I’m old and I’m pretty sure any current D1 team would beat the best 50s team using modern rules (but not exactly a fair challenge).
If using straight up teleport yeah of course. Do that for any professional. Send a doctor, scientist, teacher, banker, farmer back 70 years and they will dominate their field with the extra advancements of humanity.
It may not be entirely true for sports or professions that have become less popular. I wouldn’t necessarily bet that horse jockeys today would be better than those from 70-80 years ago.
But for a sport like basketball that is as popular as ever, yeah, if you time teleport them the modern players are going to be better.
Right, but I’m saying even dropping the contemporary talent level pretty substantially, and the “lesser” team would still win.
People say that about the 60s, not the 80s. 20 years is a long time.
Caldwell Jones!!! Played for the Kentucky Colonels, I’ve always loved that name haha
Dr. J is a beast of course, but I like that the clip gave some love to Caldwell Jones.
Gots to look up this Caldwell jones now
Rambis throwing down at #1 was not on my bingo card
#10 could’ve been #1
Yeah, but it was a charge, so that sets it back.
Ah, I missed that. Fair enough
I’m partial to #4, blocking the dunk on a 2-on-1
‘Players weren’t as athletic back then.”
Can’t count how many times I’ve seen that argument made by people claiming Bird wouldn’t be good in today’s NBA. Yeah, I think they might’ve been pretty athletic back then too…
I get that there are analytical reasons why the game is played the way it is now, but man…this version of basketball is just so much more fun to watch.
Every time I see these I’m convinced the league should mandate a yearly Dr. J baseline reverse appreciation day.
I’ve never seen basketball before, boy this Lakers team sucks aside from the Rambis guy. Perhaps they should ALL be wearing glasses.
That was a good watch. Dr J could fly. He’d be just as good if not better today.
Old school NBA and specifically Dr J is underrated AF. Good lord this is beautiful
Commentators were Dick Stockton and none other than 11 time NBA champ, Mr Bill Russell.
MF’n Kurt Rambis with the #1 play was unexpected
Not even number 32. LeBron before Lebron
Old timers were brutal.
That first dunk made me start the video again. Damn.
Wow some of these plumbers were pretty good
Darryl Dawkins.
The way they move and jump has me thinking about NBA Street
Great compilation. Something about the audio mix of these older tapes can give a man chills. Perhaps a little more raw audio than modern techniques? IDK
Rambis’ beautiful flow- what a mop
Look at these cats flying around. And people say old school hoppers cant hoop. Gtfoh
Damn basketball looked different back in the day.
When there was more talent than muscles.
Dr. J, man, he was amazing. Always wanted to see more of him but didn’t have a choice who got broadcast.
Number 10. O snap…. He took his soul. 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Awesome!! Thanks for posting this.
Damn, these were some sick finishes. The defense was really trying to block everything right at the rim.
Number 4 was crazy - never seen 2 NBA players more afraid of challenging a defender on a 2-on-1.
i guess the lakers just had no good plays in a finals series that they won
doc was flying in that series, just ran into showtime lakers at the worst time
*Top 9 sixers plays and one lakers play
Always weird when an offensive foul (possibly a few, but definitely the first “highlight”) is put in a top ten.
Refreshing to see it correctly called at least.
#5 the most disrespectful goaltend in history
I’ve been watching some 80’s basketball recently. I’d never watched any before - the NBA was so much more fun back then, end to end, dunks galore, feels like a proper team game.
Only downside is the quality of footage is so poor.
It would be amazing if players still played like this and if the NBA could add some more restored footage where they improve the colours and picture quality in their archive.
Who’s the guy blocking the shit out of lakers? Damn
Caldwell Jones
They were yamming it and trying to block shots with no regard for anything. Pretty refreshing to see
vicious slama-jams!
Stockton absolutely refusing to call him Doctor J.
Bro these were nasty posters wow. Julius can fucking fly
those dunks are nasty
Now this is what I like to see
Just a reminder of how criminally underrated Dr. J is these days.
All the top plays couldn’t have been by the Sixers - with one exception.
These highlights are amazing. Chocolate thunder was not an exaggeration
Rambis!
Number 10 should be number 1
Basketball had changed so much between this and the late 80s. I mean it always changes a bit, but so much of this is just static 1on1 and by 89 it was high flying fast paced craze with tons of teamwork. A lot of this is just “whoa did you see the one pass they had!”
Game is 40+ years old, doesnt matter they were all plumbers…. /S
pLuMbErS 🤡
the athleticism and hustle is insane. how did basketball go from this to essentially darts with some running around?
What the f… Who is that guy in the first dunk!?! What a best!
This is just highlights of the 76ers. Boring the finals. F
What’s with the weird floor in #2? It looks like the Spurs court.
Wash your mouth out. The old Spectrum was iconic, some epic series on that court.
Play #6, what exactly is the ref calling? It looks like he picks up a live ball
Kinda weird that almost all these highlights are 76ers when Lakers won the series though.
The pass at #10 was so smooth goddam.
Doesn’t matter, league is trash now. There’s no rules.
How is #10 not #1
Everyone was so big back then! Slower and taller! A team like that would be good defensively today (if they could get back down court and set up in time). But offensively I bet a modern team would score 30 more points per game.
I think #10 should be wayyyyy higher
You would think the sixers won by watching this
Couple of the most disgusting dunkers in the history of the game.
Prime Westbrook will laugh at this
It’s crazy what offensive players get away with on drives these days.
I get why the league officiates that way but personally I hate it.
Are these the plumbers and milkmen btw?
Definitely didn’t think Kurt Rambis was gonna be #1 😭🤣
so #1 is a white guy dunking with the announcer saying “take that, large person” huh
This looks like 50 years ago.
I would put #10 much higher if not at #1…
No no no. I like a combined 32% from 3 in my NBA games. And LOTS of bitching about fouls. A quadruple dropper or 2. Favorite player sitting on his ass. That’s that pure I get high on
9 plays of Dr J mashing on the lakers then finally the #1 is some basic ass dunk lol
Basketball used to be fun to watch.
weird. i was told there werent travels in the 80s and i can see multiple uncalled travels in this clip
you mean they were using the gather step rule back then
i mean erving shuffling his feet out of the triple threath every single time