Top 10 Playoff Plays: James Worthy

[d4own4]

we are not worthy

[iPlayBball08]

James is Worthy!!!!

[uhy584]

no so many ball players can do #4 and #3.

[lakerfan2390]

i think #4 was the best....just my opinion

[vinnie2021]

Worthy my favorite SF of all time...

[encognito21]

Didn't realize Worthy was a big ass dude

[kaiser9230]

for  some reason he reminds me to amare stoudemire.....

[PatrickEganLong]

@kaiser9230

big dunks + rec specs

[kenny6449]

jeasus anybody else notice how fast he was or was that just how it was back then

[Flashbak12]

I NEED NBA 2k12!!!!

[teacherryen77]

Magic Johnson once said the 3 prettiest basketball player/styles ever were those of Jordan, Worthy, and Kareem...Worthy was Magic's best weapon on the break...Speed kills; Worthy may have been the fastest/quickest forward in the history of the NBA..His breakaway steal dunks and low post moves were breathtaking

[lala9906]

WORTHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY! LAKERS LAKERS LAKERS

[raarmaargaar]

Damn, loved play #9. Nice passing teamwork from both big men

[phillip19coyotes]

its like hes playin with a girl ball

[BlastFromYesterday]

how good of a defensive player was he? was he intimidating?

[OsamaBinLadenx]

1988 FInals mvp

[OsamaBinLadenx]

LEBITCH LEBRON JAMES ISNT ON THE SAME PLANET AS WORTHY WORTHY 100Xs BETTER THAN THAT LOSER CHOKER IN MIAMI

[sambam2694]

@OsamaBinLadenx Your joking right. Lebron has already scored more points, grabbed more steals then James Worthy, and his career isn't even over yet.

[PeekaPeep]

@sambam2694 Yeah, BUT...Worthy did it when it mattered most. That's why he's got three rings to his name, while "Queen" James is still lookin' for his.

;-p

[Madreboy21]

Wow back then the dunks and lay ups looked so beautiful ....now at days are wat ever

[Hibbs4Prez]

Sucks. The NBA's Entertainment Office is horrible at doing this. I could have picked at least six better plays WITHOUT having as extensive a library of footage to work with.

[jeffaz02t]

@Hibbs4Prez

I so agree. A few of those plays were simply Magic throwing James the ball and him jammin it home. Good play? Yes. TOP 10 PLAY, no way. Either way, James worthy is the REAL King James.

[blackmanwhitesuit]

james worthy: you are not worthy

[rommy7010]

Under rated hero in the NBA... just like Joe Dumars..

[kimmy1984]

If James Worthy was on any other team he would have been the franchise player. dude was incredible quick speed he was an acurate shooter and great ball handler.

[LlLnig]

@kimmy1984 you got his sweet finger roll

[udhoop]

Worthy is one of the most under-rated great players of all-time. He's like Al Kaline in baseball....all these other players get mentioned ahead of them but they deserved more credit than they got. I'd take 1 Worthy over 10 Pippens anyday.

[megatron0357]

BIG GAME JAMES!!!!

[longstocking100]

Worthy!!!!

[TheMikeToreno]

Who's Pippen near this? Ain't nothing stopping Mr. Worthy!

[rell2972]

james worthy was not the ballhandler pippen was nor was he the passer or defender that scottie pippen was. I liked worthy but pippen was a better all around player.

[theRiceMonkey]

there's only one King James, and it's James Worthy!

[kenny6449]

@theRiceMonkey for real i could see if he had a ring he cud call himself king james

[imamfollower]

beter than pippen? are you kidding me

>>>>>>>>>>worthy was better than jeffery nike jordan<<<<<<<

showtime 80s celtics will pound the any 90s bulls

unless you watched space jam mr nike hell i get foul calls

because im mr nike hell swoosh mr nike hell jordan i can foul who ever when ever and won't get penalized

mr without pipen won a ring mr 1992 allstar game when hiv mr magic ate me

for lunch

[TheLunchBawx]

@imamfollower michael hardly ever whined when he got called for fouls...but i remember magic always did love em both its just an observation

[97bruin]

Worthy's performance against the Pistons in Game 7 of the NBA finals to this day is the greatest all around performance I've seen in the finals....he was being guarded by great defenders like Salley and Rodman and he dominated them in the post and on the glass

[collindacorn]

worthy was good but shut up about pippen u fuckn haterz!

[manalongmanunuba]

pippen is not worthy enough being compared to james worthy!

[reno93535]

I still have #1 on a VHS tape. Haha..

[tjstevens74]

WORTHY IS THE BOMB! I didn't watch Laker games for Magic or Kareem, as great as they were, it was all about the King of the Baseline, JAMES WORTHY.

Pippen? PIPPEN?! Puh-LEEEZ!

Worthy.

WORTHY.

WORTHY!

WORRRRRTHYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(worthy)

[raulrolon7]

Its funny seeing this top ten when Lebron does this 5-10 times a game.

[cyruseven]

@raulrolon7 you really need to be a student of the game. worthy's first step was far quicker than Lebron's will ever be. Lebron is the better athlete...big game james got it done in the Finals, in the clutch, year after year. Lebron hasn't done shit yet.

Big Games James is proven, Lebron has no rings.

[raulrolon7]

@cyruseven That still doesn't say anything about the level of difficulty in his plays. The level of difficulty and talent of the present NBA is crazy. Wayyyy harder than its ever been.

[malcolmxbox]

great compilation but the big design on the left is so distracting

[Trancymind]

#7 should be # 3 what a move against the jazz.

[kmardes]

his finger rolls were pure elegance

[kimbobrand7]

Instead of naming them the Lakers... Why not Los Angeles Goggles??

[PHATPHATBBALL]

james worthy is my second cousin through marriage

[jrblockquote]

i dont think any player has owned a quicker first step. even earl strom admitted that if worthy travelled he would get away with it because it was too quick to call.

i owned a pair of worthy new balance - black and white. unfortunately, worthy's first step didn't come with it - :).

[bumpi16]

Dude coulda scored 30 a game & is the difference between the old NBA & today's NBA. Nobody as good as him woulda been content to be a cog in the wheel...they all want to be the engine. btw, despite what ESPN reports, he had THE GREATEST 30 point triple double.....went for 36pts 16rbs & 10 as vs the Pistons in gm 7 of NBA finals.vs Rodman & Salley in their athletic primes & some Mahorn just to make it difficut. Big Game James never got a migraine, either!

[snoop11080]

the best team of all time

[CyrusTab]

Amazing that a man that big can move that quickly...

[lpnstudent]

I am 52 years old and have seen the Laker teams going back to the 72 Lakers with Chamberlain,West, Goodrich and Baylor when they won the title going 69-13 with a 33 game winning streak. And i'll tell all you youngsters the showtime Lakers of the 80's were the greatest of all time , the Kobe and Shaq Lakers weren't even close when it come to pure talent and beauty especially when it came to the fast break!

[omgstfudavid]

@lpnstudent duh, they had magic to lead the fast break.

[Trickishismael360]

@lpnstudent Dude you're lucky. Man I wasn't born yet when Showtime waqs on. I was born in 1993. Man I mean you're lucky to have seen all that.

[Trickishismael360]

I wish I was alive in the 80's. To see the Showtime Lakers live. I mean that was beautiful. Bad news I was born in 1993.

[mct1967]

I enjoyed watching the Shaq-era Lakers, but the 80s Showtime teams had more skill and talent. They beat the Dr. J Sixers 2 out of 3 times and beat the Larry Bird Celtics 2 out of 3 times. The Shaq-era Lakers could've dominated the 2000's like Showtime dominated the 80s, but Shaq, Kobe and Jackson couldn't establish enough team-work amongst themselves, resulting in only 5 years together.

[MarcusKiner]

The current Lakers, yes, the Shaq and Kobe Lakers? No.

[mct1967]

These 80s Lakers were so good, they got to the finals every year of the 80s--except for '81 and '86. '81 was missed due to injuries and '86 was missed, because of a crazy, last-second, prayer of a shot by Ralph Sampson of the Rockets. Of those 8 Finals appearances they won 5 titles. The only other team that was better in one decade was the 60s Celtics.

[mct1967]

This list is too short. It left out many of his other greatest moves.

[mct1967]

James Worthy...of all the players in the history of the NBA...had the quickest first step to the basket. I've watched the NBA for 30 years now and lots of highlite footage from players of the 70s and 60s and there was no one quicker than Worthy. His move to the basket was quicker than Jordan's, Lebron's or Kobe's.

[mct1967]

These 80s Lakers were the best Lakers team ever. They would've beat the current Lakers team, the Shaq era team and the Jerry West era team. Kareem was the best center ever with an undefendable sky-hook.

3 of their starting 5 are in the Hall of Fame--that says it all.

[MarcusKiner]

@mct1967 They couldn't beat the Shaq and Kobe Lakers, that's just absurd.

[mct1967]

@MarcusKiner What's absurd is you weren't even alive in the 80s, so what do you know about the Lakers of that era? You children crack me up. You always talk about things you know nothing about. I saw the Lakers of the 80s, the Shaq-Lakers and current Lakers. No one on the Shaq-era team could've stopped Worthy or Magic and Cooper would've slowed down Kobe. Shaq and Kareem would've been a draw, but Kareem shot free-throws better. Add it all up and the edge goes to 80s Showtime.

[Trickishismael360]

@mct1967 I don't really care. As long as the Lakers win I'm good.

[mct1967]

@Trickishismael360 If you wanna see 1980s Lakers Showtime, check out the championship videos of '85, '87 and '88. Plus checkout "Kareem--Reflections from Inside" and "Always Showtime--Magic Johnson".  All are available on You-Tube.

[ajolenick]

love hearing Chick

[llucky3702]

Those that had the pleasure of watching james from the start are, with everything he accomplished, the most blessed....I cherish having watched him at Ashbrook, also, i was a junior at Huss when he and my beloved heels won in 82, James and Sleepy were a treat to see battling once again, and watching Big Game James thrive in the LA Showtime fury was just awesome...Thanks James...Gastonians hold a special place for you in their hearts....

[LordofDublin4]

The 80's was a great era for the NBA. Great players and teams with smart competitive players, and great rivalries.

The (my) Celtics - Bird, McHale, Parrish Ainge, Dennis Johnson...

The Lakers - Kareem, Worthy, Rambis Magic, Scott, Cooper

The Pistons - Laimbeer, Dantley, Salley Isiah, Dumars, Vinnie the Microwave

When these teams played it was all out war, take nothing and give plenty.

[LordofDublin4]

Bird into McHale in the post, back out to Bird, Bird dribbling left into and across the paint, shoots it out to Dennis Johnson (RIP) as the defense collapses on Bird, and"DJ" nets a three from the top of the key.

[NameCallingIsWeak]

I remember in 1989, the Lakers visited Detroit. James had 26 1st half points. Rodman slowed him a bit.

The Lakers won that game. Too bad my little sister had to record "Melrose Place" over that game. Arrgh!

[1lacueva]

I'll take James over Jordan anytime any day

[sshroom]

BIG GAME JAMES!!!!

[PeekaPeep]

Play No. 7 was just awesome. WHO COULD GUARD THIS GUY IN HIS PRIME, TELL ME WHOOOOOOOOOOO!?!?!?!?!?!? lol

[NameCallingIsWeak]

>WHOOOOOOOOOOO!?

I remember Worthy had 26 1st half points against Detroit when the Lakers visited Detroit for their regular season game.

James even had a finger roll from 15 feet. Wow.

Needless to say, Rodman played good enough defense to get an offensive charge laid on Worthy.

Makes sense. Rodman was all defensive team several times, and also had a 1st rate athleticism that showed in his rebounding numbers.

Rodman is on the short list of people who could maybe contain Worthy.

[MrJeremyPMartin]

hah?! Hakeem shake.

[MrJeremyPMartin]

magic, scott, worthy on the break. Swinging the ball to the other corner, off the Kareem double team, to Scott/Worthy/Copper for the 3, these are the things I'm made of. That and the Kareem shake.

[Sambox1080]

Michael Cooper and Byron Scott would get owned by the Reignman and the Glove.

[marrra42]

The ultimate forward concerning offense. Defensively, well those were 80-ies, folks. His game is a classic, thousands of nowadays dunkers can tie his shoes when it comes to the style

[hul131s]

He's definitely one of the greatest players of this game.

Thanks for all, James

[trevmo]

J DUB had the nastiest 1st step. Totally unstoppable. Film just doesn't describe it as it was happening back then. He was ahead of his time. I used to love to watch him on the box with the ball extended in one hand and he watch him go to work.. James was nasty man!

[epics7]

;o). that's why I typed up this video. I was reading a video on who is quicker, "lebron, Koby or Jordan." Worthy was quicker than all three when it came to the first step.

[LordofDublin4]

I am life long BOSTON CELTICS fan and have been since the Bill Russell John Havlicek era (ok, I'm getting olde) . If there was ONE player who I would have wanted wearing Celtic green it would have been James Worthy. When you talk about NBA GREATS include Worthy. So underrated. Quick, gritty, mentally tough, athletic, smart, and that boy could take it to the hole with both finesse and power.

Thanks, James!

Again this is from a Bird/McHale/Parrish/DJ / Ainge /Russell/Havlicek/Cowens, etc. fan.

[pianoman23Avi]

cool!

[NameCallingIsWeak]

This lifetime Laker fan thanks you for your honesty, and salutes the fine Celtic teams of the 80s.

Even in 1985, when the Lakers won the title, the Celtics came out in game 1, and obliterated my Lakers with some of the best sharpshooting ever.

I wish I could buy '84 and '85 on DVD, and watch them again. Two of the best series ever.

[LordofDublin4]

True fans, as I am, recognize no matter the logo on the jersey or uniform of a player has to step up and "tell it like it is".

When I saw Worthy and co. (and that includes "Air") at North Carolina beat Ewing & co. at Georgetown for the NCAA Championship I was blown away by Worthy. It wasn't Jordan. It was James. I knew he was going to be a star. Athleticism, unbelievable talent, and CLASS. Players today couldn't hold his jockstrap. He was imperial. I just wish he played for Boston.

[hotdogsamurai]

@LordofDublin4 Underrated?! He's in the HOF

[drcj32]

Maybe the most underated small forward of all time! Big Game James

[Artstar]

Amazing stuff!

[Dennissamaro55]

For the last time bulls fans James Worthy was Greater player than Pippen was

[hiflysi]

Agreed - and Worthy never sulked about not getting the spotlight either.

[Trickishismael360]

@hiflysi Oh yeah. That's why Scottie left Chicago and Houston.

[jimmychuang]

I agree, but Pippen is a better dunker.

[edge418]

that means nothing lol... vince carters a better dunker then larry bird but larry is one million times better.....

[BarkongKaraan]

Maybe as a college player and early in Pippen's career James could be considered better. But later in Pippen's career, Pippen evolved and posted solid numbers and is a better defender, better 3 point shooter and a better dunker. Overall Pippen was greater than James. Imagine that the Lakers was almost a Dream Team of their own in the 80's. They're big, fast and talented. In the Bulls, Jordan had only Pippen and Pippen had only Jordan in their first 3 peat. LA had Kareem, Magic, James, Coop,Byron

[704CarolinaBlue704]

James Worthy shot over 52% from the field for his career.which is much higher than Pippen's career 44fg%.and statistically neither were very good 3 point shooters.(Worthy 24%)(Pippen 30%).so Pippen doesn't have a big edge 3pt shooting wise.the only real edge Pippen had over Worthy was defense,dunking doesn't matter.also Worthy averaged 21ppg and had a 54FG% for his career in the playoffs.compared to Pippen's 17ppg and 44FG% for his playoff career.thats why they called him "Big Game James".

[epics7]

nada. James was much better player than Pippen. He had a faster first step than Jordan. Pippen is overrated.

[NoMercyDB]

Pippen overrated? the most overshadowed player ive ever seen. you can say Jordan overrated, but Pippen?? he never gets the credit for nothing hes done

[Flakkov]

@Dennissamaro55 the fuck? im confused

[oneindachamber]

@Dennissamaro55 I think james was a better offensive player but Scottie had better defense could and could set offensive plays up with his passing. Scottie was better overall but Worthy was nice and both were great players

[klined]

@Dennissamaro55

If you already have 2 stars, pick worthy. But if you have zero, pick Pippen. Worthy is tied for best fast break finisher in history(with Malone),but if you need your first superstar, it has to be Pippen.

[MrSlik25]

@Dennissamaro55 This is pretty convincing...Run it up against Scotties Top Ten Playoff Plays...and see what you think...its kind of a toss up...both came up big at crucial time and both hit alot of big shots and both hustled hard...Worthy i would say is more of a stand up guy in my opinion...Scottie is an all time great though...theres no doubt about that fact...Two greats simple as that.

[jcj8484]

@Dennissamaro55 The numbers would suggest otherwise. Pippen has a higher PER and significantly higher WS, he was a more consistent defender (he's got more blocks and steals per game than Worthy), and averaged more rebounds per game than Worthy. Plus, Pippen was both a threat from beyond the arc and in the paint--Worthy never really shot the 3-pointer with any consistency. If you had to pick one guy to have on your team, I take Pippen over Worthy any day

[uhy584]

@jcj8484 Pippen and Worthy, both in their prime, it's no contest. James Worthy all the way..

[marzilyas]

@Dennissamaro55 not true at all

[rashb]

@Dennissamaro55 Yes on offense Worthy is more of a weapon. On Defense, not so much! Not even in the same class. Even on offense that's debatable, because Pippen can run the offense as Point Forward. They were both awesome finishers on the break. But Pippen can actually lead the fastbreak.

[galatians4n16]

@Dennissamaro55 HELL YEA!!!!



[ExplosiveThinMan]

True Greatness. If James was on another team he could have easily averaged 30+ a game but he was happy to be on a winning team.

[megatron0357]

worthy had the sickest baseline spin move man!! he used to stick that ball out and spin around his defender soo fast.. many times leave his defender stuck to the floor.. love and miss the 80's lakers...

[worthya]

i really do appreciate everyones comments on my dad. i dont know who posted this vid but im planning on putting up home vids sometime soon. thanks again everyone, im glad some one out there appreciates old school skill...he has been telling me and my siblings these stories for years...LOL

[acidslug25]

your realy worthys son do you know derek

[gregbest90]

definitely the kobe of his time in terms of how he moves

[edge418]

dont make fun of worthy! lol jkin

[gootex]

defender helped him a bit on #2 IMO. but still great vid. I was watching nba hardwood classics last week and Worthy was rly explosive and athletic

[TheLegendfamily]

@gootex: It's funny that you put it that way since it seems like it was only yesterday that I was watching Big Game James & the Showtime Lakers @ The Forum.

[gootex]

I envy you! watching showtime LIVE... maaaan that would be awesome

[TheLegendfamily]

@gootex: Yeah, it really was great! I also got to see teams like the Twin Towers-era Rockets, the Bird, DJ, & Co. Celtics, & so forth. I was also lucky enough to see a lot of the Jackson, Kobe, & Shaq-era Lakers as well.

[expandingyahoos]

"That was a great move--Mark Eaton is still looking for James." laughter

"What a player" indeed.

[zeppelon]

I'm a big time Lakers fan but Big Game James isn't the best SF ever and neither will LeBron,that title belong to Mr. Larry Bird.

[edge418]

co sign

[Chivas705]

greatest Small Forward ever but LeBron is gonna take over that title in a couple years if he hasn't already

[edge418]

as a big time lakers fan

i have to admit Larry Bird is the greatest sf of all time

[Chivas705]

thats a very good point

[smoothALOE]

Wait a minute! How come the spinning reverse lay-in against the Golden State Warriors in '87 is nowhere to be found?

[PeekaPeep]

I was at the game when they retired his jersey. Still remembered that crack he made about being glad the Lakers picked him and not the Clippers in the '82 draft (they had the 2nd pick, which went to Terry Cummings), lol!!! To this day, he's still my favorite Laker of all-time.

>;-)

[furiousgeorge413]

BIG GAME JAMES!!!!

[jarelmaddela]

awsome player!!!! wen i was a kid hes my favorite player,,,

[ritchthofen]

He was a trooper as a player!!

[nopossi]

James Worthy was amazing! I remember watching the Lakers as a kid thinking to myself "Man this guy is really, really good! At that time Magic and Kareem got most of the attention. It wasn't until he retired that he was really recognized for all the great things he did. James Worthy! One of the greatest basketball players of all TIME!

[epics7]

I knew that Worthy was a good player, but it wasn't until I saw him put so many quick step spin moves on Dominique Wilkens that I began to realize that this dude is dangerous and underrated player. I became an even bigger fan after that. I'm a Dominique fan.

[Redallstar1]

Its ironic that Worthys number one play is an assist to Magic

[guillemazz]

el mejor...

[guillemazz]

nada que envidiar a nadie. simplemente el mejor

[javiercetina1]

I still remember Big Game James #1. Game 6 of the NBA finals against the Celtics. After that play, the Lakers never looked back. NBA champoins.

[FooManchuDingo]

The 80's Laker's / Celtic's rivarly peppered with the Sixers(my team),and eventually the Piston's was a phenominal era.. CBS, Brent Musberger, Pat O'Brian...man I couldn't wait until Sunday afternoon. Big Game James could do it all...

[epics7]

Word. I'll never forget all of those great games. NBC was the last of the great games. But CBS was just awesome.

[terminal2k7]

james had hops

[rafaquintana]

Great player. Great Team.

[3chrds]

i have to say this. Lakers shwotime basketball was the first, and really only sport, i ever got into, back when i was about 11 yrs old , around the spring of 87. wouldn't you know, quite a year for the lakers. just a kid, sitting in front of the tube...and first witnessing this drama! i was blown away and hooked, by the theatrics and passion of Showtime. the one play that sealed it for me - the #1 play on this list.

[3chrds]

(cont.) all i could do is clumsily describe it to people over the years. i haven't seen it in over 16, 17 years. until now. THHANKKKK YOUUU!!

[kray97]

Big Game had the prettiest finger roll ever....

[islanbatman]

The man until Mr. Jordan arrived. NC greats must be in the water at Chapel Hill.

[naturalfinish]

One of the best finishers in NBA history...21.1 pts per game in the play-offs on 54.4% shooting (143)...36 pts 16 rebounds 10 assists in Game 7 in '88 finals...few better than Worthy filling the lanes on a fastbreak...

[FooManchuDingo]

well said..

[jaboo82681]

Big Game James!!!

[humblephil]

He certainly earned the name!!!