How about this Lakers lineup?

OK everyone, time to daydream a little. Ready to daydream? You there, reading this on the Metrolink: Ready to daydream? Now imagine you are at Staples Center. It’s Game 7 of the NBA Finals. The lights go dim as Lawrence Tanter introduces the lineup for the Lakers:

At one forward, 6-9 in his fifth year out of North Carolina, James Worthy

The other forward, 6-5 in his seventh year out of Seattle University, Elgin Baylor

At center, 7-2 in his 11th year out of UCLA, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

At one guard, 6-6 in his sixth year out of Lower Merion High School, Ko-beeeeeee Bryant

The other guard, 6-8 in his ninth year out of Michigan State, Earvin “Magic” Johnson

The head coach, in his 18th year, Hall of Famer Phil Jackson

Now, come back to reality. You’d take that lineup on the court for any basketball game. You might say it’s the all-time Lakers team. And you’d be right. A few weeks ago, we asked online readers to submit a list of their 10 greatest L.A. Lakers of all time. We took those votes (over 6,000 came in), counted them, combined those with some input from Lakers writer Mike Bresnahan and NBA columnist Mark Heisler, and came up with the best of the best. A full team, 12 players, one head coach, two assistants. Jerry Buss in the owner’s box, Chick Hearn at the microphone giving us the words-eye view.

This is our town, this is your team:

STARTING LINEUP

Forward: James Worthy. “Big Game” James got his nickname because of his playoff performances. There was no better fast-break finisher in the NBA, and his ego allowed him to take a backseat to Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the Showtime era. Worthy averaged 17.6 points a game in his career during the regular season, but playoff time was Big Game James time. He averaged 21.1 points in his 143-game playoff career.

Forward: Elgin Baylor. Don’t think of him as a former Clippers general manager, think of him as one of the greatest players in NBA history. Ten times he was named to the All-NBA first team, and he averaged 24.4 points per game, including an amazing 38.3 in the 1961-62 season.

Center: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: When Abdul-Jabbar came to the team in a trade before the 1975-76 season, he immediately brought the Lakers back to respectability. A three-time MVP and winner of five NBA titles with the Lakers. And he could probably still make his signature skyhook during a game today.

Guard: Kobe Bryant. The closest call in the starting lineup was Bryant over Jerry West. The win over Boston on Thursday put Kobe over the top. Making shots that seem impossible for someone from Earth to make, Bryant’s sheer will to win has helped him win five NBA titles and proven to many who the star of the Shaq-Kobe tandem really was.

Guard: Magic Johnson. His unbridled enthusiasm for the game and his amazing passing abilities make him an easy pick as a starter, and the pick as the greatest Laker of all time. Johnson made his teammates better players and won five NBA titles. There’s a reason his statue is outside Staples Center, and it’s not because he owns a chain of movie theatres.

BENCH

Forwards: Jamaal Wilkes and Robert Horry: Wilkes was given the nickname “Silk” for his smooth shooting style, averaging over 20 points a game three times with the Lakers. If you needed a shot to win a playoff game, “Big Shot Rob” was your man. Horry always looked like he was half asleep, but he didn’t play like it.

Centers: Shaquille O’Neal and Wilt Chamberlain. Shaq’s tenure with the team ended in acrimony, but he did was named NBA Finals MVP three times with the Lakers and is one of the most dominant players of all time. Chamberlain played only five seasons with the Lakers, but averaged 17.7 points and 19.2 rebounds.

Guards: Jerry West, Gail Goodrich and Michael Cooper. How good is your starting lineup when it puts West on the bench? The guy’s silhouette is used as the logo of the NBA, for goodness sakes. He’s often forgotten, but Goodrich averaged 19 points per game with the Lakers and had his number retired by the team. Cooper is one of the greatest defensive players in NBA history, and he is needed on this team in case they ever play the all-time Celtics team, because no one gave Larry Bird more trouble than Cooper.

HEAD COACH

Phil Jackson. There is no one better at dealing with massive egos than Jackson, who has won 11 titles and may be the only guy who can keep this team in check. We’ll even let him bring Jeanie along on road trips.

ASSISTANT COACHES

Pat Riley and Bill Sharman. Riley was the architect of the “Showtime” era. Little-known fact: Kurt Russell patterned his look, including the slicked-back hair, in the movie “Tequila Sunrise” on Riley. Sharman coached the 1971-72 NBA title-winning Lakers and, as one of the best free-throw shooters of all time, can help Shaq out with that. Maybe.

-- Houston Mitchell

Lakers win! Buy championship merchandise here

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