The Spurs and Heat had two good NBA Finals matchups during LeBron James’ time in South Beach. And Maurice Cheeks was the steady hand at the wheel, with averages of 12.5 points, 6.9 assists and 2.3 steals. The next series, against the Lakers squad that beat them one year earlier, was a sweep. Shaq is one of the most skilled bigs ever to touch a basketball and we’ve all seen the video of him cooking MJ in a one-on-one before the All-Star Game. He was the engine for a team loaded with talent. Keith Langlois of the team's website explained the lead-up to a trade that shocked the league and its fans: "The body language of the Bad Boys was worrisome. Fresh off its loss to Dallas in the 2011 Finals, Miami would not be denied in 2012. There was a Jedi-like balance between those three throughout the season and into the playoffs. Just think about how incredible it is that in his first season in the league, Magic started Game 6 of the NBA Finals at center and dropped 42 points. They finished that season third in simple rating system, behind the Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors. Detroit went 15-2 that postseason, with the only two losses coming against Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals. Beyond Russell, this roster featured six more Hall of Famers: Bill Sharman, Bob Cousy, Tom Heinsohn, Frank Ramsey, Sam Jones and K.C. But in 1967, he and the 1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers broke through. For the most part, though, the statistical criteria remained our guide. I don't want another scoring title. They were the story all season. "It's a joke how good he is," Indiana Pacers president Donnie Walsh. Magic and Shaq crowned Kobe as the greatest Laker ever after he retired. How many 6' guards can you confidently put on Kevin Durant in a playoff series? This is another placement that may be somewhat difficult to believe. Date: June 6, 2001 Venue: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California Teams: Los Angeles Lakers v Philadelphia 76ers Coaches: Phil Jackson and Larry Brown. This team's 52-20 record, league-leading simple rating system and stifling postseason defense were the products of a team effort, though. John Havlicek added another 18.3. He's a winner. Point guards weren’t supposed to be 6’5” scoring machines that could get a bucket from anywhere on the court like The Big O could. He put up postseason career bests in offensive box plus/minus, defensive box plus/minus and turnover percentage thanks to averages of 30.2 points, 5.5 assists, 5.3 rebounds, 2.6 turnovers and 1.7 steals. But these Pistons were much more than a one-man show. The discourse never dies and we're here for it. He’s a 7' guard. 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers ; 4. This season isn't without controversy, though. The concerted effort it took to make that improvement did not come from one superstar. —AD, The Shaq of point guards. Wilt Chamberlain (above, center) is the greatest NBA center of all time by our account, as The Stilt’s mastery of the game and statistical output were comparable to a video game character. Danny Ainge added 10.7 points and 5.1 assists. And I encourage debate over which teams should be higher or lower. This particular Houston squad featured Hakeem's lone MVP season and his second-best individual campaign by box plus/minus. Then, in the playoffs, Kobe was even better. The league average that season was 49.1 percent. The following is a list of National Basketball Association players by total career regular season points scored. He and Larry Bird literally saved the league in the 80s and while they couldn't have been more different stylistically there's no argument whose influence on the game of basketball was greater. L.A.'s offensive rating (points per 100 possessions) was 6.2 points better than the 1984-85 average. "I'm one of those players who can just turn the scoring on and off.". He was the gold standard and wholly worthy of being cast as the league’s logo, even if he not so secretly disdains the honor. Manu Ginobili added 12.3 in 22.8 minutes off the bench. It’s guaranteed to get hardcore basketball fans in their feelings and, in our humble opinion, do a much better job than some of those other rankings floating around the interwebs that shall remain nameless. San Antonio's so-called Twin Towers boasted Tim Duncan and David Robinson, two defensive juggernauts with plenty of offensive skill to boot. When the Complex Sports crew started to put together this list, we didn’t waffle over whether LeBron deserved to be ranked higher than MJ. Curry's 10.3 offensive box plus/minus in 2015-16 is the highest mark in league history (and by a pretty comfortable margin). Duncan averaged 20.0 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.4 blocks. Heinsohn went for 18.8 points and 9.7 rebounds. Think about the league's response to the recent Golden State Warriors dynasty. With five seconds to go and the Celtics up by one, Philadelphia's Hal Greer attempted to inbound the ball from the baseline toward the wing. The Lakers went 11-2 through the first three rounds, before avenging a 1984 Finals loss against the Boston Celtics. In his first and only MVP season, O'Neal averaged 29.7 points, 13.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 3.0 blocks. Jordan may be the GOAT, and the league most definitely altered some of its laws in his wake, but MJ never altered the rule book the way Chamberlain did. That’s a league MVP award, but I don’t think we should knock him for that if that’s missing from his resume when he ultimately retires. "Clyde was a threat," Jordan said of Portland's Clyde Drexler during The Last Dance. Jordan included.". And after that, Chicago had four more players between 7.0 and 9.9 points per game. The cold, calculated dominance led to a Terminator spot after the season. Blend Elo: 1764. Parker added 20.4 points and 4.2 assists per contest. You get that because it’s Bird and Magic we’re talking about and they basically saved the NBA in the 80s. BODY. The rest of the 1992-93 Chicago Bulls totaled 19.7. NBA Top 5 best dunk of all time as of 2021 - in my own opinion so farWhat's yours? On a team with a big man who had seemingly owned the league for years, Wade became "The Man.". Wade was a 13-time All-Star and eight-time All-NBA selection, in addition to three All-Defensive picks. King a nice royalty check, because one of his hits is the theme song for this season. He was a head coach for 32 seasons, coaching the Sonics, Blazers, Cavaliers, Hawks, Raptors, and Knicks. Throughout that season, the Warriors dominated their competition. Bill Russell and Larry Bird get the bulk of the historical attention paid to this organization—and rightfully so—but the 1973-74 Boston Celtics had a few of their own legends who helped secure a title. We’re not just talking about the basic stats like points per game (+4.2), assists per game (+1.0), rebounds per game (+1.5). It was the second year in a row that Durant was able to top LeBron in the Finals. That gave us a baseline. They went 12-2 and outscored opponents by 10.8 points per 100 possessions in the postseason. This team’s 46-4 start is still tied as the best mark through 50 games ever, and, at a time when scoring wasn’t as ridiculous as it is today, they averaged 125.22 points per game, which is still the third-highest ever. Prior to the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors, the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls' 72 wins seemed like one of those unbreakable sports records. He also received NBA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019 along with Magic Johnson. His 4.7 assists trailed only K.C. After a hard dribble right, Jordan stopped, crossed over to his left, sent Russell flying and shot the pull-up that proved to be the Finals sealer. He had a 60.7 true shooting percentage and collected 8.0 wins over replacement player (value over replacement player times 2.7). Now he’s the first unanimous MVP in league history (which is pretty stupid, but still) and has three rings to go with another MVP. In the Finals, Shaq averaged 33.0 points, 15.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 3.4 blocks. Three years after beating the Lakers for the organization's first NBA title, the 1972-73 New York Knicks made it back to the mountaintop. But you can only dominate the competition in front of you and the NBA did its best to reign in The Big Dipper when opponents couldn't. COMPLEX participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means COMPLEX gets paid commissions on purchases made through our links to retailer sites. Zeke not being on the Dream Team is the biggest snub ever, no exaggeration. Sharman averaged a team-leading 20.4 points. Kerr shot 51.5 percent from three on 2.9 attempts per game. Erving’s career numbers are just as impressive as his plays. Odom was a playmaking 4 who could dominate the glass, and Ariza was the kind of switchy three-and-D combo forward teams are constantly after these days. 1986-87 Los Angeles Lakers; 9. How can the 2008-09 Los Angeles Lakers, led by Kobe and Pau Gasol, be better than any of the Shaq-and-Kobe squads? Of course, he had plenty of talent to work with. It just didn't feel right to omit Olajuwon and the only team to interrupt MJ's reign, though. Detroit won back-to-back championships in the middle of what many call the toughest era of NBA basketball and made Jordan scratch and claw for years before he finally got the Bulls over the hump. The 1996-97 Utah Jazz were a powerhouse that just happened to peak in the middle of Jordan's second three-peat. Give Dirk his flowers. Above all of that impact, Dirk's numbers and accolades back up his spot on this list. That postseason, Dirk Nowitzki and his Dallas teammates made a habit of surprising the competition. The 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers were led by three experienced and hungry Hall of Famers. It's wild that it's even a debate. —ZF, Dr. J was everyone’s Michael Jordan before Michael Jordan. >>RELATED: Pick-Six: Top NBA players of all time “NBA 2K11” was just perfect for many basketball fans, and really set the tone for today’s graphical improvements and superstar squads that many take for granted. His 5.9 BPM this season was better than any mark he put up during the three-peat, and his 50.2 effective field-goal percentage was tied for the third-highest mark of his career (barely trailing his 2012-13 and 2007-08 campaigns). Of the numbers relied upon for this exercise, playoff winning percentage and playoff relative defensive rating are where this team performed best. 4x NBA Season MVP, 3x NBA Finals MVP, 16x NBA All-Star, 3x NBA Champion, 2004 Rookie of the Year. They didn't even have the top record in the West when the 2000-01 campaign wrapped. And they were led by Stephen Curry, who may have had the greatest individual offensive season ever. "Holding that [Finals] MVP trophy over his head, Dwyane Wade realized he was the best player in the league. Russell's team- and defense-first approach to the game made him the more successful player (in terms of team accomplishments) despite inferior individual numbers. And Vinnie Johnson put up 9.8 off the bench. He averaged 41.0 minutes, 27.3 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 3.7 blocks and 1.6 steals. To this day, his wire-to-wire accomplishments as a rookie are hard to believe. In the first round of the playoffs, the Celtics came up against Chamberlain and the Philadelphia 76ers. Maurice Lucas and Lionel Hollins were both multi-time All-Defense selections. Not only do they have the decade's best simple rating system, they boasted an MVP in Larry Bird, Sixth Man of the Year and former MVP Bill Walton, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish still in (or near) their peaks and a solid supporting cast around the stars. A true GOAT. They pulled off a historic series comeback after falling behind 3-1, made all the more impressive by the fact that it came against a 73-win team. He led the NBA in defensive box plus/minus, finished sixth in Defensive Player of the Year voting and averaged 4.2 assists per 75 possessions (first by a long shot among 7-footers). That postseason, he averaged 32.4 points and comfortably led the NBA in wins over replacement player. Armstrong was one of the game's best three-point threats. Chicago was plus-29.1 points per 100 possessions when those four were in the game, the best mark in the league among four-man lineups with at least as many minutes. The subject of The Last Dance, the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls may have missed Pippen for much of the season and been mired in drama for most of it, but they still emerged from the playoffs as champions. Just look at the accolades. I can go on and on about CP3 being top 7 and counting all time in steals and assists, but there’s a word limit so I’ll just say it’s time to respect what the Point God has done in his career. But they really started to stake their claim as one of the best duos of all time in 2000-01. Teams scored an average of 105.1 points per 100 possessions in the 2003 playoffs. And had Green been able to refrain from carrying out his infamous mid-Finals retaliation, which led to a Game 5 suspension, the Warriors would have had a much better shot at avoiding the meltdown that now mars this team's legacy. Far too often, the NBA's GOAT debate is limited to just Michael Jordan and LeBron James. I'm going to trade you. Among the teams sampled from 2000 to 2009 for this exercise, the Celtics finished first in simple rating system, net rating and relative defensive rating, a, When KG was on the floor, Boston's opponents scored, Seemingly every rotation was made perfectly. In 1976-77, Walton averaged 18.6 points, 14.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 3.2 blocks and 1.0 steals. Praise or pillar the selections as you see fit. For you guys, know there’s still never been a player quite like him. In 1996, for the NBA’s 50th anniversary, he was anointed one of the game’s 50 greatest of all time. Willis Reed, that season's MVP, led the way with 21.7 points, 13.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists. Nor we’re they expected to rip down double-digit boards on a nightly basis. We all know Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, and at least a handful of other stars can mess around and get a triple-double practically whenever they want. Grant was a defensive anchor and solid finisher. Bill Laimbeer, Dennis Rodman, Rick Mahorn and John Salley largely provided the "Bad Boys" philosophy. Abdul-Jabbar wasn’t physically dominant the way Wilt or Shaquille O’Neal was, but his fluidity was something special for someone of his gargantuan size. He was truly ahead of his time. He’s dominated on both sides of the ball his entire career. 1998-99 San Antonio Spurs; 10. Others pushed back in an oral history on Grantland. For Malone, this is even more the case because of his two NBA Finals defeats at the hands of MJ and company. Rushmore” hill because nobody changed the game like Wilt the Stilt did. "I couldn't ask for a better situation," Garnett said after the trade. This wasn't entirely a one-man show, though. "McCloskey finally told him bluntly: 'Adrian, if you don't want to talk about it, I'm going to trade you, and I'm not kidding you. But in typically Spursian fashion, this team was about more than the big names. But one of the greatest guards ever made the All-Star team each of his 14 seasons in Los Angeles, made 12 All-NBA squads, and was a five-time All-Defense selection. Picking one squad from that bunch is tough. One of the hallmarks of this team was the bruising corps of big men. —AD, The Big Ticket is one of those players where the “rings” convo holds little to no weight. There’s a reason why the NBA Finals MVP is named after him. The 1989-90 Detroit Pistons won the organization's second consecutive title behind Isiah Thomas, one of the greatest postseason performers in NBA history. Leave your comments below. Kareem, in his age-39 campaign, added 17.5. From wire to wire, this was a completely and utterly dominant team performance. The 50 Greatest Players in National Basketball Association History, also referred to as … YoungBoy NBA’s $540K Bond Could Set Him Free. With those two to attack from the perimeter while DeBusschere (16.3 points per game) and Bradley (16.1) did damage inside, the Knicks had the third-best offense in the league. Ramsey averaged 15.4 points. James’ game is built on sheer power, the 6ft 9 small/power forward possesses a 40-inch vertical and passing ability that simply cannot be matched. "Thomas, at 6 feet, is the only small man in the league who can make the game his," Michael Wilbon wrote in June of 1990. The Raptors displayed championship-caliber basketball throughout 2018-19, and they and their superstar ratcheted things up in the playoffs. The hallmark of this squad may have been the balance evident in those scoring averages. In his age-21 season, Kobe averaged 22.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists. But when it mattered most, Jordan was able to once again assert his dominance. And with its second title in three years, it was clear it would be a factor for most of the 1980s. The 2012-13 Miami Heat rode the momentum of the 2012 championship into a dominant regular season that included a 27-game winning streak (the second-longest in league history within a single season). During those playoffs, L.A. was plus-9.7 points per 100 possessions with Kobe on the floor and minus-2.7 with him off. ", Wade would go on to have better individual seasons (though he never won a regular-season MVP) and win two more titles, but 2005-06 may well have been his narrative peak. And Rodman dominated the glass to the tune of 14.9 rebounds. This might not be the best NBA game of all time, but with AI, Shaq and Kobe in full-flight, it certainly is one of the most entertaining. Meaningful comparisons between teams of the 1950s or 1960s and teams of today, the 2000s or even the 1990s are impossible. Points were also awarded to each team based on whether it won the title. Three-time First Team All-NBA. In Jordan's final pre-baseball season, he averaged 32.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.8 steals. Detroit had just made the Finals with Dantley in 1988. He helped the Sixers make the Finals during his first season in the modern NBA, but lost to Bill Walton’s Blazers in six games.

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