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Ranking the NBA Champions, 2000-Present

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Heisenberg

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Having won the NBA title, I've recently been playing around with how matchups might play out between us and past teams to hoist the trophy, assuming teams would play as they did the year they won the title (players' ages, playing styles, team chemistry, coaches, etc. would all be stuck in time). I'd love to get all of your thoughts.

For the purpose of this thread, I want to restrict the discussion/ranking to teams from the 1999-2000 season onward. At least for me, this is what I think of as the modern/post-Jordan era and I don't want this thread to divulge into Jordan vs. LeBron or get muddied by the difficulties of comparing players and teams across vastly different time periods. To me, any two champions ranging from the Shaq/Kobe Lakers to our own 2016 Cavs is a viable, interesting matchup.

Of course, the league has had stronger years and weaker years in terms of overall talent, as have the championship teams. But I think the discussion becomes interesting when delving deeper into the personalities, playing styles, and in particular the level of defense played by some of the teams over the past 16 years.

As a refresher, teams are below. I've chosen to lump repeat champions with the same core (Lakers and Heatles) into one.

-2000-2002:Lakers (prime Shaq, pre-prime/prime Kobe, Fisher, Fox, Horry)
-2003: Spurs (prime Duncan, old David Robinson, young Parker, young Ginobili)
-2004: Pistons (Chauncey, Rip, Rasheed, Ben Wallace)
-2005: Spurs (prime Duncan, pre-prime Parker, pre-prime Ginobili)
-2006: Heat (prime Wade, post-prime Shaq, Haslem, Mourning, Walker)
-2007: Spurs (prime Duncan, prime Parker, prime Ginobili)
-2008: Celtics (prime Pierce, prime Garnett, prime Allen, Rondo, Perkins)
-2009-2010: Lakers (prime Kobe, prime Pau Gasol, Bynum, Odom, Fisher)
-2011: Mavericks (prime Dirk, old Kidd, prime Chandler, post-prime Marion)
-2012-2013: Heat (prime LeBron, post-prime Wade, prime Bosh, Battier, Allen)
-2014: Spurs (Leonard, post-prime Duncan, post-prime Parker, post-prime Ginobili)
-2015: Warriors (Steph, Klay, Draymond, Iguodala)
-2016: Cavaliers (prime LeBron, Kyrie, Love, Thompson)

My ranking:
1. Shaq/Kobe Lakers
2. 2014 Spurs
3. 2016 Cavs
4. Heatles
5. 2008 Celtics
6. 2015 Warriors
7. 09-10 Lakers
8. 2005 Spurs
9. 2004 Pistons
10. 2003 Spurs
11. 2007 Spurs
12. 2011 Mavs
13. 2006 Heat

Discuss.
 
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Awesome thread idea.

1. 00-02 Lakers
2. 2016 Cavs
3. 2014 Spurs
4. 2008 Celtics
5. 12-13 Heat
6. 09-10 Lakers
7. 2005 Spurs
8. 2007 Spurs
9. 2003 Spurs
10. 2004 Pistons
11. 2015 Warriors
12. 2006 Heat
13. 2011 Mavs
 
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Some great teams here. I rank the Warriors very highly so that means the Cavs have to be up there.

I'm having a tough time with this one as if you run these matchups thru a computer even the Dallas team could beat anybody else a significant percentage of times IMO. 3 great defenders in Chandler Marion and Kidd plus incredible spacing to go around a guy no one could guard

I would normally pick the 00-01 Lakers that smashed thru the playoffs but they were so dependent on two guys. Not sure how that team would defend the small ball 3 lineups like the Warriors and Cavs employ. Conversely who the hell guard Shaq in the present area?

That Boston was vicious in terms of defense with Rondo KG and Allen. Sow were the Pistons.

Overall I think I go with the last Spurs team as the best. There the one team who could go small or big and also have great spacing with offensive threats all over the place. Leonard was as good as Bowen on defense and so much more dynamic on offense and Ginobili and Parker were still studs


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The Shaq/Kobe Lakers were practically unbeatable in the playoffs in their day so they have to be #1. After that, one of those Spurs teams should be #2... probably the 2014 version because of how well they played as a team.

I then view the Heatles and the Cavs on equal footing for #3...mainly because of how much I respect what Ray Allen brought to their team. Without Ray, the Heat were pretty much a one-man LeBron show in the Finals just like 2015, even with Wade and Bosh playing.

The rest I don’t really care and you can put in any order.
 
I'm making the brackets right now
 
ok, two people hvae voted, im going to vote, we need to more to rank them.

we want a small sample size so there are upsets in the matches.

more on all that later.

the teams considered:


. 2004 pistons

2014 spurs

Spurs 03/05/07

2011 mavs

2006 heat

12/13 heat

94/95 rockets

2016 cavs

2015 warriors

1986 celtics

90’s bulls

2000 lakers

09/10 lakers

87 lakers

2008 celtics

89/90 pistons



illl rank mine, and then two more people rate.. and then ill organize it.


1. 90s bulls
2. 2000 lakers
3. 1987 lakers
4. 2012/13 heat
5. 03/05/07 spurs
6 2008 celtics
7 2014 spurs
8 94/95 rockets
9 16 cavs
10 ' 15 warriors
11. 09/10 lakers
12. 86 celtics
13. 2004 pistons
14. 89/90 pistons
15 ' 11 mavs
16. 06 heat
 
Just a quick question. so I can work out the charts. How many of those teams had two Sweeps and came back from a 3-1 deficit against the single season winningest team of all time ?
 
Cool thread. Don't think anyone can beat the Shaq Lakers. I'm not sure about grouping the repeat years together in all cases. I think 2012 Heat are significantly better than 2013 for instance. Wade was way better (arguably still prime in 2012 - averaged 7 ppg more in 2012 playoffs than 2013 and put up 23/6/5 in the 2012 Finals), they had Mike Miller playing well as opposed to a corpse, Battier was still very good in 2012 and close to a corpse in 2013, but they did add Ray Allen in 2013. Haslem was also better in 2012.

2016 Cavs vs 2012 Heat would be interesting to see all the different adjustments that could occur because of small ball. 2012 LeBron vs 2016 LeBron would be interesting... Can 2016 LeBron keep up? Does TT destroy Bosh on the boards? Can Battier guard Love on the block? What happens if Demon LeBron shows up from 2012? Do the Heat just force Love to switch onto 2012 LeBron? :chuckle:

Does 2016 LeBron get a single call against 2012 LeBron?

My rankings:

1. 00-02 Lakers
2. 2012-13 Heat based on 2012 team
3. 2014 Spurs
4. 2016 Cavs
5. 2008 Celtics
6. 2007 Spurs
7. 2005 Spurs
8. 2003 Spurs
9. 2015 Warriors
10. 2009-10 Lakers
11. 2004 Pistons
12. 2006 Heat
13. 2011 Mavs
 
I absolutely hate the Detroit Pistons, but that 2004 Championship team is one of my favorite teams to watch ever. Hardnosed, defensive, take-no-shit powerhouse that didn't rely on any one player to win.

Ben Wallace would've snapped Steph Curry and Draymond Green over his knee like kindling.
 
Just a quick-n-dirty list. I'm hoping I didn't leave anyone out.

1.) 2000-02 Lakers (2001)
2.) 2014 Spurs
3.) 2007 Spurs
4.) 2008 Celtics
5.) 2012-13 Heat
6.) 2016 Cavaliers
7.) 2009-10 Lakers
8.) 2015 Warriors
9.) 2011 Mavericks
10.) 2005 Spurs
11.) 2004 Pistons
12.) 2003 Spurs
13.) 2006 Heat

The 2001 Lakers to me are the best post-millennium NBA champion by far. Once they quit the in-fighting that plagued them during much of the regular season and got locked in they were virtually unbeatable. They absolutely killed a very good Spurs team in the WCF, sweeping them and winning Games 3 and 4 by 39 and 29 points. I'd put that '01 Lakers team up against the '90s Bulls without hesitation, and that includes the 72-win team.
 
I saw this on RealGm a few weeks back and it was hypothetically based on where we would fall if we won the championship. Of course everyone put us last, but ranked the warriors higher had they won.

We beat the team with the most wins in NBA history.

We came back from 3-1

We won game 7 on the road

Game 7 has one of the most memorable quarters in nba history

We did it against the unanimous MVP


....we're #1 and it's not even close IMO.

That's not to say we would beat all teams on that list, or that we are the best actual team; it's just that we had the best performance and our team pulled off the greatest feat.
 
Do you guys want to have a vote tournament? Maybe shoes can use his model to help out
 
I absolutely hate the Detroit Pistons, but that 2004 Championship team is one of my favorite teams to watch ever. Hardnosed, defensive, take-no-shit powerhouse that didn't rely on any one player to win.

Ben Wallace would've snapped Steph Curry and Draymond Green over his knee like kindling.

I absolutely despised the Bad Boys, but I also loved watching that 2004 team. I think they were the first team since the '79 Sonics that won it all with no superstar. Huge respect for that team and its coach. It made beating them in 2007 that much better.
 

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