Heisenberg
Situational Stopper
- Joined
- Aug 28, 2008
- Messages
- 240
- Reaction score
- 210
- Points
- 43
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.
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.
Last edited: