There are a number of talented starting fives that have taken the court in recent years, and the test of time may catapult them onto this list in the future. Keep in mind, in order to be considered one of the best starting lineups to ever be assembled, every player must be extraordinary.
With that being said, here are the 10 greatest starting lineups to ever step on an NBA court.
10. 1989-90 Portland Trailblazers
The Portland Trailblazers were stacked back in the late 80s.
You had Terry Porter, Clyde Drexler, Jerome Kersey, Buck Williams, and Kevin Duckworth all taking the court together. All 5 had incredible stats including points, assists, rebounds and steals.
9. 2002-03 San Antonio Spurs
There was no doubt that the Spurs would have one of the best lineups in here somewhere. With Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Stephen Jackson, Bruce Bowen, and David Robinson, anything short of a championship was considered a failure for the Spurs.
That’s not even considering the fact that they had Ginobili on the bench too. Altogether, the core of this team has won 5 NBA titles so far.
8. 1973-74 New York Knicks
The 1974 Knicks had a ton of talent, sporting Walt Frazier, Earl Monroe, Bill Bradley, Dave DeBusschere, and Willis Reed.
All 5 players are chilling in the Hall of Fame. Frazier averaged over 40 minutes with over 20 points per game in his career.
7. 2007-08 Boston Celtics
Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Kendrick Perkins all against the Lakers in 2008? Man, what great basketball.
We got to witness some of the best teams in the last 20 years face off multiple times, and it was glorious.
6. 1995-96 Chicago Bulls
This team usually comes to mind when you think of stacked lineups.
You have Ron Harper, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and Luc Longley. Really you only needed Jordan, Pippen and Rodman and you’ll make this list every time.
Each was great at scoring, assisting, and rebounding respectively. Add in Tony Kukoc and Steve Kerr, and you have a team with the most regular season wins in NBA history at 72.
5. 2003-04 L.A. Lakers
You have Kobe, Shaq, Karl Malone, Gary Payton, and Devean George. It was a wonderful mix of veterans and young talent.
Everyone on this team knew what it took to win and was willing to put in the work. Kobe took over as a leader and this team really did fly when the chemistry was there.
In the end, their incredible collective talent wasn’t able to turn the Lakers into champions that season.
4. 1962-63 Boston Celtics
Bill Russell led this team with teammates Bob Cousy, John Havlicek, Sam Jones, and Tom Heinsohn. They were all legends, making this an easy choice to go high up on this list.
If it wasn’t for these guys, the Lakers would have had over 20 Championships by now.
3. 1971-72 L.A. Lakers
Jerry West, Happy Hairston, Elgin Baylor, John Tresvant, and Wilt Chamberlain. Yeah, this team looks like something out of a dream.
When you have Wilt Chamberlain, who is arguably the greatest of all time, and the logo of the NBA on your team together, you’re going to be hard to stop.
When Elgin Baylor isn’t even close to being the best on your team, you know you have something special. They went on to 69 games, which at the time was a NBA record.
2. 1985-86 Boston Celtics
Larry Bird, Robert Parish, Kevin McHale, Danny Ainge, and Dennis Johnson all made up this All-Star cast of a team.
Imagine playing a team where 3 of their players average 9 rebounds a game.
Bird and McHale also both averaged over 26 points a game. This group was feared by the entire NBA. They made up the best ever lineup the Eastern Conference has ever seen.
1. 1987-88 L.A. Lakers
Magic Johnson, James Worthy, A.C. Green, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Byron Scott. This is what my team would look like if I had to assemble one.
This is the best the NBA has ever had to offer in a single starting lineup. The Lakers were a dynasty many times over, but this lineup remains the most special.
Published by: HYPUN
June 24th, 2015
Source: www.hypun.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment