[llperez]

Like the title says, who was the single worst team that you have seen win the NBA championship in your opinion? This can go back as far as you want, but only include a team that you watched not read about after the fact or seen highlights of.

[HaleParticipant]

I don’t think Dallas was that great. Dirk caught fire and they had a bunch of guys who excelled in their roles, but as far as talent goes I don’t think they were superior to many teams. I’ve only watched Finals since 01 so I don’t have many options to choose from, but I’d probably say Dallas. The Spurs teams were pretty good, Detroit was great that one year, Boston was awesome, the Heat had Wade at his best and Shaq when he was still pretty good, and all those Lakers team’s minus one maybe were great as well.

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

I’ve watched the Finals since the ’99 Spurs so I would probably have to say the Dallas Mavericks in 2011.

If Dirk didn’t catch fire, they wouldn’t have made it out of the 2nd round against the Lakers.  Hell, if Dirk wasn’t on fire, who knows if they would have beat the Blazers.  If they repeated those playoffs all over again, I still think they wouldn’t have a chance.

[llperez]

I think my vote goes to the heat. Y2g mentions Dallas, but I think the 06 mavs were worse then the ’11 mavs and the 06 mavs were up double digits in the 4th quarter of game 3 with a 2-0 lead and then just folded. Thats how i see that series, as dallas choking. I mean well past their primes Payton and jwill at point. Shaq first year where he really wasn’t so dominant. Antoine walker was arguably the third best player and he was no go to guy. Haslem was a role player and nothing special. They were pretty sorry the next year.

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

I also think that Heat team was the worst. Dallas had a melt down that series and D. Wade went into superhero mode.

I think last year’s Mavs team was very good. That went through four great teams in the Blazers, Lakers, Thunders and then the Heat. That was a tough ass road to a championship.

[iguapops420Participant]

 YEah, The HEat were worse. THough, I said it then and I say it now, that Heat team didn’t break the MAvs spirits alone, they had A LOT of help from the refs. Daniels and HArris had held Wade on lock for the first couple games then all of a sudden they were no longer allowed to touch him or play anything resembling defense or else it was a foul. 

[GlenTaylorSucksParticipant]

In terms of pure "team" play, they were really good. They were definitely outgunned as far as superstar talent went by pretty much every team. But let’s be honest- they would have been obliterated by both the Western Conference finalists had they been at full strength. The Lakers absolutely imploded due to horrible team chemistry, and the Wolves (who should have won that damn title) lost all three of their PG’s to injury- they had to sign Anthony Carter to be their starter. If the Pistons were in the Western Conference instead of the East, they would have been the 5 seed that year. They even benefited from the East being on a relatively down year as well. Maybe it’s my bias as a Wolves fan being really pissed that all their PG’s happened to get injured at the same time in the WCF, but all teams at full strength, there’s zero reason that Pistons team should have won the title.

[dede21]

 99 Spurs probably

[llperez]

I truly think if Karl Malone hadn’t hurt his back prior to the 04 finals vs the pistons, the lakers might have won. Malone played great in those playoffs but struggled through the finals with the injury and sat out the final game and had to retire because of it. Slava medvedenko was his backup and Rasheed killed him.

The 94 rockets are another candidate. They were better the next year because of drexler adding another playmaker and both Sam cassell and Robert horry having that extra year under them. But the 94 team was an absolutely magnificent Hakeem and then role players.

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

The ’94 Rockets were fairly weak. Hakeem was on and carried them although they did have a young Cassell, Elie, and
Horry. Those Sonics gave the Rockets fits but they lost early. … The Rockets had one Superstar playing out of his mind, a mediocre
Otis Thorpe and Kenny Smith, and 3 young role players who hadn’t yet hit their prime.

[dede21]

 They did have Vernon "Mad" Maxwell who started as well

[HaleParticipant]

If Sam Cassell hadn’t gotten hurt I don’t think LA even makes the finals that year. 

[llperez]

@y2g, possible. But cassells backup Troy Hudson killed the lakers and averaged like 20 a game I believe because he was so quick and on fire from the perimiter. Cassell was actually a better matchup for the lakers then Hudson since he wasn’t as quick and Payton and fish were slower but better at guarding crafty guards like Sam.

[HaleParticipant]

Fair enough.

[alex23Participant]

 a outta prime shaq who still got u 18-9 and wade who got you like 35 but who else was on that team thank god they all stepped up at the right moment.

[dede21]

You are an idiot 2006 Heat not even close who else was on the team lol all kinds of legends Gary Payton(HOF_, Alonzo(HOF), Antoine Walker(all star), White Chocolate, James Posey, Haslem and others.

Not to mention Shaq was playing at a very high level, they had 2 first team all NBA players unreal, nobody remembers correctly Wade yes was Finals MVP but Shaq was a top 5 player, he should of been league MVP the year prior. Unreal

[dede21]

LOL they are probably the last team with 4 HOF’ers since the 86 Celtics.  

[dede21]

 Ok I guess Boston maybe had 4 hall of famers but Rondo had not done much in the league yet

[llperez]

@dede, I can’t believe the mavs got swept this year. Dirk is an MVP, Kidd is a hall of famer and one of the best pg’s of all time. Marion and Vince Carter are all-stars who get you 20 a night. They are one of the best and most stacked teams of all time!!!

You do see the flaw with my above statement right? Well apply that to your argument for the heat. Shaq averaged I believe 13 and 7 during the finals that year. Walker wasn’t close to an all- star. Payton and zo were all washed up(and not like you saying Kobe and dirk and wade are washed up in that other thread, I mean actually washed up).

Prior to today, I have not recognized you as a poster. But if today is an accurate example of what you bring to the table, then I can see I need to stop wasting my time debating with you as you bring nothing to the table. But call me idiot some more, that was probably the strongest part of your argument.

[dede21]

 Alonzo was not washed up at all, he just could not play on the court at the same time as Shaq he was the top shot blocker in the NBA per minute, his play was at a hall of fame level and when Shaq was hurt he started and played big minutes and still played at a high level.

 

Antoine Walker was 29 years old, he was overrated in his prime true and dominated in the late 90’s early 2000’s which was an extremely weak era that is true.  But like I said he was 29 and no injuries he was the same guy just things were not run through him.  Yes Payton sucked put he was not even the starter.  2006 Heat were probably the best team in the last 10 years actually?

Shaq was the 3rd best player in the NBA at that time and Wade #5, Dallas defended him well I guess but seriosuly he got 20 and 10 60% from the floor and did not play that heavy of minutes.  Who is the last player to get 20 a game and shoot 60%?  Probably would have to go back 30 years to find someone other than Shaq lol?

[dede21]

 well i meant alex moreso acting like he does not even know who was on the team, their 3-10 rotation can be topped by some teams but outside of Shaq./Kobe  this is the best duo since 1996

[dede21]

Most people do not understand the impact a big man has on the game and just look at the wrong statistics and do not watch the action correctly, Lebron James is the only player in the NBA today who is better than Shaquille O’Neal was during the 2005-06 seasonm and people are talking about him like he was Erick Dampier.

[Troupa DupsParticipant]

Dude what are you smoking.  Shaq retired in LA, that imposter wearing the Heat uniform was only posing as superman.  Seriously?  He was fat and out of shape and injuries were killing him.  Futhermore morning was battling his kidney issues and had to play limited minutes.  Yes he started because Shaq couldn’t stay healthy but starting him was a risk as they didn’t know if he would be able to play more than 20 mins a game.  And by the time Antoine Walker got there all he did was shoot 3’s and he played no D.  Really?

[Chilbert arenasParticipant]

Shaq was not himself, he wasn’t even the 2nd leading scorer in the finals, Walker was.  Also the refs won the heat that ring, I wanted them to win that year but not like that, it was hard to watch.

[llperez]

Walker wasn’t playing as well as he did in Boston, it wasn’t about the system, it was about him getting slower and losing that first step and becoming primarily a jump shooter. Zo was playing at a hof level? Lol. No comment on that one. Shaq wasn’t close to being the dominant player he was in the past and the fact his numbers were so low in the finals was not an accident. Payton wasn’t starting, Williams was, that is correct, but Williams was probably one of the bottom 5 starting pg’s in the league.

Arguably the best team of the past decade? Better then the 2001 lakers who went 16-1 in the playoffs? I quit, you win.

[dede21]

 2001 is over 10 years ago

[dede21]

 2002-2003-2011-2012 I think they were the best team

[iguapops420Participant]

 That Heat team won in spite of Shaq. It was actually the first year that he began his significant drop off. Walker was no longer the versatile 20-8-4 guy he once was. White Chocolate was physically limited as his quickness had failed him and his playground handle was no longer as effective causing him to have to split minute with Payton who also had his body fail him.Zo was a terrific backup 5 as his defense was actually far more important to that team than anything Shaq brought IMO even if it was only for 18-20 MPG but he simly wasnt the dominant top 5 center he once was either. Throw in Haslem as the only fresh legged bigman who actually was more effective than given credit for but no better than a 4th option hustle guy who played off of others at best. James Posey played a big factor as well by adding Defense and clutch spot up 3 point shooting. 

While everyone had their moments, it was basically Wade and the refs who won that title. I’m not sure if they were the WORST champions, but they are legitimately in the argument.

[dede21]

 If Alonzo played 40 minutes a game a game he would of averaged 15.6 points 11 rebounds and 5.4 block per game.  60FG% so he could of scored more if he did not play with Wade probably.  He had good awareness on defense more than just a blocks guy.  And the Heat were one of the slowest paced teams in the NBA at the time so he was actually better than those numbers. 

[iguapops420Participant]

 Zo’s health had failed him after multiple surgeries over his kidney’s. 40MPG was simply not possible. It was a miracle he was even playing. Through heart and determination he was able to manage the 20 minutes he got. I’d have to assume to read a lot of John Hollinger after that above post. I’m with Perez, I’m done with this one.

[dede21]

 I understand that but Zo played at a hall of fame level for the minutes he played, you can’t compare him and Walker to Marion or Carter that is not fair.

[dede21]

 I don’t know how far back you watching goes but look at the 1999 Spurs before you start criticizing

William>Johnson

Wade>Elie lol

Walker>Elliot

Haslem<Duncan, 

Shaq>Robinson

Posey/PaytonAnderson/Mounring>Jackson, Rose, Kerr, Daniels

 

and none of those are even debatable, Popovich the best coach ever but Pat Riley is no slouch, of course Duncan has a huge edge but Wade’s is approximately the same it is not even close son.

[Troupa DupsParticipant]

i’m with perez to man.  Shaq better than Robinson at the time, ur mad!!! Walker better than killer Sean Elliot even after the knee surgery, crazy.  White chocolate better than avery johnson?  not saying Avery was an all star but i’ll just call that one even and give you some credit.  You obviously don’t know basketball

[dede21]

 

1.	Allen Iverson	26.8 ppg		76ers
2.	Shaquille O’Neal	26.3 ppg		Lakers
3.	Karl Malone	23.8 ppg		Jazz
4.	Shareef Abdur-Rahim	23.0 ppg		Grizzlies
5.	Keith Van Horn	21.8 ppg		Nets

 

 

look at the NBA scoring leaders from the 1998-99 season, I buried you guys.  The Spurs won because the NBA was horrible if Shareef and Van Horn are top 5 in the league in scoring it is the weakest overall talent in the NBA since the George Mikan days lol.  Not to mention Karl Malone was like 36 years old I think unreal.

[PulseGlazerParticipant]

There were some terrible NBA Champs in the 70s.  I’ll take Barry’s Warrior’s or those Bullets teams as worst finals winners ever.  But, yes, besides that, the 06 Heat had no business winning the title – thanks refs!

[JoeWolf1]

Karl Malone was a 20 + ppg scorer until he was 39 years old.  He wasn’t ranked so high because the NBA sucked, he was averaging 23 ppg because he was a top 3 PF of All-Time.

 

[The QParticipant]

2010 Lakers because they didn’t actually win. 

 

They were badly outplayed and had the game handed to them. 

 

That Dallas team at least took it from Miami. 

[dede21]

The guy who said the teams in the 70’s is right about they probably being worse but the thread author said to do teams you had actually watched, which for me is 1993-2011

 

2010 Lakers were a good team although Boston was better them true but both of those teams were good Odom and Artest were real solid to go along with the stars.

I mean I already showed how bad San Antonio’s personnel was but you have to realize as well Tim Duncan was not even in his prime so do not think about it like this was the 2003-2004 Timmy.

[The QParticipant]

 Oh i’m not saying that 2010 laker team wasn’t talented. 

 

They just didn’t actually win. The NBA decided they were going to win and forced it to happen. 

[dede21]

 And Karl Malone was not a top 3 PF of all time Duncan, Barkley, Garnett in that order and McHale is 4th.

[Jean_31Participant]

Look at dede  to know how to get 1000 neg in lest than 500  comment

[HaleParticipant]

What he’ll say: He’s a misunderstood genius. Or he’ll say we are all ESPN sheep.

What’s actually true: He makes some really stupid statements (Ekpe Udoh 2nd best player in the NBA, Garnett always having a better surrounding cast then Duncan).

[Ghost01Participant]

the 04′ Pistons definitely come to mind. That Lakers team was self distructing, the East was aweful.

I know people can say the 11′ Heat had their share of issues in the finals, but it was still Lebron and D Wade in their primes. Credit has to be given to the Mavs for beating them, and Dirk for being the best player in the world during the playoffs. Don’t think anyone is throwing Chauncey Billups into that conversation post 04′ Finals.

[Shanetaylor95Participant]

Malone not top 4 pf of all time ? Dude just quit posting and trolling people and leave the posts for people who have something to really say

[WestConfsOverratedParticipant]

The 2004 Pistons were one of the greatest recently, simply because they didn’t rely on star players and played excellent team ball, especially on defense. And winning the title vs. the old rival Lakers who had a super team was just the icing on the cake. This is extremely rare in the NBA and will always be something special.

They would have destroyed whoever came out of the west at full health that season. There wasn’t some last minute melt down in LA, the Lakers were playing very good down the stretch and they beat the top two west teams on the way to the finals.

If the Pistons were in the west in 2004, it wouldn’t have made a huge difference. The Pistons team chemistry reached the max that year, as a team they weren’t inferior to anyone really unless you’re focusing on individual player statistics. The best west team that season was the Spurs to me but they didn’t make it for various reasons.

The cream of the crop in the NBA for those couple seasons were the Spurs and the Pistons, who met in the finals the year after and went through one of the best series ever in the finals.

The East got a lot of hate, when in reality 3 of the 4 best defensive teams in the league (Pistons, Pacers, Nets) were fighting eachother for a few years having classic battles. The Pistons had to go through two of the top four defenses in the NBA just to make it to the finals. They didn’t breeze into the finals by any means.

The worst championship team that came to mind to me was the 2006 Heat. The Heat made it through some very questionable games with players flopping and won the title, but were one of the worst defending champions in the playoffs I’ve ever seen the next season with basically the same team. The amount and types of calls the Heat got that year they won were absurd.

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

dede21 is interesting… He’s not being a troll. He’s really serious.

[aamir543Participant]

Been watching since Nets vs Spurs in 03, the Spurs were boss all three years, even if it took 6 games to beat Kidd and a bunch of role players and they played a sorry Cavs team, the Pistons were legit, the Heat were OK, D-Wade at his athletic prime, Shaq in the last part of his extended prime, 08 Celts were boss, 09 and 10 Lakers had amazing size, and 11 Mavs were just so determined and driven, I’d have to go with the 06 Heat, their top 2 rival any of the other teams’ top two, but they just didn’t have much else, that was a weak year in the league.

[dede21]

 Sean Elliot just had &$#%#&@!king kiidney surgery the same year they won the title, he averaged 10 a game and had no all around game, Walker was better tat everything except shooting.

I’m not saying 2006 Shaq wasn’t past his prime of course he was but Superman had to fall a long way to still not be dominant, and the same deal there 2006 Shaq was not better than Robinson in his prime but Robinson was not the same player he only averaged 16 a game that year and shot around 50% even with limited shots not the 60% like Shaq.

 

 

[dede21]

 2003 Spurs and 2004 Pistons were probably the next two weakest teams.  I did bet the 2004 Pistons to win in the finals andDetroit pulled a huge upset over LA because they had a lot of frontcourt players to throw at Shaq but they were over a 3/1 dog in that series going in because they were not a very dominant team over the course of the season.  2002 Lakers were really weak as well they had absolutely nothing around Shaq and Kobe and ref Tim Donaghy said that the series vs. the Kings was rigged by the refs and they still barely won in 7 games and Horry hit that lucky shot too.  Perez said that was the year they won almost every game but that was 2001 that they went 15-1

[Ghost01Participant]

 The 2004 Pistons were one of the greatest recently, simply because they didn’t rely on star players and played excellent team ball, especially on defense. 

How does that make a team great? Because they didn’t have great players? WTF…

[ItsVictorOladipoParticipant]

How does that make a team great? Because they didn’t have great players? WTF…

———————————————————————————————————————–

Because as a TEAM they were great. All the players complimented each other very well and they didn’t rely on a single player to carry them when things got tough. They were the best defensive team I’ve ever seen. Billups at PG. Rip Hamilton at SG. Tayshaun Prince at SF. Rasheed Wallace at PF and Ben Wallace anchoring the middle. All those guys were in or near their prime to boot. Then they had Mehmet Okur and Corliss Williamson coming off the bench. There was a reason they beat Kobe, Shaq and the Lakers in 5 games. Considering them one of the worst championship teams in recent memory is a joke.

[Ghost01Participant]

 So because they didn’t have stars, just a decent starting 5, that makes them better than all the Duncan teams, the Kobe teams, the Shaq teams, the Wade/Shaq Heat, and the Celtics? No…That Lakers team was falling apart off the court. The east totally sucked. And the fact they didn’t have star power does not make them better than any other team. 

[dede21]

 

they did not even have Rasheed for most of the year they got him at the deadline so depends how you look at it, Imean every team that won a title was good you can’t fluke your way through all those rounds but Detroit was one of the worst, they probably were better than ’94 Houston and the first two Spurs teams though

[pohani komaracParticipant]

since 95. it’s miami. refs made them champions

[dede21]

 Dallas was favored to win and I think Miami did get kind of lucky, but that Dallas team that lost was one if the best teams of this decade.  Ok actually I will say Miami was probably only the third best team in the league that year 1. San antonio 2. Dallas but that years Dallas and San Antonio team were better than most of the teams who won over the last 20 years as is Miami

[Author]

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