Reply With Quote
Hollinger and his stats.
We all know stats are over-rated ..but here is nerd boy Hollinger picking the 10 best FNALS teams of All-time.
. 1996 CHICAGO BULLS SCORE: 327.9
KEY FACTS
Regular-season record: 72-10
Postseason record: 15-3
Avg. scoring margin: +12.2
Avg. scoring margin, playoffs: +10.6
Finals result: Beat Seattle, 4-2 LEADERS (regular-season stats)
Scoring: Michael Jordan, 30.4 ppg
Rebounds: Dennis Rodman, 14.9 rpg
Assists: Scottie Pippen, 5.9 apg
Coach: Phil Jackson
Finals MVP: Michael Jordan
Hands down, the greatest team of all time. How can you choose another when these guys won 72 regular-season games and 14 of their first 15 in the postseason? The Bulls were so good they were first in both offensive and defensive efficiency, and outscored their opponents by 12.2 points per game.
With names like Jordan, Pippen, Rodman, and Toni Kukoc, not to mention a coach like Phil Jackson, this team was pretty much unbeatable -- in fact, seven of its playoff wins were by 17 points or more. The only nit to pick was the Bulls' consecutive losses to the Sonics in the Finals, but they were up 3-0 by then and seemingly bored with how good they were.
2. 1987 LOS ANGELES LAKERS SCORE: 301.5
KEY FACTS
Regular-season record: 65-17
Postseason record: 15-3
Avg. scoring margin: +9.3
Avg. scoring margin, playoffs: +11.4
Finals result: Beat Boston, 4-2 LEADERS (regular-season stats)
Scoring: Magic Johnson, 23.9 ppg
Rebounds: A.C. Green, 7.9 rpg
Assists: Magic Johnson, 12.4 apg
Coach: Pat Riley
Finals MVP: Magic Johnson
Fittingly, the great Lakers and Celtics teams are in a virtual dead heat for second place. (You'll note that I just call the Lakers "Los Angeles" in this list -- no risk of confusing them with the Clippers here.) This L.A. team nudged ahead of Boston by virtue of winning 65 games in the regular season and then trashing the West -- 11 wins in 12 games -- to make the Finals. The Lakers beat the Celtics in six, and for the playoffs as a whole outscored their opponents by 205 points -- the best of any team on this list. Seven different players averaged double figures, led by Magic with 23.9 points per game.
3. 1986 BOSTON CELTICS SCORE: 301.1
KEY FACTS
Regular-season record: 67-15
Postseason record: 15-3
Avg. scoring margin: +9.4
Avg. scoring margin, playoffs: +10.3
Finals result: Beat Houston, 4-2 LEADERS (regular-season stats)
Scoring: Larry Bird, 25.8 ppg
Rebounds: Larry Bird, 9.8 rpg
Assists: Larry Bird, 6.8 apg
Coach: K.C. Jones
Finals MVP: Larry Bird
The Celtics won 67 games in '86 behind the best frontcourt ever assembled -- Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish and Bill Walton -- and followed it up by stampeding through the playoffs in 15 games. They rank behind L.A. mostly because their victory margin wasn't as strong in the playoffs. On the other hand, this isn't a bad list to be No. 3 on. And few teams will ever have five players averaging at least 15 a game in the playoffs, as Boston's legendary quintet did in this postseason.
4. 1991 CHICAGO BULLS SCORE: 294.5
KEY FACTS
Regular-season record: 61-21
Postseason record: 15-2
Avg. scoring margin: +9.1
Avg. scoring margin, playoffs: +11.6
Finals result: Beat Los Angeles, 4-1 LEADERS (regular-season stats)
Scoring: Michael Jordan, 31.5 ppg
Rebounds: Horace Grant, 8.4 rpg
Assists: Scottie Pippen, 6.2 apg
Coach: Phil Jackson
Finals MVP: Michael Jordan
The Bulls' first championship team "only" won 61 games, but had a very impressive victory margin (plus-9.1 per game, the sixth best on the list) and absolutely romped in the playoffs. Chicago's 15-2 mark in the postseason was amazing considering it knocked off a two-time champion in four games (Detroit) followed by a four-time champion in five (the Lakers). The Bulls' plus-11.6 playoff victory margin ranks second among the 60 teams. Only three players averaged double figures, but I guess that's not a problem when one of them scores 34.0 per game.
5. 1997 CHICAGO BULLS SCORE: 287.1
KEY FACTS
Regular-season record: 69-13
Postseason record: 15-4
Avg. scoring margin: +10.8
Avg. scoring margin, playoffs: +5.5
Finals result: Beat Utah, 4-2 LEADERS (regular-season stats)
Scoring: Michael Jordan, 29.6 ppg
Rebounds: Dennis Rodman, 16.1 rpg
Assists: Scottie Pippen, 5.7 apg
Coach: Phil Jackson
Finals MVP: Michael Jordan
So much for championship hangovers. The '96 Bulls were the best ever, but their successors weren't exactly chopped liver. Chicago won 69 games -- which would have tied the record were it not for the 72 wins the previous season -- and the Bulls' plus-10.8 average victory margin was also second only to the '96 edition. Their longest losing streak was two games, for crying out loud. They weren't quite as strong in the playoffs, needing six tough games to outlast the Jazz in the Finals and dropping two other postseason games, but they were plenty good. Amazingly, Jordan and Pippen were the only Bulls to average more than eight points a game in the postseason -- but 11 guys saw regular action.
6. 1988 LOS ANGELES LAKERS SCORE: 280.3
KEY FACTS
Regular-season record: 62-20
Postseason record: 15-4
Avg. scoring margin: +7.4
Avg. scoring margin, playoffs: +10.7
Finals result: Beat Boston, 4-2 LEADERS (regular-season stats)
Scoring: K. Abdul-Jabbar, 22.0 ppg
Rebounds: K. Abdul-Jabbar, 7.9 rpg
Assists: Magic Johnson, 12.6 apg
Coach: Pat Riley
Finals MVP: K. Abdul-Jabbar
The Lakers were so good in '85 and '87 that it's hard to fathom how they lost in five games to Houston in the year between. This edition won 62 games, went on an 11-2 romp through the Western Conference playoffs, then slew the leprechauns by winning Game 6 in Boston Garden to claim the le.
For the postseason, L.A.'s average scoring margin narrowly missed topping the list -- amazing considering the Lakers lost the "Boston Massacre" 148-114 in Game 1 of the Finals. But 10 of their 15 playoff wins came by 16 points or more -- including a win by 24 points or more in every round -- showing just how dominant these Lakers were.
7. 1992 CHICAGO BULLS SCORE: 277.3
KEY FACTS
Regular-season record: 67-15
Postseason record: 15-7
Avg. scoring margin: +10.4
Avg. scoring margin, playoffs: +6.2
Finals result: Beat Portland, 4-2 LEADERS (regular-season stats)
Scoring: Michael Jordan, 30.1 ppg
Rebounds: Horace Grant, 10.0 rpg
Assists: Scottie Pippen, 7.0 apg
Coach: Phil Jackson
Finals MVP: Michael Jordan
These Bulls had a great regular-season run, winning 67 games and joining the '96 and '97 editions as the only teams on the list to have an average scoring margin of plus-10 or more in the regular season. The playoffs were a different story, however -- the Knicks nearly knocked them off in Round 2, and they lost by 26 at home to Cleveland in the conference finals before righting their ship and winning the le. Their seven postseason losses are the most of any team in the top 15. As with the '97 team, everyone got involved -- the Bulls used 11 players regularly and clinched the le in Game 6 against Portland when 12th man Bobby Hansen led a huge fourth-quarter rally.
8. 1999 SAN ANTONIO SPURS SCORE: 267.1
KEY FACTS
Regular-season record: 37-13
Postseason record: 15-2
Avg. scoring margin: +8.1
Avg. scoring margin, playoffs: +7.2
Finals result: Beat New York, 4-1 LEADERS (regular-season stats)
Scoring: Tim Duncan, 21.7 ppg
Rebounds: Tim Duncan, 11.4 rpg
Assists: Avery Johnson, 7.4 apg
Coach: Gregg Popovich
Finals MVP: Tim Duncan
A forgotten great team because of the lockout, the Spurs began the year 6-8 … and then went 46-7 the rest of the way, with nary a losing streak. An awesome defensive squad led by big men David Robinson and Tim Duncan, San Antonio's 84.7 points allowed per game is far and away the least of any of these 60 squads. That 15-2 postseason mark ain't too shabby either, including sweeps of the Blazers and Lakers. So stingy was the defense that only twice in 17 playoff games did San Antonio's opponent muster 90 points.
9. 2009 LOS ANGELES LAKERS SCORE: 267.1
KEY FACTS
Regular-season record: 65-17
Postseason record: 16-7
Avg. scoring margin: +7.7
Avg. scoring margin, playoffs: +7.2
Finals result: Beat Orlando, 4-1 LEADERS (regular-season stats)
Scoring: Kobe Bryant, 26.8 ppg
Rebounds: Pau Gasol, 9.6 rpg
Assists: Kobe Bryant, 4.9 apg
Coach: Phil Jackson
Finals MVP: Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant's first le team sans Shaq -- and Phil Jackson's record 10th as a coach -- was also the best of the Jackson era. That may surprise some who saw Shaq's teams steamroll to three straight les, but those squads never had a dominating regular season and a dominating playoff run in the same season. This edition of L.A. was pretty strong in both respects, winning 65 times in the regular season and losing only seven times in the postseason; L.A.'s +166 playoff scoring margin is seventh all time.
10. 2008 BOSTON CELTICS SCORE: 263.3
KEY FACTS
Regular-season record: 66-16
Postseason record: 16-10
Avg. scoring margin: +10.3
Avg. scoring margin, playoffs: +5.2
Finals result: Beat L.A. Lakers, 4-2 LEADERS (regular-season stats)
Scoring: Paul Pierce, 19.6 ppg
Rebounds: Kevin Garnett, 9.2 rpg
Assists: Rajon Rondo, 5.1 apg
Coach: Doc Rivers
Finals MVP: Paul Pierce
The Celtics set a record for a champion with 10 postseason losses, so it's a bit of a surprise that they cracked the top 10. But a strong postseason combined with an impressive average margin in the playoffs put them ahead of every Bird-McHale team but one. Certainly helping the Celtics' cause was the 132-93 rout of the Lakers in the clincher, but they also won playoff games by 14,16,19, 23, 25 and 34.
I disagree with this list because i think the 2000 and 2001 Lakers crush everyteam on this list except maybe the top 3 teams on this list also ...Celts and Lakers of past 2 years are way too high ... and I also agree Heat and first ROX team are the two weakest champs since 1980 ...(so much props to Hakeem and Wade for leading those teams to a le)
Hollinger and his stats.
Prepare for massive outrage for the 09 Lakers being on this list.
Well his criteria was to rank teams that had dominant regular seasons as well as impressive post season runs.
That's why the 2001 Lakers aren't on their but 2009 Lakers are.
How do other Laker fans rank the best Laker teams of this decade?
My list would be:
1) 2001 Lakers
2) 2002 Lakers
3) 2000 Lakers
4) 2009 Lakers
This Laker team would be the weakest of the bunch but I think they're only going to get better, especially if they keep Odom and Ariza.
look at all this laker nuthuggery
um....no, they beat a #8 seed in the Finals, some of their other championship teams were better than the 99 squad
Where's the 82-83 Sixers?
That team was better than half the teams on the list.
They didn't play a full season. I'm fine with giving them a non-asterisk championship, but they can't be one of the 10 greatest championship teams ever if they didn't play a full ing season. Any of the other 3 Spurs teams can go in their place, I'm fine with that too. Just not the 50 game season team.
If you guys pool together 1 million dollars, I will assassinate John Hollinger. I swear I'll do it, just get the money and deposit it into my Paypal account.
Spurs '99 defense was insane. None of you could have scored on that team.
Tim and David both played at an amazing level.
Too bad they didn't do it for 82 games.
The 07 Mavs would have killed everyone on their way to a le if they only went 50 games into the regular season before the playoffs.
That list is bull .
Isiah's pistons aren't there?
And the 95 rockets had the toughest opposition in NBA history as they made their way to the finals and swept the Orlando Magic who were 39-2 at home that year during the reg season and lost like only 2 home games in the playoffs to jordan's bulls, 4 straight 50+ win teams and without HCA.
lol 2009 lakers HAHAHHAH
gtfo hollinger
btw, the 87 lakers would ass kick the 96 bulls.
I love how he doesn't take into consideration the level of compe ion when checking his stats. If we made every team in the league 10 times tier, and one team just 5 times tier, i bet they could come up with stats that could make them a candidate up there.
Hollinger is the biggest head on ESPN, actually pretty much all of them except wilbon and a few are
Bulls were great but Rodman was just a rebounder and a flopper by that point ...Pippen was like a better Odom great talent and player but too sometimesy a great defender but wWAYY overrated. You guys that say Kobe = Pippen are so full of ish!!!
This list diminishes MJ's greatness because part of what MJ great was he took led Pippen, Kukoc Grant.Rodman with aaverage big men to the le ...
No way anuy of those teams were better than the 86 celts or 87 Lakers they couldnt beat the in prime Pistons ...in the first 3 peat ...in the 2nd I would say 3rd behind THOSE teams ...
Anyone who believes the 99 Spurs should be off the list must re-watch the 48 hours of that season all over again. Although it was a 1/2 season, and it was against an 8 seed that did not have their star player, it was obvious how badass they were. To those who can't see it, please stop by your local optometrist.
If the 91 Bulls defeated 87 Lakers without Kareem...... Im pretty sure 96 Bulls which is better than the 91 team would beat the 87 lakers with Kareem.
just cause it wasnt a full seasons doesnt discount the spurs le but as far as being a top 10 team its over they arent in. thats stupid to include them. hollinger is a
yah i don't see the mavs being on no list
I would like to hear how beatinga #8 seed would make them a worse team. Did they not beat 3 other opponents with a 11-1 record before meeting the Knicks?
2003 team was better.
I don't know about outrage but I wouldn't have them on there either. I would put the 00 or 01 Lakers squad ahead of them. I also would have the 03 Spurs team over the 99 team.
Agreed.Hollinger and his stats.
I think the 2005 Spurs team was the best..................... they had to go through a powerful Detroit team to win it all.
86 Celtics would take a hot on any Laker team.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
