Such an amazing and deep team. 2014 versions of Boris, Patty and Marco are 3 of my favorites ever. Timmy led the team in playoffs MPG at just 32.7! 9 guys averaged 15+ and guys 10-12 we're still solid contributing role players (Bonner, Baynes and CoJo). Even in the Finals, Tony and Boris led at just 35 mpg. Just don't see that kind of quality depth anymore.
They had a crazy run that I don't think gets the respect it deserves.
The way you hear people talk about them it's like they won in 04 and that's it.
They lost in the ECF, next year they win it all, then they lose game 7 of the finals to the spurs... And then they went to 3 ECFs in a row lmao. Fucking hell of a run.
2020 raptors.
While the 2019 championship roster will go down as the greatest raptors squad. The year after, everyone was playing with post championship swagger and a bit of a chip on their shoulder to prove that the team was more than just kawhi. Nurse leaned all the way into playing batshit chaotic defensive schemes. And a lot of the 2019 role players really started to hit their stride, norm, OG, FVV all graduated to starting calibre players and balled out. siakam took the step to #1 scoring option and looked amazing prior to the pandemic.
The 2020 team notched the longest win streak and the largest comeback in franchise history. had a wild bubble series vs the celtics.
Also the last time the raptors actually had a nba bench lol, those were the days
They could have won it all in 2019 with almost any other mercenary. It's too bad it had to be glass knees getting undue credit. Paul George, Jimmy Butler, hell even Demar could have replicated the success on that 2019 team. I'm honestly tempted to say the 76ers series would have been won by them anyways with how poorly kawhi shot in game 7 that and embiid's performances in elimination games (see yesterday).
purely on the court perhaps.
But the kawhi trade set the tone for the seasons expectations. Put the team on death ground to use a sun tzu analogy. Told everyone in the organization that this is it, win now or we blow the team up. There's also lots thats been said about how the spurs guys also brought the championship leadership to guide the team through the 76ers and combeck vs the bucks. and I think that culture carried over to the 2020s team
Excluding several Miami teams, some of my favorite teams to watch back in the day were:
* Warriors - Hardaway, Richmond, Mullin (Run TMC)
* Sonics - Kemp, Payton, Schrempf, Perkins
* Kings - Divac, Webber, J. Williams, Stojaković
* Suns - Barkley, Majerle, K. Johnson
* Hornets - Mourning, L. Johnson, Bogues
2008-2011 Knucklehead Wizards were one of the funniest teams ever. JaVale McGee, Nick Young, and Andray Blatche being coached by an exasperated Flip Saunders. I miss that team.
-2021 Lakers with Bron and AD healthy.
-2018 Rockets with Cp3 healthy no Scott Foster.
-2019 Warriors with healthy KD.
-2013 Thunder without Pay Bev jumping into Westbrook knees.
-2007 Phoenix with Stout and Diaw.
-Indy 2004 without Malace at the Palace.
I miss the most the 09 Lakers squad. Fisher, Kobe, Ariza, Gasol, Bynum, Odom coming off the bench, Sasha, Farmar, Walton, Mbenga and his clumsy charisma, etc That was a very strong, big and athletic team.
The 00 Lakers was pretty much busted, Harper, Afro Kobe, Rice, AC Green, Shaq... then you had Fisher, Fox and Horry coming off the bench, lol I was a little kid back then, had no idea this team was so unbalanced, this roster can beat any team in NBA history through sheer defense and Shaq being unstoppable, maybe only the 2017 Warriors can give it a fair shot (heavily depending on the rules)
And lastly, I miss the early 00s Pistons, they were so charismatic. The Wallaces front court, B-b-b-b-billups, Rip Hamilton, Prince, etc... such a cool team
The 2013-15 Wizards. Peak Wall/Beal backcourt. Nene and Gortat putting in an honest day’s work down low. Guys like Trevor Ariza and Paul Pierce (yes, he played in DC for a year, still seems like a hallucination) just having themselves a good time. Great role players like Drew Gooden and Andre Miller.
Just a good team to root for.
Post-Kobe Baby Lakers. Lonzo's first year in LA was electric (2017-18?). It all felt very homegrown and earned after the hard Kobe years. The city felt very connected to the team. Everyone was young and ready to evolve. Lonzo's style helped everyone and we were the fastest team in the league in terms of pace. At the end of the season, despite the 37-45 record, we were going head-to-head with really solid teams.
BI, Randle, Kuzma (please watch rookie Kuzma highlights), Lonzo, Clarkson, Caruso, Hart, Zubac (I despised seeing Zubac on the floor though), Nance. Fun veterans in KCP and Brook. An awesome 17-game IT stint. A gravity-defying Andre Ingram two games. Yes, some games were excruciating to watch and a lot of pressure was thrown onto our three lottery guys and Luke Walton, but at the end of the day, it was such a fun year of basketball and it felt like Laker nation was impatient but genuinely excited for this team's future....then we swapped our beautiful little garden of youth for LeGMO and co.
1999-2000 Blazers
Literally had a game the announcers would play called “first to 20” where they’d guess who would score 20 first and there were legitimately 5 players who could do that on any given night.
Damon stoudamire
Bonzi wells
Scottie Pippen
Steve smith
Rasheed Wallace
2005-2006 Suns
Seven seconds or less. Nothing more to say.
honest to God i miss the bubble lakers. that squad was legit and chemistry is very great. they actually look like friends out there. sad to say, even though i like russ, he was not the answer
Not so much a squad I “miss,” but I wish I watched more 2019 Raptors games because they seem like such an interesting outlier. In hindsight, just seems like a super random roster. Nurse was just getting started as HC, a disgruntled Kawhi just arrived from the Spurs and no one knew how healthy he might be…
But seriously, you had Kawhi, Lowry, Siakam, Danny Green, Van Fleet, Ibaka, Marc Gasol, and Norman Powell. That’s a lot of talent, but if anyone was trying to build a championship roster on nba2k that year, those aren’t the dudes any of us we were going with.
Not an entire team but I miss part of last years heat squad in Martin, Vincent and strus. Having all come from the g league/being undrafted they had a special relationship. I almost shed a tear when Martin and strus reunited in the first heat cavs game of the season when they just hugged it out. I’m hoping they all return at some point
2014 Spurs played basketball in a way I still haven’t seen anybody else duplicate.
Came in to say this. Actually I miss that 2012-2014 run of Spurs teams in general.
[This is such a great YouTube video to watch.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3y7cWmoBCI)
Knew what it was before I clicked
They were so good you couldn't even hate them.
2014 Boris Diaw is the greatest player of all time
Such an amazing and deep team. 2014 versions of Boris, Patty and Marco are 3 of my favorites ever. Timmy led the team in playoffs MPG at just 32.7! 9 guys averaged 15+ and guys 10-12 we're still solid contributing role players (Bonner, Baynes and CoJo). Even in the Finals, Tony and Boris led at just 35 mpg. Just don't see that kind of quality depth anymore.
The Grit n Grind Grizzlies
I really liked the banter from No Smoke Ducking Grizzlies.
Ahh yes. The Bump n Grind Grizzlies
2004-2008 Pistons
They had a crazy run that I don't think gets the respect it deserves. The way you hear people talk about them it's like they won in 04 and that's it. They lost in the ECF, next year they win it all, then they lose game 7 of the finals to the spurs... And then they went to 3 ECFs in a row lmao. Fucking hell of a run.
This is the team (Wallace’s, Chauncy, PRINCE, Rip) that got me into basketball. And why I love a defensive team over anything.
The Walli
I miss my 2018-2019 Brooklyn Nets team. That was one of the most fun teams in recent memory.
i was gonna say this too - coincidentally they suffered the same fate as the OP
Healthy Lob City Clippers
The IT era was ~~short~~ brief, but it was spectacular
Yeah it was such a great period of Celtics ball just fun to watch no expectations.
Came to say that one, look at some of those IT rosters and tell me how the hell we won besides just boatloads of heart.
King of the Fourth
I miss the Wizards squad that battled it out with IT in the playoffs . Wall, Beal, and Gortat ❤️.
2020 raptors. While the 2019 championship roster will go down as the greatest raptors squad. The year after, everyone was playing with post championship swagger and a bit of a chip on their shoulder to prove that the team was more than just kawhi. Nurse leaned all the way into playing batshit chaotic defensive schemes. And a lot of the 2019 role players really started to hit their stride, norm, OG, FVV all graduated to starting calibre players and balled out. siakam took the step to #1 scoring option and looked amazing prior to the pandemic. The 2020 team notched the longest win streak and the largest comeback in franchise history. had a wild bubble series vs the celtics. Also the last time the raptors actually had a nba bench lol, those were the days
They could have won it all in 2019 with almost any other mercenary. It's too bad it had to be glass knees getting undue credit. Paul George, Jimmy Butler, hell even Demar could have replicated the success on that 2019 team. I'm honestly tempted to say the 76ers series would have been won by them anyways with how poorly kawhi shot in game 7 that and embiid's performances in elimination games (see yesterday).
purely on the court perhaps. But the kawhi trade set the tone for the seasons expectations. Put the team on death ground to use a sun tzu analogy. Told everyone in the organization that this is it, win now or we blow the team up. There's also lots thats been said about how the spurs guys also brought the championship leadership to guide the team through the 76ers and combeck vs the bucks. and I think that culture carried over to the 2020s team
Excluding several Miami teams, some of my favorite teams to watch back in the day were: * Warriors - Hardaway, Richmond, Mullin (Run TMC) * Sonics - Kemp, Payton, Schrempf, Perkins * Kings - Divac, Webber, J. Williams, Stojaković * Suns - Barkley, Majerle, K. Johnson * Hornets - Mourning, L. Johnson, Bogues
Great choices
Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler
Blatche era
2008-2011 Knucklehead Wizards were one of the funniest teams ever. JaVale McGee, Nick Young, and Andray Blatche being coached by an exasperated Flip Saunders. I miss that team.
‘Bringing back the bullets’ era
7SOL Suns. Nash was such a fun player to watch and Marion and Amare throwing down dunks was always entertaining.
Lob city Clippers
-2021 Lakers with Bron and AD healthy. -2018 Rockets with Cp3 healthy no Scott Foster. -2019 Warriors with healthy KD. -2013 Thunder without Pay Bev jumping into Westbrook knees. -2007 Phoenix with Stout and Diaw. -Indy 2004 without Malace at the Palace.
1946-47 Toronto Huskies. I remember being a boy listening to Ed Sadowski torch the league!
Ed Sadowski was built different
The kings bc they play in pacific time and im already asleep, usually around 930
Bucks 2021 🦌
Low key loved the mid-2000s nets with Kidd throwing lobs to Vince and RJ
Kings from 2000s
I miss the most the 09 Lakers squad. Fisher, Kobe, Ariza, Gasol, Bynum, Odom coming off the bench, Sasha, Farmar, Walton, Mbenga and his clumsy charisma, etc That was a very strong, big and athletic team. The 00 Lakers was pretty much busted, Harper, Afro Kobe, Rice, AC Green, Shaq... then you had Fisher, Fox and Horry coming off the bench, lol I was a little kid back then, had no idea this team was so unbalanced, this roster can beat any team in NBA history through sheer defense and Shaq being unstoppable, maybe only the 2017 Warriors can give it a fair shot (heavily depending on the rules) And lastly, I miss the early 00s Pistons, they were so charismatic. The Wallaces front court, B-b-b-b-billups, Rip Hamilton, Prince, etc... such a cool team
The 2013-15 Wizards. Peak Wall/Beal backcourt. Nene and Gortat putting in an honest day’s work down low. Guys like Trevor Ariza and Paul Pierce (yes, he played in DC for a year, still seems like a hallucination) just having themselves a good time. Great role players like Drew Gooden and Andre Miller. Just a good team to root for.
My Blazers squad of Rookie Dame, LMA, Batum, Matthew’s, and Rolo. RIP 😭
2014 Spurs
2012 Thunder
The Webber-Bibby-Sojakovic era Kings
Early 2000s Kings with Webber, Peja, Vlade and Bibby T-Mac and Yao Ming Rockets D-Rose Bulls
Bubble Lakers, 2012 OKC.
Outside 2004 Pistons, Payton/Kemp Supersonics. I miss Supersonics in general.
Post-Kobe Baby Lakers. Lonzo's first year in LA was electric (2017-18?). It all felt very homegrown and earned after the hard Kobe years. The city felt very connected to the team. Everyone was young and ready to evolve. Lonzo's style helped everyone and we were the fastest team in the league in terms of pace. At the end of the season, despite the 37-45 record, we were going head-to-head with really solid teams. BI, Randle, Kuzma (please watch rookie Kuzma highlights), Lonzo, Clarkson, Caruso, Hart, Zubac (I despised seeing Zubac on the floor though), Nance. Fun veterans in KCP and Brook. An awesome 17-game IT stint. A gravity-defying Andre Ingram two games. Yes, some games were excruciating to watch and a lot of pressure was thrown onto our three lottery guys and Luke Walton, but at the end of the day, it was such a fun year of basketball and it felt like Laker nation was impatient but genuinely excited for this team's future....then we swapped our beautiful little garden of youth for LeGMO and co.
Kuzma had some absolutely filthy posters. He doesn't dunk much anymore
I fell in love with the Hospital Celtics who made that miracle run to the ECF in Tatum's rookie year.
The 2011 Bulls, the 09 Lakers, the 2007 Warriors, the 2002 Kings, the 1999 Nets, the 1996 Bulls, any more or should I stop?
99 nets? Was that Marbury?
08-09 Rockets, 2018 Rockets
Lob city
94-95 Rockets. I really miss watching Dream play.
2014 Phoenix 2015 Hawks
Post-Rudy Gay trade Raptors
2009-2011 Bulls 2014-2015 Warriors 2010-2014 Heat 2009-2010 Lakers
01-03 kidd/kenyon nets
Lillard, Roy, Batum, Aldridge, ROLO
I miss the Montrezl Harrell, Pat Bev Clippers. Fun team that had a good series vs the KD dubs
IT KING IN THE FOURTH
The thuggets. The most inked up team to ever play together
Chris Paul hornets, Steve Nash suns, Tony Parker spurs, Brandon Roy blazers
Thibs’ Bulls
1999-2000 Blazers Literally had a game the announcers would play called “first to 20” where they’d guess who would score 20 first and there were legitimately 5 players who could do that on any given night. Damon stoudamire Bonzi wells Scottie Pippen Steve smith Rasheed Wallace 2005-2006 Suns Seven seconds or less. Nothing more to say.
Durant and Westbrook Thunder.
honest to God i miss the bubble lakers. that squad was legit and chemistry is very great. they actually look like friends out there. sad to say, even though i like russ, he was not the answer
That Nets team that danced a lot
2000-2004 Jail Blazers.
The Spurs from around those 2 finals with the Heat. 2013 finals are my fav/second fav series ever
2010 nuggets just after the Melo trade. Really loved that era. Obviously cannot complain about what we have today
2014 spurs, 2019 raps, 2009 magic
Not so much a squad I “miss,” but I wish I watched more 2019 Raptors games because they seem like such an interesting outlier. In hindsight, just seems like a super random roster. Nurse was just getting started as HC, a disgruntled Kawhi just arrived from the Spurs and no one knew how healthy he might be… But seriously, you had Kawhi, Lowry, Siakam, Danny Green, Van Fleet, Ibaka, Marc Gasol, and Norman Powell. That’s a lot of talent, but if anyone was trying to build a championship roster on nba2k that year, those aren’t the dudes any of us we were going with.
Simmons Reddick Butler Harris Embiid Destroyed by kawhi Leonard But still my favourite team of 5
the 2024 knicks. it sucks they only play 2 more games this year, jalen brunson looks electric when hes not bricking free throws
Not an entire team but I miss part of last years heat squad in Martin, Vincent and strus. Having all come from the g league/being undrafted they had a special relationship. I almost shed a tear when Martin and strus reunited in the first heat cavs game of the season when they just hugged it out. I’m hoping they all return at some point