NBA Showdown -- GREATEST TEAM OF ALL-TIME TOURNAMENT, part II

The greatest team tournament isn't going to exclude worthy contenders simply because they didn't finish strong in the postseason -- so hold onto your hats, we've got some STRONG teams coming that didn't win it all for various reasons: injury, key player suspensions, the way the cookie crumbled, and/or running into a team with hot markers rolling straight 20s ;) 

I didn't include them, but the '97 Rockets were one of the first "want-to-be superteams" that didn't pan out *cough the Nets cough*

However, I'm not going to give them equal love as the champions - fair is fair in a "greatest ever" bracket -- so these teams are going to have to earn their spots in the final bracket via a play-in tournament. But we'll get to the logistics later, let's see the teams!

Category I -- 90s Finals, Losers to Dynasties

From 1990 thru 1998, every Finals participant was a legitimately worthy title contender. But the era starts to me with the first of the six teams that MJ defeated in the finals -- the 1991 Lakers! So here are the teams, and honestly, seeing them makes me (a) respect MJ all the more for going 6-0 in Finals, because his teams were not overwhelming favorites, especially in the first three-peat; (b) respect Hakeem all the more for his back-to-back because the Rockets were outmatched in both finals!

Anyway, here are the following squads from the 90s that will be participating:

• 1991 Lakers (58-24)
• 1992 Blazers (57-25)
• 1993 Suns (62-20)
• 1994 Knicks (57-25)
• 1995 Magic (57-25)
• 1996 Sonics (64-18)
• 1997 Jazz (64-18)

Starting Five:    3740 points

Starting Five:    3330 points

Starting Five:    3930 points

Starting Five:    3640 points

Starting Five:    4340 points

... yeah, the Magic were STACKED

Starting Five:    4000 points

Starting Five:    4090 points

Category II -- 00s Playoff Letdowns

I definitely cut this down, but here's the teams that cruised in the regular season but just couldn't get the job done in the playoffs:

• 2006 Pistons (64-18)
• 2007 Mavericks (67-15)
• 2009 Cavs (66-16)

I'm also adding, despite their "mediocre" 56-26 record, the 2004 Lakers because they were so loaded with Hall of Famers (I expect these old heads to lose very quickly in the play-in though) and their Finals loss to the Pistons is one of the great "letdowns" in Finals history, although comparing the teams in Showdown form, maybe we should've seen it coming! Then there's two more "letdowns" but in a different light than failing to live up to their regular season:

• 2000 Blazers (59-23)
• 2009 Magic (59-23)

After the Magic took out the defending champion "Big Three" Celtics and cruised against the 66-win Cavs to prevent a Kobe-LeBron finals, how meekly they went out against the '09 Lakers was disappointing. On the flip side, the Blazers were letdown by the referees against the Lakers and deserve an unbiased shot at the crown!

Starting Five:    3410 points

Starting Five:    3650 points

Starting Five:    3970 points

Starting Five:    3810 points

Starting Five:    3880 points

Starting Five:    3960 points

Category III: Losers to (or because of?) LeBron and/or the Warriors dynasty

Ok, you got me -- this is really just teams from the 2010s. But almost all of these teams were taken out by LeBron or the Warriors... or are a LeBron team that choked (*cough 2011 Heat cough*).

• 2011 Heat (58-24)
• 2011 Bulls (62-20)
• 2012 Thunder (47-19)
• 2013 Spurs (58-24)
• 2013 Pacers (49-32)
• 2015 Cavaliers (53-29)
• 2015 Hawks (60-22)
• 2015 Clippers (56-26)
• 2016 Warriors (73-9)
• 2016 Thunder (55-27)
• 2016 Spurs (67-15)
• 2017 Cavaliers (51-31)
• 2019 Warriors (57-25)
• 2019 76ers (51-31)

You may be wondering "What are the Pacers doing here? Aren't they just fodder?" 

You would be right. But their run through the Eastern Conference, all the way to a game 7 against the 2013 Heat, was extremely memorable for me and I wanted to give them a shot! That said, they definitely seem outmatched against the 2011 Heat (arguably the best on paper Heatles team), 2012 Thunder (with that young core, unbroken at this point), 2013 Spurs (probably should've won it all, like the 2014 version), 2015 Cavs (with no injuries... maybe they beat the Warriors), 2015 Hawks (Four all stars all get star cards!), 2015 Clippers (unbelievable that they choked away a 3-1 lead, this team is LOADED at the top), 2016 Thunder (blew a 3-1 lead despite prime Durant and prime Westbrook), 2016 Spurs (67 wins!!), 2017 Cavs (better than 2016 tbh).... and of course, no one looks like they'll touch the 2016 Warriors (73 wins!!!!) or 2019 Warriors (maybe the best team on paper, period. Injuries seem to be the only thing that saved the 2019 Raptors). Also, the 2019 Sixers make it with arguably the best starting five thanks to a lethal combo of Simmons-Redick-Butler-Harris-Embiid! 

Starting Five:    3640 Points

Starting Five:    3840 Points

Starting Five:    3810 Points

Starting Five:    3930 Points

Starting Five:    3570 Points

Starting Five:    3940 Points

Starting Five:    3500 Points

Starting Five:    3990 Points

Starting Five:    4280 Points

Starting Five:    3770 Points

Starting Five:    3860 Points

Starting Five:    3850 Points

Starting Five:    3960 Points

Starting Five:    4650 Points

Starting Five:    4250 Points

Anyone else remember when Sports Illustrated put this Starting Five on the cover and declared the Process a success? Obviously, they were extremely good, but they're still 400 points behind Golden State!

Category IV: 2020s Teams That Fell Flat

The final category is the shortest (for obvious reasons) but still contains some epic teams!! Fittingly, one seeds haven't done so hot in the present decade, leading to some very good teams on paper that went championship-less! 

• 2020 Bucks (56-17)
• 2021 Suns (51-21)
• 2021 Jazz (52-20)
• 2021 Nets (48-24)
• 2022 Celtics (51-31)
• 2022 Suns (64-18)
• 2022 Heat (53-29)
• 2022 Bucks (51-31)

Starting Five:    4150 Points

Starting Five:    3710 Points

Starting Five:    4210 Points

Starting Five:    4240 Points

Starting Five:    4390 Points

Starting Five:    3750 Points

Starting Five:    3830 Points

Starting Five:    4080 Points

Alright, so that'll be all the teams participating in this tournament!! Here are the point rankings of the team's respective starting fives after all team revealed:

1. 2019 Warriors** 4650 pts
2. 2017 Warriors 4630 pts
3. 1996 Bulls 4530 pts
4. 1997 Bulls 4410 pts
5. 2022 Celtics** 4390 pts
6. 1995 Magic** 4340 pts
7. 2019 Raptors 4300 pts
8. 1986 Celtics 4290 pts
9. 2016 Warriors** 4280 pts
10. 2015 Warriors 4260 pts
11. 2019 Sixers** 4250 pts
12. 2021 Nets ** 4240 pts
13. 2018 Warriors 4220 pts
14. 2021 Jazz** 4210 pts
15. 2020 Bucks** 4150 pts
16. 1998 Bulls 4090 pts
17. 1997 Jazz** 4090 pts
18. 2022 Bucks** 4080 pts
19. 2022 Warriors 4050 pts
20. 2014 Spurs 4040 pts
21. 1980 Lakers 4040 pts
22. 2009 Lakers 4000 pts
23. 1996 Sonics** 4000 pts
24. 2008 Celtics 3990 pts
25. 2015 Clippers** 3990 pts
26. 2006 Pistons** 3970 pts
27. 2009 Cavs** 3960 pts
28. 2018 Rockets** 3960 pts
29. 2015 Cavs** 3940 pts
30. 1993 Suns** 3930 pts
31. 2013 Spurs** 3930 pts
32. 1983 Sixers 3910 pts
33. 1989 Pistons 3900 pts
34. 1993 Bulls 3890 pts
35. 2009 Magic** 3880 pts
36. 2016 Spurs** 3860 pts
37. 2013 Heat 3850 pts
38. 2017 Cavs** 3850 pts
39. 2011 Bulls** 3840 pts
40. 1992 Bulls 3830 pts
41. 2022 Heat** 3830 pts
42. 1987 Lakers 3820 pts
43. 2021 Bucks 3810 pts
44. 2012 Thunder** 3810 pts
45. 2007 Mavs** 3810 pts
46. 2016 Thunder** 3770 pts
47. 1995 Rockets 3760 pts
48. 2022 Suns** 3750 pts
49. 2005 Spurs 3740 pts
50. 1991 Lakers** 3740 pts
51. 2021 Suns** 3710 pts
52. 2010 Lakers 3690 pts
53. 2016 Cavs 3690 pts
54. 1991 Bulls 3680 pts
55. 2000 Lakers 3660 pts
56. 2007 Spurs 3660 pts
57. 2004 Lakers** 3650 pts
58. 1994 Knicks** 3640 pts
59. 2011 Heat** 3640 pts
60. 2004 Pistons 3630 pts
61. 2002 Lakers 3620 pts
62. 2012 Heat 3610 pts
63. 1994 Rockets 3570 pts
64. 2013 Pacers** 3570 pts
65. 2001 Lakers 3560 pts
66. 2020 Lakers 3500 pts
67. 2015 Hawks** 3500 pts
68. 2011 Mavs 3470 pts
69. 2003 Spurs 3410 pts
70. 2000 Blazers** 3410 pts
71. 1992 Blazers** 3330 pts
72. 1999 Spurs 3280 pts
73. 2006 Heat 3010 pts

*Teams with an ** are non-champions.

Next up will be the bracket! Hope you enjoyed reading, enjoy this card I like as a reward for reading ;)