How could the great teams of NBA history adjust to today’s style of basketball?
How many times have you heard the argument. These Warriors against the ’96 Bulls, who wins? Well, I hate to play spoiler, but the answer is, whoever’s rules we’re playing by. If the Bulls can handcheck Golden State and clothesline them in the lane, they’ll win. If the Warriors have the spacing to create shots and are allowed the loose on-ball screen rules we see today, they’d win. Plus, the Bulls lack of spacing would look ridiculous in today’s NBA. But what if teams like the ‘90s Bulls were dropped in 2018, with the chance to adjust for today’s era?
Important Note: I will not be including any teams before the three-point line (1979–80). It’s just not possible to project the playstyles of those guys in 2018. It’s hard enough to compare these teams. Enjoy.
‘90s Bulls
Best season: 1995–96
1995–96 Starting Five
PG Ron Harper
SG Michael Jordan
SF Scottie Pippen
PF Dennis Rodman
C Luc Longley
2018 Crunchtime Five
PG Steve Kerr
SG Michael Jordan
SF Scottie Pippen
PF Toni Kukoc
C Dennis Rodman
The Bulls would actually fit today’s era far better than a lot of these teams will. Yes, they were interior-centric in the way of slashing and iso-ball, but even in the day, shot attempts were primarily from guards and wings. MJ averaged 23 attempts, Scottie 16, and Kukoc was actually third with 10. Speaking of Toni Kukoc, he would just be a perfect stretch four, wouldn’t he? And Rodman would make a great rim protecting 5 who can also defend the perimeter, and who knows, maybe he’d be shooting threes. (In 2018, all 6'7" players do, right?)
Also, nothing against Ron Harper, who was a great combo guard, but wouldn’t Steve Kerr make a great spot up three-point specialist? Crazily enough, in the 95–96 season, Kerr shot 51.5% from three! However, he only attempted 2.9 a game. How ludacris does that sound nowadays? Kerr played 22 minutes a game, and 2017–18 Kyle Korver played 21. Kerr attempted 2.9 threes, and Korver almost doubled him, at 5.2. If Kerr had the green light to shoot like his players do today (Steph averaged 9.8/game), he’d be a scary catch-and-shoot threat. For the record — Kukoc shot 40.3% from deep, and Pippen 37.8%, and Michael 42.7% on only 3.2 attempts.
All those guys could be scary shooters with the green light, especially around Michael. If Michael Jordan played in a spaced out NBA, it would be IMPOSSIBLE to double team him. Imagine four shooters around Jordan. That’s unstoppable.
That’s not even mentioning defense. MJ made all-defense first team 10 times, Pippen 8, and Rodman 7. Wow. Try scoring on those guys. Even if you take a team like Golden State, Pippen could guard Curry, Rodman KD, and Mike can chase Klay around screens. The Bulls would be incredible in today’s NBA, on both ends of the floor.
’80s Celtics
Best Season: 1985–86
1985–86 Starting Five
PG Dennis Johnson
SG Danny Ainge
SF Larry Bird
PF Kevin McHale
C Robert Parish
2018 Crunchtime Five
PG Dennis Johnson
SG Jerry Sichting
SF Danny Ainge
PF Larry Bird
C Kevin McHale
This one is a lot tougher. It’s really hard to kick The Chief, Robert Parish, out of the crunchtime five, but I just don’t see a way he and McHale can stay on the court against a team that will just pick-and-switch them onto the perimeter. Plus, Dennis Johnson didn’t shoot threes — just 6 for 42 on the season. Ouch. Only Ainge and Larry shot more than 1.0 threes per game. Can you imagine? That’s a whole different sport than what we’re watching today. Take a look.
Three Point Attempts per Game (2017–18)
- Houston Rockets — 42
- Brooklyn Nets — 36
- Toronto Raptors — 33
- Dallas Mavericks — 33
- Cleveland Cavaliers — 32
- Chicago Bulls — 31
- Denver Nuggets — 31
- Miami Heat — 30
- Oklahoma City Thunder — 30
30. Minnesota Timberwolves — 23
1985–86 Boston Celtics — 4.8
That’s insane. They’re shooting one fourth of the LOWEST average in the NBA last year, and one ninth of the highest. Unbelievable.
Of course, the one hope for these guys is Larry Legend himself. Bird shot 42.3% from three, but only attempted 2.4 per game. Here’s some reference for that:
Three Point Attempts per Game
James Harden — 10.0
Steph Curry — 9.8
Damian Lillard — 8.6
Paul George — 7.7
Klay Thompson — 7.1
Devin Booker — 7.1
Kyrie Irving — 6.2
Kevin Durant — 6.1Larry Bird — 2.4
So now, imagine Larry Bird has the ball in his hands all the time, which he did, and takes 20 shots a game, which he did, while averaging 10 rebounds and 8 assists, which he did… but now let him shoot eight threes a game. That’s SCARY. That’s the case for the Celts.
Showtime Lakers
Best season: 1986–87
1986–87 Starting Five
PG Magic Johnson
SG Byron Scott
SF James Worthy
PF A.C. Green
C Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
2018 Crunchtime Five
PG Magic Johnson
SG Byron Scott
SF Michael Cooper
PF James Worthy
C Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
The Showtime Lakers will be just fine. Magic Johnson is essentially Ben Simmons 3.0. Kareem will be able to score in the post against most modern centers. Yes, he may have a few issues on the perimeter defensively, but when other teams try to go small, he’ll take any small ball five into the post. You think P.J. Tucker can guard Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the post? He can’t.
Meanwhile, sorry A.C., but the wings in that crunchtime five can both space the floor. Scott was a rare sharpshooter for the 80s — 2.0 three-point attempts per game, and 43.6% from behind the arc. Michael Cooper shot even more, 3.7 threes a game, and made 38.5% of those. Yes, it may be a problem that Worthy doesn’t shoot threes, but in today’s era, he might extend his range.
Likewise, Magic would shoot more too. He only attempted 40 threes in that season, and shot 22%, but you can bet that a 2018 Magic Johnson would shoot juuuust enough to force the defense to respect it. Yes, the spacing wouldn’t be optimal, but the Lakers could definitely play bully ball against any modern team. Who on the Rockets can guard Magic Johnson? Heck, who in the entire NBA can? LeBron maybe? Maybe Simmons? The size, speed and finesse of Magic coupled with his passing should strike fear in the heart of any defender, especially alongside Kareem, who would be the best scoring center in the NBA.
Kobe and Shaq’s Lakers
Best season: 2001–02
2001–02 Starting Five
PG Derek Fisher
SG Kobe Bryant
SF Rick Fox
PF Samaki Walker
C Shaquille O’Neal
2018 Crunchtime Five
PG Derek Fisher
SG Kobe Bryant
SF Robert Horry
PF Rick Fox
C Shaquille O’Neal
This is the most recent team we’ve talked about yet, so their three point numbers aren’t quite as odd-looking as those of the last few teams. Plus, looking at minutes per game, it’s the five players in my 2018 crunchtime lineup that lead the team, and big man Samaki Walker is sixth, which shows Phil Jackson agreed with me when it comes to his real best five.
The biggest argument there is to be had here centers around Shaq. How would a slow, strong, physically dominant player adjust to a small, quick league? Answer: He would DOMINATE it. If prime Shaq got thrown into this NBA, he would put up 40 and 20 games every night. Who in the 2018 NBA is guarding Shaq? Embiid, Gobert, Davis… Horford? Who else? Yes, defensively, The Big Diesel could get lured out to the perimeter and struggle in the pick and roll, but the guy is the most physically dominant player in NBA history.
Meanwhile, we have Kobe Bryant, arguably the second best iso scorer in history. The style wouldn’t be too much different from 2002, but with increased spacing, those two could score at will. One of the biggest priorities of spacing is isolation. Think about James Harden and CP3 in Houston. When their teammates give them space, it’s harder to play help defense. In the early 2000s, when players were generally packed in more, help defenders could sneak over and double team far more easily than they can today. If Kobe or Shaq has the ball in space, with teammates all around the perimeter, watch out. By the way, D-Fish shot 41% from deep, Horry 37%, and Fox 32%. Those guys can space the floor and disallow the defense from double teaming Shaq and Kobe.
Bad Boys Pistons
Best season: 1988–89
1988–89 Starting Five
PG Isiah Thomas
SG Joe Dumars
SF Mark Aguirre
PF Dennis Rodman
C Bill Lambieer
2018 Crunchtime Five
PG Isiah Thomas
SG Joe Dumars
SF Mark Aguirre
PF Dennis Rodman
C Bill Lambieer
*Mark Aguirre was acquired midseason in exchange for Adrian Dantley. I’m using the playoffs/finals team, so Dantley isn’t in play.
Baaaaaad Boooys. If you haven’t seen ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentary about these guys, go ahead and stop reading this article so you can watch it. It’s awesome. These Pistons were known for their intimidation, toughness, and physicality. Guys like Rodman, Isiah, Lambieer, and Rich Mahorn put fear into the hearts of opponents. In today’s NBA, they’d definitely have to adjust that style of their game — we’d see lots of flagrants and ejections — but that applies to lots of these older teams anyway.
Did you know Bill Lambieer was a shooter? He averaged 1.1 three point attempts per game, and made 35% of them. In the playoffs, Lambieer shot 2.5 per game, and still made 35%. He was one of the first “unicorns” if you will. Ahead of him in attempts were Isiah, at 1.5, who only made 28%, and Aguirre, a 31% three-point shooter who attempted 2.1 per game. Dumars, meanwhile, made 48% (!) but only shot 29 throughout the season. Rodman finished the season 6 for 26 from three. Ouch.
It’s tough to find a modern-day comp for Isiah. First I thought Westbrook, but Thomas only shot the ball 15.3 times per game. Shots were very evenly distributed on this team — 15 for Isiah, 13 for Dumars, 12 for Aguirre, 11 for Lamieer, 7 for Rodman, and 12 for Vinnie Johnson, “The Microwave”. Lambieer would be a great modern-day center, who can protect the rim and has some mobility along with that three-point shot. Isiah and Dumars would be a very interesting backcourt, Aguirre would be an excellent scorer with more spacing and encouragement to shoot from deep. Aguirre actually had five 25+ PPG seasons in Dallas, but after the trade, he sacrificed shots in Detroit and went down to 15 PPG. And, of course, Rodman would be a Draymond-style player who can defend the perimeter and the post. He won DPOY that year. The Bad Boys would be very interesting in today’s era.
Kobe’s Lakers with Pau and Odom
Best Season: 2008–09
2008–09 Starting Five
PG Derek Fisher
SG Kobe Bryant
SF Lamar Odom
PF Pau Gasol
C Andrew Bynum
2018 Crunchtime Five
PG Derek Fisher
SG Jordan Farmar/Trevor Ariza/Luke Walton
SF Kobe Bryant
PF Lamar Odom
C Pau Gasol
I know, I know. We’re getting a little too recent here. But I promise this will be the most recent team in the article, and I do believe things would be different. Andrew Bynum would be run off the floor quickly, and the Odom/Pau frontcourt would become the obvious solution. Also, you may object to my three options at the two, but there are plenty of NBA teams, if not most, that switch out their last spot or two depending on the night.
As I mentioned in the Shaq and Kobe segment, The Mamba in isolation is lethal. Now Kobe is in his prime, and there’s no Shaq to clog things up. That may sound like a jab at Shaq — it’s not — but hear me out. Real life, 2018 Pau Gasol is a solid three point shooter, so we can infer that if this team were moved to 2018, younger Pau would develop the same skill to adjust to the era. Even if not, Pau is not the same big post up player that Shaq was. Younger Pau was far more mobile and could shoot the midrange jumper if not the three. The point is, Pau and Odom gave Kobe the space to get to the rim, and this would just be amplified in 2018.
All three of those wings I mentioned for the SG spot were good shooters: Farmar 34% from deep, Ariza 32%, Walton 30%. They’d all be able to space the floor in 2018 for kickout spot up threes. Fisher too, who shot 40% from deep that year.
Another aspect of 2018 basketball that I haven’t mentioned enough is the pick and roll. Odom and Gasol were both great rollers for Kobe in their time, and would be encouraged to do so far more often in the spread pick and roll system that every NBA team runs in 2018. That offense would be fun to watch and tough to guard.
The Big Three Celtics
Best Season: 2007–08
2007–08 Starting Five
PG Rajon Rondo
SG Ray Allen
SF Paul Pierce
PF Kevin Garnett
C Kendrick Perkins
2018 Crunchtime Five
PG Rajon Rondo
SG Ray Allen
SF Paul Pierce
PF James Posey
C Kevin Garnett
6 Eddie House
In many ways, the ’08 Celtics were the first modern NBA team. KG often played as a point forward of sorts, at the high post, which created the spacing Rondo, Allen, and Pierce used to slash to the basket. Pierce and Ray Ray both shot 5+ threes per game, and Posey and House followed with 3.8 each. All four of those guys were 38% or 39%. That’s tough to guard. And it should be noted that 2017–18 Rajon Rondo shot 33% from behind the arc. Respectable. And you can bet a 2018 Kevin Garnett would be hitting threes. It wouldn’t have been hard for him to extend his range if the times called for it.
Like I said, this team played pretty modern basketball anyways, but I figured they should be mentioned since the Lakers of their era were too. The biggest change would be Perk, who would hardly be able to play more than the Zaza Warriors role. Tony Allen and Sam Cassell would both be great bench pieces too, defending multiple positions. The Celts of this era are often underrated. They only have one championship, and weren’t together for long. But this team would be very fun to watch against a modern Warriors, Rockets or… Celtics. Trippy.
Stock and Malone’s Jazz
Best Season: 1996–97
1996–97 Starting Five
PG John Stockton
SG Jeff Hornacek
SF Byron Russell
PF Karl Malone
C Greg Ostertag
2018 Crunchtime Five
PG John Stockton
SG Jeff Hornacek
SF Sheldon Anderson
PF Byron Russell
C Karl Malone
Like lots of teams in this article, the obvious choice was to send the slow, old-fashioned center to the bench and throw in a wing that can shoot. However, this team is one of the best suited for the modern era. The Stockton-Malone pick and roll would be insane in today’s spacing. In the 90’s, with guys like Ostertag, pick and rolls would also include that big center sitting in the lane. As you can imagine, that may be a dumpoff option, but the guy guarding him can step in and clog up the pick and roll. Now, teams have discovered that pick and rolls are most effective in space, when the other three players are all standing outside the perimeter.
Well, Byron Russell was a rare 40% three point shooter, who shot over three a game. And Hornacek wasn’t far behind, at 36% on 2.4 attempts. Those aren’t bad guys for Stock and the Mailman to kick it out to. To be fair, Sheldon Anderson wasn’t that great, just a spotup shooter, but that’s all Utah needs as that other wing.
You could argue this is the formula for a perfect modern basketball team. Point guard who can defend, pass (10.5 apg), doesn’t need to shoot a lot
(9.3 FGA) but can hit threes (42%) and score efficiently (15 PPG on 9 FGA). Then you have the rim-running big who can score on anyone (27.4 PPG) and defend the rim (to be fair, a weak spot for Malone). Then there are the wings who can shoot and defend, while also scoring in other ways when needed. This would be a very fun team to watch in 2018. Imagine a Chris Paul/Karl-Anthony Towns type of pick and roll with wings like Khris Middleton and Otto Porter. (Yes, KAT is a tough comp for the Mailman, but can you do better? Maybe Anthony Davis)
Utah is sneakily one of the best-suited modern teams in this article.
Hakeem’s Rockets
Best Season: 1994–1995
1994–95 Starting Five
PG Kenny Smith
SG Clyde Drexler
SF Robert Horry
PF Pete Chilcutt
C Hakeem Olajuwon
1994–95 Starting Five
PG Kenny Smith
SG Clyde Drexler
SF Vernon Maxwell
PF Robert Horry
C Hakeem Olajuwon
This is an interesting one. A team centered around, well, a center, is something we don’t see much in today’s league. And especially post-style bigs like Hakeem Olajuon, who had some of the prettiest moves of all time (see Dream Shake). However, there’s no way Hakeem is leaving the floor, even if he struggles on the perimeter, which he would. Olajuwon is also one of the best rim protectors in NBA history, an attribute that would definitely be effective on the weak side in 2018.
From three point range, Kenny The Jet shot 43% (!) while Glidin’ Clyde made 36%, Big Shot Bob 36%, and Vernon Maxwell 32%. This team features some of the best nicknames. Three of them are rhyming nicknames. Drexler posted 23 PPG, second behind The Dream’s 28. Scoring wouldn’t be an issue for this team. Hakeem-style post game is unusual in today’s league, but he could without question put up good numbers. Clyde’s explosiveness is hard to find in any era, and the other wings would be solid spot up shooters. The only concern with this team is how much opposing teams could minimize Hakeem.
Seven Seconds or Less Suns
Best Season: 2003–04
2004–05 Starting Five
PG Steve Nash
SG Joe Johnson
SF Quentin Richardson
PF Shawn Marion
C A’mare Stoudemire
2018 Crunchtime Five
PG Steve Nash
SG Joe Johnson
SF Quentin Richardson
PF Shawn Marion
C A’mare Stoudemire
Yes, I know this is by far the worst team in the article, and it’s sketchy to call them an “all-time great” team. But if you’re a fan of modern basketball, this should give you tingly feelings inside. Things never came together for Phoenix, and we didn’t get to see this team for many years. But these guys would be a beautiful and wonderful team in 2018.
Steve Nash averaged 15.5 points and 11.5 assists, while shooting 43.1% from deep. The shooting and passing combo of Nash is something we truly haven’t seen since. Meanwhile, Joe Johnson scored 18 points per game, and shot 48% from deep. That’s crazy. Iso Joe was an absolute animal in his prime. Then you’ve got A’mare, the team’s leading scorer, the first modern rim-runner. A perfect roller for Nash, Stoudemire could catch lobs and defend the rim while also being mobile enough to stay on a 2018 court. Shawn Marion was just another option offensively, shooting 34% from three despite the form and averaging 19 points. Plus the defense Marion and Quentin Richardson (36% 3pt) added, you’ve got a tough modern team. By the way, sixth man Jim Jackson shot 46% from three, and Casey Jacobson and Leandro Barbosa were both above 36%.
Of course, their Achilles heel was defense in 2005 and would be in 2018 if not worse. But that offense and that pace and shooting would be beautiful in 2018. Nash has said it himself. He and that team would fit in great with today’s style.
