The 2004 Spurs Are Better Than Any Team LeBron has Beat

[ShawkFactory]

Babies.

Ibaka DPOY?

Just admit Heat players and coaching and experience was too much for the Thunder. AND YET STILL HEAT NEEDED THE REFS TO TAKE DURANT OUT OF GAMES EARLY AND MAKE HIM PLAY TIMID BECAUSE HE DIDN'T WANT TO GET FOULED OUT.

OKC SHOULD HAVE BEEN UP 2-0 IN THE DAMN SERIES. REFS PLUS ROLE PLAYERS BEAT OKC IN 2012!

I mean Lebron was taking him off the dribble relentlessly.

[Budadiiii]

Bosh averaged 12 ppg throughout the entire 2013 playoffs, but the Heat still won. And when did Westbrook ever shoot 40%?

There were tons of injuries that year. Westbrook was out for OKC.

Asterisk year. Ray Allen? Huge asterisk year.

[Budadiiii]

I mean Lebron was taking him off the dribble relentlessly.

Reffing was atrocious. You take our best player out of almost every single game and make him play not to foul? Really?

[T_L_P]

The 04 Spurs might be the best defensive team I've seen live. The Duncan/Rasho defensive combo was actually more complimentary than Duncan/Robinson was, imo (Duncan was at his defensive peak that season).

However, Rasho was a known Playoff failure, to the point where Pop was thinking about benching him.

So no, the 04 Spurs were not better than any team LeBron has beat. The 14 Spurs, especially in the Playoffs, were a much, much stronger team (GOAT-level collective effort vs Duncan and Manu carrying all the weight).

[SouBeachTalents]

The 04 Spurs might be the best defensive team I've seen live. The Duncan/Rasho defensive combo was actually more complimentary than Duncan/Robinson was, imo (Duncan was at his defensive peak that season).

However, Rasho was a known Playoff failure, to the point where Pop was thinking about benching him.

So no, the 04 Spurs were not better than any team LeBron has beat. The 14 Spurs, especially come Playoff time, were a much, much stronger team (collective effort vs Duncan and Manu carrying all the weight).

You got '04 Spurs over '04 Pistons?

[ShawkFactory]

Reffing was atrocious. You take our best player out of almost every single game and make him play not to foul? Really?

[SamuraiSWISH]

So no, the 04 Spurs were not better than any team LeBron has beat. The 14 Spurs, especially come Playoff time, were a much, much stronger team (collective effort vs Duncan and Manu carrying all the weight).

Kwahi specifically gave them an added dimension. Defensively he can match up with LeBron better than anyone on that 2004 team could if they saw prime King James for a series.

[1987_Lakers]

2012 Thunder had 3 superstars in retrospect & Ibaka who was the best shot blocker in the league and made the All-Defensive First Team.

The Spurs from 2012-2014 will go down as one of the greatest passing teams in NBA History.

[eliteballer]

We are talking about teams that he has BEAT. Teams like 08 Celtics, 11 Mavericks, 14 Spurs don't count.

[T_L_P]

You got '04 Spurs over '04 Pistons?

That's tough. Manu was still beastly in 04 but he wasn't quite a superstar yet (like he was in 05). However, Duncan wasn't playing on two bum ankles in 04 so you could probably expect more out of him in a series.

I'd probably go Pistons. They weren't much better/worse in 05 than they were in 04, but the 05 Spurs were ultimately better than 04 Spurs (and Horry going god-mode like that happens once in a lifetime).

Would have been a great back-to-back Finals series though, despite the low ratings.

[1987_Lakers]

Would have been a great back-to-back Finals series though, despite the low ratings.

No disrespect to those 2 teams, but the first 4 games of the '05 Finals was an absolute bore.

[eliteballer]

Kwahi specifically gave them an added dimension. Defensively he can match up with LeBron better than anyone on that 2004 team could if they saw prime King James for a series.

Are you forgetting what a 35 year old Bowen did to leBron in 2007?

[T_L_P]

No disrespect to those 2 teams, but the first 4 games of the '05 Finals was an absolute bore.

They were all blowouts which sucked, but I personally always preferred defensive-minded, grind-it-out basketball. It makes the baskets much more meaningful (a 7-0 run at any point in those Finals could have ended the game ).

[ShawkFactory]

Are you forgetting what a 35 year old Bowen did to leBron in 2007?

You don't remember anything about that series if you're crediting Bowen for that