'93 Suns/'95 Rockets/'96 Sonics/'97 Jazz

[L.Kizzle]

No.

They did worse after they traded for Drexler. Check their record before the all star break and after.

They just pulled a insane run out of their ass. I'll never know how the hell they did it. That team wasn't any good and they'll lose to most championship teams but that was ****ing insane run.

I wish the Heat had even a tenth of the composure and clutch play that team did.

Drexler kept that team above water after the All-Star break/trade. Hakeem and Mario Elie got injured and Vernon Maxwell quit on the team after Drexler took his starting spot.

[L.Kizzle]

Barkley was injured and they couldn't close Houston out, despite a pair of 20+ rebound efforts and a 34/14 Game 6.

93 Suns only have 1 of the three best players when matched against any of those: Keem/Drex, Glove/Kemp, Malone/Stockton.... Barkley and... Kevin Johnson?

KJ is a top 45 player all-time according to ISH, way above Kemp and some say better than Stockton and Payton.

[NugzHeat3]

Drexler kept that team above water after the All-Star break/trade. Hakeem and Mario Elie got injured and Vernon Maxwell quit on the team after Drexler took his starting spot.

The guy said they don't make the playoffs if they don't trade for Drexler. I don't see it.

Before Drexler ever played a game, they were 30-17. With him, they went 17-18.

Elie only missed one game that year. Hakeem missed 9 games in that stretch and they went 3-6 in those games.

They are still making the playoffs.

Like I said, a average team that just pulled a unreal run out of their ass.

[L.Kizzle]

The guy said they don't make the playoffs if they don't trade for Drexler. I don't see it.

Before Drexler ever played a game, they were 30-17. With him, they went 17-18.

Elie only missed one game that year. Hakeem missed 9 games in that stretch and they went 3-6 in those games.

They are still making the playoffs.

Like I said, a average team that just pulled a unreal run out of their ass.

I do believe they don't make the playoffs without the trade. Don't forget Vernon Maxwell quitting.

[NugzHeat3]

I do believe they don't make the playoffs without the trade. Don't forget Vernon Maxwell quitting.

Maxwell quit cause Drexler got his spot and he wasn't getting minutes. If trade doesn't happen, he isn't quitting. Common sense.

They still have Thorpe and Hakeem only missed 9 games.

They'll easily make the playoffs. Don't kid yourself.

[L.Kizzle]

Maxwell quit cause Drexler got his spot and he wasn't getting minutes. If trade doesn't happen, he isn't quitting. Common sense.

They still have Thorpe and Hakeem only missed 9 games.

They'll easily make the playoffs. Don't kid yourself.

Maxwell was already a head case, him losing minutes to a proven hall of famer is just crazy to quit over. Everyone's numbers were down across the board except for Cassell.

I don't even remember why the trade happened. Also I could have sworn Elie missed more than 1 game. I thought he broke his wrist after a failed dunk attempt, my mistake.

[NugzHeat3]

Maxwell was already a head case, him losing minutes to a proven hall of famer is just crazy to quit over. Everyone's numbers were down across the board except for Cassell.

I don't even remember why the trade happened. Also I could have sworn Elie missed more than 1 game. I thought he broke his wrist after a failed dunk attempt, my mistake.

I heard the trade happened because Otis was causing problems.

I heard he wanted more shot attempts or something like that. Otis was important to their rebounding and defense so I don't why they did it.

Elie and Horry hated that trade at first.

The 95 Rockets are probably the only defending champs to break up their core and still repeat. Has that ever happened? I can't remember.

[ChrisKreager]

No.

They did worse after they traded for Drexler. Check their record before the all star break and after.

They just pulled a insane run out of their ass. I'll never know how the hell they did it. That team wasn't any good and they'll lose to most championship teams but that was ****ing insane run.

I wish the Heat had even a tenth of the composure and clutch play that team did.

I always thought that second Rockets title winning team ws one that seemed to flirt with disaster all the time and manage to avoid going off the cliff.

They played with fire, but didn't get burned. Hakeem was their fire extenguisher.

[Round Mound]

I know.

1988-93 Barkley was as good as 94 and 95 Hakeem.

KJ played 49 games the Suns had a higher winning% without him.

Infact had KJ not played and the Suns had a pure PG that creates for others then they would have had a higher chance than playing with a Me 1st Shoot PG.

[Xsatyr]

1988-93 Barkley was as good as 94 and 95 Hakeem.

KJ played 49 games the Suns had a higher winning% without him.

Infact had KJ not played and the Suns had a pure PG that creates for others then they would have had a higher chance than playing with a Me 1st Shoot PG.

I just puked.

[JohnnySic]

The Sonics should've gone to the finals in 1993.

YES.

The Sonics peaked in '93 and '94. Sadly, no one remembers those teams, instead remembering the inferior '96 team that did in fact make the finals in against lesser competition.

[JohnnySic]

1988-93 Barkley was as good as 94 and 95 Hakeem.

......

[Mrofir]

93 barkley was the best player on any of these teams..


I love KJ and totally disagree with all the hate.


But the Suns as a team achieved what they did due primarily to Barkley's greatness. He was trying (situation he was in) to MJ a team to a championship while MJ was playing, and he came closer than anyone.

96 sonics just stiffened up in the finals and couldn't get their bearings in time to compete...

If I take the best player away from each of these teams it's

Sonics minus Kemp
Rockets minus Hakeem (WTF I dunno now.)
Jazz minus Malone
Suns minus Barkley


with Barkley, they came closer than any of these teams

[magnax1]

Suns
Jazz
Sonics
Rockets
Suns were pretty damn stacked offensively, Jazz were probably the most well rounded team, and Sonics and Rockets can battle for last place...

[Dream34]

There's no way in hell that 1988-1993 Barkley was good as 93-95 Hakeem. Barkley doesn't come relatively close to having the defensive impact of perhaps the GOAT shotblocker.
Offensively? That's alittle more debatable. However, I would take Dream's 94 and 95 postseasons over any of Barkley's runs. Additionally, 93-96 Dream- other than Drexler- had no other teammate that was as good as offensively as KJ, Majerle, Dumas, Ainge, Ceballos, and Chambers. Dream didn't have the opportunity to play on a team that made the second round without him the prior year. I don't care about Lang and Hornacek either lol.

As for this list, I think you can make a really strong argument for the 96 Sonics as the best team. They won 64 games. That half-court trap defense they ran was brutal. They could swarm any post presence (as I should know) and harass guards. Kemp was also underrated as a defender in the pain; when he focused, he was quite good. Of course, you had guys like Payton, McMillan, Askew, and Hawkins swarming the ball-handler and still have the speed to return back to harass the open shooter. That defense was so good and quick that some opponents actually questioned its legality and claimed that it was like a "zone". Offensively, they had the dynamic duo in Payton and Kemp; plus, they could shoot the ball like crazy. That team had like 7 legit outside threats.. set playoff records.. Too bad, they had to go against the GOAT and a top three/four team of all time in the 96' Bulls in the finals lol