1997 Rockets vs 2010 Celtics Prime.

i think rondo ray backcourt in the prime would be tough as hell for maloeny elie...i'd go with celtics in 6 or 7.

 

1997 was not prime Barkley. Maybe in terms of rebounding, but his offensive repotoire has severely declined, and was basically limited to "backing it in, backing it in, backing it in...."

Back in the day, Barkley was an unstoppable beast that ran the floor better than any "big little man" at will. He had a motor that was non-stop... more than JJ Watt's!

Out of all the Rockets of that era, Drexler's prime actually extended the longest... and he left the game after having a very good season.

 

97 Barkley was good, but not in his prime. 3-4 yrs past it, at least.

 

Hakeem >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Garenett
CB4>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Ray Allen
Drexler >>>> PP

In their primes they would have owned the league.

 

Then, you're talking about a better version of the current Heat. No contest.

 

97 team, dream was still dominating at a high level. chuck n clyde were still pretty good. i say the rockets team is better.

 

think about the 2011 Celtics

Rondo, Allen, Pierce, Garnett, Jermaine O Neal, Shaq, Troy Murphy, Jeff Green, Nenad Kristic, Delonte West and Kendrick Perkins.

All healthy and in their primes

 

Remember thew 97 rockets also had Eddie Johnson, Threatt, and Kevin Willis. In their prime, they were pretty good. Jones could block some shots in his prime, as well.

Threatt/Maloney
Drexler/elie
Eddie J/bullard
Barkley/Jones
Dream/willis

 

No contest, Dream would eat everyone alive.

 

If we're talking about primes, you should be ashamed to even ask this as a question. Dream's prime probably ranks among the top 5 primes of all time, not just MVP caliber like KG's prime. Clyde was the 2nd best SG of his era and best player on finals team. Barkley the best or 2nd best PF of his era and best player on a finals team. Ray Allen, Paul Pierce were never anywhere near that level no matter how you cherry pick their seasons.

Now relative to their seasons, I might give a slight edge to the Celtics. Only because Dream's defense at that time had curtailed a bit, while the Celtics had lockdown defenders everywhere.

 

It would come down to the bench!

 

Barkley, Clyde, AND Olajuwon all (I guess magically) in their primes?

It's that Rockets team and it's not close.

 

Ya, that season was a grind on Dream though...it was his first time, almost in deferral role at times, bc of Chuck "backing it in, backing it in, backing it in..."
He still avg. 23 plus, but you could tell the season was a grind on him he missed only 4 games, that year, not that Dream missed a ton of games, but he usually missed around ten albeit, 92-93, 93-94-those DAMN SONICS! man...

But..watching that great team back then in 96-97 was well a "Dream"- but you could see even with "Dream's" still over 50% FG shooting that he was starting to decline, and maybe had even lost some of the "KILLER INSTINCT" drive...He had 2 rings, he was fine with that, he won one for Drexler, he got him his...What Dream really was doing was trying to earn not himself a ring...but Charles Barkley a ring...See I think after the first title Dream was satisfied, he had pulled off something no one had done, he sat on the TV area, and just soaked it ALL IN, there was NO "Jordan Crying rolling around with the trophy" -To Hakeem, basketball was basketball when he turned from Akeem to Hakeem, he had been to the finals before, and lost to the C's...

he knew how hard it was to win championships, he put in the effort every year...NO QUESTION, but I will always think he was satisfied with what he did his first championship ring run, then got rejuvenated by then a "DONE" (what people were saying) Drexler, who carried the Rockets through the season, as Dream dealt with anemia, Dream did everything during the playoffs that season, he threw the team on his back, and pulled out moves, no one had ever seen...Game 5 & 6 against PHX was a couple of the best performances of his life, one he had 30 plus and 16 boards, playing against the Rebound KING "Barkley" backs against the wall, the other game he had 30 plus and 10 assists at throwing a team on his back...like Mario said "when it hit the backboard like that and went in I knew we had this, Dream was going to carry us" Elie said something like that in reference to Dream in the PHX series Back to Back VHS...LOL..

Anyways...going back in time Dream gave it all he could to try and three peat...I'm sure he wanted it bad!- he was more about other people though, the sonics used the classic "Illegal D" against a team that just was almost afraid of that team it seemed at times, other than Dream, I can still remember that 30 point blow out, and how mad Dream looked, and frustrated, no one could get him the ball, even Horry, possible best passing to the block "guy" there was...even then...The team was also weird 6 players in double figures that year, at a decent level with Dream, and Drexler leading the way followed by Sam Cassell, Robert Horry, Mario Elie, and Sam Mack (maybe his best season..oh man oh man too bad for that guy, and his whole little run in thing with the cops that ended his brief career as a great 3 pt shooter, he came back but was never the same, I believe..)

Sorry I just went on a huge tangent, and history of 3 years in detail it doesn't have much to do with anything...and nor to the person I replied to...other than my point I think was Dream as declining that year, and had it not been for Barkley, honestly, and Eddie Eddie, and a clutch Matt Maloney, we wouldn't have gone as far as we did, what Dream did was still drew the Doubles, constantly, bc he could still own any one on one match up, and that's the thing he started trusting his teammates more...I always think Dream did so much for others rather than himself, he did all within himself for the others, but 97 playoffs were a horror, and if we really were comparing that team, the Rockets probably win, but Malone > Garnett I think, and Stockton >>>> Rondo (I love Rondo btw, and hate Stockton, but it is what it is)...I think Rockets win easy, bc Elie takes Ray, and Drexler can take Ray, Maloney would be our problem...and liability, but he was a good shooter, also "Ol EDDIE Johnson" could do his own thing....

All in their primes though, and old rules, well I take "Dream's Team" all day, espesh with a Superstar PF, and great shooting guard in Drexler...so Rockets...
Sorry I know many "Didn't READ"

Just wanted to point out Dream started to trust people more, and I forget how good of a relationship Chuck and Hakeem had that year...I know Drexler didn't think that Chuck calling them out in the middle of the playoffs for the lack of dedication, and if they really wanted to win pissed some people off, but he was doing that to try and get the team GOING....
anyways long tangent..sorry...

 

I should clarify that if we played in the pre-1999 rules era, the Rockets win in blowouts.

After 1999, backcourt players like Ray Allen didn't have to contend with hand checking, and underweight frontcourt players like Garnett weren't allowed to get their stick bodies shoved way the hell off the blocks. Basketball was no longer a man's game.

That Celtics team is filled with players who only prospered during the Sissy Era of NBA basketball against defenses that weren't allowed to really defend. Meanwhile those Rockets players were rough and tumble pre-1999 players who could score on defenders who were legally allowed to slap the crap out of them, impede them on their way to the blocks, and then push and grapple on them with a double armbar once they made it there.

I literally believe Dream would be a 45 PPG scorer in today's NBA.

 

Hakeem>>>>Perkins
Barkley>Garnet
Drexler>Pierce
Elie<Allen (but Elie would shut Ray down)
Maloney<Rondo