Most talented? 1986 Houston Rockets. Olajuwon, Sampson, Rodney McCray, Lewis Lloyd, Robert Reid, Mitchell Wiggins, Jim Peterson, Allen Leavell, Steve Harris, Craig Ehlo and John Lucas (for 65 games of the regular season). That wasn't just a good team, it was a future dynasty. They had incredible size, amazing athleticism, lots of good passers , off the charts shotblocking and dominant rebounding They could run with anyone and they could penetrate as well as having two dominant post up players. They were tremendous defensively as the twin towers allowed the perimeter players to press up on their man without worrying about getting beat on a drive. All that and youth too. The starting lineup on the 86 finals was composed of a 23,24, 25, 26 and 30 year old. For their time and the rules of the NBA at that time, they had it all. Everyone expected multiple titles , the only question was how soon. Here's a very good Grantland article. http://grantland.com/features/an-oral-history-hakeem-olajuwon-ralph-sampson-1980s-houston-rockets/
Dallas Mavs 2015 ."....they have the best starting 5 in NBA with the best coach and owner" According to their fans.. .and Charles Barkley does agree. On a serious note, Utah Jazz in the 90s they deserved a title, too bad it was an era of Chicago's dominance and Hakeem' peak
Maybe because it was very recently, but I think the most talented team not to win was the 2012 Thunder. Really can't do much better than Durant, Harden, Westbrook, and Ibaka, my god. Other recent teams that are up there are the 2000 Blazers, 02 Kings, and 04 Lakers.
^^This. And not even close, IMO. the '81 team wasn't as talented as the '86 team. It was Moses with two aging stars (Rudy T and Murphy) and a bunch of average role players. Moses carried that team to the Finals. It was one of the most amazing individual accomplishments I've ever seen. The '86 team, as aelliott said, was supposed to be the dynasty supplanting the Lakers and the Celtics.
[Posts from 2013] Payton is #8 ALL TIME in total assists. Don't get that high being some regular ho-hum passer. '99 thru '03 Blazers team was under-appreciatedly stacked. Went to Conference Finals 2 straight years. They had Jermaine O'Neal, Brian Grant, Stacey Augmon and Greg Anthony barely coming off the bench. Most talent 1 thru 12 maybe.
Excellent points. IMHO, 63-19 almost seems like a cursed record to have. The 88-89 Detroit Pistons are one of the few 63-19 teams to win a championship.
This was the first team that came to my mind. Probably because they were the best team and in my mind the most obvious case of a team that was jobbed out of a championship by bad officiating.
I would have to go with the Thunder teams with Westbrook, Durant, and Harden. Three potential MVP players on one team. Crazy that they didn't stick together and win multiple rings.
Seattle Sonics in their 90's prime. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9OPvh7jdeeo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Only team that made me nervous every time the rockets played them 1993-1996. We didn't match up well against them.
That was great team, so underrated. The twin towers with Lucas at the point PLUS McCray and Level & others --> damn you cocaine
The Blazers team in 1990 & 1991? They won 59 & 63 regular season games, widely considered the best team in the league.
