Who has the best starting 5??? Dallas - Jason Terry, Michael Finley, Josh Howard, Marquis Daniels, Dirk Nowitzki. Denver - Andre Miller, Dermarr Johnson, 'Melo, K-Mart, Marcus Camby. Detroit - Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Sheed, Big Ben. Houston - Mike James, David Wesley, T-Mac, Juwon Howard, Yao. Miami - Dwyane Wade, Damon Jones, Eddie Jones, Udonis Haslem, Shaq. Philly - Iverson, Iguodala, Korver, Webber, Dalembert. Phoenix - Nash, Q-Rich, Joe Johnson, Shawn Marion, Amare. Sacramento - Bibby, Mobley, Peja, Kenny Thomas, Brad Miller. San Antonio - Tony Paker, Ginobili, Bruce Bowen, Duncan, Nesterovic (or Mohammed?). Washington - Arenas, Hughes, Jamison, Jeffries, Haywood. I didn't include teams like Seattle, Memphis, Indiana, Chicago, or Boston because of the huge contributions each of those teams gets off the bench. Oh, and I didn't include Cleveland because i'm talking about starting 5, not top Guard (lets face it: McInnis and Newble don't spark fear as part of the starting 5). If you have another starting 5 you think is better, please explain.
1 to 5, on paper, Phoenix is the best in the league. They're just super small and very little depth, which is why they're gonna get run in the playoffs.
I voted Phoenix, because they have proven that all they really have is a starting 5, and that is giving them huge success. of course the best team is san antonio, and they're 5 contibute huge to that... but if i was gonna pick a starting 5 with all the needs of a team, i would pick philly. Dynamic scorer (iverson), Exciting Rookie that can do lots (Iguodala), 3 point specialist (korver), Inside Offensive Presence (webber), Inside Defensive Presence (Dalambert). They've got it all... IMO: 1) Phoenix 2) Philly 3) San Antonio 4) Detroit 5) Miami
best starting 5 in terms of players has to be the Suns Nash / QRich / JJohnson / SMarion / Amare people say their depth gets exposed but I dont see it as you can always rotate in players and keep 2 or 3 starters in at the same time. Unless someone goes down to injury. Plus they picked up JJackson / WMcCartey which is good for them. I dont know how they afford all those players.. SMarion - Max Deal SNash - Near Max Deal QRich - Huge Deal I guess once JJohnson / Amare reupp they will have to dismantle this team? what do you think? I agree I think they wont survive the playoffs not because of depth but lack of defense and rebounding. J
Phoenix has the best starting five. Dallas has a scary bench. Bradley - Van Horn - Stack - Marquis Daniels - Jason Terry (Dampier and Devin Harris are in the starter unit). This is like a Esat Conference playoff team.
Technically, if I want to illustrate the fundamental meaning of a team then Detriot is my pick. One cannot go wrong with either Phoenix or Miami either. For the sake of this discourse, the best starting must have above average players in every position put into proper perspective to the other players in the league at similar positions. Rockets in this case fall short because Juwan is below avearge imho at the 4 spot. I cannot think of any other team in this poll with this "gaping" hole save for maybe Kenny Thomas and Sacramento.
This thread is a great example about how different the NBA is. Back in the 80's the great teams (Celtics, Lakers, Sixers, Pistons) had 5 good players. Nowadays there is a hole (or two or three) on every team. Before the trades - I liked Sacramento's starting 5 After the trades - I like Phoenix's starting 5
Gotta go with Phoenix. They have a star at every position and 3 all-stars as well. Nash-Q-Johnson-Marion-Amare, I don't think I have ever seen such an athletic run & gun starting 5 like that before.
But in the 80's there weren't as many international players. Now there are more players to choose from.
i am surprised detroit got rated so low.....i mean come on here. defending champs? big ben and sheed plus role players? that team has everything it needs. i don't think it's about the quality of each player. but the how valuable the team is as a whole. phoenix doesn't have that back to the basket post up game good enuff to do well in the playoffs. i mean sure they got amare and he'll do alright. but he aint got a turn around fade away that's money enuff yet. like duncan, sheed.
Does Nugs4 want to justify why he selected Denver?? Can I ask why they are in the poll in the first place????????
Gotta take Detroit. They've shown what they can do. Pheonix is good, but Shawn Marion at PF isn't gonna cut it in the playoffs.
That's not even dallas' correct starting 5. Terry Finley Howard Dirk Dampier with Harris Stackhouse Daniels KVH Bradley comprising the best bench in the league. That bench wins the atlantic division, lol.
detroit had a miracle, catch lightning in a bottle, amazing chemistry, amazing desire, every team they faced had a significant injury playoff run through the regular season and to the title after getting sheed last year. they weren't the actual best team last year if all the teams they face are healthy (or cassell doesn't go down) and they aren't the best team this year. and their top 5 certainly doesn't surpass phoenix's. considering phoenix is pretty much just their starting five and their record is way better than detroit's, in the west. it seems silly to argue a team with less depth and a much better record than another team doesn't have the better starting five. and since when is rasheed known for his money back to the basket game? i know lack of size will hurt, but i really wanna see phoenix do well in the playoffs. people keep saying they'll get killed, but i don't see how it's going to be by anyone except san antonio, and that certainly doesn't discredit their strategy or team makeup. it just says they don't have tim duncan. i mean, who is going to slow them down that hasn't in the regular season? the great defensive teams seattle and dallas? sacramento? we might play better defense than those teams and know how to slow it down occasionally, but we haven't proven we can handle them either and our current team is a much more up tempo, non-grind it out team than we were before. memphis? the lakers? the wolves? they are beating the hell out of most teams not named san antonio. i don't see why that stops in the playoffs unless someone gets injured or possibly the starters wear down, but even then that wouldn't be size or rebounding or their style, just lack of depth. plus, i just hope it's a phoenix/SA conference finals (if we can't make it). after that last game they played, seeing 6 or 7 of those would be amazing.
I love it when uninformed people rag on Detroit's championship. Detroit was not uninjured, untalented, or just lucky. They set records last year, won 13 in a row at one point (before Sheed), were in the Eastern finals the year before, and they have great coaching, management, and an incredible work ethic. Basketball has two sides to it, and the one without the flashy dunks is the one that wins championships, and Detroit is real good at that. They have incredible individual and team defenders at the 3, 4, and 5 spots and play with absolutely no ego as a team. And, it isn't Detroit's fault that Minnesota and LA gambled their seasons on ancient players. Blame their management for being shortsighted. Those problems should have been anticipated a mile away. BTW, Rasheed Wallace was barely able to move all during the playoffs (plantar fasciitis). Chauncey Billups couldn't move against NJ in the Eastern finals the year before because of an injury, but that's the game. You play through it, and if you can't then the team needs to have been built so one player's demise doesn't kill it.
