michep21

They were 12 minutes away from going to the finals and easily winning it (16 point lead in western conference finals entering 4th quarter of game 7 against LA lakers)

This team was STACKED to high hell . All 5 starts double figures, an insane amoutn of young talent and season veterans at their peaks...

I think this team will blow the 2002 kings and the 98 jazz out of the water...what do you think?

http://www.nba.com/blazers/stats/1999/index.html




I'm sure this series was probably set up too :X So 2 of shaq's 3 rings were set up

JediMindTricks

i dunno about best team "ever" to never win since i'm sure there were some great teams in the past before we've started watching.

but this is one team that had everything but the mental makeup to win a trophy. i really thought they were going to win it that year.

i think they would have beaten the 2002 kings. i dunno about the 98 jazz. i think that jazz team would have gotten in the blazers' heads.

the 96 sonics team is one that i thought was a very good team as well.

michep21

I agree

But, I disagree with the lack of mental toughness jab. They had scottie pippen, Steve Smith, AND greg anthony as leaders. I mean just because they had nutcases in Rashweed and mighty mouse doesn't make them susceptible to mental pressures.

God...how did this team lose?

JediMindTricks

scottie's my second favorite player ever, but he was a never a great leader. personally, the only leadership qualities i saw from him were mostly from keeping and holding sheed away from officials. steve smith and greg anthony provided veteran leadership, but they spent most of the time on the bench.

funny you brought up steve smith because a buddy and i were talking about how he could have been a GREAT player.

but back to scottie...he played well that season and postseaon, but unfortunately, my lasting memory of him in that series was being abused by kobe over and over. he seemed to have some kind of chip on his shoulder against kobe.

how did they lose? they got too relaxed. and that's how they were that entire postseason. it's like they couldn't keep their concentration for too long.

EDIT: that series was just sick. (yea, i said sick...) both teams HATED each other. everything from dunleavy coaching his former team. scottie vs. kobe, who seemed to really despise each other. lakers couldn't stop sheed. blazers couldn't stop shaq. great series....and i was rooting hard for portland.

Mokos23

i still remember that series. really thought the blazers had it

KingsFanPaul1

02 Kings would stomp them!

Osamu

do the 04' Lakers count?

Doom878

What about the Suns team that lost to the champs last year. Amare got suspended for that one game who knows.

Scottman111

That was great...I remember that series very well actually...back when I was still following the NBA pretty closely.

I always liked Sabonis...I just don't think his playing style fit in well with that team.

JediMindTricks

me too.

great, great passing center. i've only seen clips and highlights from his peak years, but the consensus from the "pundits" was that he was an AMAZING player.

he was a good shooter too, and you could tell how frustrated he'd get with his teammates towards the end of his career.

godfather2

the jazz teams were the shit, apart from greg osterFAG. stockton/malone/horny were men on a mission ... you saw it in their eyes EVERY GAME. they would bully, fight, test you everystep of the way. too bad his airness got in the way ...

CarbonGray Earl

Sabonis was Vlade on steroids. I honestly wish he played here when he was younger.

I'd put the Kings ahead of the Blazers as best recent team never to win.

Blazers are the best stockpile of talent (or sheer size), but the Kings are the best team. The Princeton offense was a thing of beauty and their defense wasn't too shabby. Both teams stunk it up though in their game 7s.

As a Laker fan, both teams were worthy opponents, but Shaq was too dominant.

Scottman111

Yeah, I always wondered what he was like during his peak. I bet he would've fit in well with those late 90's Jazz teams.

Scottman111

Osterfag and Adam Queefe, and Antoine Carr's orange glasses

Ah, this thread is taking me back to the good ol' days of the NBA when all my child hood players were still going at it

The '98 finals are still my favorite.

michep21

I doubt it...I think the blazers had WAY more toughness and also knew how to play defense https://acurazine.com/forums/newrepl...ply&p=6033776#
Tongue

The suns and the kings can't say that. Also, look at that portland team's depth--those Utah teams never had that. Defense wins though :-D

The one thing the Utah team did have is composure and a go to play (stockton malone pick and roll) but they had ZERO depth. Howard Eisley and Shandon Anderson...ewwww sure they were top heavy and had a decent starting 3 (ostertag and russell don't count)

the_Osk

the ONLY reason the blazers didn't win that championship is because the refs forced the lakers to "win". go back and watch game 6.. just like the 2002 kings game, this was fixed. disgusting!

Scottman111

You have to have a good balance of talent and team chemistry.

Utah had the team chemistry but like you said not enough depth, and Portland vice-versa.

JediMindTricks

sacramento had both: talent and team chemistry.

michep21

But had no defense...and were softer than a silicon tittie (scot polard and funderburke were the enforcers ROFL, and christie was whipped by his maniacal wife)

JediMindTricks

but they had talent and team chemistry. i'm just saying.

KingsFanPaul1

I have never seen a team have such great chemistry like they did. They were like family out there. It was amazing to watch. I really really miss seeing that kind of basketball.

JediMindTricks

sacramento kings jason williams is one of THE most exciting players i've ever seen.

<--- had a kings jason williams #55 jersey.

michep21

lol I remember their bench...I think they referred to themselves as "the bench mob" Jon Barry was their leader ROFL.

But white chocolate...lol, too bad he toned it down. I think he woulda made more dough playing the way he did.

KingsFanPaul1

<--- still has a kings jason williams #55 jersey.

Jdub was pretty sick with his passes, he really should have never stopped playing like that. He should have stopped running down the court and shooting bad 3's all the time but not the flashy passing.

KingsFanPaul1

Yes they were named "The Bench Mob" by Jon Barry. We had such a great bench. One thing that pissed me off was some Lakers players this year calling their bench the bench mob. Not only do we get robbed in the 02 playoffs by the refs b ut now the lakers are stealing our nicknames. No originality!

CarbonGray Earl

You know what though, the Blazers always scared me more than the Kings. However, I really respected the Kings style of play. Its the way I like basketball played. I'm also big fan of Pete Carrill.

As much as I loved Jdub, Bibby's addition made that team really dangerous. What he lacked for speed and flash, he made up for in clutch shooting.

JediMindTricks

yea, bibby made them legitimate contenders.

but jason williams was so fun to watch...

CarbonGray Earl

Oh I'm with you guys on that for sure. I had #55 jersey too, before they turned into Laker rivals.

Speaking of which, you guys gotta youtube some old Maravich clips if you like Jdub. Not to get off topic....

JediMindTricks

pistol pete was before our time, but i remember hearing all the comparisons between him and white chocolate by the announcers.

seriously, three jason williams plays still are stuck in my head:
1. his crossover on gary payton during his rookie year. i believe that play made it to a nike commercial.
2. stealing the ball and then dunking on mario elie. and then taunting him afterwards.
3. his behind the back, off the elbow pass during the rookie/sophomore game.

those were fun times as a basketball fan. i really rooted for the kings in 02. i desperately wanted them to win.

Eoanou

Jason Williams used to be so fun to watch, back then I think almost everyone was a Kings fan, Arco Arena was ALWAYS filled to capacity.

Back to the topic, I didn't know that they had Jermaine O'Neal on the Portland team, I'm sure if they had used him more they could have done better, he is a good athlete. I think they were the most talented team not to make it to the playoffs, their problem, however, was the lack of a "go-to" guy, they didn't have a solid 20pt a game scorer.

JediMindTricks

you mean most talented team not to make it to the finals?

they didn't need a 20pt scorer because they had so many players score double digits. but i agree about the lack of a go to guy. it was really sheed or bonzi wells.

jermaine o'neal was raw, though, when he was in portland. however, i remember the blazers' players saying he was always the best player during scrimmages. you could just tell he was going to be a good player.

michep21

LOL...he was a good player until the brawl set the pacers back 2 decades lol. He's garbage now...more untradeable than stephon starbury even.

Oh and funny subtitle Kings fan "2002 NBA champs"

lucky you guys won it in 2002 though, because the kings ain't gonna win for AT LEAST another 15 years. Kevin Martin and John Salmons=ewwww . I see Kevin Martin as the next shareef abdur rahim (all stats, no wins)

The maloofs should sue the NBA for 15 years worth of playoff profits--take the NBA outta business.

JediMindTricks

JO's sliding punch against the fan during the brawl....

KingsFanPaul1

KMart is no superstar right now but he is one of the better scorers in the league and he can get to the free throw line almost at will. He is not yet the type of player who can put the team on his back and carry them to a victory.

While I am not the biggest John Salmons fan, when he starts he plays pretty darn good. During the begining of the season he was starting and he tore it up. Then Artest came back from suspension and John went back to the bench, and thats the bad thing about John......when he does not start he plays like doo doo!

Spencer Hawes is looking to be a really good player though. So young and so talented.

Eoanou

I forget, but did the Seattle Supersonics win any finals in the early 90s? I'm pretty sure they didn't, and if that's the case they're my vote for the best team to not win the finals.

Shawn Kemp & Gary Payton, and a few other key players Schremff, Brent Barry, etc.

KingsFanPaul1

no titles for them. not a bad team.

JediMindTricks

yea they didn't win a trophy.

but the 96 team that lost to the 72 win bulls were the team i mentioned in my first post. they were a very good team that didn't win. i think they won like 63/65 games that year. it was over 60.