If you’re a basketball fan then you have your ‘starting five’.
No matter what era you grew up in you have the five players you think will run
up and down the court against anyone and win.
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I’m no different.
With the NBA Finals looming I think it’s fitting to drop two
line-ups. My era begins in 2000 just as a reference but I will name multiple
players who played a good bit in the 90’s.
Let’s start with the 1st team.
Point Guard: Jason Kidd, 94’-13’, Nets/Mavericks/
Suns/Knicks- Jason Kidd is one of the premier point guards of all-time. Not
only was he one of the best passing guards the game has seen but his defense
was some of the best for a point guard. Kidd ranks second in NBA history in both
assists (12,091) and steals (2,684) to go along with his 17,529 points. The
term ‘floor general’ gets thrown around when it comes to point guards and their
ability to control the game and be the leader of the team, Kidd was the
definition of that. He was the leader of the Nets in the early 2000’s when they
made trips to the Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals and is probably one
of the last true great point guards.
Career: 12.6 ppg, 8.7 ast, 6.3 reb, 1.9
stl, 0.3 blk, 78% FT, 34% 3P, 40% FG
Shooting Guard: Dwyane
Wade, 03’-present, Heat/Bulls/Cavs- This one will likely confuse a lot of
people but it’s my list and I’ll put Wade over Kobe if I want. Injuries might
have caused his reputation to take a hit because his prime seems so long ago
but during his prime he was one of the top players in the league. He came into
the NBA at the same time as LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony so the hype
surrounding him wasn’t as high as the other two but you can argue, and likely
win that argument, that Wade has had the second best career from anyone in that
draft class. Wade could score there’s no question about it, but his defense
never gets talked about. Kobe Bryant gets all the love as the best 2-guard and
rightfully so, but Wade’s defense by the numbers tells a different story. If
you want to see for yourself check out basketball-reference.com. Sorry, Kobe.
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Career: 22.5 ppg, 5.5 ast, 4.7 reb, 1.6
stl, 0.9 blk, 76% FT, 28% 3P, 48% FG
Small Forward: LeBron
James, 03’-present, Cavaliers/Heat- Unlike the Dwyane Wade pick, this one
is easy. LeBron is without a doubt the best player of my generation and some
would argue the best of all-time. That is a different story altogether. LeBron
has dominated essentially since he came into the league. He had his coming out
party in 2007 against the Detroit Pistons in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference
Finals when he dropped 48 points points, scoring the final 25 points. I think
everyone knew he was going to be something special when he was in high school
but that game certainly cemented that and the legacy has only grown since. We could
talk about all the accolades but that’s not why he’s in my starting five. He’s
on here because he’s the best player on the planet. His passing is maybe as
good as ability to score. He can guard all five positions and most importantly he
makes his teammates better. The eight straight trips to the NBA Finals isn’t a
bad stat either.
Career: 27.2 ppg, 7.2 ast, 7.4 reb, 1.6
stl, 0.8 blk, 73% FT, 34% 3P, 50% FG
Power Forward: Kevin
Garnett, 95’-16’, Timberwolves/Celtics/Nets- This might be another surprise
but I think the argument can be made that Garnett at one point was the best big
man in the NBA. His run in Minnesota didn’t come with any championships like
some of the other big men during that time, but his numbers were just as good
as the Duncan’s, Shaq’s, even Chris Webber. In his 12 seasons with the
T-Wolves, Garnett put up 20.5 ppg, 11.4 reb, and 4.5 ast to go along with 1.4
stls and 1.7 blocks. The combination of playing in a market like Minnesota and
having Tim Duncan and Shaquille O’Neal dominating the West, it was almost like
Garnett was overlooked. He finally got his time after joining the Celtics but
for me I’ll always think of KG in Minnesota.
Career: 17.8 ppg, 10.0 reb, 3.7 ast, 1.3
ast, 1.4 blk, 78% FT, 27% 3P, 49% FG
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Center: Shaquille O’Neal,
92’-11’, Lakers/Heat/Suns/Cavs/Celtics- The most dominant player to ever
lace up a pair of basketball sneakers. Wilt Chamberlain probably ‘dominated’
more than Shaq, but in the era Shaq played (I know you can’t compare eras)
there has never been a more dominant player. Yes, that includes Michael Jordan.
At 7’1”, 325lbs, Shaq made every big man look small. His numbers speak for
themselves but watching him play made you appreciate even more what he could
do. For someone his size, to have the agility he did and the handles he did, it
was simply amazing. Much like most of the greats; LeBron, Jordan, Magic, etc.,
you will never see another Shaq. He won three titles with the Lakers then his
fourth with the Heat. I don’t think there is anyone that you could argue to
replace him in this starting five. I don’t know if it’s entirely possible to
think that Shaq was underrated but when you talk about the all-time greats and
list off the 10 best players in NBA history O’Neal needs to be on the list.
Plain and simple.
Career: 23.7 ppg, 10.9 reb, 2.5 ast, 0.6
stl, 2.3 blk, 52% FT, 58% FG
(Stats: https://www.basketball-reference.com/)
