The NBA’s Best Decade? The 2000s
This is the third post in a three-part series we will be running today on the best decade in NBA history. Was it the 1980s? The 1990s? Or the 2000s? Can you make the arguments that one of the earlier decades was even better? Sure. But not likely. Can you make an argument that one of these three was the best ever? Of course. And that’s what we’re doing…
The best decade in basketball doesn’t have to be a single complicated storyline per say. It’s multiple storylines so powerful that they make our eyes glued to the television screens, and on an even smaller scale, it’s the smaller pieces, the players who can be given credit. Their talents, after all, would clash on a nightly basis. Simple enough.
We measure a big-picture kind of greatness not by a piece and not by a few pieces, but as conglomerates of all the big-picture encompasses. And when we take a glance at the best players, the cream of the crop of the 2000s, what makes it the greatest decade of the NBA could quite possibly be measured in the players who weren’t in the cream of the crop.
In ranking the best decades, we considered the top 12 players in each of the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. For the 2000s, we didn’t even have space to include Chris Webber, Vince Carter, Ray Allen and Chris Paul. I’m sure steam might be coming out of your ears now, but bear with me. The depth of the 2000s is exactly what makes it so amazing for a fan perspective and so gripping on any given night. All of the above names are easily and arguably Top-12 players during this era. At the same time, the league showed that star power doesn’t mean winning.
Lakers and Spurs – those two teams dominated the 2000s and also most of our 12-man decade team. Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal and Tim Duncan won multiple titles. Going down the list, Dwyane Wade, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett won single championships. LeBron James, Jason Kidd, Dirk Nowitzki and Allen Iverson all made NBA Finals. The only anomalies on the list are Steve Nash, who never could reach the NBA Finals, and Tracy McGrady, who got a lot of flack for failing to even get out of the first round.
What does this all mean? Teams with great players win titles, but in a decade dominated by a few superpowers led by superstars, a great many struggled to even reach the Finals. And these guys we’re talking about are potential Hall of Famers. Just think about this: How many of these guys could be worthy of knocking some of the original 50 Greatest Players out of the Top 50?
Kobe, Shaq, LeBron and Duncan are shoo-ins with Iverson, Nash, Nowitzki, Wade and Kidd holding arguable places among the league’s greatest ever. Why does this make it the greatest decade of all-time? Because for every great performance that took teams over the top, there were equally great performances on the losing side.
Some would say Nash has yet to reach the Finals because of flukes like Joe Johnson‘s broken orbital bone in 2005 in the Western Conference Finals, then because of Amar’e Stoudemire‘s knee and eye injuries. Jason Kidd was stopped in the Finals by Kobe and Shaq, then Duncan in two consecutive years. Tracy McGrady could never go deep in the playoffs because of guys like Nowitzki knocking him out, and Yao Ming‘s injuries didn’t help his cause. Even LeBron was shot down by Duncan in the Finals during a 2007 Spurs sweep. He again lost to Pierce and Garnett in the 2008 playoffs.
Of course, we know what’s happened in the new decade. Nowitzki finally won his title. Wade and LeBron are likely to win at least one in the next few years. But the 2000s was the prerequisite for all three of those superstars to succeed. That’s how dramatic it was, and we’re not even considering the blossoming of guys like Kevin Durant or Dwight Howard, because though they were dominant figures in the league from the onset of their careers, they weren’t even on the second-tier of best players by 2009.
The conglomerate of players was deadly talented, but even some guys who will land in the Naismith Hall Of Fame couldn’t win in a dog-eat-dog world. And that’s what made the 2000s so great.
Best Player: Kobe Bryant
Best Team: Los Angeles Lakers
Best Song/Artist/Band: “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley/Eminem/U2
Best Movie: Lord of the Ring series
Best TV Show/Cartoon: The Sopranos/South Park
Best MTV Show: True Life
Best News Story: Usain Bolt’s burst onto the scene in the 2008 Olympics
Best/Funniest Coach: Gregg Popovich (for both)
Was this the best decade of NBA basketball?
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July 19th, 2011 at 2:06 pm
Rainman says:
i can agree with the 12 player temas for the 2000 decade, Nash def deserves a spot, as does Kidd,
ur list of best song, artist, best movie, etc are a little far fetched, leave all that stuff for the pro’s and stick to basketball , would be my advice lol
July 19th, 2011 at 2:08 pm
Rainman says:
btw the 90′s and 80′s would have something to say about the 2000′s being the best decade lol
July 19th, 2011 at 2:13 pm
Doc says:
the shaq timmy kobe era
July 19th, 2011 at 2:18 pm
Conoro says:
Agree with the nearly the entire list, the sole exception being U2. Good article, DIME.
July 19th, 2011 at 2:18 pm
Conoro says:
* Agree with nearly the entire list, the sole exception being U2. Good article, DIME.
July 19th, 2011 at 2:18 pm
AC says:
Vinsanity over T-Mac
July 19th, 2011 at 2:19 pm
Kevin Zimmerman says:
In my defense, was going with well-received song/artist/movie opposed to pure personal choice… though I’d keep Em as artist either way.
July 19th, 2011 at 2:31 pm
Dayinho says:
Best TV Show: The wire!
July 19th, 2011 at 2:52 pm
WR says:
VC over T-Mac. And by the way, Nowitzki also won a Championship. If you dig deep enough you’ll notice.
July 19th, 2011 at 3:21 pm
panchitoooo says:
the 2000s have been a great decade in basketball and not only for the NBA. the Dream Team got lots of exposure in China and im sure inspired lots of people to play. the level of play in the WNBA is steadily improving. David Stern has invested alot of money into NBA advertising these past few years. the 2002 draft class with Lebron, Melo, and Wade really got everyones attention. and players like Kobe, Shaq, KG, Pierce, and Allen all searching for a ring before its too late. this decade had 2 epic battles showcasing the Lakers and Celtics. lots of talk about whos the GOAT, which isnt possible if the players arent as great as other decades. television commercials for Better Basketball, Magic johnsons video and even a steve nash video to improve you balling skills. cant forget the popularity of And 1 mixtapes that birthed a tour that birthed a reality TV show. then the introduction of the greatest basketball video game ever 2k11 with MJ on the cover. NBA Streets Vol 2 was sick too but not on 2k11s level. there was also i shoe and jersey trend in the 2000s that got lots of people on the NBA too. they even tried to use a new FIBA baketball (without crossing lines) during the regular season but that didnt work much like the new soccer ball in the World Cup. NBA even accepted and changed a few rules to allow instant replay….what else?
July 19th, 2011 at 3:23 pm
yentron says:
who likes U2 other than old people who are trying to be cool?
July 19th, 2011 at 3:33 pm
i am a witness says:
TIM DUNCAN is the best player of this decade not KOBE BRYANT
July 19th, 2011 at 3:45 pm
cesar says:
u2?
south park above family guy?
usain bolt above 9/11?
noway
July 19th, 2011 at 3:49 pm
panchitoooo says:
2000s also made the iverson sleeve the most popular its ever been and even went as far as wearing compression tights to play, which eventually was banned. they theres Dwight turning into superman in the dunk contest and then lil Nate doing his kryp walk on Dwights head to win the next 2 or was it 3. then you got steve nash making passing fashionalbe again just like Magic did way back when. cant forget the overload of high pick and rolls this decade that every team runs, so much that i see people doing it on streetball courts more and more often. im pretty sure the NBATV was first aired in the 2000s too bringing you the best highlights and up to the minute reports plus the NBA package so you never miss a game. oh and those lil kids in youtube video with the sickest handles is all 2000s. then theres the trick shot fad made famous by MR. Nice Guy, i think thats his name. im going to put kenny and charles in there too cause they do it big on TNT. Lebron and a few other even made basketball documentarys. UConn womens basketball, WOW! almost forgot the dress code inforced by David Stern and the rise of tatoos has to be linked somehow. 2000s brought lots of shoe technology like the flywire and stuff like that…what else?
July 19th, 2011 at 3:56 pm
Steve Nash says:
hmmm… Bolt? how about Dime is born!!!
July 19th, 2011 at 4:07 pm
Ian says:
I have duncan over kobe and shaq theres no way i can pick kobe or shaq over td since most of their dominance came playing together. Had td and kobe played together and every player keeps their same accomplishments then shaq would be my pick.
Manu shoulda been mentioned.
Best show 24
Band the black keys
Song ten cent pistol
Movie celda 211
Cartoon none
Mtv jersey shore (im messing)
July 19th, 2011 at 5:49 pm
crossphaded says:
As exciting as the league is in the 2000s with so many super athletic players, the 1980′s reign supreme as the best NBA decade ever.
Not only did teams score like crazy, but the arguably the greatest players played during this era. Jordan, Hakeem, Kareem, Magic, Bird, Isaiah, Ewing, Dr. J, etc.
What sets this decade apart from today is the rules. Present day superstars flourish and can score at will with how restricted defensive players are at handchecking and body contact. I can tell you guys like Durant and Lebron and DWade wouldn’t be scoring as much as they do right now. For one thing, they would get their head taken off driving to the line as much as they do now. Defenses could get away with alot more back then and physicality was part of the game. You know a player was good(MJ) if he could still score in bushels and know he’s getting hammered half the time thats why I agree with MJ’s claim he could score over 100 in a game with present-day rules, no question.
the 80s had much more legit centers and the game didn’t revolve around 3-pt shooting as much. Today, players have fallen in love with the 3 and its taken away from the art of the inside and midrange game. FG% numbers have suffered big time. What happened to a Jeff Malone pull-up jumper from 12 feet out?
1980′s FTW!
July 19th, 2011 at 6:01 pm
Duncanrules says:
TD was the best in the 2000′s. For real.
July 19th, 2011 at 10:41 pm
Celts Fan says:
Best of the 2000s: TD, Shaq, then Kobe.
@Cesar – ya, south park’s infinitely better than Family Guy. love Family Guy, but it ain’t even close.
@WR – you’re an idiot. is 2011 in the 2000s decade?
My list:
Best Player: TD
Best Team: Los Angeles Lakers
Best Song/Artist/Band: Em/Jigga
Best Movie: The Dark Knight/The Hangover (not a strong decade for great movies. even Memento and Gladiator were in 2000, which doesn’t count as this decade)
Best TV Show/Cartoon: The Wire/Dexter/The Sopranos/South Park
Best MTV Show: who watches this shit?
Best News Story: Obama (politics aside, even the staunchest conservative had to be proud to be an American on that night. @ dude saying 9/11, keyword here is “Best.” obv that’s the biggest)
Best/Funniest Coach: Pop
July 20th, 2011 at 4:13 am
dcyrilcasa says:
The 1990′s for me is the best decade of the NBA. Not only I got to see MJ’s greatness. That was also the decade I got interseted in sports.
July 20th, 2011 at 10:41 am
dagwaller says:
In the 2000s, we have so many fond memories because it’s all fresh.
And who can remember (accurately) the 80s/90s? All of their negatives are glossed over.
It’s all good. I have the 90s, but it’s all good.
July 21st, 2011 at 9:20 am
Jro says:
TD OVER KOBE FOR BEST PLAYER YALL CRAZY AS HELL…aint no way that gonna fly when the lakers knocked the spurs outta the playoffs 3 times in the decade
August 1st, 2011 at 11:53 am
grock says:
phil is the best coach eva