Yogi's Top 3 NBA Greatest All-Time starting lineups (1 Viewer)

[Yogibear]

Being the NBA historian that I am, I've watched a lot of basketball ever since I was born back in 1976, and I did some research on the action that took place between when the NBA first started back in 1946 until the day I was born, and I've put together my All-Time 1st, 2nd, & 3rd team NBA Lineups.  I know this is going to spark some debate:

1st Team NBA (All-Time)

Point Guard: Magic Johnson

Shooting Guard: Michael Jordan

Small Forward: Larry Bird

Power Forward: Karl Malone

Center: Bill Russell

2nd Team NBA (All-Time)

Point Guard: John Stockton

Shooting Guard: Kobe Bryant

Small Forward: LeBron James

Power Forward: Tim Duncan

Center: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

3rd Team NBA (All-Time)

Point Guard: Isiah Thomas

Shooting Guard: Jerry West

Small Forward: Julius Erving

Power Forward: Charles Barkley

Center: Wilt Chamberlain

Does everyone agree with my Top 3 lineups?  And if you had to do your Top 3 All-Time lineups, who would it include?

 

[Deamon]

This is so subjective, everyone will have a different group.  Doubt anyone on earth is identical to this. 

- I unfortunately would put Lebron in over Bird.
- How true to positions do you have to be?  If I could start any 5, I'd put Bird in at PF and run with Magic, MJ, LBJ, Bird, Russel
- Duncan over Malone I'd probably do too.
- If it's from a fantasy perspective, I'd put Kareem in over Russel.  But if this was a real life lineup, I agree with Russel.  There's enough scoring on the team and his defense would be much needed and amazing down there.
- Hard to put Shaq in over Russell, Kareem, or Wilt, but wouldn't fault anyone for putting him even on the first team if you could literally build any line up.  He was so unstoppable down low and would be very tough to guard 1 on 1 (let's see you double him with Bird, Magic, MJ, Lebron waiting for a pass out)

 

[Koya]

If we are just picking best players, Lebron has to go first team.  That said, if this were an All Star game, I could see Bird and the additional range as a better complement to the other guys, Lebron as the arguably 2nd best player ever leading the 'second' unit, and I like he matched with Russell and Wilt banging it down low with Bird stretching the floor.

I'd put Wilt in #1 also, because of the sheer physicality with the other talent around him.

Oscar Robertson is 2nd team for me, bumping Stockton as I'd still go with Isaih 3rd team.

 

[Yogibear]

- Hard to put Shaq in over Russell, Kareem, or Wilt, but wouldn't fault anyone for putting him even on the first team if you could literally build any line up.  He was so unstoppable down low and would be very tough to guard 1 on 1 (let's see you double him with Bird, Magic, MJ, Lebron waiting for a pass out)

You can say the same thing about Hakeem Olajuwon as well.

 

[Deamon]

You can say the same thing about Hakeem Olajuwon as well.

naaaahhhhhh not to near the same degree. 

 

[wikkidpissah]

time for an all-time draft?

 

[Yogibear]

The following 4 lineups received consideration, but, in the end didn't make the cut:

1st-Team (All-Time) Honorable Mention

Point Guard: Oscar Robertson

Shooting Guard: Dwayne Wade

Small Forward: Scottie Pippen

Power Forward: Kevin Garnett

Center: Hakeem Olajuwon

2nd-Team (All-Time) Honorable Mention

Point Guard: Jason Kidd

Shooting Guard: Clyde Drexler

Small Forward: Elgin Baylor

Power Forward: Dirk Nowitzki

Center: Shaquille O'Neal

3rd-Team (All-Time) Honorable Mention

Point Guard: Bob Cousy

Shooting Guard: Allen Iverson

Small Forward: John Havlicek

Power Forward: Bob Pettit

Center: Moses Malone

4th-Team (All-Time) Honorable Mention

Point Guard: Steve Nash

Shooting Guard: George Gervin

Small Forward: Rick Barry

Power Forward: Kevin McHale

Center: David Robinson

 

[Koya]

time for an all-time draft?

Last time we did I got got ridiculed for picking Lebron in the second round halfway through his rookie year. Could already tell the kid was for real. #### I remember making he pick at my job back in NY, knowing the #### storm that would ensue... bonus was that I was able to snipe him from @larry_boy_44

A LOT of talent since then as we would have Durant and others far more prominent. 

I definitely know more now about the NBA than I did then... was not nearly the masterful job @Orange Crush and I did in the All Time Football Draft.

 

[wikkidpissah]

Last time we did I got got ridiculed for picking Lebron in the second round halfway through his rookie year. Could already tell the kid was for real. #### I remember making he pick at my job back in NY, knowing the #### storm that would ensue... bonus was that I was able to snipe him from @larry_boy_44

A LOT of talent since then as we would have Durant and others far more prominent. 

I definitely know more now about the NBA than I did then... was not nearly the masterful job @Orange Crush and I did in the All Time Football Draft.

you were in the baseball one, too, right? that was fun. it's been a decade+, i'd say - time to go at it again

 

[Koya]

you were in the baseball one, too, right? that was fun. it's been a decade+, i'd say - time to go at it again

Yeah, baseball I've always known well... did pretty well in that, and the best thing to come from the baseball draft was the end of draft simfishing experiemnt that led to 25 or so seasons of What If Sports simulations and back to the future leagues (in which yours truly is FFA BTTF NBA World Champion, even though I knew #### about the current NBA going in...   looooosers)

 

[Yogibear]

I have the book "Sports Illustrated: Basketball's Greatest" that I picked up from Barnes & Noble last year.  The book came out in 2014.  I was looking through the book and they gave the full results of who was top among who was the greatest of the 5 major position players.  Here's the full results:

Point Guard

1. Magic Johnson

2. John Stockton

3. Isiah Thomas

4. Oscar Robertson

5. Jason Kidd

6. Bob Cousy

7. Steve Nash

8. Walt Frazier

9. Gary Payton

10. Chris Paul

11. Jerry West

12. Lenny Wilkens

13. Nate (Tiny) Archibald

14. Maurice Cheeks

15. Mark Jackson

16. Tony Parker

Shooting Guard

1. Michael Jordan

2. Kobe Bryant

3. Jerry West

4. Dwayne Wade

5. Clyde Drexler

6. Allen Iverson

7. George Gervin

8. Oscar Robertson

9. Sam Jones

10. Reggie Miller

11. Walt Frazier

12. Ray Allen

13. Pete Maravich

14. Earl Monroe

15. Manu Ginobili

16. Joe Dumars

17. Bill Sharman

18. Gail Goodrich

19. John Havlicek

20. Sidney Moncrief

Small Forward

1. Larry Bird

2. LeBron James

3. Julius Erving

4. Scottie Pippen

5. Elgin Baylor

6. John Havlicek

7. Rick Barry

8. James Worthy

9. Dominique Wilkins

10. Paul Pierce

11. Kevin Durant

12. Bernard King

13. Chris Mullin

14. Paul Arizin

15. Bernard King

Power Forward

1. Karl Malone

2. Tim Duncan

3. Charles Barkley

4. Kevin Garnett

5. Dirk Nowitzki

6. Bob Pettit

7. Kevin McHale

8. Elvin Hayes

9. Dolph Schayes

10. Elgin Baylor

11. Dennis Rodman

12. David Robinson

13. Tom Heinsohn

14. Bob McAdoo

15. Kevin Durant

16. Pau Gasol

17. Wes Unseld

Center

1. Bill Russell

2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

3. Wilt Chamberlain

4. Hakeem Olajuwon

5. Shaquille O'Neal

6. Moses Malone

7. David Robinson

8. George Mikan

9. Willis Reed

10. Bill Walton

11. Patrick Ewing

12. Tim Duncan

13. Bob Lanier

14. Robert Parish

15. Nate Thurmond

Now, as you notice, some guys have their names at more than one position, which makes it hard to do an all-time draft for NBA basketball.

 

[Bruce Dickinson]

So your top 3 lineups aren't yours, but from an SI book from 2014?  Am I reading that right?

 

[Yogibear]

So your top 3 lineups aren't yours, but from an SI book from 2014?  Am I reading that right?

The rankings are from SI.  But, I formulated my lineups from those rankings.