The 2015-16 Golden State Warriors made a case for themselves as the greatest team ever by winning 73 regular-season games. However, they came up short in the NBA Finals and fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, who had won 72 games and held the record for 20 years, ended up winning 87 games throughout the season (playoff included) and took the NBA Championship home. However, they did lose 10 games in the regular-season and three in the playoffs.
So, if those two great teams weren’t able to pull off the perfect season (82-0, 16-0 in the playoffs). Who could pull it off? Impossible as it may seem, if we put together some of the greatest 5 players ever, they could actually do it. That’s why today, we’re going to let you know about the perfect team that could go 98-0:
G- Stephen Curry
Like him or not, Stephen Curry is the greatest shooter ever. He may not be your old-school pass-first kind of point guard but he sure knows how to get his teammates involved. He can play off-ball as well thanks to his intelligence, never-ending energy, and ability to read opposing defenses with his constant movements and backdoor cuts.
There’s simply no effective way of trying to contain Curry other than trying to trap him all over the court and even so, he’s got the quickest release in the league and can pull up from everywhere. He’ll never be a good on-ball defender, but makes up for it as the ultimate offensive juggernaut.
G – Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant is one of the fiercest competitors ever. He drew a lot of criticism because of how much he wanted to prove that he was ‘the man’ but that mentality paved his way to 5 NBA Championships. Also, he was the one to give 110% on every single play.
Kobe’s offensive skills have been praised enough but his defense was nearly as good. He was a pesky, suffocating stopper that could lock down the best players in the world any given night and would never back down from that challenge.
G – Michael Jordan
No perfect team would be complete without the greatest player ever and that’s Michael Jordan. MJ was simply unstoppable but he was also one of the most dominant defenders in the world as well. He’s just one of five guards to win the Defensive Player of the Year.
Jordan was always going to score 30 on you, so all you could hope is for him to not embarrass you more than usual. Also, his competitive spirit made him play with a chip on his shoulder every night out there and he was going to spare no victims.
F – LeBron James
LeBron James must be the best overall player in NBA history. His game has no significant flaws and he’s a guy that’s always thrived while making everybody around him better. He may have the highest basketball IQ this game has ever seen.
Moreover, James’ durability and strength still make him a driving force impossible to contain in the paint and his presence will grant his teammates a lot of wide-open shots in the perimeter. He could even run the point for this squad.
C – Shaquille O’Neal
Shaquille O’Neal is the most dominant big man in the history of the game. His strength, hops, and athleticism were unprecedented at the time and there wasn’t a guy in the world that could stop him in his prime. If it wasn’t for his free-throw shooting, he would’ve been a perfect center.
But Shaq was more than just power and strength. He was also incredibly gifted and intelligent, as well as a willing passer and physical defender. He could still dominate in this era – or any era – despite his lack of range from beyond the arc.
Conclusion
This is the perfect line up because they have the top three best players of all time in Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James. Also, they’re paired with the greatest shooter ever in Stephen Curry, and the most dominant big man ever in Shaquille O’Neal.
This lineup has five offensive players, four of them capable of running the point and facilitating for others. Also, James and Shaq in the paint would be just too strong to be stopped by any frontcourt in the history of the game.
Also, they have plenty of shooting with Curry, Kobe, and LeBron, and they’d be deadly in the pick-and-roll with Shaq setting screens.
If we talk about isolation, they have arguably the two best ISO players in NBA history in Jordan and Kobe, or they could just run a backdoor cut with Shaq and lob it to the big man. You know no one’s stopping him.
Shaq would be surrounded by four of the most gifted offensive players ever, so defenses wouldn’t be able to double or triple-team him without leaving James, Curry, Jordan or Bryant wide open.
And last but not least, all of them but Curry are outstanding defenders, even LeBron when locked in, so there won’t be any easy buckets for their rivals. This lineup is definitely going 98-0.
Next
Who Wins 1 On 1 Game: 16-Year-Old LeBron James vs. 38-Year-Old Michael Jordan (Full Breakdown)
The Superstar Duo That Almost Happened: Stephen Curry And Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Undeniable Reasons Why Michael Jordan Is The Best Of All Time
How Did Your Favorite NBA Team Get Its Name? The Origin Of Every NBA Team’s Name
Ranking The Greatest NBA Point Guards By Tiers
