99-07 Spurs vs Bad Boy Pistons

[That Nicka]

Spurs: 4 Championships in 9 years

Tony Parker/Avery Johnson(99)
Manu Ginobili/Stephen Jackson(03)
Bruce Bowen/Sean Elliot(99)
Tim Duncan/Malik Rose (99, 03)
David Robinson(99, 03)/Fab Oberto

vs

Pistons: 2 Championships in 2 years (3 straight Finals appearances)

Isiah Thomas
Joe Dumars/Vinnie Johnson
Mark Aguire
Rick Mahorn/Dennis Rodman
Bill Laimbeer/James Edwards/John Salley

Which was the better team?

[Baller 24]

Spurs.

[JordansBulls]

Pistons were better. They had no cupcakes in the finals nor Conference Finals.

[kooldude]

If you combine the Spurs teams, then of course the Spurs. The Admiral was still an All-Star and elite defender in '99.

[A.J.]

Spurs

[A.J.]

Pistons were better. They had no cupcakes in the finals nor Conference Finals.

The Pistons weren't cupcakes.

[conleyorbust]

The better team? Does that mean the best one year out of any or which team was more dominant over a period?

You could make the argument that the 89' Pistons were the best team the Pistons or Spurs have fielded but the Bad Boys didn't have anywhere close the the sustained dominance the the Spurs have had.

[Liqourish]

Your comparing a franchise over 9 yrs to a team of 2 years

If it's just one team... I take the bad boys hands down.

I'll take

Isiah Thomas
Joe Dumars/Vinnie Johnson
Mark Aguire /Dennis Rodman
Rick Mahorn/John Salley
Bill Laimbeer/James Edwards

over

Tony Parker
Manu Ginobili/Brent Barry
Bruce Bowen/Michael Finley
Tim Duncan/Robert Horry
Fabricio Oberto/Kurt Thomas

every single time.

[Hunter]

yeah, not really sure how you are comparing a franchise over the course of almost a decade to a team over a 2 year span. That first Spurs team was so drastically different than the last one too.

For what it's worth I think the Bad Boys were better than any of the Spurs Championship teams.

[Patterns]

Spurs.

It's easy to say that "x" team will beat the Spurs but every year, they seem to surprise a lot of people by dominating a team that they're not suppose to, ex, this year's Suns.

It's insanely tough to beat the Spurs in a 7 game series because they adjust so well and they always seem to bounce back some how. Just ask the Hornets.

[That Nicka]

To Liqourish and Hunter:

The reason I am making this comparison/asking this question is because on the writer roundtable on espn.com they were asking where the Spurs rank among the dynasties of the last 3 decades... Most of them said 5th behind the:

Bulls
Lakers (80s)
Celtics (80s)
Lakers (00)

Some said they were behind the Pistons as well... So I was just wondering what RealGMers thought...

5. How do the Spurs rate among the greatest franchises of the past three decades?

Adande: They go sixth, behind the '80s Lakers, the '80s Celtics, the '90s Bulls, the three-peat Lakers and the underrated Pistons Bad Boys teams.

Bucher: A top-five franchise, along with Lakers, Celtics, Pistons and Bulls.

Hollinger: While these Spurs can't hang with the Shaq-and-Kobe three-peat or the Lakers and Celtics teams from the '80s, I'd put them up against any other team from the past three decades.

Sheridan: I'll rank 'em behind the '90s Bulls and the '80s Lakers and Celtics, a notch ahead of the Bad Boys Pistons.


http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2 ... urs-080529

[Hard2dhole]

To Liqourish and Hunter:

The reason I am making this comparison/asking this question is because on the writer roundtable on espn.com they were asking where the Spurs rank among the dynasties of the last 3 decades... Most of them said 5th behind the:

Bulls
Lakers (80s)
Celtics (80s)
Lakers (00)

Some said they were behind the Pistons as well... So I was just wondering what RealGMers thought...

5. How do the Spurs rate among the greatest franchises of the past three decades?

Adande: They go sixth, behind the '80s Lakers, the '80s Celtics, the '90s Bulls, the three-peat Lakers and the underrated Pistons Bad Boys teams.

Bucher: A top-five franchise, along with Lakers, Celtics, Pistons and Bulls.

Hollinger: While these Spurs can't hang with the Shaq-and-Kobe three-peat or the Lakers and Celtics teams from the '80s, I'd put them up against any other team from the past three decades.

Sheridan: I'll rank 'em behind the '90s Bulls and the '80s Lakers and Celtics, a notch ahead of the Bad Boys Pistons.


http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2 ... urs-080529

But that was a franchise against a franchise not a hand picked best of a decade vs the best of a 2 yr run.

[shawngoat23]

Pistons would destroy the Spurs.

The Spurs are a very good franchise, but they can't go against a championship team from the 1980s. It's not an indictment of the players, but a result of league expansion and CBA rules. It was much easier to collect elite talent in the 1980s, and the Pistons were one such team.

[Hunter]

Keep in the mind the Pistons very nearly won it all in '88 as well, and in some peoples minds would have if not for a horrible call against Bill Laimbeer in game 6, in which the replay clearly showed there was NO contact.

[DwayneSchintzus]

Keep in the mind the Pistons very nearly won it all in '88 as well, and in some peoples minds would have if not for a horrible call against Bill Laimbeer in game 6, in which the replay clearly showed there was NO contact.

boo-hoo

the spurs could say the same thing- they got jammed in 2004 and 2006.

gimme the silver and black. let's see laimbeer guard duncan.

[Baller 24]

The dominance of Duncan would be shown in that series. Prime Duncan is one of the most dominant power forwards ever. And I have no doubt in my mind, he would show up in that series, like he has in every finals appearance.

[Liqourish]

-= original quote snipped =-
boo-hoo

the spurs could say the same thing- they got jammed in 2004 and 2006.

gimme the silver and black. let's see laimbeer guard duncan.

Let's see Duncan survive having Laimbeer gaurd him

[Warspite]

The Bad Boys were in 5 straight ECFs from 87-91. The Spurs simply are not consistant enough. The teams the Bad Boys lost to are pretty impressive

86 Celtics: Top 5 team all time (in 6 games)
87 Celtics (in 7 games playing w/o 2 of 3 leading scorers for 11/2 games)
88 Lakers Repeat Champ in 7 games after Isiah severaly sprains ankle
91 Bulls Top 10 team all time (after Isiah broke his wrist).

The teams the pistons beat are also pretty impressive

Larry Birds Celtics 88-92
Magics Lakers 89
MJs Bulls 88-90
TrailBlazers 90

The differance between the Celtics/Lakers/Pistons of the late 80s is a play here or there. If you think the Spurs are better than the Pistons then they are as good or better than Magics, Birds and MJs teams.

The 89 Pistons were voted in as 1 of the 10 best of all time.

My final piece fo evidence is that Patterns picked the Spurs and we all know hes incorrect about 99.99% of the time.

[That Nicka]

My final piece fo evidence is that Patterns picked the Spurs and we all know hes incorrect about 99.99% of the time.

[Hunter]

I think Laimbeer, Mahorn, Edwards, Salley & Rodman probably could have done OK against Duncan lol. Timmy has never seen that sorta punishment. Ever.