Is 1987-88 the single greatest season in NBA history? If not, what is?

[Baboontyme 2809]

I recently finished a book, When the Game was War by Rich Cohen. Good book, I recommend it if you're a fan of the NBA. He posits that 87-88 was the greatest season in NBA history because it was more or less the confluence of 4 dynasties, and how their stories and rivalries were intertwined. He tells the story centered around Bird, Magic, Isiah and Jordan. It's a pretty compelling argument imo but even more compelling are some of the stories. I found the history and, I guess, tone, of some of the stories spot on. He talks about the respect and friendship that developed with Magic and Larry, he talks about how and why Magic and Zeke's relationship soured and he's real about stuff without sugarcoating it. 

Anyway, he said that when he surveyed people, some of the other seasons that got mentioned more than once or twice were the Last Dance year, the '08 Celtics beating the Lakers, and the 2016 72-9, 3-1 season. What say you? 

 

Edited June 11 by Baboontyme

[n64ra 1080]

93-94 for plenty of reasons:

 

• The Mavs almost became the first team to lose 70 or more games in consecutive seasons. They finished 13–69.
• Neither the Lakers nor the Celtics made the playoffs.
• David Robinson had the 4th (and most recent) quadruple-double (34 points, 10 each rebounds, assists, and blocks).
• The Rockets tied a record set in 1948 by the Washington Capitals in starting the season with 15 victories; they started the season 22–1 before finishing with a 58–24 record.
• Olajuwon won MVP and Defensive Player of the Year.
• NBA champion Houston Rockets!!!
• OJ car chase

[Baboontyme 2809]

4 hours ago, n64ra said:

93-94 for plenty of reasons:

 

• The Mavs almost became the first team to lose 70 or more games in consecutive seasons. They finished 13–69.
• Neither the Lakers nor the Celtics made the playoffs.
• David Robinson had the 4th (and most recent) quadruple-double (34 points, 10 each rebounds, assists, and blocks).
• The Rockets tied a record set in 1948 by the Washington Capitals in starting the season with 15 victories; they started the season 22–1 before finishing with a 58–24 record.
• Olajuwon won MVP and Defensive Player of the Year.
• NBA champion Houston Rockets!!!
• OJ car chase

Fair, especially for the State of Texas. Other notable happenings: 

No MJ

Finals went 7

Penny and C Webb are rookies

Robinson scored 71 on the last day of the season to win scoring title

Isiah tears his Achilles and if forced to retire

Mutombo and the Nuggets first 8 to beat a 1

I'd still be partial to 87-88 but solid take.

[conVINCEd 21469]

 Mavs/Lakers WCF was an epic series.  It will get overlooked because of the star power in the rest of the bracket, but that was an epic series.  The Mavs, Hawks, and Bucks from that era are criminally underrated teams because they couldn’t get over the Lakers/Celtics hump.  Look at those rosters, those teams were fucking loaded.  

 

[Wulaw Horn 19063]

I think 85-86 has a good argument. Celtics 40-1 at home won an absolute mission- looking like an3 in a row against the Lakers who are also loaded and then whoa! Rockets- where did that come from. 
You had young Jordan and Barkley a d all the other guys from that incredible 83 class just staring to make their name- good rivalry emerging with the Pistons etc. all that was more flushed out in 87-88 but the year before had lots of the same stuff going for it plus that historically awesome Celtics team. 
I’d make an argument for 92. Jordan at his absolute Apex- the Olympics were coming and the Dream Twam was just fun to think about as you had so much talent as the 83 draft class guys were fully there- while Bird and Magic were bowing out. 
it also doesn’t hurt that 92 college basketball might have been at its absolute apex and staged the greatest game I will likely ever watch in Duke v Kentucky in 92, Fab 5, UNLV all that great stuff. Basketball was great then. I didn’t google any of that stuff as I was 14 and am going by memory. I’m sure I got some of that wrong but that’s what happens when you get old…. 

[Baboontyme 2809]

23 minutes ago, Wulaw Horn said:

I think 85-86 has a good argument. Celtics 40-1 at home won an absolute mission- looking like an3 in a row against the Lakers who are also loaded and then whoa! Rockets- where did that come from. 
You had young Jordan and Barkley a d all the other guys from that incredible 83 class just staring to make their name- good rivalry emerging with the Pistons etc. all that was more flushed out in 87-88 but the year before had lots of the same stuff going for it plus that historically awesome Celtics team. 
I’d make an argument for 92. Jordan at his absolute Apex- the Olympics were coming and the Dream Twam was just fun to think about as you had so much talent as the 83 draft class guys were fully there- while Bird and Magic were bowing out. 
it also doesn’t hurt that 92 college basketball might have been at its absolute apex and staged the greatest game I will likely ever watch in Duke v Kentucky in 92, Fab 5, UNLV all that great stuff. Basketball was great then. I didn’t google any of that stuff as I was 14 and am going by memory. I’m sure I got some of that wrong but that’s what happens when you get old…. 

I'm a few years younger than you, but I don't remember the 85-86 season. I think I came into NBA consciousness in 86-87. I was a MLB kid and the hometown team won the WS when I was 7 in 84 so I was hooked. I remember in 86-87 everyone getting worked up about not being able to get over the hump with the Celtics and so I started paying attention. And then it seemed like they were going to, and then Vinnie collided with AD, and then there's a steal by Bird happened and then everyone and everything became about beating Boston. That's why 87-88 is an easy sell for me. 

You also have some good points about 92. I certainly understand why he wasn't but I think the kid in me is still pissed that Isiah was left off. By merit he definitely deserved a spot. 

 

[Wulaw Horn 19063]

50 minutes ago, Baboontyme said:

I'm a few years younger than you, but I don't remember the 85-86 season. I think I came into NBA consciousness in 86-87. I was a MLB kid and the hometown team won the WS when I was 7 in 84 so I was hooked. I remember in 86-87 everyone getting worked up about not being able to get over the hump with the Celtics and so I started paying attention. And then it seemed like they were going to, and then Vinnie collided with AD, and then there's a steal by Bird happened and then everyone and everything became about beating Boston. That's why 87-88 is an easy sell for me. 

You also have some good points about 92. I certainly understand why he wasn't but I think the kid in me is still pissed that Isiah was left off. By merit he definitely deserved a spot. 

 

For sure on IT. And basketball talent wise Shaq deserved to be on that team but CL was the greatest college player of my lifetime and Duke won back to back titles and he was a 4 year guy so that all made sense at the time- even though Shaq was clearly a force of nature. 
As an FYI I was 6 I guess when the Tigers won it all and I remember being mesmerized and waking up and checking the paper every day at the start of the season as they started like what- 35-5 or something absurd and ridiculous like that. 
And, I booked my first bet (and cashed) in Vegas for 5 bucks in Vegas with my dad on the tigers to win. 

[Baboontyme 2809]

Yep 35-5. Bless You Boys. I misread your other post, thought you were saying you were 14 in 85-86. Anyway, yeah those were good times sports-wise when we were kids. 

[Wulaw Horn 19063]

10 hours ago, Baboontyme said:

Yep 35-5. Bless You Boys. I misread your other post, thought you were saying you were 14 in 85-86. Anyway, yeah those were good times sports-wise when we were kids. 

I grew up in the Bay Area and lived there until 1990 when I was 12 and moved to houston. 
my first sports memory was the 49ers losing in the championship game in 83 to the redskins. The next year they went 15-1 and dominated everyone. I thought that was completely normal. Saw 2 more 49er titles before we left, run TMC warriors, a couple Stanford college baseball titles (it was free to go so dad took us a lot) and a giants division and another pennant. No complaints at all!  

[Frank Drebin 5654]

13 hours ago, Wulaw Horn said:

I think 85-86 has a good argument. Celtics 40-1 at home won an absolute mission- looking like an3 in a row against the Lakers who are also loaded and then whoa! Rockets- where did that come from. 
You had young Jordan and Barkley a d all the other guys from that incredible 83 class just staring to make their name- good rivalry emerging with the Pistons etc. all that was more flushed out in 87-88 but the year before had lots of the same stuff going for it plus that historically awesome Celtics team. 
I’d make an argument for 92. Jordan at his absolute Apex- the Olympics were coming and the Dream Twam was just fun to think about as you had so much talent as the 83 draft class guys were fully there- while Bird and Magic were bowing out. 
it also doesn’t hurt that 92 college basketball might have been at its absolute apex and staged the greatest game I will likely ever watch in Duke v Kentucky in 92, Fab 5, UNLV all that great stuff. Basketball was great then. I didn’t google any of that stuff as I was 14 and am going by memory. I’m sure I got some of that wrong but that’s what happens when you get old…. 

Boston almost assuredly still wins, but I would have loved to see that Houston-Boston series with John Lucas playing.  He was really, really good at PG and his loss due to coke hurt the team.  They had to move Robert Reid to PG.  He did a nice job.  But he was out of position.

1986 Rockets were very deep.  Olajuwon, Sampson, Lucas, Lew Lloyd, Rodney McRay, Bobby Joe Reid, Wiggins.  I think with Lucas playing that Boston wins in 7 instead of 6.

Then you have the what if on Rockets versus Lakers for the back half of the 80s had Sampson stayed healthy and Lucas, Lloyd, and Wiggins avoided cocaine. 

 

[Mitch Cumsteen 18547]

28 minutes ago, Frank Drebin said:

Boston almost assuredly still wins, but I would have loved to see that Houston-Boston series with John Lucas playing.  He was really, really good at PG and his loss due to coke hurt the team.  They had to move Robert Reid to PG.  He did a nice job.  But he was out of position.

1986 Rockets were very deep.  Olajuwon, Sampson, Lucas, Lew Lloyd, Rodney McRay, Bobby Joe Reid, Wiggins.  I think with Lucas playing that Boston wins in 7 instead of 6.

Then you have the what if on Rockets versus Lakers for the back half of the 80s had Sampson stayed healthy and Lucas, Lloyd, and Wiggins avoided cocaine. 

No disrespect the the Rocket fans, but @Wulaw Horn would have a much better case for 1986 if Sampson doesn't hit that shot and it's the rubber match between the Lakers and Celtics from the previous two finals. Sorry, but that would have been much, much bigger.

But in that same vein of overvaluing your own team in these types of discussions....  I could make an argument for 2014. It was the last of the Duncan-era Spurs rings, winning the title playing the beautiful game and avenging the prior year's loss to Miami in the finals. Lebron was at his absolute peak with the Heatles. Durant won MVP and OKC won 59 games. The Splash Brothers Warriors were just hitting their runway, one year away from their first title. Lebron, KD and Steph really defined the NBA for nearly the next 10 years. The west was ridiculous that year -- you had Lob City Clippers and the Harden/Dwight Howard Rockets. Portland with upstart Lillard and Aldridge, and the Grit and Grind Grizzlies. And it was probably Dirk's last great year before he started tailing off. 

[Frank Drebin 5654]

10 minutes ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

No disrespect the the Rocket fans, but @Wulaw Horn would have a much better case for 1986 if Sampson doesn't hit that shot and it's the rubber match between the Lakers and Celtics from the previous two finals. Sorry, but that would have been much, much bigger.

But in that same vein of overvaluing your own team in these types of discussions....  I could make an argument for 2014. It was the last of the Duncan-era Spurs rings, winning the title playing the beautiful game and avenging the prior year's loss to Miami in the finals. Lebron was at his absolute peak with the Heatles. Durant won MVP and OKC won 59 games. The Splash Brothers Warriors were just hitting their runway, one year away from their first title. Lebron, KD and Steph really defined the NBA for nearly the next 10 years. The west was ridiculous that year -- you had Lob City Clippers and the Harden/Dwight Howard Rockets. Portland with upstart Lillard and Aldridge, and the Grit and Grind Grizzlies. And it was probably Dirk's last great year before he started tailing off. 

Games was tied. If Sampson missed that shot, game 5 goes to OT.  Houston likely wins either in OT, or in game 6 or 7.

I personally feel the NBA was superior in the Magic/Bird through the Jordan era.

[n64ra 1080]

Cool pic on wikipedia from that decade