Which American Major League Basketball Team is your team of the 2000's?

So which team is your major league team of the decade?

1. Los Angeles Lakers (NBA)



Why they should get it: Simple, they won four NBA championships. They were in six NBA Finals appearances as well. The Lakers also averaged 53 wins and 29 losses a season for the decade, winning five division titles, and also earning the Western Conference’s best record four times. Most people here are Lakers fans anyway and it would be a crime if I didn’t consider them. Two Lakers were named the NBA MVP this decade, Shaq in 1999-2000 and Kobe in 2007-2008. The Zen Master is also the best coach of all time, winning his tenth Gold Basketball on a stick just this past year.

Why they shouldn’t: There are college teams that have done more than the Lakers. They didn’t make the playoffs in 2004-2005 when they began a rather quick rebuilding process when looking from hindsight.

2. Duke University Men’s Basketball Team (NCAA Division I Men)



More info: https://realbasketballtalk.forumotion.com/general-ncaam-f17/the-top-10-men-s-college-basketball-teams-of-the-2000-s-the-number-1-team-t914.htm

Why they should get it: They won 29.1 and lost 6.0 games from 1999-2000 to 2008-09; more All Americans and National Players of the Year came from Duke than any other school. Duke also won the 2000-2001 National Championship, and made it to the Sweet Sixteen eight times out of ten, more than anyone else. To go slightly off tangent, Coach K also became the Don for the US Men’s Basketball Team for the 2006 World Championships, 2007 FIBA Americas Tourney, and the 2008 Olympics which culminated into a gold medal for both Kobe and LeBron. He’s doing it again from 2010-2012.

Why they should not: They only won one championship (two schools won more), subsequent teams in 2001-2002, 2003-2004, 2005-2006 did not advance as far as expected. The teams in 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 failed to make the Sweet 16 in rather surprising losses in the Dance.

3. University of Connecticut Women’s Basketball Team (NCAA Division I Women)



More info: https://realbasketballtalk.forumotion.com/general-ncaam-f17/the-top-10-women-s-college-basketball-teams-of-the-2000-s-the-number-1-team-t600.htm

Why they should get it: Averaged 33.9 wins, and 2.8 losses from 1999-2000 to 2008-09; they won five national championships, made eight Final Fours, Nine Elite Eights and made every sweet 16 which came in a down year with a horrible record of 25-8. They have two seasons 2001-02 and 2008-09 when they earned 39-0 records. The 2001-02 team is considered the best college team of all time. They have produced more WNBA players than anyone else. Like Coach K, their coach, Geno Auriemma is now the don for Team USA for the 2010 World Championships, the 2011 FIBA America tourney and the 2012 Olympics.

Why they should not: UConn women are my pick given how dominant they were in ALL facets of the game; even when they had down years for their standards, they still kicked a lot of ass and held their own. Given this level of dominance they had in a sport which is improving, and the media coverage they get, I don’t see why they shouldn’t. The argument not to get them this is probably a lack of parity in women’s college basketball that still exists today, as the only major challenge they had this decade is Tennessee, maybe you can consider Duke as well (none of which isn’t considered as a team of the 2000's given the dominance factor that Connecticut had).

4. University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Men's Basketball Team (NCAA Division I Men)



More info: https://realbasketballtalk.forumotion.com/general-ncaam-f17/the-top-10-men-s-college-basketball-teams-of-the-2000-s-the-number-3-team-t908.htm

Why they should get it: Averaged 25.1 wins, and 9.4 losses from 1999-2000 to 2008-09; they won two national championships, made four Final Fours, Five Elite Eights and Seven Sweet 16’s. Their combination of Final Four and Championships give them consideration. They had two great cores created by two different coaches. Matt Doherty brought in Raymond Felton, Rashad McCants, and Sean May to help get that 2004-2005 championship team in order (though Williams coached that team); Roy of course got the last core in including Wayne Ellington, Danny Green, Ty Lawson, and of course, Tyler “Wow” Hansbrough. Many of those guys are having decent NBA careers.

Roy Williams also won the 2005-2006 National Coach of the year getting a 2nd Round NCAA appearance out of a team that was supposed to be an ACC doormat due to the attrition of NBA early entries from the 2004-2005 team. Almost all of those guys who left early for the NBA money still graduated within six years of their freshman year, so that shows how disciplined the UNC program is about their education and their integrity to college sports.

Why they should not: They missed the Dance two years; had a horrible 2001-2002 season. Also there are other teams that have done more this decade in their league than the Heels

5. San Antonio Spurs (NBA)



Why they should get it: Won three NBA championships (2003, 2005, 2007); regular season average was 57.6 wins and 24.4 losses from 1999-2000 to 2008-09 which I believe is the best regular season average for the whole NBA. They won seven division titles, and were #1 in the West three times. They had 50 win seasons every year in the 2000’s so they made the playoffs every year. Lakers didn’t do that. Tim Duncan won the MVP award in 2001-2002 and 2002-2003 and is the undersung hero of the decade when big flamboyant personalities get the love, while he’s just….there.

Why they should not:



6. Detroit Shock (WNBA)



Why they should get it: The Shock won three WNBA championships (2003, 2006, 2008), more than any other WNBA team. This was along with four finals appearances in 2003, 2006-2008 and made the playoffs every year from 2003-2009. Since the WNBA went to a 34 game schedule in 2003, they had average of 20.7 wins and 13.3 losses a season. Bill Laimbeer won the 2003 WNBA coach of the year award. Well they deserve some sympathy points too because they are moving to Tulsa next year because Karen Davidson can't support two teams that lose money!

Why they should not: The Shock’s 2000-2002 records were all sub .500 and they missed the playoffs altogether in every one of those years. They also had two mediocre regular seasons in 2004 (17-17) and 2009 (18-16). No Shock player won the WNBA MVP or any other major award, but isn’t that how DEE-TROIT BASKET-BALL is like? Great teams of many good to great NBA players but no superstars?

I got the Pistons. One word- Consistent. One saying- All good things must come to an end ( They kinda sucked last year and this year)

Lakers. It's much much harder to achieve success in the NBA/WNBA than it is in college, and the Lakers did just that.

Lakers. Nuff' said.

JAED LOVES ME wrote:

Lakers. It's much much harder to achieve success in the NBA/WNBA than it is in college, and the Lakers did just that.

I can buy that. Obviously there are fewer teams in the pros than Division I. To play devils advocate, it is still hard to get teams in college to win championships because it is a one and done deal. You can't lose in order to win the championship, which plays into why I picked UConn. Obviously, they (or any NCAA team) can screw up one night, and they could be out of the running. Look at what George Mason did in 2006 to Michigan State, UNC, and the "other" UConn team.

You can all feel free to use my pictures.. Don't use my Kobe picture too much, lol.

bump. Anyone else care to add who they thought was the best in the 2000's?

And to add to this on Major League Basketball teams, both the US Senior Men's and Women's Team Coaches are Champions this year.

So much for the haters saying that Coaching the Olympic team will make their college team look worse, lol.