Fansided

Every NBA team’s best iteration ever

By Micah Wimmer

PORTLAND, OR - 1987: Head Coach Pat Riley leads Magic Johnson #32, Byron Scott #4, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar #33 during a game played circa 1987 at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1987 NBAE (Photo by Brian Drake/NBAE via Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OR - 1987: Head Coach Pat Riley leads Magic Johnson #32, Byron Scott #4, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar #33 during a game played circa 1987 at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1987 NBAE (Photo by Brian Drake/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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MILWAUKEE, WI – CIRCA 1970’s: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar #33 of the Milwaukee Bucks in action during an early circa 1970’s NBA basketball game at the Milwaukee Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Abdul-Jabbar played for the Bucks from 1969 – 75. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI – CIRCA 1970’s: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar #33 of the Milwaukee Bucks in action during an early circa 1970’s NBA basketball game at the Milwaukee Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Abdul-Jabbar played for the Bucks from 1969 – 75. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

Milwaukee Bucks: 1970-71

As the 1970-71 season began, the Bucks were in a very good place. Their young rookie Lew Alcindor — soon to become Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — was starting his second season in the NBA following one of the greatest rookie years in league history. That year, the Bucks also added Oscar Robertson, the best point guard in NBA history at that point. While he was 32, he was still an All-NBA caliber player and the two of them combined to become the best duo in the league. Kareem averaged over 30 points and 16 rebounds per game on 57 percent shooting while Robertson added 19 points, 8 assists, and 5 rebounds. Supporting them was Bob Dandridge and Jon McGlocklin, two very reliable scorers who were able to take some pressure off of them, making the Bucks much more than just a two man team. They started the season 17-1 and never looked back. The Bucks led the league in both offensive and defensive efficiency as they finished 66-16, and made it through the playoffs with minimum resistance. They won their first two series in five games and swept the Baltimore Bullets, led by Earl Monroe, Gus Johnson, and Wes Unseld in the Finals.

Unfortunately for Milwaukee fans, though, the Bucks peaked that season and have yet to win another championship. While Kareem continued to improve, Robertson also continued to age and though the team would make the Finals again in 1974 — Robertson’s final year — they lost in seven games to the Celtics. Even so, the combination of Oscar and Kareem remains one of the most fearsome in NBA history, and their 1971 triumphs stand head and shoulders above every other iteration of the Bucks since.

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