Every NBA team's best iteration ever

Every NBA team’s best iteration ever

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) /

21 of 30

SALT LAKE CITY UT – 1996: Gary Payton #20 and Shawn Kemp #40 of the Seattle SuperSonics stand circa 1996 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. 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 1996 NBAE (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Oklahoma City Thunder: 1995-96

Throughout the 1990s, Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp formed one of the most exciting duos in the NBA. They had an absolutely absurd amount of swagger between the two of them and combined to create one of the most fearsome and thrilling alley-oop tandems ever. After years of falling disappointingly short in the playoffs, the Sonics put it all together in 1996, winning the most games in franchise history and making it to the Finals.

In any other year, the Seattle Supersonics would have been title favorites, but the Payton and Kemp teams of the 1090s had the misfortune of peaking in the same year that the Chicago Bulls ran through the league with a 72-10 record, making them just another team kept from winning a title by Michael Jordan.

Regardless of their Finals loss, though, this was an imposing team and one of the best opponents that Jordan would face in his six Finals appearance. Along with Kemp and Payton, they also featured Detlef Schrempf, Hersey Hawkins, Nate McMillan, and Sam Perkins, all of whom were viable threats shooting from deep, with Schrempf and Hawkins both averaging over 15 points per game. In spite of all their offensive firepower, they were even better on defense, finishing second in the league that season, behind the Bulls. Gary Payton also won Defensive Player of the Year, the last guard to do so. The Kemp and Payton Sonics are often remembered more for their Playoff failings than their sustained success throughout the 1990s, but at their peak, they were more than just exciting — they were dominant.

Home/NBA