LeBron James' Cavs On Pace to Be the Best "One All-Star" Team in NBA History

LeBron James is trying to become just the fourth player in NBA History to lead a team to an NBA Championship as the only All-Star selection from that team.

The other three? Michael Jordan, Isaiah Thomas, and Tim Duncan.

In the 1988-89 season, Isaiah Thomas was the only Detroit Piston to be named an NBA All-Star. (Joe Dumar's stretch of six All-Star appearances in seven years would begin the following year, while Bill Laimbeer's stretch of four All-Star appearances in five years came to an end the previous season). That season, Isaiah led the Pistons to 63 wins and an NBA Title.

In the 1997-98 season, Michael Jordan was the lone all-star selection from the Chicago Bulls. (Scottie Pippen's seven consecutive All-Star selections ended the previous season). The Bulls went on that year to win 62 games and their third consecutive championship.

More recently, in the 2002-03 season, Tim Duncan was the only San Antonio Spur to be named an NBA All-Star. (David Robinson's 10 selections ended two years previous, while Ginbobili and Parker were still a few years away from theirs). The Spurs won 60 games that year and were crowned the NBA Champions.

Currently, the Cavaliers hold the NBA's best record at 42-11 and are on a twelve game winning streak. They are on pace to finish with a 65-17 record.

That is five games better than the 2003 Spurs, three games better than the 1998 Bulls, and two games better than the 1989 Pistons.

In addition, one could argue that Duncan, Isaiah, and Jordan had much better talent around them than LeBron, despite the fact that all four were the only All-Stars on their respective team.

It seems that the combinations of David Robinson/Tony Parker/Manu Ginobili, Scottie Pippen/Toni Kukoc/Dennis Rodman, and Joe Dumars/Bill Laimbeer/Adrian Dantley each far outweigh the combo of Shaq/Mo Williams/Anderson Varejao.

LeBron is already one of only five players this decade to lead a team of non-All-Stars to a fifty-plus win season more than once.

Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki have done it four times each. Duncan did it with the Spurs in 2001-02, 2002-03, 2003-04, and 2007-08.

Dirk did it with the Mavericks in 2004-05, 2005-06, 2007-08, and 2008-09.

LeBron, Yao Ming, Jason Kidd, and Ben Wallace have each done it twice: LeBron in 2005-06 and 2006-07, Yao in 2007-08 and 2008-09, Kidd in 2000-01 and 2001-02, and Ben Wallace in 2003-04 and 2004-05.

I should mention that Dwight Howard, Derron Williams, and Dirk Nowitzki are each the only All-Stars on teams that could potentially contend for the title this year. None of them, however, have a real chance at eclipsing the Pistons' 63 wins. (The Magic are the closest and would have to finish the season 29-1).

So, if the Cavaliers are in fact able to win the NBA Championship this year, it seems that they would have to be named the best "one All-Star" team in NBA History.