The Team of the Decade

Crowning The Team of the Decade
Ranking the NBA Champions since the Jordan Era
A LayupDrill.com Exclusive

In the 10 seasons that have passed since M.J. forever posterized Byron Russell en route to title No. 6, we have seen many mini-eras reign in the NBA. From the Lakers dynasty to start this decade, to the spread out underappreciated Spurs run that has lasted the majority of the decade.

In between those two superpowers, we have seen great one-year runs by Chauncey Billups and the Pistons, "The Big Three" in Boston, and Shaq and Wade in Miami. So how do they stack up against each other? LayupDrill.com ranks the 10 NBA champions that have been crowned since the end of the Bulls dynasty.

10. 1998-99 San Antonio Spurs (Tim Duncan)
The strike-shortened NBA regular season produced an overachieving Patrick Ewing-less Knicks squad against a young Tim Duncan led Spurs. The Spurs dominated this season from the start, and it marked the start of a dominant decade by the soft-spoken big man.

9. 2002-03 San Antonio Spurs (Tim Duncan)
Another Tim Duncan finals appearance, and another title. The Spurs broke through to the Finals, playing the two-time Finals loser NJ Nets, led by Jason Kidd. Kidd’s last legit shot at the title went by the wayside to the Spurs here.

8. 2005-06 Miami Heat (Dwayne Wade)
The series that officially made Dwayne Wade go from star to superstar. This was truly a tale of two series, as for two full games and three quarters of Game Three, the Mavericks owned Miami. Then Dwayne Wade took over. The Heat rallied to win Game Three and never looked back.

7. 2006-07 San Antonio Spurs (Tony Parker)
LeBron James surprised some getting the Cavs to the Finals, only to run into a Spurs team on a mission. While Timmy did his thing like he always does, it was Tony Parker who stole the show, thoroughly outplaying any guard the Cavs tried to put on him.

6. 1999-00 Los Angeles Lakers (Shaquille O Neal)
The rebirth of showtime occurred here. Reggie Miller and the Pacers were worthy foes for L.A., but too much Phil, Shaq, and Kobe here, as they won a spirited six-game series.

5. 2007-08 Boston Celtics (Paul Pierce)
I may be giving the most recent champions too much credit here, but the big three lived up to the hype last year. After running through the NBA with the league's best regular-season record, and narrowly escaping some early playoff drama, The C’s put it all together, knocking out the likes of LeBron and Kobe on their way to their first title since the Reagan Era.

Celtics Highlights
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4. 2000-01 Los Angeles Lakers (Shaquille O Neal)
The second title in the Lakers' three peat came at the expense of AI and the scrappy 'Sixers. Philly stole game one of the series in L.A., and then Kobe, Shaq, Horry, and Rick Fox lit up the overmatched 76ers.

3. 2003-04 Detroit Pistons (Chauncey Billups)
The end of the Lakers' dynasty as we knew it came at the hands of the Chauncey Billups-led Detroit Pistons. Many did not give the Pistons a chance, heading into the Finals, but the tone was set early in this series, as the Lakers looked older, slower, and lethargic.

Pistons Highlights
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2. 2004-05 San Antonio Spurs (Tim Duncan)
Perhaps the most competitive NBA Finals of the last decade came in 2005, when The Spurs and Pistons went toe to toe in a seven-game series. In the end, it was simply too much Tim Duncan, as the Pistons had no answer for him, and the Spurs prevailed.

1. 2001-02 Los Angeles Lakers (Shaquille O Neal)
Not only the best rendition of the Lakers dynasty, but one of the best Laker teams ever, L.A. swept the NJ Nets in the Finals, capping an incredible season in which Shaq was unstoppable, Kobe was on the rise, and Showtime laid its claim as the center of the basketball universe again.

Lakers Highlights
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