5 Legendary Superteams That No One Would Beat: Bucks, Raptors, Cavaliers, Wizards, Pacers
Despite winning just a handful of championships among these teams, the all-time superteam that the Pacers, Wizards, Cavaliers, Raptors, and Bucks can create are some daunting squads. When looking back at the talent that was put on the team throughout the years, it’s unfortunate that these teams couldn’t have everyone together for at least one decade.
Some of these teams feature some of the best individual talents that the game has ever seen in Reggie Miller, LeBron James, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Could the surrounding parts around these players take down their opposition? Let’s take a look.
This is a series that has featured a starting five for all superteams. Take a look at the teams we have completed so far:
5 Legendary Superteams That No One Would Beat: Celtics, Rockets, Nuggets, Timberwolves, Hornets
5 Legendary Superteams That No One Would Beat: 76ers, Pistons, Pelicans, Mavericks, Grizzlies
5 Legendary Superteams That No One Would Beat: Lakers, Bulls, Heat, Warriors, Spurs
Indiana Pacers
Reggie Miller (SG), Paul George (SF), Danny Granger (SF)
Jermaine O’Neal (PF), Rik Smits (C)
Reggie Miller is one of the most single-greatest individual shooters the game has ever seen. The all-time leader in points, assists, and steals for the Pacers kept the team competition during the 90s and Michael Jordan era. The Pacers as a team were not good enough to get past the Jordan-led Bulls but Miller kept the team within striking distance.
Despite not having a point guard, the combination of Paul George and Danny Granger would make up for it. George helped the Pacers compete in two Eastern Conference Finals before losing to LeBron James and the Miami Heat. George was one of the best two-way players at the time. His offense has grown since then but he was still a 20-point per game caliber player that often guarded the team’s best shooter. As for Granger, he once averaged 25.8 points and 5.1 rebounds during his lone All-Star appearance. In his Pacers career, Granger averaged 18.7 points or more in six straight seasons for Indiana. Had he not got injured, his career might have last longer than his age 31 seasons.
Jermaine O’Neal is the all-time leader in blocks but also one of the best double-double machines. From 2001 to 2007, O’Neal qualified for the All-Star Game and was the heart and soul of the Pacers. As for Rik Smits, he was the former all-time leader in points before Miller showed up, as well as the all-time leader in blocks before O’Neal. The Dutch-born 7-foot-4 center spent his entire 13-year career with Indiana as a pure rim protector.
Washington Wizards
John Wall (PG), Gilbert Arenas (SG), Bradley Beal (SG)
Wes Unseld (PF), Elvin Hayes (C)
Imagine the offense this team would have. While the defense would be playing like the current Brooklyn Nets, this team would be an Eastern Conference contender despite allowing 120 points per game. For starters, John Wall, pre-Achillies injury, was a double-double point guard that could serve it up on offense and rack up nearly 10 assists. Wall wouldn’t even need to score 20 points per night because he would have two of the best shooters ever alongside him.
“Agent Zero” in his prime was a three-time All-Star and a replica of Bradley Beal. Arenas once averaged 25.5 points, 29.3 points, and 28.4 points per game. Sound familiar? Right next to him would be Bradley Beal, who is averaging north of 32 points per game and leading the league in scoring. The two sharpshooters would outshoot any opponent.
That’s not all. Center Elvin Hayes is the all-time leader in points with the Wizards (15,551), as well as blocks (1,558). Paired alongside the all-time leader in rebounds (13,769) in Wes Unseld, this frontcourt would be one of the best in all of basketball. Out of all of the teams, this is a perfect balance of post and guard combos.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Kyrie Irving (PG), Mark Price (SG), LeBron James (SF)
Larry Nance (PF), Kevin Love (PF)
The “Big 3” of Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, and Kevin Love delivered the first NBA championship for the Cavaliers in 2016. What else is there to say about them? The three were one of the best combinations the Cavaliers have ever seen. Irving is one of the best ball handlers in the game. His offense has grown to somebody that can score nearly 30 points a game. When Love came to Cleveland, he was a former rebounding champion with Minnesota but he transitioned his game to a modern level. He slimmed down and developed an outside shot that led to multiple All-Star appearances.
James is his own entity. He could go down as the greatest basketball player of all time. He leads the franchise in points, rebounds, assists, and steals. It will take the next Michael Jordan, or LeBron James for that matter, to ever take him off his throne in Cleveland.
As for the rest of the case, Mark Price was an underrated shooting guard during the late 80s and mid-90s. Price spent nine seasons with Cleveland, made four All-Star Games, and averaged 16.4 points per game on 47.9% shooting. Price led the league in free-throw percentage three times. Alongside Irving, it would be like having two shooting guards. As for Nance, he enjoyed success in seven seasons in Cleveland with two All-Star selections. Nance averaged 16.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks. Nance is one of three Cavaliers players to have over 1,000 blocks in his career.
Toronto Raptors
Kyle Lowry (PG), DeMar DeRozan (SG), Vince Carter (SF)
Kawhi Leonard (SF), Chris Bosh (PF)
It’s unfortunate to think that just a few years ago this team could have been assembled. In the mid-2010s, the combination of Lowry and DeRozan was getting stifled by LeBron, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, and the Miami Heat. Leonard became one of the youngest Finals MVPs with the Spurs. Carter was in his late 30s but still producing off the bench. Instead, only Lowry and Derozan were able to enjoy some All-Star years together.
Lowry, a six-time All-Star, and DeRozan, a four-time All-Star and career leader in points in Toronto, helped turn the Raptors into contenders. They were a true dynamic duo despite never making it past the second round. Bosh left Toronto as the all-time leader in points before forming his own “Big 3” in Miami. However, Bosh’s time in Toronto was some of the best years we ever saw out of him statistically speaking.
Leonard spent one season in Toronto but it was the one that mattered. He won the Finals MVP as he teamed up with Lowry to lead Toronto to an NBA championship in 2019. Leonard remains a top-5 player in this league, while Lowry and DeRozan are hitting their post-prime parts of their careers. Bosh had to retire early due to career-threatening blood clots, while Carter just finished a 23-year career. “Vinsanity” was one of the best dunkers of all-time. These five in their prime would compete with just about any team.
Milwaukee Bucks
Oscar Robertson (PG), Sidney Moncrief (SG), Khris Middleton (SF)
Giannis Antetokounmpo (C), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (C)
Imagine having one of the two players all-time to average a triple-double in a season, a two-time MVP that might go down as one of the best centers of all-time, and the all-time scoring leader on one team. Oscar Robertson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were the dynamic duos that led Milwaukee to their NBA championship in 1971. Robertson once averaged a triple-double in a season, which hasn’t been done in 57 years before Russell Westbrook did in 2017. The two are potentially two of the top-10 players to ever play the game and they would be enough to make the Bucks favorites in any matchup against any other superteam.
As for Giannis, he is entering his prime years and is averaging 29.0 points and 11.7 rebounds as we speak. He is one of the few players to ever win MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season. At 26 years old, he has made the All-Star team five times and could look to completely rewrite every record in Bucks’ history.
His teammate Khris Middleton is making his case to become one of the best small forwards of all time. Middleton is creeping towards making the top-10 in points, assists, and steals. He is the “Scottie Pippen” to Giannis and has helped keep Milwaukee near the top of the East. By the end of this season, Middleton will be the all-time leader in three-point field goals. As for Moncrief, he ranks second all-time in assists and third all-time in steals. While known for his ability to shoot and handle the ball, he was a pretty solid rebounder too. Moncrief averaged 5.0 rebounds in his nine seasons and ranks eighth all-time in rebounds. This would be one of the toughest teams to get second-chance points against.
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