R.S. De France is a College and University instructor of English Composition. He has a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Rhetoric, Composition, and Writing. One of his life-long pursuits has been writing and covering anything related to sports, specifically the NBA. Recently, De France, his wife, and another colleague started an internationally read magazine at Shwibly.com.
Although never a captivating NBA scorer, A.C. Green is remembered by NBA fans for his dedication, physique, and his team play. October 4th is Green’s birthday, and the Oregon native turns 46 this year. A 14-year veteran and iron man of the NBA, holding the record for most consecutive games played with 1,192, A.C. Green played on 5 different teams (twice with the Lakers), but which team was the best?
5. Team: Miami Heat, 2000-2001
Record: 50-32
Teammates: Eddie Jones, Tim Hardaway, Dan Majerle, Alonzo Mourning, Bruce Bowen, and Cedric Ceballos.
Although highlighted by a nice cast of players, this was merely a mildly successful team. They did well enough to get to the playoffs, but with an unhealthy Mourning they would go no further that season.
4. Team: Phoenix Suns, 1993-1994
Record: 56-26
Teammates: Charles Barkley, Kevin Johnson, “Thunder” Dan Majerle, and Danny Ainge.
Coming off a season that led the Suns to a game 6 NBA Finals loss to Michael Jordan’s Bulls, the Suns high hopes went unfulfilled again a year later. Even so, they made it to the playoffs, where they bowed out in game 7 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals.
3. Team: Los Angeles Lakers, 1999-2000
Record: 67-15, Championship
Teammates: Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neil, Robert Horry (“Big Shot Bob”), Derek Fisher, Brian Shaw, Glenn Rice, Ron Harper, and Rick Fox.
Transitioning from a team that could not win to a team that could not lose (at least for a couple years) was not an easy feat for these Lakers. After several years of playoff humiliation, mostly at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs and Utah Jazz, the Lakers overcame a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter of game 7 of the Western Conference Finals (against the Portland Trailblazers) to get another birth in the NBA Finals. This was the first championship of the Kobe-Shaq 3-peat.
2. Team: Los Angeles Lakers, 1987-1988
Record: 62-20, Back-to-Back Championships
Teammates: Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Byron Scott, James Worthy, Mychal Thompson, Kurt Rambis, and Michael Cooper.
The transition from a Kareem-dominated offense to a Magic Johnson-style offense made the Lakers even more difficult to guard. They overcame a tremendous effort by the Detroit Pistons to win the title that year, an effort which included Isiah Thomas’ historic 25 points in the fourth quarter (on a busted ankle). With Thomas injured, the Lakers still barely pulled out a game 7 victory by three points. They finished these playoffs 15-9. This was their last great season, their last championship before losing their next two chances at the title, one to Isiah Thomas, the other to Michael Jordan.
1. Team: Los Angeles Lakers, 1986-1987
Record: 65-17, Championship
Teammates: Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Byron Scott, James Worthy, Mychal Thompson, Kurt Rambis, and Michael Cooper.
This team barely gets the nod over the ’88 team, not for winning three more games, but for redeeming their previous NBA Finals loss to Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics in 1984. Also, this team lost fewer games on its way to the NBA title (15-3).
Honorable Mention
Team: Dallas, 1998-99
Record: 19-31 (lockout season)
Teammates: Cedric Ceballos, Michael Finley, Robert Pack, Dirk Nowitzki (rookie), Steve Nash (rookie).
Although this team lacked a decent record, this proved to be the beginning of the Finley-Nash-Nowitzki tandem that would be effective in the following years.
Odd symmetry
When A.C. Green did not play with the Lakers, there was never a season where he did not either play along side Cedric Ceballos (Dallas and Phoenix) or Dan Majerle (Phoenix and Miami), or both.
