As entertaining of a product that the NBA currently is, its history is just as enthralling. There have been many teams that went through incredible stretches of success over the years. It should be noted, though, that these teams played in different eras, and thus different aspects of the game were emphasized, so not every team from the past could hypothetically translate to today’s iteration of the sport with the same amount of success.
While there is no definitive way to say that is the case, NBA 2K21 gives you the option of pitting, say, a team from the 1990s against a team from the 2010s. Of course, some teams translate to different rules. Here is a look at the best of the Classic teams, being the most viable for Play Now Online in terms of overall, player depth, and tier. Note: As much as possible, there will only be one iteration of a specific team (e.g. Larry Bird’s Celtics, Jordan’s Bulls, etc.).
10 2003-04 Lakers
There are multiple iterations of the Kobe and Shaq Lakers duo, and the two stars even have higher overall ratings on their 2000-01 championship team. However, the 2003-04 iteration’s slightly stronger supporting cast makes them more versatile.
The aforementioned Bryant-O’Neal duo is accompanied by Gary Payton and Karl Malone, who were both over the hill at this point in their careers, but can provide scoring, playmaking, and defense in spurts. While the better starting lineup is a trade off for a slightly weaker bench than the 2000-01 team’s, they can all contribute in their own way, and it helps when there are more high-overall players to stagger the minutes among.
9 2007-08 Celtics
The late 2000s Celtics super-team was a blazing success, at least for their first year together. The Big Three, as they were named, consist of two 90+ overalls, Defensive Player of the Year Kevin Garnett and Finals MVP Paul Pierce, and one of the greatest three-point shooters ever, Ray Allen. Accompanying that group in the starting lineup were blossoming young point guard at the time, Rajon Rondo, and stout defensive center Kendrick Perkins.
The bench isn’t much to drool over, being made up of specialists like Leon Powe and Tony Allen for defense and Glen Davis and Sam Cassell for offense. However, that isn’t much to worry about either, with the starting five being as stacked as it is.
8 2015-16 Cavaliers
This team pulled off one of the greatest feats in NBA history: coming back from a 3-1 deficit to win the NBA Finals against a 73-9 Golden State Warriors team. The catalyst of that comeback was none other than superstar LeBron James.
Of course, the rest of the starting lineup is strong, too. Kyrie Irving serves as an excellent secondary scorer. JR Smith provides great three-point shooting, Tristan Thompson provides nice rebounding chops, and Kevin Love provides both. The bench isn’t much to work with, but with that strong of a starting lineup that has great synergy with each other’s skillsets, it’s a small problem that can be somewhat glossed over.
7 2018-19 Raptors
The most recent team on this list, the Raptors were the definition of “flash in the pan” during their 2018-19 season. They had superstar Kawhi Leonard for only one season, but they certainly made up for it, winning their only championship to this point, with the help of the supporting cast around him.
Pascal Siakam is a solid secondary scorer and can get buckets when Kawhi gets too much attention on defense. Kyle Lowry is a steady, all-around player, helpful on both offense and defense. Everyone else on the team can shoot, among many other things, from remaining starters Danny Green and Marc Gasol, to key bench players like Fred VanVleet, Serge Ibaka, and Norman Powell.
6 1985-86 Celtics
This team has a case for being the greatest ever. They would be higher on this list if their 2k iteration didn’t just have a starting five, but there are only two halfway decent players on their bench (Bill Walton and Scott Wedman), which is a problem with most of the older Classic teams.
Regardless, that starting five is stacked, beginning with Larry Bird. Flaunting an excellent 97 overall rating, he can do anything on offense: shoot, bring the ball up, make plays, and rebound. He’s got an excellent running mate in Kevin McHale. Center Robert Parish and point guard Dennis Johnson can handle the defensive department, and shooting guard Danny Ainge rounds out the lineup with his great shooting.
5 2012-13 Heat
LeBron James makes a second appearance, returning to arguably his prime form as the 2012-13 NBA MVP. This version of the King is unstoppable in any facet; he can score from anywhere, lead the offense, defend, and virtually play any position on the floor.
His supporting cast is off-the-charts with talent, too. Dwyane Wade at this point was still a great all-around player, and that shows with his 92 overall rating. Chris Bosh is an excellent third option, too. Surrounding them are a litany of three-point shooters; Ray Allen, Mike Miller, and Shane Battier all help out the stars in that they provide space for them to create and knock down shots when needed. Rounding out the roster is Heat lifer, Udonis Haslem, who provides a nice rebounding boost.
4 2013-14 Spurs
There are better versions of Tim Duncan on other classic Spurs teams, with the one from 2013-14 only being 94 overall. However, the supporting cast of this championship team is hard to beat.
Playing alongside Duncan are his usual suspects, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, as well as Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard. Making up the role players are solid rim protector Tiago Splitter, Danny Green before he forgot how to shoot, veteran bucket-getters Patty Mills and Marco Belinelli, and skilled big man Boris Diaw. Great ball movement and shooting made this team sing, and it can be quite easy to replicate that in 2K.
3 1986-87 Lakers
If it weren’t for their team in 2000-01, this version of the Lakers would unquestionably be the greatest ever. There is still a case for it, especially with how talented and deep the roster is. It helps having the greatest point guard of all time, Magic Johnson, running the show and the all-time leading scorer, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, at center.
It helps even more that both are surrounded by players that can do their own thing. James Worthy can create his own shot. Michael Cooper and Byron Scott can shoot threes. Mychal Thompson, Kurt Rambis, and AC Green can control the paint. All of them can run the floor with Magic, paving way for a hard-to-stop, high-octane offense, and all of them can hold their own defensively, covering for Magic’s lapses on that end.
2 1995-96 Bulls
Arguably the greatest team of all time and unquestionably the most successful, the Bulls reached their peak when they reached a 72-10 record and won a championship. That’s thanks in no small part to maybe the greatest athlete in history, Michael Jordan, who is unstoppable with his 99-overall rating. He can score at ease, lock down the opponent’s best scorer, and fits quite nicely alongside the ultimate sidekick, Scottie Pippen.
Honestly, those two could carry the team alone, but they needn’t do that with the role players they have. Dennis Rodman gobbles up every rebound in sight. Ron Harper and Luc Longley do serviceable jobs of providing defensive support. Toni Kukoc is a torch off the bench, providing a much-needed scoring punch. And of course, Steve Kerr is an automatic shooter.
1 2016-17 Warriors
Speaking of Steve Kerr, he had the pleasure of coaching the most stacked team ever, both in real basketball and 2K terms. NBA fans everywhere still look at this team with disdain after they won 73 games in a season, then added Kevin Durant the very next year.
That creates a Big Four of Stephen Curry, who is infamous for being the most spammable player in 2K, his Splash Bro Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Durant. They also have a great supporting cast complementing that core, with Andre Iguodala, David West, and Javale McGee being key contributors. Not only is this team as talented as the USA Men’s Basketball Team, but their skillsets fit seamlessly with each other.
NEXT: NBA 2K21: The 10 Strongest All-Time Teams
