We felt like a few teams didn’t get the shine they deserved in the last article, so this will fix that. Welcome to Part 2 of our Top 10 Missing Historic teams from NBA 2K.
#5 – 2000-2001 Milwaukee Bucks
Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce weren’t Ray Allen’s first big 3, back then his running mates were Sam Cassell and Glenn “Big Dog” Robinson. Cassel was dropping nearly 20 a game for a couple years in Milwaukee.
Although analytics point to the long 2 as being the worst shot in basketball, that was Glen Robinson’s bread and butter leading him to a 20 point per game career average. It’s no coincidence he has a 96 mid-range rating in My Team and a nice post-up game to boot. To cap it off, a young Jesus Shuttlesworth who for the younger crowd wasn’t just
a catch and shoot dude like he become in Boston. Ray Allen was beating guys off the dribble and driving on folks back in the day in addition to that silky smooth 3 point release we know him for. His game would be a lot more versatile to play with rather than waiting to get that one inch of room and jacking up a shot like we were so used to doing with his Boston and Miami versions.
Even though the Bucks couldn’t get past my Sixers (or the refs as the negative people out there like to point on) that year the Big Dog, Ray Allen, Cassel trio was scary to watch if your team was facing them and deserves a spot in the 2K universe.
#4 – 2008-2009 Orlando Magic
Also known as when people still liked Dwight Howard… this Magic team was set up to
dominate in 2K. They had our 5th most overrated player in 2K, Jameer Nelson, running the point, and the Magic made the finals due to the ridiculous amount of 3 point shooters they had surrounding a peak Dwight Howard. They offer 3 point shooters at 4 out of 5 positions and defense just by having Dwight Howard patrolling the paint.
#3 – 2011-2012 Oklahoma City Thunder
Is it recency bias for them being on the list? OK, it probably is, but we’re going to look back at this team when all these guys’ careers are done and be shocked they didn’t win a title. I also miss being able to trot out a Jackson-Westbrook-Harden-Durant-Ibaka lineup, folks were not ready.
#2 – 2010-2011 Chicago Bulls
Oh how the mighty have fallen… this Bulls team had the 4th most wins in franchise history (62), and had arguably the best defense during this era. Considering what has happened to the team since then, I feel it’s only right to immortalize the best Bulls team since Michael Jordan left the building.
You had Loul Deng averaging 17 points with excellent defense on the wing, Carlos
Boozer who sucked on defense, but gave users the only pot game option on the team, Joakim Noah doing Joakim Noah things and Kyle Korver who I’m sure many put in the starting lineup over Keith Bogans.
Even a random Ronnie Brewer spurt where he would block a shot and catch an alley oop on the other end was in play. But of course the main reason this team should be in 2K is obviously because of Brian Scalabrine… Alright I’m playing.
This was Derrick Rose at peak form; he won the MVP this season, and was also when people had arguments on who was better Rose or Russell Westbrook. Which seems like a crazy thing to have today, and it’s sad because he’s still only 27 yet we talk about Rose like he’s 35 and washed up already.
Being able to use peak D Rose and change my layup in midair and making them on 7 footers is something I liked doing back then and would love to do again in 2K17.
#1 – 2004-2005 Indiana Pacers
Now, I was going to put the Pacers team that won 61 games the year before on the list, but I
used this team just because of the potential this team could of had if it wasn’t for a certain
incident…
Many forget now, but this Pacers squad was a title contender. Reggie Miller was
near 40, and although he didn’t shoot particularly well from 3 this season, I highly doubt 2K
would have given him a lackluster rating from deep.
Jermaine O’ Neil was one of the best big men and shot blockers in the league during this team, Stephen Jackson was the ultimate microwave player and the artist formerly known as Ron Artest all in their primes. Even though they have the players to deserve a spot on this list, I’m mainly interested in them being in the game because of the personalities on this team, so whenever I play with them I can say to myself these dudes really slumped some fans in the stands.
Do you agree with the second part of our list? Let us know in the comments below or on social media, and be sure to stay tuned to SGO for more NBA 2K news, tips, and lists!