The GOAT Team: Best Formation Possible???

[Dagoods]

The GOATs at every position:

https://fadeawayworld.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Total-MVPs-By-Each-Position-Magic-Jordan-LeBron-Duncan-And-Kareem-1.jpg

Doc Rivers favors size:
Doc Rivers is in favor of size.

"I'm going Kareem at the center," Rivers said. "I'm going Tim Duncan at the four, because those both are two-way players. I'm going Michael, and Magic at the one and two. This may be the biggest team ever. And then LeBron at the three."

4 out of the 5 were 2-way players, but this team clearly lacks snipers/outside shooters. How would this team play? Which tactics would you implement?

Kareem - Would probably dominate in the post.
Duncan - Will have to play outside the paint to provide some width. Timmy had a decent midrange game, so I don't see that being a problem.
LeBron - Would be more of a slasher (MIAMI days).
Jordan - GOAT!
Magic - The facilitator of the team.

How can you make this starting 5 work? Triangle offense?

What say you?
your thoughts...your thoughts.

[light]

A team with Magic, Michael, LeBron, Duncan and Kareem means that LeBron is their only three point shooter. Spacing would be a total disaster.

So your "GOAT Team" has a glaring weakness that may preclude it from being in the running for the title in 2020.

Swap any two of Magic, MJ, Timmy, Cap with two shooters and you will be back on the right track.

[dbugz]

Will remove libron and add KD instead who is way way better.

[1987_Lakers]

C - Hakeem
PF - Bird
SF - LeBron
SG - MJ
PG - Curry

[2ball]

LeBron is Pippen and MJ rolled into one. Basically two players. This makes MJ obsolete on this team

[SouBeachTalents]

I'd go something like

Curry
Klay
Kawhi
Bird
Hakeem

MUCH better fit than that lineup

[LonelyOwl]

Magic and LeBron would be a awful fit you need Curry instead and for the modern NBA I would move Duncan to the 5 and play LeBron at the 4

[RoundMoundOfReb]

Do I want a weak defender like Curry on this kind of team? Give me Pip. I'll have MJ guard the point. Pip/LeBron on the wings. Bird at the 4, Hakeem at the 5.

Semi-joking about Pip. But more versatile than Curry defensively like Durant or something would be preferable

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

Imagine that squad in their primes and versus the world ... Would be popcorn and a movie

[Reggie43]

Magic, Jordan, Bird and Olajuwon would always be on my best possible team. For a fifth I might go with Shaq for pure inside domination.

[Honor Boost]

Magic, Jordan, Bird and Olajuwon would always be on my best possible team. For a fifth I might go with Shaq for pure inside domination.

There would be no spacing. You would need to add a shooter that can be a 2 way player. Obvious choice is LeBron but you don't like him it seems, why else would you not include a top 3 all time player

[Honor Boost]

LeBron at the 1
Jordan at the 2
Durant at the 3
Duncan at the 4
Shaq at the 5

[Reggie43]

There would be no spacing. You would need to add a shooter that can be a 2 way player. Obvious choice is LeBron but you don't like him it seems, why else would you not include a top 3 all time player

Magic was a good set shooter, Olajuwon and Jordan were great midrange shooters while Bird was a Goat level outside shooter. Pretty sure the team has enough spacing.

[NBAGOAT]

the fit just isnt great but if you put better fitting guy like bird or curry you sacrifice defense. goat teams will always have diminishing return issues but I go

Lebron
Jordan
Bird
KG
Hakeem.

all 5 guys can shoot and only one position is meh defensively. jordan and bird's off ball game and kg not demanding touches allows hakeem and bron to still thrive

[Smoke117]

the fit just isnt great but if you put better fitting guy like bird or curry you sacrifice defense. goat teams will always have diminishing return issues but I go

Lebron
Jordan
Bird
KG
Hakeem.

all 5 guys can shoot and only one position is meh defensively. jordan and bird's off ball game and kg not demanding touches allows hakeem and bron to still thrive

Way too much ball to go around for that line up. When I try to put together an all time team I also think of the personalities and such. I could definitely see Jordan and Bird butting heads if they were on the same team as they both are both two strong alpha personalities. Having both Jordan and Bird on the same team really doesn't make any sense anyway...especially when you already have Hakeem, LeBron, and KG.

Here would be my starting five:

PG: Scottie Pippen - The swiss army knife. Any all time team needs a Scottie Pippen. He basically does everything well if not elite while being the greatest perimeter defensive player of all time. He also won't care about his touches too much and you need guys who are going to be more laid back personality wise. When a team is this good you don't really want a dominant ball handler type pg so Pippen is perfect as the teams pg as he never ran a team that way. (not even on the Blazers when he was actually their pg in 2003)

SG: Ray Allen - All time great shooting guard who is an all time great and clutch shooter while also being a very good all around player. That's something people seem to forget as all anybody really brings up is his time on the Celtics and then the Heat when he was past his prime. He was a complete player on the Bucks and Sonics and actually played PG with some of the the strongest play of his career on the Sonics to finish the 2003 season after the trade. He's useless as a team defender, but is actually a pretty good one on one defensive player when he puts his mind to it. I remember being impressed by how well he played Kobe in the finals.

SF: Larry Bird - The defacto Alpha on the team. The player you will generally run your offense through. Also a great all around player who will hit the boards, dish assist, and play some really good (and underrated) defense.

PF: Dirk Nowitzki - Normally I would have went with KG here, but I'm kind of thinking about the game as it is now, too, regardless of how much I hate it. Scottie, Dave, and Bird (who was a great team defensive player) will hold down the defense, so I think going for offense and shooting here makes more sense. Dirk is a lot like Ray Allen at SG in this regard as far as what he's there for.

C: David Robinson - Big Dave. One of the five greatest defensive players OF ALL TIME, PERIOD. As I've said before, too, he's basically the perfect center for this era as he was a legit 7 foot center who moved around like he was a SF. In this current NBA as the man on his own team he'd terrorize the league. He'd put up his 94 season offensive numbers during his entire prime while being the best defensive player in the league. As far as this team goes? He's just perfect as he's a laid back guy who doesn't care about being the man. You just ask him to go out there and play his absurd all time defense while finishing plays at will. Anytime he's around the rim and has the ball it's basically over. He actually put up 12 dunks in one game back in 91. He's the original...if he's around the rim it's over before Shaq.

[r0drig0lac]

Jordan
Kawhi
Pippen
Durant
Wilt

[Micku]

C - Hakeem
PF - Bird
SF - LeBron
SG - MJ
PG - Curry

This is mine too. I think this is perfection.

Although I'mma miss Magic's passing.

Magic on the team with Bird, LBJ, and MJ would be so amazing to watch.

[Axe]

Do I want a weak defender like Curry on this kind of team? Give me Pip. I'll have MJ guard the point. Pip/LeBron on the wings. Bird at the 4, Hakeem at the 5.

Semi-joking about Pip. But more versatile than Curry defensively like Durant or something would be preferable
:oldlol:

Curry is useless when he's not nailing his long-range shots. Not to mention he isn't clutch as well.

[starface]

I’m with Doc. You simply cant overstate the value of size.

My lineup:

Oden
Ibaka
James
Pippen
Childs

[1987_Lakers]

:oldlol:

Curry is useless when he's not nailing his long-range shots. Not to mention he isn't clutch as well.

You can say that about pretty much every 3 point specialist, difference is Curry is by far the greatest 3 point shooter ever, his efficiency is all-time great, he can play off the ball, and his presence alone opens up the court for the rest of the players because everyone is so focused on his shooting range.

I'd much rather have Curry over someone like Magic because MJ, Bird, Hakeem etc can already create for themselves & LeBron is an elite playmaker. Just look at Team USA in past Olympics, traditional point guards on those teams are usually an afterthought, the elite scorers are usually the ones who shine.

[Reggie43]

Picking Curry is tricky in these type of teams because while he frees up your offense you then get a huge defensive hole that the other team could abuse. Against other all time great teams there is no non scorer/inferior player to hide him.

Imagine a Magic, Kobe, Durant combo in the opposing side how does he handle that? He could very well survive but Im not picking him when you could have Magic or even put Lebron in at the point.

[Micku]

Picking Curry is tricky in these type of teams because while he frees up your offense you then get a huge defensive hole that the other team could abuse. Against other all time great teams there is no non scorer/inferior player to hide him.

Imagine a Magic, Kobe, Durant combo in the opposing side how does he handle that? He could very well survive but Im not picking him when you could have Magic or even put Lebron in at the point.

Wouldn't you say having Magic along with LeBron and MJ be a little redundant? The passing would be beautiful. MJ could play off the ball. LeBron needs the ball to get himself going. Magic is no stranger of sharing the ball responsibility and could run the offense beautifully, but Curry would space the floor out.

Magic, Kobe and KD sounds beautiful too tho, not gonna lie.

[Reggie43]

Wouldn't you say having Magic along with LeBron and MJ be a little redundant? The passing would be beautiful. MJ could play off the ball. LeBron needs the ball to get himself going. Magic is no stranger of sharing the ball responsibility and could run the offense beautifully, but Curry would space the floor out.

Magic, Kobe and KD sounds beautiful too tho, not gonna lie.

Sorry, I meant putting either player at the point but not on the same team.