Where would this road to the championship rank in terms of toughness?

[tmacattack33]

1995 Houston Rockets playoffs:

Utah: 60-22 (Stockton + Malone)
Phoenix: 59-23 (Barkley)
San Antonio: 62-20 (Robinson)
Orlando: 57-25 (Shaq + Penny)

They faced the top 4 seeds in the entire league (Orlando tied with Seattle for fourth best).

Damn, i totally forgot about that.

That's four of the best teams of the mid 90's, period. All rolled into one playoff run.

[LoneyROY7]

Hakeem Da Dream.

[AnaheimLakers24]

tougher than anything gay bran can dream of

[jlip]

How is it considered so "tough" when you are favored against each team not named Spurs? Also, what if they either sweep or win a series 4-1? That doesn't display difficulty at all. Honestly that would reveal that the team's regular season record was not indicative of the actual level of competition.

[Solefade]

tougher than anything gay bran can dream of

this dude has to insert a negative comment about lebron in literally every thread



dude is so shook


lebron >>>>>>>>>>>>>> kobe

[fpliii]

Probably missing some, but off the top of my head:

95 Rockets
01 Lakers
11 Mavs

were all tough.

[DMAVS41]

How is it considered so "tough" when you are favored against each team not named Spurs? Also, what if they either sweep or win a series 4-1? That doesn't display difficulty at all. Honestly that would reveal that the team's regular season record was not indicative of the actual level of competition.

Uhhhh...because the teams you are playing are good as well.

The Grizzlies are built for the playoffs and with a healthy Gasol would have been a 56 win team.

Having to play 4 teams over 55 wins is always going to be tough...unless you just have an all time stacked team...which the Thunder simply don't have.

This road is probably the hardest of this era...the hypothetical one in the OP...assuming health for the teams of course.

Going in reverse, way harder than the Heat in 12/13
Harder than the 11 Mavs...although not by a huge amount
Definitely harder than the 09/10 Lakers
Easily harder than the 08 Celtics
Not even comparable to 07
Way harder than the Heat in 06
Harder than the Spurs in 05...although this was a tough road
Way harder than the 04 Pistons
Harder than the 03 Spurs
Harder than the 02 Lakers, but damn...those Kings were amazing
Way harder than 00/01 Lakers
Way harder than the 99 Spurs

[DMAVS41]

Probably missing some, but off the top of my head:

95 Rockets
01 Lakers
11 Mavs

were all tough.

I actually thought the Lakers 02 competition was better because of how great the Kings were...

01 was tough as well, but the issue with those 01/02 Lakers is that they were such better teams than the current Thunder...

Shaq was better than Durant and Kobe way better than WB...and PJ coaching over Brooks...

So you kind of have to factor that in as well...

[fpliii]

I actually thought the Lakers 02 competition was better because of how great the Kings were...

01 was tough as well, but the issue with those 01/02 Lakers is that they were such better teams than the current Thunder...

Shaq was better than Durant and Kobe way better than WB...and PJ coaching over Brooks...

So you kind of have to factor that in as well...

Perhaps, but half of the people here don't count the 02 championship.

I think looking at relative difficulty is tough, because it's a very inexact science. Valid point, though.

[tpols]

toughest in a long time.. the spurs if they win this year will face a similar road tho

[fpliii]

toughest in a long time.. the spurs if they win this year will face a similar road tho

3 years is a long time?

[tpols]

3 years is a long time?

Current memphis >11 portland
Current Clippers >11 Lakers
Current Spurs >=11 OKC
Current Heat < 11 Heat

Id say this one is slightly harder

[swagga]

that dream run is insane

BUT

if we consider the strength of the team we need to consider 99 new york run. Barely made the playoffs with a record equivalent to 42-40, ewing didn't play.

Went throgh:
54-28 miami (brown, hardaway, mourning, strikland, majerle) and rivals
50-32 atlanta (mutombo, smith)
54-28 indiana ( dale, mark jackson, r miller, rik smiths, chris mullin) and rivals
lost to 61-19 san antonio (duncan, robinson, ellie,kerr)

that's the most ridiculuos run in my memory, sprewell god bless him went apeshit that year, sure it was a thug team with interior talent BUT that team had heart. no question about that.

[swagga]

Current memphis >11 portland
Current Clippers >11 Lakers
Current Spurs >=11 OKC
Current Heat < 11 Heat

Id say this one is slightly harder

I disagree. Talent wise the big three declined for sure, wade has really dropped and bosh is more pussified then ever, but miami now has better role players, lebron is a better shooter AND the team actually plays a decent organized offense.

As in current spo >>> that spo, and this is the game changer.

Current miami would of beat 2011 mavs, that loss is on spo for running an iso only offense were players took turns and din't collaborate at all. Look at miami now: horns, double screen for lebron pop, pinch post, etc ... night and day

[red1]

That is a legendary run. I am rooting against okc this year but if they pull it off I wont even hate