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Favorite early to mid 1990's NBA team - Not the Bulls...

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rabidcatfan

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Jan 25, 2003
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I played NBA JAM T.E. over the weekend and the old-school rosters got me thinking of what was my favorite lineup from that era? Since I was never a MJ fan it was easy for me to rule out the Bulls, but since it is probably the team most people would say, my question is regarding the other 29 teams in the league back then? The Boston Celtics have been my favorite NBA team since the 1980's, but their early 1990's rosters were never very good outside Larry Legend and he retired in 1992.

For me, it has to be the 1992-1993 Phoenix Suns - Sir Charles Barkley, Kevin Johnson, Thunder Dan Majerle, Danny Manning, Wayman Tisdale, and Danny Ainge, among others. That team was super-fun to watch and the 1993 NBA finals between the Suns and Bulls was an epic match-up.

Runner-Up would have to be a tie between the '93-'94 Orlando Magic with Shaq, Penny, Nick Anderson, and Scott Skiles, and the '92-'93 Charlotte Hornets with Larry Johnson, Alonzo Mourning, Mugsy Bogues, Dell Curry, and Kendall Gill.
 
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BBdK

Heisman
Sep 21, 2003
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^ no love for Richard Dumas? Dude was going to be a star.




My Favorite NBA team of all time, during that entire stretch. #Clyde



 
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mashburned

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Mar 10, 2009
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I was an all American Stockton and Malone honk. I balanced that with the Suns, who were just the coolest, plus I had their starter jacket.
 
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Big_Blue79

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maverick1 said:
Click to expand...

What a gif! Looks like it's on a loop and the ball is just bouncing back to Ainge.

Grew up in the 'burbs of Chicago, and a kid/young adult was stomped almost to death in a nice park across from my elementary school for wearing a Knicks hat. Not even close to a bad neighborhood. That brand of basketbrawl was never welcome. I would go with the Suns - that Barkley team was a genuine threat in a way the Blazers or Lakers never really were, and they were pretty fun to watch. Also really liked the Olajuwon rockets, if for no other reason than they seemed to do really well against the Bulls and there was a rumor of a Pippen for Olajuwon trade. I'm one of the biggest Pippen fans of all time, but that would have been a heck of a trade.
 
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KingOfBBN

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Sep 14, 2013
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I liked the Suns a lot. Barkley's Suns jersey was the very first jersey I ever got (coolest uniform of the 90s to me). That was the only NBA Finals where I rooted against the Bulls.

I also liked using Zo and GrandMaMa for the Hornets on NBA Jam.
 
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Get Buckets

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Nov 4, 2007
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Big_Blue79 said:
What a gif! Looks like it's on a loop and the ball is just bouncing back to Ainge.

Grew up in the 'burbs of Chicago, and a kid/young adult was stomped almost to death in a nice park across from my elementary school for wearing a Knicks hat. Not even close to a bad neighborhood. That brand of basketbrawl was never welcome. I would go with the Suns - that Barkley team was a genuine threat in a way the Blazers or Lakers never really were, and they were pretty fun to watch. Also really liked the Olajuwon rockets, if for no other reason than they seemed to do really well against the Bulls and there was a rumor of a Pippen for Olajuwon trade. I'm one of the biggest Pippen fans of all time, but that would have been a heck of a trade.
Click to expand...

Pippen dunking on Ewing, standing over him and then proceeding to go tell Spike Lee to sit his *** down is one of my favorite sequences in NBA history.
 
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AustinTXCat

AustinTXCat

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Mashburned said:
I was an all American Stockton and Malone honk. I balanced that with the Suns, who were just the coolest, plus I had their starter jacket.
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+1

Loved the Jazz all through the 90s. "Stockton to Malone", arguably the 3 most spoken words in NBA history at one time.
 
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DaBossIsBack

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HeismanWildcat85 said:
First NBA game I got to go to was Sonics vs Bulls in 1991 at Rupp Arena. Got to see Jordan/Pippen and Kemp/Payton. Awesome moment.

Loved the Sonics uniforms.
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Never got to see them play man. That would have been awesome. Shawn Kemp is my favorite player of all time.
 
K

KingOfBBN

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DaBossIsBack said:
Never got to see them play man. That would have been awesome. Shawn Kemp is my favorite player of all time.
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Those were good ole days.

Being in Kentucky, didn't have a chance to see many pro games so my dad got my brother and I those tickets in Upper Arena. Only time I got to see MJ.

Did you play pee wee ball? One of my buddies was on the SuperSonics and there was a fight for #40.

I played for the Bullets so no one gave a crap about numbers.
 
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BKH34

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You know why Patrick Ewing got dunked on so much? Because he, like every other elite Georgetown big man of the era, got taught by John Thompson to go for the block on every drive to the basket. He sent a few back in his career as well, I would imagine. Not like he was Shawn Bradley or something.

Also, fun fact about that Pippen dunk: New York won that playoff series where it happened. It was the only time we beat the Bulls.

Oh yeah, F the Pacers.
 
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DaBossIsBack

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HeismanWildcat85 said:
Those were good ole days.

Being in Kentucky, didn't have a chance to see many pro games so my dad got my brother and I those tickets in Upper Arena. Only time I got to see MJ.

Did you play pee wee ball? One of my buddies was on the SuperSonics and there was a fight for #40.

I played for the Bullets so no one gave a crap about numbers.
Click to expand...
Remember being so bummed when they changed uniforms. I had two Kemp jerseys. Home and away haha I never fought for number 40 in peewee, but I did in church league. Lost my **** when my mom wouldn't buy me the Kamikazes. Used to love the NBA back then. It was all we talked about in school. But then Kemp got traded to the Cavs and those terrible uniforms, got fat, and MJ retired. Haven't cared since.
 
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MegaBlue05

MegaBlue05

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Mar 8, 2014
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Suns for sure.
I also like the Sonics with Kemp and Payton.

Best team in a video game: Hornets in NBA Showdown 94: Johnson, Mourning, Bogues with Dell Curry strokin' dat three.
 
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catsfanbgky

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Of the ones not mentioned, the early 90's Atlanta Hawks with Nique, Spud Webb, Doc Rivers, Kevin Willis was pretty fun to watch.
 
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BKH34

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If you can't count the Pacers and video game cheat code Reggie Miller - seriously, F the Pacers - the most fun video game team of that era was the 1994 Warriors with Tim Hardaway, Latrell Sprewell, Chris Mullin, Chris Webber at a small 5 and honestly who even gives a crap about the last guy in that lineup. I think it was Billy Owens. But talk about a fun group if you were into launching bombs.

And a super fun team IRL too. It's a shame Webber & Don Nelson couldn't get along and Webber got so much leeway in his contract as a rookie. That squad could have gone places to end Mullin's career.
 
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bthaunert

Heisman
Apr 4, 2007
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HeismanWildcat85 said:
Nothing will ever top the 90s for me. The NBA and college basketball were both so awesome.
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I agree. Might have to be with that being the basketball we were raised on (I think we are in a similar age category), but I always refer to those early to mid 90's NCAA All-American Teams to show how watered down college basketball has become over the past 20 years. Just some examples:

Alonzo Mourning - senior
Shaquille O'Neal - junior
Christina Leattner - senior
Anfernee Hardaway - junior
Jamal Mashburn - junior
Grant Hill - senior
Glenn Robinson - junior

There were some major studs who stayed in school. The last of that type of player.
 
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KingOfBBN

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bthaunert said:
I agree. Might have to be with that being the basketball we were raised on (I think we are in a similar age category), but I always refer to those early to mid 90's NCAA All-American Teams to show how watered down college basketball has become over the past 20 years. Just some examples:

Alonzo Mourning - senior
Shaquille O'Neal - junior
Christina Leattner - senior
Anfernee Hardaway - junior
Jamal Mashburn - junior
Grant Hill - senior
Glenn Robinson - junior

There were some major studs who stayed in school. The last of that type of player.
Click to expand...

Yep. Even if you go a few years later, Tim Duncan (senior), Ray Allen (junior), Paul Pierce (Junior), Vince Carter (Junior), Antawn Jamison (Junior), Steve Nash (senior) were all good players who didn't bounce as soon as they could.

College basketball has indeed been watered down. It's pretty ridiculous considering what it was like at one point. There's no way to fix it either. Kids now grow up not seeing any studs stay long at all.

It also seemed that during the 90s, most NBA teams at least had a star. I can't say I think the same nowadays.
 
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crazyqx83_rivals88013

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rabidcatfan said:
I played NBA JAM T.E. over the weekend and the old-school rosters got me thinking of what was my favorite lineup from that era? Since I was never a MJ fan it was easy for me to rule out the Bulls, but since it is probably the team most people would say, my question is regarding the other 29 teams in the league back then? The Boston Celtics have been my favorite NBA team since the 1980's, but their early 1990's rosters were never very good outside Larry Legend and he retired in 1992.

For me, it has to be the 1992-1993 Phoenix Suns - Sir Charles Barkley, Kevin Johnson, Thunder Dan Majerle, Danny Manning, Wayman Tisdale, and Danny Ainge, among others. That team was super-fun to watch and the 1993 NBA finals between the Suns and Bulls was an epic match-up.

Runner-Up would have to be a tie between the '93-'94 Orlando Magic with Shaq, Penny, Nick Anderson, and Scott Skiles, and the '92-'93 Charlotte Hornets with Larry Johnson, Alonzo Mourning, Mugsy Bogues, Dell Curry, and Kendall Gill.
Click to expand...
I like your picks. I grew up 45 miles south of orlando, so I was always fond of those magic teams. Had a pair of shaq reebok pumps. Wore them while listening to tag team and not even being able to touch the net.
 
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jockstrap_mcgee

All-Conference
Jan 22, 2009
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No love for the Kemp era Sonics? They were one of my favorites because they were so mysterious. Kemp was a mythological figure to me. I heard about his dunks but they were NEVER on NBC.
 
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Kaizer Sosay

Heisman
Nov 29, 2007
25,706
30,736
0
Run TMC.

Short run but they were fun to watch. Led the league in scoring for a couple of years in early 90's.
 
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