The NBA Decades Ranked
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- Опубликовано: 9 июн 2024
- My ranked list of each NBA decade, based on the overall entertainment and quality of the product.
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The game of Basketball has been my passion since I was 5 years old. I grew up as a kid watching my dad's recorded VHS tapes of playoff games through the 70s and 80s, and collected all the Basketball cards. Something about the game and what it represents just hooked me from a very young age.
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What is your favorite NBA Decade?
2010’s
2000s. Cannnn youuu dig it?
too young to say 80s, so 90s and 2000s@@MalikDiene
I have to say the 2010s, but that's just me, I really liked how offensively focused it was and the talent pool in that decade.
As a Bulls fan, obviously would say 90s, but best really mid 2000s thru 2020. But Flopping was getting outta control along with load management getting ridiculous
I think the 2000s is the best because they had the perfect blend of 90s toughness and 2010s skill
Bingo !!!!! And this era is truly the best defensive era to me
I agree
Agreed, plus there's more Hall of famers
@@chuckEdopemovesNah, The 90s is the most defensive imo
as a gen z individual, I have to completely agree. The 2000s was the best player era of the nba
Late 80's and early 90's was my favorite. Lakers vs Celtics then the Bad Boy Pistons then the Bulls first 3 peat after defeating the Bad Boys. It doesn't get any better than that. Very intense and physical basketball the way the game should be played with a lot of star power. True rivalries and teams that hated each other.
old head
Yeah, if we could split decades, I imagine some people would - 85-95, 95-05, what have ye.
the defense was awful it was either just stand there blocking the way or foul the shit out of somebody, the 00s and 10s had way more skilled defenders also the 0s lacked in talent since ppl like bird and magic had a rather short career for all time great measures. I'd say the 80s get carried by the bird magic rivalry and theyre one of the most exiting decades, but the 10s with the amount of talent imo, beat the 90s
💯
@@Michiiigring How old are you? Be honest. You weren't old enough to watch any of those 90's games live were you?
If I remember correctly, you've said before that you are 34? I am 32. I began watching the nba in 96'. And I have watched every single year since. And I actually completely agree with this list. You had to be there for the 2000's. One of the slowest paces, but the league was filled to the brim with talent. You got to witness MJ act 3 and final retirement. The meteoric rise of a young Lebron James. Shaq and Kobe 3Peat. The domination of Tim Duncan, Prime Tmac and his 13 points in 33 seconds. Game 7 Boston vs LA. Lebron scoring 29 of 30 to eliminate pistons. Kobe 81 points vs Raptors. These memories bring tears to my eyes when I think about how great the 2000's were. Best. Decade. Ever.
yet ratings were in a decline. according to ratings and well most of us. 90s 1st. 80s 2nd.
Also it was the decade that NBA basketball became a global sport and you began to see great international players.
@@facelessandnameless Detlef Shrempf, Arvydys Sabonis, Toni Kukoc, Drazen Petrovic.. it was global in the late 80s and 90s. it became Global in 92 actually with the DREAM TEAM..
Seven seconds or less transforming the NBA to what is todays game
@@themasterofbasketball6994 yea the suns were a good regular season team but ALWAYS succumbed to the defense and physicality in the playoffs.. Thanks D antoni for ruining the NBA
Take your choice at #1, I think most of us agree that 80’s-00’s were the golden era.
I thinks thats exactly the most overrated era. Today is the most advanced, as sports science and analytics made their mark
@@1vaultdwellerNo.
@@1vaultdwelleryes so advanced that they can't even keep the players healthy
@@1vaultdweller Can be. But do I like to watch it? No :-)
@@1vaultdweller so advanced that they dont call travel or carry anymore😆
The 60s was an enigmatic decade pending on your viewpoint.
On one hand, there was 0 parity outside of 1967 when the league might as well have stood for National Boston Association.
OTOH, good lord the talent. A lot of names and legends where just about every team had at least one future HOF’er
It depends on your viewpoint
My two cents is that if Russell went anywhere else that team would become the new Celtics. Royals with Oscar? Check, LA with Elgin and West? Check. Bill and Wilt in Phillie? Check. Bill and Willis in NY? Check. Hawks with Pettit and Bill? Check.
Bill is thebultimate exchangeable piece. He didnt take shots from anyone and legit wanted to win above everything else while providing all time hof defense. Without Bill everyone not named Cowens, Cousy, Hondo or Jones who played for the C's misses the Hof.
@@andrewcook1246I mean. You literally named 4 players that would make the Hof without Bill and then said the rest wouldmt make the Hof. I mean. Those guys are prime HOF caliber players. Its not the 2022 Lakers or anything. That's 2017 GSW levels of BS. Bill would definitely have won on any team but that's a far cry from 9/10 finals.
@samraizshoaib585 I was about the reply the same thing lol dude had mad hof talent around him.. he named 4 guys like u said lol bill would've won anywhere for sure but it wouldn't have been 11 rings in 13 years.
@@samraizshoaib585 and about 8-10 HoF that get left out. And some of those t3ams I mentioned would've been leagues beyond the Celtics. Wilt and Bill or Jerry and Elgin with Bill? Those teams are going 13/13 and the other two are winning at least 5+.
Hiw many you think they win?
@@andrewcook1246Cowens didnt play with Russell. Cowens was drafted in 69 (niiicee), the year after Russell retired. But after, yeah, that is truth. Sam Jones, Hondo and Cousy are truly HOFers.
Born in 1952, I picked up basketball as a sport I loved, in and around the early to mid 60s. CBS started broadcasting the NBA game of the week. Most often it was Boston vs somebody else, and they televised a lot of Wilt's games, also. With all of the strong playing big centers, and greats in the other positions, I enjoyed it as part of my formative years. I would place the 60s as number 2 against the 1980s as number one, for the obvious reasons of; Bird vs Magic, and almost countless other great players. I acquired a satellite dish, in the early 80s and watched many a game on it. I haven't watched much NBA since the early 90s, so I can't give an opinion on those following decades, except that they haven't interested me.
Yes sir,I remember the NBA being telecast on CBS. However the NBA on NBC seemed better.
Ok unc
2000s were amazing watching Nash on the suns hooked me on basketball
I feel like Johnnys actual favorite is the 70’s he just doesn’t want us to know about his coke addiction.
I love the 80s, 90s and 2000s, as personally I think each decade had mostly the same things going for it; the perfect mix of physicality, competitiveness and skill. The 90s and 2000s were really slow paced, hence the low scoring, so every bucket felt important. There were so many good teams and dynasties from that era.
And I’m born in the 2000s, so this is not the words of an old head
You don't need to worry about winning. Haters gonna hate, nothing new. Btw it's a win regardless because we enjoy the content.
Late 90's , and 2000"s were the best.
Most amount of great and skilled superstars along with great defense and balanced offense.
Since it was the most competitive era you had teams battling it out with final scores of high '80s mid '90s.
Then they change the rules to make everybody score easier from 2010 and on, making the current NBA a soft circus of players just standing around the three-point line or driving in for layups, rinse and repeat. Most of the top scorers in today's league wouldn't be scoring as easily as they do now in previous eras.
I think the early 90s is the most fun to watch followed by the mid 2000s. It felt like teams could be different and the energy the teams played with were off the charts.
I’m a 90s kid, but damn…80s. Bird-Magic rivalry must have been the best rivalry to watch.
They met 3x in the Finals. The 1984 one was far away the best one though.
Man that rivarly was special. There has never been anything like it in my lifetime.
No decade is beating the 2000s. The team would consist of Shaq, Kobe, Bron, A.I., KG, Dirk, Duncan, Stoudemire, Melo, T-Mac, Nash, Peirce, Ray Allen. Wade- My starting line up would be C-Shaq, PF-Duncan SF-Bron SG-Kobe PG-Wade. Every position is a problem. Could insert Nash or Dirk for spacing.
1- 80´s
2- 90's
3- 00's
4- 10's
5- 60's
6- 70's
7- 50's
8- 40's
I feel there's a huge dfference between #2 90's and the 00's, which i really didn't like that much, specially the first half. In some ways I liked the 2010's better than the 2000's, but I think it's only in this first years of the 2020's that the product that started being made in the 10's has really gotten great.
Also, the 60's with how the celtics performed so well with such an incredible mesh of great players, and the play of other stars of the time may have a case for being better even than the 2000's and 2010's. I think because of the lack of wholesome important teams, the 70's kinda regressed compared to the previous decade, but in reality the individual level of many stars had been getting better progressively until blossoming in what I think was the best decade of basketball, the 80's.
I'll post an edited ranking, swaping the 2000's with the 2010's:
1- 80's
2- 90's
3- 10's
4- 00's
5- 60's
6- 70's
7- 50's
8- 40's
In another version I'd put the 60's over the 2010's. If not because the player's game still looked somewhat unpolished compared to later decades, I think the 60's were more relevant because its stars shined brighter than the ones of this past 25 years. And even the best teams of the 60's were more imporant, star filled, and better built than the best from 2000 to this day.
What you mean "getting great"?? Nowadays the game is the best ever only when you just see the highlights of one game!!! Great tree points, great runs to the hook, alley oops of every type and quality!!! ... but, today, when you see a full game, where is that "greatness" that you are talking about?? Players missing 6, 7, 8, attempts from the 3 point line and still insisting in shooting more!!🤦♂️🤦♂️ you see a PG dribbling the direct defender and there's no one more on the paint to stop the man!!
...I really think that we have really great players today, really great stars that could play in any era ... but this era, the way that this great players are playing the game are making me choose to see soccer instead!!! 😢😢
List is perfect in my opinion
From the era of Magic and Bird to the era of Shaq and Kobe, that's the greatest era of basketball
80’s was the best for sure!!!
The golden era, or decade, has to be between 1982-1992 legendary players, teams and rivalries concluding in the greatest team ever assembled. Imo
For me
80s
90s
60s
2000s
2010s
70s
50s
Love the styles n characters of 80/90/60 guys.
Does 2010 title count as 2010s or 2000s? The season started in 2009 but most of it was in 2010
The 90s being a transitional period between the fast-paced 80s and the slow-paced 2000s should've been a positive. That means more variety and the league was rapidly changing every season.
The league was actually getting worse every season though. There's a good reason why the league made all those rule changes. Isolation basketball is just boring. I know people complain about today, but it's so much better than getting the ball to a guy and everyone else clearing out so that he can play one-on-one basketball for a possession.
Add in that by the latter half of the 90s the league's superstars had all gotten pretty old. Shaq was kinda the only superstar under the age of 30 for about five years there.
@@JonSmith-hk1bq The pace & style of the late 90s was pretty much the same as the 2000s. The 11th lowest league ppg belongs to 2004; while the top 10 is all composed of the pre-shot clock era, the first year of the shot clock, and a lockout season; plus the 12 to 20 spots are occupied by six seasons of the 2000s. The video itself already pointed out that NBA championship broadcasts peaked in popularity during the 90s. Clearing out is exactly what today's players are doing to isolate the slashers into one-on-one situations. Hence, there's barely any inside presence. 1996 is celebrated as one of the greatest NBA drafts of all time. The likes of Kobe, Garnett, Duncan, Hill, & Kidd were already All-Stars by the latter part of the 90s.
@@jp3813 1996 was indeed a great draft class. But those players you just mentioned were young (exception to Duncan) when they were drafted and mostly didn't develop into superstars until the 2000s, or in the case of Grant never reached their actual potential.
I won't deny the league reached peak popularity in the 90s, but that doesn't mean it was the most fun basketball to watch.
And spacing to clear room for slashers and pick and rolls is a very different thing from running isolation plays.
@@JonSmith-hk1bqNBA reached peak basketball in the 1990s *BECAUSE* it was most fun to watch. NBA ratings are record low today because its the opposite.
The actual social media/drama sports analysts shows get more views than the NBA itself today.
@@JonSmith-hk1bqIt hardly matters if they were young or not. Watching the mid 1990s Knicks play every single game as if they were battling for the championships was a thrill.
Grant Hill was so big that he even surpassed Jordan in All Star votes. Iverson may of been young in 1996-1997 but he was one of the most exciting players to watch. And then there is Michael Jordan. The most exciting player of all time.
Today's NBA has all players trying to be Steph Curry. Its boring, and is only made interesting by social media drama
Bro when you was breaking it down era by Era in the beginning about what they’ll say you was right on the money!!!
Wow! This is exactly was my list looks like.
Amazing video!! 2000s is also my favorite, followed by 90s and 80s as well. Excellent points about every era…and all were fair points too.
2008 Western Conference was absolute madness. Everybody 1-8 felt equal & even the We Believe Warriors missed the playoffs winning almost 50 games!
Finally nailed it with the perfect list.... KUDOS \m/
60s 70s 80s !!!!! Purest basketball 🏀
Yeah when I can't sleep I just go to the hardwood classics... I'm instantly out like a baby.
It is a statistical fact that the 1970s had the weakest team competition of any post-infancy decade. In 1973/74 and 4 consecutive seasons from 1975/76 to 1978/79, the league failed to produce even one 60-win team in those 5 seasons. For comparison, from 1980 onwards, the 2000/01 season is the only year in which the league did not produce a 60-win team; the Spurs had the best record at 58-24. The league failed to produce a 60-win team for half of the 1970s, yet this has only occurred once in 35+ seasons since then. Even in 2001, however, the Lakers had to beat 4 50+ win teams to win the title. No title team in the 1970s faced a path remotely comparable to the 2001 Lakers' stacked overall competition.
It is also worth noting that the 1970s produced 8 of the 17 sub-50 win teams to make the NBA Finals from 1960-present.
Sub-50 Win Finals Teams from 1960-present
1965 Lakers - 49-31 - 80 game season
1977 Blazers - 49-33
2003 Nets - 49-33 - the last sub-50 team to make the NBA Finals
1964 Warriors - 48-32 - 80 game season
1969 Celtics - 48-34
1972 Knicks - 48-34
1975 Warriors - 48-34
1978 Sonics - 47-35
1995 Rockets - 47-35
1970 Lakers - 46-36
1966 Lakers - 45-35 - 80 game season
1967 Warriors - 44-37 - 81 game season
1978 Bullets - 44-38
1999 Knicks - 44-38 - win% adjusted for 82 games (27-23)
1971 Bullets - 42-40
1976 Suns - 42-40
1981 Rockets - 40-42 - only losing Finals team since 1959
Also worth noting is that the 1978 NBA Finals is the only time since 1958 that both Finals teams had under 50 wins, and in 1958 the season only lasted 72 games.
Since 1960, nearly half of the sub-50 win Finals teams came in the incredibly weak 1970s. As has been stated on this site multiple times, Jordan (10-0), Duncan (13-1), Kobe (6-0 as a starter), and LeBron (19-0) are a combined 49-1 in playoff series against sub-50 win teams, proving that 50-wins is an accurate cutoff for weaker competition. Duncan's lone loss against a sub-50 win team came at age 34 against the 2011 Grizzlies.
Championship teams have benefited from opposing teams' injuries across every era, as has been noted here, but the best teams of the 1970s benefited from injuries on top of already playing in the weakest post-infancy era of the NBA to begin with. The 1971 Bucks and 1972 Lakers are generally considered the best teams of the 1970s. The Bucks had a 66-16 record, led by Oscar and Kareem, and have the best SRS of any team in history (though I do not consider SRS a credible measurement). The 1972 Lakers are tied for the 3rd-best regular season record in history at 69-13 with the 1997 Bulls and have the longest win streak in NBA history of 33 games.
The 1971 Bucks, however, faced a sub-50 win team in each of the 3 rounds in their title run including the Lakers without Jerry West and the 42-40 Bullets with Gus Johnson missing half the NBA Finals. The 1972 Lakers defeated the Bucks with an injured Oscar averaging 9 ppg for the series and the sub-50 win Knicks without Willis Reed, who won Finals MVP in both 1970 and 1973 while defeating the Lakers both times. When the two teams that are generally considered the "best" of that era played such weak competition, that says it all about the quality of the era as a whole.
I agree with the entire list. I may swap the 90's and 80's but that's about it.
Even when I stumble on 80's games by accident my eyes are absolutely glued to the screen the entire time. The 90's not so much.
Definitely picking the 90s over the 00s. The early 2000s had a scoring problem as well after they screwed the rules over to stop Shaq
That's not what happened really. In any previous era Shaq would have been called for offensive fouls nearly every play.
I been watching your videos for a long time but I rarely comment because I usually watch on my TV..I pulled my phone out just to let u know I agreed 150 percent with your list..I know u think(and you're probably right) that you'll get a lot of negative comments so I just wanted to make sure u at the very least had a positive one. I appreciate your videos man I watch everyday keep up the fantastic work!!
Ps:even though I don't comment much I do make sure to like every video lol the TV has a like button I just don't know how to comment on it.
Lol. I appreciate it man! Most RUclips viewers are just lurkers, so you're not alone. I seriously appreciate you taking the time to write this nice comment though :)
@@jonnyarnett for sure man.. your videos make my day better its the least I could do lol have a good day my brother and I really appreciate you replying to my comment.
I like how well you articulated your position and reasoning.
Even though I prefer the 90s, all your points made sense, and I wouldn't be able to argue against any of the positions you took.
Well done. Your opinion, even though it is clearly an opinion, is well supported and survives casual criticism.
IMO 😊
Late 80's to early 90's is when I truly fell in love with NBA Basketball! 🏀 It was like the Doctor was on his way out, Magic & Larry Bird were close to slowing down, the Detroit Bad Boys (Isiah Thomas) basketball style wasn't gonna last too long...
Who's gonna take the "Basketball Baton" per say into the future 90's era, the Era Of Flight, Slams & Jams Dominique "the Human Highlight Film" Wilkins, Clyde "the Glide" Drexler or Michael "Air" Jordan??
(Charles Barkley Philadelphia 76ers version was very much in that conversation as well)....
The battle for Basketball Supermacy was between these (3) Skywalkers, Sublime perimeter players
The Basketball Shoe Wars were in fully engaged in Commercial Ad Combat played out on NBA Courts and almost equally importantly on the playgrounds of every high school gym & lunchroom in every major urban city across the country, fueled by the integrated sounds of the simultaneous cultural phenomenon known as Hip Hop
Embraced in to household living rooms by way of television shows like "the Fresh Prince Of Bel Air" "the Cosby Show" and Cosby Show spinoff "A Different World" not to mention the immensely popular Spike Lee films and Nike Commercial spots of the early 90's...
The 90's were the Golden Age because of the commercialization and advertisement of the Sport Of Basketball boosted with the infusement of music of Hip Hop Culture brought Basketball Popularity to an All-Time level Nationwide!🏀✨
Your explanations sounds very convincing! List sounds very good
80’s, all day every day. So many larger than life stars and you had more than half of most people’s top 20 list playing at one time or another.
I for one though would like to get some perspectives from older fans about those eras. The basketball community tends to be embarrassingly toxic and ageist and I’m curious about some alternate takes on those eras.
90’s were a little poor because the Bulls didn’t have any major rivals, imo. This occurred largely due to Magic and Larry’s careers declining prematurely and Len Bias’s very unfortunate death.
exactly my point, imo the 0s are one of the most overrated nba decades
that could be true but us knicks fans saw COMPETATIVE basketball every single time they played the bulls.. despite not truly winning. and hey, ratings say 90s 1st, 80s second.
@@soramirez5473 No yeah I was obsessed in the 90’s with MJ’s dominance, and actually ‘95 when Houston won was one of my favorite seasons ever too. It was a blast.
It’s more disappointment than anything, that there wasn’t this massive MJ/Scottie vs Larry/Len Bias thing that could have been so epic.
@@jubjubhenry5612 oh yea, I always thought that it would have been exciting, (more) if Jordan actually had another dynasty to play against. The Knicks and Jazz were tough, but not at the level of the bulls obviously.
@soraramirez5473 - Knicks were damn good and deserved to win a title. That Houston series, John Starks choking in game 7
Just bc MJ dominated the league, doesn’t mean the league was weak at all. MJ was just that good
I'd probably swap the 90s and the 00s but that's more due to my age than anything else. I'm a little uncomfortable putting the 2010's over the 80s too, but again, old guy here.
Lucky to witness a late 90s era transition to 2000s. competitiveness, Skills, talent, Passion for winning, defense and hustle, cant truly watch an Era like that. Love these content.
Great video, Jonny! You provided excellent arguments for each ranking. Personally, I like the 2000s and 1990s most. I go back and forth between them. But, I like the 2000s especially because of the rivalry our teams shared (I know 2002 was controversial but it was a great rivalry), the Kings doing well for several years, the right amount of physicality (just as you said), and style of play. I enjoy this decade and the 2010s also, but I like the 2000s more (I see the excitement of having so many 3 pointers but I prefer the play styles of the 2000s more). Plus, it was a lot of fun watching CWebb, TD, KG, McGrady, Carter, Yao, Shaq, Kobe, Wade, LeBron, and Carmelo.
Hope you are having a great day :)
This is an excellent idea for a video and I agree with your ranking and breakdown. The 90’s is my favorite era of the NBA.
1- 80s
2- 90s
3- 00s
4- 70s
5- 10s
6- 60s
7- 50s
And I’m biased AF. I just preferred my childhood experience!
That was pretty much spot on. Good job sir!
Thank you Jonny!
Hard rankings, I think everyone can agree that the 80s-2000s were the highlight of the league. Hope defensive rules change to bring back games to around 200 total points per game
Always sad to see my favourite decade come last lol.
My favourite decade of NBA ball is the 50s, for basically all the reasons you stated. I find it utterly fascinating to see some of the early growth of the league. The 50s were also a new league formed from the teams of the two top leagues at the time, and while there is some major bs at play (Dayton Rens, and Sheboygan come to mind) I can’t help but constantly being drawn to it.
The 2000s are probably my second favourite decade. It was a very well balanced product, and I am a Timmy D fan… so I won’t deny a degree of bias.
My third favourite probably goes to the 60s. It’s the decade I probably rewatch the most in all honesty. I don’t really know why, but I find it rather enjoyable.
80s was the final decade I considered for my top 3, and could probably overtake the 60s if I’m being honest. I grew up with Hockey and NASCAR, so rough play and fights are something I tended to rejoice in more than dislike.
Similarly, I really enjoy rewatching games from the 70s. They’re not far behind the 60s for what I rewatch, and like the 80s the fights are a feature and not a bug for me. The parity was also awesome, though I do see the problems, and talent was split between leagues (also the point skimming scandal where a handful of top talent were banned for life without ever being proven…)
The 90s fall here consequentially. I enjoyed the 90s for a lot of the same reason I enjoyed the 00s, but honestly the dominance of the bulls kind of takes away from it for me. Perhaps it’s because I started following in the 00s (consequence of being born in the 00s I suppose), but I never really got attached to the 90s.
My least favourite is the 2010s, and it’s a weird spot to be honest. I rather enjoyed early 10s ball, and would consider it right up there with 00s. Simultaneously, the second half of the decade is just a lot of stuff I’m not at all interested in. The single team dominance isn’t really fun, and it never really felt like anyone could compete with the Warriors. As one can probably guess from my opinions on the 70/80s, I enjoy physical ball and absolutely detest flopping. The homogeny of 3ptrs is generally boring to me, and defense feels barely better than worthless.
I really liked the 70s. Basketball was in a different place, but still very skill-reliant. Exciting players like Kareem, Oscar Robertson, Elvin Hayes, Wes Unseld, Jerry West, Bill Walton. The league felt smaller, not as global, not as much money, not as much excitement, just athletic competition and mostly good vibes, aside from the drugs and civil unrest...
1. 80's - At least four contenders for what you could call the greatest teams of all time (Celtics, Lakers, Sixers, Pistons). Plus a young Michael Jordan, young Hakeem, and young Charles Barkley all figuring it out under the shadow of Larry and Magic. Truly the most competitive bloodbath of a decade.
2. 2000's - Kobe, LeBron, Shaq, KG, T-Mac, Dirk, AI, Carmelo, Steve Nash, Chris Paul, Tim Duncan, Dwyane Wade, and the list goes on and on. Probably the most stacked the league has ever been from an individual talent standpoint as well as a team standpoint. Definitely a few teams here that you could argue were the greatest of all time and no one would bat an eye.
3. 2010's - Probably the most skilled era in NBA history plus enough parity in the league to make it interesting. As dominant as the LeBron Heat/Cavs were and the Warriors, there were still legitimate teams giving them problems every year like the Spurs and Thunder. Not a fan of flopping and although I'm a Warriors fan, I did not like the KD move to Golden State. Cool to say I saw the most dominant team of all time, but the second half of the decade was boring.
4. 90's - Superstar talent, but a bit diluted because of all the expansion teams. Jordan's Bulls are up there with Bill Russell's Celtics as the most dominant team of any era. But the overall level of team competition was relatively low. Outside the Bulls, there were no all time great teams. But the diversity of skill and talent was fun to watch.
5. 60's - In some ways, the most competitive era because the number of teams was so small. So instead of having talent diluted between 30 teams, it was diluted between less than 10 teams. The Celtics' dominance cannot be understated, 8 straight championships playing against talent like the Jerry West/Elgin Baylor Lakers and the Wilt Chamberlain Warriors is incredible.
6. 70's - I wish ABA accolades were counted because it would make this decade so much more interesting. There would be an argument for Dr. J as the GOAT, but unfortunately talent was diluted between two different leagues.
7. 50's - Segregation ball. It is important to remember that this is where all the fundamentals came from and I have respect for guys like Bob Cousy and George Mikan for being pioneers of the game, but still.
This is correct. The era of the superteams in the 80’s was epic on a galactic scale. Over half of nearly everyone’s top 20 playing at one point or another, just a feast of basketball goodness that may never be beat.
100% agree with your note on the 90’s. It was a fucking blast but MJ needed a direct rival/dynasty to make it a top 3 decade. If Larry and Magic’s careers hadn’t been derailed too early and Len Bias hadn’t died it could have been #1, who knows.
@@jubjubhenry5612 Yeah most people’s biggest criticism of MJ was that he did not start seeing success until the great teams of the 80’s fell apart and retired. I tend to agree, the Bulls were the one super team of the expansion era and unfortunately Jordan’s lack of competition in the 90’s is the biggest knock on his case as the GOAT.
Had Magic not gotten AIDS or Bird injured his back, I think MJ’s finals record would look more like Kobe’s or LeBron’s. Not spotless, but that’s nothing to knock him for since the competition was so insane
@@electricguitar146 Are you me? You think the same exact shit I do. 😂
Big props for taking on the challenge of this ranking.
great video mate!!!!thumbs up!
The late 90s games were a slower pace because the players were more deliberate and avoided careless, stupid plays and turnovers more than they do today. Case-in-point would be the infamous Lakers/Heat game from early November. I watched the entire game and there were moments where I wondered if either team knew how to play basketball.
Yep, 90s teams would stomp any Era's.. Just look at the gauntlet Utah went thru in West playoffs 97 & 98.
Hakeem/Barkley. Duncan/Robinson. Payton/Kemp. Kobe/Shaq.. Then met Chicago both years lol
Fully understand your ranking, believe you summed up each decade pretty well. However (lol, you knew this was coming), as one of your older subscribers, the '80's & often overlooked 70's remain my personal favorite decades. Yes, the '70's lacked a dominate team (8 different champs) similar to the way the present decade is shaping up. And they had a number of talented players who had serious social issues that turned off the general & hardcore fans...such as this present decade (Ja, Draymon, Irving, etc). 50 point games & triple doubles games of this current decade have never seemed as uneventful to me as in any other time in NBA history. While I could be wrong, I believe each "everyday" fans favorite decade would probably be the decade in which they were in the 15 - 30 year age bracket. Keep up the great work, it's truly respected.
Fantastic video!!!!!
I loved your analysis!
I would have liked some breakdown of significant events, (64 Allstars demanding a labor agreement) and iconic moments, (Bryant, TO SHAQ!!!) but if you ever remake this video for an attempt at more views as you have done recently, those would be some nice additions for those like me who like to know the specifics or those who don't know.
(I am assuming the infant stages of the fourties are 8th?)
Where would you rank the 2020’s (so far)?
Hmmm... It's tough to say. Load management is still holding it back, and we have to wait and see if these new flopping penalties actually work long term, but I definitely like it more than the 2010s. There is sooooo much talent in the league, and there is a lot of competitive parity. I guess currently it would be at #4 ahead of the 2010s, but it definitely can move up if Silver cleans up some less glamorous stuff.
I think you nailed this
Imo a perfect list. Great work I pretty much agree completely.
2000"s were even slower than the 90's. I think the late 80's to mid 90's was peak.
Also the 2000's wasn't evenly split with talent. The west dominated the 2000's.
Thank you for showing Green's insane leap at the end
Love the list and wouldn't change a single sentence from this transcript. I love your reasoning behind every single era and it helped me really dig into how the NBA not only evolved and maintained that excitement/talent level very high (Evolution from 80's- 2000's) but then how it slowly changed into something that lacks the TRUE essence of what we called NBA basketball. The 2010s was definitely more of a player empowerment era where the players focused more on control and "what ifs" than just natural, explosive, entertaining, and competitive basketball. Everyone wanted to make the ideal team and choose to leave before ever giving their roster a change to truly gel (not as much team switching in the 2000s as opposed to 2010s), leading to exactly what you said JA. No fan was emotionally attached to any superstar that joined their team in the 2010s. It was almost inevitably going to be a trade within a few seasons. The 2000s was the perfect version of "not too much" and "just right".
I almost predicted your list perfectly. My only mistake was swapping the 80s and the 10s. But I really like the ranking process you used.
Style preference matters so much here. What is it you like watching? Want drama? Xs and Os? Fast breaks? Post up play? Balance? Superstars? Parity? It is so subjective! Also, I’d be stunned if anyone picks an era from when you were 30 or older. Nostalgia and wonder make that nearly impossible.
We're talking skills not nostalgia that stays forever and is a crutch in the expansion of the game. If Wilt is not better than MJ then MJ is not better than LeBron... wait till all these guys retire y'all will see just how better they were
@@fel4822 I know- but what I’m saying is that people will overinflate skills/drama/etc from the ball that was played when they were younger. It’ll happen to you, too. Happens to all of us. Even IF we try to be objective.
True I pick this decade I'm over 30...to me it's harder than 1 v1 with all the spacing imagine both Malones Shaq or Wilt with a 3 and setting crazy picks
I think your list is perfect
I like your list, I see your point about the 90's and 00's. personally I like the 90's. either way, they are the 2 best decades. I prefer the 90's cause I feel it was a bit more physical. but another reason I like the 90's better is that the leagues was more balanced from a team perspective. the only "super team" was the Rockets and they were on the decline of their careers.
00’s is definitely my era! That’s when I fully understood the game more! Plus despite the iso heavy play, this was the time when the league started getting more diverse in talent. You have the low post guys, great mid range guys, three point specialists, defensive specialists. And you got the early unicorns of the game! Also, this was the time when I knew every player, lol thanks 2k and NBA live! Hahaha
Started watching in 2001, and im from Detroit, so the 2000s have nostalgia that puts it at #1 for me. The balance in scoring from mid range, three point range, and attacking the basket is what I miss the most. I remember getting excited watching Sheed hit a 3 as a PF since he was one of the first stretch bigs and it wasnt as common back then. The Indiana, San Antonio, and Detroit defenses were also great
i would go 2010s since it is the one I grew up with (literally started watching the game in 2010 lol)
then 2000s since a lot of players I watched in 2010s were also in the 2000s and I'm really interested in players like tmac, ai, kg, ray allen whose primes were in the 2000s but still played until 2010s
then 90s, 2020s, 80s, 60s, 70s, 50s
How can you compare decades you never watched?
@@javigar133 i base it on how likely would I watch or be interested in the games/players/teams that played in that decade.
90s. Part of it might be my age (left home, watched less TV in 2000s), but I also think the physicality was best. Yeah, the 80s had good stuff, but honestly, like you said, substantial risk of injury. Not sure we want the Bad Boys back. I missed most of the 2000s and 2010s, so I have no nostalgia for it. I never did the "Kobe" thing (shooting paper or whatever), and Shaq to me seemed bigger than basketball (movies, raps, etc.). Meaning I didn't miss out on him by not watching basketball after 2002/3. Not to mention his prime ended early in the 2000s anyway.
I'm honestly kind of amazed that more people didn't get injured in the 80s. I kinda just consider that good luck tbh. Remember several years ago how Gordon Hayward's ankle/leg folded when he landed on it? The potential of that kind of thing becomes A LOT more common when dudes are constantly getting knocked off balance in mid air.
I love 90s NBA, I really do, but the 00s has a special place in my heart.
lol I must have a COKE addiction lol I died I love your channel bro
I agree with this list. It makes me want to watch some 80s games to get more info on it.
What might be more of a challenge is taking the ultimate 5 from every decade and play them under the rules of the 50's e.g no 3 point line and hard fouls...under those circumstances no decade could beat the 60's. Oscar, Jerry, Elgin Russell at 4 and Wilt...no decade could beat that
Hey Jonny! Great video! Originally, I was going to say that 1990’s was the best decade, based on the belief that this decade was the peak of developed basketball fundamentals. But for better or worse, the 90’s is overshadowed by Michael Jordan. While the excitement and popularity of the game peaked in the 90’s with Jordan at the helm, I do believe many stars of that era do get missed and even slighted which is not fair to them.
Your explanation for the 2000’s was a great explanation and I agree with you. I think the 2000’s does have that right blend of styles and stars where the casual fan could stay engaged and stay loyal to their team.
One last thought, I thought the 2010’s had a great start - Kobe winning his fifth ring, Dirk winning his emotional and inspiring championship - but after that, while with great highlights, I do think it does take multiple negative hits - for all the reasons you listed. Thanks Jonny!
Great list. I think you got it right.
First of all, I thank you for bringing this up. It is a very hard topic for some-not for me-as so many have their favorite players. I also thank you for defining your terms for your ranking. Second, The only thing I'd like to mention is that the 1980's was still the peak in basketball. For the following reasons, one, unlike today where focus is a little more heavy on the individual players, in the 80's, the focus was more on your team which represented your city., in a sense, a city team or region team. even if there were no stars on it. It still exists today obviously, but not to the extent it was in the 80's. Two, the desire to win was more fierce. Without naming all of the stars in that period, all desired to win, rather than put on a show. Now, basketball is a show and less sport. Some may not understand this. The team with no superstars can beat any superstar's team any day with the right coach.
I agree.. the 2000's was the best era 🔥
90s is the greatest era. The golden era of the nba
2000s - the league was watered down.
I think we may be entering another good era, these young guys like Ant, Shai, Luka up until Jokic… this could be a special time
Grew up with the mid to late 00s and the entirety of the 2010s I’m not mad at this list at all. I agree with every placement
I might have to agree with you reluctantly even though I felt that the 80s was the golden age of basketball since the shooting percentages were much higher with the great basketball players. But I am pretty pleased with your list. And ultimately, I think you are correct. Although those finals with Nets were a complete snoozer 😴
I totally agree. 2000s had SO many players and teams to identify with and man the Western Conference was loaded. Nowadays there are just a few contenders each year.
#1 is funny because i'm from argentina and that was the most Boeing era from an international stand point
I'd legitimately like to hear a non-troll make an argument for the 50's just out of pure curiosity.
It's funny, I am in my head would initially say the 90, but actually agree with you about 2000s having a nice balance of big men, three-pointers, physicality, and finesse.
1980s
I agree with basically all of this, I did debate 80s vs 90s a lot but 2000s I always felt was the peak and I LOVE that you mention the end there. Imagine if even the screw jobs didn’t happen. It would have been up for the most diverse decade for title winners, play style and start to end evolution. Just a beautiful decade
I personally think it's the 90s. You still had the 80s teams going strong until 92-93, and you saw the Rise of Shaq, penny , etc in the mid 90s and in the late 90s you saw the rise of Kobe, Vince Carter, AI, etc.
9:20 I love how you put Lambier's Redemption in when speaking about a player attacking the basket, while he is just waiting for the rebound. But f that, I also love it so play as often as your new hate for Draymon allows you. It's funny how Draymon's are not so funny.
Will we witness a Draymon's Redemption? fingers crossed, a proper one would involve so many body parts that I can only imagine a train crashing into the stadium.
The 90's is the best deacde to me. Yes, MJ won. But at the time, it was nailbiting whether he would pull it out. The games were fun to watch even without MJ. I couldn't stand Reggie Miller and I liked the Knicks growing up. And the 00's was even slower too. The 00's was good, but I'd put them #3. I saw a rerun of the Lakers and Celtics game when Magic hit the baby hook shot. The game was so good, I forgot it already happened!
Those Lakers Celtics series were the pinnacle, for sure. That foul on Kurt Rambis may have been the greatest foul ever, and would result in multiple game suspensions today. 🤣
I should go watch 1984 again…
I would swap the 80s with 90s, but agree for the rest. The 2010s were certainly the begin of the decline we're seeing in quality today. Good list!
Agreed.
2016 being when the decline really accelerated. After using "lucky" lotteries to assemble their big 3 the cavs fired their coach, whined before trade deadline, took it easy in regular season etc. and won title against a team who did take ot seriously. Now teams all coast thru regular season
How would you rank the 2020’s so far? I personally think it has improved since the 2010’s in nearly every way other than load management (which has gotten much much worse). Maybe it’s just because it was coming off of the same finals matchup in four straight years, but I’ve really enjoyed having eight different teams in the finals the past four years. Guys like Jokic, Giannis, are brining bigs back into basketball but in new creative ways. Giannis is a prototypical two-way athletic post scorer like David Robinson or Kevin Garnett, Embiid plays more like if Hakeem shifted his focus more to the mid-range (and foul baiting but let’s not worry about that) and Jokic is unlike anything we’ve ever seen. All 7 footers, all with different styles of play, all showing you can build teams around a PF/C again. Those three along with Tatum, Steph, and a few others are also combating the ludicrous player movement of the 2010s that will hopefully slow down once KD and Harden retire. And finally I’ve loved that teams have either stopped trying to make super teams, or the ones that do try (Nets and Clippers) fail hilariously.
It’s still too early to tell, but this has so far been one of my favorite decades for the NBA.
2000s is easily the best and I agree on the whole order of the list this was great !!!
I have no problems with this list 💯
90's and 2000s for me is the best. You know it's great when players are being used as notebook covers like superheroes.
Before watching the video, to me the best decade was the 80’s. However, because of the great points that you made I’ve to agree that the 2000s is the best decade… but I’ve the 80’s in 2nd place and the 90’s in 3rd place.
"Must have a coke addiction" 😂😂😂
😂😂😂😂😂
Happy birthday Larry
As a millennial, i haven't seen 80's era much, but 4/10 all time best players in their prime, makes this era realy special.
I agree the 2000s was the best! Every team had an identity. And their own style, and their own game plan. Great coaches too.
Today every team runs the same style, shoot shoot shoot. Point guard attacks the rim and kicks it out to the center for a three. No one wants to post, they just wanna stand at the three point line. It's hard to watch sometimes.
Jordan and Iverson made me fall in love with basketball ❤️
The 70s had basketball and street fights constantly. With enforcers. That sounds like an awsome decade
I like the top 3 and the order. ❤
We will have a very heated debate about what decade is the best, however, the one thing that unites us all is that the current decade of basketball is the absolute worst.
The versatility of stars in the 2000s will never be replicated. You had 5 or 6 all timers in each position except the center. Also, the jump in skill at the wing position from the
90s is ridiculous. With all due respect to the Drexlers and the Millers but they don't hold a candle to the likes of Kobe,Tmac,Bron,Wade and so on
Also, as a non American, this is the decade where basketball really became international. The sick competition between team USA and the other international teams made everybody a basketball fan