The selection of the best team can cause heated discussions in the media and fans every season, some believe that statistics and personal strength are the most important, and others think that the ability to lead the team is king. However, judging from the quality of the best team in recent years, the consensus is that it is far worse than the NBA 20 years ago, when the stars looked significantly better than they are now.
And the 2004-2005 season was selected as one of the most luxurious best teams in history, as strong as James and Wade were only selected for the best second team that year, and Kobe Bryant and Maddy, who were at the peak of their careers at that time, were only selected for the best three teams, which shows how high the gold content of the best team was that year, so let's review who the 15 players who were selected for the best team that year.
Best three teams: Arenas, Kobe, Maddy, Marion, Ben Wallace
As a second-round pick, Arenas not only established himself in the league after entering the NBA in 2001, but he was also selected to the All-Star team and All-Star several times in his prime. This season, Arenas is averaging 25.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.7 steals per game, and under his leadership, the Wizards have won 20 more games than last season, so he was finally named to the first All-Star team of his career.
Kobe's words, this is the first season he has led the team alone since O'Neal left, he averaged 27.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 6 assists and 1.3 steals per game in the regular season, and his individual performance is obviously better than when he was a second-in-command before. However, due to the reorganization of the Lakers' roster, they also failed to make the playoffs this year.
Maddie had just joined the Rockets at the time, and because of Yao Ming's presence here, Maddie also had to make certain sacrifices in terms of ball possession, so his statistics also declined compared to when he was in the Magic, but he still averaged 25.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game, and with the help of Maddie, the Rockets also ranked fifth in the competitive West with 50+ wins.
Marion was also at the peak of his time with the Suns, and he played a very important role in the team's system as a swingman at the guard, averaging 19 points and 2.7 assists per game on the offensive end, and 11.3 rebounds on the defensive end, in addition to 2 steals and 1.5 blocks.
Big Ben is the defensive core of that Pistons, although he is only 2.06 meters tall, he has won 4 DPOY and 2 rebounding titles in his career. In the 2004-2005 season, the 30-year-old Big Ben averaged 9.7 points, 12.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.4 blocks per game, including a career high in points per game, and the Pistons, who guarded the restricted area, also finished second in the East in the regular season.
Best Second Team: Wade, Ray Allen, James, Smalls, Garnett
Although Wade only entered the league in 2003, he was so talented that he played at star level in his second season, averaging 24.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.1 blocks per game, and was extremely aggressive on both offensive and defensive ends. And this year, due to the arrival of O'Neal, Wade teamed up with him to help the Heat play a 59-23 record and the first place in the East.
Ray Allen was still the star of the superSonics at this time, and in many fans Ray Allen was a goalscorer, but in fact, his ability to hold the ball was greatly underrated. That season, Ray Allen averaged 23.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, and in addition to three-point shooting, he also has the ability to score from mid-range and under the basket.
James, like Wade, was drafted from the class of 2003, but the difference is that as soon as James entered the league, everyone knew that he would definitely be able to play famous, but the speed of James' progress at that time still surprised many fans. In the 2004-2005 season, James averaged 27.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 2.2 steals per game.
As a rookie in 2002, Xiao Si was only 22 years old at this time, but with his explosive physical talent, he quickly became one of the strongest pie-eating interior players in the league. This year, Jr. was by Nash's side, and he averaged 26 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1 steal and 1.6 blocks per game, so he deserved to be selected to the All-Second Team.
Garnett just won the only MVP of his career the year before, and his performance this season is still as good as ever, averaging 22.2 points, 13.5 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.2 blocks per game, but unfortunately because the team's record fell directly from the first place in the West last season to the ninth in the West, he also lost the opportunity to be selected for the best team.
Here's a look at the best players, let's take a closer look
Point Guard: Nash
Suns record: 62-20 (1st in the league)
In the regular season, he averaged 15.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 11.5 assists and 1 steal per game
In the 2004 offseason, Nash returned to his hometown, and in his first season with the Suns, he reached the peak of his career, and under D'Antoni's system, Nash was like a fish in water, so he also played the first double-double season of his career. And because of Nash's super ball intelligence, top-level vision and passing ability, D'Antoni's offensive system has been carried forward.
Under Nash's leadership, the Suns made huge progress in the regular season, and the previous season they were only the second-to-last team in the West, but after only one offseason they moved to the top of the league in the regular season, and the wins improved by 33, so in the end, Nash was not only selected to the best team, but he also managed to win the first MVP trophy of his career.
Quarterback: Iverson
76ers record: 43-39 (7th in the East)
In the regular season, he averaged 30.7 points, 4 rebounds, 7.9 assists and 2.4 steals per game
Since falling to the Finals in 2001, although they are still regular visitors to the playoffs, their strength has dropped a lot with the naked eye. In the 2004-2005 season, Iverson scored 30+ points in the regular season again after two years, and his average of 7.9 assists per game was also a career-high.
However, due to the lineup, the 76ers' record can still only be ranked on the edge of the playoffs, but considering Iverson's outstanding performance and the fact that he was completely alone with the team at the time, he was still selected for the best team in the end.
Small forward: Nowitzki
Mavericks: 58-24 (4th in the West)
In the regular season, he averaged 26.1 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.5 blocks per game
With the departure of Nash and Jamison, the Mavericks' roster depth has also taken a big hit this season, and Nowitzki can only show better individual performances in order to help the team win. Nowitzki dramatically improved his scoring percentage during the regular season, not only on his shooting, but also on the rise of his ability to make damage, averaging a career-high 9.1 free throws per game.
Under Nowitzki's leadership, the Mavericks are still at the top of the West, and after eliminating the Rockets in the first round of the playoffs, Nowitzki also met his former teammate Nash in the second round, who also helped the team eliminate his old club.
Power forward: Duncan
Spurs record: 59-23 (2nd in the West)
In the regular season, he averaged 20.3 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.6 blocks per game
Since the 2001-2002 season, Duncan has been paddling on the offensive end of the regular season, so his stats have been declining almost every year. However, Duncan, as a historical interior player, can have an impact on the game just by standing on the court, especially his defensive role is still quite obvious, and Duncan is also very aware that in order to win the championship, he must make sacrifices in some aspects.
Under Duncan's leadership, Parker and Ginobili can play better and better, so that they can play a bigger role in the playoffs. In the 2005 playoffs, the Spurs went all the way to win the championship, Duncan averaged 23.6 points, 12.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.3 blocks per game in the playoffs, and he didn't shy away when the team needed him to step up on the offensive end.
Center: O'Neill
Heat 59-23 (1st in the East)
He averaged 22.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.3 blocks per game in the regular season
Although O'Neal's peak is basically gone since the three consecutive championships, after all, the skinny camel is bigger than the horse, and even in the first season of his transfer to the Heat, he can still play at the level of the league's top center. The arrival of O'Neal in the regular season also ushered in a sea change for the Heat, who went from a team with 42 wins the previous year to a team with 59 wins in the East.
However, O'Neal's performance in the playoffs still showed fans that he was indeed old, and he averaged only 19.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per game throughout the playoffs, and the team also lost to the Pistons in the end. Since then, however, O'Neal has ceased to be the team's leader, and Wade has been the real leader of the team since next season, and O'Neal's sacrifice has also earned him another championship ring before retiring.