The Boston Celtics’ starting five shaved in the first few games, meaning the Celtics are the only undefeated team in the NBA (5-0). Above all, the net rating of these five is incredible. We look at the best five-man lineups since official NBA data collection began in 2007.
We only consider five-man lineups that were on the field together for at least 500 minutes over a season. The NBA has been tracking this on its official website since 2007/08, so former great teams such as the ShaKobe-Lakers or the Bulls around Michael Jordan cannot be taken into account.
The Celtics’ designated starting five – Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis – has a net rating of +37.3 in 72 minutes. Of course, this is a very small sample, and at the same time only five lineups have played together more than the Celtics quintet.
Platz 10: Golden State Warriors 2013/14
Lineup: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, David Lee, Andrew BogutNet-Rating: +15,5Minuten: 819
It’s quite a surprise that the Warriors appear on this list in the year before the Steve Kerr era, as the basketball under Mark Jackson only partially suited the team’s strengths. The Warriors won 51 games that season but lost to the Clippers in seven games in the playoffs.
Platz 9: Orlando Magic 2009/10
Lineup: Jameer Nelson, Vince Carter, Matt Barnes, Rashard Lewis, Dwight HowardNet-Rating: +16,5Minuten: 773
This is not the team that stormed into the finals in 2009, but its successor. However, the principle was the same: four good shooters plus Dwight Howard, who was the best center in the NBA at the time. This time it wasn’t enough to make it to the finals; instead, the Magic lost to the Boston Celtics in six close games.
Platz 8: Oklahoma City Thunder 2015/16
Lineup: Russell Westbrook, Andre Roberson, Kevin Durant, Serge Ibaka, Steven AdamsNet-Rating: +17,8Minuten: 816
The Warriors won 72 games this season, but the best lineup had the Thunder, who had Golden State on the verge of defeat in the Conference Finals. It was OKC’s last year with Kevin Durant, and it was possibly the strongest Thunder team, even if James Harden hadn’t been there for four years.
Platz 7: Portland Trail Blazers 2008/09
Net-Rating: +17,9Lineup: Steve Blake, Brandon Roy, Nicolas Batum, LaMarcus Aldridge, Joel PrzybllaMinuten: 561
Portland would probably have had the fewest on the list here, but the 2009 team won 54 games in the regular season. The youngsters Roy and Aldridge made a huge leap, and Greg Oden played 61 games. In round one it was already over against Houston. These Blazers had incredible potential, but injuries to Roy and Oden quickly left them forgotten.
Platz 6: Boston Celtics 2010/11
Net-Rating: +18,5Lineup: Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Glen Davis, Kevin GarnettMinuten: 515
The Celtics’ Big Three were already slightly on the decline here, but Rondo had established himself as an All-Star. Interesting here: Big Baby Davis was the fifth man and no longer Kendrick Perkins, who had been the starter at five for years. So Garnett increasingly played as a center, which would be a given in today’s NBA, but back then two real bigs were still common practice.
Platz 5: L.A. Clippers 2014/15
Net-Rating: +18,6Lineup: Chris Paul, J.J. Redick, Matt Barnes, Blake Griffin, DeAndre JordanMinuten: 1.217
Was this the best edition of the Lob City Clippers? Probably yes, after all, the Californians won 56 games and then eliminated the reigning champions (4-3) in an epic playoff series in San Antonio. It was similarly epic in the following round, when the Clippers fell apart against Houston’s reserves in their home arena and lost in seven games. And if you’ve been paying attention, you’ll notice: Matt Barnes is on this list for the second time. Crazy!
Platz 4: Boston Celtics 2007/08
Net-Rating: +19,4Lineup: Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Kendrick PerkinsMinuten: 1.019
And here we have the original Celtics Big Three. Allen and Garnett joined the team before the season – it worked immediately and Boston marched to the title despite a bumpy playoff run (4-3 against Atlanta, 4-3 against Cleveland, 4-2 against Detroit, 4-2 against the Lakers).
Platz 3: Philadelphia 76ers 2017/18
Net-Rating: +20,5Lineup: Ben Simmons, J.J. Redick, Robert Covington, Dario Saric, Joel EmbiidMinuten: 601
The best version of the “Process”! This lineup simply made a lot of sense, and by the end of the season Philly had overtaken half the league and completely surprisingly won 52 games. However, the lack of experience became apparent in the playoffs, as the Sixers lost every close game against the Celtics in the Conference Semifinals, going 1-4.
Platz 2: Golden State Warriors 2014/15
Net-Rating: +20,6Lineup: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green, Andrew BogutMinuten: 813
Kerr’s first season with the Warriors! Draymond Green replaced Iguodala in the starting five, a real stroke of luck! Although many experts didn’t take the Splash Brothers seriously at first, in the end no one could hold a candle to the Warriors; they marched confidently to the title.
And the Death Lineup with Green as center? This was used quite rarely (only 220 ball possessions), but it produced an absurd net rating of +27.
Platz 1: Golden State Warriors 2016/17
Net-Rating: +23,2Lineup: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Zaza PachuliaMinuten: 532
The 2016-17 Warriors remain the gold standard and will likely remain that way for many years to come. The net rating of the starting five was amazing and they still had the pimped death lineup, the so-called “Hampton Five” with Curry, Klay, KD, Iguodala and Green as centers. What’s interesting is that the net rating of this quintet was even lower (+22.4 in 224 minutes) than that of the starting five. This Warriors team was just outrageously good.
2023-11-05 11:00:00
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