Last Updated on July 25, 2024 by Mathew Diekhake

I found Michael Jordan’s reasoning for choosing this starting five to be on the conceited side. He said those four guys are players he knows would do what he wants them to do and therefore that the team would be unbeatable (because Jordan then would be very powerful).

A champion team isn’t a team that revolves around Jordan; it’s a team that works as best as possible together while at the same time being great individuals. In this regard, it’s impossible to say what the result would be when factoring in anybody’s choice for a random starting. Perhaps more than any other sport, basketball is famous for a champion team being better than a team full of champions. That’s why in the NBA playoffs, they make the games the best out of seven. While one team may appear dominant in those 7 games, often it’s because the slightly weaker side is more hampered with fatigue and injury, thus amplifying the result.

My personal favorite starting five would be Allen Iverson, Ray Allen, Tracy McGrady, Rashard Lewis, and Ben Wallace. I think that would be a very difficult team to beat. Ben Wallace could move his body very well for a center, Rashard Lewis was a great shooter and tall for a small forward/power forward, Tracy McGrady is a great playmaker, scorer, and tall for a small forward, Ray Allen is a great shooter, and Allen Iverson is a great playmaker and scorer. To me, that’s a champion team. But we’ll never know because we’ve never seen random starting fives playing with each other. I assume many would object to my Rashard Lewis pick, but arguably 5 playmakers are too many for a team. The strongest team isn’t necessarily one that includes five playmakers, or in my team’s sake even four playmakers. I like Iverson, McGrady, and Allen as my playmakers while Lewis can be a great team player who is unselfish. All you need from Lewis is commitment and to knock down the open shots when they get created if they get created. Ben Wallace would help anchor the defense when Lewis is a slight liability in that area — tough to beat.