The top 5 hardest classic teams to win with.

[Cowboyfan_19]

This is generally speaking, so it doesn't matter if it's against CPU / online. Also, this list is VERY opinionated, as the teams are subjected to different user play styles.

So, here are mine ranked from hard to hardest:

Honorable Mentions: '01 76ers, '07 Cavaliers, '94 Nuggets, '04 Pistons (no Sheed or Prince).

5. '93 Hornets: This team is probably a lot more complete than some other teams to not make my list, but the lack of height hurts this team on both sides of the ball. Every player on the starting 5 is undersized for their position, especially at the point guard position in Muggsy Bogues at 5'3.

4. '86 Hawks: While not even close to being a bad team, it'll be a struggle to score anything that's not a driving dunk or putback. A great defensive team w/ two 7 footers in Willis & Rollins though.

3. '86 Bulls: Let's be honest, if Jordan is off, you stand almost 0 chance of winning. This is arguably the only classic team where you absolutely need to have a one man show to have a decent shot at winning. What really plagues this team is the lack of shooting ability & lack of offense in general outside of MJ.

2. '65 Lakers: While Jerry West & Elgin Baylor are nice, it doesn't change the fact that the entire team is extremely small in height & lacks depth anywhere outside of the 2 stars. Almost no court spacing provided due to the lack of 3 point shooting power outside of West.

1. '71 Hawks: Using this team to beat guys who play as the '96 Bulls or '04 Lakers is almost a death sentence. Outside of Maravich & Hudson, there's nobody on this team with even a 70 overall rating. Much like the '65 Lakers, it's tough to space the floor with the 2 stars being the only ones that can shoot deep. Also arguably the worst defensive team in the entire game, aside from classic teams.

[VDusen04]

I dig. The 2001 76ers have usually been pretty tough for me to succeed with but I haven't really tried them yet this year. I'm curious as to whether Allen Iverson is a bit more dangerous than he used to be (since the force field defense has lessened a bit this year).

Regarding the '93 Hornets, I try to feast with Dell Curry when I can, which helps compensate for what I don't really get out of guys like Johnny Newman and Kenny Gattison. I'd like to find a way to shoot quicker floaters though. It seems like I can find some openings with Muggsy but his floater release seems to take forever.

Out of curiosity, do you have a toughest-to-win-against list? Because the 1987 Lakers give me fits.

[ojandpizza]

What hurts the Hawks and Bulls squads is removed players Orlando Woolridge and Walt Bellamy.

Bellamy gives the Hawks size, a scoring threat inside, legitimate rebounder, and a defensive boost. I believe Walt Hazzard also used to be part of this team and was removed by 2K.

Woolridge gives the Bulls another guy capable of scoring 20+ on any given night and a great running mate for MJ. Without him the team is incredibly thin, especially since Banks and Dailey have never appeared in the game. Two double digit scorers.


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[jeebs9]

Quote: Originally Posted by VDusen04

I dig. The 2001 76ers have usually been pretty tough for me to succeed with but I haven't really tried them yet this year. I'm curious as to whether Allen Iverson is a bit more dangerous than he used to be (since the force field defense has lessened a bit this year). Regarding the '93 Hornets, I try to feast with Dell Curry when I can, which helps compensate for what I don't really get out of guys like Johnny Newman and Kenny Gattison. I'd like to find a way to shoot quicker floaters though. It seems like I can find some openings with Muggsy but his floater release seems to take forever. Out of curiosity, do you have a toughest-to-win-against list? Because the 1987 Lakers give me fits.

Here is the thing my cousin and I noticed about the classic teams in general. And this might be a game design problem in general. We notice that if you play with a team outside of it's era. It's going to be really tough to play with. For instance, like the OP said about 71 Laker team. No 3 shooting. So playing vs a current Rockets team. I think the biggest problem with classic teams is the defense of the old teams are not rated right. Many here know how I've been fighting to change some of the bad ratings for certain teams. Like the Nets lol. I bring it up all the time. You just can't play with certain teams because no matter what they just don't play like themselves.

But like I said earlier. If you play vs a same era team. The game experience is way better. I play with the Sixers a lot with friends and family. That's because we usually play Classic Rosters My League seasons. So playing Iverson vs the 2001 Bucks is just fun. But the 2001 Sixers defense is not where it's suppose to be.


Hardest to beat might be 2001 Bucks.
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[Cowboyfan_19]

Quote: Originally Posted by VDusen04

I dig. The 2001 76ers have usually been pretty tough for me to succeed with but I haven't really tried them yet this year. I'm curious as to whether Allen Iverson is a bit more dangerous than he used to be (since the force field defense has lessened a bit this year). Regarding the '93 Hornets, I try to feast with Dell Curry when I can, which helps compensate for what I don't really get out of guys like Johnny Newman and Kenny Gattison. I'd like to find a way to shoot quicker floaters though. It seems like I can find some openings with Muggsy but his floater release seems to take forever. Out of curiosity, do you have a toughest-to-win-against list? Because the 1987 Lakers give me fits.

I'll give you my list right now. From tough to toughest:

5. '96 Bulls: loaded defensively, and with a Jordan that can shoot 3's. Though other than Jordan & Kerr, not the best court spacing team and no dominant big man.

4. '16 Warriors: probably very overlooked in favor of the current warriors, but an absolute nightmare to match up against regardless. Easily the most depth of all the classic teams.

3. '04 Lakers: Kobe & Shaq both at 95 ovr, but the supporting cast is what makes this team deadly. Payton, Malone, fox, and Fisher add the icing on the cake.

2. '12 Thunder: Way too much athleticism to handle. I regularly lose to this team by 15+ when using one of the lesser classic teams. The trio of Westbrook, Durant, and harden is an offensive juggernaut. Fastbreak perfection and jump shooting with ease, this team has it all.

1. '87 Lakers: magic at pg is the most overpowering force I the game if you ask me. Kareem is there to bail out any missed shot and Scott is automatic from 3. By far the best classic team and toughest to go against.

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[aakaido]

Quote: Originally Posted by Cowboyfan_19

2. '12 Thunder: Way too much athleticism to handle. I regularly lose to this team by 15+ when using one of the lesser classic teams. The trio of Westbrook, Durant, and harden is an offensive juggernaut. Fastbreak perfection and jump shooting with ease, this team has it all. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Operation Sports mobile app

How did Sam Presti eff this up? You forgot an Ibaka that plays in the paint and blocks shot. They're no slouch on defense either. On Hall of Fame, I can't stop this team, not even with the 96 Bulls. It's ridiculous. If OKC wasn't cheap, we're not ever talking about the Warriors. What could have been, what could have been...

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[TheFinalEvent97]

Quote: Originally Posted by aakaido

How did Sam Presti eff this up? You forgot an Ibaka that plays in the paint and blocks shot. They're no slouch on defense either. On Hall of Fame, I can't stop this team, not even with the 96 Bulls. It's ridiculous. If OKC wasn't cheap, we're not ever talking about the Warriors. What could have been, what could have been... Sent from my SM-G925T using Operation Sports mobile app

And the year they drafted Ibaka they could have taken DeAndre Jordan with their 2nd round pick.....

[OrlandoTill]

Where are the '02 Nets?

Also I think the '07 Cavs are better than what people think. I post much gameplay about them.