Greatest sports team you've ever seen?

The Game Room
1

My nomination would be the 1980’s Gretzky-era Edmonton Oilers. If a team with such talent existed in either a big media center and/or in a sport with a higher profile, they’d still be talking about them today, but in the Canadian boonies they never really got the press that they deserved.

I’ll swear to my dying day they often toyed with opponents before artfully and mercilessly destroying them. On several occasions they’d get going in the offensive zone, the opposing team always a step behind, and I simply KNEW they would end up scoring. And they could win without Gretzky and Co. lighting up the scoreboard; in the 1987 Finals, they held a 2-1 lead going into the 3rd period against the Flyers in the 7th game. The puck must have spent 80% of the time in the Flyers zone as the Oilers’ forecheck was absolutely relentless. And when their offense was on, no combination of defense or goaltending could stop them.

We will probably never see their like again, tho I keep hoping. Glen Sather read the writing on the wall and snapped up a bunch of young kids whose playing styles would be perfectly suited to the freewheeling 80’s, tho they would probably win in any era.

2

I’d have to agree. I think the Canadiens superteam of the 1970s was probably a better team, but I didn’t see them. I saw the Oilers and they were astounding.

The 1998 Yankees were essentially invincible, without any doubt the best baseball team I have ever seen. They were without a doubt the most thoroughly excellent baseball team, top to bottom, I’ve ever witnessed.

3

The 1980’s Gretzky-era Edmonton Oilers were astounding. To think that a small-market team could draft and retain that amount of talent is stupefying. It could never happen again.

Look at these point totals from 85/86:


Wayne Gretzky    215
Paul Coffey      138
Jari Kurri       131
Glenn Anderson   102
Mark Messier      84
4

I saw the Oilers of that time, as well as the LA Lakers and the Boston Celtics of the same era. LA had three Hall of Famers and also three of the 50 greatest players of all time. Boston had five Hall of Famers and four of the 50 greatest of all time.

5

The best sports team I ever saw in person? Probably the 2009 UNC Tar Heels men’s basketball team. The Tar Heels won the NCAA title that year, and the closest tournament game was a 12 point win in the second round against LSU.

If we aren’t limited to teams seen personally, then the Big Red Machine teams in the early to mid-70s were dominant, as were the Steel Curtain teams.

6

I missed the edit window to add that Gretzky was just simply incredible. Averaging almost 3 points a game? Are you serious?

I had the pleasusre of watching him play live 3 times. He was very, very different to watch than all other players. When he was in control of the puck, there was a space-time continuum warp that happened. Time slowed down for him and sped up for other players. And you couldn’t check him against the boards; he changed his speed and direction so often that you just couldn’t nail him.

Why yes, I am a huge Gretzky fan.

7

It depends on what you mean by team. Lance Armstrong is perhaps the greatest cyclist that ever lived but he needed a team to win 7 straight Tour de France races.

8

The Gretzky Oilers are a great choice.

For hockey,

I will also add the early 90’s Penguins, with Mario Lemieux , Jaromir Jagr and a number of other great players. They won only two cups in a row. The second cup in 92 was won with 11 straight playoff wins, a record that I think still stands. But their third season of chasing the cup may have been their best team. They finished the season with what I believe is still an NHL record 17 straight wins. Unfortunately, they crapped out in the playoffs, and that streak and season are largely forgotten. A shame really, since the team was a juggernaut.

The 80’s Islanders with Trottier, Bossy, Morrow, et al, They were the dynasty before the Oiler teams.

For Football, The Steelers of the 70’s are my personal choice as the best team I personally saw. The 4 Lombardi’s in 6 years was impressive enough, but the very best team was the 1976 Steelers. Those were the days of the 14 game seasons, and the Steelers started 1-4, and Bradshaw was out for the remainder of the regular season with a neck injury. The defense had to carry the team with a rookie QB, and they did, willing 9 straight games to finish 10-4. The defense had 5 shutouts during that stretch, and were amazing to watch.

The defense in particular was fantastic, and in my opinion the best single season defensive performance of all time. In the last nine games of the season, they gave up a total of 28 points. They made it to the AFC Championship game, but lost to the Oakland raiders. They finally couldn’t overcome the injuries suffered during the season, as Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier both missed the 76 championship game. It would have been great if the Steelers would have won that game and the super bowl that season, as that would have been their 3rd in a row. If that happened, that team would have gone down as one for the ages, and arguably the single best team of all time.
For Baseball, I’m going to go with the early 1970’s Oakland A’s. Three World Series wins in a row. They are followed closely by the 70’s Big Red Machine.

Even though the Yankees strung together 4 WS wins in a row in the late 90’s, early 00’s, I’d put them behind these other two teams.

Finally, the 1984 Tigers started 35-5 and never were challenged the entire season. They won the WS also, completing the single best season I have ever seen.

9

Personally seen? The Magic-era Lakers, without a doubt. Lamar and I were probably at some of the same games togehter.

10

I’ll nominate a pair of teams I really didn’t like: the 1989 San Francisco 49ers, just ahead of the 1973 Miami Dolphins (who were actually BETTER than the team that went undefeated the year before).

11

Missed the edit window.

I use the “personally seen” term loosely, often referring to teams I saw on television. But if the rule is to physically be in a seat in a stadium, my answer changes ti the Penguins, Steelers, and Reds.

Personally, I don’t think you had to be at the game in person to appreciate these great teams. I saw Gretzky play in person, and as **Leaffan **stated, the game was at a different speed for him. Lemieux had similar skills… it was as if the game slowed down when these two got the puck. They saw everything

12

I’d have to say the '70-'71 Boston Bruins. They didn’t win the Stanley Cup, but you really thought they were going to win every game. This was the era of Bobby Orr in case anyone needs reminding. They had four players (Esposito, Orr, Bucyk and Hodge) with over 100 points to hold the first four spots in the league in scoring. They also had 7 of the top 11 players in this category

The team scored 399 goals (more than 100 above the next best goal scoring team) and allowed 207 for an almost 2-1 advantage.

They won the Stanley Cup in '70 and '72 and but for Ken Dryden probably would have won it in '71 as well for a threepeat.

I’m told I saw the 1954 Cleveland Indians in person, but I don’t recall it. I would have been 5 years old. They won 111 that year (out of 154 of course not 162). The 1995 Cleveland Indians were pretty awesome (literal sense) as well.

The one characteristic of all of those teams is they couldn’t win the final championship.

13

Assume TV is sufficient, guys.

14

Is “team” in that sentence a euphemism for “doped blood”?

15

His team doped? I didn’t realize that.

For me, it was probably the 1997 Detroit Red Wings.

16

I’ve actually used this very phrasing before. Wayne Gretzky was not just better. Wayne Gretzky was different. Lemieux, Esposito, Crosby and guys like that are all hockey greats because they were/are so much better than other hockey players at doing the same things. Gretzky was better because he played hockey in a way I’ve honestly never seen anyone else play.

Gretzky is analagous, really, to Babe Ruth or Wilt Chamberlain, not other hockey players, in that he dominated his sport by altering the way it could be played. The difference between him and then is that they were imitated by other players. Gretzky never really was.

But even without the Great One, that Oilers team would have been a hell of a team. They were loaded.

17

Of teams that I saw in person, the University of Maine 1993 hockey team was by far the most dominant. They went 42-1-2 and won the national championship.

18

Well top ten for sure, top 5 maybe but I get your point. Those Discovery/USPS teams were pretty great. If you are looking to win a flat stage, the Columbia teams from a few years ago were pretty untouchable as well.

Aside: Lance was a product of his time. He was no different from those he raced against. The whole era was a bit of a shame. That’s all I’ll say.

As for me, I’m afraid I’ll have to agree with the '80s Edmonton Oilers. Ask me again in a few years though because that Barcelona team is pretty good. Lets see how they do over the next few years.

19

The 1995-96 Chicago Bulls.
They were just awesomw to watch, even from the SRO.

20

I came in to say the '98 Yankees. So many unexpected things added to an already great mix: El Duque Hernandez coming up to stay when Cone had a minor inury, Strawberry, Raines and Chili Davis make a huge impact dh’ing and off the bench, Scott Brosius batting .300 with 98 rbi in the ninth spot and Shane Spencer being called up in September adding 10 homeruns including 3 grand slams. Just about everything went right that year.