Number Three
Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur, 2005-10
Playoff Appearances: Four. Made it to the first round (2009), second round (2008, 2010), conference finals (2007)
All-Stars: Carlos Boozer (2007, 2008), Mehmet Okur (2007), Deron Williams (2010)
Frankly, I should have put Andrei Kirilenko in there since he and Okur were interchangeable as the third- and fourth-best players on the team.
Nevertheless, during those playoff runs the “Money Man” was playing more minutes per game than Ak-47 and bested him on win shares in three of their five seasons as teammates.
The fact that this quartet carried the Utah Jazz to the Western Conference Finals is huge, especially since no other Jazz team has been that far since 2007.
Sure, it took a little luck for them to avoid the 67-win Dallas Mavericks and MVP Dirk Nowitzki in the second round. But still, this team was able to win a game against the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals.
The infamous Suns suspension in the 2007 playoffs didn't just help the Spurs to a title. It halted the potential for 3 radically different NBA timelines. My latest "Remember When?" For @HoopsHabit #NBATwitter https://t.co/Oz2gWWvmCk
— Daniel Lubofsky (@thebiglubofsky) April 17, 2020
They put up more of a fight than a young LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers did, who were swept in the NBA Finals.
This team had a blazing hot offense and finished with a top-three offensive rating in 2007, 2008, and 2010. That was thanks in no small part to Deron Williams as he was the best point guard in the game during that time.
He averaged double-digit assists three seasons in a row, made a formidable pick and roll combination with Carlos Boozer, and a pick and pop combination with Mehmet Okur.
Were it not for injuries, this team could have grabbed a higher seed in the Western Conference and avoided Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers until the conference finals. Perhaps, Utah would’ve even made an NBA Finals with a little luck.