Now that we are in the final month of the year, we at Sparty & Friends are taking a look back at the very best from this first decade of the 21st century in professional and college sports. We may be a little bit early with these lists, so they could change. How are we early? Because the 2009-10 sports season doesn’t conclude until June. What I am saying is this: whoever wins the Super Bowl, NBA Title, Stanley Cup Finals, the BCS, or the NCAA Mens and Womens Basketball Titles gets credited to this first decade. Meaning, if you won a title in the 1999-2000, it actually gets credited back to the 90s. You follow? Good. However, if your entire season took place in the year 2000, you get credit for this current decade. Still got it? Good. Remember this is mostly subjective, so don’t get too bent out of shape…even though I am right.

3 NBA Titles

5 Western Conference Titles

8 Playoff Appearances

Back-to-back titles to conclude Threepeat from previous decade

NBA Record 15-1 in 2000-2001 playoffs.

18-8 playoff Record vs #3 Team of the Decade, San Antonio

.627 Win Pct in regular season

You could flip-flop #1 and #2 on this list and I really wouldn’t have a problem. Both dominated their sport this decade like nobody else. They both possessed the best player of the decade, with the Lakers being Kobe Bryant. LeBron James might be the most talented, maybe even the best player right now in the NBA, but Bryant was the king of the decade. He was able to win a title with and without and Shaq. He has come up clutch in the playoffs year after year, much like Tom Brady has been for the Patriots. They both excelled to put their teams in position to win, just that Kobe had probably slightly more impact because of their sport, and flourished he did. Kobe helped for the best 1-2 in LA since Magic and Kareem, helping carry the Lakers to two easy titles at the start of the decade. This would finish off the threepeat they started in the 1999-2000 season, which fails to be recognized on this list.

One might want to point out the middle of the decade where the Lakers missed the playoffs and were a lower seed for a couple years. The year they missed was a direct result of the best dynasty of the last 20 years being disbanded, including the coach, and Kobe Bryant missing 1/4 of the season due to injury. Bryant would single handily carry them to the playoffs the next year, and when he finally received some legitimate help in the name of Pau Gasol, the Lakers returned to prominence in 2007-2008, although they did lose in the NBA Finals to their longtime rival, the Boston Celtics.

One of the big reasons the Lakers took the top spot over the Patriots was their dominance of the San Antonio Spurs this decade.  Though the Spurs looked to have the inside track on the Lakers by having more regular season success, sports is all about being the best in the postseason, and the Lakers were better against the Spurs in the postseason, even though they won the equal amounts of titles.  The Lakers owned the Spurs, as noted by their 18-8 record.  Go ahead and be a stat-head and call it a small sample size, but wins when it matters is more important than the regular season. Otherwise the New York Yankees would be the tops of our list.

The Lakers would be on cruise control last season, as they would finish with the best record in the Western Conference with 65 wins. Though they would see stiff competition in the gauntlet that is also referred to as the Western Conference Playoffs, they would survive and pretty much take care of the upstart Orlando Magic in 6 games to win their 3 title of the decade, 4th in 10 years and 15th overall, moving them within 2 of the Boston Celtics for most in NBA history. Kobe Bryant once again would be the catalyst, just as he was for earlier in the decade when him and Shaq shared the spotlight. But it was this title that helped cement Bryant as a leader, as he was the obvious floor general, and even at times running the show from the bench, as would be seen during numerous timeouts during the playoffs. This Lakers team was deep, with the likes of Gasol, Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum, Shannon Brown, Luke Walton and Trevor Ariza.

The Lakers looked primed for another title, as they have begun this season with a 25-6. They lost Trevor Ariza, but gained a dangerous weapon in Ron Artest, and could be one their way to a 4th title in what is the TRUE decade of the naughts. It is a race between the Pats and Lakers, and in June it will truly be decided.

The Others:

10. Louisiana State University Tigers Football
9. UNC Tar Heels Basketball
8. Pittsburgh Steelers
7. Southern Cal Trojans Football
6. University of Tennessee Lady Vols
5. Detroit Red Wings
4. UConn Huskies Women’s Basketball
3. San Antonio Spurs
2. New England Patriots

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