Let's continue the countdown of the fifty greatest NBA teams of all time (according to me). Here are the teams that just missed the top ten, teams 20-11:

20. 1999-2000 Los Angeles Lakers: This could get me in some trouble, but the Lakers of 2000 were inconsistent at playoff time, and that hurt them to a degree. Still, there's no denying the Lakers of the late 90s were loaded with talent, but even after adding Shaquille O'Neal as a FA and trading for the draft rights to Kobe Bryant, they couldn't get over the hump. They had been swept in each of the two previous playoffs, and change at coach was needed.

The franchise made a bold, but necessary, move to hire former Bulls coach Phil Jackson, who had won six championships during his tenure. Almost immediately, he decreed that Shaq would be the focus of the offense. "The ball's going into Shaq" said Jackson, "and he's going to have responsibility to distribute the ball". In other words, Shaq would have to lead the team.

Though Bryant missed the first 15 games with an injury, the Lakers didn't miss him too badly, and when he returned, they rolled, as Shaq enjoyed a career season. He finished leading the league in scoring, second in rebounds and third in blocks as the Lakers rolled to a 67-15 record. The highlight of O'Neal season occured March 6th (his birthday) when he scored 61 points against the Clippers. He was also named league MVP.

The Lakers, however, had trouble with the Kings in the first round, as they won the series in five games (marking the first time a Jackson-coached team went the distance in that round). After knocking out Phoenix 4-1, the Lakers met the Blazers, a meeting that seemed destined to happen all season.

L.A. took a 3-1 lead, but Portland responded with two convincing victories, setting up game seven. The Blazers seemed ready to coast after taking a 15-point lead early in the 4th, but L.A. showed the fotitude that had been lacking in prior years. They came back to win 89-84, with a Bryant-to-Shaq alley-oop becoming a defining moment.

The Lakers advanced to play the Pacers, making their first NBA Finals appearence. The Lakers won the first two, then lost at Indy in game 3. Game four saw Shaq foul out in OT, and the Pacers smelled blood. That's when Kobe took over and almost single-handedly win that game. The Lakers won the series in six, with Shaq winning MVP honors.

19. 1988-89 Detroit Pistons: The Pistons certainly didn't begin the 1980s in grand fashion; they ended the 1979-80 season with a league-worst 16-66 record, and had fired (D)ick Vitale early that year. Years later, Vitale claimed he started the ball rolling with that team by convincing owner Bill Davidson to hire more astute basketball minds.

Davidson hired Jack McCloskey as GM, and the pieces started falling into place. Through solid drafting (Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Dennis Rodman, etc.), trades (Bill Laimbeer from Cleveland) and hirings (Chuck Daly in 1983) the team became a contender. They pushed Boston to seven games in the 1987 Eastern Finals, and the Lakers to 7 in the Finals in 1988. By 1989, the Bad Boys were ready to ascend to the throne.

The Pistons started the season very well, but something seemed to be missing. Three days after the All-Star break, the team surprised many by trading Adrian Dantley to Dallas for Mark Aguirre (conspiracy theorists claimed the move was made because Thomas didn't like Dantley, and he and Aguirre were close friends). Despite the surprise, the Pistons marched to a league-best 63-19 record.

They rolled through the first two rounds, beating a Larry Bird-less Celtics (3-0) and Milwaukee (4-0) before facing the Cinderella Bulls, who finished 6th in the East but had upset Cleveland and New York. The Bulls pulled another surprise by winning game 1 at the Palace. The Pistons repsonded with a hard-fought win in game 2, but after Jordan hit a game-winned over Rodman in game 3, it seemed destiny was on the Bulls' sides. The Pistons would have none of it, however, and won three straight to take the series.

The Finals were a rematch of 1988; the Lakers came into the Finals with an unblemished record (11-0) and were trying to send Kareem Abdul-Jabbar into retirement with three straight titles. The Lakers would be undone, however, by their guards' hamstrings; Byron Scott tore his prior to game 1 (in pratcice); then Magic Johnson tore his in game 2.

Without their backcourt duo, the Lakers couldn't stop the Pistons' trio of Thomas, Dumars and Vinnie Johnson, and the Bad Boys swept the Lakers 4-0 to claim the franchises' first title. Dumars was named MVP.

18. 1964-65 Boston Celtics: Some things are hard to break. The Celtics had won six straight titles, and Wilt Chamberlain had won five straight scoring titles. The league tried to curb this dominance by widening the foul lane (from 12 to 16 feet). The results were the same; Chamberlain won another scoring title, and Boston won another title.

Bill Russell led the league in rebounds for the fourth time (24.1 per game) and added his fifth (and final) MVP of his career. The Celtics broke their own league record by winning 62 games during the season. But a major challenge was put in front of them when the 76ers acquired Chamberlain from the Warriors, meaning that he would have to be dealt with before the Finals.

The Sixers won their series with Cincinnati, setting up a Celtics-Sixers division final. The teams exchanged victories through the first six games, and Boston hung on by one in game seven, when Russell turned the ball over with two seconds left under the Philly basket. He pleaded for help during a timeout, and got it when John Havlicek stoled the inbound pass and Boston ran out the clock (Havlicek stole the ball!!!!!). The Finals seemed anticlimatic by comparison, as Boston beat the Lakers 4-1 for their seventh straight title.

17. 1990-91 Chicago Bulls: The Bulls had become regulars in the disappointment column. They had made two straight conference finals, but both times were sent home by the more physical Detroit Pistons. Critics wondered if Michael Jordan could lead his team to a title, feeling he demanded the ball so much, he kept his teammates from contributing.

The 1991 season saw a change in the Bulls that was key to their development. Jordan trusted his team more than in the past, and aided by a breakout year by Scottie Pippen (18 PPG, 7 RPG, 6 APG), the Bulls won 61-21 and won their first Central Division title. Jordan won his fifth straight scoring title (31 PPG), was third in steals, and won his second MVP.

The playoffs saw just how far Chicago had come. The Bulls crushed the Knicks in the first round 3-0 (including a 41 point blowout in game one), then beat Philadelphia 4-1, to get the only matchup they really wanted; another conference final with the Pistons. This time, there was no fear of the Bad Boys; the Bulls hammered the Pistons in a four game sweep, and showed some true colors when Isiah Thomas and several other Pistons walked out before the end of the clincher.

That set up a Finals against the Lakers, and a dream matchup for NBC's first broadcast of the Finals; Jordan and Magic Johnson. The Bulls were the underdogs in this matchup because the Lakers had nine Finals appearences (and five titles) during the prior 12 years, whereas Chicago had little experience.

Game one went to L.A. 93-91 after Sam Perkins hit a late three. The Bulls pounded the Lakers in game two, but the next three games were at the Forum, and many wondered how Chicago could win even two out of three. The Bulls showed otherwise; they won game 3 in OT, harassed the Lakers into 37% shooting in game four, and John Paxson scored 10 of his 20 in the waning minutes of the clincher, as Chicago won all three in the Forum and their first NBA title. Jordan was the Finals MVP after averaging 31.2 PPG, 6.6 RPG and 11.4 APG. So, a scoring champ can't lead a title team, huh?

16. 1974-75 Golden State Warriors: The Warriors had been a mid-level playoff team throughout the late 60s and early 70s. With Rick Barry leading the way, they had qualified for the playoffs in six of the prior eight seasons. After missing in 1974, the Warriors made a unheralded, but key, move by trading future HOFer Nate Thurmond to Chicago for Clifford Ray. The Warriors went on to finish 48-34 and with the best record in the West.

In the playoffs, the Warriors beat Seattle 4-2, then faced Thurmond and the Bulls in the Western finals. The teams fought a largely defensive battle, but the Warriors prevailed in seven games. Still, few expected them to compete with the Washington Bullets, who had won 60 games during the season and had eliminated defending champ Boston in the Eastern finals.

However, with Barry, ROY Jamaal Wilkes and superior depth behind them, the Warriors pulled off the biggest upset in Finals history, sweeping the Bullets four straight. Barry was named Finals MVP, and K.C. Jones' rep never recovered when cameras showed he actually deferred coaching of the team to assistant Brenie Bickerstaff.

15. 1965-66 Boston Celtics: How long can Boston keep winning titles? That was the question on everyone's mind as the seven-time defending champs went into the 1966 season. The Sixers, with Wilt Chamberlain on for a full season, beat the C's in the season series 6-4, which proved to be the difference as they won the Eastern Division by a game over them (55-25 to Boston's 54-26), the first time since 1956 that the Celtics lost the division.

That only meant the C's would need more playoffs than usual to get to the Finals. The 1st round matchup with Cincinnati was tough, as the Royals led 2-1 before the Celtics won the last two and the series. Against the Sixers (and league MVP Chamberlain), the C's had little trouble, beating the rusty Sixers 4-1.

That set up another Finals against the Lakers for the sixth time. L.A. won game one at the Garden in OT, when Auerbach (who had annonced early in the postseason he was reitiring as coach) annonced Bill Russell would suceed him as coach (making Russell the first black head coach of the modern era). The Celts won three straight games and ultimately won the series in seven games. The victory marked their eighth straight title, a record that's highly unlikely to be matched.

14. 1983-84 Boston Celtics: The Celtics had come off a tumultous 1983 season that saw Larry Bird and Kevin McHale feud with coach Bill Fitch, and ended with the teams' first playoff sweeping (by the Bucks 4-0). Fitch resigned shortly thereafter to take the Houston job, and management replaced him with K.C. Jones to bring a more relaxed atmosphere.

The Celtics didn't stand pat on their roster, either; McHale was resigned, and the team acquired Dennis Johnson from Phoenix for Rick Robey. The C's were poised to reutrn to the Finals after a three year absence.

Bird enjoyed a great year, finishing seventh in scoring and winning his first MVP. The C's won 62 games to finish with the best record in the league. They beat the Bullets 3-1 in the first playoff to feature 16 teams, then outlasted New York in seven (each team won at home), and avenging their loss to the Bucks with a five-game ouster in the conference finals (in Bob Lanier's last series).

That set up the ultimate Finals matchup; against the Lakers, allowing the rivalry between Bird and Magic Johnson to be seen on the national stage. The Lakers had never beaten the Celtics in seven previous tries, and were determined to end that in this series.

Game one went to L.A.as their fast break overwhlemed the C's. They looked poised to take game 2, but Gerald Henderson stole a James Worhty pass and scored to force OT. There, Scott Wedman hit the game winner. Still, L.A didn't seem worried, and after pasting Boston 137-104, the experts felt L.A. had it in the bag. Bird then lashed out in the media, saying he and his team "played like women" and basically called them (and himself) sissys. That set the physical tone for game 4, as McHale clothslined Kurt Rambis on an attempted layup, and Bird and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar jawed it up. The C's forced OT after Johnson missed two cirtical free throws, then won in OT when M.L. Carr stole an inbound pass and dunked to put the game away.

Game 5 went to Boston 121-103 in a blazing hot Boston Garden (the temp at courtside was 97 degrees at tipoff), but Bird thrived, scoring 34 points and saying afterwards "Aw hell, it was hotter playing in French Lick!". The Lakers won gaem six, but couldn't stop the Celtics in game seven, as Cedric Maxwell had one of his last great games in Boston, with 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. The C's won 111-102 to run their record to 8-0 against L.A. in the Finals.

13. 1976-77 Portland Trail Blazers: The Blazers had been created in the NBA's expansion in 1970, and though the team ahd good players like Geoff Petrie and Sidney WIcks, had not made the playoffs in their first six season. Bill Walton, who had much promise after being taken #1 in 1974, had been plagued by injuries. Two major moves made a big difference in 1977.

First, the team hired Buffalo coach Jack Ramsey as coach. Ramsay and Walton shared a common basketball synergy, and it showed on the court. Then, in the ABA dispersal draft, they nabbed Maurice Lucas. Lucas would lead the team in scoring and become the enforcer Walton needed to succeed. The Blazers won 49 and finished second to the Lakers in the Pacific.

In their opening round series with Chicago, the Blazers survived a scare when, in the deciding game three, the Bulls turned the ball over under their basket, giving the Blazers a 106-98 win. They disposed of the Nuggets 4-2, then swept the Lakers in four to reach the Finals.

The Blazers were heavy underdogs against the 76ers, who had acquired Julius Erving from the Nets before the season and who had stars galore. Philly won the first two games convincingly, and many expected a sweep. The Blazers came back with two blowout wins at home, and the Sixers never recovered, as Portland won the series 4-2. Walton had a magnificent series and was named Finals MVP. It was Portlan's only NBA title.

12. 1986-87 Los Angeles Lakers: The Lakers seemed to need a fire lit under them to excel in the 1980s. In 1986, they had become complacent, and had been stunned by Houston in the Western Finals. After that series, Pat Riley abandoned his big bruiser concept of the season (jettisoning Maurice Lucas and pushing Mitch Kupchak into retirement), and went back to the Showtime premise. Most important, he made Magic Johnson the focal point of the offense.

Johnson had one of his best all-around season, finishing tenth in scoring (a career high 23.9 PG) and leading the league in assists (12.2 PG) to win his first MVP award. The Lakers finished with a 65-17 record, the best in the league.

In the playoffs, they were the only top four seed out West to reach the second round, beating Denver 3-0 in round 1. They dispatched Golden State 4-1, then swept Seattle 4-0 to make the Finals and face the defending champion Celtics.

The Lakers' fast break blew away the C's in the first two games, then Boston responded with a huge win in game 3. Game 4 was a classic; the Celtics led big early, then the Lakers took a one point lead. Larry Bird sank a three to give Boston the lead, then Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was fouled. He split the free throws, and the second went out of bounds off the C's. Magic took the inbound, made a mini-skyhook over Bird, Robert Parish and Kevin McHale, and after Bird missed a three, L.A. won 107-106. The Lakers won the series 4-2, and Magic won his third Finals MVP.

11. 1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks: The Bucks took the fast track to an early NBA title. As an expansion team in 1968-69, they won only 27 games. Then, in that year's draft, they won a coin flip to draft #1, and selected Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar). Alcindor made an immediate impact on the Bucks, as they won 56 games and reached the Eastern Division finals. In 1971, under the new four division format, the Bucks were only a few people away from real contension.

Milwaukee's management soon surrounded Kareem with good talent, acquiring former UCLA teammate Lucius Allen and high scoring Bob Boozer. But the major acquisition was obtaning Oscar Robertson from the Royals (where he had a dispute with coach Bob Cousy). With Robertson finishing third in assists (8.3 PG) and Kareem winning his first scoring title (31.7 PG) and first MVP award, the Bucks went 66-16 to claim the Midwest divison and top seed in the West.

In the playoffs, they beat the San Francisco Warriors (in their last season before moving to Oakland) 4-1, then beat the Lakers 4-1 to reach the Finals. There, they faced the Baltimore Bullets, who ahd stunned the defending champion Knicks by winning game seven at Madison Square Garden. But with Wes Unseld injured prior to the series, and Earl Monroe and Gus Johnson getting hurt during the series, the Bucks swept the Bullets 4-0 for their only NBA title. Kareem was named Finals MVP (a feat he would not repeat until 1985).

There's #20-11. Tomorrow is the big one; I'll reveal the top ten greatest teams in NBA history. See ya then!