20 NBA superstars who carried awful teams the farthest

Although Iverson had solid defensive support on the 2001 Sixers, it was far from the same story on offense. He averaged 31 points a night, while the team's No. 2 scorer was Theo Ratliff with 12 points a game. Despite that, Iverson led the team to the Finals, where they lost to the Lakers in five games.

LeBron had little supporting cast to speak of in 2007: The Cavs' second-leading scorer was Larry Hughes with 15 points a game. Somehow, though, he led that team to a 50-32 record and even to the Finals. The Spurs made quick work of them in four games, but getting that far was a miracle.

Hakeem had virtually no scoring support in 1994, save for about 14 points a game each from Otis Thorpe and Vernon Maxwell. Despite that, this team thrived. They actually cruised to the Finals and won their first of two consecutive titles.

Jason Terry was a decent second option, scoring 17 points a game. But Dirk had no All-Star-level sidekick in 2006. He carried the team to 60 wins and a trip to the Finals, though, where they gave the Heat a tough time before losing in six games.

The Nets were the furthest thing from top-heavy when it came to scoring production: Their leading scorers were four guys who averaged about 14 a game each. It was Kidd who led that charge with 7 rebounds and 9 assists a night, somehow taking that team all the way to the Finals. It was virtually the same story in 2003, too.

Speaking of those Heat, Wade didn't have the greatest supporting cast either. Shaq was still a 20-and-10 guy but on the decline, and depth beyond that was minimal. 24-year-old Wade, though, showed tremendous leadership at a young age and captured his first title.

The '59 Lakers managed to make the playoffs despite a comfortably sub-.500 records of 33-39. Baylor averaged a hair under 25 a game while having no teammates scoring over 14 per night. Still, he led that team to the Finals, though they were swept by the Celtics.

"2000s Spurs" and "bad teams" don't usually go hand-in-hand, but the '03 Spurs didn't have a stunning roster. Tony Parker was Duncan's main sidekick, while David Robinson was at the tail-end of his career, and Mani Ginóbili was still a rookie, not yet a pillar of the team. Still, Duncan lifted this team to the Finals and won his second championship.

After Kevin Durant moved on, it was Westbrook's turn to run the ship in 2017. With Enes Kanter and a young Victor Oladipo as his running mates, Westbrook actually kept the Thunder competitive. Their 47 wins were probably better than most expected, and although the Rockets beat them in five games in the first round, most of the games were decided by just a few points.

Dwight Howard was in decline in 2015, and beyond that, Harden didn't have much help in Houston. The team was good, though, racking up 56 wins in the regular season and making a deep playoff run. It ended when they faced the 2015 Warriors at the start of their dynasty.

Davis and DeMarcus Cousins were supposed to be one of the league's most dangerous duos, and for a while, they were. Boogie's season was ended prematurely due to injury but Davis kept the Pelicans competitive. They enjoyed a brief playoff run, making it past the first round before again losing to Golden State.

Kristaps Porziņģis was good but frequently injured and Jalen Brunson wasn't yet the star he'd be in New York. That was about all Dončić had to work with in 2022, but he still got that team pretty far. In fact, they made it all the way to the Conference Finals before getting eliminated by (this is becoming a theme) the Warriors.

McGrady led the league in scoring in '03, but he didn't really have anything close to a second star in Orlando; Grant Hill was the best candidate, but he was far from the 25-a-game guy he was a few seasons earlier (and only played 29 games in 2003). McGrady managed to get his team a winning record, though, and even pushed the Pistons to a seven-game first-round playoff series.

The 2017 Celtics weren't supposed to be a 53-win team, but the unexpected superstar leap of Thomas made it happen. Despite Avery Bradley being the team's No. 2 scorer at 16 points a game, Thomas nearly single-handedly made the Celtics competitive thanks to clutch performances. He actually got Boston to the Conference Finals, where the Cavs beat them in five.

With Amar'e Stoudamire hurt and missing the majority of the season, it was on Nash and Shawn Marion to lead an otherwise thin roster. They did a fantastic job working with what they had, finishing the season with 54 wins. Nash led his squad all the way to the Conference Finals, where they won two games against Dallas.

During his time in Charlotte, Kemba's Hornets were rarely good. One exception, though, was a decent 2016 season, in which they won 48 games and made the playoffs. This was despite Walker's second option being Nicolas Batum and not having much to rely on after that.

The year after winning the Most Improved Player award, George again made a leap, logging his first 20-PPG season. This translated into team success, as the Pacers logged 56 wins and reached the Conference Finals. This was despite David West being the team's second leading scorer at 14 a game and fellow All-Star Roy Hibbert not contributing much on offense.

Garnett only rarely saw success during his Minnesota years, but he did in 2004. While Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell had value, KG shouldered the load. Garnett powered the team all the way to the Conference Finals, where they challenged the Lakers in a six-game series.

Kobe famously played with some awesome teammates, but those guys were not around in 2006. That year, his second and third options were Lamar Odom and Smush Parker. Despite that, he still muscled out 45 wins and gave the Suns a hard time in the first round of the playoffs.

At just 22 years old, Paul took a roster that was thin beyond its top few players and made them pretty great. They posted 56 regular-season wins and put on an impressive playoff showing. They had the misfortune of running into the Spurs in the second round, but they made it a seven-game series.