NBA basketball is approaching its 78th anniversary and as expected, there have been many teams that have endured in the memory of fans over time, some champions, others not, but always with one thing in common: being one of the best NBA teams in their year, decade, and even in history.
Today, the sport has evolved since its beginnings, but the memory of all those who have come before, the dynasties and the great protagonists of the evolution are still preserved, so as a review and general knowledge for those who have followed the sport in recent years, in our usual review of NBA news we bring you the top 10 with the best NBA teams of all time.
To create this list, we evaluated the history of the team since its beginnings, evaluating regular season and postseason records, longest winning streaks in history, and best percentage of victories in a season. Once we obtained this previous list, we refined it with criteria from players, coaches, and tactics of each team.
We know that there are many subjective criteria in this, but we speak with foundations and statistics that support our list of the best NBA teams , so we invite you to stay and get to know what we believe are considered the best teams in the history of the ” National Basketball Association .”
10. Golden State Warriors 2016-17
As the first team on this list of the best NBA teams, we have the Warriors from the 2016-17 campaign, a quintet that was renewed with the beginning of a new chapter after Kevin Durant arrived to the team following Draymond’s recruitment after the loss to LeBron. With this team, the Warriors achieved the third title of the dynasty with Kevin Durant as the leading scorer, Steph giving up the spotlight, Klay with his good accuracy in the triple and Draymond with everything that his IQ can do when he is focused solely on basketball.
This version of the Golden State Warriors, unlike last year’s edition, did not achieve a winning record, but did win the title. This time, the team finished with a record of 67-15 and for the third year in a row finished the regular season with a winning percentage above .800 (.817).
After the preliminary stage, the team entered the playoffs and played as if they had no rivals in front of them, sweeping Lillard’s Trail Blazers, the pre-Mitchell Jazz and Kawhi Leonard’s Spurs. In the finals, their rivals were again the Cavs and this time they won the series 4-1.
Among the achievements worth highlighting this season we can mention:
- Best postseason record (16–1)
- Best postseason start (15-0)
- First team with four players scoring four three-pointers in a game
- Most three-pointers in a period in the Finals (9 in Game 3)
- Most 3-pointers in a half of the Finals (12 in Game 3).
9. Miami Heat 2012-13
The chapter of “The Decision” and the “Not one, not two, not three, (…), not six, not seven…” of LeBron James and the Heat’s Big Three did not start in the best way in the 2010-11 season with the defeat against Dirk Nowitski’s Dallas Mavericks , however, the 2011-12 season was the first of the four finals that James, Wade and Bosh played together in Miami and the one that meant the first title in the career of the “King” to then give way to this episode in 2012-13.
The 2012-13 Heat was the one that finally meant LeBron James’ definitive step as the “Alpha” of this team. Before that, we remember a James who, as Wade said, wanted to please everyone and didn’t play his game until this season when it became clear that this was “his” team.
The team’s regular season record was 66-16 for a percentage of .805 which still today represents one of the best marks in the history of both sports in the NBA. In addition to this, the team achieved feats such as the third best record of consecutive victories (27), first team with 17 victories in a month (March 2013 17-1) and record of double-digit victories in the postseason (12), among others.
8. Philadelphia 76ers 1966-67
Going back a little further in time, for the number 8 spot we go back even to before the triple era and we talk specifically about the Philadelphia 76ers of the 66-67 season, a team in which there were certain doubts due to the sudden change of coach, but which knew how to deliver results with the arrival of coach Alex Hannum.
Coach Hannum gave his team’s main point of reference, Wilt Chamberlain, a mission: to distribute the play more and involve his teammates. The results? He had the second-lowest scoring mark in what could be considered the first of his career with 24.1 points, but also the second-highest assist mark with 7.8.
This led to Chamberlain posting overall numbers of 24.1 points, 24.2 rebounds and 7.8 assists to become the MVP and, more importantly, to have three of his teammates score at least 18 points (Hal Greer, Billy Cunningham and Chet Walker), to get the best offensive numbers of any team up to that point and to win the title in one of the most memorable seasons in NBA history.
Some of the team’s notable achievements were the best start to a 50-game season at the time (46-4) and a regular season record that at the time was also the best in history (68-13), earning them the award for being one of the best teams in league history on the NBA’s 50th anniversary in 1996.
7. Chicago Bulls 1991-92
One team that absolutely had to be on this list of the best NBA teams was the team that forever changed the narrative of who many consider the GOAT of the sport, Michael Jordan . There are many factors that come into play here, but the main stories are the step forward taken by Jordan and Pippen after their title the previous season and the company of Horace Grant and BJ Armstrong to complement them.
This team may not have been the one that broke down the wall that the Pistons represented for Jordan, but it was the one that changed everything and made him go from being a superstar to the legend that he is today.
This season the Bulls were champions, Jordan crushed Drexler as one of his rivals in the conversation of the league’s guards, he was MVP, top scorer, first quintet All NBA and the team received decorations for its performances, the seasons of its leaders, its record of 67-15 and of course the NBA title.
6. Boston Celtics 1985-86
Talking about the Celtics automatically indicates that you are mentioning one of the best NBA teams in history, but if we talk about those from the 85-86 edition we are surely looking at the best Celtics squad in their entire journey through the league.
This team that ended up as league champion by defeating the Houston Rockets (4-2) established a winning percentage higher than .800 (.817), a record of 40 wins and 1 loss at home and put together in a roster a super successful team that had one of the first “ Big Three ” in history.
The Celtics’ roster included players like Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, brains like the team’s future GM, Danny Ainge, future coach Rick Carlisle and a former number 1 draft pick (Bill Walton) who despite his constant injuries managed to make it onto the team and win the “Best 6th Man of the Year” award.
These Celtics won awards such as:
- Larry Bird (NBA MVP, NBA Finals MVP and All-NBA Team)
- Kevin McHale (NBA All-Defensive Team)
- Bill Walton (NBA’s Best Sixth Man)
- Dennis Johnson (2nd NBA All-Defensive Team)
- Robert Parish (All-Star)
5. Chicago Bulls 1996-97
If you are from the generation that was born in the late 80s, you will surely remember the “ Flu Game ”, a game in which Jordan seemed touched by the Gods to last just long enough on the court after a “suspicious” stomach virus that he contracted in Utah the day before.
In that game, although Jordan looked noticeably tired and we remember images of him with a towel on his face and panting from exhaustion, he was able to score 38 points and get seven rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block to win the fifth game against the Jazz and give the team the boost to then get the victory in the sixth game and the fifth title for “His Majesty”.
This game, the second leg of the second Three-Peat , and the victories coming out of retirement are part of the things that fuel the narrative of Jordan as the greatest player in NBA history.
Speaking of the team’s performance, the Bulls finished the season with a 69-13 record, swept the Bullets, beat the Hawks and defeated the Heat to reach the final against a Utah team led by who would be that year’s MVP, Karl Malone, and one of the best assistants in the history of the league (John Stockton).
On the roster of those Bulls were the aforementioned ex-Celtic Robert Parish who retired after that season, the Croatian Toni Kukoc, the future coach of the Golden State Warriors, Steve Kerr, one of the best rebounders in the league in Dennis Rodman, Jordan’s squire, Scottie Pippen, “His Majesty”, Michael Jordan, the legendary coach Phil Jackson and the architect of the entire project, Jerry Krause.
As for this team’s distinctions, we can highlight that Jordan achieved the season leadership in Field Goals attempted and made, in total points and in scoring average, a place on the All-NBA First Team and a place on the All Defensive First Team, and Pippen achieved a place on the All Defensive First Team and the All NBA Second Team.
4. Los Angeles Lakers 1999-00
Watching Shaq and Kobe together was always a treat, but we think it was even more so when Shaq was in his prime and Kobe was on the rise to become the heir apparent as the league’s best player. By that time, Shaq had been in the league for about eight seasons, dominating since he was a rookie with the Orlando Magic, while Kobe, on the other hand, was on the rise, as he was barely 21 years old.
On this Lakers team there were Shaq and Kobe as the main standard-bearers, Phil Jackson who came from a dynasty with the Bulls in the previous years and important role players such as Glen Rice, Rick Fox, Robert Horry, Derek Fisher and a defensive specialist who years later would be a coach such as Ty Lue.
In what is the balance of the season, the team finished with a record of 67-15 in the regular season and walked through the postseason with confrontations against the Sacramento Kings winning 3-2, Phoenix Suns winning 4-1, Portland Trail Blazers winning 4-3 and finally Indiana Pacers winning 4-2.
As far as honors go, the team did not win a trophy for having the best defensive rating, but they still got it, Shaquille O’Neall won the MVP of the regular season and the finals, was first team All NBA and second team All Defensive and Kobe Bryant was first team All Defensive and second team All NBA.
3. Los Angeles Lakers 1971-72
Despite the existence of the Showtime Lakers and multiple Lakers teams, there was one season of the team that ranks among the most dominant in history, the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers, a team that was powered by Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor to victory in the NBA Finals against the New York Knicks.
There were several key factors that propelled this team to the next level. The first factor was the presence of three talented players such as Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor who, despite getting older, continued to perform at their usual level and even above expectations, coach Bill Sharman who enhanced Chamberlain’s defensive play and performances such as those of Gail Goodrich.
For this team from Laguna, the Playoffs were not without surprises, as they beat their rivals 4-0 (Chicago), 4-2 (Milwaukee) and 4-1 (New York). As regards awards and distinctions, the following can be highlighted:
- Jerry West (NBA All-Star Team, NBA All-Defensive Team and All-Star)
- Wilt Chamberlain (NBA All-Defensive Team Player and All-Star)
- Gail Goodrich (All-Star)
- Bill Sharman (NBA Coach of the Year).
It is worth noting that this team has the record for the most consecutive victories in NBA history with 33.
2. Golden State Warriors 2015-16
Known as the 73-9 team and the team with the best regular season record, we have the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors, a team that dominated to the point that it only lost 9 games throughout the regular season and continued its successful run through the postseason all the way to the Finals. Their problem? Facing one of the two protagonists in the GOAT conversation, LeBron James , and his Cleveland Cavaliers, only to lose in the fight for the title.
Some statistics that support the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors’ candidacy for this list of the best NBA teams are their 24-0 start to the season which leaves them as the best team in this area, their .890 winning percentage which is the highest in history, their 28-game unbeaten streak (counting 4 from last season) which placed them in second place in history in this section, and the titles of being the only team to go an entire season without consecutive losses and without losing more than once against the same team.
We will always remember everything that the “Splash Brothers” and Draymond Green could do before Thompson’s injury, Durant’s arrival and Green’s tantrums.
The end of this chapter ended with the Cleveland Cavaliers’ first title 3-4, but it wouldn’t be the last thing this Golden State Warriors dynasty would do.
1. Chicago Bulls 1995-96
We couldn’t say goodbye to this list of the best NBA teams without another historic performance by Michael Jordan. It may not have the sentimental value of the “ Last Dance ,” but the fact that it was the first title of the second “Three-Peat” and the first title after “I’m back” gives it a certain touch of nostalgia that those of us who have been following the league for years appreciate.
The 1995-96 Chicago team was coming off a period in which it had not stood out due to the absence of Jordan and this would be the shooting guard’s first full year since his return. Added to this factor was the arrival of Dennis Rodman as a rebounding specialist and a good defender to complement a group that already had a good defense.
This team had the best record in the regular season with 72-10, but that record was taken away by the Warriors with 73-9. The difference? The Bulls did manage to become champions. In this case, the Bulls also established a record of 44 consecutive victories at home.
This year, the Bulls players won the MVP of the season (Michael Jordan), the Best 6th Man (Toni Kukoc), the Coach of the Year (Phil Jackson), Jordan and Pippen in the Best Quintet and the two of them along with Rodman in the Best Defensive Quintet.
In this list of the best NBA teams there are many transcendental teams in the league, records of victories, MVPs and titles, however, time passes and we will have to see what will happen with the Celtics this season or teams that can take a step forward in the coming years like the Oklahoma City Thunder or the Houston Rockets with their young cores.
Over the years, this list of the best NBA teams may change, but these teams are unforgettable stories of what the league has been since its beginnings back in 1946. The final list? Only time will tell, but for now, here are the ten best stories from some seasons in the history of basketball.
