Jordan would have a game high 33 points, which was enough to close out the series and hoist the coveted NBA trophy for the second straight year. Bottom line: This team once was hailed as the greatest NBA team of all time. However, the Purple and Gold would bounce back in an empathic fashion as they won the next four straight games and finishing Iverson and the Sixers in five games for the coveted NBA Title. Led by coach Phil Jackson, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Toni Kukoc, Luc Longley, Dennis Rodman and co. continued dominating opponents with their transcendent display of teamwork. Top draft picks like Victor Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson and Brandon Miller make their NBA debuts with their respective teams, while some lesser known . In the 1994-95 season, the Chicago Bulls did not play to expectations, especially because Michael Jordan was off playing baseball. In Game 6 of the series, the calls started going in favor of the Lakers, particularly in the fourth quarter. Here's a look at the 10 best ranked by their record. [1] From 202324, the five highest point totals regardless of position make up the first team, with the second and third teams following. The Boston Celtics have a rich history when it comes to winning championships as they lead the league with 17. The Knicks were able to steal one in Chicago and proved to be a tough contender on their homecourt. Injuries to Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant took a toll and kept Golden State from winning 60-plus games, but the biggest challenge may have been battling complacency. For example, Draymond Green received votes at forward and center in 2016, but he was placed on the second team as a forward although he had more total points than the first-team center, DeAndre Jordan. Key players: PG Isiah Thomas, C Bill Laimbeer, How they finished: Won NBA Finals (4-1) versus the Portland Trail Blazers. After a successful 62-win regular season, they failed to make it to the NBA Finals, as they lost to the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference finals. Just like an NBA roster, there will be 15 players12 active and 3 reserveswho could be activated in case someone in the top 12 got hurt. Back to back. The Greatest NBA Teams of All-Time | by Justin - Medium James would have to wait before capturing his elusive first NBA title. Because of this teams ability to defend their home court and win a championship, it should be enough to place them 6th in the list. When you look at the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers roster, you can understand why they were a great team. Bottom line: Led by Julius "Dr. J" Erving and Moses Malone, the 76ers won 65 games in the regular season. Led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson, the Lakers steamrolled through the regular season, winning 65 games. Thus, its easy to say that the Lakers desperately wanted to reclaim their throne. If theres another Lakers team that should be in the Top 5, it should be the 1986-87 edition. [7][8] Starting with the 202324 season, coinciding with the start of a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the NBA and its players' union, the NBA will adopt the WNBA's "positionless" format for All-NBA team compositionwhich the NBA had originally used before adopting a positional model in 195556. James Worthy also took up the scoring responsibility, as he logged in 19.4 points per game. Although they did not make the top team in the Western Conference during the season, the Lakers who were coached by Phil Jackson, displayed ultimate dominance in the postseason, as they went undefeated in their trip to the finals. With their morale soaring high as ever, the Sixers came out strong in the Finals by taking the first two games as it also included Wilt Chamberlains crucial block against the Nate Thurmonds lay up in the final seconds and force an overtime period. With the stellar play of Larry Bird and Robert Parish, the Celtics ran through the regular season and postseason. Paid in Full. NBA News: 1 Insane Stat Shows LeBron James' Greatness The 2015-16 Warriors that won 73 games to the Cavaliers team that upset them in that same Finals. San Antonio allowed only 90.1 points to their opponents, which was tops in the regular season. They made quick work of the Lakers in the NBA Finals to win Detroits first NBA title in franchise history and the first of back-to-back championships. A coin flip in 69 allowed the Bucks to draft Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, which brought a championship in his second season as he averaged over 30 points per game and earned MVP honors. Bottom line: Madison Square Garden the Knicks' home is considered the mecca of basketball, and thanks to Walt Frazier, the hometown team got to the top of the NBA mountain for the first time. The 1972-73 New York Knicks were the embodiment of an absolute team. Afterwards, the Lakers faced the Golden State Warriors, as they won all games with exception to Game 4. The team was spearheaded by its Big Three of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish. Top 10 NBA Teams of All Time The Lakers took the first two games at home before they experienced a back-and-forth affair with the Celtics on the road. I believe this team is one of the very few to beat the legitimate contenders of their era in a commanding manner. Voters were asked to select the top 10 teams in NBA history, without ranking them, as. Armstrong, Bill Cartwright and John PaxsonTopped previous championship season by winning six more games than in 1990-91, the fifth-winningest season in league historyDefeated the Portland Trail Blazers 4-2 in 1992 NBA Finals. After a historic six-game battle, the Lakers were triumphantthey were champions yet again. The Top 10 teams were selected in 1996 by a panel of media members who regularly cover the NBA. The day after winning the title, Alcindor adopted the Muslim name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. It was the third anniversary team in the league. Given their roster, they dominated the NBA season with ease, especially at home as they only suffered one lost in the Garden. Furthermore, we will also look into the defining moments of each team, which allowed them to become part of the greatest teams in the championship books. Kevin Love, a double-double machine, chipped in with 16.0 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. The series turned when Draymond Green got suspended for Game 5, and Curry could not get going after he sprained his knee in an earlier round. In the Finals, the Bulls took on a dangerous Portland Trailblazers that had Clyde Drexler, Terry Porter, and Kevin Duckworth. When Olajuwon arrived in the United States, the University of Houston incorrectly spelled his first name "Akeem". The trio of Jordan, Pippen, and Grant proved to be too much to handle for their opposing teams during their era. The 1970-71 season was no different, as he continued to impose his will on all opponents, averaging 31.7 PPG and 16.0 RPG. Dennis Rodman was a rebounding machine as he grabbed 14.9 per outing. This Bucks team held winning streaks of 20 games and 16 games at separate points in the season as the play of Robertson, Bob Dandridge and John . Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, and Tim Duncan previously shared the record with fifteen. . Miami became the first Eastern Conference team to repeat as champions since the Last Dance Bulls. Larry himself won his second Finals MVP trophy in 86. They toyed with the Portland Trailblazers and easily swept them in four games. His performance led him to become an All-Star Captain for that season and a Top 3 MVP candidate. However the main trio of Bulls team were just too much for the Cavaliers as the series ended in six games in favor of the Bulls. The order of the top three was extremely difficult to decide, but in the end, I decided to place the 1985-86 Boston Celtics at the third spotthe list would surely be incomplete without them. Detroit Pistons. The Pistons won 63 regular-season games with their physical brand of basketball. In the final moments of Game 7, Lebron James made one of the biggest plays of his career when he blocked Andre Iguodalas lay up in transition, which led to a dagger fade-away triple by Kyrie Irving. Although Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen scored a majority of the points (51.1 PPG combined), both gave in to the triangle offense and worked to get other teammates involved. Jordan and the Bulls finished off the John Stockton and Karl Malone-led Jazz in six games to win back-to-back titles after winning an NBA-record (at the time) 72 wins in the previous season. Fifty players were selected through a vote by a panel of media members, former players and coaches, and current and former general managers. With Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics emerging as champions, theres no doubt this is a team you would not want to face, especially in their home court. According to StatMuse, James has also averaged at least 25.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists 19 times. Wilt Chamberlain was the main leader of his team and a major double-double threat by averaging 24.1 points and 24.2 rebounds per game. The Rockets took advantage before Jordan returned to the NBA in the 1995-1996 season and led the Bulls to their second three-peat. 8 Miami Heat, No. With a superb supporting cast, the Bulls completed the greatest season in league history with a championship and started a second three-peat. Many undermine the Celtics success because of the leagues lack of talent at the time. If there is any team that deserves the top spot in the greatest NBA teams of all time, it would be the 95-96 Chicago Bulls. The 10 Greatest NBA Teams of All-Time: 10. During the first game, the Lakers took their first loss at home in the postseason, as they fell in overtime 101-107. Just when they were experiencing a broken play in the final seconds that didnt allow them to buy a bucket, Chris Bosh got an offensive rebound off Lebrons 3-point miss and immediately passed it to Ray Allen for a crucial corner three point shot that was arguably one of the biggest shots in Finals history. After losing in the Western Conference semifinals to the Mavericks in 2006, the Spurs found their mojo and powered their way to a revenge title. Despite being loaded with transcendent offensive threats such as Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Gail Goodrich and Happy Hairston, the Lakers were able to successfully distribute the ball to each other. From the 2001-02 Lakers completing the three-peat, to the Spurs squad that gave Tim Duncan his third ring. Top 10 NBA Teams Of All-Time He won the MVP award twice, finished in the top four of MVP voting eight times and was a four-time All-Star Game MVP. Miami made a statement by easily sweeping the Milwaukee Bucks and capitalizing on the absence of Derrick Rose as they outlasted the Chicago Bulls in five games. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. The Pistons ended the '88-89 season with 63 wins and went on to defeat Larry Birds Celtics and Michael Jordans Bulls in the Eastern Conference playoffs before sweeping Magic Johnsons Lakers in the finals. The season prior, the Celtics fell to the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals. [1] This contrasts with the voting for starters of the NBA All-Star Game, which has chosen two backcourt and three frontcourt players since 2013. With that shot, it eventually gave the Heat the victory for that game and later on, a championship ring. have placed 13 teams in the all-time top 100 since 1994-95, but their highest-ranked individual season (2013-14) is only 12th Copyright 2023 SLAM Media Inc. SLAM, SLAMTV, SLAM MEDIA and the SLAM logo are registered 1995-96 Chicago Bulls 2. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. They were also coached by Gregg Popovich. There's a big difference between good NBA teams and great ones. 3 San Antonio Spurs, No. Key players: C Ben Wallace, PG Chauncey Billups, PF Rasheed Wallace. This team showed complete mastery of the league by dominating the season and emerging as the overall champion in the league. 10. 10 Greatest NBA Teams of All Time Imaz A September 27, 2011 The sweetest and most triumphant moment for any NBA team is when a championship is won. In fact, Dumars was widely known as one of the only players to give Jordan trouble on the offensive end. From the 1997-98 Pacers who put up a fight against the Chicago Bulls Last Dance squad to the 2018-19 Raptors that made history in the 6. In the end, the Milwaukee Bucks proved to be too overwhelming for opposing teams, as they won 66 games. Hide/Show Sidebar 4. Key players: PG Isiah Thomas, SG Joe Dumars, C Bill Laimbeer. Eventually the Celtics claimed their championship after beating the Purple and Gold in five games. The Most Valuable Player award was first established in 1956. Furthermore it was a team that also included a young defensive specialist in Kawhi Leonard and a deadeye streaky sniper in Danny Green. The skinny: Propelled by Wilt Chamberlain, Hal Greer, Chet Walker and Billy Cunningham, started the season 46-4 and went on to set record for most victories in a season (broken by 1971-72 L.A. Lakers)Ended Celtics run of eight consecutive championships by defeating Boston 4-1 in Eastern Division FinalsDefeated the San Francisco Warriors 4-2 in 1967 NBA Finals. Of course, it takes a team to win a title, and the Knicks had a solid supporting cast. Jones as they averaged 13.8, 11.4, 11.4 points per game respectively. The regular season was full of success for the Celtics. 2012-2013 Miami Heat. Top Rumors, Free Agency, Ime Udoka, James Harden, Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers. The 10 Greatest Teams In NBA History, Ranked By Their Record By Joey Haverford Published May 15, 2020 NBA history has seen some spectacular teams over the years. The championship also jumpstarted the legacy of Wade as one of the top shooting guards in league history. Led by Isiah Thomas, Bill Laimbeer and Joe Dumars, this iteration of the Pistons was tough and did not mind knocking players to the ground. These squads set the foundation for greatness to come. Get viral NBA graphics, memes, rumors and trending news delivered right to your inbox with the Clutch Newsletter. Accomplishments: 10-time All-Star, 10-time All-NBA, eight-time All-Defensive team, 1994-95 MVP, 1991-92 Defensive Player of the Year, 1989-90 Rookie of the Year, 1993-94 scoring champ, 1990-91 . Last but certainly not least. The Lakers beat the Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks in the Western Conference playoffs. The Los Angeles Lakers 1985-86 season was a failure. Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen led the Bulls to an NBA-record (at the time) 72 victories. With Bill Russell and John Havlicek leading the way, the Celtics won 62 regular-season games and dominated the league. While Julius Erving, who averaged 21.4 PPG, and guard Andrew Toney, who averaged 19.7 PPG, provided offense, point guard Maurice Cheeks distributed the basketball. NBA 75: Top 75 NBA players of all time However in Game 5, Boston immediately put off the fire of the Hawks comeback, as they drubbed Atlanta 132-99. Given how this team was well-rounded in terms size and scoring, it would not be a surprise on how they started the playoffs like a house on fire. Top 10 NBA Teams - TheTopTens Key players: PG Jerry West, C Wilt Chamberlain, SF Elgin Baylor, How they finished: Won NBA Finals (4-1) versus the New York Knicks. On the other hand, Sam Jones took over in scoring as he made a career best 25.9 points per game. 1998-99 San Antonio Spurs. With this, the Celtics had a clear shot for the championship. NBA All-Time Points Leaders - National Basketball Association - ESPN On the other hand, Hal Greer and Chet Walker proved to be scoring threats as well the former contributing 22.1 points per game and the latter scoring 19.3 points per game. The team will be broken . Throughout the Finals series, Sam Jones led the team in scoring with 27.8 points per game. The Lakers continued their dominance in the second round against Chris Webber and the Sacramento Kings that also had Vlade Divac, Hedo Trkoglu, and Peja Stojakovi. On the other hand, Kobe Bryant emerged to become a scoring threat and an effective partner to Shaq by averaging 29.4 points and 6.1 assists. NBA: Ranking the greatest centers in NBA history - ESPN Legendary. Even worse, the Boston Celtics were the new champions of the world. This is the reason why they were also named to the Top 10 Greatest Teams during the NBAs 50th Anniversary. Magic Johnson led the team in scoring with 23.9 PPG and in assists with 12.2 APG. Arguably one of the most stacked teams in history, the Miami Heat were coming off a championship after disposing Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2012. Key players: PG Walt Frazier, SG Earl Monroe, How they finished: Won NBA Finals (4-1) versus the Los Angeles Lakers. Boston simply dominated the Finals series as they averaged 123.4 points a game as a team, while showing top-tier defense by holding the Lakers to only 110.8 points per game. Barry, the son of a basketball coach from Elizabeth, N.J., was voted the 27th-best player as part of The Athletic 's NBA project documenting the top 75 players in league history. The evolution of "superteams" is nothing new to the NBA, despite what social media continues to think is ruining the association.