The NBA has had some great teams in the past. Here, we discuss the top five teams in the history of the league:
5. 2000-01 Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers only won 56 games during the 2000-01 season; the least amount of wins out of all the teams to win three consecutive NBA Finals. The team went 16-1 in the playoffs, only losing to Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal were the faces of the team; however, they had key players like Derek Fisher, Robert Horry, Rick Fox, Horace Grant, Brian Shaw and Ron Harper to help out.
4. 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers
The combined efforts of Jerry West, Gail Goodrich, and Wilt Chamberlain led the Lakers to an NBA record 33 consecutive wins. The Lakers finished the season 69-13, which at the time was the best record in NBA history. The year before, the team had only won 48 games. The turnaround from just one season justified how great this Lakers team was.
3. 1985-86 Boston Celtics
The winningest franchise in sports history has to be on this list. They had five Hall of Fame players in Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Dennis Johnson, Robert Parish and Bill Walton. The Celtics, back then, were equivalent to the Warriors in their prime. The team won 67 games, which was one win short of the franchise record. Bird went on to say “this was by far the best [team] I ever played on.” On top of that, Bird won his third straight NBA MVP award.
2. 2016-17 Golden State Warriors
Considering they were one of the best teams in NBA history, this was a relatively easy selection. Much like the other teams mentioned, the Warriors had the benefit of playing with multiple superstars. Adding Kevin Durant with Klay Thompson, Steph Curry, and Draymond Green was a boost. One year earlier, Golden State lost in Game 7 to the Cleveland Cavaliers . They also had a +11 point differential; the fourth-most all-time. With Durant injured, winning a total of 67 games was rather impressive. Like the 2000-01 Los Angeles Lakers, the Warriors finished 16-1 in the playoffs.
1. 1995-96 Chicago Bulls
The Bulls finished 72-10 and now have the second-best record in NBA history. However, they capitalized to their historic season after securing an NBA Championship. That year, Chicago added Dennis Rodman as the third piece to Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. The year before, Jordan was out of the NBA and playing professional baseball. The team defeated the Seattle SuperSonics in six games to capture Jordan’s fourth NBA title.
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