Our friends at fanatix have put together this exhaustive list of the top 10 NBA teams in history. Let us know what you think!
10. 2000-02 LA Lakers
In the early 21st century, Los Angeles Lakers were nearly unstoppable.
Thanks to the wonderful efforts of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, as well as a tremendous supporting cast, the Lakers claimed NBA Championships in 2000, 2001 and 2002.
The current Miami Heat side can already be talked about as one of the greats, thanks to Finals victories in both 2012 and 2013 after a runners up finish in 2011.
In LeBron James they boast a small forward as talented as some of the best ever in his position, and fellow “Heatles” Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are far from bad options either.
Further NBA Championships and this Miami Heat side could move further up this list.
The Lakers of the early 1970s were nearly unstoppable, with new signing Wilt Chamberlain the catalyst for some sensational basketball along with fellow Hall of Famers Jerry West and Elgin Baylor.
The 1972 NBA Championship was the reward for a tremendous campaign in which they had the best regular season record.
7. 2003-2007 San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Spurs have been a brilliantly consistent NBA outfit for much of the past decade, but between 2004 and 2007 things really clicked for the Texans.
NBA Championships in 2003, 2005 and 2007 illustrated a dominance rarely matched in the modern era, and in Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, the Spurs had three great talents capable of making changing a game.
1982 and 1983 saw a fierce rivalry between Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers, with the two appearing in both years’ NBA Finals.
Though the 76ers lost the ’82 series 4-2, they stormed back the following year, thrashing their opponents 4-0.
Moses Malone and Andrew Toney proved instrumental, and Philly’s finest almost went through the entirety of the 1983 playoffs with a perfect record – their 4-1 victory Milwaukee Bucks the only blot on their copybook.
Boston Celtics succeeded Philadelphia 76ers and LA Lakers as the dominant team in the mid-1980s, winning NBA championships in 1984 and 1986.
The Larry Bird inspired Celtics were a formidable unit, and inspired fear in each side they faced for a good three years.
Detroit Pistons reached three consecutive NBA finals from 1988-1990, losing the first but winning both the latter two.
With players such as Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars in their side, the Pistons were a menace to their opponents, and are up there with the best.
Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led Los Angeles Lakers to three NBA Finals trophies between 1985 and 1988, with help from James Worthy, Byron Scott, A.C. Green and Michael Cooper.
The aforementioned pair will be remembered as two of the best ever to have played basketball, and the 1985-1988 LA Lakers too will go down in folklore.
In second place, Michael Jordan’s first great Chicago Bulls team.
With help from Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, B.J. Armstrong, Bill Cartwright and John Paxson, Jordan’s Bulls dominated the NBA with scintillating play, and won three consecutive championships between 1991-1993.
We know. Chicago Bulls again.
This was a totally different team though, despite the presence of the returning Michael Jordan (labelled Superman at this point) Scottie Pippen (assigned the moniker of Batman) and Dennis Rodman (er… Rodman).
This Bulls side smashed the record for the most wins in a regular season, with a 72-10 success rate over the campaign, and won 87 of 100 games overall including the playoffs.
Jordan is widely acclaimed as the best basketball player in history, and he was feared by players across the land for his imagination, verve and talent.
It’s therefore not surprising that the greatest basketball player of all time features twice in this list.