Who do you believe are the best NBA teams in history?
Since its inception in 1946, the NBA has had a 75-year history. It began with only 11 teams on board. The league currently has 30 teams, 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada.
Because the NBA has such a rich history, let us take a look at some of the best teams in NBA history. However, ranking them is difficult due to the long history and the fact that some teams played in a completely different era.
As a result, we’ll look at the team’s accomplishments and how they dominated the league. But, of course, the topic of best teams is debatable. This can be seen from various perspectives and arguments.
It is difficult to compare the best teams; however, we will look at teams from after 1970. We will also examine each team’s defining moments to determine the best teams in NBA history.
Without further ado, here are the 12 greatest NBA teams of all time.
The 12 Best NBA Teams in History
The information on this list was compiled by scouring various reliable internet sources, such as Bleacher Report.
Before we get into the specifics of the list, take a look at the table below.
| Rank | NBA Teams |
| 12. | 1993-1994 Houston Rockets |
| 11. | 2010-2011 Dallas Mavericks |
| 10. | 1972-1973 New York Knicks |
| 9. | 2015-2016 Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 8. | 2012-2013 Miami Heat |
| 7. | 1982-1983 Philadelphia 76ers |
| 6. | 1988-1989 Detroit Pistons |
| 5. | 1970-1971 Milwaukee Bucks |
| 4. | 1985-1986 Boston Celtics |
| 3. | 1986-1987 Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2. | 2016-2017 Golden State Warriors |
| 1. | 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls |
12. 1993-1994 Houston Rockets
The score is 58-24.
Postseason record: 15-8
We’ll begin this list of the best NBA teams ever with the Houston Rockets in their 1994 season. They were founded in 1967 as the San Diego Rockets and are based in Houston.
The Rockets got off to a fast start in the 1993-1994 season. The Rockets won their first fifteen games of the season, tying the 1948-49 Washington Capitals for the best unbeaten start to a season.
They finished their record with a 58-24 record, which was also their franchise record until 2017-18. Hakeem Olajuwon had played one of his greatest seasons ever in the 1994 season.
Olajuwon had a season average of 27.3 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.6 steals, and 3.7 blocks. He won the MVP, Final MVP, and Defensive Player of the Year awards.
The Houston Rockets, led by Huston, won their first championship in franchise history, defeating the New York Knicks in seven games after trailing 3-2.
They are the first team from the Midwest Division to win an NBA championship since the Milwaukee Bucks did so 23 years ago.
11. 2010-2011 Dallas Mavericks
Record: 57-25
16-5 in the postseason
The Dallas Mavericks are the next team on our list, and they are the most unlikely champions of all time. They are a Dallas-based professional basketball team. They were founded in 1980 and were a perennial playoff team throughout their first year.
The Mavericks played their 31st NBA season in 2010-2011. It was also their most successful season, as well as their first championship title in franchise history.
Despite being polled as the most unlikely team in the NBA to win the season, the Mavericks defeated all odds with a team of hardworking veterans.
The Mavericks defeated the Portland Trail Blazers in six games in the first round. Then, in the semi-finals, they defeated the two-time NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers in four games.
Furthermore, in the Conference Finals, the Mavericks defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games. It was their first trip to the NBA Finals since 2006.
In a rematch of the NBA final, the Mavericks faced the Miami Heat. The Miami Heat were led by some of the NBA’s biggest stars, including LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.
15 of 22 experts polled predicted the Miami Heat would beat the Dallas Mavericks before the 2011 NBA Finals. And, against all odds, they demonstrated that jump-shooting teams could win championships.
10. 1972-1973 Knicks of New York
The score is 57-25.
Postseason record: 12-5
The New York Knickerbockers are an NBA professional basketball team based in the Manhattan borough of New York City. The New York Knicks, as they are commonly known, were founded in 1946.
Before the late 1960s, the Knicks made three consecutive NBA Finals appearances but were defeated each time. After Red Holzman took over as coach, the team won two NBA championships in 1970 and 1973.
The New York Knicks played their 27th NBA season in 1972-1973. Walt “Clyde” Frazier, now a Hall of Famer, led the team. It was then that they won their second NBA championship. In the NBA Finals, they defeated the Los Angeles Lakers by a score of four to one.
Surprisingly, it was the same score with which the Knicks lost to the Lakers a year earlier. This, however, is the last championship won by the Knicks.
Aside from winning the championship, the Knicks’ roaster for the 1972-73 season included future Hall of Famers Dave DeBusschere, Jerry Lucas, Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, and Willis Reed.
The 1972-73 season was the franchise’s most successful season. The team performed admirably in the playoffs. After the Mavericks defeated the Lakers in five games, Willis Reed was named Finals MVP.
9. 2015-2016 Cavaliers of Cleveland
The score is 57-25.
16-5 in the postseason
The Cleveland Cavaliers, a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, are our ninth number. The team entered the NBA as part of the Eastern Conference Central Division. They were established in 1970.
The 2015-2016 season was the Cavaliers’ 46th in the NBA. In 2016, they won their first NBA championship in franchise history. Furthermore, they became the first and only team in final series history to come back from a 1-3 deficit.
LeBron James led the Cavaliers to victory in the final series and dominated the season. The basketball player averaged 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, 8.9 assists, 2.6 steals, and 2.3 blocks per game. Similarly, Kyrie Irving averaged 19.6 points and 4.7 assists per game.
The team won four games against the Detroit Pistons in the first round, then four games against the Atlanta Hawks in the semi-finals.
Similarly, they defeated the Toronto Raptors in six games in the Conference Finals. The Cavaliers reached the NBA finals for the second year in a row.
The team defeated the defending NBA champions, the Golden State Warriors, in the finals. That season, the team finished with a league-best 73-9 record.
The Cavaliers’ championship victory was also the first by a central professional sports team from Cleveland since 1964.
8. 2012-2013 The Miami Heat
66-16 record
Postseason: 16-7
The Miami Heat are the next team on our list of the best NBA teams in history. The Miami Heat was formed in 1988 as an expansion team and began playing in 1989. They entered the NBA as part of the Eastern Conference Southeast Division.
In its 27 seasons, the Miami Heat has the third-longest winning streak in NBA history. The 2012-13 season was the franchise’s 25th in the NBA and was arguably its best to date.
The Miami Heat were the defending NBA champions entering the 2012-13 season. Furthermore, the team spent the third season with the league’s “Big Three,” LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh, and the fifth season with head coach Erik Spoelstra.
The Heat faced the San Antonio Spurs in the championship series. Ray Allen hit one of the most clutch triples in NBA history to win the game. The team won the championship in overtime, forcing a seventh game.
The Heat finished the season with a record of 66-16. All three members of the “Big Three” were chosen for the 2013 NBA All-Star Game, and LeBron won his fourth NBA Most Valuable Player Award.
The Miami Heat are without a doubt one of the greatest teams in NBA history, thanks to their formidable team and dominance in regular and postseason performance.
7. 1982-1983 76ers of Philadelphia
The score is 65-17.
12-1 in the postseason
The Philadelphia 76ers, also known as the Sixers, is a basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. In 1946, the franchise was founded as the Syracuse Nationals.
The Sixers are one of the NBA’s oldest franchises, one of only eight out of twenty-three to survive the league’s first decade.
The 1982-1983 season marked the franchise’s 37th year in the NBA. Although the Sixers lost in the 1982 NBA Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers, they changed the game by acquiring Moses Malone from the Houston Rockets in a sign-and-trade for Caldwell Jones.
The Sixers already had a team led by Julius Erving, Maurice Cheeks, Bobby Jones, and Andrew Toney, and adding Malone made them a very dominant team. And they did dominate the season, winning 65 games in total.
It is also the franchise’s second-most successful year in its history. The Sixers defeated the New York Knicks in the first round, then the Milwaukee Bucks in round five. Finally, they finished the season with a 4-0 victory over the Lakers.
Erving was named MVP of the NBA All-Star Game. Malone was also named league MVP, and Bobby Jones was named the sixth man of the year.
6. 1988-1989 The Detroit Pistons
54-28 is the score.
16-7 in the postseason
The Detroit Pistons are a professional basketball team that began as the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons in 1937. They are based in Detroit and joined the NBA after the NBL and BAA merged to form the NBA in 1949.
The 1988-89 season marked Detroit’s 41st season in the NBA. Although experts predicted that the team would be the most unlikely champion, they proved them wrong.
That season, the team had the most formidable defense in the league, which led to their victory. In addition, the Pistons won the first two rounds of the playoffs.
During that season, Isiah Thomas had one of his best postseason games. He had 20.5 points, 8.2 assists, 2.2 steals, and 5.5 rebounds per game. Joe Dumars, who averaged 17.8 points, also made a significant contribution.
The Pistons squared off against the Lakers. Despite the Lakers’ formidable lineup of Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Gary Payton, and Karl Malone, the Pistons could win in five games.
The Detroit Pistons are a slightly underappreciated NBA team with star power. The Pistons, on the other hand, are one of the best teams in NBA history. In 1989, 1990, and 2004, they won three NBA championships.
5. 1970-1971 The Milwaukee Bucks
66-16 record
Postseason record: 12-2
Milwaukee Bucks is a basketball team based in Milwaukee that was founded in 1968 as an expansion team. The team competes in the NBA as a member of the Eastern Conference Central Division.
The Bucks’ third season in the NBA was 1970-1971. The team drafted Lew Alcindor (later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) out of UCLA, and the move yielded immediate results. The Bucks won their first NBA title with Alcindor’s assistance.
Similarly, adding Oscar Robertson to the roster was critical to the team winning the championship that season. Robertson averaged 19.4 points, 8.2 assists, and 5.7 rebounds, while Alcindor averaged 31.7 points, 16.0 rebounds, and 3.3 assists.
Alcindor won his first of six titles and his first of six MVP awards as a result of this accomplishment. The Bucks became the first team from the Midwest Division to win the NBA championship.
En route to the playoffs, the Bucks set a new record with a 20-game winning streak. During that season, the team faced and defeated the San Francisco Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers in the playoffs.
The Milwaukee Bucks then swept the Baltimore Bullets in the final series. The team had the best single-season simple rating system in history. In the postseason, they outscored their opponents by 10.8 points per 100 possessions.
4. 1985-1986 Celtics of Boston
The score is 67-15.
Postseason record: 15-3
The Boston Celtics, a professional basketball team based in Boston, are ranked fourth on our list of the best teams in the NBA. The franchise was founded in 1946 and is one of the league’s original eight teams.
The Boston Celtics played their 40th NBA season in 1985-86. That season, they broke several franchise records as well as the league record. They finished the season 67-15, the best record in the league for the franchise.
The Celtics also had a 40-1 record (37-1 at the Boston Garden, 3-0 at the Hartford Civic Center). It was the most home wins in NBA history at the time, a record that was broken in 2016 by the San Antonio Spurs.
During the 1985-86 season, the Celtics’ roster featured the “Big Three” of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish. The team only lost once in the Garden and dominated the NBA season.
During the playoffs, the Celtics defeated the Chicago Bulls in three games in the first round. Similarly, the team won five games against the Atlanta Hawks in the semi-finals before defeating the Milwaukee Bucks in four games in the Conference Finals.
In the NBA finals, the Celtics faced the Houston Rockets and won in six games. It would be their 16th title.
Bird led the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 25.8 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. The bird was named Finals MVP, regular-season MVP, and Athlete of the Year as a result of this. Similarly, Bill Walton was named Sixth Man of the Year.
3. 1986-1987 Lakers of Los Angeles
The score is 65-17.
Postseason record: 15-3
1986-1987 was the 41st season of the Los Angeles Lakers and the 39th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association. The Lakers were founded as the Minneapolis Lakers in 1947. They are one of the NBA’s most successful teams.
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During that decade, the Lakers dominated the league. In three games, the team defeated the Denver Nuggets in the first round. Similarly, they defeated the Golden State Warriors in the semi-finals in five games.
Following that victory, the Lakers swept the Conference Finals against the Seattle SuperSonics in four games. They eventually made it to the NBA finals.
Los Angeles had some of the best players on their roster that season. Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Mychal Thompson were on the team. A.C. Green, Michael Cooper, Byron Scott, Kurt Rambis, and James Worthy were also on the team.
In six games, the Lakers faced the defending NBA champions and rivals, the Boston Celtics. The victory in the NBA finals over the Celtics was the season’s high point.
Following the win over the Celtics, Michael Cooper was named Defensive Player of the Year, while Magic Johnson was named MVP and Finals MVP. Johnson averaged 23.9 points, 12.2 assists, and 6.3 rebounds per game, leading the team in scoring and assists.
2. 2016-2017 Warriors of the Golden State
The score is 67-15.
16-1 in the postseason
The Golden State Warriors are ranked second on our list of the top 12 NBA teams of all time. The Philadelphia Warriors were established in 1946 in Philadelphia.
Later, the franchise relocated to San Francisco, where it is still based today.
The 2016–2017 season marked the Warriors’ 71st in the NBA. During this season, the team accomplished some of the most significant feats in NBA history.
The Warriors are widely regarded as one of the best teams in NBA history. And the team began the season as the runner-up in the 2016 NBA finals.
They also secured the number one seed in the playoffs for the third consecutive year. Aside from that, Golden State established the best playoff record in NBA history and led the league in team points per game.
Similarly, they became one of only two NBA teams in history to win 30 road games in consecutive seasons. Furthermore, the Warriors led the league in team scoring and were the most efficient team during the season.
Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Kevin Durant all averaged 25.3, 22.3, and 25.1 points per game, respectively. The Warriors went undefeated in the postseason and advanced to the finals. During the postseason, they did suffer a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Golden State Warriors are one of the best teams in NBA history, based on their overall accomplishments and star power.
1. 1995-1996 The Chicago Bulls
72-10 record
Postseason record: 15-3
The Chicago Bulls are at the top of the list of the top 12 NBA teams in history. The franchise, widely regarded as the greatest in NBA history, was founded in 1966 and played its first game in the 1966-67 NBA season.
In the 1995-1996 season, the Bulls completed their 30th season in the NBA. During the offseason, the team signed free agents Randy Brown and James Edwards and acquired Dennis Rodman.
In addition, Michael Jordon returned from retirement to join the team.
With an average of 30.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists, Jordon led the team in scoring, rebounding, and assists. As a result, he was named an All-Star and the league’s MVP.
The Bulls dominated the league the entire season and won the league championship. They had the second-most wins in a regular season and were the first NBA team to win 70 games in a single season.
Furthermore, the Bulls became the only team to win the championship while winning 70 games in a season. The team defeated the Seattle Supersonics 4-2 in the NBA finals, giving the franchise its fourth NBA title.
Few teams can match these accomplishments and the Bulls’ dominance in the 1995-96 season. During the NBA’s 50th anniversary, the team was also named one of the Top 10 Greatest Teams.
As a result of their accomplishments and star power, the Chicago Bulls are the best in NBA history.
Conclusion
This brings us to the end of our list of the top 12 NBA teams in history. There is no better time for any NBA team than to win a championship. The NBA season is always exciting, and anything can happen during a game. This is one of the reasons why people enjoy sports.
The NBA has a rich history of teams that have demonstrated greatness during championship moments. Our list includes their most memorable moments, making them the best teams in NBA history.
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