Top 10 Best NBA Teams of All Time

The 2015-16 Golden State Warriors went 73-9, breaking Chicago's 20-year record, powered by unanimous MVP Stephen Curry (30.1 PPG, 6.7 APG, 402 three-pointers) and Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and the deepest bench in the league. They led the NBA Finals 3-1 before collapsing against LeBron James's Cleveland Cavaliers in one of the greatest upsets in sports history. The loss haunts the legacy, but the regular-season achievement — 73 wins at an .890 clip — is incomparable. Their pace-and-space revolution changed how every team in the world plays basketball.

The Showtime Lakers of 1986-87 were the NBA's most aesthetically spectacular team — Magic Johnson won MVP averaging 23.9 PPG and 12.2 APG, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (age 39) still contributed 17.5 PPG, James Worthy was in his prime, and Byron Scott provided perimeter shooting. They went 65-17 and beat the Boston Celtics 4-2 in the Finals, with Magic hitting the baby hook in Game 4 to seal a crucial victory. Pat Riley won his third championship as coach. The term "Showtime" entered sports vernacular permanently during this season.

Often overshadowed by the record-setting year before it, the 1996-97 Bulls were arguably more dominant in the playoffs. Jordan averaged 31.1 PPG for the season and 32.3 in the Finals against Utah, including his legendary "Flu Game" in Game 5 where he scored 38 points with a 103-degree fever. Scottie Pippen was elite, Dennis Rodman grabbed 16.1 rebounds per game, and Phil Jackson's system was now perfected. They went 69-13 and won the championship in six games. Some analysts consider this the most resilient team in NBA history.

The Boston Celtics dynasty under Red Auerbach and Bill Russell won eight consecutive championships from 1959 to 1966, and the 1964-65 edition was perhaps their most complete. Bill Russell was the defensive anchor and MVP, John Havlicek was the ultimate sixth man (13.5 PPG off the bench), Sam Jones averaged 25.9 PPG, and the team's suffocating defense — pioneered by Russell's shot-blocking and Auerbach's schemes — held opponents to historic lows. This team concluded the longest championship streak in North American professional sports history.

The 2016-17 Warriors added Kevin Durant to an already 73-win roster, creating what critics called the NBA's first superteam. Durant averaged 25.1 PPG, Curry 25.3, and together they steamrolled the playoffs 16-1, losing only one game in four rounds — the best postseason record in NBA history. Durant won Finals MVP after averaging 35.2 PPG, 8.4 RPG, and 5.4 APG against Cleveland. The team's offensive rating of 115.6 remained the highest in postseason history at the time. Whatever you thought of the team-building ethics, the basketball product was flawless.

The 2001-02 Los Angeles Lakers led by Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant won their third consecutive championship, going 15-1 in the playoffs — their only loss coming in the first round to the San Antonio Spurs. Shaq averaged 27.2 PPG and 10.7 RPG for the season and was Finals MVP for the third consecutive year. Their sweep of the New Jersey Nets in the Finals was the most lopsided championship in the modern era. This was Phil Jackson's ninth championship as a head coach, and the trio of Jackson-Shaq-Kobe had no realistic peer in the Western Conference.

LeBron James's finest season produced the finest team performance in Heat history: 66-16 regular season, playoff dominance against Indiana and San Antonio, and LeBron averaging 37.0 PPG in the Finals with a shooting performance in Game 7 that is statistically the greatest clutch performance in Finals history. Dwyane Wade averaged 20.5 PPG, Chris Bosh was the essential defensive spacing piece, and the Heat's late-game execution was surgical. LeBron's regular-season efficiency that year (.640 PER) is the highest ever recorded by an NBA player.

Tim Duncan won his second championship and second consecutive Finals MVP in 2002-03, averaging 24.2 PPG, 17.0 RPG, 5.3 APG, and 3.3 BPG in the Finals against New Jersey. Gregg Popovich's defense was the league's best, Tony Parker was maturing into an elite point guard, and the Spurs' system demanded total buy-in from every player. Duncan's two-way dominance — offensive versatility and rim protection — was the template for the modern big man. The Spurs went 60-22 and cruised through the playoffs, losing just eight games total.

The 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers won 33 consecutive games — still the longest win streak in NBA history — finished 69-13, and won the championship. Wilt Chamberlain averaged 14.8 PPG and 19.2 RPG, Jerry West averaged 25.8 PPG and 9.7 APG, and Gail Goodrich averaged 25.9 PPG. Coach Bill Sharman, in his first NBA head coaching season, implemented one of the sport's first mandatory morning shootaround practices. This team ended the Celtics dynasty and established Los Angeles as a basketball city forever.

The 2015-16 Golden State Warriors went 73-9, breaking Chicago's 20-year record, powered by unanimous MVP Stephen Curry (30.1 PPG, 6.7 APG, 402 three-pointers) and Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and the deepest bench in the league. They led the NBA Finals 3-1 before collapsing against LeBron James's Cleveland Cavaliers in one of the greatest upsets in sports history. The loss haunts the legacy, but the regular-season achievement — 73 wins at an .890 clip — is incomparable. Their pace-and-space revolution changed how every team in the world plays basketball.

The Showtime Lakers of 1986-87 were the NBA's most aesthetically spectacular team — Magic Johnson won MVP averaging 23.9 PPG and 12.2 APG, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (age 39) still contributed 17.5 PPG, James Worthy was in his prime, and Byron Scott provided perimeter shooting. They went 65-17 and beat the Boston Celtics 4-2 in the Finals, with Magic hitting the baby hook in Game 4 to seal a crucial victory. Pat Riley won his third championship as coach. The term "Showtime" entered sports vernacular permanently during this season.

Often overshadowed by the record-setting year before it, the 1996-97 Bulls were arguably more dominant in the playoffs. Jordan averaged 31.1 PPG for the season and 32.3 in the Finals against Utah, including his legendary "Flu Game" in Game 5 where he scored 38 points with a 103-degree fever. Scottie Pippen was elite, Dennis Rodman grabbed 16.1 rebounds per game, and Phil Jackson's system was now perfected. They went 69-13 and won the championship in six games. Some analysts consider this the most resilient team in NBA history.

The Boston Celtics dynasty under Red Auerbach and Bill Russell won eight consecutive championships from 1959 to 1966, and the 1964-65 edition was perhaps their most complete. Bill Russell was the defensive anchor and MVP, John Havlicek was the ultimate sixth man (13.5 PPG off the bench), Sam Jones averaged 25.9 PPG, and the team's suffocating defense — pioneered by Russell's shot-blocking and Auerbach's schemes — held opponents to historic lows. This team concluded the longest championship streak in North American professional sports history.

The 2016-17 Warriors added Kevin Durant to an already 73-win roster, creating what critics called the NBA's first superteam. Durant averaged 25.1 PPG, Curry 25.3, and together they steamrolled the playoffs 16-1, losing only one game in four rounds — the best postseason record in NBA history. Durant won Finals MVP after averaging 35.2 PPG, 8.4 RPG, and 5.4 APG against Cleveland. The team's offensive rating of 115.6 remained the highest in postseason history at the time. Whatever you thought of the team-building ethics, the basketball product was flawless.

The 2001-02 Los Angeles Lakers led by Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant won their third consecutive championship, going 15-1 in the playoffs — their only loss coming in the first round to the San Antonio Spurs. Shaq averaged 27.2 PPG and 10.7 RPG for the season and was Finals MVP for the third consecutive year. Their sweep of the New Jersey Nets in the Finals was the most lopsided championship in the modern era. This was Phil Jackson's ninth championship as a head coach, and the trio of Jackson-Shaq-Kobe had no realistic peer in the Western Conference.

LeBron James's finest season produced the finest team performance in Heat history: 66-16 regular season, playoff dominance against Indiana and San Antonio, and LeBron averaging 37.0 PPG in the Finals with a shooting performance in Game 7 that is statistically the greatest clutch performance in Finals history. Dwyane Wade averaged 20.5 PPG, Chris Bosh was the essential defensive spacing piece, and the Heat's late-game execution was surgical. LeBron's regular-season efficiency that year (.640 PER) is the highest ever recorded by an NBA player.

Tim Duncan won his second championship and second consecutive Finals MVP in 2002-03, averaging 24.2 PPG, 17.0 RPG, 5.3 APG, and 3.3 BPG in the Finals against New Jersey. Gregg Popovich's defense was the league's best, Tony Parker was maturing into an elite point guard, and the Spurs' system demanded total buy-in from every player. Duncan's two-way dominance — offensive versatility and rim protection — was the template for the modern big man. The Spurs went 60-22 and cruised through the playoffs, losing just eight games total.

The 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers won 33 consecutive games — still the longest win streak in NBA history — finished 69-13, and won the championship. Wilt Chamberlain averaged 14.8 PPG and 19.2 RPG, Jerry West averaged 25.8 PPG and 9.7 APG, and Gail Goodrich averaged 25.9 PPG. Coach Bill Sharman, in his first NBA head coaching season, implemented one of the sport's first mandatory morning shootaround practices. This team ended the Celtics dynasty and established Los Angeles as a basketball city forever.