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The 10 Greatest NBA Teams of All Time
There have been some great teams in the history of the NBA. Players like Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are regarded as the top players of all-time, but they didn’t win titles alone. Front offices built teams around them that fit their play style and helped optimize those elite players, leading to some great teams emerging.
Want to know who the best teams in NBA history were? Let’s take a look at some of the best teams throughout the years.
Top 10 Best NBA Teams of All Time
Below, you’ll find our ranking of the top 10 NBA teams of all time.
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10. Boston Celtics: 1964-1965
The Celtics won eight titles in a row during this time period, so singling out one team is tough. But the 64-65 squad gets the nod here, as it was the best year the team had in terms of wins during that time. Bill Russell was in his prime, averaging 14.1 points and 24.1 assists per game, while Sam Jones led the Celtics in scoring at 25.9 points per game. The team also had plenty of other stars, including a young John Havlicek, who averaged 18.3 points per game in his third NBA season.
9. Cleveland Cavaliers: 2015-2016
I can’t put this team too high since they lost 25 regular season games, but the 2016 Cavs took down the unbeatable Warriors. LeBron James was transcendent all season and Kyrie Irving was a breakout star for the franchise, plus Kevin Love averaged 16.0 points and 9.9 rebounds per contest.
8. Milwaukee Bucks: 1970-1971
Just three years into the team’s existence, the Bucks won 66 games and won their first title. It wouldn’t be until 2021 that they’d get another. Led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson, the Bucks were nearly unstoppable. Bob Dandridge added 18.4 points per game as the 23-year-old third banana on this squad and the team led the league in offensive and defensive rating.
7. Golden State Warriors: 2015-2016
The only team on this list to not win a title, the Warriors won a record 73 games in the regular season. Maybe it feels like sacrilege to have them ahead of a Cavaliers team that beat them in the Finals, but the Warriors were one game away from being the easy call for the No. 2 spot on this list. I’m not letting one game sway my opinion too much here. And while the team won the Finals the next year after adding Kevin Durant, this 2015-16 squad really was the pinnacle of that era for Golden State. Even if it ended with a Game 7 loss in the Finals.
6. Detroit Pistons: 1988-1989
The Bad Boy Pistons won 63 games and swept the Lakers in the Finals. Led by Isiah Thomas, this was just such a deep basketball team. Joe Dumars, Bill Laimbeer, Adrian Dantley, Mark Aguirre…I mean heck, Dennis Rodman was only sixth on the team in minutes per game. Vinnie Johnson, Rick Mahorn and John Salley all provided depth for this roster. This team doesn’t get enough historical credit.
5. Chicago Bulls: 1996-1997
Not quite as good as the Bulls team the year before, the 1996-97 Bulls won 69 games and took down the Jazz in the NBA Finals. Michael Jordan was, well, Michael Jordan, averaging 29.6 points per game. Scottie Pippen added 20.2 of his own. The post-first-retirement Bulls really were such an elite team. That a 69-win team was a downgrade over the year before…deep squad Chicago had there.
4. Boston Celtics: 1985-1986
The 85-86 Celtics went 67-15, defeating the Houston Rockets in the NBA Finals. As a Texan, I won’t hold that against them. Larry Bird and Kevin McHale both averaged over 20 points per game for the Celtics, and the team got plenty of strong contributions from players like Dennis Johnson and Robert Parish. It was also the final full season in the NBA for Bill Walton, who had a resurgent campaign for the Celtics, shooting 56.2% from the floor and averaging 7.6 points and 6.8 rebounds.
3. Los Angeles Lakers: 1971-1972
The 1960s and early 1970s Lakers teams were really good, but they could never get over the hump until 1972, when the team won its first title in nearly 20 years. Despite Elgin Baylor retiring early in the season, the Lakers trudged on. Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West were nearing the end of their primes, but Gail Goodrich and Happy Hairston provided some major help. On paper, this Lakers team doesn’t look like it should have been as good as it was, but everything gelled.
2. Los Angeles Lakers: 1986-1987
Magic Johnson had a lot of great seasons, but it’s hard to argue this wasn’t his best, as he averaged 23.9 points and 12.2 rebounds per game for the Lake Show. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was 39 years old by this time, but still averaged 17.5 points per game. Meanwhile, the rest of the roster was just a collection of perfect supporting pieces. James Worthy. Byron Scott. A.C. Green. Michael Cooper. Mychal Thompson. Seven players averaged double-digit points per game.
1. Chicago Bulls: 1995-1996
The only team in NBA history to win 72 or more games and actually cap the season off with a title, the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls are an easy pick as the best team of all time. Michael Jordan averaged 30.4 points per game. Scottie Pippen was the perfect second banana. Dennis Rodman, Luc Longley, Toni Kukoc, Ron Harper and Steve Kerr all provided big minutes for the team. The front office in Chicago built the perfect group around MJ, and he delivered by starting the team’s second three-peat.
Other Historic NBA Teams
The 10 teams above aren’t the only great teams in the history of the league. Here are some teams that just missed the cut for this list.
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Los Angeles Lakers: 2001-2002
This team won just 58 games, in large part because Shaquille O’Neal played just 67 contests. But when the playoffs arrived, the team turned on the jets, sweeping the first round and the Finals. Kobe Bryant cemented himself as the Lakers’ best player, averaging 25.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
New York Knicks: 1972-1973
The Knicks might have been higher up this list if they’d had a stronger regular season, winning 57 games. They went on to defeat the Lakers in five games in the NBA Finals. This team had a deep roster, with Walt Frazier, Dave DeBusschere, Bill Bradley, Earl Monroe, Jerry Lucas and Willis Reed all between the ages of 27 and 32. It’s a surprise that this Knicks team won just two titles during the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Boston Celtics: 2007-2008
This Celtics team was so much fun. After winning just 24 games the year before, Boston added Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. The two of them plus Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo formed a powerful core that won 66 games in their first season together, then fought their way to an NBA title. 10 playoff losses hurts the team’s historical ranking, but this was still an elite squad.
Philadelphia 76ers: 1982-1983
The 76ers had one of the best core groups of the 1980s with Mose Malone, Julius Erving, Maurice Cheeks and Andrew Toney. It was a shame that, for various reasons, this group only won the title once, though the Sixers did have three other Finals appearances between 1977 and 1982.
Chicago Bulls: 1991-1992
The first threepeat for the Bulls sometimes gets overlooked because of how good the team was in its second run, but the 1991-92 team won 67 games. Jordan and Pippen led the charge, with Horace Grant, John Paxson, Bill Cartwright and B.J. Armstrong working as a strong supporting cast.
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