12 Best Teams in NBA History

12 Best Teams in NBA History

The NBA has been around for 75 years, having been founded in 1946.

There were only 11 teams on board when it originally began. The league now has 30 clubs, with 29 from the US and 1 from Canada.

Let’s examine some of the greatest NBA teams in history as the league has such a rich history.

Because of the lengthy history and the fact that some teams competed in an entirely different era, ranking them is a difficult undertaking.

As a result, we’ll talk about the team’s successes and how they dominated the league.

However, there remains controversy over which teams are the best.

This can be seen from numerous perspectives, and arguments can be made.

The best teams are difficult to compare, so we will focus on the squads during the post-1970 era.

To determine the greatest teams in NBA history, we will also examine each team’s defining events.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at the top 12 NBA teams of all time.

12 All-Time Greatest NBA Teams
This list’s information was compiled by researching numerous reliable websites, including Bleacher Report.

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12. 1993-1994 Houston Rockets

Number: 58-24
Seasonal: 15-8
The Houston Rockets from the 1994 NBA season will be the first club on this list of the greatest NBA teams ever.

They were established in 1967 as the San Diego Rockets and are based in Houston.

The 1993–1994 Rockets season got off to a fantastic start.

The Rockets tied the 1948–1949 Washington Capitals for the finest unblemished start to a season after winning their first fifteen games.

They had a 58-24 record at the end of the season, which was also a franchise high until 2017–18. The 1994 season was one of Hakeem Olajuwon’s best on the field.

Throughout the entire season, Olajuwon averaged 27.3 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.6 steals, and 3.7 blocks.

He received awards for Defensive Player of the Year, MVP, and MVP in the Finals.

The Huston-based Rockets, who overcame the New York Knicks in seven games after being down 3-2, won their first title in the team’s history.

Since the Milwaukee Bucks won the NBA championship 23 years ago, they are the only club from the Midwest Division to do so.

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11. 2010-2011 Dallas Mavericks

Number: 57-25
Seasonal: 16-5
The Dallas Mavericks, who have won the most unexpected championships of all time, are the next group on our list.

They are the Dallas-based professional basketball team.

They were established in 1980, and during their first season, they consistently competed in the playoffs.

The Mavericks’ 31st NBA season took place in 2010–2011.

Additionally, it was their most prosperous year as they won their first championship in the franchise’s history.

The Mavs overcame all odds with a group of tenacious veterans, despite being voted as the NBA’s most unlikely team to win the season.

The Mavs defeated the Portland Trail Blazers in six games in the first round.

Then, in the semifinals, they won in four games against the Los Angeles Lakers, two-time NBA champions.

Furthermore, in the Conference Finals’ five games, the Mavericks defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder.

For the first time since 2006, they made it to the NBA Finals.

In a repeat of the NBA final, the Miami Heat and the Mavs squared off.

LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh, three of the NBA’s top players, headed the Miami Heat.

Before the 2011 NBA Finals, 15 out of 22 experts predicted that the Miami Heat will defeat the Dallas Mavericks.

They demonstrated that teams who specialize in jump shooting could succeed despite all difficulties.

10. 1972-1973 Knicks of New York

Number: 57-25
Seasonal: 12-5
The NBA franchise known as the New York Knickerbockers is situated in the Manhattan neighborhood of New York City.

The organization, often known as the New York Knicks, was established in 1946.

The Knicks made three consecutive NBA Finals trips before the late 1960s but lost each time.

The squad won two NBA championships in 1970 and 1973 after Red Holzman took over as coach.

The New York Knicks’ 27th season in the NBA was in 1972-1973.

Walt “Clyde” Frazier, who is now in the Hall of Fame, led the squad.

They subsequently won their second NBA championship.

In the NBA Final, they defeated the Los Angeles Lakers by a score of 4 to 1.

Amazingly, it matched the exact number of points the Knicks had won their game against the Lakers the previous year.

But up until this point, the Knicks had not won a title.

The Knicks’ roaster for the 1972–73 season included future Hall of Famers like Dave DeBusschere, Jerry Lucas, Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, and Willis Reed in addition to winning the championship.

The franchise’s most prosperous season was undoubtedly 1972–1973 The team performed admirably in the postseason.

After the Mavs defeated the Lakers in five games, Willis Reed was named the Finals MVP.

9. 2015-2016 Cavaliers in Cleveland

Number: 57-25
Seasonal: 16-5
The Cleveland Cavaliers, a professional basketball team, are represented by our ninth number.

The group joined the NBA as a participant in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. In 1970, they were established.

The Cavaliers played in their 46th NBA season in 2015–2016. In 2016, they captured the first NBA championship in the history of the team.

Additionally, they made history by becoming the first and only team to win a championship series after falling behind 1-3.

Lebron was the man who dominated the season and led the Cavaliers to victory in the championship series.

The player had a stellar stat line of 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, 8.9 assists, 2.6 steals, and 2.3 blocks per game.

Kyrie Irving had 19.6 points and 4.7 assists per game as well.

The team triumphed in four games against the Detroit Pistons in the opening round and four games once more against the Atlanta Hawks in the semifinals.

Similar to that, they won six games against the Toronto Raptors in the Conference Finals.

The Cavaliers made it to the NBA finals for the second year in a row.

The group defeated Golden State Warriors, who were the NBA champions at the time, in the championship game.

That season, the team finished 73-9, which was its best league record.

The Cavaliers’ victory marked the first championship triumph for a Cleveland-based professional sports team since 1964.

8. 2012-2013 Florida Heat

Number: 66-16
Seasonal: 16-7
The Miami-based team is the next on our list of the top NBA teams ever.

When the Miami Heat started competing as an expansion team in 1988, they were officially founded.

They were admitted to the NBA and assigned to the Eastern Conference Southeast Division.

In its 27 seasons, the Miami Heat has the third-longest winning streak in NBA history.

The franchise’s 25th NBA season, and arguably its best one to date, was in 2012–13.

The defending NBA champion Miami Heat began the 2012–13 campaign.

LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh were part of the team’s “Big Three” during their third season, and head coach Erik Spoelstra was in charge of the team during their fifth season.

In the final series, the Heat faced off against the San Antonio Spurs.

The match was tough until Ray Allen hit one of the most clutch triples in NBA history.

The team won the final in overtime, and forced game 7, bringing the title home.

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The Heats’ finished the season with a 66-16 record.

All the “Big Three” players were selected for the 2013 NBA All-Star Game, and LeBron also won his fourth NBA Most Valuable Player Award.

With the franchise’s formidable team and dominance in regular and postseason performance, Miami Heat is undoubtedly one of the greatest teams in NBA history.

7. 1982-1983 76ers of Philadelphia

Record: 65-17
Postseason: 12-1
Widely known as the Sixers, the Philadelphia 76ers is a team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area.

The franchise was founded initially as the Syracuse Nationals in 1946.

The Sixers are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA and are one of the only eight out of twenty-three to survive the league’s first decade.

The 1982-83 season was the franchise’s 37th season with the NBA.

Although the Sixers lost against the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1982 NBA Finals, they changed the game after acquiring Moses Malone from the Houston Rockets in a sign-and-trade for Caldwell Jones.

The team already had the team led by Julius Erving, Maurice Cheeks, Bobby Jones, and Andrew Toney, and acquiring Malone on top of that made the Sixers a very dominating team.

And they did dominate the season with total winnings of 65 games.

It is also the franchise’s second-most winning year in franchise history.

The Sixers got the victory over the New York Knicks in the first round, then the Milwaukee Bucks in 5.

Finally, they ended the season with a win against the Lakers, a 4-0.

Erving was named the NBA All-Star Game MVP.

Similarly, Malone was named the league MVP, and Bobby Jones was named the sixth man of the year.

6. 1988-1989 Detroit Pistons

Record: 54-28
Seasonal: 16-7
Detroit Pistons are the professional basketball team founded in 1937 as the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons.

They are based in Detroit and became part of the NBA after NBL and BAA merged to become NBA in 1949.

It was Detroit’s 41st season with NBA in the 1988-89 season.

Although the experts predicted the team to be the most unlikely championship winner, they proved otherwise.

The team had the most formidable defense in the league that season, which ultimately led to their victory.

The Pistons also won the first two rounds of the playoff.

Isiah Thomas played one of his greatest postseason games during that season.

He averaged 20.5 points, 8.2 assists, 2.2 steals, and 5.5 rebounds.

Similarly, Joe Dumars also made a significant contribution and averaged 17.8 points.

The Pistons went head-on against the Lakers.

Despite the Lakers having a formidable team with Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Gary Payton, and Karl Malone, the Pistons could take home victory in 5 games.

The Detroit Pistons are a little underrated team in the NBA, and they also have star power.

But the Pistons are one of the best teams in NBA history. They won three NBA championships in 1989, 1990, and 2004.

5. 1970-1971 Wisconsin Bucks

Number: 66-16
Postseason: 12-2
Founded in 1968 as an expansion team, Milwaukee Bucks is a team based in Milwaukee

. The team competes in the NBA as the league’s Eastern Conference Central Division member.

1970-1971 was the Bucks’ third season with the NBA.

The franchise drafted Lew Alcindor (known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in later life) out of UCLA, and the move instantly showed a result.

With Alcindor’s help, the Bucks won their first-ever NBA championship.

Similarly, adding Oscar Robertson to the roster also played a crucial part in this championship that season.

While Alcindor’s average was 31.7 points, 16.0 rebounds, and 3.3 assists, Robertson averaged 19.4 points, 8.2 assists, and 5.7 rebounds.

Because of this achievement, Alcindor won his first of six titles and first of six MVP awards.

The Bucks became the first team to earn the NBA title from the Midwest Division.

The Bucks were also able to record a then-record 20-game winning streak en route to the playoffs.

The team faced and emerged victorious against the San Francisco Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers in the playoff during that season.

Then in the final series, Milwaukee was able to sweep the Baltimore Bullets.

The team posted their best single-season simple rating system of all time.

They outscored their opponents by 10.8 points per 100 possessions in the postseason.

4. 1985-1986 Boston Celtics

Record: 67-15
Postseason: 15-3
On the fourth number of our list of best teams in the NBA is the Boston-based professional basketball team, the Boston Celtics.

The franchise is the league’s original eight teams and was founded in 1946.

The 1985-86 season was the Boston Celtics’ 40th season in the NBA.

They set several franchise records as well as the league record that season.

They finished the season with 67-15, which is the franchise’s best record in the league.

The Celtics also recorded a 40-1 (37-1 at the Boston Garden, 3-0 at the Hartford Civic Center) (37-1 at the Boston Garden, 3-0 at the Hartford Civic Center).

It was the most home win recorded in NBA during the time, which was broken in 2016 by the San Antonio Spurs.

During the 1985-86 period, the Celtics’ roster had the “Big Three,” which consisted of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish.

The team suffered only one loss in the Garden and dominated the NBA season.

During the playoffs, the Celtics won against the Chicago Bulls in the first round in three games.

Likewise, the team won against the Atlanta Hawks in the semi-finals in five games, then defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in the Conference Finals in four games.

The Celtics played against the Houston Rockets in the NBA finals, which they won in six games.

It would be their 16th championship.

Bird led the squad in scoring and rebounding, with an average of 25.8 points and 9.8 rebounds.

This earned Bird the Finals MVP award, regular-season MVP award, and also Athlete of the Year award.

Similarly, Bill Walton won the Sixth Man of the Year Award.

3. 1986-1987 Los Angeles Lakers

Record: 65-17
Postseason: 15-3
1986-1987 was the 41st season of the Los Angeles Lakers and the 39th season of the franchise in the NBA.

The Lakers were first founded in 1947 as the Minneapolis Lakers.

They are one of the most successful teams in NBA history.

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The Lakers dominated the league during that decade.

The team defeated the Denver Nuggets in the first round in three games.

Likewise, they went ahead to defeat the Golden State Warriors in the semi-finals in five games.

After that victory, the Lakers swept another win against the Seattle SuperSonics in the Conference Finals in four games.

Then finally, they made their way to the NBA finals.

In that season, Los Angeles had some of the greatest players on their roster.

The team consisted of Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Mychal Thompson.

Similarly, the team also had A.C. Green, Michael Cooper, Byron Scott, Kurt Rambis, and James Worthy.

The Lakers faced the defending NBA championship and their rivals, the Boston Celtics, in six games.

The victory in the NBA finals against the Celtics was the highlight of the season.

After the win against the Celtics, Michael Cooper was named the Defensive Player of the Year, while Magic Johnson won the MVP and Finals MVP award.

Johnson led the team in scoring and assists with an average of 23.9 points, 12.2 assists, and 6.3 rebounds.

2. 2016-2017 California Warriors

Record: 67-15
Postseason: 16-1
On the second rank on our list of the 12 best teams in NBA history is the Golden State Warriors.

The franchise was founded in Philadelphia in 1946 as the Philadelphia Warriors.

Later the franchise moved to San Francisco, and that is where the team is currently based.
The 2016-2017 season was the Warriors’ 71st season in the NBA.

During this season, the team had some of the most significant achievements recorded in NBA history.

The Warriors are considered one of the greatest teams in NBA history. And in the 2016 NBA finals, the team entered the season as the runners-up.

They also secured their position as the number one seed in the playoffs for the third successive year in the postseason.

Aside from that, the Golden State set the record for best playoff record in NBA history and league leader in team points per game.

Similarly, they became one of the only two teams in NBA history to win 30 road games in a back-to-back season.

In addition, the Warriors led the league in scoring as a team and were the most efficient team during the season.

Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Kevin Durant averaged 25.3, 22.3, and 25.1.

The Warriors moved to the finals undefeated in the postseason.

However, they faced one loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the postseason.

Given the overall achievements and star power, the Golden State Warriors are among the best teams in NBA history.

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1. 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls

Record: 72-10
Postseason: 15-3
At the top of the list of 12 best teams in NBA history is non-other than the Chicago Bulls.

The franchise, which is widely regarded as the best in NBA history, was established in 1966 and participated in its inaugural game during the 1966–1967 NBA season.

The 1995–1996 NBA season marked the Bulls’ 30th season in the league.

In the off-season, the team signed free agents James Edwards and Randy Brown in addition to acquiring Dennis Rodman.

Michael Jordan also joined the roster after coming out of retirement.

With an average of 30.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists, Jordon was the team’s leader in all three categories.

He was now an All-Star and the league’s MVP as a result.

The Bulls were the league’s undisputed champions for the whole season thanks to their dominance.

They were the first NBA team to win 70 games during the regular season and had the second-highest amount of victories in a season.

The Bulls also made history by being the first team to win the championship and 70 games in a season.

With a score of 4-2, the club defeated the Seattle Supersonics in the NBA, bringing home its fourth championship.

With these accomplishments and the Bulls’ dominance in the 1995–96 season, few teams can come close.

During the NBA’s 50th Anniversary, the group was also ranked among the Top 10 Greatest Teams.

The Chicago Bulls are the greatest NBA team in history as a result of their successes and star power.

Conclusion

Our ranking of the top 12 NBA clubs comes to an end here.

There is no greater accomplishment for an NBA club than a championship.

The NBA season is always intriguing because anything may happen on the field.

This is one of the motives behind sports fans’ passion.

The NBA has a long history and many teams that have excelled in championship games.

The best teams in NBA history according to our list, which includes their most memorable performances.