The NBA has seen plenty of great dynasties, but today I’m doing something slightly different. I’m not ranking franchises or entire multi-year runs. I’m ranking the five greatest single-season teams in NBA history.
To make this list, winning the championship is mandatory. From there, I’m looking at regular-season dominance, postseason performance, star power, statistical production, competition and just how difficult the team was to beat at its absolute peak.
That means some legendary teams are going to be left out. The 1985–86 Celtics deserve consideration. So do the 2013–14 Spurs, several other Bulls teams and multiple versions of the Warriors and Lakers. But only five can make the cut.
#5: 2012–13 Miami Heat
Regular season: 66–16 (.805)
Playoffs: 16–7
NBA Finals: Defeated San Antonio Spurs, 4–3
MVP: LeBron James
The 2012–13 Miami Heat were the best version of the Big Three era. Miami entered the season as defending NBA champions after LeBron James had finally captured his first ring, and instead of relaxing after reaching the top, the Heat somehow got better.
They finished 66–16, the best record in the NBA and the best regular-season record in franchise history. Miami went an absurd 37–4 at home and 29–12 on the road, but the statistic everyone remembers is 27. From February into March, Miami won 27 consecutive games, the second-longest single-season winning streak in NBA history. During one stretch of the second half of the season, the Heat were almost impossible to beat.
At the center of everything was peak LeBron James. LeBron averaged 26.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game while shooting a career-best 56.5% from the field. He won his fourth MVP in five seasons and came one first-place vote away from becoming the NBA’s first unanimous MVP.
This wasn’t just LeBron, either. Dwyane Wade averaged more than 21 points per game, Chris Bosh remained an All-Star, and Miami surrounded its Big Three with exactly the type of players they needed. Ray Allen provided elite shooting, while Shane Battier, Mario Chalmers, Udonis Haslem and others filled their roles.
Miami’s postseason wasn’t as dominant as its regular season. The Heat swept Milwaukee and defeated Chicago in five before Indiana pushed them all the way to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals. Then came San Antonio.
The Spurs were seconds away from winning the championship in Game 6 before Chris Bosh grabbed an offensive rebound and Ray Allen hit one of the greatest shots in NBA history. Miami survived, and LeBron delivered 37 points and 12 rebounds in Game 7 to secure back-to-back championships.
The Heat finished the entire season 82–23 between the regular season and playoffs. Peak LeBron, a 66-win season, a 27-game winning streak and a championship are enough to put the 2013 Heat at No. 5 on my list.
#4: 1986–87 Los Angeles Lakers
Regular season: 65–17 (.793)
Playoffs: 15–3 (.833)
Overall: 80–20 (.800)
NBA Finals: Defeated Boston Celtics, 4–2
MVP: Magic Johnson
Finals MVP: Magic Johnson
This was Showtime at its absolute best. The Lakers had already won three championships during the 1980s entering the 1986–87 season, but this version might have been the greatest team of the entire Showtime era.
Los Angeles finished 65–17, the best record in basketball, and then became even more dominant once the playoffs began. The Lakers swept Denver 3–0 in the opening round, beat Golden State 4–1 and swept Seattle 4–0 in the Western Conference Finals. That meant Los Angeles entered the NBA Finals with an 11–1 postseason record.
Waiting for them was exactly who you’d want waiting for an all-time team: Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics.
Magic Johnson was at the absolute height of his powers, averaging 23.9 points, 12.2 assists and 6.3 rebounds per game during the regular season while shooting 52.2% from the field. He won his first regular-season MVP, but Magic wasn’t exactly working alone. James Worthy averaged 19.4 points per game, Byron Scott added 17.0, and even at 39 years old Kareem Abdul-Jabbar still contributed 17.5 points per game.
The Lakers’ offense was devastating, leading the NBA at roughly 118 points per game. Then they beat the defending champion Celtics in six games, with Magic producing one of the signature moments of his career: the famous junior skyhook in Game 4 at Boston Garden.
Magic won Finals MVP after averaging 26.2 points, 13.0 assists and 8.0 rebounds per game in the series. Across the regular season and playoffs, these Lakers went 80–20, exactly an 80% winning percentage over 100 games.
Showtime had several championship teams, but if I’m choosing the greatest single version of those Lakers, I’m taking 1987.
#3: 2000–01 Los Angeles Lakers
Regular season: 56–26 (.683)
Playoffs: 15–1 (.938)
NBA Finals: Defeated Philadelphia 76ers, 4–1
Finals MVP: Shaquille O’Neal
The regular-season record doesn’t look like something that belongs this high on an all-time list. 56–26? Plenty of NBA champions have won more regular-season games.
But the 2001 Lakers aren’t here because of what happened from October through April. They’re here because of what happened once the playoffs started.
Los Angeles entered the postseason as the defending NBA champion and proceeded to produce one of the most dominant playoff runs the league had ever seen. The Lakers swept Portland 3–0, swept Sacramento 4–0 and swept San Antonio 4–0. They entered the NBA Finals 11–0.
And this wasn’t happening against weak competition. The Spurs had won 58 games and owned the best record in the NBA. Los Angeles destroyed them anyway, sweeping the Western Conference Finals.
At the center of it all was peak Shaquille O’Neal. Shaq averaged 28.7 points, 12.7 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game during the regular season while shooting 57.2% from the floor. Then you had a 22-year-old Kobe Bryant rapidly becoming one of the best players in basketball. Kobe averaged 28.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game during the regular season and elevated his production further in the playoffs.
The Lakers essentially had two of the best players alive at the same time.
Philadelphia and league MVP Allen Iverson finally handed Los Angeles a loss in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, with Iverson scoring 48 points in an overtime classic. That was it. The Lakers won the next four games.
Shaq averaged 33.0 points and 15.8 rebounds per game in the Finals, winning his second consecutive Finals MVP. Los Angeles finished the postseason 15–1, giving them a ridiculous 93.8% playoff winning percentage.
Their only loss of the entire postseason required an MVP-level Allen Iverson to score 48 points in overtime. That’s why I don’t care that they “only” won 56 games during the regular season. When the games mattered most, the 2001 Lakers were almost unbeatable.
#2: 1995–96 Chicago Bulls
Regular season: 72–10 (.878)
Playoffs: 15–3 (.833)
Overall: 87–13 (.870)
NBA Finals: Defeated Seattle SuperSonics, 4–2
MVP: Michael Jordan
Finals MVP: Michael Jordan
For years, this was the answer. If somebody asked you to name the greatest team in NBA history, you pointed to the 1995–96 Chicago Bulls, and there’s still a very strong argument that they deserve No. 1.
Michael Jordan was playing his first full season after returning from retirement, Scottie Pippen was in his prime, Dennis Rodman had arrived to dominate the glass, Toni Kukoč provided scoring off the bench, and Phil Jackson was running the entire operation.
The result was historic. Chicago went 72–10. At the time, no NBA team had ever won 70 games, let alone 72. The Bulls went 39–2 at home, 33–8 on the road and finished the season with an .878 winning percentage.
Jordan averaged 30.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game, winning the scoring title and regular-season MVP. Pippen averaged 19.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.9 assists while remaining one of basketball’s premier perimeter defenders, and Rodman averaged 14.9 rebounds per game, leading the NBA.
Chicago wasn’t merely an offensive machine. The Bulls were elite on both ends of the floor, combining Jordan and Pippen’s perimeter defense with Rodman’s rebounding and physicality.
Then the playoffs began. Chicago swept Miami 3–0, defeated New York 4–1 and swept Orlando 4–0 to reach the Finals with an 11–1 postseason record. The Orlando sweep deserves extra attention because the Magic had eliminated Chicago from the playoffs the previous season and had won 60 games behind Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway.
Chicago responded by sweeping them.
The Bulls then took a 3–0 Finals lead over the 64-win Seattle SuperSonics before eventually winning the series in six games. Chicago finished the playoffs 15–3 and the entire season 87–13.
One hundred total games. Eighty-seven wins and only thirteen losses.
They won the championship, Jordan won MVP and Finals MVP, and Chicago began its second three-peat. So how does a team that went 87–13 possibly finish second?
Because one team eventually came along that I believe was even better.
#1: 2016–17 Golden State Warriors
Regular season: 67–15 (.817)
Playoffs: 16–1 (.941)
Overall: 83–16 (.838)
NBA Finals: Defeated Cleveland Cavaliers, 4–1
Finals MVP: Kevin Durant
Imagine winning 73 games, having the first unanimous MVP in NBA history and reaching Game 7 of the NBA Finals—then adding Kevin Durant. That’s essentially what happened. The 2015–16 Warriors had just produced the greatest regular-season record in NBA history at 73–9, only to lose the championship after blowing a 3–1 Finals lead to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Then Golden State added one of the greatest scorers basketball has ever seen to a core that already featured Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
The result was ridiculous. Golden State went 67–15 during the regular season while leading the NBA with 115.9 points per game. They shot 49.5% from the field, made 982 three-pointers and recorded 2,491 assists, averaging more than 30 assists per game as a team. This wasn’t simply a collection of great individual scorers—the ball constantly moved, and virtually every defensive decision created another problem.
Durant averaged 25.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists while shooting 53.7% from the field. Curry averaged 25.3 points and 6.6 assists while making 324 three-pointers, Klay added 22.3 points per game, and Draymond averaged 7.9 rebounds and 7.0 assists while winning Defensive Player of the Year. That’s four All-Stars, two former MVPs, two of the greatest shooters ever and the league’s Defensive Player of the Year sharing the same roster.
Then the playoffs started, and somehow Golden State became even more dominant. The Warriors swept Portland 4–0, swept Utah 4–0 and swept San Antonio 4–0, entering the NBA Finals with a perfect 12–0 postseason record.
Waiting for them was LeBron James and the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers—the same team that had beaten Golden State the previous year. Golden State won the first three games, Cleveland took Game 4, and the Warriors responded by winning Game 5 to finish the postseason 16–1, a staggering 94.1% playoff winning percentage.
Durant averaged 35.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game in the Finals, shooting 55.6% from the field and 47.4% from three. Curry wasn’t exactly quiet either, averaging 26.8 points, 9.4 assists and 8.0 rebounds. Golden State finished the regular season and postseason with a combined 83–16 record.
But the numbers only explain part of why I have them No. 1. At their peak, the Warriors could put Curry, Klay, Durant and Draymond on the floor together. They had shooting everywhere, multiple elite playmakers, switchable defense and two players in Curry and Durant who could be the best player on a championship team. Double Curry and you’re leaving Durant. Focus on Durant and Curry gets room. Sell out on both and suddenly Klay Thompson is waiting behind the three-point line. There simply wasn’t a good answer.
The 1996 Bulls had the better regular-season record, the 2001 Lakers had perhaps the most dominant playoff run, Showtime had one of the greatest offenses ever assembled, and the 2013 Heat had peak LeBron. But if I have to choose one NBA team at its absolute peak to beat every other team in a seven-game series, I’m taking the 2016–17 Golden State Warriors. That’s why they’re No. 1.
The five teams on this list dominated in completely different ways. The 2013 Heat overwhelmed teams with versatility and peak LeBron, Showtime turned basketball into a track meet, Shaq and Kobe nearly went undefeated through an entire postseason, Jordan’s Bulls produced an 87–13 championship season, and Golden State combined historic shooting with perhaps the greatest collection of talent ever assembled on one roster.
There are plenty of legendary teams that didn’t make my five, and that’s where the debate gets interesting. Which team did I leave out, and who would you put at No. 1?
If you enjoyed this article, make sure to like the post and subscribe to Ethical Sports Takes for more NBA, NFL and Formula 1 content. As always, thanks for reading and supporting Ethical Sports Takes.
Leave a Reply