Best NBA Teams of All Time (Part Two)

(last updated on October 20, 2025)

We are continuing our list of objectively trying to identify the best NBA teams of all time. As you may have noticed, this list is being done in chronological order and chronological order only. The first five super squads were from 1960 to 1983, so the last five super squads are from the last 40 years. As a refresher, here are the qualifiers to be eligible. One, the team had to win the NBA title that season, so that will eliminate squads like the 73-9 Golden State Warriors who didn’t finish the deal. Two, the team had to win at least 60 games in the regular season; a truly elite team has to prove it over the long haul, not just in the playoffs. Three, only one team will be chosen per era for dynasties, so only one team of MJ’s, Larry’s, and Magic’s. 

As far as criteria, much data will be used, but some determining factors will be postseason record, margin of victory, Hall of Famers on the team, quality of opponents, offensive efficiency, and defensive efficiency. This is no easy list to compile. It’s hard to leave some historic teams off, so this will be in two installments. Now that the guidelines have been laid out, in no particular order, here are some of the best NBA teams of all time … part two.

If you ask a lot of basketball historians and fans, this team often gets the unofficial vote as the best NBA team of all time: the 1986 Boston Celtics (67-15 and 15-3). This is the historic team with five Hall of Famers on the roster: Larry Bird, Dennis Johnson, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, and Bill Walton. That doesn’t include coach KC Jones or executive Red Auerbach who also have a residence in Springfield, Massachusetts. Where do we begin with this superlative squad? Well, there is the astonishing 40-1 home record at the Boston Garden (and 10-0 in the playoffs). They were actually 39-2 in ‘86-’87, so that made 79-3 over that two-year span at home. Bird won his third-straight MVP award and was at his peak (25.8 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 6.8 apg, and 2 spg). DJ was the steady ship at the point, and McHale and Parish owned the paint. Plus, Bill Walton resurrected his career and captured the Sixth Man of the Year award. These Celtics led the NBA in SRS (9.06) and defensive rating (102.6). They played a very selfless brand of team basketball. If you want to watch some beautiful basketball, look up the third quarter of Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semis against Atlanta; they outscored the Hawks 36-6. To coronate their season, Boston won the Finals in six games over the Houston Rockets as Bird captured the Finals MVP with a scintillating triple-double in the close-out game. The ‘86 Boston Celtics were an unforgettable team, and they have a spot very high on the list of the greatest NBA teams of all time.

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If Larry makes this list, you know Magic has to follow. The 1986-1987 Los Angeles Lakers probably were the best group of the 80s Showtime Lakers, so that puts them in the conversation of the greatest NBA teams of all time. This is the first Showtime squad where Magic Johnson became the focal point over Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and it paid off. With Pat Riley at the helm, the Lakers went a league-best 65-17, and Magic won his first MVP award (23.9 ppg, 12.2 apg, 6.3 rpg, and 1.7 spg). #32 surged Showtime to leading the NBA in SRS (8.31) and offensive rating (115.6). Kareem (17.6 ppg) and James Worthy (19.4 ppg) completed that Big Three, and Byron Scott and AC Green filled out the stellar starting five. Their dominance ran through the playoffs with a 15-3 mark and an average of 120.6 ppg … a first round sweep over the Denver Nuggets, a 4-1 stomping of the Golden State Warriors in the Western Semis, and then another 4-0 dusting of the Seattle SuperSonics in the WCF. You know who was waiting in the Finals. Magic and company took down Larry and the Boston Celtics 4-2 to collect the fourth NBA championship for the 80s Lakers. That series will always be remembered for Magic’s beautiful baby hook to win Game 4 in the Garden; he did snatch the Finals MVP as well. Picking the top team of the Showtime-era Lakers isn’t easy, so you know the 1987 Los Angeles Lakers had to be one of the best teams in NBA history.

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So what MJ team is going to make this list? If you analyze the numbers, the ‘95-’96 Chicago Bulls easily take the cake … the first NBA team to win 70 regular-season games (72-10), first in ppg (105.2), first in SRS (11.8), first in offensive rating (115.2), and first in defensive rating (101.8). This historic squad was led by Phil Jackson, and it started the second Bulls three-peat. Michael Jordan was the linchpin and took home another league MVP (30.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 4.3 apg, and 2.2 spg). Scottie Pippen was Robin and had his typical, do-a-little-of-everything season (19.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 5.9 apg, and a second-place finish for DPOY). This reshaped version of the Bulls also featured rebounding specialist/defensive nuisance Dennis Rodman (14.9 rpg) and Euro-wonderkid Toni Kukoc (13.1 ppg). They were the first NBA team ever to notch 70 wins, and they did it with room to spare. On February 3rd, the Bulls were 41-3. Does anything else need to be said? The playoffs were more of a coronation tour as they went 15-3 and were rarely tested sans two losses in the Finals to the Seattle SuperSonics. His Airness collected his fourth of six Finals MVP awards. The Chicago Bulls winning six titles in eight seasons was one of the NBA’s most memorable runs, and the 1996 team was maybe the greatest NBA team of all time.

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LeBron’s announcement of taking his talents to South Beach has become somewhat infamous over time, but his tenure with the Miami Heat resulted in four trips to the Finals and two NBA titles. The 2012-2013 edition of the Heat is one of the least mentioned best teams in NBA history. This super group repeated as champs with a 66-16 record led by MVP LeBron James (26.8 ppg, 8 rpg, and 7.3 apg), ultra-athletic Dwyane Wade (21.2 ppg, 5.1 apg, and 5 rpg), and steady lefty Chris Bosh (16.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg, and 1.7 bpg). Interestingly, this team was a solid but unspectacular 29-14 on February 2nd before ripping off a 27-game winning streak. Their team stats don’t jump off the page, but the collection of role players for this Miami Heat gang is like the cast to The Expendables: three-point savant Ray Allen, NCAA hero Mario Chalmers, Duke legend Shane Battier, ageless Udonis Haslem, sharpshooter Mike Miller, and Birdman Chris Andersen. They valiantly battled through the playoffs (16-7) and persevered through consecutive seven-game series triumphs over Indiana in the ECF and San Antonio in the Finals. That’s the Finals where Ray Allen nailed that miraculous triple to cap a furious comeback in Game 6. King James also won the Finals MVP (25.3 ppg, 10.9 rpg, 7 apg, and 2.7 spg) to complete perhaps his best NBA season. When you put all of these factors together, it reveals that the 2013 Miami Heat is one of the greatest teams in NBA history.

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The modern-day Golden State Warriors dynasty is quite impressive: six Finals appearances, four NBA titles, and three 67+ win seasons (including the 73-9 record setter). But what team by the bay was the best one in this hallowed era? The ‘16-’17 Warriors went 67-15 and 16-1 on their way to the Larry O’Brien Trophy, so that makes them the choice and also one of the top NBA teams of all time. Steph Curry (25.3 ppg), Kevin Durant (25.1 ppg), and Klay Thompson (22.3 ppg) formed one of the deadliest shooting trios ever. They led the league in ppg (115.9), SRS (11.35), offensive rating (115.6), and they were second in defensive rating (104). Steve Kerr established an offensive system that saw the sharpshooters flourish while Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala did the dirty work. From March 14th through the Finals, Golden State was 31-2! They were undefeated until the Finals and are the only team in history to post a 16-1 playoff record (other champions also had one loss but never that many victories). KD posted 35.2 ppg and a .474% from deep against LeBron and the Cavs to win his first Finals MVP award. When Steph Curry plays second fiddle in the Finals, you know you have an unworldly collection of talent, so that makes the 2017 Golden State Warriors one of the best NBA teams of all time.

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This entry was posted on Friday, November 1st, 2024 at 5:29 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.