{"id":749,"date":"2024-08-30T15:44:39","date_gmt":"2024-08-30T15:44:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/bbr-blog\/?p=749"},"modified":"2025-10-24T15:21:02","modified_gmt":"2025-10-24T15:21:02","slug":"best-nba-teams-of-all-time-part-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/bbr-blog\/2024\/08\/best-nba-teams-of-all-time-part-one\/","title":{"rendered":"Best NBA Teams of All Time (Part One)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>(last updated on October 20, 2025)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some of the most entertaining and heated debates you can have with your friends are the \u201cbest ever\u201d conversations. A very popular one in the sports world is the best NBA team of all time. Although this is very subjective, we are going to make this list as data-driven as possible. First, there are some qualifiers to be eligible. One, the team had to win the NBA title that season, so that will eliminate squads like the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/GSW\/2016.html\">73-9 Golden State Warriors<\/a> who didn\u2019t 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\u2019s, Larry\u2019s, and Magic\u2019s.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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\u2019s 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 \u2026 part one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<div id=\"info\" class=\"teams open\">\n\t\n\t  <div id=\"meta\">\n\t\n\n\n\n\t<div class=\"media-item logo\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"teamlogo\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ssref.net\/req\/202408212\/tlogo\/bbr\/BOS-1960.png\" alt=\"1960 Boston Celtics Logo\">\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sportslogos.net\/\">via Sports Logos.net<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\t<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/blog\/2016\/06\/redesign-team-and-league-logos-courtesy-sportslogos-net\/\">About logos<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t \n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div data-template=\"Partials\/Teams\/Summary\">\n  <h2>\n    \n      <span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/BOS\/1960.html\">1959-60<\/a><\/span>\n      <span>Boston Celtics<\/span>\n          \n    <span class=\"header_end\">Roster and Stats<\/span>\n  <\/h2>\n  \n\n\n<div class=\"prevnext\">\n    \n    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/BOS\/1959.html\"><div class=\"button2 prev\">Previous Season<\/div><\/a>\n    \n    \n    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/BOS\/1961.html\"><div class=\"button2 next\">Next Season<\/div><\/a>\n    \n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>\n    <strong>Record:<\/strong>\n    \n      59-16, Finished 1st in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/leagues\/NBA_1960.html\">NBA<\/a> \n     Eastern Division      \n    \n    \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n    \n\n    \n\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Coach:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/coaches\/auerbre99c.html\">Red Auerbach<\/a> (59-16)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Executive:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/executives\/auerbre99x.html\">Red Auerbach<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n  \n    <p>\n      <strong>PTS\/G:<\/strong> \n      124.5 (1st of 8)\n      <strong>Opp PTS\/G:<\/strong> \n      116.2 (5th of 8)\n    <\/p>\n    <p>\n      \n      <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/about\/glossary.html#srs\">SRS<\/a><\/strong>: 7.62 (1st of 8)\n      \n      <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/about\/glossary.html#pace\">Pace<\/a><\/strong>: 136.3 (1st of 8)\n    <\/p>\n    <p>\n      <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/about\/glossary.html#off_rtg\">Off Rtg<\/a><\/strong>: 91.0 (5th of 8)\n      <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/about\/glossary.html#def_rtg\">Def Rtg<\/a><\/strong>: 84.9 (1st of 8)\n      <strong>Net Rtg<\/strong>: +6.1 (1st of 8)\n    <\/p>\n    <p>\n      <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/about\/glossary.html#wins_pyth\">Expected W-L<\/a><\/strong>: 54-21 (1st of 8)\n    <\/p>\n  \n\n\n\n\n<p>\n  \n    <strong>Arena:<\/strong> \n    Boston Garden\n  \n\n  \n    <strong>Attendance:<\/strong>\n    209,374 (1st of 1)\n  \n<\/p>\n\n\n<p><span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/playoffs\/NBA_1960.html\">NBA 1960 Playoffs<\/a>:<\/strong><\/span>\n<br>Won NBA Eastern Division Finals (4-2) versus <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/PHW\/1960.html\">Philadelphia Warriors<\/a>\n&nbsp;(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/playoffs\/1960-nba-eastern-division-finals-warriors-vs-celtics.html\">Series Stats<\/a>)<br>Won NBA Finals (4-3) versus <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/STL\/1960.html\">St. Louis Hawks<\/a>\n&nbsp;(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/playoffs\/1960-nba-finals-hawks-vs-celtics.html\">Series Stats<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><!-- div#meta -->\n\n\n\t\n\t\n<ul id=\"bling\">\n\n<li class=\"important special\"><a>NBA Champions<\/a><\/li><li class=\"important poptip\"><a>Eastern Div Champs<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Yes, the Boston Celtics didn\u2019t win 60 games in the \u201859-\u201960 season, but they did go 59-16 in a 75-game season, so I\u2019m going to slightly bend the rules. You could pick a few championship teams from the first Boston dynasty, but this team stands out the most. Red Auerbach was on the bench and the lead executive in the front office. He assembled a team with seven future Hall of Famers: Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, Bill Sharman, Tom Heinsohn, Sam Jones, K.C. Jones, and Frank Ramsey. Wow! This team got off to a 30-4 start that included a 17-game winning streak. Cousy ran the point (19.4 ppg and 9.5 apg), Russell controlled the post (18.2 ppg and 24.2 rpg), and Heinsohn, Sharman, and Ramsey all averaged at least 15 ppg. They led the league in pace (136.3), points per game (124.5), and defensive rating (84.9). In the playoffs, they beat Wilt and the Philadelphia Warriors 4-2 in the Eastern Division Finals and then took the Finals 4-3 over Bob Petit and the St. Louis Hawks. This was the second title in a run of eight straight for Auerbach\u2019s gang \u2026 probably the greatest dynasty in NBA history. The Boston Celtics have had a lot of outstanding teams, and the 1960 world champions rank as one of the best teams in NBA history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"info\" class=\"teams open\">\n\t\n\t  <div id=\"meta\">\n\t\n\n\n\n\t<div class=\"media-item logo\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"teamlogo\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ssref.net\/req\/202408212\/tlogo\/bbr\/PHI-1967.png\" alt=\"1967 Philadelphia 76ers Logo\">\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sportslogos.net\/\">via Sports Logos.net<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\t<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/blog\/2016\/06\/redesign-team-and-league-logos-courtesy-sportslogos-net\/\">About logos<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t \n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div data-template=\"Partials\/Teams\/Summary\">\n  <h2>\n    \n      <span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/PHI\/1967.html\">1966-67<\/a><\/span>\n      <span>Philadelphia 76ers<\/span>\n          \n    <span class=\"header_end\">Roster and Stats<\/span>\n  <\/h2>\n  \n\n\n<div class=\"prevnext\">\n    \n    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/PHI\/1966.html\"><div class=\"button2 prev\">Previous Season<\/div><\/a>\n    \n    \n    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/PHI\/1968.html\"><div class=\"button2 next\">Next Season<\/div><\/a>\n    \n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>\n    <strong>Record:<\/strong>\n    \n      68-13, Finished 1st in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/leagues\/NBA_1967.html\">NBA<\/a> \n     Eastern Division      \n    \n    \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n    \n\n    \n\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Coach:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/coaches\/hannual01c.html\">Alex Hannum<\/a> (68-13)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Executive:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/executives\/ramsaja99x.html\">Jack Ramsay<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n  \n    <p>\n      <strong>PTS\/G:<\/strong> \n      125.2 (1st of 10)\n      <strong>Opp PTS\/G:<\/strong> \n      115.8 (3rd of 10)\n    <\/p>\n    <p>\n      \n      <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/about\/glossary.html#srs\">SRS<\/a><\/strong>: 8.50 (1st of 10)\n      \n      <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/about\/glossary.html#pace\">Pace<\/a><\/strong>: 122.9 (4th of 10)\n    <\/p>\n    <p>\n      <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/about\/glossary.html#off_rtg\">Off Rtg<\/a><\/strong>: 101.5 (1st of 10)\n      <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/about\/glossary.html#def_rtg\">Def Rtg<\/a><\/strong>: 93.9 (3rd of 10)\n      <strong>Net Rtg<\/strong>: +7.7 (1st of 10)\n    <\/p>\n    <p>\n      <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/about\/glossary.html#wins_pyth\">Expected W-L<\/a><\/strong>: 61-20 (1st of 10)\n    <\/p>\n  \n\n\n\n\n<p>\n  \n    <strong>Arena:<\/strong> \n    Convention Hall\n  \n\n  \n<\/p>\n\n\n<p><span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/playoffs\/NBA_1967.html\">NBA 1967 Playoffs<\/a>:<\/strong><\/span>\n<br>Won NBA Eastern Division Semifinals (3-1) versus <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/CIN\/1967.html\">Cincinnati Royals<\/a>\n&nbsp;(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/playoffs\/1967-nba-eastern-division-semifinals-royals-vs-76ers.html\">Series Stats<\/a>)<br>Won NBA Eastern Division Finals (4-1) versus <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/BOS\/1967.html\">Boston Celtics<\/a>\n&nbsp;(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/playoffs\/1967-nba-eastern-division-finals-celtics-vs-76ers.html\">Series Stats<\/a>)<br>Won NBA Finals (4-2) versus <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/SFW\/1967.html\">San Francisco Warriors<\/a>\n&nbsp;(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/playoffs\/1967-nba-finals-warriors-vs-76ers.html\">Series Stats<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><!-- div#meta -->\n\n\n\t\n\t\n<ul id=\"bling\">\n\n<li class=\"important special\"><a>NBA Champions<\/a><\/li><li class=\"important poptip\"><a>Eastern Div Champs<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Any team with Wilt Chamberlain has a shot at being one of the greatest NBA teams of all time. The 1966-1967 Philadelphia 76ers may have been The Big Dipper\u2019s best squad. They went 68-13 in the regular season and rolled through the playoffs for the title. Besides the legendary center from Philadelphia, this team was stacked: Hal Greer, Chet Walker, Billy Cunningham, Wali Jones, and Luke Jackson. After 40 games, these Sixers were 37-3. In an <em>less-than-explosive-and-no-three-pointers<\/em> era of basketball, they averaged 125.2 point per game to lead the league. For the season, Wilt posted his standard 24.1 ppg, 24.2 rpg, and 7.8 apg to secure the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/awards\/awards_1967.html#all_mvp\">MVP<\/a>. He also led the league in field-goal % with an <em>am-I-seeing-this-correctly<\/em> .683 mark. Hal Greer held down the back court (22.1 ppg), and Chet Walker (19.3 ppg) and Billy C (18.5 ppg) supplemented the scoring load. In the Eastern Division Finals, the Sixers took out the eight-time defending-champion Boston Celtics as Chamberlain averaged a triple-double for the series against his rival Bill Russell. Then in the Finals, the boys from Philadelphia outmatched the Rick-Barry-led San Francisco Warriors in six games. The 1967 Philadelphia 76ers set the league record with their 68-13 record and ballyhooed roster, so that definitely makes them one of the best NBA teams of all time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"info\" class=\"teams open\">\n\t\n\t  <div id=\"meta\">\n\t\n\n\n\n\t<div class=\"media-item logo\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"teamlogo\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ssref.net\/req\/202408212\/tlogo\/bbr\/MIL-1971.png\" alt=\"1971 Milwaukee Bucks Logo\">\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sportslogos.net\/\">via Sports Logos.net<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\t<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/blog\/2016\/06\/redesign-team-and-league-logos-courtesy-sportslogos-net\/\">About logos<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t \n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div data-template=\"Partials\/Teams\/Summary\">\n  <h2>\n    \n      <span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/MIL\/1971.html\">1970-71<\/a><\/span>\n      <span>Milwaukee Bucks<\/span>\n          \n    <span class=\"header_end\">Roster and Stats<\/span>\n  <\/h2>\n  \n\n\n<div class=\"prevnext\">\n    \n    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/MIL\/1970.html\"><div class=\"button2 prev\">Previous Season<\/div><\/a>\n    \n    \n    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/MIL\/1972.html\"><div class=\"button2 next\">Next Season<\/div><\/a>\n    \n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>\n    <strong>Record:<\/strong>\n    \n      66-16, Finished 1st in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/leagues\/NBA_1971.html\">NBA<\/a> \n     Midwest Division      \n    \n    \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n    \n\n    \n\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Coach:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/coaches\/costela01c.html\">Larry Costello<\/a> (66-16)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Executive:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/executives\/pattera99x.html\">Ray Patterson<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n  \n    <p>\n      <strong>PTS\/G:<\/strong> \n      118.4 (1st of 17)\n      <strong>Opp PTS\/G:<\/strong> \n      106.2 (3rd of 17)\n    <\/p>\n    <p>\n      \n      <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/about\/glossary.html#srs\">SRS<\/a><\/strong>: 11.91 (1st of 17)\n      \n      <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/about\/glossary.html#pace\">Pace<\/a><\/strong>: 113.4 (12th of 17)\n    <\/p>\n    <p>\n      <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/about\/glossary.html#off_rtg\">Off Rtg<\/a><\/strong>: 103.9 (1st of 17)\n      <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/about\/glossary.html#def_rtg\">Def Rtg<\/a><\/strong>: 93.1 (1st of 17)\n      <strong>Net Rtg<\/strong>: +10.8 (1st of 17)\n    <\/p>\n    <p>\n      <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/about\/glossary.html#wins_pyth\">Expected W-L<\/a><\/strong>: 67-15 (1st of 17)\n    <\/p>\n  \n\n\n\n\n<p>\n  \n    <strong>Arena:<\/strong> \n    Milwaukee Arena\n  \n\n  \n<\/p>\n\n\n<p><span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/playoffs\/NBA_1971.html\">NBA 1971 Playoffs<\/a>:<\/strong><\/span>\n<br>Won NBA Western Conference Semifinals (4-1) versus <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/SFW\/1971.html\">San Francisco Warriors<\/a>\n&nbsp;(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/playoffs\/1971-nba-western-conference-semifinals-bucks-vs-warriors.html\">Series Stats<\/a>)<br>Won NBA Western Conference Finals (4-1) versus <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/LAL\/1971.html\">Los Angeles Lakers<\/a>\n&nbsp;(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/playoffs\/1971-nba-western-conference-finals-lakers-vs-bucks.html\">Series Stats<\/a>)<br>Won NBA Finals (4-0) versus <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/BAL\/1971.html\">Baltimore Bullets<\/a>\n&nbsp;(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/playoffs\/1971-nba-finals-bullets-vs-bucks.html\">Series Stats<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><!-- div#meta -->\n\n\n\t\n\t\n<ul id=\"bling\">\n\n<li class=\"important special\"><a>NBA Champions<\/a><\/li><li class=\"important all_star poptip\"><a>Western Conference Champions<\/a><\/li><li class=\"important poptip\"><a>Midwest Div Champs<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson are two of the biggest names in basketball history, so it should be no surprise that their 1970-1971 title team was one of the best NBA teams of all time. These Milwaukee Bucks went 66-16 on their way to the franchise\u2019s first NBA title. Kareem took the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/awards\/awards_1971.html#all_nba_mvp\">MVP award<\/a> with 31.7 ppg and 16 rpg. The Big O was on the back nine of his career, but he still posted very respectable numbers: 19.4 ppg, 8.2 apg, and 5.7 rpg. The Bucks had a 12.26 average margin of victory (second best of all time to the next team on this list), and they also led the league in SRS (11.91) and offensive rating (103.9). In this dynamic season, Milwaukee ran off separate win streaks of 20 games, 17 games, and 10 games. Small forward Bobby Dandridge was the third banana with this group and averaged 18.4 ppg and 8 rpg. The dominance continued in the playoffs as the Bucks steamrolled to the championship with a 12-2 record, ending it with a Finals sweep over the Baltimore Bullets. Two of the all-time greats led the 1971 Milwaukee Bucks and made it one of the best NBA teams ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"info\" class=\"teams open\">\n\t\n\t  <div id=\"meta\">\n\t\n\n\n\n\t<div class=\"media-item logo\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"teamlogo\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ssref.net\/req\/202408212\/tlogo\/bbr\/LAL-1972.png\" alt=\"1972 Los Angeles Lakers Logo\">\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sportslogos.net\/\">via Sports Logos.net<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\t<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/blog\/2016\/06\/redesign-team-and-league-logos-courtesy-sportslogos-net\/\">About logos<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t \n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div data-template=\"Partials\/Teams\/Summary\">\n  <h2>\n    \n      <span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/LAL\/1972.html\">1971-72<\/a><\/span>\n      <span>Los Angeles Lakers<\/span>\n          \n    <span class=\"header_end\">Roster and Stats<\/span>\n  <\/h2>\n  \n\n\n<div class=\"prevnext\">\n    \n    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/LAL\/1971.html\"><div class=\"button2 prev\">Previous Season<\/div><\/a>\n    \n    \n    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/LAL\/1973.html\"><div class=\"button2 next\">Next Season<\/div><\/a>\n    \n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>\n    <strong>Record:<\/strong>\n    \n      69-13, Finished 1st in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/leagues\/NBA_1972.html\">NBA<\/a> \n     Pacific Division      \n    \n    \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n    \n\n    \n\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Coach:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/coaches\/sharmbi01c.html\">Bill Sharman<\/a> (69-13)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Executive:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/executives\/schaufr01x.html\">Fred Schaus<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n  \n    <p>\n      <strong>PTS\/G:<\/strong> \n      121.0 (1st of 17)\n      <strong>Opp PTS\/G:<\/strong> \n      108.7 (6th of 17)\n    <\/p>\n    <p>\n      \n      <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/about\/glossary.html#srs\">SRS<\/a><\/strong>: 11.65 (1st of 17)\n      \n      <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/about\/glossary.html#pace\">Pace<\/a><\/strong>: 116.9 (1st of 17)\n    <\/p>\n    <p>\n      <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/about\/glossary.html#off_rtg\">Off Rtg<\/a><\/strong>: 103.1 (1st of 17)\n      <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/about\/glossary.html#def_rtg\">Def Rtg<\/a><\/strong>: 92.6 (2nd of 17)\n      <strong>Net Rtg<\/strong>: +10.5 (1st of 17)\n    <\/p>\n    <p>\n      <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/about\/glossary.html#wins_pyth\">Expected W-L<\/a><\/strong>: 67-15 (1st of 17)\n    <\/p>\n  \n\n\n\n\n<p>\n  \n    <strong>Arena:<\/strong> \n    The Forum\n  \n\n  \n    <strong>Attendance:<\/strong>\n    668,340 (1st of 2)\n  \n<\/p>\n\n\n<p><span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/playoffs\/NBA_1972.html\">NBA 1972 Playoffs<\/a>:<\/strong><\/span>\n<br>Won NBA Western Conference Semifinals (4-0) versus <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/CHI\/1972.html\">Chicago Bulls<\/a>\n&nbsp;(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/playoffs\/1972-nba-western-conference-semifinals-bulls-vs-lakers.html\">Series Stats<\/a>)<br>Won NBA Western Conference Finals (4-2) versus <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/MIL\/1972.html\">Milwaukee Bucks<\/a>\n&nbsp;(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/playoffs\/1972-nba-western-conference-finals-bucks-vs-lakers.html\">Series Stats<\/a>)<br>Won NBA Finals (4-1) versus <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/NYK\/1972.html\">New York Knicks<\/a>\n&nbsp;(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/playoffs\/1972-nba-finals-knicks-vs-lakers.html\">Series Stats<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><!-- div#meta -->\n\n\n\t\n\t\n<ul id=\"bling\">\n\n<li class=\"important special\"><a>NBA Champions<\/a><\/li><li class=\"important all_star poptip\"><a>Western Conference Champions<\/a><\/li><li class=\"important poptip\"><a>Pacific Div Champs<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Isn\u2019t it ironic that maybe the best Lakers team of all time was coached by a Celtics legend? The 1971-1972 Los Angeles Lakers, led by Boston Hall of Famer Bill Sharman, dominated the league and set the NBA mark with a 69-13 record. Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, and Gail Goodrich were the triple-punch triumvirate. This is the team that still holds the NBA record with a 33-game winning streak. To put that into greater perspective, they went two months without a loss. Goodrich led them in scoring at 25.9 ppg, West hit for 25.8 ppg and a league-leading 9.7 apg, and Chamberlain was just a pedestrian performer with 14.8 ppg and 19.2 rpg. These Lakers led the league in ppg (121), SRS (11.65), and offensive rating (103.1), and they were also second in defensive rating (92.6). Their 12.28 average margin of victory was the best of all time until the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/OKC\/2025.html\">OKC Thunder topped it in 2024-25<\/a>. In the playoffs, LA went 12-3, including eliminating the reigning champ Milwaukee Bucks in the WCF. Wilt took the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/awards\/finals_mvp.html\">Finals MVP award<\/a> in a five-game disposal of the New York Knicks, and the Lakers won their first title since relocating to Los Angeles. The 1972 LA Lakers had a record-breaking season that certainly qualifies them as one of the top teams in NBA history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"info\" class=\"teams open\">\n\t\n\t  <div id=\"meta\">\n\t\n\n\n\n\t<div class=\"media-item logo\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"teamlogo\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ssref.net\/req\/202408212\/tlogo\/bbr\/PHI-1983.png\" alt=\"1983 Philadelphia 76ers Logo\">\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sportslogos.net\/\">via Sports Logos.net<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\t<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/blog\/2016\/06\/redesign-team-and-league-logos-courtesy-sportslogos-net\/?__hstc=180814520.975053428aaa0401a1e9561926db8fe5.1705615309445.1724612392379.1724627303958.135&amp;__hssc=180814520.11.1724715652457&amp;__hsfp=582918237\">About logos<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t \n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div data-template=\"Partials\/Teams\/Summary\">\n  <h2>\n    \n      <span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/PHI\/1983.html\">1982-83<\/a><\/span>\n      <span>Philadelphia 76ers<\/span>\n          \n    <span class=\"header_end\">Roster and Stats<\/span>\n  <\/h2>\n  \n\n\n<div class=\"prevnext\">\n    \n    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/PHI\/1982.html\"><div class=\"button2 prev\">Previous Season<\/div><\/a>\n    \n    \n    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/PHI\/1984.html\"><div class=\"button2 next\">Next Season<\/div><\/a>\n    \n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>\n    <strong>Record:<\/strong>\n    \n      65-17, Finished 1st in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/leagues\/NBA_1983.html\">NBA<\/a> \n     Atlantic Division      \n    \n    \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n    \n\n    \n\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Coach:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/coaches\/cunnibi01c.html\">Billy Cunningham<\/a> (65-17)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Executive:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/executives\/willipa99x.html\">Pat Williams<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n  \n    <p>\n      <strong>PTS\/G:<\/strong> \n      112.1 (8th of 23)\n      <strong>Opp PTS\/G:<\/strong> \n      104.4 (7th of 23)\n    <\/p>\n    <p>\n      \n      <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/about\/glossary.html#srs\">SRS<\/a><\/strong>: 7.53 (1st of 23)\n      \n      <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/about\/glossary.html#pace\">Pace<\/a><\/strong>: 102.7 (15th of 23)\n    <\/p>\n    <p>\n      <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/about\/glossary.html#off_rtg\">Off Rtg<\/a><\/strong>: 108.3 (5th of 23)\n      <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/about\/glossary.html#def_rtg\">Def Rtg<\/a><\/strong>: 100.9 (5th of 23)\n      <strong>Net Rtg<\/strong>: +7.4 (1st of 23)\n    <\/p>\n    <p>\n      <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/about\/glossary.html#wins_pyth\">Expected W-L<\/a><\/strong>: 60-22 (1st of 23)\n    <\/p>\n  \n\n\n\n\n<p>\n  \n    <strong>Arena:<\/strong> \n    The Spectrum\n  \n\n  \n    <strong>Attendance:<\/strong>\n    612,203 (2nd of 23)\n  \n<\/p>\n\n\n<p><span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/playoffs\/NBA_1983.html\">NBA 1983 Playoffs<\/a>:<\/strong><\/span>\n<br>Won NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals (4-0) versus <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/NYK\/1983.html\">New York Knicks<\/a>\n&nbsp;(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/playoffs\/1983-nba-eastern-conference-semifinals-knicks-vs-76ers.html\">Series Stats<\/a>)<br>Won NBA Eastern Conference Finals (4-1) versus <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/MIL\/1983.html\">Milwaukee Bucks<\/a>\n&nbsp;(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/playoffs\/1983-nba-eastern-conference-finals-bucks-vs-76ers.html\">Series Stats<\/a>)<br>Won NBA Finals (4-0) versus <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/LAL\/1983.html\">Los Angeles Lakers<\/a>\n&nbsp;(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/playoffs\/1983-nba-finals-lakers-vs-76ers.html\">Series Stats<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><!-- div#meta -->\n\n\n\t\n\t\n<ul id=\"bling\">\n\n<li class=\"important special\"><a>NBA Champions<\/a><\/li><li class=\"important all_star poptip\"><a>Eastern Conference Champions<\/a><\/li><li class=\"important poptip\"><a>Atlantic Div Champs<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cFo, fo, fo\u201d \u2026 that was Moses Malone\u2019s prediction for the Sixers prior to the 1983 NBA Playoffs. It ended up being \u201cfo, fi, fo\u201d but that 12-1 postseason mark still puts the 1982-1983 Philadelphia 76ers up there with the greatest NBA teams of all time. After three unsuccessful Finals appearances (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/playoffs\/1977-nba-finals-trail-blazers-vs-76ers.html\">1977<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/playoffs\/1980-nba-finals-76ers-vs-lakers.html\">1980<\/a>, &amp; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/playoffs\/1982-nba-finals-lakers-vs-76ers.html\">1982<\/a>), there was a lot of pressure on Dr. J and company in the City of Brotherly Love. Prior to the season, the Sixers added reigning-MVP and low-post monster Moses Malone, and the rest is Philadelphia history. Malone repeated as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/awards\/awards_1983.html#all_mvp\">league MVP<\/a> (also the Finals MVP) while producing 24.5 ppg, 15.3 ppg, and 2 bpg. He, Julius Erving, Maurice Cheeks, Bobby Jones, and Andrew Toney drove the 76ers to a league-best 65-17 record. That\u2019s four Hall of Famers and the notorious Boston Strangler. One of the season\u2019s enduring images was Julius\u2019s famous cradle dunk over Michael Cooper in a regular-season win over the Lakers. Doc had his typical stat-filling numbers: 21.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 3.7 apg, 1.8 bpg, and 1.6 spg. In the playoffs, Billy Cunningham\u2019s squad swept the Knicks, bashed the Bucks in five, and pummeled the Lakers in four to get Julius Erving his one and only NBA title. Their 12-1 postseason run set the NBA record and has only been equaled twice since then. The \u201cfo, fi, fo\u201d Philadelphia 76ers are the last title winner for the franchise, and they are also one of the top NBA teams ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">FAQs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"schema-faq wp-block-yoast-faq-block\"><div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1724720300189\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">What is the best team in NBA history?<br\/><\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Although this is a very subjective topic, if you only include NBA champions and analyze from a purely wins and losses perspective, the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls might be considered the best NBA team ever (72-10 regular season \/ 15-3 playoffs). They won the NBA Finals in six games over the Seattle SuperSonics.<br\/><\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1724720346825\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">What is the most successful franchise in NBA history?<br\/><\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">With 18 NBA titles, the Boston Celtics are the most successful franchise in NBA history. They lead the Lakers by one championship (17).<br\/><\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1724720378709\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">Who is the greatest big three in NBA history?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">This is another very subjective topic, but if you analyze teams that won NBA titles, here are a few trios that deserve consideration \u2026 the 1972 Los Angeles Lakers (Wilt Chamberlain, Gail Goodrich, &amp; Jerry West), the 1980s Boston Celtics (Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, &amp; Robert Parish), the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, &amp; James Worthy), the 2000s San Antonio Spurs (Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker), the 2008 Boston Celtics (Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, &amp; Paul Pierce), the early 2010s Miami Heat (Chris Bosh, LeBron James, &amp; Dwyane Wade), and the late 2010s Golden State Warriors (Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, &amp; Klay Thompson).<br\/><\/p> <\/div> <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(last updated on October 20, 2025) Some of the most entertaining and heated debates you can have with your friends are the \u201cbest ever\u201d conversations. A very popular one in the sports world is the best NBA team of all time. Although this is very subjective, we are going to make this list as data-driven [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Best NBA Teams of All Time (Part One) - Basketball Reference Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Check out this list of the greatest NBA teams of all time on basketball-reference.com.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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They won the NBA Finals in six games over the Seattle SuperSonics.<br\/>","inLanguage":"en-US"},"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/bbr-blog\/2024\/08\/best-nba-teams-of-all-time-part-one\/#faq-question-1724720346825","position":2,"url":"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/bbr-blog\/2024\/08\/best-nba-teams-of-all-time-part-one\/#faq-question-1724720346825","name":"What is the most successful franchise in NBA history?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"With 18 NBA titles, the Boston Celtics are the most successful franchise in NBA history. They lead the Lakers by one championship (17).<br\/>","inLanguage":"en-US"},"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/bbr-blog\/2024\/08\/best-nba-teams-of-all-time-part-one\/#faq-question-1724720378709","position":3,"url":"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/bbr-blog\/2024\/08\/best-nba-teams-of-all-time-part-one\/#faq-question-1724720378709","name":"Who is the greatest big three in NBA history?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"This is another very subjective topic, but if you analyze teams that won NBA titles, here are a few trios that deserve consideration \u2026 the 1972 Los Angeles Lakers (Wilt Chamberlain, Gail Goodrich, &amp; Jerry West), the 1980s Boston Celtics (Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, &amp; Robert Parish), the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, &amp; James Worthy), the 2000s San Antonio Spurs (Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker), the 2008 Boston Celtics (Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, &amp; Paul Pierce), the early 2010s Miami Heat (Chris Bosh, LeBron James, &amp; Dwyane Wade), and the late 2010s Golden State Warriors (Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, &amp; Klay Thompson).<br \/>","inLanguage":"en-US"},"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/bbr-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/749","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/bbr-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/bbr-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/bbr-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/bbr-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=749"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/bbr-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/749\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1176,"href":"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/bbr-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/749\/revisions\/1176"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/bbr-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/bbr-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/bbr-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}