Top 10 Best NBA Teams of All Time: Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers, and More

The NBA is full of teams with decades of history. But in between these history lines, there are some bright spots that are still hailed as the achievements of the franchise. These bright spots are the teams that the franchises assembled at a certain point in time to bring back glory into their games. Every team has its own memories. But what ground should these teams qualify to be the best NBA teams of all time?

It is determined on the basis of championship winning ability of the team along with the offensive and defensive ratings. There are other intangible factors like pressure before a season and the performance of the star players under clutch situations. Regular season performances also matter, but the playoff performances from these teams have more weight. That's why today we are going to explore the top ten of them.

10 Best NBA Teams of All Time

From time to time, historical teams like the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, and Los Angeles Lakers have assembled the best NBA teams of all time. But their ranking cannot be the same due to the level of basketball skill that these showed not only in a regular season game but also while making a comeback. Sometimes, even absolute dominance works its charm and does not give the opponents a chance to fight back. So, let's go through the top 10 NBA teams of all time who had the ability to sail their winning ship to the NBA Championship and had a great season as a team.

#10 - 2012-2013 Miami Heat

No doubt the 2012-13 Miami Heat were a championship contending roster with players like LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, and Ray Allen. Yet, they faced the troubles in the postseason which they should not have faced considering the level of talent they had on their squad. Nevertheless, they made it past the regular season with a 66-16 record. In the Eastern Conference Finals, they faced the mighty Indiana Pacers who almost had an upset with the Heat. Somehow LeBron's 32 point spree got the team to the NBA Finals.

It was a tough matchup for the Heat to face the San Antonio Spurs in the Finals. The Spurs had a lead after five games but overtime success and strive for a seventh game turned the luck upside down for the Heat. Ultimately, they clinched the second title in a row.

#9 - 1982-1983 Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers had Julius "Dr. J" Erving in the past but they once lost to the Portland Trail Blazers and then two times to the Los Angeles Lakers. But their luck favored them once they acquired center Moses Malone. With the help of fillers like Maurice Cheeks, Andrew Toney, and Bobby Jones, the franchise set a 65-17 record in the 1982-83 season.

Malone's famous "Fo', fo', fo'" prediction nearly came true as the 76ers swept through the playoffs. They only lost one game in the postseason and ultimately wiped out the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals.

#8 - 2000-2001 Los Angeles Lakers

The regular season was not so good for the 2000-01 Los Angeles Lakers due to the injury of Derek Fisher and in-team rivalries. Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant had started going against each other on the field. But legendary coach Phil Jackson somehow gelled them together and managed to end the regular season with a 56-26 record. Jackson was able to utilize Isaiah Rider and Horace Grant as well during the games.

After the regular season, the Lakers did not look back as they were able to sweep through the Portland Trail Blazers, the Sacramento Kings, and the San Antonio Spurs. They faced the Philadelphia 76ers in the Finals but lost the first game and then won the series.

#7 - 1986-1987 Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers had already won three NBA titles under the supervision of Magic Johnson. However, they were deprived of a championship by Larry Bird for five long seasons. It was time for a revival, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was there with Johnson to assist, even at the age of 39. Johnson went on to become the regular season MVP of the team for the first time in the 1986-87 season for dishing out 23.9 points, 12.2 assists, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game.

On the other hand, Kareem was still productive with his 17.5 points per game. Along with James Worthy, AC Green, Byron Scott, Michael Cooper, and Mychal Thompson, the team aced the NBA Finals under the coaching supervision of legendary Pat Riley. Magic Johnson won the Finals MVP while Kareem put a decisive 32 point performance in Game 6 of the Finals.

#6 - 1990-1991 Chicago Bulls

It was the arrival of Michael Jordan officially as King in the league. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were almost over, and His Airness was ready to take over the control of the new regime. He was solely focused on a team-first attitude for the championship. That's why he could only average 31.5 ppg while Pippen dished out 17.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 2.4 steals per game during that season. The team finished the regular season with a 61-21 record and then beat the Los Angeles Lakers, equipped with Magic Johnson, to become the NBA Champion.

#5 - 1985-1986 Boston Celtics

The 1985-1986 Boston Celtics were full of Hall of Famers like Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish. They were unbeatable during the regular season with a 67-15 record. However, one of the trivia of that season was that the Celts had a 40-1 record on the homecourt Boston Garden against the opponents. Larry was in his prime, averaging 25.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 2.0 steals per game.

McHale tallied 21.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game and Parish averaged 16.1 points per game and 9.5 rebounds per game. However, the Sixth Man of the Year, Bill Walton, was the X factor for the team. The veteran kept the team unplayable in the playoffs against the opponents. Then they faced legendary Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets in the NBA Finals and clinched the championship.

#4 - 1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks

The NBA Draft took place on March 19, 1969, and it was a game-changing move for the Milwaukee Bucks. They received the first pick for the draft and, later on, got Lew Alcindor from the draft. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, aka Lew Alcindor, showed some problems while adjusting to the pace of the professionals. However, by the 1970-71 season, he had become versed enough to challenge the authority of pros in the league and won the MVP. The other one, who assisted Kareem with his offense and defense was Oscar Robertson.

Both of them led the Bucks to a 66-16 record and then beat the Baltimore Bullets in the NBA finals to clinch the NBA title. They were the quickest expansion in North American professional sports history to earn a championship. Kareem tallied 31.7 points, 16.0 rebounds per game while Robertson dished out 19.4 points, 8.2 assists, and 5.7 rebounds. There was another unsung hero, all-star caliber Bob Dandridge, who averaged 18.4 points and 8.0 rebounds.

#3 - 1971-1972 Los Angeles Lakers

The 1971-72 LA Lakers was the squad that holds the record for the longest winning streak of 33 games to this day in the world of pro basketball. Even during the regular season, the Los Angeles Lakers had set the record for 69 wins that was later broken. However, the offense of Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Gail Goodrich, and Elgin Baylor was yearning for a championship. Baylor attended the NBA finals 8 times in the past but was not able to get the Larry O'Brien trophy.

Unfortunately, he retired after nine games due to injury, but the team was enough to get past the contemporary teams. Gail and Jerry tallied about 25.9 and 25.8 points per game, respectively, keeping the teams on edge. Jerry West also recorded the highest assist average per game(9.7) that season. On the other hand, Wilt Chamberlain kept on crumbling the teams with his presence on both ends. He averaged 19.2 points and 14.8 rebounds per game in the whole season and led the team to the championship with a 12-3 record postseason record.

#2 - 2016-2017 Golden State Warriors

On the stat records and documents, it was the greatest team ever assembled in the history of the NBA. However, the super team of the Golden State Warriors took some time to settle in the league. With Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson, the team focused more on winning than going for individual accolades. The team was under pressure since it was not considered balanced, and despite going 72-9 in the 2015-16 season, they lost the Finals to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

They could not get the same regular season as 2015-16 but ended the 2016-17 season with a 67-15 record. However, they were impeccable in the postseason, as they only lost a single game and won the NBA title. Cavaliers were their final opponents, but this time, the Dubs did not let the Cavs beat them as they won the Finals series by 4-1.

#1 - 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls

It was one of the greatest dynasties assembled in the league containing Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman. The Bulls set an NBA record of 72 wins and only 10 losses in the regular season while winning the NBA Championship. Usually, teams go for the players who can provide them with scoring opportunities. But this Chicago Bulls squad did not have any loophole, with Rodman blasting the opponents under the rim while Jordan was on a scoring spree around the paint. There was no one like Scottie Pippen and his buckets.

His Airness dished out 30.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 2.2 steals per game that season. Pippen followed the lead of Jordan and did not let the opponents force themselves on MJ. That's how he tallied 19.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 5.9 assists. Steve Kerr and Tony Kukoc were the fillers who created an all-round team. This team was even leading the NBA in terms of offensive and defensive rating.

Best NBA Team of All Time Record

The greatest NBA team of all time according to the stats are 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls. The Bulls also recorded an NBA record of 72 wins. Other all time greats are the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, and Miami Heat. Though records alone do not equal greatness, they displayed unmatched talent, chemistry, and dominance. Following is a table of the best teams by record, considering offensive rating, defensive rating, and playoff performance to give a balanced view.