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25 Greatest Teams in NBA History

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25 Greatest Teams in NBA History

Minneapolis Lakers — The NBA has been around for over 60 years, and there have been many great teams. To be a great team in my book, you have to have won a championship. Teams like the 1990 Utah Jazz or the 2000 Phoenix Suns won't make this countdown. Here now are the 25 greatest teams in NBA history.

The NBA has been around for over 60 years, and there have been many great teams. To be a great team in my book, you have to have won a championship. Teams like the 1990 Utah Jazz or the 2000 Phoenix Suns won't make this countdown. Here now are the 25 greatest teams in NBA history.

25. 1977-78 Washington Bullets

25. 1977-78 Washington Bullets

Dick Motta's 1977-78 Bullets were led by an imposing frontline with Wes Unseld and Elvin Hayes. The Bullets went only 44-38 in the regular season, but in the playoffs the Bullets defeated George Gervin's Spurs. Julius Erving's 76ers in were beaten in the postseason, and in the finals the Bullets ousted the Seattle SuperSonics in seven games.

24. 1993-94 Houston Rockets

24. 1993-94 Houston Rockets

The Rockets' first championship team won 58 games in the regular season, but struggled in the postseason. Houston trailed Phoenix 2-0 in the Conference Semifinals before dispatching them in seven, and needed seven games to dispatch an average New York Knicks team in the finals. It also doesn't help their cause that Michael Jordan retired that season, and some still are skeptical as to whether the Rockets would've beaten the Bulls with Jordan.

23. 1957-58 St. Louis Hawks

23. 1957-58 St. Louis Hawks

The 1957-58 Hawks were fortunate that Bill Russell was injured for the Celtics, but that didn't diminish what the Hawks accomplished. St. Louis won 41 games in the regular season, but got hot in the postseason. This Hawks team had four Hall of Famers, including Bob Pettit and Cliff Hagan.

22. 1952-53 Minneapolis Lakers

22. 1952-53 Minneapolis Lakers

George Mikan's best team was the 1952-53 Lakers. This team won 48 of 70 games in the regular season dispatched the Knicks in the NBA Finals in five games. This team had four Hall of Famers.

21. 1976-77 Portland Trail Blazers

21. 1976-77 Portland Trail Blazers

The 1976-77 Trail Blazers didn't have any superstars, but they were a complete team. After winning 49 regular season games, the Blazers defeated Chicago, Denver and the Los Angeles Lakers to advance to the finals. In the finals, Portland lost the first two games to Philadelphia, but swept the next four, winning in six.

20. 1969-70 New York Knicks

20. 1969-70 New York Knicks

The Knicks in 1969-70 were the personification of a complete team. Hall of Fame coach Red Holzman's squad had four Hall of Famers, and the Knicks defeated a Lakers team in the finals with Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor and Jerry West. Willis Reed's dramatic entrance and Walt Frazier's 36-point Game 7 led the Knicks to the title.

19. 1989-90 Detroit Pistons

19. 1989-90 Detroit Pistons

The Bad Boys from Detroit were a mini-dynasty in the late 1980s, and their best team was the 1989-90. This was the second of back-to-back championship teams with Hall of Famers Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars leading the way. Detroit won 59 regular season games and dispatched the Trail Blazers in the finals in five games.

18. 1996-97 Chicago Bulls

18. 1996-97 Chicago Bulls

En route to their fifth NBA Championship of the decade, the Bulls breezed to the NBA Finals, but overcame a stiff test from the Utah Jazz. Chicago won 69 games in the regular season. In the finals, the Bulls won three of their four games against the Jazz by five points or less.

17. 1979-80 Los Angeles Lakers

17. 1979-80 Los Angeles Lakers

Magic Johnson led the 1979-80 Lakers to a championship as a rookie and never looked back. Teamed with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles won 60 regular season games, and defeated the 76ers in the finals in six games behind Magic Johnson's 42-point, 15-rebound 7-assist Game 6 performance.

16. 1990-91 Chicago Bulls

16. 1990-91 Chicago Bulls

The first of Michael Jordan's championship teams in Chicago was one of the best. Teamed with coach Phil Jackson and forward Scottie Pippen, Jordan finally overcame the "Bad Boys" of Detroit by sweeping the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Bulls went 15-2 in the postseason, losing to Charles Barkley's 76ers once and Magic Johnson's Lakers once in the NBA finals. The Bulls also swept Patrick Ewing's Knicks in the first round.

15. 2007-08 Boston Celtics

15. 2007-08 Boston Celtics

The Celtics didn't exactly light the world on fire in the postseason, but it was an incredibly dominant team led by Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. The Celtics overcame two Game 7s against Atlanta and Cleveland to get to the Eastern Conference Finals. In the NBA Finals, Boston dethroned the Lakers in six, winning the decisive game six by 39 points.

14. 1986-87 Los Angeles Lakers

14. 1986-87 Los Angeles Lakers

The 1986-87 Lakers rolled to 65 wins in the regular season and went 11-1 in the postseason to advance to the finals. Facing their rival, the Boston Celtics, the Lakers used a Magic Johnson's game-winning sky hook in Game 4 to eventually win the series in six.

13. 2012-13 Miami Heat

13. 2012-13 Miami Heat

Miami's second championship team of the Big 3 era proved that the lockout-shortened 2012 season was no fluke. Miami did get lucky when Derrick Rose was injured, but they saved their best for the finals. Against San Antonio, the Heat needed a last-second 3-pointer from Ray Allen to force overtime in Game 6. In Game 7, the Heat sealed the deal and repeated.

12. 2014-15 Golden State Warriors

12. 2014-15 Golden State Warriors

The Warriors were the best throughout the 2014-15 season, winning 67 games and were never seriously tested in the postseason. In the finals, the Warriors overcame LeBron James at his finest to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers in six.

11. 2013-14 San Antonio Spurs

11. 2013-14 San Antonio Spurs

The 2013-14 Spurs had perhaps the most impressive performance in NBA Finals history, dispatching a LeBron-led Miami Heat in five games. In all four of the Spurs' wins, the margin of victory was over double-digits, and were it not for some missed free throws in Game 2, Miami would've been swept.

10. 1960-61 Boston Celtics

10. 1960-61 Boston Celtics

The 1960-61 Celtics were the fourth championship team in Boston's rich history. This squad was led by Bill Russell, Bob Cousy and Red Auerbach, winning 57 regular season games. This squad had seven Hall of Famers and dispatched the Hawks in five games in the finals.

9. 1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks

9. 1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks

Milwaukee's only title team was their best team in franchise history. The 1970-71 Bucks featured a young Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and Oscar Robertson, one of the best duos in NBA history. The Bucks also were supported by Bob Dandridge and Lucius Allen among many other talented players. The Bucks went 12-2 in the postseason, losing once to San Francisco and Los Angeles before sweeping Baltimore in the finals.

8. 1963-64 Boston Celtics

8. 1963-64 Boston Celtics

The 1963-64 Celtics won 59 games in the regular season and breezed to the finals. Boston went 8-2 in 10 postseason games and defeated the San Francisco Warriors in five games in the finals. This Celtics team had seven Hall of Famers.

7. 1984-85 Los Angeles Lakers

7. 1984-85 Los Angeles Lakers

After losing the famous 1984 NBA Finals to the Celtics in Game 7, the Los Angeles Lakers would have a chance for revenge. Led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson, the Lakers won their third championship of the Johnson-Jabbar era. The Lakers went 15-4 in the postseason, defeating Clyde Drexler's Trail Blazers and Alex English's Nuggets in five and toppling Larry Bird's Celtics in six.

6. 1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers

6. 1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers

Easily one of the greatest teams in 76ers history and NBA history, the 1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers ran roughshod over the rest of league, giving Wilt Chamberlain his only title in Philadelphia. The 76ers won 68 games in the regular season, went 11-4 in the postseason and dominated Bill Russell's Celtics in five games in the Eastern Conference Finals. The 76ers defeated the San Francisco Warriors in six games in the finals.

5. 2000-01 Los Angeles Lakers

5. 2000-01 Los Angeles Lakers

Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant's best team was the 2000-01 team. Before everything completely disintegrated, the Lakers were unstoppable the entire season. The Lakers swept Western Conference powers Portland, Sacramento and San Antonio to reach the NBA Finals. Los Angeles only lost once all postseason. In Game 1 of the finals, the Lakers lost in overtime to the 76ers after Allen Iverson scored 48 points.

4. 1982-83 Philadelphia 76ers

4. 1982-83 Philadelphia 76ers

Led by Julius Erving and Moses Malone, the 76ers had their greatest season ever in 1983. The 76ers went 12-1 in the postseason, sweeping the Knicks, losing once to Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference Finals and sweeping Magic Johnson's Lakers in the NBA Finals. The 76ers were one game away from Malone's "Fo Fo Fo" prediction coming true.

3. 1985-86 Boston Celtics

3. 1985-86 Boston Celtics

The best of Larry Bird's Celtics teams, the 1985-86 team lost only one home game all season long and went 32-5 in their last 37 games. The Celtics overcame a 63-point performance from Michael Jordan in the opening round and only lost once before the NBA Finals to Dominique Wilkins' Atlanta Hawks. The Celtics went 15-3 in the postseason, losing twice on the road to Houston's Ralph Sampson and Hakeem Olajuwon in the NBA Finals.

2. 1995-96 Chicago Bulls

2. 1995-96 Chicago Bulls

Considered the best team in NBA history, the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls set a record with 72 regular-season victories and cruised their way through the postseason. Chicago won seven straight postseason games against teams that won 60 regular season games. The Bulls went 15-3 in the postseason, losing once to Patrick Ewing's Knicks and twice in the NBA Finals to Gary Payton's Sonics after holding a 3-0 series lead.

1. 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers

1. 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers

Led by Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West, the 1971-72 Lakers won 69 regular season games, including 33 straight en route to one of the greatest seasons ever. The Lakers won their first NBA Championship by rolling through some of the best teams of that era. The Lakers swept a 57-win Chicago Bulls team in the first-round, defeated the defending champion Bucks in six and the Knicks in five.

Brian Kalchik is a writer for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter and like him on Facebook.

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