The show time Lakers (Magic/Kareem/Worthy) and the Celtics (Bird/McHale/Parrish) make up the top 5. 6. the 76ers (1966???; Wilt/Cunningham/Greer/Luke Jackson, etc) 7. Lakers(1973) (Wilt/West) 8 & 9 Celtic from the 1960's (Russell/ Havlicik) 10. Knicks (1971) (Reed/Frazier/Debusshier)
Where are the Bulls in 96, that year, nobody could beat them, and I hate that bulls team, but I recognized that they were too good that year. Thats the only year I would put a bulls championship on that list And where is the rockets team?
I am happy to see the 96 Bulls mentioned. For some reason they are rarely brought up, usually the media hypes up the Paxson/Cartwright/Grant era Bulls as the best Bulls team. NO WAY. Personally I think the 97 Bulls may have been better because Brian Williams (Bison Dele) was very talented. I would put all 6 Jordan teams in the top 10 because nobody could beat them IMO. Jordan's will has been unmatched. I would take 4 of 6 Bulls team as top 4 of the top 10. The other two (their 1st and last) would fall later.
the 72-10 bulls belong in 11-20?? come on. i actually think the list of the 10 greatest teams that came out with the 50 greatest players list is a pretty good one. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/50_Greatest_Players_in_NBA_History#Teams
Top ten in terms of talent or top ten in terms of desire for the championship/emotion? Eh, regardless... 10-1969-70 New York Knicks (Who can ever forget Reed in the Finals? Plus talentwise, Reed/Frazier and all the depth pieces made one nasty, versatile passing team.) 9-1994-1995 Houston Rockets (Hey, kinda a homer call, but not only was it probably the most emotional trip to the championship, it also was a pretty talented team. Prime Hakeem+Clyde+Horry+Kenny the Jet+young Sam I Am and Super Mario is nothing to laugh at.) 8-1988-89 Detroit Pistons (The Bad Boys. Isiah/Laimbeer/Joe Dumars/young Dennis Rodman. Probably one of if not the most physical team of all-time.) 7-1982-83 Philadelphia 76ers (Fo' Fi' Fo'. Moses+Dr.J is pretty damn good too.) 6-1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers (Props for ending Boston's seemingly unstoppable run. Wilt and Greer made a pretty scaryass combo too.) 5-1986-87 L.A. Lakers (Showtime Lakers. Kareem/Magic/Worthy. In my opinion, the most exciting team to watch...ever.) 4-1985-86 Boston Celtics (Bird, McHale, DJ, Parish, Ainge and Walton...what can I say? The sickest frontcourt rotation of all-time. Did beat the Rockets out...but seriously, wouldn't mind losing too much to what I think is one of the best teams of all-time.) 3-1971-72 L.A. Lakers (33 in a row. Wilt and West. Case closed.) 2-1958-1969 Celtics (While I can't really think of a year that would define this dynasty...10 championships in 12 years is just MAD sick and needs to be respected. Mad props to Bill Russell.) 1-1995-96 Chicago Bulls (Regular season wins record. And who can forget the "shot" that ended Micheal's career (well, his Bulls career). A perfect storybook ending for MJ, Pippen and Rodman, as the Bulls finished thier dynasty in style.)
Gah, screwed up my number 1 and put two seasons into one. If anyone has an edit button... Anyways, scratch the storybook ending and put in storybook beginning or something, I'm kinda hazy right now. XD But yeh, that team was just purely unstoppable.
I don't get how you could just include one Bulls team in the top 10 anyways. You telling me the 96 Bulls were so much better than the 97 that one of those teams doesn't even deserve to be in the entire top 10? The teams were nearly identical! BTW: I am not picking on you or trying to single you out or anything, I am just making a point. The Bulls should occupy 6 spots in the top 10.
http://proxy.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2007/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&page=Finalists1-10 1. 1996 Chicago Bulls Score: 327.9 KEY FACTS Regular-season record: 72-10 Postseason record: 15-3 Avg. scoring margin: +12.2 Avg. scoring margin, playoffs: +10.6 Finals result: Beat Seattle, 4-2 LEADERS (regular-season stats) Scoring: Michael Jordan, 30.4 ppg Rebounds: Dennis Rodman, 14.9 rpg Assists: Scottie Pippen, 5.9 apg Coach: Phil Jackson Finals MVP: Michael Jordan Hands down, the greatest team of all time. How can you choose another when these guys won 72 regular-season games and 14 of their first 15 in the postseason? The Bulls were so good they were first in both offensive and defensive efficiency, and outscored their opponents by 12.2 points per game. With names like Jordan, Pippen, Rodman, and Toni Kukoc, not to mention a coach like Phil Jackson, this team was pretty much unbeatable -- in fact, seven of its playoff wins were by 17 points or more. The only nit to pick was the Bulls' consecutive losses to the Sonics in the Finals, but they were up 3-0 by then and seemingly bored with how good they were. 2. 1987 Los Angeles Lakers Score: 301.5 KEY FACTS Regular-season record: 65-17 Postseason record: 15-3 Avg. scoring margin: +9.3 Avg. scoring margin, playoffs: +11.4 Finals result: Beat Boston, 4-2 LEADERS Scoring: Magic Johnson, 23.9 ppg Rebounds: A.C. Green, 7.9 rpg Assists: Magic Johnson, 12.4 apg Coach: Pat Riley Finals MVP: Magic Johnson Fittingly, the great Lakers and Celtics teams are in a virtual dead heat for second place. (You'll note that I just call the Lakers "Los Angeles" in this list -- no risk of confusing them with the Clippers here.) This L.A. team nudged ahead of Boston by virtue of winning 65 games in the regular season and then trashing the West -- 11 wins in 12 games -- to make the Finals. The Lakers beat the Celtics in six, and for the playoffs as a whole outscored their opponents by 205 points -- the best of any team on this list. Seven different players averaged double figures, led by Magic with 23.9 points per game. 3. 1986 Boston Celtics Score: 301.1 KEY FACTS Regular-season record: 67-15 Postseason record: 15-3 Avg. scoring margin: +9.4 Avg. scoring margin, playoffs: +10.3 Finals result: Beat Houston, 4-2 LEADERS Scoring: Larry Bird, 25.8 ppg Rebounds: Larry Bird, 9.8 rpg Assists: Larry Bird, 6.8 apg Coach: K.C. Jones Finals MVP: Larry Bird The Celtics won 67 games in '86 behind the best frontcourt ever assembled -- Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish and Bill Walton -- and followed it up by stampeding through the playoffs in 15 games. They rank behind L.A. mostly because their victory margin wasn't as strong in the playoffs. On the other hand, this isn't a bad list to be No. 3 on. And few teams will ever have five players averaging at least 15 a game in the playoffs, as Boston's legendary quintet did in this postseason. 4. 1991 Chicago Bulls Score: 294.5 KEY FACTS Regular-season record: 61-21 Postseason record: 15-2 Avg. scoring margin: +9.1 Avg. scoring margin, playoffs: +11.6 Finals result: Beat Los Angeles, 4-1 LEADERS Scoring: Michael Jordan, 31.5 ppg Rebounds: Horace Grant, 8.4 rpg Assists: Scottie Pippen, 6.2 apg Coach: Phil Jackson Finals MVP: Michael Jordan The Bulls' first championship team "only" won 61 games, but had a very impressive victory margin (plus-9.1 per game, the sixth best on the list) and absolutely romped in the playoffs. Chicago's 15-2 mark in the postseason was amazing considering it knocked off a two-time champion in four games (Detroit) followed by a four-time champion in five (the Lakers). The Bulls' plus-11.6 playoff victory margin ranks second among the 60 teams. Only three players averaged double figures, but I guess that's not a problem when one of them scores 34.0 per game. 5. 1997 Chicago Bulls Score: 287.1 KEY FACTS Regular-season record: 69-13 Postseason record: 15-4 Avg. scoring margin: +10.8 Avg. scoring margin, playoffs: +5.5 Finals result: Beat Utah, 4-2 LEADERS Scoring: Michael Jordan, 29.6 ppg Rebounds: Dennis Rodman, 16.1 rpg Assists: Scottie Pippen, 5.7 apg Coach: Phil Jackson Finals MVP: Michael Jordan So much for championship hangovers. The '96 Bulls were the best ever, but their successors weren't exactly chopped liver. Chicago won 69 games -- which would have tied the record were it not for the 72 wins the previous season -- and the Bulls' plus-10.8 average victory margin was also second only to the '96 edition. Their longest losing streak was two games, for crying out loud. They weren't quite as strong in the playoffs, needing six tough games to outlast the Jazz in the Finals and dropping two other postseason games, but they were plenty good. Amazingly, Jordan and Pippen were the only Bulls to average more than eight points a game in the postseason -- but 11 guys saw regular action. 6. 1985 Los Angeles Lakers Score: 280.3 KEY FACTS Regular-season record: 62-20 Postseason record: 15-4 Avg. scoring margin: +7.4 Avg. scoring margin, playoffs: +10.7 Finals result: Beat Boston, 4-2 LEADERS Scoring: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 22.0 ppg Rebounds: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 7.9 rpg Assists: Magic Johnson, 12.6 apg Coach: Pat Riley Finals MVP: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar The Lakers were so good in '85 and '87 that it's hard to fathom how they lost in five games to Houston in the year between. This edition won 62 games, went on an 11-2 romp through the Western Conference playoffs, then slew the leprechauns by winning Game 6 in Boston Garden to claim the title. For the postseason, L.A.'s average scoring margin narrowly missed topping the list -- amazing considering the Lakers lost the "Boston Massacre" 148-114 in Game 1 of the Finals. But 10 of their 15 playoff wins came by 16 points or more -- including a win by 24 points or more in every round -- showing just how dominant these Lakers were. 7. 1992 Chicago Bulls Score: 277.3 KEY FACTS Regular-season record: 67-15 Postseason record: 15-7 Avg. scoring margin: +10.4 Avg. scoring margin, playoffs: +6.2 Finals result: Beat Portland, 4-2 LEADERS Scoring: Michael Jordan, 30.1 ppg Rebounds: Horace Grant, 10.0 rpg Assists: Scottie Pippen, 7.0 apg Coach: Phil Jackson Finals MVP: Michael Jordan These Bulls had a great regular-season run, winning 67 games and joining the '96 and '97 editions as the only teams on the list to have an average scoring margin of plus-10 or more in the regular season. The playoffs were a different story, however -- the Knicks nearly knocked them off in Round 2, and they lost by 26 at home to Cleveland in the conference finals before righting their ship and winning the title. Their seven postseason losses are the most of any team in the top 15. As with the '97 team, everyone got involved -- the Bulls used 11 players regularly and clinched the title in Game 6 against Portland when 12th man Bobby Hansen led a huge fourth-quarter rally. 8. 1999 San Antonio Spurs Score: 268.2 KEY FACTS Regular-season record: 37-13 Postseason record: 15-2 Avg. scoring margin: +8.1 Avg. scoring margin, playoffs: +7.2 Finals result: Beat New York, 4-1 LEADERS Scoring: Tim Duncan, 21.7 ppg Rebounds: Tim Duncan, 11.4 rpg Assists: Avery Johnson, 7.4 apg Coach: Gregg Popovich Finals MVP: Tim Duncan A forgotten great team because of the lockout, the Spurs began the year 6-8 … and then went 46-7 the rest of the way, with nary a losing streak. An awesome defensive squad led by big men David Robinson and Tim Duncan, San Antonio's 84.7 points allowed per game is far and away the least of any of these 60 squads. That 15-2 postseason mark ain't too shabby either, including sweeps of the Blazers and Lakers. So stingy was the defense that only twice in 17 playoff games did San Antonio's opponent muster 90 points. 9. 1983 Philadelphia 76ers Score: 265.3 KEY FACTS Regular-season record: 65-17 Postseason record: 12-1 Avg. scoring margin: +8.1 Avg. scoring margin, playoffs: +7.2 Finals result: Beat Los Angeles, 4-0 LEADERS Scoring: Moses Malone, 24.5 ppg Rebounds: Moses Malone, 15.3 rpg Assists: Maurice Cheeks, 6.9 apg Coach: Billy Cunningham Finals MVP: Moses Malone The famous "fo', fo', fo'" team of Moses Malone had one of the all-time great playoff runs, winning 12 times in 13 games to give both Moses and Dr. J their only NBA title rings. Malone's playoff numbers were freakish: 26.0 points, 15.8 boards and 54 percent shooting. The regular season wasn't too shabby either, with 65 wins, but Philly's victory margin in both the regular season and the playoffs wasn't quite on par with some of the other teams on this list, which is why the Sixers ended up a few spots lower than I suspect most folks would rank them. 10. 1989 Detroit Pistons Score: 262.7 KEY FACTS Regular-season record: 63-19 Postseason record: 15-2 Avg. scoring margin: +5.8 Avg. scoring margin, playoffs: +7.7 Finals result: Beat Los Angeles, 4-0 LEADERS Scoring: Adrian Dantley, 18.4 ppg Rebounds: Bill Laimbeer, 9.6 rpg Assists: Isiah Thomas, 8.7 apg Coach: Chuck Daly Finals MVP: Joe Dumars The Pistons' first championship team came with something of an asterisk, since all the Lakers' players got hurt in the Finals. Still, Detroit put together a 15-2 finishing kick to get the rings, and that came on the heels of a 63-win regular season -- six games better than any other team that season. The Pistons didn't have a 20-point scorer, but went nine deep and played great defense. Of the 30 championship teams, only six made it through the tournament with two losses or fewer, and only four did so while winning at least 15 games. Speaking of which
that's hardly an authoritative source. hollinger, while placing importance on the regular season W-L records, forgets to factor in the level of competition. who was the Bulls competition ? the inferior competiotion enabled the Bulls to have such high W-L record . for that reason, none of the Bulls team should be in the top 10. conversely, in the 1980s, there was fierce competition, NBA was at its best. thats's why the ShowTimes Lakers and Celtics (bird, mchale, and Parish) should take up the first 5 spot.
they were playing against inferior competition. who did they beat ? put MJ's 6 teams back to the 1980s competing against Showtime Lakers and Birds Celtic, chances are MJ's team would never get into the finals, much less winning a ring.
99 Spurs? Come on..what is Hollinger smoking That would amount to a 52-15 record. I guess he is including the playoffs - but really so what? if we add on playoff records then there are many teams with much better playoff records and %'s, not including the fact that their finals opponent was an overachieving Knicks team that used every ounce just to get to the finals, which most WC teams could have handled. Hell the team he ranks behind them, the Sixers, has a combined 77-18 record.
lol, this wasn't even MJ's best tem. arguably, this is the most overrated championship team of all-time. MJ's first 3 ring-winning teams were much better the last 3. MJ, during the last 3 rings, was not as good as he was during the first 3 rings. simle as that.
1. 95-96 Bulls 2. 91-92 Bulls 3. 86-87 Lakers 4. 85-86 Celtics 5. 84-85 Lakers 6. 64-65 Celtics 7. 83-83 Sixers 8. 70-71 Bucks 9. 69-70 Knicks 10. 96-97 Bulls
Based on his responses, looks like someone made this thread to bash the Bulls and MJ... It's like me saying... "Who are the 5 best power forwards ever?" and leaving Duncan out because I dislike him or don't want to give credit where credit is do.
