Best NBA Teams of All Time (Part One) (2024)

Some of the most entertaining and heated debates you can have with your friends are the “best ever” 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 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 one.

Yes, the Boston Celtics didn’t win 60 games in the ‘59-’60 season, but they did go 59-16 in a 75-game season, so I’m 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’s gang … 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.

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’s 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 less-than-explosive-and-no-three-pointers 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 MVP. He also led the league in field goal % with an am-I-seeing-this-correctly .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.

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’s first NBA title. Kareem took the MVP Award 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 (2nd 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.

Isn’t 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 2nd in defensive rating (92.6). Their 12.28 average margin of victory is still the best of all time. In the playoffs, LA went 12-3, including eliminating the reigning champ Milwaukee Bucks in the WCF. Wilt took the Finals MVP Award 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.

“Fo, fo, fo” … that was Moses Malone’s prediction for the Sixers prior to the 1983 NBA Playoffs. It ended up being “fo, fi, fo” 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 (1977, 1980, & 1982), 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 league MVP (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’s four Hall of Famers and the notorious Boston Strangler. One of the season’s enduring images was Julius’s 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’s 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 “fo, fi, fo” Philadelphia 76ers are the last title winner for the franchise, and they are also one of the top NBA teams ever.

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