In the NBA there are many championship winning teams that are good, but there are only a few that are so legendary that changed the NBA. These are the five that really stand out.
1995-96 Chicago Bulls
Has there ever been a greater team than the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls? This season was filled with mesmerizing plays and broken records such as the most road wins in NBA history (broken by the Warriors in 2016) and the 2nd longest winning streak – 33 games. They had the best home record at the time, going 39-2 breaking the record held by 1972 lakers. The Bulls finished with a 72-10 record which was the best record of all time during that era. When the playoffs came around they swept the Miami Heat in the first round and defeated the Knicks easily in 5 games, then swept the defending champions Orlando Magic to advance to NBA finals where they defeated the Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp led Sonics in 6 games to win their 1st of 3 championships in their 2nd three peat. This team is widely regarded as the best team because it was the start of a new dynasty.
1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers
The Celtics dominated throughout the 1960s, but only one team beat them in the ’60s – the Philadelphia 76ers led by Wilt Chamberlain in their 1966-67 season. During this season, they won a then-record 68 games. This was a Dream Season in which they had the best center at the time Wilt Chamberlain. They also had legendary 76ers players such as Larry Costello and Billy Cunnigham. The road for the 76ers was deemed to be a little tough but they surprised the NBA world by sweeping the Cincinnati Royals in the first round. Then they dethroned the Boston Celtics (The team that won eight consecutive championships) in five games to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since they moved to Philadelphia. A bad thing that happened to Wilt was that he faced his former team, the San Francisco Warriors. The Warriors were a hard team to beat as they were led by their superstar Rick Barry. Game 1 went into overtime but the 76ers managed to beat them. In the next five games the 76ers beat the Warriors to win their first championship in Philadelphia. This is my 2nd favorite team because of not only winning the title but how they did it. They had a scoring machine and a showtime point guard working together which made it even interesting . Hoops hype, a website that contains records about the NBA and news about the players, says this is the 23rd easiest route to NBA finals because of its opponent the warriors had a weak record in the west .
1971- 1972 Lakers
The Lakers were hit by a curse in 1960s and early 70s as they lost more than 5 NBA finals, but 1972 was a heavenly year for them as they blossomed to a championship contending team, despite the retirement of Elgin Baylor and the injuries to Jerry West. They had a record breaking season. The team set a record for the longest NBA winning streak, and also won a record breaking 86 games overall. In the playoffs they defeated the Bulls in four games in the Western Conference Semifinals. Then they faced the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks led by Lew Alcindor who they defeated in six games to advance to the NBA finals. They faced the New York Knicks who they defeated in five games to win their first championship and Wilt Chamberlain’s second finals MVP. This is my top 3rd because the team that lost 9 NBA finals had come for revenge and managed to win a championship with injuries to their players and have the best record (69-13) in their era.
2015 Golden State Warriors
A team that hasn’t won a title in 40 years and hasn’t been to the conference finals since Rick Barry’s era became a dynasty! This is the 2014-15 dream season of the Golden State Warriors led by “splash brothers” Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. The Warriors broke numerous franchise records and NBA records in this season such as the most three pointers made by a duo, best franchise record, and the best defensive efficiency. This season marked the start of the three point shooting era in which three point shooters began to dominate the NBA. The Golden State Warriors had the best start and best franchise record and best record in the NBA in 2014-15 going 67-15 .The crazy thing about this season is that Steph Curry and Klay Thompson proved that threes are better than twos and threes can win a championship. When the playoffs came around the Golden State Warriors turned into a machine as they swept the New Orleans Pelicans and beat the Tony Allen led grizzlies (the team with the best defenders) in six games to advance to their first Western Conference Finals since 1976. They dismantled the James Harden and Dwight Howard led Houston Rockets in five games to advance to their first NBA Finals since 1975 and 4th overall when they faced Lebron’s Cavs. This NBA finals series was the first of the next 3 consecutive NBA finals these teams would face each other. The reason why the Warriors season was legendary was because they were down 2-1 in the series but because the splash brothers worked together to beat the Cavs and they won their 3rd NBA title in franchise history. This Warriors team changed the NBA forever.
1999-2000 Lakers
A season that started the Lakers dynasty and blossomed into Shaq and Kobe’s teamwork, The 1999-2000 lakers season is my 5th best championship team because they had hall of farmers and were full of talent. Kobe Bryant’s work ethic and Shaq’s mentality pushed this team to a championship run. The lakers finished the regular season with a league best record going 67-15. When the playoffs came around the Lakers their regular season winning spell didn’t work but due to Phil Jackson’s triangle offense and Kobe Bryant’s clutch plays they defeated the Sacramento Kings in five games. Then they moved on the second round to face the Phoenix Suns. The Lakers beat the Suns in 5 games, and then finished the Blazers off in 7 games with a iconic ending of Kobe’s alley hoop pass to Shaq to reach the NBA finals. They defeated the Reggie Miller’s Pacers in 6 games to win the finals . By the formation of this 2000 Lakers team, it led to a new era of super teams in the NBA.
Every year an NBA team wins a championship, but some are more amazing than others. These championship teams have a good coach, a leader, and most importantly a championship caliber mentality.
