5 Best Teams to Win the NBA Finals (2024)

In 2023-24, the Boston Celtics finished as the NBA's best team from the regular season record-wise, as they dominated the competition on a nightly basis. Their marvelous play continued into the post-season as they continued to steamroll through even the best competition that the league has to offer in the Eastern Conference.

There have been plenty of other teams in league history to finish the season with the most amount of wins, but upsets have prevented even the greatest of teams from completing the ultimate goal of winning a championship. Even the best regular season team in NBA history, the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors, who won an astounding 73 games, infamously blew a 3-1 series lead to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

With that being said, here are the five greatest teams to win a championship according to their regular season records.

1 1995-96 Chicago Bulls - Reg. Season Record: 72-10

Michael Jordan's fourth NBA title came after record-breaking regular season success

The 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, led by Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman, are still arguably the greatest team in the history of the NBA, depending on who you ask. Their 72-10 record was the best regular season record of all-time, becoming the first team to ever surpass 70 wins in a single season. The 95-96 Bulls were historic in more ways than just one, as they eventually went on to complete the mission by taking home the 1996 NBA championship, the franchise's fourth title. Jordan, who had won the 1996 NBA MVP award, averaged 30.4 points while shooting 49.5 percent from the field to take home his fourth Most Valuable Player trophy.

The Bulls were also extraordinary in the post-season, winning the championship after a six-game NBA Finals victory over the Seattle SuperSonics to finish their playoff run with a 15-3 record. To this day, even though the Warriors stole the title of being the NBA's winningest regular season team, the 1995–96 Bulls still hold the record for the best combined regular season and playoff record (87-13). In this respect, many still believe that this iteration of the Jordan-era Bulls is the greatest team to ever be assembled in the NBA.

The combined success of Jordan's MVP season, Scottie Pippen's All-Star and All-Defense First Team selections, Dennis Rodman's league-leading 14.9 rebounds, Toni Kukoc's Sixth Man of the Year award win, and even Steve Kerr's 51.5 percent three-point shooting for the year are some factors that have convinced many that from top-to-bottom, this team was the best ever to win a championship in the history of the sport.

2 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers - Reg. Season Record: 69-13

A stacked Lakers squad outperformed even the loftiest of expectations to win the championship

In a way, the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers were the perfect mix of players who recognized that they needed to work as a team in order to achieve their collective goal of winning a championship. The legendary guard-center duo of Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain were both league-altering individual scorers, and some of the greatest playoff performers that the league has ever seen, but they figured that they needed to pick their spots as teammates to get to the NBA Finals and win a title.

The Lakers had traded for Chamberlain in 1968 to try and bolster the team's chances of winning a title with the incredibly talented West, along with Elgin Baylor, another of one of the greatest scorers in the history of the league. Chamberlain had previously won his first NBA title with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1967 after he realized that he could elevate the rest of his team by developing his play-making abilities, making it a point to focus on passing more often than in his previous years.

West, infamously, had been to the Finals nine times, only winning once in 1972, but that didn't mean that he also wasn't capable of leading his team in every way. In 1969, West was awarded the NBA Finals MVP even though he was a part of the losing team, the first and only time that has ever occurred in the history of the league.

Before the season, the win-loss expectancy of the Lakers in the regular season projected them to finish with a 67-15 record. Of course, they'd somehow finish with 69 wins instead, and a 15-3 post-season record to win the 1972 NBA Finals against the New York Knicks.

Chamberlain averaged a pedestrian 14.8 points and 19.2 rebounds, West finished with 25.8 points, 9.7 assists and a second-place finish in MVP voting, and Gail Goodrich led the team in scoring with 25.9 points on 48.7 percent shooting from the floor for the well-oiled machine that was the 1972 Lakers. After the conclusion of the NBA Finals, Chamberlain took home his second Finals MVP award, averaging 19.4 points and 23.2 rebounds for the series.

3 1996-97 Chicago Bulls - Reg. Season Record: 69-13

Jordan's Bulls continue their dominant run in their second appearance in the top-five

After their all-time season the year prior, in Michael Jordan fashion, the Chicago Bulls were not satisfied. Coming off of a championship and the best regular season in the history of the association, the Bulls decided that they needed to continue to make up for lost time from when Jordan retired for a season to pursue his dreams of playing professional baseball.

The Bulls would match their home record from the 95-96 season at 39-2, losing only three more road games to bring their win total to 69. Even though Jordan would finish second in MVP voting behind Utah Jazz forward, Karl Malone, he'd make another All-Star and All-Defense First-Team appearance after the regular season was through.

As a unit, the Bulls exceeded expectations, similar to the 71-72 Lakers, as their win-loss projections had them winning 68 games before the start of the season. Their regular season team statistics show that they handled the rest of the league rather easily, placing inside the top-five in most general statistics.

In the post-season, the Bulls ran through the Eastern Conference, losing only two games on the way to the Finals, where they matched up against the Jazz and the league MVP in Malone. The Bulls would defeat the Jazz in six games to capture their fifth title as a franchise, and their fifth in the last seven seasons.

4 1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers - Reg. Season Record: 68-13

Chamberlain's 76ers made history as an offensive powerhouse

Wilt Chamberlain's second appearance on this list calls back to his initial decision to take fewer shots in order to run a successful and competitive team, as he led the 76ers to what was the best regular season record in league history at the time.

After averaging 33.5 points on 25.2 shot attempts the year prior, which led him to an MVP award win, Chamberlain was asked by 76ers coach Alex Hannum to pass the ball more frequently. Chamberlain agreed, leading to a reduction in field goal attempts and an increase to a then-career-high 7.8 assists per game. As a result of the team's increased ball movement, the 76ers were able to get their other stars, such as Billy Cunningham and Chet Walker, more involved in the offense.

Chamberlain's new play-style heavily contributed to the 76ers' 125.2 point average, as their philosophy consisted mostly of 'we're going to score more points than you,' and it led to quick success. The 76ers would have a 46-4 record through their first 50 games of the season, and Chamberlain would collect his second-straight MVP award for his contributions to the league's best and most efficient offense.

Philadelphia would cruise through the 1967 NBA playoffs, ending with a six-game series victory in the NBA Finals over the San Francisco Warriors.

5 1985-86 Boston Celtics - Reg. Season Record

Bird and Boston continued a run of dominance in the mid-80s

Though the 1985-86 Celtics were led by all-time great, Larry Bird, the team did not begin and end with their star small forward. The reason why this Celtics team was so incredible was because of their amazing depth, and their ability to defend home court in both the regular season and the playoffs.

Bird was accompanied by his long-time sidekick, Kevin McHale, Dennis Johnson, Robert Parish, Danny Ainge, and the 1985-86 Sixth Man of the Year award winner, Bill Walton.

The Celtics' mix of incredible ability on both sides of the ball led to utter domination in both statistical categories, as they placed third in offensive rating (111.8) and first in defensive rating (102.6). Moving back to the head of the snake, Larry Bird also took home the 1986 NBA MVP award, making it three consecutive wins. As for their success at home, this iteration of the Boston Celtics went 40-1 on their home floor, being the only team to ever accomplish such a feat until the 2015-16 San Antonio Spurs matched it.

In the post-season, the Celtics ran through the East on their way to the Finals against the Houston Rockets, losing only one game prior to their championship series. Boston then proceeded to defeat Houston in six games, winning the franchise's sixteenth NBA title.