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凯文·佩尔顿，ESPN资深作家 2024年6月8日，美国东部时间上午7:00
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合著，Pro Basketball Prospectus系列 曾担任印第安纳步行者队顾问 开发了WARP评级和SCHOENE系统
自“最后一舞”的芝加哥公牛队以来，谁是最好的 NBA 冠军？
迈克尔·乔丹(Michael Jordan)的标志性绝杀为公牛队带来了他们在八年内第六个冠军，这也是他们在最后一次联手之前，乔丹（暂时）退役，菲尔·杰克逊(Phil Jackson)、斯科蒂·皮蓬(Scottie Pippen)、丹尼斯·罗德曼(Dennis Rodman)、卢克·朗利(Luc Longley)、罗恩·哈珀(Ron Harper)和史蒂夫·科尔(Steve Kerr)分散到 NBA 的其他地方。
虽然没有球队能在这段更长的时期内匹敌公牛队的六次夺冠，但过去 25 年却给了我们一些难忘的时刻，从蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)带领马刺队在十多年间五次夺冠，到杰克逊执教的湖人队在 2000 年到 2002 年间连续三年夺冠，再到勒布朗·詹姆斯(LeBron James)带领三支不同的球队夺冠，以及勇士队在科尔的带领下六次进入总决赛并四次夺冠。
我几年前创建了一个公式来衡量常规赛表现（用净胜分衡量）和季后赛统治力（净胜分，根据比赛过程中对手进行调整），我根据这个公式列出了历史上最伟大的 NBA 球队排名，现在，让我们来看看过去 25 年的冠军——很快，波士顿凯尔特人队或达拉斯独行侠队也会加入进来——自乔丹和公牛队击败犹他爵士队以来。
- 2016-17 金州勇士队 (+14.3)
RS 净胜分： +11.6 调整后的 PO 净胜分： +17.0
当你在赢得 NBA 历史记录 73 场比赛却未夺冠的核心阵容 (使 2015-16 勇士队不符合此榜单资格) 中加入前 MVP 凯文·杜兰特(Kevin Durant) 会发生什么？可以预见，结果是联盟历史上最伟大的球队，并且更明显的是过去 25 年中最好的球队。
尽管整合了杜兰特，然后由于 MCL 韧带撕裂而让他在整个三月都缺阵，勇士队仍然赢得了 67 场比赛，并列 NBA 历史上第七高的胜率。勇士队随后横扫了西部季后赛，得益于卡怀·伦纳德(Kawhi Leonard)在西部决赛第一场比赛中脚踝扭伤，并在 NBA 总决赛中赢得了前三场比赛，然后在克利夫兰的第四场比赛中遭遇了他们在季后赛中的唯一一场失利。
勇士队 16-1 的季后赛战绩是有史以来最好的。
- 2000-01 洛杉矶湖人队 (+10.8)
RS 净胜分： +3.4 调整后的 PO 净胜分： +18.3
自 1984 年 NBA 季后赛扩展到 16 支球队以来，没有一支球队从常规赛到季后赛的提升比 2000-01 “开关键”湖人队更大。作为卫冕冠军，湖人队的比赛数量比上一个常规赛少了 11 场。但与 2016-17 勇士队一样，他们在西部季后赛中横扫对手，仅在季后赛中输掉了一场比赛（NBA 总决赛第一场对阵费城 76 人队，在加时赛中输掉）。
事实上，湖人队在季后赛中对阵对手的表现优于常规赛。他们击败了另外三支赢得至少 55 场比赛的球队，并且在第一轮遇到了波特兰开拓者队，该队赢得了 50 场比赛，并且在一年前进入了西部决赛。因此，2001 年湖人队的季后赛表现甚至比 2017 年勇士队还要出色。
- 2013-14 圣安东尼奥马刺队 (+10.7)
RS 净胜分： +7.7 调整后的 PO 净胜分： +13.6
尽管其他球队更具统治力，但过去 25 年中可能没有哪支球队像马刺队那样在击败卫冕冠军迈阿密热火队后达到了巅峰，完成了他们在前一年痛失冠军后的复仇之旅。
在优美的传球配合和令人窒息的防守的帮助下，马刺队在最后三场对阵热火的比赛中总共赢了 57 分，成为历史上最一边倒的总决赛之一，尽管热火队可能拥有更出色的阵容，由詹姆斯领衔。
- 2014-15 金州勇士队 (+10.5)
RS 净胜分： +10.1 调整后的 PO 净胜分： +11.0
考虑到随后出现的 73 胜球队，以及杜兰特时代，很容易忽略第一支赢得金州冠军的球队，他们仅仅拥有斯蒂芬·库里(Stephen Curry)、德雷蒙德·格林(Draymond Green)、克莱·汤普森(Klay Thompson)和总决赛 MVP 安德烈·伊戈达拉(Andre Iguodala)。除了 2016-17 勇士队，2014-15 勇士队是自 1998 年以来唯一两支在常规赛中净胜对手两位数，并在调整对手后季后赛净胜分也达到两位数的球队。
- 2015-16 克利夫兰骑士队 (+10.1)
RS 净胜分： +6.0 调整后的 PO 净胜分： +14.3
由于凯里·欧文(Kyrie Irving)从髌骨骨折中恢复回来，只打了 53 场比赛，以及赛季中期从大卫·布拉特(David Blatt)到泰伦·卢(Tyronn Lue)的教练变动，骑士队在常规赛中轻松过关。到了季后赛，他们开始发力，在第二轮中横扫了亚特兰大老鹰队。然后，在著名的 3-1 落后之后，骑士队打出了一波不可思议的三连胜，在客场第七场比赛中击败了 73 胜的勇士队。
骑士队调整后的季后赛评级在过去 25 年中排名第三，仅次于 2001 年的湖人队和 2017 年的勇士队。
- 2017-18 金州勇士队 (+10.0)
RS 净胜分： +6.0 调整后的 PO 净胜分： +14.0
杜兰特在球队中的第二个赛季，常规赛对于勇士队来说已经成为一种折磨，他们在过去三年的总决赛中都比这少赢了九场比赛。然后，勇士队在西部决赛中被休斯顿火箭队逼到了绝境，需要赢得最后两场比赛（包括在休斯顿的第七场比赛）才能重返总决赛。在克服了詹姆斯在第一场比赛中得到 51 分的得分后，勇士队在加时赛中获胜，并在总决赛中完成了唯一一次横扫。
- 2008-09 洛杉矶湖人队 (+9.5)
RS 净胜分： +7.7 调整后的 PO 净胜分： +11.4
在他们上一次夺冠七年后，湖人队凭借一支围绕三位关键球员的阵容重返巅峰——杰克逊担任教练，科比·布莱恩特(Kobe Bryant)和德里克·费舍尔(Derek Fisher)（在他的第二次洛杉矶之旅中）。
湖人队在第二轮对阵由姚明(Yao Ming)领衔的火箭队时打满了七场，但在总决赛中仅用了五场就击败了奥兰多魔术队。
- 2007-08 波士顿凯尔特人队 (+9.1)
RS 净胜分： +10.3 调整后的 PO 净胜分： +8.0
在将雷·阿伦(Ray Allen)和凯文·加内特(Kevin Garnett)加入到一支在上个赛季仅仅取得 24-58 成绩的球队后，凯尔特人队打出了令人叹为观止的 66-16 常规赛战绩，在本榜单中排在冠军净胜分榜的第三位。季后赛则比较艰难；凯尔特人在前两轮都打满了七场，然后在总决赛中击败了与本榜单上排名更高的湖人队类似的阵容。
- 1998-99 圣安东尼奥马刺队 (+8.9)
RS 净胜分： +8.1 调整后的 PO 净胜分： +9.8
无需添加任何星号。在停摆将比赛推迟到 1999 年之后，他们打了一场缩短的 50 场比赛的赛季。马刺队在常规赛（以 61 场比赛的胜率超过了完整的 82 场比赛）和季后赛中都是联盟中最好的球队。他们在西部季后赛中横扫了湖人队和开拓者队，并且在总决赛中仅用五场比赛就击败了第八名的纽约尼克斯队。
- 2012-13 迈阿密热火队 (+8.6)
RS 净胜分： +7.9 调整后的 PO 净胜分： +9.4
NBA 历史上没有哪支冠军比 2012-13 热火队更接近失利，他们需要阿伦在总决赛第六场比赛中投出令人难忘的三分球，将比赛拖入加时赛，避免被淘汰。借助这条生命线，热火队赢得了系列赛和第二个冠军——这次他们在常规赛中表现更为出色。热火队在 2 月和 3 月取得了 27 连胜——这是过去 50 年中最长的单赛季连胜。
- 2011-12 迈阿密热火队 (+8.4)
RS 净胜分： +6.0 调整后的 PO 净胜分： +10.7
在 2011 年总决赛中失利后，热火队通过增加投篮和加快节奏来调整阵容，这是热火三巨头的第二个赛季。但是直到克里斯·波什(Chris Bosh)在第二轮比赛中半途退出，埃里克·斯波尔斯特拉(Erik Spoelstra)才完全采用小球战术，让波什回归中锋位置，热火队在西部决赛中从 3-2 落后中逆转，击败了凯尔特人队。在总决赛第一场比赛中输给俄克拉荷马城雷霆队后，热火队连赢四场，詹姆斯赢得了他的第一个冠军。
- 2001-02 洛杉矶湖人队 (+8.3)
RS 净胜分： +7.1 调整后的 PO 净胜分： +9.6
作为西部三支赢得至少 58 场比赛的球队之一，最后一支夺冠的湖人队需要击败另外两支球队才能重返总决赛。每个人都记得湖人队在萨克拉门托的第七场比赛中获胜，这场系列赛因有争议的裁判判罚而备受争议。人们忘记了湖人队在五场艰苦的比赛中击败了 58 胜的马刺队。
- 2006-07 圣安东尼奥马刺队 (+8.2)
RS 净胜分： +8.4 调整后的 PO 净胜分： +8.0
得益于其他地方的爆冷，马刺队在西部决赛中遇到了 51 胜的犹他队，并在詹姆斯首次进入总决赛的比赛中遇到了 50 胜的克利夫兰队，轻松击败了他们。为了进入总决赛，马刺队在西部半决赛中击败了 61 胜的菲尼克斯太阳队，这场比赛因博里斯·迪奥(Boris Diaw)和阿玛雷·斯塔德迈尔(Amar’e Stoudemire)在太阳队将系列赛扳成 2-2 后，在第五场比赛中因在菲尼克斯的冲突而被禁赛而被人们铭记。
- 2018-19 多伦多猛龙队 (+8.2)
RS 净胜分： +6.1 调整后的 PO 净胜分： +10.2
当猛龙队整合伦纳德，并处理他在休赛期与马刺队交易后进行的负荷管理时，他们在季后赛中打出了最好的篮球。伦纳德的英雄主义帮助他们帮助他们以七场比赛击败了 76 人队，挺进了西部半决赛。然后，猛龙队在输掉前两场比赛后连赢四场，击败了 60 胜的雄鹿队，并击败了阵容不整但经验更丰富的勇士队。调整对手后，猛龙队的季后赛表现排在本榜单的第 10 位。
- 2004-05 圣安东尼奥马刺队 (+8.0)
RS 净胜分： +7.8 调整后的 PO 净胜分： +8.1
马刺队的第三支冠军球队在阵容上略有不同，年轻后卫马努·吉诺比利(Manu Ginobili)和托尼·帕克(Tony Parker)的发展，为邓肯在锋线位置上提供了有力的补充。马刺队在西部决赛中击败了 62 胜的太阳队，破坏了史蒂夫·纳什(Steve Nash)在菲尼克斯的第一年。但马刺队在总决赛中对阵卫冕冠军活塞队时打满了七场。
- 1999-2000 洛杉矶湖人队 (+7.9)
RS 净胜分： +8.5 调整后的 PO 净胜分： +7.3
杰克逊的第一支湖人队拥有自他的公牛队以来，冠军球队中排名第四的常规赛净胜分。季后赛对于湖人队来说是另一番景象，他们在第一轮打满了七场，并且需要在西部决赛第七场比赛中对阵波特兰队的比赛中，在下半场进行逆转。他们在季后赛中的 +2.3 净胜分是 16 支球队季后赛时代以来，所有冠军中最小的，尽管他们遇到了一个非常强大的对手阵容。
- 2003-04 底特律活塞队 (+7.8)
RS 净胜分： +5.8 调整后的 PO 净胜分： +9.7
凭借在这段时间内最大的冠军赛季中期的交易，他们将拉希德·华莱士(Rasheed Wallace)带到球队，组成了完整的首发阵容，活塞队在季后赛中真正成为了一支不同的球队。在活塞队在常规赛中只赢得了 54 场比赛后，他们的防守限制了对手，他们在东部决赛中击败了 61 胜的印第安纳队，并在总决赛中以 4-1 的比分击败了湖人队。
- 2021-22 金州勇士队 (+7.7)
RS 净胜分： +5.5 调整后的 PO 净胜分： +9.9
库里和格林的伤病是勇士队在那个赛季只赢得了 53 场比赛的主要原因——在他们进入总决赛的比赛中，这是最少的，也是自 1998 年以来冠军球队中最差的战绩。在季后赛中，勇士队基本都保持健康，他们在任何一个系列赛中都没有打满七场，只有在潜在的终结比赛中输掉了一些比赛（包括在孟菲斯第五场比赛中以 39 分的劣势输掉）才让勇士队调整后的季后赛评级无法达到两位数。
- 2002-03 圣安东尼奥马刺队 (+7.5)
RS 净胜分： +5.4 调整后的 PO 净胜分： +9.6
尽管赢得了联盟最高的 60 场比赛，但 2002-03 马刺队在他们的五次冠军球队中，拥有最糟糕的常规赛净胜分。在季后赛中，马刺队成功地在六场比赛中赢得了所有四个系列赛，包括在西部决赛中对阵拥有联盟最佳净胜分的达拉斯队。
- 2010-11 达拉斯独行侠队 (+7.3)
RS 净胜分： +4.2 调整后的 PO 净胜分： +10.4
独行侠队在常规赛中的净胜分是自 1998 年以来冠军球队中排名第三低的。独行侠队在季后赛中给人留下了深刻的印象，他们以 4-0 的比分横扫了卫冕冠军湖人队，并且没有主场优势的优势，然后在总决赛中击败了在詹姆斯和波什联手的第一年赢得下一届冠军的热火队。
- 2020-21 密尔沃基雄鹿队 (+7.3)
RS 净胜分： +5.9 调整后的 PO 净胜分： +8.6
近年来，没有哪支冠军经历过比雄鹿更大的考验，他们在第二轮中需要在客场进行第七场比赛的加时赛才击败了布鲁克林篮网队。雄鹿队最令人印象深刻的时刻是在输掉前两场的情况下，在总决赛中赢得了最后四场比赛，击败了菲尼克斯队。
- 2019-20 洛杉矶湖人队 (+7.2)
RS 净胜分： +5.8 调整后的 PO 净胜分： +8.6
再一次，这里没有任何星号，但湖人队的泡泡之旅所遇到的竞争，是自 1998 年以来，在常规赛净胜分方面最弱的。但是，可以认为湖人队在总决赛中遇到的热火队要比这强得多，而且湖人队在赢得冠军的路上取得了令人印象深刻的 16-5 战绩。
- 2009-10 洛杉矶湖人队 (+6.4)
RS 净胜分： +4.7 调整后的 PO 净胜分： +8.1
在 2009 年夺冠之后，湖人队在常规赛中少赢了八场比赛，并且需要打满七场比赛才能在总决赛中击败凯尔特人队。尽管那支凯尔特人队一路淘汰了两个东部劲旅（克利夫兰和奥兰多），但凯尔特人队平庸的常规赛战绩损害了湖人队的评级。
- 2022-23 丹佛掘金队 (+6.1)
RS 净胜分： + 3.3 调整后的 PO 净胜分： + 8.9
从主观上来说，2023 年的掘金队感觉应该排在榜单的更高位置。他们在 53-29 的战绩，对于一支冠军球队来说并不算高（在自 1998 年以来的胜率中排名第三低，其中底部四支球队中有三支来自 2021 年），他们的净胜分是该时间段内所有冠军球队中最差的。但掘金队并没有因为在季后赛中取得 16-3 的战绩，以及在该时间段中排名第六的 +8.3 净胜分而获得全部认可，因为他们遇到了三支通过附加赛进入季后赛的球队。到掘金队对他们取得 8-1 的战绩时，湖人队和热火队的实力已经超过了他们平庸的常规赛表现。
- 2005-06 迈阿密热火队 (+5.7)
RS 净胜分： +3.9 调整后的 PO 净胜分： +7.6
你看，在过去 25 年中，关于最佳 NBA 球队的排名中，总有人会排在最后。在沙奎尔·奥尼尔(Shaquille O’Neal)在迈阿密的第一个赛季赢得了 59 场比赛后，他们在西部决赛中输给了活塞队，之后 52 胜的热火队对阵了 64 胜的活塞队，并在总决赛中爆冷击败了 60 胜的独行侠队。尽管如此，热火队 +3.8 的季后赛净胜分是自 1998 年以来，所有冠军球队中排名第二低的。
今年的冠军可能会排在什么位置？
在竞争激烈的大背景下，2023-24 凯尔特人队在常规赛中的统治地位脱颖而出。凯尔特人队 64 场胜利，是自 2017-18 赛季休斯顿队以来，任何一支球队取得的最佳胜率，凯尔特人队 +11.3 的净胜分，在自 1998 年以来的这段时间里排名第二，仅次于 2016-17 勇士队。
由于在本赛季的东部季后赛中，对手的明星球员不断受伤，凯尔特人队所面临的竞争强度在历史上是最低的。尽管如此，凯尔特人队目前的季后赛 +10.6 净胜分，在过去 26 个赛季中排名第三，仅次于两支只输过一场季后赛的冠军球队，2017 年的勇士队和 2001 年的湖人队。
加起来，凯尔特人队迄今为止的 +12.1 评级将在 1999 年以来的冠军球队中排名第四。
由于赛季中期的阵容调整，独行侠队的评级不可避免地不太令人印象深刻。他们在常规赛中的 +2.2 净胜分，将是自 1995 年火箭队以来，任何一支冠军球队中最低的，并且在总决赛第一场比赛中遭遇惨败后，独行侠队在季后赛中的净胜分降至 +2.8，仅领先于该时间段内 1999-00 赛季的湖人队。
另一方面，与 1995 年的火箭队一样，独行侠队在进入总决赛的路上击败了三支赢得至少 51 场比赛的球队。他们的晋级之路已经比 16 支球队季后赛时代以来，任何一支冠军球队都要艰难，并且在与凯尔特人队至少再打四场比赛后，他们的晋级之路将会更加艰难。因此，尽管独行侠队目前在本榜单中排名最后，但如果他们能够成功逆转并击败凯尔特人队，他们肯定会超越至少 2006 年的热火队。
点击查看原文：Where do the 2023 Denver Nuggets land in our NBA champion rankings -- and where would the Celtics or Mavs fall?
Where do the 2023 Denver Nuggets land in our NBA champion rankings – and where would the Celtics or Mavs fall?
Kevin Pelton, ESPN Senior WriterJun 8, 2024, 07:00 AM ET
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Co-author, Pro Basketball Prospectus series Formerly a consultant with the Indiana Pacers Developed WARP rating and SCHOENE systemWho have been the best NBA champions since the “Last Dance” Chicago Bulls?
There have now been 25 titles won since Michael Jordan’s iconic game winner gave the Bulls their sixth championship in an eight-year span during their last run together before Jordan (temporarily) retired and Phil Jackson, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Luc Longley, Ron Harper and Steve Kerr scattered throughout the rest of the NBA.
Although no team has matched Chicago’s six title runs over that much longer span, the past quarter century has given us a handful of memorable runs, from the Spurs winning five times across more than a decade with Tim Duncan to Jackson’s Lakers winning three consecutive championships 2000-02 to LeBron James titles with three different teams to the Warriors reaching six Finals and winning four times under Kerr, now on the sideline.
Using the formula I created to weight regular-season performance (as measured by point differential) and playoff dominance (point differential, adjusted for opposition faced during the run) in my rankings of the greatest NBA teams of all time a few years ago, let’s run through the past 25 champions – soon to be joined by either the Boston Celtics or the Dallas Mavericks – since Jordan and the Bulls defeated the Utah Jazz.
- 2016-17 Golden State Warriors (+14.3)
RS point differential: +11.6 Adjusted PO differential: +17.0
What happens when you take the core that won an NBA-record 73 games but not a championship (making the 2015-16 Warriors ineligible for this list) and add former MVP Kevin Durant? Predictably, the result was arguably the greatest team in league history and more clearly the best of the past quarter century.
Despite integrating Durant and then losing him to an MCL sprain for all of March, Golden State still won 67 games, tied for the seventh-best winning percentage in NBA history. The Warriors then swept their way through the Western Conference playoffs, aided by Kawhi Leonard’s ankle sprain in Game 1 of the conference finals, and took the first three games of the NBA Finals before suffering their only playoff defeat in Game 4 at Cleveland.
Golden State’s 16-1 playoff record is the best of all time.
- 2000-01 Los Angeles Lakers (+10.8)
RS point differential: +3.4 Adjusted PO differential: +18.3
Since the NBA playoffs expanded to 16 teams in 1984, no team has improved more from the regular season to the playoffs than the 2000-01 “light switch” Lakers. As defending champions, the Lakers won 11 fewer games than the previous regular season. But like the 2016-17 Warriors, they swept through the West playoffs unbeaten and finished with just one playoff loss (Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers, in overtime).
In fact, the Lakers had superior regular-season performances against their playoff opponents. They beat three other teams that won at least 55 games and faced a Portland Trail Blazers team in the first round that won 50 games and had been in the conference finals a year earlier. So, really, the 2001 Lakers’ playoff run rates even better than Golden State’s in 2017.
- 2013-14 San Antonio Spurs (+10.7)
RS point differential: +7.7 Adjusted PO differential: +13.6
Although other teams were more consistently dominant, it’s possible no team in the past 25 years reached the heights the Spurs did in beating the two-time defending champion Miami Heat to finish their redemption tour after losing to Miami in heartbreaking fashion the previous year.
Buoyed by beautiful ball movement and stifling defense, San Antonio won the last three games against the Heat by a combined 57 points, making it one of the most lopsided Finals on record, even though Miami had, arguably, superior talent led by James.
- 2014-15 Golden State Warriors (+10.5)
RS point differential: +10.1 Adjusted PO differential: +11.0
Given the 73-win team that followed, and the Durant era that followed that, it’s easy to overlook the first Golden State title team that merely had Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Finals MVP Andre Iguodala. Along with the 2016-17 Warriors, the 2014-15 team was the only other one since 1998 to outscore teams by double figures during the regular season and have a double-digit playoff differential after adjusting for opposition.
- 2015-16 Cleveland Cavaliers (+10.1)
RS point differential: +6.0 Adjusted PO differential: +14.3
With Kyrie Irving limited to 53 games coming back from a patella fracture and a midseason coaching change from David Blatt to Tyronn Lue, the Cavaliers eased through the regular season. Come playoff time, they turned it up, sweeping the Atlanta Hawks in the second round. Then, after famously falling behind 3-1, Cleveland unleashed an incredible three-game win streak to defeat the 73-win Warriors in Game 7 on the road.
Cleveland’s adjusted playoff rating is third-best in the past quarter century, trailing only the 2001 Lakers and 2017 Warriors.
- 2017-18 Golden State Warriors (+10.0)
RS point differential: +6.0 Adjusted PO differential: +14.0
By Durant’s second year with the team, the regular season had become a slog for the Warriors, who won nine fewer games than in any of their previous three Finals runs. Golden State was then pushed to the brink by the Houston Rockets in the conference finals, needing to win the last two games (including Game 7 in Houston) to get back to the Finals. After overcoming a 51-point performance from James in Game 1 against the Cavaliers to win in overtime, the Warriors completed their only Finals sweep.
- 2008-09 Los Angeles Lakers (+9.5)
RS point differential: +7.7 Adjusted PO differential: +11.4
Seven years after their previous title run, the Lakers returned to the summit with a revamped roster around three key holdovers – Jackson as coach, Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher (in his second stint in L.A.).
The Lakers went the distance in the second round against a feisty Rockets team led by Yao Ming but needed just five games to dispatch the Orlando Magic in the Finals.
- 2007-08 Boston Celtics (+9.1)
p=“”>RS point differential: +10.3 Adjusted PO differential: +8.0
After adding Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to a team that had gone 24-58 the previous season, the Celtics put together a masterful 66-16 regular season that ranks third among champions on this list in point differential. The playoffs were shakier; Boston needed seven games in each of the first two rounds before dispatching a Lakers team similar to the one higher on this list in the Finals.
- 1998-99 San Antonio Spurs (+8.9)
RS point differential: +8.1 Adjusted PO differential: +9.8
No asterisk necessary. Playing a shortened, 50-game schedule after the lockout pushed the start of play into 1999. The Spurs were both the NBA’s best team during the regular season (winning at a 61-win clip over a full 82 games) and in the playoffs. They swept the Lakers and the Blazers in the West playoffs and needed just five games in the Finals to defeat the eighth-seeded New York Knicks.
- 2012-13 Miami Heat (+8.6)
RS point differential: +7.9 Adjusted PO differential: +9.4
No champion in NBA history came closer to losing than the 2012-13 Heat, who needed Allen’s memorable 3-pointer to force overtime in Game 6 of the Finals against San Antonio and avoid elimination. With that lifeline, Miami won the series and a second straight championship – this time with a much more impressive regular season. The Heat won 27 games in a row in February and March – the longest streak in a single season in the past five decades.
- 2011-12 Miami Heat (+8.4)
RS point differential: +6.0 Adjusted PO differential: +10.7
After falling short in the 2011 Finals, Miami adjusted by adding shooting and playing faster in the second season of the Heatles. But it wasn’t until Chris Bosh was sidelined midway through the second round that Erik Spoelstra fully embraced small ball, bringing Bosh back as a center while Miami came back from a 3-2 deficit to beat the Celtics in the conference finals. After dropping Game 1 of the Finals in Oklahoma City, the Heat won four straight for James’ first title.
- 2001-02 Los Angeles Lakers (+8.3)
RS point differential: +7.1 Adjusted PO differential: +9.6
As one of three teams in the West to win at least 58 games, the last of the three Lakers’ title teams had to go through both of the others to get back to the Finals. Everyone remembers the Lakers’ Game 7 win in Sacramento in a series marred by controversial refereeing. Forgotten is the Lakers blowing past a 58-win Spurs team in five hard-fought games.
- 2006-07 San Antonio Spurs (+8.2)
RS point differential: +8.4 Adjusted PO differential: +8.0
Benefiting from upsets elsewhere, the Spurs faced a 51-win Utah team in the conference finals and a 50-win Cleveland team in James’ first Finals appearance, dispatching of both with ease. To get there, San Antonio had to beat a 61-win Phoenix Suns team in the conference semifinals, a matchup remembered for the suspensions of Boris Diaw and Amar’e Stoudemire during Game 5 in Phoenix after the Suns had tied the series 2-2.
- 2018-19 Toronto Raptors (+8.2)
RS point differential: +6.1 Adjusted PO differential: +10.2
As they integrated Leonard and dealt with his load management after an offseason trade with San Antonio, the Raptors played their best basketball in the playoffs. Leonard’s heroic series helped them outlast the 76ers in seven games in the conference semifinals. Toronto then won four consecutive games against the 60-win Bucks after falling to an 0-2 deficit and took down a short-handed but more experienced Warriors team. Adjusted for opposition, it rates as the 10th-best playoff run on this list.
- 2004-05 San Antonio Spurs (+8.0)
RS point differential: +7.8 Adjusted PO differential: +8.1
The Spurs’ third title team had a slightly different balance with the development of young guards Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker as perimeter counterweights to Duncan. San Antonio outplayed the 62-win Suns in the conference finals, spoiling Steve Nash’s first year in Phoenix. But the Spurs then went the full seven games in the Finals against the defending champion Pistons.
- 1999-2000 Los Angeles Lakers (+7.9)
RS point differential: +8.5 Adjusted PO differential: +7.3
Jackson’s first Lakers squad boasts the fourth-best regular-season differential among champions since his Bulls’ teams. The playoffs were a different story for the Lakers, who went the distance in the first round and needed a fourth-quarter comeback in Game 7 of the conference finals against Portland. Their plus-2.3 margin of victory in the playoffs is the lowest for any champion in the 16-team playoff era, albeit against a difficult slate of opponents.
- 2003-04 Detroit Pistons (+7.8)
RS point differential: +5.8 Adjusted PO differential: +9.7
By virtue of the biggest midseason trade for a champion in this span, bringing Rasheed Wallace to complete their starting five, the Pistons were legitimately a different team in the playoffs. After Detroit won just 54 games in the regular season, its defense cramped opponents as the Pistons took down a 61-win Indiana team in the conference finals and then upset the Lakers 4-1 in the Finals.
- 2021-22 Golden State Warriors (+7.7)
RS point differential: +5.5 Adjusted PO differential: +9.9
Injuries to Curry and Green were big factors in the Warriors winning just 53 games that regular season – easily the fewest among their Finals appearances. Largely healthy in the playoffs, Golden State never went the distance in any series, and only a series of losses in potential closeout games (including by 39 points in Game 5 at Memphis) prevented the Warriors’ adjusted playoff rating from reaching double digits.
- 2002-03 San Antonio Spurs (+7.5)
RS point differential: +5.4 Adjusted PO differential: +9.6
Despite winning a league-high 60 games, the 2002-03 Spurs had far and away the worst regular-season differential of their five championship teams. In the playoffs, San Antonio managed to win all four series in precisely six games, including a conference finals showdown with the Dallas team that boasted the league’s best differential.
- 2010-11 Dallas Mavericks (+7.3)
RS point differential: +4.2 Adjusted PO differential: +10.4
Dallas’ point differential in the regular season was third-lowest among champions since 1998. The Mavericks impressed in the playoffs by sweeping the two-time defending champion Lakers without the benefit of home-court advantage, then taking down the Heat team that would win the next two titles in the Finals during the first year James and Bosh were in Miami.
- 2020-21 Milwaukee Bucks (+7.3)
RS point differential: +5.9 Adjusted PO differential: +8.6
No champion in recent history has survived a bigger early scare than the Bucks, who had to win Game 7 on the road in overtime to beat the Brooklyn Nets in the second round. Milwaukee’s most impressive stretch was winning the final four games of the Finals against Phoenix after going down 2-0.
- 2019-20 Los Angeles Lakers (+7.2)
RS point differential: +5.8 Adjusted PO differential: +8.6
Again, no, there are no asterisks here, but the Lakers’ bubble run featured the weakest competition in terms of regular-season point differential since 1998. There’s a case to be made that the Heat team the Lakers faced in the Finals was far stronger than that indicates, however, and the Lakers did go an impressive 16-5 en route to the title.
- 2009-10 Los Angeles Lakers (+6.4)
RS point differential: +4.7 Adjusted PO differential: +8.1
Coming off the 2009 championship, the Lakers won eight fewer games in the regular season and needed to go the full seven games to beat Boston in the Finals. While that Celtics team had knocked off two East powers (Cleveland and Orlando) along the way, Boston’s middling regular season hurts the Lakers’ rating.
- 2022-23 Denver Nuggets (+6.1)
RS point differential: + 3.3 Adjusted PO differential: + 8.9
Subjectively, the 2023 Nuggets feel as if they belong higher on the list. At 53-29, their record was on the low side for a champion (third worst in terms of winning percentage since 1998, with three of the bottom four coming since 2021) and their point differential was the worst of any title winner in that span. But Denver doesn’t get full credit for a 16-3 run through the playoffs with the sixth-best point differential (+8.3) in that span because the Nuggets faced three teams that reached the playoffs through the play-in tournament. By the time Denver went a combined 8-1 against them, the Lakers and Heat were more formidable than their middling regular seasons suggested.
- 2005-06 Miami Heat (+5.7)
RS point differential: +3.9 Adjusted PO differential: +7.6
Look, somebody has to come in last of these rankings of the best of the best NBA teamsh over the past quarter century. After winning 59 games in Shaquille O’Neal’s first year in Miami before losing in the conference finals to Detroit, the 52-win Heat turned the tables on a Pistons team that won 64 games and knocked off the 60-win Mavericks in a Finals upset. Still, Miami’s plus-3.8 playoff point differential was second-worst among champions since 1998.
Where might this year’s champion rank?
In an era of parity, the 2023-24 Celtics stand apart for their domination of the regular season. Boston’s 64 wins tied the best winning percentage by any team since Houston in 2017-18, and the Celtics’ plus-11.3 point differential ranked second behind the 2016-17 Warriors in the period since 1998.
Due to injuries to opposing stars throughout the East playoffs this postseason, the difficulty of the competition Boston has faced has been historically easy. Still, the Celtics’ current plus-10.6 point differential in the playoffs ranks third over the past 26 seasons behind only the two champions with only one playoff loss, Golden State in 2017 and the 2001 Lakers.
Add it up and Boston’s plus-12.1 rating to date would rank fourth among champions since 1999.
Due to their midseason makeover, the Mavericks’ rating is inevitably less impressive. Their plus-2.2 point differential in the regular season would be the worst by any champion since the 1995 Rockets, and after a blowout loss in Game 1 of the Finals, Dallas is down to a plus-2.8 differential in the playoffs, ahead of only the 1999-00 Lakers in this span.
The flip side of that is that, like Houston in 1995, the Mavericks knocked off three teams that won at least 51 games en route to the Finals. Their path already rates as harder than any champion in the 16-team playoffs era, and it will look even tougher with at least four more games against the Celtics. So although Dallas would currently rank last on this list, if the Mavericks can manage to come back and beat Boston, they’d surely surpass at least the 2006 Heat in the process.
via ESPN