SN 140: Ranking the 20 best NBA teams of all-time with a historic twist

There have been 79 NBA champions during the 140-year history of Sporting News. All of them have been great in their own right, but which ones have been the best of the best? 

We asked 11 NBA writers and editors from our global staff to vote for their top 20 teams of all-time. The voting was close and hotly contested, but a consensus started to emerge near the top. 

For the purposes of this list, we stuck to some basic rules:

• Champions only! No ring, no seat at this table.
• Each dynasty was represented by only one team. The Curry Warriors could have taken up 20 percent of this list, but where's the fun in that? Instead, those four rings were represented by their best season, in 2017. 
• Different cores of dynasties could be represented twice. There was enough roster turnover between the first and second Bulls three-peats where each three-peat could have its own representative.
• All voters had their own personal criteria, but we looked at regular season records, postseason records, roster composition, historical significance, and Basketball-Reference's simple rating system in order to inform our decisions.

We didn't set out to represent various eras of the league. It happened holistically anyway. Superteams may be a recent phenomenon, but elite champions are sprinkled throughout the NBA's history. To bring each team to life, we also brought back original stories from our archives so you can read what was written in the moment about Shaq in 2001, Magic in 1987 or Kareem in 1971.

SN140: The 15 best individual seasons in NBA history

Here are the best teams in NBA history — and the stories that defined each along the way.

Ranking the 20 best NBA teams of all-time

Only two teams received first-place votes: the 1995-96 Bulls and 2016-17 Warriors. Looking at a tale of the tape, who would you pick?

Jordan and Pippen or Curry and Durant? Dennis Rodman and Toni Kukoc or Draymond Green and Klay Thompson? Steve Kerr or... Steve Kerr?

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Throughout our magazine days, SN routinely regards that legendary 72-10 championship team as the best of the best. When we ranked the 10 greatest teams ever back in 2011 as part of our 125th anniversary, we declared that 'Chicago's 1996 title team can't be touched.'

Then came along the Warriors... first with the 73-9 team that broke the regular season record before leveling up by adding Durant. In the end, 8 of our 11 voters pegged the Warriors as top dogs.

1. 2016-17 Warriors

Curry's Warriors made five straight Finals appearances and six in eight years, winning four rings. This was the best iteration of their championship teams. They were already elite with Curry, Thompson, Green, and Andre Iguodala. Adding in KD over the summer of 2016 vaulted them into being the best champion of all time. 

Golden State cruised to 67 wins during the regular season and blew teams out on a nightly basis, winning by an average of 11.6 points per game. They got even better in the playoffs. LeBron James' Cavs team took one Finals game against them. It was the Warriors' only loss of the postseason. 

These guys changed the way that basketball was played. The Splash Brothers rained down 3's, Durant created his own shots at will, and Green led a versatile defense that could switch across positions. 

Before Golden State broke through, Charles Barkley had infamously stated that jump shooting teams couldn't win a ring. Not only could they win, they could do it at a higher level than anyone. 

SN140: Ranking the 140 greatest sports moments of all-time

2. 1995-96 Bulls

Michael Jordan came back from his first retirement with a vengeance. This was the best season of his second three-peat, playing alongside Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Toni Kukoc, and some terrific role players.

MJ wasn't the supreme athlete that he had been during his first three-peat, but he had an unstoppable post fadeaway and dazzling footwork. He could still get to the rim too when he needed to.

Jordan was indisputably the best player in the world, but these Bulls were special because they won as a team. They embraced the triangle offense, passing the ball and playing a read-and-react style that was ahead of its time. Steve Kerr, the team's best shooter, later took pieces of that system and that strength in numbers philosophy to the Warriors. Legendary coach Phil Jackson got everyone on the roster to buy into their roles, and they set a then-record 72 wins in the regular season. 

SN ARCHIVE (1996): MJ's Bulls on the brink against Sonics

The Bulls cruised through the playoffs with a 15-3 record, beating the Sonics in the Finals behind Jordan's singular drive. Pippen was one of the best two-way players of all time and possibly the best No. 2 in NBA history. Rodman was an electric rebounder whose defensive toughness allowed him to guard players as big as Shaquille O'Neal. Kukoc was a highly-skilled offensive player who was the most creative passer on the roster. And Jordan was the ultimate end boss, winning the fourth of his five career MVP awards. 

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While most of our panel honed in on the 1996 Bulls as one of the top-2 teams, it wasn't unanimous. In the eyes of one of my colleagues, these Bulls don't levitate alongside the Warriors and for reasons beyond the actual roster itself.

"The reason is simple: eras matter in the NBA. Yes, the Bulls beat opponents by more than 10 points per game. They were ahead of their time, shooting 40 percent from 3 and switching everything with three all-time defenders (MJ, Pippen, Rodman) and an aging but solid Ron Harper. And yet, the NBA in 95-96 was starting to decline overall. There wasn't really even a question they would make the Finals, and once there, beat a Sonics team with two great players in Kemp and Payton, surrounded by fading role role players who, years earlier, might have posed an actual threat. The early 90s Bulls teams faced a gauntlet in the East, the true "Jordan Rules", and a Suns team in 93 that had point guard and power forward play that should have given a (younger) Phil Jackson's squad a major problem. But it didn't, because THAT Bulls team had everything with players in their primes. It was the beginning of a glorious, historic end in 95-96 that was topped, and not just once, by other NBA teams before and after."

3. 1985-86 Celtics

How good was prime Larry Bird? The 1986 season marked his third Finals appearance and third straight MVP award. Bird wasn't carrying the team on his rickety back. This was one of the deepest teams ever, fielding Hall-of-Famers Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, and Bill Walton. 

Visiting teams simply didn't walk out of Boston Garden with a win. The Celtics went an incredible 40-1 at home that season, a record still stands 40 years later. 

These Celtics played an improvisational style of offense that was beautiful to watch.  Players cut and flowed off each other in a way that was impossible to anticipate or guard. Young shooting guard Rick Carlisle later implemented many of those ideas into his overachieving Mavericks and Pacers teams.

SN ARCHIVE (1985): Larry Bird headlines the NBA's 5 most clutch players right now

As great as they were on offense, the Celtics were even better on defense. McHale and Parish shut down the interior, playing with a physical edge that opponents felt for several days afterwards. Bird was a free safety who was always several decisions ahead, knowing where the ball was going and picking off passes. Dennis Johnson and Danny Ainge pestered guards on the perimeter. And Walton was the ace up their sleeve off the bench, contributing elite rim protection.  

Bird was transcendent in the Finals, going for a triple-double to clinch the championship against the Rockets in Game 6. It was his third and final title. 

Maybe its the style of play. Maybe its that sterling 40-1 home record. Maybe its the reverence for Bird. Whatever the reason, this group has aged like fine wine, moving up two spots from our rankings 15 years ago despite the arrival of the Warriors.

T-4. 1971-72 Lakers

The Lakers hadn't won it all since they were in Minneapolis in 1954. Jerry West had come close before, losing in the Finals seven crushing times. 

West finally broke through with a team that was too good to fail. Hall-of-Famer Wilt Chamberlain manned the middle, shooting a league-leading 65 percent from the field and providing solid rebounding at the tail end of his career. Another Hall-of-Famer, Gail Goodrich, played in the backcourt alongside West and led the team in scoring with his reliable jump shot. 

These Lakers will always be remembered for their 33 straight wins, which remains a record today. They finished with 69 wins in the regular season and lost only two games in the playoffs. 

SN ARCHIVE (1972): Will Sharman's sizzling Lakers ever lose?

Los Angeles' combination of size, perimeter scoring, and coaching under Bill Sharman created a historically efficient offensive and defensive machine. That championship validated years of heartbreak for West and marked the beginning of the Lakers' rise as a perennial powerhouse. 

T-4. 1986-87 Lakers

This was the best team of the Showtime era. Pat Riley had asked Magic Johnson to be more of a scorer after the Lakers had unexpectedly failed to reach the Finals during the previous year. He responded by averaging a career-high 23.9 points and winning his first of three MVP awards. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was still a major contributor at age 39, making his 17th All-Star game. But this was the point where it became Magic's team. 

Magic was the perfect point guard for Riley's vision. The Lakers were built on transition offense, speed, elite passing, and tough defense. Magic set everything up while James Worthy filled the lanes on fast breaks and Byron Scott nailed jumpers from outside. Abdul-Jabbar was still a potent weapon in the halfcourt with his sky hook. He patrolled the paint while Michael Cooper earned Defensive Player of the Year honors with lockdown perimeter defense

SN ARCHIVE (1987): Move over, Kareem… it's Magic time

The Lakers went 65-17 during the regular season and 15-2 in the playoffs, beating the hated Celtics in six games in the Finals. Magic had one of the most iconic shots of his career, hitting a sky hook to help win Game 4. That helped him win Finals MVP honors and his fourth of his five rings with Los Angeles. 

This team epitomized fast-paced, high-IQ basketball and cemented the Lakers' dynasty in the Magic-Kareem era.

How the greatest teams in NBA history were covered in the moment

• 2001 Lakers — Killer instinct: 4 wins from playoff perfection
• 1992 Bulls — Why Pippen's resurgence gives Chicago championship edge
• 1971 Bucks —Big Lew: Already great… and getting better
• 1983 76ers —Moses and Dr. J: Is this the year?
• 1967 76ers —Wilt responds to hecklers with 37 points and 42 rebounds
• 1989 Pistons —The Year of the Pistons
• 1965 Celtics —Red Auerbach wants this one badly (page 42)

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The Sporting News Top 20 NBA teams of all-time

Compare all 79 NBA champions — records, offense, defense, scoring margin, and so much more.