The NBA Finals: Analyzing the Greatest Teams and Players in Championship History

The NBA Finals are the ultimate stage for basketball greatness. Every year, the best teams and players from each conference compete for the coveted Larry O’Brien Trophy, and a place in the history books. But who are the greatest teams and players to ever grace the Finals? How do they compare to each other, and what makes them stand out? In this blog post, we will analyze some of the most dominant and memorable performances in the NBA Finals, using statistics, anecdotes, and expert opinions.

The Greatest Teams

There have been many great teams in the NBA Finals, but some have been more dominant than others. Here are some of the criteria we used to rank the greatest teams:

• Number of championships won
• Margin of victory
• Strength of competition
• Consistency and longevity
• Star power and depth

Using these criteria, here are some of the greatest teams in NBA Finals history:

• The 1995-96 Chicago Bulls: The Bulls won 72 games in the regular season, a record that stood for 20 years. They swept the Miami Heat, beat the New York Knicks in five games, and defeated the Orlando Magic in four games to reach the Finals. There, they faced the Seattle SuperSonics, who had won 64 games and had two All-Stars in Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp. The Bulls won the first three games by an average of 17 points, before losing Game 4 by two points. They bounced back to win Game 5 by 12 points, and clinched their fourth title in six years with an 87-75 victory in Game 6. Michael Jordan was named Finals MVP for the fourth time, averaging 27.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Toni Kukoc, and Ron Harper were also key contributors for the Bulls.
• The 1985-86 Boston Celtics: The Celtics won 67 games in the regular season, tying the franchise record. They swept the Chicago Bulls, beat the Atlanta Hawks in five games, and defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in four games to reach the Finals. There, they faced the Houston Rockets, who had upset the Los Angeles Lakers in five games in the Western Conference Finals. The Celtics won the first two games by an average of 22 points, before losing Game 3 by two points. They won Game 4 by nine points, and clinched their 16th title with a 114-97 victory in Game 5. Larry Bird was named Finals MVP for the second time, averaging 24 points, 9.7 rebounds, 9.5 assists, and 2.7 steals per game. Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Dennis Johnson, Danny Ainge, and Bill Walton were also key contributors for the Celtics.
• The 2016-17 Golden State Warriors: The Warriors won 67 games in the regular season, despite adding Kevin Durant to their roster that already had Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. They swept the Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz, and San Antonio Spurs to reach the Finals. There, they faced the Cleveland Cavaliers, who had won their third straight Eastern Conference title behind LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love. The Warriors won the first two games by an average of 20.5 points, before losing Game 4 by 21 points. They bounced back to win Game 5 by nine points, and clinched their second title in three years with a 129-120 victory. Kevin Durant was named Finals MVP in his first season with the Warriors, averaging 35.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 5.4 assists,