The Most Dominant NBA Team Seasons in History

The Most Dominant NBA Team Seasons in History
Michael Jordan, Dennis Rodman & Scottie Pippen

by Ben Leibowitz

After missing out on a championship following a historic 73-win campaign, where do the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors rank among the best teams in NBA history? PointAfter set out to answer that question while ranking the best team seasons ever.

Following the Golden State Warriors' historic regular season, which featured an NBA-record 73 wins, their masterful campaign ended in disappointment via a seven-game series loss to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Members of the NBA community might have considered the 2015-16 Dubs the greatest basketball team ever had they won it all. But where do Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Co. rank historically after losing the season's final series?

PointAfter, part of Graphiq, set out to not only answer that question, but also to create a cohesive ranking of the best NBA team seasons of all time. To be considered, teams needed to either win the title, or amass a winning percentage of .600 or better in addition to reaching the NBA Finals. That narrowed our scope to 114 teams.

From there, we ranked teams based on a combination of the following four factors:

1. Regular Season Winning Percentage

How consistent a team was throughout the year in terms of racking up wins and avoiding losses.

2. Playoff Winning Percentage

How dominant a team was throughout the postseason by avoiding drawn-out series (and, in many cases, ultimately winning the title).

3. Net Rating

Measures a team's effectiveness in terms of how many points they outscored opponents by on a per-100-possessions basis. We chose to focus solely on net rating and not offensive and defensive rating because, in the end, it doesn't really matter if a team isn't as great defensively if they're truly transcendent on offense, or vice versa. Each team's net rating is more telling.

4. Simple Rating System

Abbreviated as SRS, the Simple Rating System is a rating by Basketball Reference that accounts for strength of schedule and average point differential throughout the season.

We multiplied both winning percentage numbers by 100 to get a whole number, multiplied net rating and SRS by 10 to get a number closer to 100, then added all four scores together to create a Season Score. Teams were ranked by this new metric, which we rounded to the nearest hundredth place.

So, what NBA teams throughout the annals of league lore reign supreme? Who holds the title of being considered the best NBA roster of all time?

We'll start with a trio of Boston Celtics teams who laced up the sneakers more than 50 years ago.

33. 1961-62 Boston Celtics

Season Score: 284.64
SRS: 8.25
Net Rating: 7.0
Offensive Rating: 92.1
Defensive Rating: 85.1
Won Championship? Yes

The first team on our list of the best team seasons ever is also the oldest. The 1961-62 Celtics won a then-franchise-record 60 games and ultimately collected their fourth straight title by taking down the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games.

This season featured Bill Russell arguably at his absolute peak. At 27 years old, Russell averaged a career-best 18.9 points on a career-high 45.7 percent shooting while hauling in 23.6 rebounds per game and dishing out 4.5 assists per contest.

In the NBA Finals, Russell notched an absurd 48.3 minutes per game (cut to Tom Thibodeau grinning) and averaged 22.9 points, 27 rebounds and 5.7 assists while shooting 54.3 percent from the field.

32. 1964-65 Boston Celtics

Season Score: 285.77
SRS: 7.46
Net Rating: 6.7
Offensive Rating: 90.9
Defensive Rating: 84.2
Won Championship? Yes

Three seasons later, Boston kept the championship train chugging right along by winning their seventh consecutive title. The 1964-65 Celts once again set a then-franchise record for wins in a single season by going 62-18.

Sam Jones led the way by averaging 25.9 points on 45.2 percent shooting throughout the regular season. In the NBA Finals (a 4-1 dismantling of the Lakers), Russell averaged 17.8 points on 70.2 percent shooting to accompany 25 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game.

31. 1963-64 Boston Celtics

Season Score: 286.1
SRS: 6.93
Net Rating: 6.3
Offensive Rating: 90.1
Defensive Rating: 83.8
Won Championship? Yes

The 1963-64 Celtics might be the best defensive team in franchise history. Despite playing at the fastest pace of the nine teams in the league then, Boston recorded the league's best defensive rating. What's more, the team's relative defensive rating (its mark relative to the league) was more than 10 points better.

In addition to the amazing defense, these Celts had five players finish the season averaging double-digit points: Russell, Sam Jones, John Havlicek, Tom Heinsohn and Tom Sanders. Willie Naulls barely missed joining them at 9.8 points per game.

30. 2010-11 Miami Heat

Season Score: 286.97
SRS: 6.76
Net Rating: 8.2
Offensive Rating: 111.7
Defensive Rating: 103.5
Won Championship? No

The Miami Heat needed time to adjust when LeBron James first arrived for the 2010-11 season, but Erik Spoelstra's crew was still pretty darn good at hooping.

Miami ranked No. 1 in SRS, No. 3 in offensive rating and No. 5 in defensive rating throughout a season that many deemed a disappointment as James and new teammates Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh developed team chemistry. The Heat won each Eastern Conference series 4-1 before facing off against the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals.

Dirk Nowitzki's magical run would end the Big Three's first attempt at collecting rings, but the Heat still put together a fantastic season that most will overlook in the scope of history.

29. 1988-89 Detroit Pistons

Season Score: 288.44
SRS: 6.24
Net Rating: 6.1
Offensive Rating: 110.8
Defensive Rating: 104.7
Won Championship? Yes

The first "Bad Boys" Pistons team to win a title doubles as the only Detroit team to make this list.

Led by its phenomenal backcourt duo of Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars, who both averaged more than 20 points per game in the Finals, these Pistons were also aided by remarkable depth. In addition to the starting guards, Vinnie Johnson, Bill Laimbeer, Dennis Rodman, Rick Mahorn, John Salley, Adrian Dantley (pre-trade) and Mark Aguirre (post-trade) all averaged more than 20 minutes per game for the Pistons.

The Bad Boys had one of the most dominant postseason runs in NBA history, notching a 15-2 record through four rounds. They swept the Celtics in the first round, Milwaukee Bucks in the semis and the Lakers in the NBA Finals.

28. 1984-85 Los Angeles Lakers

Season Score: 290.35
SRS: 6.48
Net Rating: 7.1
Offensive Rating: 114.1
Defensive Rating: 107.0
Won Championship? Yes

The 1984-85 Lakers are the first of a whopping seven different Purple and Gold squads to make this ranking.

Under head coach Pat Riley, the unfair core of Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy won 62 games and ultimately ousted the Celtics in six games to win the championship.

While not the peak of the "Showtime" Lakers, this squad still got it done.

27. 1973-74 Milwaukee Bucks

Season Score: 292.85
SRS: 7.61
Net Rating: 7.6
Offensive Rating: 101.2
Defensive Rating: 93.6
Won Championship? No

Despite losing a hard-fought seven-game series in the NBA Finals to the Celtics, the 1973-74 Bucks sit somewhat comfortably within the top 30 best team seasons ever.

The team's three 26-year-olds -- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bob Dandridge and Lucius Allen -- combined with a 35-year-old Oscar Robertson (in his final NBA season) to win 59 games behind the strength of the league's No. 1 ranked offense.

Unfortunately, the Bucks lost Allen to a knee injury before the postseason started, which left them shorthanded throughout the playoffs. Kareem, Dandridge and the Big O combined to average 65.5 points per game in the playoffs, but nobody else on the roster could even muster nine points per game in Allen's stead. On that basis, it's rather impressive that the Bucks went 8-1 against the Western Conference before forcing the NBA Finals to seven games.

26. 1995-96 Seattle Supersonics

Season Score: 295.9
SRS: 7.4
Net Rating: 8.2
Offensive Rating: 110.3
Defensive Rating: 102.1
Won Championship? No

The second consecutive team on the countdown not to win it all, the (now defunct) Seattle SuperSonics from 1995-96 are the best in franchise history by our measure despite not attaining the rings.

This squad won a franchise-record 64 games with its core of Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp, Detlef Schrempf, Hersey Hawkins and Sam Perkins. They beat the Sacramento Kings, swept the Houston Rockets (lead by Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler) and dispatched a tough Utah Jazz squad before running into the buzzsaw that was the 72-win Chicago Bulls (stay tuned).

Of course, there's no shame in losing to that Bulls team -- especially since Seattle somehow managed to take the series to six games. When you think "best team to not win a championship" in the scope of the NBA, this Sonics team has to be in the conversation.

25. 2001-02 Los Angeles Lakers

Season Score: 298.15
SRS: 7.15
Net Rating: 7.7
Offensive Rating: 109.4
Defensive Rating: 101.7
Won Championship? Yes

The 2002 NBA playoffs was not devoid of controversy. The Western Conference Finals between the Lakers and Sacramento Kings is one of the key matchups at the heart of the Tim Donaghy gambling scandal (the disgraced NBA referee who was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for fixing games).

The Kings ultimately lost a seven-game series, sending LA back to the Finals for the third straight year. From there, the Lakers swept the New Jersey Nets, who had no answer for Shaquille O'Neal on the interior.

Crooked refs aside, this Lakers squad is deserving of being called one of the best teams in history.

24. 1997-98 Chicago Bulls

Season Score: 298.43
SRS: 7.24
Net Rating: 7.9
Offensive Rating: 107.7
Defensive Rating: 99.8
Won Championship? Yes

Chicago's title in 1998 marks the last time they reached the mountaintop, and the last time Michael Jordan suited up in a Bulls jersey. MJ retired after winning a third straight championship (his sixth overall).

After accomplishing that feat and winning 62 games, the Bulls tanked catastrophically the following year without Jordan, head coach Phil Jackson, Scottie Pippen or Dennis Rodman. They went 13-37 during the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season. Chicago hasn't been back to the NBA Finals since.

23. 1969-1970 New York Knicks

Season Score: 299.56
SRS: 8.42
Net Rating: 7.9
Offensive Rating: 100.3
Defensive Rating: 92.4
Won Championship? Yes

The New York Knicks haven't had a respectable basketball team in a long time. They last won a title in 1973, but their sole roster to make this list is the 1969-70 squad.

NY was the top defensive team in the league that season. It leaned heavily on stars Walt Frazier (point guard) and Willis Reed (center). As those two combined to average 42.6 points, 19.9 rebounds and 10.2 assists per game, complementary pieces Dave DeBusschere, Dick Barnett and Bill Bradley all averaged more than 14 points.

Both Frazier and Reed made All-NBA First Team and All-Defensive First Team in 1970. Frazier was particularly impressive, as he made a higher percentage of his field goals (51.8 percent) than Reed (50.7) despite being a 6-foot-4 floor general.

22. 2008-09 Los Angeles Lakers

Season Score: 300.97
SRS: 7.11
Net Rating: 8.1
Offensive Rating: 112.8
Defensive Rating: 104.7
Won Championship? Yes

One season after losing to the Celtics in the NBA Finals, the re-built Lakers with Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol running the show stormed to the franchise's 15th title (if you include the Minneapolis Lakers days).

The win in 2009 officially marked the moment Kobe escaped Shaq's shadow and collected a championship as Lakerland's No. 1 guy. LA easily dispatched the Orlando Magic in the NBA Finals, 4-1. The Black Mamba averaged 32.4 points, 7.4 assists, 5.6 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks for the series.

21. 2013-14 San Antonio Spurs

Season Score: 306.17
SRS: 8.0
Net Rating: 8.1
Offensive Rating: 110.5
Defensive Rating: 102.4
Won Championship? Yes

Fifteen years removed from Tim Duncan's first championship in San Antonio, TD and the Spurs went 62-20 before storming to yet another title (No. 5 in the Duncan era).

Despite the dominant campaign, the only Spur to make the All-Star Game in 2014 was Tony Parker -- which goes to show how erroneous that voting process can be from time to time.

20. 2012-13 Miami Heat

Season Score: 306.37
SRS: 7.03
Net Rating: 8.6
Offensive Rating: 112.3
Defensive Rating: 103.7
Won Championship? Yes

After falling to the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 NBA Finals, the Miami Heat won the title a year later as LeBron James took home MVP honors. During the 2011-12 season, however, the Heat went 46-20 during the lockout-shortened campaign. Critics wondered if Miami could win a 'ship following a full season, and the Heat did just that in 2013.

James won MVP yet again (his fourth overall), and Miami went an astonishing 66-16. The Heat were taken to seven games by both the Indiana Pacers (Eastern Conference Finals) and San Antonio Spurs (NBA Finals), but ultimately came out on top.

19. 2004-05 San Antonio Spurs

Season Score: 306.97
SRS: 7.84
Net Rating: 8.7
Offensive Rating: 107.5
Defensive Rating: 98.8
Won Championship? Yes

Duncan was at the peak of his powers during the 2004-05 season, averaging 20.3 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.6 blocks per game. Despite a supporting cast that included a past-his-prime Brent Barry, Rasho Nesterovic as the starting center and Devin Brown (repeat: Devin Brown), San Antonio managed to breeze through the Western Conference before dispatching the Detroit Pistons in seven games.

This marks the year the Big Three of Duncan, Parker and Ginobili really came into their own as a unit.

18. 1990-91 Los Angeles Lakers

Season Score: 308.96
SRS: 8.41
Net Rating: 9.1
Offensive Rating: 107.3
Defensive Rating: 98.2
Won Championship? No

Considered the final season of LA's "Showtime" era, Magic Johnson wasn't able to carry the 1990-91 Lakers to his sixth career championship.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar retired after the 1988-89 season, so he was no longer around to contribute in the post (even though he wasn't close to the same player as he eclipsed age 40). Facing elimination against the Bulls in the NBA Finals Game 5, LA was without James Worthy and Byron Scott (both injured). Magic dished out 20 assists and rookie center Elden Campbell scored 21 points off the bench, but it wasn't enough to overcome Michael Jordan -- who beat out Johnson for MVP honors in 1991.

17. 1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers

Season Score: 318.33
SRS: 8.5
Net Rating: 7.6
Offensive Rating: 101.5
Defensive Rating: 93.9
Won Championship? Yes

The 1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers took great pride in cleaning the glass. In fact, out of every NBA team that has ever played, this Sixers squad is No. 6 for total rebounds in a single season.

Wilt Chamberlain averaged 24.2 rebounds to lead the way, but Luke Jackson (8.9), Chet Walker (8.1), Billy Cunningham (7.3) and even combo guard Hal Greer (5.3) chipped in significantly in the rebounding category.

And yet, the offense was perhaps most impressive. These 76ers finished No. 1 in points per game and offensive rating. They had four players average more than 18 points, and six average double digits. An 11-4 postseason run coupled with a 68-13 regular season record doesn't hurt, either.

16. 1996-97 Utah Jazz

Season Score: 318.7
SRS: 7.97
Net Rating: 9.6
Offensive Rating: 113.6
Defensive Rating: 104.0
Won Championship? No

The Utah Jazz were never better than they were throughout the mid 1990s, but never won a championship due to the landscape of the league at the time (ehem, Michael Jordan). The majestic pick-and-roll tandem of Karl Malone and John Stockton paced the Jazz to a franchise-record 64 wins in 1997 thanks to incredible durability.

The trio of Malone, Stockton and Jeff Hornacek started all 82 regular season games. Bryon Russell started 81 and Greg Ostertag played 77 (70 starts). Off the bench, Antoine Carr and Howard Eisley both suited up for all 82 contests.

"The Mailman" won MVP in 1997, but Utah was unable to take down Michael Jordan's Bulls in the NBA Finals -- which is nothing to be ashamed of.

15. 1982-83 Philadelphia 76ers

Season Score: 320.91
SRS: 7.53
Net Rating: 7.4
Offensive Rating: 108.3
Defensive Rating: 100.9
Won Championship? Yes

The 1982-83 76ers were coached by Billy Cunningham, one of the stars on the 1966-67 team that ranked No. 17 in our countdown. Under his guidance, Philly won 65 regular season games and went 12-1 throughout the playoffs.

The season was littered with individual accolades. Moses Malone won MVP and Finals MVP. Julius "Dr. J" Erving was named to the All-NBA First Team along with Moses. Bobby Jones won Sixth Man of the Year in addition to making All-Defensive First Team. Maurice Cheeks and Malone joined Jones on the All-Defensive First Team. It marked just the fourth time in NBA history that three players from the same team made All-Defensive First Team.

14. 1999-2000 Los Angeles Lakers

Season Score: 322.02
SRS: 8.41
Net Rating: 9.1
Offensive Rating: 107.3
Defensive Rating: 98.2
Won Championship? Yes

The best team of the Shaq-Kobe era by our measure, the 1999-2000 Lakers won 67 games and the franchise's first title in 12 years.

A 21-year-old Kobe was still coming into his own, but Shaq was at his apex. The Big Aristotle thoroughly dominated the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals. In six games, O'Neal averaged 38 points, 16.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.7 blocks while converting 61.1 percent of his field goals (though he did shoot a disgusting 38.7 percent from the free throw line). PointAfter deemed this the best NBA Finals MVP performance of all time.

Turns out neither Rik Smits nor Dale Davis was qualified to guard the Diesel. Who knew?

13. 1998-99 San Antonio Spurs

Season Score: 323.44
SRS: 7.12
Net Rating: 9.0
Offensive Rating: 104.0
Defensive Rating: 95.0
Won Championship? Yes

Twin Towers Tim Duncan and David Robinson combined for a tremendous season before the turn of the century. Both averaged double-doubles throughout the season and combined to swat 4.9 shot attempts per contest as well.

"Little General" Avery Johnson upped his game in the playoffs as the Spurs cruised to a 15-2 postseason run. In the Finals against the New York Knicks, Duncan averaged 27.4 points, 14 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.2 blocks -- taking home Finals MVP in the process.

12. 2006-07 San Antonio Spurs

Season Score: 327.2
SRS: 8.35
Net Rating: 9.3
Offensive Rating: 109.2
Defensive Rating: 99.9
Won Championship? Yes

While the 1998-99 Spurs with Duncan, Robinson, Johnson and Sean Elliott certainly generate plenty of nostalgia, the best Spurs team by our calculation is the 2006-07 squad.

The trio of Duncan, Parker and Ginobili was fantastic throughout the season and playoffs, guiding a supporting cast of aging role players. This roster proved that age is just a number, as Parker and Ginobili were the only guys under age 30 to receive significant playoff minutes.

San Antonio went 16-4 throughout the playoffs, including a clean sweep of LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers in the final showdown. Parker won Finals MVP for torching the Cavs with 24.5 points, five rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. He made 56.8 percent of his shots and went 4-of-7 from beyond the arc.

11. 1986-87 Los Angeles Lakers

Season Score: 336.73
SRS: 8.31
Net Rating: 9.1
Offensive Rating: 115.6
Defensive Rating: 106.5
Won Championship? Yes

Yet another appearance from the "Showtime" Lakers, this roster won 65 games -- tied for third-most in franchise history. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar averaged 17.5 points despite being 39 years old at the time. Magic Johnson averaged 23.9 points, 12.2 assists, 6.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals en route to being named the league MVP (he also won Finals MVP).

Meanwhile, Michael Cooper won Defensive Player of the Year and LA finished the season with a whopping seven players averaging double-digit points: Magic, Kareem, Worthy, Byron Scott, Michael Cooper, A.C. Green and Mychal Thompson.

10. 1990-91 Chicago Bulls

Season Score: 342.34
SRS: 8.57
Net Rating: 9.4
Offensive Rating: 114.6
Defensive Rating: 105.2
Won Championship? Yes

The 1990-91 Bulls chime in at No. 10 on our countdown as the roster that took down the Lakers (No. 18 on our list) in the NBA Finals.

As Magic Johnson paced the Lakeshow out West, a 27-year-old Michael Jordan capped a phenomenal MVP season by winning 15 out of 17 playoff games.

In the Finals against LA, MJ played 44 minutes per game and averaged 31.2 points, 11.4 assists, 6.6 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 1.4 blocks. Wingman Scottie Pippen wasn't too shabby either, averaging 20.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 2.4 steals and 1.0 blocks.

It's difficult to lose a series when you have that two-headed monster firing on all cylinders.

9. 1985-86 Boston Celtics

Season Score: 347.63
SRS: 9.06
Net Rating: 9.2
Offensive Rating: 111.8
Defensive Rating: 102.6
Won Championship? Yes

Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Dennis Johnson, Robert Parish, Bill Walton off the bench ... diehard Celtics fans likely consider this team the best in franchise history -- and for good reason.

There was a remarkable amount of firepower and team chemistry, which led to 67 wins. That's the second-most in franchise history behind the 1972-73 Celtics, a team that didn't qualify for this list by falling to the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals.

This 1985-86 Celtics were ruthlessly good, but another squad from Beantown actually beats them out by our methodology...

8. 2007-08 Boston Celtics

Season Score: 348.04
SRS: 9.3
Net Rating: 11.3
Offensive Rating: 110.2
Defensive Rating: 98.9
Won Championship? Yes

Though some may deem it blasphemous to call the 2007-08 Celtics the best team in franchise history over the 1985-86 squad, they narrowly edge Bird, McHale and Co. by less than a point in our Season Score metric.

Perhaps their ranking is objectively wrong if only because Kendrick Freaking Perkins was a key cog and starter on this Celtics team, but when you have a Big Three as devastatingly good as Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, the supporting cast doesn't matter much.

In the postseason, these Celtics beat the Joe Johnson/Josh Smith Hawks, LeBron's Cavaliers, a Pistons team similar to the 2004 champs and a Lakers team featuring Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. That's no cakewalk, but Boston got rings anyway.

7. 2014-15 Golden State Warriors

Season Score: 359.99
SRS: 10.01
Net Rating: 10.2
Offensive Rating: 111.6
Defensive Rating: 101.4
Won Championship? Yes

Following a disappointing first-round playoff exit courtesy of the Los Angeles Clippers in 2014, the Warriors fired head coach Mark Jackson and replaced him with Steve Kerr. The results were stark and immediate.

The 2014-15 Dubs won a then-franchise record 67 games. They finished first in the league in SRS, pace and defensive rating, and second in offensive rating. Steph Curry won MVP for his immaculate shooting display. The Warriors were barely tested in the playoffs, as they swept the New Orleans Pelicans, dispatched the Memphis Grizzlies in six games, beat the Houston Rockets in five games and then beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in six in the NBA Finals.

Their elite combination of offense and defense was remarkable to watch.

6. 1991-92 Chicago Bulls

Season Score: 360.58
SRS: 10.07
Net Rating: 11.0
Offensive Rating: 115.5
Defensive Rating: 104.5
Won Championship? Yes

Michael Jordan won MVP and Finals MVP during the 1991-92 season as the Bulls won their second consecutive title under Phil Jackson.

The 1992 NBA Finals featured a showdown between Jordan and Clyde Drexler of the Portland Trail Blazers. The stats pretty clearly show that MJ got the better of "Clyde the Glide."

Jordan's 1992 Finals Stats: 35.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.7 steals, 52.6/42.9/89.1 shooting splits

Drexler's 1992 Finals Stats: 24.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.3 steals, 40.7/15.0/89.3 shooting splits

Jordan nearly hit 50-40-90 percentages in the Finals, while Drexler shot just barely above 40 percent from the field and went a ghastly 3-of-20 from beyond the arc. That's not going to get it done against a team as talented as Chicago.

5. 2015-16 Golden State Warriors

Season Score: 385.3
SRS: 10.38
Net Rating: 13.0
Offensive Rating: 114.7
Defensive Rating: 101.7
Won Championship? No

According to our breakdown, the 2015-16 Warriors are the best team in NBA history to come up short of winning the championship. That's not much of a surprise, provided they won a league record 73 regular season games. But perhaps you think they should have ranked even higher than No. 5 all time.

It's certainly a fair argument, but while Golden State's historic regular season and phenomenal net rating help them climb this high, every team above them on this list scored higher on the Simple Rating System. Additionally, G-State's playoff winning percentage of .625 didn't aid its Season Score.

It's also worth noting that the Warriors, despite winning the most regular season games ever, didn't sweep an opponent in the playoffs. They beat Houston and Portland in five games apiece, then had to climb back from a 3-1 series deficit to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals before blowing a 3-1 series lead to the Cavs in the Finals.

Even if they won the championship, they probably would still rank No. 5 by our calculation.

4. 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers

Season Score: 385.6
SRS: 11.65
Net Rating: 10.5
Offensive Rating: 103.1
Defensive Rating: 92.6
Won Championship? Yes

The Warriors garnered a lot of praise for winning 28 straight regular season games (24-0 to start 2015-16, plus four in a row from the season prior). The 1971-72 Lakers, however, won an absurd 33 consecutive games in the same campaign. That mark still stands as an NBA record.

The starting backcourt of Jerry West and Gail Goodrich combined to average a truly ridiculous 51.7 points per game. Wilt Chamberlain, in his age-35 season, played all 82 games while averaging 14.8 points, 19.2 rebounds and four assists. Those were the big names, but fans shouldn't overlook small forward Jim McMillian, who notched 18.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game for the Lakers while making 48.2 percent of his shots.

As an interesting tidbit of trivia, NBA legend Elgin Baylor actually started this season as a member of the Lakers before retiring after nine games due to recurring knee problems. Immediately after his retirement was when the 33-game win streak started. He missed out on a championship as a result.

3. 1996-97 Chicago Bulls

Season Score: 390.05
SRS: 10.7
Net Rating: 12.0
Offensive Rating: 114.4
Defensive Rating: 102.4
Won Championship? Yes

With Jordan's scoring, Pippen's playmaking and Rodman's rebounding, there was very little the Chicago Bulls couldn't do well in the mid-1990s. They didn't match their 72 wins from a season prior, but a 69-win campaign is nothing to sneeze at.

The solid regular season led to a solid playoff run, as the Bulls went 15-4 against the Washington Bullets, Atlanta Hawks, Miami Heat and Utah Jazz. Chicago didn't shoot very well from the field over the course of that march to the title, but the defense got the job done.

2. 1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks

Season Score: 393.31
SRS: 11.91
Net Rating: 10.8
Offensive Rating: 103.9
Defensive Rating: 93.1
Won Championship? Yes

In just the third season of the organization's existence, the Milwaukee Bucks won a franchise-record 66 games. That's the power of trading for a star.

In April of 1970, Milwaukee traded Charlie Paulk and Flynn Robinson to the Cincinnati Royals in exchange for Oscar Robertson. The Big O (at age 32) teamed up with 23-year-olds Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then known as Lew Alcindor) and Bob Dandridge by averaging 19.4 points, 8.2 assists and 5.7 rebounds.

The Bucks put together one of the most impressive playoff runs in league history by going 12-2 and sweeping the Baltimore Bullets in the NBA Finals. In that final duel, Abdul-Jabbar, Robertson and Dandridge combined to average 70.8 points per contest.

Now that's a Big Three.

1. 1995-96 Chicago Bulls

Season Score: 423.13
SRS: 11.8
Net Rating: 13.4
Offensive Rating: 115.2
Defensive Rating: 101.8
Won Championship? Yes

Was there ever any doubt that the 72-10 Bulls wouldn't be No. 1?

The roster including Ron Harper, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Luc Longley, Steve Kerr and others won a record amount of games during the regular season and stormed to the championship by going 15-3 with sweeps over Miami and Orlando. During the regular season, Chicago rattled off win streaks of 13 and 18 games, respectively.

Of the 114 teams we studied, the 1995-96 Bulls finished first in net rating, second in SRS, second in regular season winning percentage and eighth in playoff winning percentage. That remarkable consistency across the board makes them the top team in our ranking, in addition to most fans' subjective choice.