Ranked Seasons by Team Win % (Reg Season and Playoffs)

[Da_Realist]

I thought it would be interesting to display a list of the best team seasons by win percentage. Regular season and playoffs combined. The only requirement is that each of these teams are champions. I want to show the successful teams so not winning the championship disqualifies.

Some observations...

In order to crack the top 10 best seasons of all time, a team would need to win 80% of its games from the first regular season game until the championship. That is extremely hard to do. The 88-89 Pistons went 63-19 in the RS and 15-2 in the playoffs and still didn't crack 80%.

80% seasons happened back-to-back three different times

I'm surprised to see the 14-15 Warriors are safely nestled within that elite 80% group. The rest of the 80% group looks like a Who's Who until you notice the 14-15 Warriors kind of snuck in there. But they had a top 10 season before Kevin Durant.

There's only one team that has won over 80% of their games while defending a championship.

Had the 15-16 Warriors won that game 7 vs Cleveland, they would have had the #2 best season with a 85.6% win percentage. Instead they won 84.6% of their games, which is incredible and still #2 best all time, but they don't qualify to be listed here.

1 95-96 Chicago Bulls (87-13) 87.0%
2 16-17 Golden State Warriors (83-16) 83.8%
3 71-72 Los Angeles Lakers (81-16) 83.5%
4 96-97 Chicago Bulls (84-17) 83.1%
5 66-67 Philadelphia 76'ers (79-17) 82.3%
6 85-86 Boston Celtics (82-18) 82.0%
7 70-71 Milwaukee Bucks (78-18) 81.3%
8 82-83 Philadelphia 76'ers (77-18) 81.1%
9 14-15 Golden State Warriors (83-20) 80.6%
10 86-87 Los Angeles Lakers (80-20) 80.0%

11 91-92 Chicago Bulls (82-22) 78.8%
12 88-89 Detroit Pistons (78-21) 78.79%
13 99-00 Los Angeles Lakers (82-23) 78.1%
13 12-13 Miami Heat (82-23) 78.1%
15 98-99 San Antonio Spurs (52-15) 77.6%
16 08-09 Los Angeles Lakers (81-24) 77.1%
17 90-91 Chicago Bulls (76-23) 76.8%
18 49-50 Minneapolis Lakers (62-19) 76.5%
19 84-85 Los Angeles Lakers (77-24) 76.2%
20 59-60 Boston Celtics (67-21) 76.1%

21 64-65 Boston Celtics (70-22) 76.09%
22 07-08 Boston Celtics (82-26) 75.9%
23 97-98 Chicago Bulls (77-26) 74.8%
24 80-81 Boston Celtics (74-25) 74.7%
25 63-64 Boston Celtics (67-23) 74.4%
26 13-14 San Antonio Spurs (78-27) 74.3%
26 48-49 Minneapolis Lakers (52-18) 74.3%
28 19-20 Los Angeles Lakers (68-24) 73.9%
29 79-80 Los Angeles Lakers (72-26) 73.5%
30 83-84 Boston Celtics (77-28) 73.3%

31 60-61 Boston Celtics (65-24) 73.0%
32 87-88 Los Angeles Lakers (77-29) 72.6%
33 17-18 Golden State Warriors (74-28) 72.5%
33 89-90 Detroit Pistons (74-28) 72.5%
35 00-01 Los Angeles Lakers (71-27) 72.4%
36 61-62 Boston Celtics (68-26) 72.3%
37 58-59 Boston Celtics (60-23) 72.29%
38 01-02 Los Angeles Lakers (73-28) 72.28%
38 06-07 San Antonio Spurs (73-28) 72.28%
40 81-82 Los Angeles Lakers (69-27) 71.88

41 02-03 San Antonio Spurs (76-30) 71.7%
42 04-05 San Antonio Spurs (75-30) 71.4%
43 69-70 New York Knicks (72-29) 71.3%
43 92-93 Chicago Bulls (72-29) 71.3%
45 62-63 Boston Celtics (66-27) 70.97%
46 10-11 Dallas Mavericks (73-30) 70.87%
47 15-16 Cleveland Cavaliers (72-30) 70.1%
48 18-19 Toronto Raptors (74-32) 69.8%
49 72-73 New York Knicks (69-30) 69.69%
50 11-12 Miami Heat (62-27) 69.66%

51 93-94 Houston Rockets (73-32) 69.52%
51 09-10 Los Angeles Lakers (73-32) 69.52%
53 52-53 Minneapolis Lakers (57-25) 69.51%
54 73-74 Boston Celtics (68-32) 68.0%
55 22-23 Denver Nuggets (69-33) 67.6%
56 65-66 Boston Celtics (65-32) 67.0%
57 03-04 Detroit Pistons (70-35) 66.7%
58 21-22 Golden State Warriors (69-35) 66.3%
59 75-76 Boston Celtics (66-34) 66.0%
60 67-68 Boston Celtics (66-35) 65.3%

61 20-21 Milwaukee Bucks (62-33) 65.3%
62 05-06 Miami Heat (68-37) 64.76%
63 53-54 Minneapolis Lakers (55-30) 64.71%
64 78-79 Seattle Supersonics (64-35) 64.65%
65 55-56 Philadelphia Warriors (52-30) 63.4%
66 76-77 Portland Trailblazers (63-38) 62.4%
67 56-57 Boston Celtics (51-31) 62.2%
68 51-52 Minneapolis Lakers (49-30) 62.0%
69 47-48 Baltimore Bullets (37-23) 61.7%
70 46-47 Philadelphia Warriors (43-27) 61.4%

71 50-51 Rochester Royals (50-32) 60.98%
72 74-75 Golden State Warriors (60-39) 60.6%
73 54-55 Syracuse Nationals (50-33) 60.2%
74 68-69 Boston Celtics (60-40) 60.0%
75 94-95 Houston Rockets (62-42) 59.6%
76 57-58 St Louis Hawks (49-34) 59.0%
77 77-78 Washington Bullets (58-45) 56.3%

[Jimmy Rustler]

'96 Bulls are the GOAT team.

[dankok8]

Good thread. Would love to see the rank by SRS as well since that's an even better indicator of team strength than W/L record.

[8Ball]

I don't think 2015 Warriors just "snuck" in there. They were an incredible team.

#2 Offence in the league and #1 defence at the time.


For whatever reason not even Warrior fans like to brag about that year even though their team was amazing that year.

[8Ball]

Bill simmons never shuts up about the 86 celtics, probably for good reason, they ran through everyone.

[dankok8]

The 2015 Warriors dropped a bunch of playoff games to weak teams. That's why they aren't as respected.

The 1986 Celtics have a solid case as the GOAT team. Not just the sheer talent but how well they played together. They are one of the best passing teams ever.

[Wardell Curry]

'96 Bulls are the GOAT team.

One of. The best? Unclear. The NBA expanded by two teams and held an expansion draft in June of 1995, which clearly had an impact on that Bulls record.

[theman93]

One of. The best? Unclear. The NBA expanded by two teams and held an expansion draft in June of 1995, which clearly had an impact on that Bulls record.

Most of the players who were drafted to Vancouver and Toronto from other franchises were bad, so the league becoming becoming so diluted is for all intents and purposes a myth. In fact, the Bulls lost BJ Armstrong who was the #1 overall pick in that expansion draft. So really the Bulls were the victims of losing the most talent from the expansion and still went on to be the GOAT team.

[1987_Lakers]

'96 Bulls would get slaughtered by the '17 Warriors. Also have the '86 Celtics at #2.

[Da_Realist]

No this isn't a list of the best ever teams. That would involve context and still be based on opinion. This is a list of the best ever seasons. For instance, the 14-15 Warriors may or may not be one of the top 10 best teams in NBA history but they unquestionably had one of the top 10 best seasons from start to finish.

[ArbitraryWater]

I don't think 2015 Warriors just "snuck" in there. They were an incredible team.

#2 Offence in the league and #1 defence at the time.


For whatever reason not even Warrior fans like to brag about that year even though their team was amazing that year.


They did kinda snuck in there. They were still very green.

No way they win if the Cavs have Kyrie.

[Xiao Yao You]

'96 Bulls would get slaughtered by the '17 Warriors. Also have the '86 Celtics at #2.

Are the Bulls playing them under '96 rules? '82 Philly was the best team I saw in the middle of the Laker/Celtic rivalry. Rolled through the playoffs

[1987_Lakers]

Are the Bulls playing them under '96 rules? '82 Philly was the best team I saw in the middle of the Laker/Celtic rivalry. Rolled through the playoffs

You mean ‘83

[Xiao Yao You]

You mean ‘83

sure

[dankok8]

1971 Bucks and 1972 Lakers should get way more GOAT team shouts too.

[Da_Realist]

1971 Bucks and 1972 Lakers should get way more GOAT team shouts too.

True. We never hear about those Kareem and Oscar Bucks. Just a year before the 72 Lakers, who we always hear about. Kareem's first championship run is actually more impressive than the rest of his must more acknowledged 80's Lakers runs if we're just going by how a team dominated their own competition.

[Axe]

The sore loser below the op in the first page is an extremely insecure butthurt casual.