Sansterre's Top 100 Teams of All Time

[dankok8]

Those of you who lurk on RealGM probably already know about it but a user on there compiled a list of top 100 teams from 1955 and it goes until 2020.

100. The 1991 Los Angeles Lakers
99. The 2015 Cleveland Cavaliers
98. The 1975 Washington Bullets
97. The 1988 Detroit Pistons
96. The 1990 Phoenix Suns
95. The 2008 Los Angeles Lakers
94. The 2018 Houston Rockets
93. The 1995 Houston Rockets
92. The 2009 Orlando Magic
91. The 2019 Golden State Warriors
90. The 2010 Boston Celtics
89. The 2005 Detroit Pistons
88. The 1976 Golden State Warriors
87. The 2006 Miami Heat
86. The 1985 Boston Celtics
85. The 1989 Phoenix Suns
84. The 2002 Sacramento Kings
83. The 1986 Los Angeles Lakers
82. The 1969 Boston Celtics
81. The 2011 Miami Heat
80. The 1966 Boston Celtics
79. The 1973 Los Angeles Lakers
78. The 2007 Phoenix Suns
77. The 1981 Milwaukee Bucks
76. The 1989 Los Angeles Lakers
75. The 1996 Seattle SuperSonics
74. The 1992 Portland Trail Blazers
73. The 2012 San Antonio Spurs
72. The 1982 Los Angeles Lakers
71. The 1980 Boston Celtics
70. The 1959 Boston Celtics
69. The 1957 Boston Celtics
68. The 2000 Los Angeles Lakers
67. The 1974 Boston Celtics
66. The 1980 Los Angeles Lakers
65. The 2009 Denver Nuggets
64. The 1997 Utah Jazz
63. The 1984 Los Angeles Lakers
62. The 2000 Portland Trail Blazers
61. The 1962 Boston Celtics
60. The 1990 Detroit Pistons
59. The 1974 Milwaukee Bucks
58. The 1960 Boston Celtics
57. The 1982 Boston Celtics
56. The 2012 Oklahoma City Thunder
55. The 1964 Boston Celtics
54. The 2008 Boston Celtics
53. The 2005 Phoenix Suns
52. The 2010 Los Angeles Lakers
51. The 1993 Chicago Bulls
50. The 1984 Boston Celtics
49. The 1977 Portland Trail Blazers
48. The 1973 New York Knicks
47. The 2020 Boston Celtics
46. The 1981 Boston Celtics
45. The 1970 New York Knicks
44. The 1965 Boston Celtics
43. The 2017 Cleveland Cavaliers
42. The 2006 Dallas Mavericks
41. The 2011 Dallas Mavericks
40. The 2020 Los Angeles Lakers
39. The 2004 Detroit Pistons
38. The 2009 Cleveland Cavaliers
37. The 2003 San Antonio Spurs
36. The 2013 Miami Heat
35. The 1996 Utah Jazz
34. The 2002 Los Angeles Lakers
33. The 1961 Boston Celtics
32. The 2010 Orlando Magic
31. The 2019 Toronto Raptors
30. The 2005 San Antonio Spurs
29. The 2016 Oklahoma City Thunder
28. The 1989 Detroit Pistons
27. The 2007 San Antonio Spurs
26. The 2016 Golden State Warriors
25. The 2019 Milwaukee Bucks
24. The 1972 Milwaukee Bucks
23. The 2016 San Antonio Spurs
22. The 1983 Philadelphia 76ers
21. The 2013 San Antonio Spurs
20. The 1972 Los Angeles Lakers
19. The 1998 Chicago Bulls
18. The 2012 Miami Heat
17. The 1999 San Antonio Spurs
16. The 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers
15. The 1967 Philadelphia 76ers
14. The 1997 Chicago Bulls
13. The 1992 Chicago Bulls
12. The 1987 Los Angeles Lakers
11. The 2009 Los Angeles Lakers
10. The 1985 Los Angeles Lakers
9. The 2015 Golden State Warriors
8. The 2001 Los Angeles Lakers
7. The 2014 San Antonio Spurs
6. The 1986 Boston Celtics
5. The 2018 Golden State Warriors
4. The 1991 Chicago Bulls
3. The 1971 Milwaukee Bucks
2. The 1996 Chicago Bulls
1. The 2017 Golden State Warriors

It's not so much about the order of the teams and I disagree with quite a few but the writeups and analysis are top notch. A very recommended read.

Link: https://forums.realgm.com/boards/vie...f=64&t=2012241

[ArbitraryWater]

The 2 Mavs teams right behind each other is interesting

[ArbitraryWater]

The 2009 Lakers as 11th best team ever is ABSURD

[Xiao Yao You]

'83 Sixers at 15? Most dominating team I saw and in the middle of the Laker and Celtics rivalry

[RRR3]

How are the 13 Spurs ahead of a team they lost to?

[Xiao Yao You]

can't quit me!

[SATAN]

LeBron faced tougher competition than MJ.

[dankok8]

His algorithm for the rankings weighs playoff SRS pretty heavily so teams that have good point differential (MOV) in the playoffs over better teams tend to get the high rankings. That's how for instance the 2013 Spurs got ahead of the 2013 Heat. Because they beat a few tougher teams in the West and by way bigger margins than the Heat beat their opposition and then they ended up losing the Finals despite outscoring the Heat. And I can follow the reasoning. You can argue that the 2013 Spurs were the better team and got unlucky to lose the series. It's not crazy.

Like I said, his write-ups are really great even if you disagree with the rankings.

[RRR3]

His algorithm for the rankings weighs playoff SRS pretty heavily so teams that have good point differential (MOV) in the playoffs over better teams tend to get the high rankings. That's how for instance the 2013 Spurs got ahead of the 2013 Heat. Because they beat a few tougher teams in the West and by way bigger margins than the Heat beat their opposition and then they ended up losing the Finals despite outscoring the Heat. And I can follow the reasoning. You can argue that the 2013 Spurs were the better team and got unlucky to lose the series. It's not crazy.

Like I said, his write-ups are really great even if you disagree with the rankings.

Meh. That series is over much quicker if Wade wasn't playing injured the entire playoffs.

[dankok8]

Meh. That series is over much quicker if Wade wasn't playing injured the entire playoffs.

For sure. Healthy Heat were the best team but that's a hypothetical.

[MrFonzworth]

can't quit me!

[Manny98]

Not a terrible list outside of the 09 Lakers being way too high

2017 Warriors are definitely the GOAT team

[dankok8]

The 2009 Lakers were a 65-win +7.11 SRS team that then proceeded to run over everyone in the playoffs.

Round 1: Utah Jazz (+2.3), won 4-1, by +9.2 points per game (+11.5 SRS eq)
Round 2: Houston Rockets (+6.0), won 4-3, by +7.3 points per game (+13.3 SRS eq)
Round 3: Denver Nuggets (+10.3), won 4-2, by +3.7 points per game (+14.0 SRS eq)
Round 4: Orlando Magic (+9.3), won 4-1, by +9.4 points per game (+18.7 SRS eq)

There aren't that many teams better than them in history. I'd probably have them a little lower but they kind of run under the radar.

They were really good.

[Xiao Yao You]

The 2009 Lakers were a 65-win +7.11 SRS team that then proceeded to run over everyone in the playoffs.

Round 1: Utah Jazz (+2.3), won 4-1, by +9.2 points per game (+11.5 SRS eq)
Round 2: Houston Rockets (+6.0), won 4-3, by +7.3 points per game (+13.3 SRS eq)
Round 3: Denver Nuggets (+10.3), won 4-2, by +3.7 points per game (+14.0 SRS eq)
Round 4: Orlando Magic (+9.3), won 4-1, by +9.4 points per game (+18.7 SRS eq)

There aren't that many teams better than them in history. I'd probably have them a little lower but they kind of run under the radar.

They were really good.

Sixers lost one game in the playoffs in '83. Less games then but you can't say their competition wasn't top notch in the middle of the Lakers/Celtics rivalry

[SouBeachTalents]

The 2009 Lakers were a 65-win +7.11 SRS team that then proceeded to run over everyone in the playoffs.

Round 1: Utah Jazz (+2.3), won 4-1, by +9.2 points per game (+11.5 SRS eq)
Round 2: Houston Rockets (+6.0), won 4-3, by +7.3 points per game (+13.3 SRS eq)
Round 3: Denver Nuggets (+10.3), won 4-2, by +3.7 points per game (+14.0 SRS eq)
Round 4: Orlando Magic (+9.3), won 4-1, by +9.4 points per game (+18.7 SRS eq)

There aren't that many teams better than them in history. I'd probably have them a little lower but they kind of run under the radar.

They were really good.

Ran everybody over? They lost 7 times, needed 7 games to beat the Rockets without Yao, and were a play away from losing 1-2 more times in the Finals. That was not even close to some dominant playoff run.