21st Century Championship Strength Ranking: Is the Warriors with Durant the strongest team in history?

Translator's note: The original text was published in CBS, and the data in the article were as of the time of the original text (September 3 local time). The dates and times involved are all local time

, now is a quarter of the 21st century, and it is time to rank the NBA championships in the past 25 years. This ranking is not based on who has the most difficult road to winning the championship, nor is it even necessary for who has played the best season, but just selecting which teams are the best to win the championship.

Obviously, this is very subjective, but we as editorial teams have tried our best to analyze these teams from the same consistent perspective as possible. Of course there will be different opinions, but here are our ranking results.

1. Warriors (2017)

Regular season record: 67 wins and 15 losses

Playoff record: 16 wins and 1 losses

Finals opponents and scores: Cavaliers (4-1)

This is the most talented team ever to step on the NBA, and this is unquestionable. Stephen Curry. Kevin Durant. Klay Thompson. Draymond Green. Andre Iguodala actually came on as a substitute. This is simply an amazing collection of basketball skills and shows the highest level of team chemistry.

This is why Durant attracted public anger when he joined this team. To be honest, this is not fair. The Warriors swept nearly the entire playoffs, scoring 15 straight wins and ended their journey with a record +13.5 net win, while paving the way with a team led by LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love (the three strongest players on this team are arguably far better than any opponent Michael Jordan has faced in the Finals). Again, this is not just the greatest team of the century. This is the greatest team ever.

2. Lakers (2001)

Regular season record: 56 wins, 26 losses

Playoff record: 15 wins, 1 loss

Finals opponents and scores: 76ers (4-1)

Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal's second championship journey during the three consecutive championships was a dominant performance. The Lakers only lost one game in this journey, which was to lose to the 76ers in the first game of the finals. That game was remembered by everyone for the classic scene of Allen Iverson crossing Tyron Lu. What you probably don't remember is that the Lakers won a total of 40 points in the next four games.

However, the depth of this Lakers is not particularly outstanding. Rick Fox, Derek Fisher and Horace Grant at the end of his career are the other three starters. That 76ers is probably the weakest finals team of the century. They beat the Spurs by averaging 22 points in the Western Conference Finals, when the Spurs were not yet started, Terry Porter and Derek Anderson were the starters, and David Robinson was nearing the end of his career. But it is not the Lakers' problem that their opponents are too weak. They can only defeat their opponents in front of them and beat all their opponents to a loss.

3. Warriors (2018)

Regular season record: 58 wins, 24 losses

Playoff record: 16 wins, 5 losses

Finals opponents and scores: Cavaliers (4-0)

Perhaps, for the Warriors who have entered the finals for four consecutive years, some fatigue is quietly growing, and a rift may have begun to appear when Durant and the Warriors join forces. Maybe Iguodala is no longer the same person he used to in his 14th season.

But this is really nitpicking. After all, they had the league's first offense and the league's first defense at that time. Durant and Curry both averaged more than 26 points per game, and they both performed well in the finals, with the Warriors sweeping a Cavaliers who are still strong in the roster.

But what impressed everyone the most about this championship journey was that it was almost overwhelmed in the Western Conference Finals, when the Rockets used their defense replacement tactics to really make the Warriors feel overwhelmed. The Rockets once led 3-2 in that series. If Chris Paul hadn't missed the last two games and/or the Rockets did not miss 27 consecutive three-pointers in Game 7, the Warriors would have missed the Finals.

But this did not happen, and being forced into a desperate situation by a great team (objectively the Rockets are a great team) should not be a reason to blame them, just as we would not criticize the Lakers in 2002 who almost escaped from death to eliminate the Kings.

4. Spurs (2014)

Regular season record: 62 wins and 20 losses

Playoff record: 16 wins and 7 losses

Finals opponents and scores: Heat (4-1)

No one in this Spurs won any individual award. Only Tony Parker was selected for the All-Star Game. No one in the team averaged 17 points per game. However, it will be almost undoubtedly the most remembered and respected champion in the history of the Spurs, who reached the nirvana of basketball that season and ended LeBron James's Heat era with one of the most wonderful basketballs ever.

Here is an incredible stat: In the NBA Finals, the Spurs averaged 100 more passes than the Heat in four big wins. Their 52.8% shooting percentage is still the finals record. The Spurs' first four championships are a bit boring in the eyes of ordinary fans. The fifth championship is completely different. It reflects the ideal basketball form in our minds. They may not be as talented as other champion teams, but they have achieved cohesion, clarity and creativity that no team has ever achieved since then.

5. Warriors (2015)

Regular season record: 67 wins and 15 losses

Playoff record: 16 wins and 5 losses

Finals opponents and scores: Cavaliers (4-2)

If you want to prove the importance of NBA coaches, then take a look at the Warriors in the 2014-15 season. With only Sean Livingston as an important new player in the roster, Steve Cole took over the 51-win team from Mark Jackson (the team just got out of the first round of the playoffs) and turned it into a 67-win NBA championship team the following season.

When the Warriors first won the championship, traditionalists in basketball were not ready to accept Curry as a true superstar and thus accept the Warriors as a real champion team. They tried to find all possible flaws for the championship, mainly pointing out that all the Warriors' opponents suffered injuries in the playoffs, especially in the finals, where both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love were absent.

But this Warriors are the best team in the league from beginning to end - ranking first in offense, defense, net efficiency, shooting percentage, real shooting percentage, effective shooting percentage, three-point shooting percentage and assists per game. They have arguably the best offensive player in the world, Curry and Green, the best defensive player in the world. They have two of the best shooters ever. They have one of the greatest Swiss Army Knife players in league history, Iguodala, who won the Finals MVP. They also have a top basket protector Andrew Bogut.

The team has everything, which is reflected not only in this championship, but also in their 73-win season with almost the same lineup the following year. If that 2016 team didn't get reversed by the Cavaliers with a 3-1 lead, we would even call the Warriors the greatest team in NBA history before Kevin Durant arrived.

6. Celtics (2008)

Regular season record: 66 wins and 16 losses

Playoff record: 16 wins and 10 losses

Finals opponents and scores: Lakers (4-2)

An interesting fact: In the regular season of the 2007-08 season, when Kevin Garnett was on the court, the Celtics beat their opponent 16 points per 100 rounds. This number is simply incredible. None of LeBron James' teams dominate his time. Neither is Nicola Jokic's team.

In his first year at the Celtics, Garnett deservedly elected Defensive Player of the Year. However, how he made everything on the offensive end work was less praised. Although he leads the team in scoring, usage and shots, he doesn't ask for the ball like he did when he was with the Timberwolves, allowing Paul Pierce and Ray Allen to play their original star level. A chemical reaction occurred quickly between the three giants, as if they had been working together for many years. Soon, it turns out that the Celtics also have a championship-level support lineup, including a sophomore starting point guard (Rajon Rondo), a 24-year-old starting center (Kendrick Perkins) and a solid backup wing (James Percy). Few teams can excel so clearly from beginning to end.

7. Lakers (2002)

Regular season record: 58 wins, 24 losses,

Playoff record: 15 wins, 4 losses,

Finals opponents and scores: Nets (4-0)

As the Lakers' three consecutive championships, this championship is very important. This is a rare achievement. There are only three teams in history that have done it, and there are only two in modern basketball history. Even though he was carrying the burden of two consecutive championships and under huge physical and mental consumption, the Lakers still won 58 regular season games and won 7 of the first eight games of the playoffs.

followed by the Kings in the Western Conference Finals, one of the craziest playoff series in modern basketball history. The Lakers had to pass the game with a tiebreak before they could get through, and this was not a criticism of them at all. That King is one of the best teams we've ever seen that failed to win a championship. Much like the sun in 2007.

Of course, many people will tell you that the Suns in 2007 (because of Amare Stoudemire's suspension) and the King in 2002 were both robbed. The Lakers needed Robert Horry to win a buzzer-beating final shot to avoid 1-3 behind, and then they avoid being eliminated with 27 "friendly" free throws in the fourth quarter of Game 6. In the end, they also needed the Kings to concede 14 free throws and miss 18 of 20 three-pointers in Game 7 overtime to win. The Lakers needed a lot of luck, but in the end, they did and completed their three straight titles by sweeping the Nets in the Finals, with 3 of them having a score difference of 6 or less in 4 games. This is not easy, but three consecutive championships shouldn't be easy.

8. Heat (2013)

Regular season record: 66 wins and 16 losses

Playoff record: 16 wins and 7 losses

Finals opponents and scores: Spurs (4-3)

66 wins are the best regular season record in the era of the Heat's Big Three, but they narrowly won the championship. They have never been able to win a streak against the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, and they need to pass the tiebreak to eliminate young Paul George and his teammates. Then there is the magical bottom corner three-pointer of Ray Allen in the finals, which everyone knows. At that time, the Heat were only a few seconds away from being eliminated.

With that being said, it is not necessarily a denial of the dominance of the final winner. That Pacers are excellent, and the Spurs are strong. The introduction of Ray Allen is a crucial move, and this is LeBron's fourth and final MVP season. Overall, this may be the best lineup in the Heat Big Three period.

9. Cavaliers (2016)

Regular season record: 57 wins and 25 losses

Playoff record: 16 wins and 5 losses

Finals opponents and scores: Warriors (4-3)

The only team in history that finished a 1-3 back-turn in the NBA Finals is definitely a team with a strong lineup. The peak LeBron and Carey, coupled with Love, played the role of a space-based insider, averaged more than 5 three-point shots in the playoffs and shot more than 41%.

projection. depth. Rebounds. Top offense and top ten defense. That 73-win Warriors might be a better team, but the gap is not big. The Cavaliers’ path to the Finals is much easier, but when we talk about the huge advantage of the Western Conference, that’s overall. The Cavaliers' lineup is very strong. When LeBron and Carey were on fire in Game 5, they reached a level that no Warriors player could reach.

Ultimately, it was one of the iconic NBA championships. This is undoubtedly the pinnacle of LeBron's career and also the pinnacle of Carey. Combining elements such as LeBron's block, Carey's shot and Draymond's suspension, it's almost impossible to have a more dramatic script than this, ending the 52-year-old curse in Cleveland sports.

10. Celtics (2024)

Regular season record: 64 wins and 18 losses

Playoff record: 16 wins and 3 losses

Finals opponents and scores: Mavericks (4-1)

You can throw a dart and you can score a statistic to rank this Celtics among the most dominant teams in history. They hit 1,457 three-pointers in the regular season, setting an NBA record and rewriting the shooting manual of modern basketball. They lead the East by 14 wins, the biggest gap between first and second in the East since an era with a full round record.

Celtics also have the highest score and offensive efficiency per round in league history. They were 20 points ahead in 41 of 82 regular season games. They won 19 games with a score difference of at least 25 points, the most in league history. Three more games have won at least 50 points, which is also a league record. They won 20 straight home wins at home and lost only four home games in Boston throughout the season.

This dominance did not stop in the playoffs, they lost only 3 games and defeated the Mavericks three times in the finals by at least 20 points. Did the Celtics benefit from the injury of their opponent's superstars in every round of the playoffs before entering the Finals? Yes. But it's an untenable argument, aiming to devalue this powerful team that can dominate the game on both ends of the court.

11, Spurs (2007)

Regular season record: 58 wins and 24 losses

Playoff record: 16 wins and 4 losses

Finals opponents and scores: Cavaliers (4-0)

12, Thunder (2025)

Regular season record: 68 wins and 14 losses

Playoff record: 16 wins and 7 losses

Finals opponents and scores: Pacers (4-3)

13, Raptors (2019)

Regular season record: 58 wins 24 losses

Playoff record: 16 wins 8 losses

Finals opponents and scores: Warriors (4-2)

14, Lakers (2009)

Regular season record: 65 wins 17 losses

Playoff record: 16 wins 7 losses

Total Final opponents and scores: Magic (4-1)

15, Spurs (2003)

Regular season record: 60 wins and 22 losses

Playoff record: 16 wins and 8 losses

Final opponents and scores: Nets (4-2)

16, Heat (2012)

Regular season record: 46 wins and 20 losses

Playoff record: 16 wins and 7 losses

Finals opponents and scores: Thunder (4-1)

17, Lakers (2010)

Regular season record: 57 wins and 25 losses

Playoff record: 16 wins and 7 losses

Finals opponents and scores: Celtics (4-3)

18, Pistons (2004)

Regular season record: 54 wins and 28 losses

Postseason The match record: 16 wins and 7 losses

Finals opponents and scores: Lakers (4-1)

19, Mavericks (2011)

Regular season record: 57 wins and 25 losses

Playoff record: 16 wins and 5 losses

Finals opponents and scores: Heat (4-2)

20, Lakers (2020)

Regular season record: 52 wins and 19 losses

Playoff record: 16 wins and 5 losses

Finals opponents and scores: Heat (4-2)

21, Nuggets (2023)

Regular season record: 53 wins and 29 losses

Playoff record: 16 wins and 4 losses

Finals opponents and scores: Heat (4-1)

22, Bucks (2021)

Regular season record : 46 wins, 26 losses

Playoff record: 16 wins, 7 losses

Finals opponents and scores: Suns (4-2)

23, Spurs (2005)

Regular season record: 59 wins, 23 losses

Playoff record: 16 wins, 7 losses

Finals opponents and scores: Pistons (4-3)

24, Heat (2006)

Regular season record: 52 wins and 30 losses

Playoff record: 16 wins and 7 losses

Finals opponents and scores: Mavericks (4-2)

25, Warriors (2022)

Regular season record: 53 wins and 29 losses

Playoff record: 16 wins and 6 losses

Finals opponents and scores: Celtics (4-2)

Author: Brad Botkin, James Herbert& Sam Quinn

Translator: GWayNe