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Ranking every NBA Champion from No. 72 to No. 1 — The Definitive List

By Staff

TORONTO, CANADA - MAY 30: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors DeMarcus Cousins #0 of the Golden State Warriors and Serge Ibaka #9 of the Toronto Raptors defend their positions during Game One of the NBA Finals on May 30, 2019 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Chris Elise/NBAE via Getty Images)
TORONTO, CANADA - MAY 30: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors DeMarcus Cousins #0 of the Golden State Warriors and Serge Ibaka #9 of the Toronto Raptors defend their positions during Game One of the NBA Finals on May 30, 2019 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Chris Elise/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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BOSTON, MA – DECEMBER 2: Detroit Pistons player Phil Hubbard tries to block Boston Celtics player Larry Bird, top left, from making a shot, during the final seconds of a game against the Detroit Pistons at the Boston Garden in Boston on Dec. 2, 1981. Celtics players Charles Bradley, back right, Chris Ford, back far right, Robert Parish, bottom left, and Pistons player Kent Benson, bottom far left, watch. Bird’s shot won the game for the Celtics, with a final score of 115 – 114. (Photo by Frank O’Brien/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA – DECEMBER 2: Detroit Pistons player Phil Hubbard tries to block Boston Celtics player Larry Bird, top left, from making a shot, during the final seconds of a game against the Detroit Pistons at the Boston Garden in Boston on Dec. 2, 1981. Celtics players Charles Bradley, back right, Chris Ford, back far right, Robert Parish, bottom left, and Pistons player Kent Benson, bottom far left, watch. Bird’s shot won the game for the Celtics, with a final score of 115 – 114. (Photo by Frank O’Brien/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /

15. 1980-81 Boston Celtics

Boston sports dominance is having a renaissance at the moment, but we forget there was a period of time when that wasn’t the case. That changed in 1981 when the Celtics kicked started an ’80s revival in one of the more bizarre ways imaginable.

The fact that the Houston Rockets were able to win one game, let alone two, is remarkable. Houston had two Hall of Fame player in Moses Malone and Calvin Murphy but went up against a Celtics squad headlined by Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, and coached by Bill Fitch.

It was also the second and last time that a team with a losing record made it to the Finals. Houston limped into the playoffs with a 40-42 record, their first season as a member of the Western Conference. Had they still be in the East, as they were in 1980, Houston would have missed the playoffs by four games.

That’s the team that, as admirable as they were, ran right into the Boston buzzsaw in the Finals. Houston played Boston a lot closer than expected in the first half of the series, but there was no stopping Bird’s Celtics in the latter half. After allowing the series to get tied in Game 4, Boston outscored Houston by 40 points over the final two games, including an 11-point series-clinching win in Game 6.

What’s notable about that is this Finals win kicked off a run for the Celtics that would see the team win five of the next seven Finals — the last great dynasty before Michael Jordan changed everything in the ’90s.

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