Fansided

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) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 49
Next
(Original Caption) Celtics’ coach Red Auerbach (c) is dwarfed by his charges as he talks to them during time-out, 4th quarter, 1st game, NBA Eastern Division Final Playoffs, Boston Garden. #6, Bill Russell; #16, Satch Sanders; Tommy Heinsohn (L of Auerbach). Celtics won the game, 108-98.
(Original Caption) Celtics’ coach Red Auerbach (c) is dwarfed by his charges as he talks to them during time-out, 4th quarter, 1st game, NBA Eastern Division Final Playoffs, Boston Garden. #6, Bill Russell; #16, Satch Sanders; Tommy Heinsohn (L of Auerbach). Celtics won the game, 108-98. /

63. 1948-49 Minneapolis Lakers

The NBA may still have been in its infancy, but there’s one factor as true then as it was today: Big men are vital. The first man to fit the role of dominant big man was George Mikan, a 6-foot-10, 245-pound center who was a rookie with the Lakers in the 1948-49 season. Mikan scored 28.3 points per game for the Lakers that season. He was a 24-year-old who had once hoped to become a priest until that plan went awry.

Mikan wasn’t naturally gifted when he first started to play in high school. He had also suffered a nasty knee injury when he was a teenager. That injury eventually limited his career to six core seasons in which the Lakers won five titles. Mikan worked tirelessly to develop his scoring ability, including the ability to shoot with both hands in difficult spots around the hoop. While the game was still primitive, Mikan’s ascent (and the 44-16 record the Lakers posted that season) was a huge boost to the progression of the game.

And for those who think the NBA (or Basketball Association of America, as it was known then) shouldn’t be taken seriously, the league did have between 12 and 17 teams for much of the Mikan Era.

62. 1968-69 Boston Celtics

This was the season that broke the relationship between Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain for two decades.

Russell turned 35 this season and was running on fumes. So was Sam Jones, who was 35 when the season started. This would be the final season for both of the Boston greats as they retired afterward. Jones, who had averaged more than 20 points a game for four straight years, slipped to 16.3 per game during the season. Russell played an extraordinary 42 minutes per game, but his scoring fell to a career-low 9.9 a game.

As a result, the Celtics went 48-34 and finished fourth in the Atlantic Division. They became the first of five teams over the past 50 years to win a title after winning fewer than 50 games. The idea of winning another title seemed ludicrous as the playoffs started, but the Celtics got hot. They beat Philadelphia, which no longer had Chamberlain, in five games and then beat the upstart New York Knicks in six.

That set up the final showdown between Russell and Chamberlain, who had forced his way to the Lakers. The series was an epic battle that also included the likes of Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, John Havlicek and Jones. The Lakers took a 3-2 lead before losing Game 6 in Boston. In the Game 7 match up in Los Angeles, the Celtics won by two points.

But the drama went further. Chamberlain was knocked out of the game with six minutes remaining with a knee injury. It was a serious injury that carried over to the next season. Russell was angry as Chamberlain left the floor, thinking Chamberlain had quit on the moment. Russell later accused Chamberlain of malingering. Chamberlain was enraged and the two didn’t speak for 20 years until Russell apologized, mending their friendship.

61. 1956-57 Boston Celtics

This is the team that started it all. Boston’s streak of 11 titles in a 13-year span began this season. But really, the streak began with one of the most brilliant offseasons in NBA history. Celtics coach and lead executive Red Auerbach took forward Tommy Heinsohn with what the league termed a “territorial” pick at the time (the NBA wanted local stars to help promote interest).

Auerbach then desperately wanted Russell to be the key to his defensive schemes. The problem was that Boston didn’t have one of the top two picks.

What Auerbach did have was control of the Ice Capades. Huh? In order to convince Rochester to not take Russell, Auerbach promised the ice show to the folks who owned the team to make them money. Then, Auerbach swung a trade with St. Louis at No. 2, which was both afraid to take a black player and wanted both Ed Macauley and Cliff Hagan. Macauley, a six-time all-star, wanted to move to St. Louis to be closer to his family.

Auerbach made the deal and the rest was history as Russell was the defensive stopper who triggered the great Celtics up tempo attack. Auerbach also drafted guard K.C. Jones in the second round, giving him three Hall of Fame players in the same offseason.

Home/NBA