Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Thunder are right on the heels of Michael Jordan's Bulls

The 1996 Chicago Bulls are arguably the greatest team of all time. Michael Jordan led the league in scoring and was named MVP. Scottie Pippen was named an All-Star for the sixth time while finishing second in DPOY voting. He wasn't the only elite defender, as Dennis Rodman was still causing havoc guarding anyone on the floor.

Phil Jackson coached this majestic team, and they finished 72-10 with the ring. The 2016 Warriors might've broken that All-Time wins record by going 73-9, but it doesn't hit the same when you aren't crowned champs at the end of the year. The Bulls were dominant from start to finish, reflected in their No. 1 net rating.

Subscribe to the Whiteboard, FanSided’s daily email newsletter on everything basketball. If you like The Whiteboard, share it with a friend! If you don’t like it, share it with an enemy!

The Oklahoma City Thunder are in rare air — only the 1996 Bulls are higher

Net rating is a statistic that measures how many points a team scores compared to its opponents per 100 possessions. The Bulls' net rating was plus-13.4, which is still the NBA record. They might have some company, though. The 2025 Oklahoma City Thunder may not catch them in wins, but their dominance is on the Bulls' heels.

The Bulls had Jordan, and the Thunder have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. SGA isn't MJ, but he's doing comparable things this year. Shai, too, leads the league at 32.5 points per game while being the MVP favorite. He's the head of the snake on the best team in the league. Like Jordan had Pippen (No. 5 in MVP voting in 1996), Shai isn't alone.

Jalen "J-dub" Williams was named a first-time All-Star this season. He's a two-way monster who can lead the dance with SGA on the bench. The Thunder are plus-3 with Jdub and no SGA. That's a solid figure with the MVP leader on the sidelines. Jdub's defensive versatility has popped in his breakout season.

When their All-Defensive worthy center went down to start this season, Jdub stepped up and anchored the defense as a 6-foot-6 wing. His speed and instincts allowed OKC to not only tread water but also to remain the top defense in the league over the center's absence. Per PBP stats, opponents only shoot 55 percent with Jdub at the rim. Compare that to a defensive star big man like Milwaukee's Brook Lopez, who opponents shoot 54 percent against. Lopez has almost double the attempts at the rim, but Jdub's figure is expressly impressive, factoring in size and role. He held it down while Chet Holmgren recovered from a hip injury.

With the star-studded defender Holmgren back in the lineup, OKC is shredding teams to the tune of plus-16.9 with Holmgren on the floor. He turns away potential shot attempts with elite positioning. On the other end, Holmgren adds another dynamic as a self-creating big. He can take bigs off the dribble and stretch the floor. That aspect of his game will be crucial come playoff time, as the Dallas Mavericks dared other options to beat them last year in the playoffs. SGA delivered, but his teammates did not.

With those three leading the charge paired with impactful role players like Alex Caruso, Isaiah Hartenstein, Aaron Wiggins, and Lu Dort -- there's clear evidence that this team has been the best in the league so far. They're tied for the best record at 44-10 with the No. 5 offense and No. 1 defense.

The 1996 Bulls are relevant because these young but great Thunder have the second-best net rating EVER at plus-13.0. Shai looks like the MVP and has to hold on to the No. 1 seed to avoid the triple-double machine Nikola Jokic from passing him. OKC's furthering of their eight-game lead over the West will strengthen SGA's case. Their strength of schedule for the rest of the year isn't easy, but this team has been dominant, and they could surpass the Bulls' dominant net rating in the best regular season in league history.