Top 5 best NBA teams of all time

How do we rate the best NBA teams of all time? Is it the winning record, the playoff success, the winning streaks, player and/or personnel, or a combination of all?Here are the top 5 teams that fulfill all these criteria and make the list.

#5 Philadelphia 76ers (1982-1983)

Coach: Billy Cunningham

Starters:

G: Maurice CHeeks

G: Andrew Toney

F: Julius Erving

F: Marc Lavaroni

C: Moses Malone

With a 65 win season, Dr. J got outstanding support from his teammates to finally reach the top of the proverbial mountain and win the NBA title. Malone averaged 15 rebounds and 2 blocks per game to become the best center and a big defensive threat the whole season and won the MVP award.

#4 LA Lakers (1986-1987)

Coach: Pat Riley

Starters:

G: Magic Johnson

G: Bryan Scott

F: James Worthy

F: AC Green

C: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

The best Playoff team ever. This team beat its opponents in the playoffs by an average of 11 points and lost only one game in the entire playoffs. The team recorded a 65 win season. The team faced the defending champions Celtics in the Finals and defeated the Boston team in an epic 6 game series.

The team showcased a highlight showtime style of fast breaks, all thanks to Magic Johnson. Johnson averaged a career-best 23.9 points per game and led the league in assists with a 12.2 average.

#3 Boston Celtics (1985-1986)

Head Coach: KC Jones

Starters:

G: Dennis Johnson

G: Danny Ainge

F: Larry Bird

F: Kevin McHale

C: Robert Parish

In addition to a 67 win season the team featured four starters that later on became prolific Hall of Famers and they had another Hall of famer in Bill Walton coming of the bench. It was the best Larry Bird team ever. This team challenged the Houston Rockets for the NBA title and became champions with a 4- 2 win.

The team also recorded the NBA best 40 - 1 home record which is still unbeaten.

#2 LA Lakers (1971-1972)

Head Coach: Bill Sharman

Starters:

G: Gail Goodrich

G: Jerry West

F: Nate McMillan

F: Happy Hairston

C: Wilt Chamberlain

This team recorded 69 wins and 13 losses in the regular season. Jerry West led the team all the way to the NBA finals against the New York Knicks and claimed the championship. The team also owns the league best winning streak of 33 games. This team was the best non-Jordan team to ever play in the NBA

#1 Chicago Bulls (1995-1996)

Head Coach: Phil Jackson

Starters:

G: Ron Harper

G: Michael Jordan

F: Scottie Pippen

F: Dennis Rodman

C: Luc Longley

First position is not at all difficult to set. It has to be the Chicago Bulls led by Jordan, Pippen and Rodman. A strong case can be made for the same team featuring the same players one year later too, i.e. 1996 - 1997.

The team recorded the NBA best 72 win season. The season marked the return of Jordan after his premature retirement to play baseball. The team cruised past Gary Payton's Supersonics to win the NBA title.