10 greatest superteams in NBA history

Superteams have been prevalent in the NBA since the 70s. In today's league, superstars or all-stars band together to form one compared to back in the day when elite talents were all homegrown.

Here are the 10 greatest superteams in NBA history.

10. 2002-03 San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs have never been associated with superteams in the NBA. Looking back on this team, however, they house some of the most elite talents back during this season.

Led by Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, David Robinson and Manu Ginobili, with Spurs coach Greg Poppovich, they established their dominance through a commanding defensive presence and togetherness. The team finished third in the Western Conference and finished the season with a championship over the New Jersey Nets.

9. 2007-08 Boston Celtics

Superstars or all-stars joining forces arguably started with the Celtics' "Big 3" era. Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen headed to Boston to join Paul Pierce, along with the quality production of a young Rajon Rondo.

Under Celtics coach Doc Rivers, Boston thrived with their defensive identity and secured a championship against Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and the LA Lakers. Their signature defensive performance was showcased in Game 4 of the Finals as they overcame a 24-point deficit.

8. 1994-95 Houston Rockets

After Clyde "The Glide" Drexler joined NBA giant Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon, the Rockets were a force to be reckoned with in the league.

The dynamic one-two punch of Drexler and Olajuwon was too much to handle for a young Orlando Magic team, led by Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway. The Rockets secured their second-straight championship to finish the season on a high note.

7. 2015-16 Cleveland Cavaliers

After missing the mark in the 2015 finals due to a number of injuries, the Cavaliers were not to be denied the second time around.

LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love's Cavaliers will go down in NBA history as the only team to come back from a 3-1 deficit in the finals to win it all. What made the come back even more impressive was that it came against the team with the best record in NBA history, the Golden State Warriors (73-9).

6. 1988-1990 Detroit Pistons

The Detroit "Bad Boys" Pistons were considered an unorthodox type of team during their time. Defeating the Lakers, Celtics and Michael Jordan's Bulls solidified their status as a team to be taken seriously.

Led by Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Dennis Rodman and Bill Laimbeer, they were all homegrown talents for Detroit that won two championships.

5. 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers have been known to acquire elite talents in the NBA to form an excellent squad with the highest expectations to win it all in the end. Enter the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers.

A team composed of Wilt "The Stilt" Chamberlain, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor and Gail Goodrich, they were considered one of the scariest teams at the time. Due to their overwhelming presence as a unit, they defeated the New York Knicks to secure the championship.

4. 2011-2013 Miami Heat

Winners of back-to-back championships, the Miami Heat had something special brewing with the roster they had at the time.

After the disappointing 2011 finals outing, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh made amends the following two seasons as one of best superteams formed.

3. 1984-1988 Los Angeles Lakers

The "Showtime" Lakers were a team to behold at the time. They were box-office personified with their fast-break offense and household stars.

Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, Michael Cooper and coach Pat Riley made noise in the city of Hollywood as every team was outmatched. They won four-straight championships together.

2. 1995-1998 Chicago Bulls

Starting their dominance with a 72-10 record, the Chicago Bulls could not be stopped during their run against great teams in the league.

Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Toni Kukoc and coach Phil Jackson perfected their triangle offense once more as they ran teams out of the gym for three-straight championships.

1. 2016-18 Golden State Warriors

Arguably considered as the deadliest superteam in NBA history, the Golden State Warriors were so dominant that other good teams in the league still had no shot.

After Kevin Durant left the OKC Thunder to join Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, they proceeded to win two-straight championships. Led by a three-headed monster, their offensive and defensive presence rivaled some of the greats in NBA history.

The 2020-21 Brooklyn Nets as one of the most disappointing superteams in NBA history

After the acquisition of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden, the 2020-21 Brooklyn Nets had their eyes set on the championship.

Despite their defensive mislapeses, their overwhelming offense was more than enough to send teams home packing. Unfortunately, due to Irving and Harden's injuries, along with subpar following seasons, the Nets failed to meet and exceed expectations.