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#3 2003-04 San Antonio Spurs
Although the San Antonio Spurs' 2003-04 team failed to compete for the NBA championship, they remain the best defensive team in the franchise's history. While Gregg Popovich has led the Spurs to several impressive defensive outings, none tops what they achieved in the 2003-04 season.
The San Antonio Spurs were looking for a second consecutive NBA title and did well enough, even without David Robinson. They allowed only 84.3 points, had 6.5 blocks, and 8.1 assists per game. As impressive as that sounds, they had no answer for Derek Fisher's 0.4 seconds shot to complete an LA Lakers 0-2 series comeback in the Western Conference semi-finals.
#2 2007-08 Boston Celtics
The 2007-08 season was the year the Boston Celtics won their 17th NBA championship, all thanks to the efforts of Kevin Garnett on defense. Garnett was brought in alongside three-point specialist Ray Allen to join Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo in Beantown.
From the jump, it was evident that the C's were more interested in beefing up their defense as the team was loaded with stellar All-Defensive players, past and future.
Garnet was off to a flying start in his first season as he helped the Celtics to a 66-16 run, earning the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award for his contributions.
The Boston Celtics successfully limited their opponents to 90.3 points per game while averaging 4.6 blocks and 8.5 steals. Following an impressive playoff run, they thrashed the LA Lakers 4-2 in the NBA Finals.
#1 2003-04 Detroit Pistons
Rasheed Wallace was the final piece that took a defensive Detroit Pistons team to elite status. His partnership with Ben Wallace was seamless, leading to one of the best defensive set-ups in NBA history.
The Detroit Pistons went on an incredible five-game run late in the season, limiting their opponents to under 70 points. For the entire 2003-04 NBA season, they allowed 84.3 points per game.
If the Spurs had overcome the Lakers and reached the finals, it would have been a battle between two elite defenses.
Regardless, the Pistons averaged seven blocks and eight steals per game in the regular season. They also registered a record-breaking 19 blocks against the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals.
The Lakers did not stand a chance in the NBA Finals as the Pistons clinched their third franchise championship in five games.
