II. The Most Memorable NBA Championship Teams
77) This is Part II in a Five Part Series - looking at the NBA Champs from 1991 through 2023, spanning the 33 teams that finished as the very best in the League
FOR PART II - I’m starting in reverse order with the teams at the bottom of the “LOWER TIER” all the way to the championship teams that make up the “BRONZE STANDARD”
If you missed Part I of this series - check it out right here;
For the record, some of the clips I curated don’t necessarily capture that exact finals, or don’t give an all encompassing story of what happened during those playoffs, but rather are a snap-shot of that postseason. For example the “MJ 3 point barrage” is famously remembered as the time in Game 1 of the 1992 Finals that Michael Jordan destroyed the Blazers. The “MJ Flu game” is the most memorable playoff and finals game of the Bulls 1997 postseason run to Title #5.
CURRENT NBA NEWS: The Boston Celtics have taken an overwhelming 3-0 lead over the Dallas Mavs. The question about the 2024 finals isn’t if the Celtics will win, but rather when they will win. Part of me hopes Dallas wins Game 4 and this series goes until at least a Game 5, so then at least you all will have a good story to read about heading into that game. But, for now, you have this amazing story as your lead in to tonight (Friday 06/14/2024)!
LOWER TIER 33-28
#33 - 1999 San Antonio Spurs: The 50 game regular Season “Lock-out” title! You know what, maybe this title should be ranked higher. The Spurs were the best team in the league, regardless of injuries and everyone being out of shape. It’s possible it should be ranked higher than the “Bubble Title”.
#32 - 2020 LA Lakers: The Bubble Title! I really wish I could count this higher, but I just can’t. Maybe if the Lakers were able to repeat in 2021, if Anthony Davis wasn’t made of glass. Or if they were able to win it in 2022 (wait they didn’t even make the playoffs in 2022). This team has been so poorly managed. It’s a shame too. LeBron lead teams feel a little light in championship trophies. But, at least he has this “Mickey Mouse” one to make it a total of 4 in his career.
Personally, I actually enjoyed the “Bubble Experiment”. 3 million other Americans agreed with me and actually watched these games. It was cool that there was an NBA game at 3 PM on a Wednesday in August.
I shared AD’s buzzer beater in the WCF in Part I of the most memorable NBA Champions, but honestly the most memorable basked happened in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals between the Celtics and (the defending champions at the time) Toronto Raptors. OG Anunoby, FOR THE WIN!!!
#31 - 2022 Golden State Warriors: The flukiest Warriors Title! They ducked any real competition avoiding the Bucks, and playing in a weakened Western conference (one of the rare off years for that conference). That and Wiggins played out of his mind in these playoffs. Even though I don’t like the Warriors, I was happy that Steph Curry earned his first and only finals MVP.
#30 - 2006 Miami Heat: “Don’t fart on Dwayne Wade” or he will go to the free throw line, Finals! This team actually might have been weaker than the three aforementioned teams, but it was a real season, even though it felt like a historically FIXED FINALS.
#29 - 2018 Golden State Warriors: They were supposed to repeat as Champs, title! If I could rank this title lower, I would. This was the least excited back-to-back Champions you will ever find in any sport. Even Bob Myers said (on a podcast with JJ Reddick) that he had the biggest migraine ever after this one, as it was more of a relief to win the title, then it was a joy. Aside from an exciting Game 1 (which had a truly bizarre end to regulation) this finals was an epic bore.
#28 - 2007 San Antonio Spurs: The Robert Horry comes through in the clutch yet again, “Hip Check” Western Conference Semi-finals, playoff series! It should not be lost on anyone that suspensions impacted this championship, whether we want to remember this or not. That and the regular season leading 67 Win, Dallas Mavericks got bounced in round 1 by the We Believe Warriors ( a team that predates the Steph Curry lead Warriors by some years…and makes me realize I’m old). This was just a weird NBA Year. Is it possible that this Championship is being ranked too high? Tony Parker Finals MVP!? Really?!?
BRONZE STANDARD TITLE 27-21
#27 - 2023 Denver Nuggets: Jokic claims the Belt as the undisputed best player in the World! They swept Lebron’s Lakers, they beheaded the “never say die Heat” and they beat a talented Suns team, as well as an up and coming Wolves Team. This title can potentially jump ahead to at least #23 (if not to the very top of the Bronze standard), but, for now given how the Nuggets flamed out this postseason, this spot seems just about right.
#26 - 2021 Milwaukee Bucks: Giannis’ time! I was very happy for this squad. I found this to be a fun wacky season. This alley-oop in Game 5 of the Finals and the whole sequence before that was incredible.
But, honestly the most memorable play from that postseason is when former All-Star Ben Simmons transformed into a 6 foot 10 inch scrub who was allergic to shooting.
#25 - 2009 LA Lakers: Kobe gets the monkey off his back and wins a chip without Shaq! I view his 2010 title as more impressive, though. The path in 2009 had a few lucky breaks for Kobe and the Lakers, and that 2009 Finals had more sliding doors theories/less than decisive endings (to most of the games) than I think it gets credit for.
#24 - 2005 San Antonio Spurs: The Ultimate Rock Fight, Finals! The Spurs won tough against a truly gritty defending Champion Pistons team and really showed their mettle. I almost forgot that this was also year #1 of Steve Nash and the Suns, a beautifully constructed team, that ended up losing in 5 to the Spurs in the WCF because Joe Johnson literally broke his face in Game 2 of the prior series. He was considered that big of a difference maker for the Suns.
#23 - 2004 Detroit Pistons: The gritty defensive team that ended the Shaq/Kobe Lakers mini-dynasty. They played suffocating defense, and were truly a team in the sense that the whole was better than the sum of its parts. Also when was the last time a mid-season trade actually swung the NBA title? It worked for the Pistons with Rasheed Wallace coming to them for the last part of the season, right here! Before that, it was with Clyde Drexler going to the Rockets during their 1995 title run.
Rasheed Wallace was truly one of a kind type of player! I think if not for this 2004 Championship, memories of him wouldn’t be quite as fond.
People forget the pivotal play in the Eastern Conference Finals where Tayshaun Prince had one of the most incredible blocks I have ever seen, against Reggie Miller to end Game 2. At the time I really thought the Pacers were going to win that series. But, that Game 2 swung home court advantage to the Pistons, and after that Detroit seized the series lead in Game 3, never relinquishing it, finishing Indiana off in 6.
#22 - 2019 Toronto Raptors: Kawhi’s legacy takes a big leap, solidifying his Championship Pedigree! This title was a lot of fun. I don’t think anyone predicted that the one year rental on Kawhi Leonard would have paid such dividends. This introductory press-conference where Kawhi first joins the Raptors, is so classic.
But, I guess it was hard to predict that KD would only play 11 minutes in these finals, and that Klay would get hurt in Game 6. Some might say, it wasn’t hard to predict the implosion of team chemistry.
I for one enjoyed the demise of the 2019 Warriors team at the time, despite their fluky title run 3 years later (after not even making the playoffs in 2020, or 2021).
#21 - 2015 Golden State Warriors: The start of a new dynasty! In some ways this was the purest title the Warriors ever won. Yet I kind of blame the Clippers for screwing this one up. Only the Clippers can knock out the defending champion Spurs in an epic 7 game series in Round 1, and then in the next round squander a 3-1 lead to a Rockets team that had perennial MVP candidate James Harden riding the bench in the key minutes of the pivotal Game 6.
The Warriors also got lucky with the Cavs injuries, too. Although, I find it hard to believe that David Blatt would have been a championship Head Coach, given how he got run out of town by Cleveland, to never return to the NBA.
This was an entertaining clip of the Warriors first championship parade.
In Part III of my Most Memorable NBA Champions, I will do another more in-depth analysis of the championship teams from the “Silver Standard” to the “Gold Standard” (ranking them all in reverse chronological order).
Peace out!
-JPJ