The 128 Greatest Basketball Teams of All Time

Here's what this is - I took Simple Rating System from Baseball Reference; ELO from FiveThirtyEight and smashed them together, with a bent toward valuing contemporary teams given a constant improvement of basketball as a system.

It ain't bad.  Here are the top 128 teams in professional basketball History. Why 128? Brackets, makes it easy to do a tournament.

Here we go (through 2021)

1. 2017 Golden St Warriors-NBA Champions

2. 1996 Chicago Bulls-NBA Champions

3. 2015 Golden St Warriors-NBA Champions

4. 1997 Chicago Bulls-NBA Champions

5. 1986 Boston Celtics-NBA Champions

6. 1992 Chicago Bulls-NBA Champions

7. 2016 San Antonio Spurs

8. 1991 Chicago Bulls-NBA Champions

9. 2016 Golden St Warriors

10. 2014 San Antonio Spurs-NBA Champions

11. 1972 Los Angeles Lakers-NBA Champions

12. 1971 Milwaukee Bucks -NBA Champions

13. 2009 Los Angeles Lakers-NBA Champions

14. 1998 Chicago Bulls-NBA Champions

15. 1987 Los Angeles Lakers-NBA Champions

16. 2009 Cleveland Cavaliers

17. 2008 Boston Celtics-NBA Champions

18. 1967 Philadelphia 76ers-NBA Champions

19. 2007 San Antonio Spurs-NBA Champions

20. 1997 Utah Jazz

21. 1972 Milwaukee Bucks

22. 1999 San Antonio Spurs-NBA Champions

23. 2013 Miami Heat-NBA Champions

24. 1983 Philadelphia 76ers-NBA Champions

25. 2002 Los Angeles Lakers-NBA Champions

26. 1950 Minneapolis Lakers-NBA Champions

27. 1985 Los Angeles Lakers-NBA Champions

28. 2005 San Antonio Spurs-NBA Champions

29. 1989 Detroit Pistons-NBA Champions

30. 2018 Houston Rockets

31. 2000 Los Angeles Lakers-NBA Champions

32. 2004 San Antonio Spurs

33. 2012 San Antonio Spurs

34. 2016 Oklahoma City Thunder

35. 1996 Seattle SuperSonics

36. 2013 Oklahoma City Thunder

37. 2010 Orlando Magic

38. 2008 Los Angeles Lakers

39. 1993 Chicago Bulls-NBA Champions

40. 2019 Milwaukee Bucks

41. 2002 Sacramento Kings

42. 2018 Golden St Warriors-NBA Champions

43. 1991 Portland TrailBlazers

44. 1994 Seattle Super Sonics

45. 1960 Boston Celtics-NBA Champions

46. 2013 San Antonio Spurs

47. 2011 Miami Heat

48. 2003 San Antonio Spurs-NBA Champions

49. 1962 Boston Celtics-NBA Champions

50. 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers-NBA Champions

51. 1984 Boston Celtics-NBA Champions

52. 2020 Los Angeles Lakers-NBA Champions

53. 2001 San Antonio Spurs

54. 1965 Boston Celtics-NBA Champions

55. 1998 Los Angeles Lakers

56. 2005 Phoenix Suns

57. 2019 Toronto Raptors-NBA Champions

58. 1964 Boston Celtics-NBA Champions

59. 2012 Miami Heat-NBA Champions

60. 1981 Boston Celtics-NBA Champions

61. 1995 Seattle Super Sonics

62. 1992 Portland Trail Blazers

63. 2003 Dallas Mavericks

64. 1980 Los Angeles Lakers

65. 2015 Los Angeles Clippers

66. 1973 Milwaukee Bucks

67. 1981 Philadelphia 76ers

68. 2019 Golden St Warriors

69. 2021 Milwaukee Bucks-NBA Champions

70. 2007 Phoenix Suns

71. 2014 Los Angeles Clippers

72. 1990 Detroit Pistons-NBA Champions

73. 2015 San Antonio Spurs

74. 1981 Milwaukee Bucks

75. 1998 Utah Jazz

76. 2021 Utah Jazz

77. 1980 Boston Celtics

78. 1985 Boston Celtics

79. 1982 Boston Celtics

80. 1973 New York Knicks-NBA Champions

81. 2008 Utah Jazz

82. 1986 Milwaukee Bucks

83. 2006 Dallas Mavericks

84. 2009 Orlando Magic

85. 1974 Milwaukee Bucks

86. 2000 Portland Trail Blazers

87. 2003 Sacramento Kings

88. 2004 Detroit Pistons-NBA Champions

89. 2020 Milwaukee Bucks

90. 1989 Los Angeles Lakers

91. 2007 Dallas Mavericks

92. 1973 Boston Celtics

93. 2021 Phoenix Suns

94. 2020 Toronto Raptors

95. 1991 Los Angeles Lakers

96. 2009 Boston Celtics

97. 2006 San Antonio Spurs

98. 1975 Kentucky Colonels-ABA Champions

99. 1963 Boston Celtics-NBA Champions

100. 1973 Los Angeles Lakers

101. 2011 Dallas Mavericks-NBA Champions

102. 2011 Chicago Bulls

103. 1996 Utah Jazz

104. 2002 San Antonio Spurs

105. 2017 San Antonio Spurs

106. 1987 Boston Celtics

107. 2020 Boston Celtics

108. 1959 Boston Celtics-NBA Champions

109. 1982 Philadelphia 76ers

110. 1998 Indiana Pacers

111. 1961 Boston Celtics-NBA Champions

112. 1987 Atlanta Hawks

113. 1950 Rochester Royals

114. 1994 New York Knicks

115. 1990 Phoenix Suns

116. 2010 Los Angeles Lakers-NBA Champions

117. 1995 Utah Jazz

118. 1988 Detroit Pistons

119. 2014 Oklahoma City Thunder

120. 1990 Los Angeles Lakers

121. 1993 New York Knicks

122. 1989 Phoenix Suns

123. 2012 Oklahoma City Thunder

124. 1982 Los Angeles Lakers-NBA Champions

125. 1968 Philadelphia 76ers

126. 2001 Los Angeles Lakers-NBA Champions

127. 1953 Minneapolis Lakers-NBA Champions

128. 1995 San Antonio Spurs