1953-54 Minneapolis Lakers: Capped off three straight championships but were unable to defend their title the following season after George Mikan gave up half the team as known Communists during a Congressional hearing.
1964-65 Boston Celtics: The height of the ’60s Celtics dynasty was even more impressive considering Red Auerbach worked double duty as the first-ever coach-mascot.
1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers: Considered one of the greatest offensive teams of all-time, the 76ers took off after a new coaching staff made the shrewd tactical decision for Wilt Chamberlain to be much taller and better than everyone they played against.
1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks: Despite the addition of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar the next year, the Bucks were never able to overcome the departure of league MVP Lew Alcindor and this remains their most recent title to date.
1972-73 New York Knicks: Featuring Walt Frazier, Dave DeBusschere, and an aging but still effective Willis Reed, the fictional ’73 NBA Champions are nothing more than a collective historic hallucination, invented by struggling Knicks fans to cope with the team’s never-ending futility.
1985-86 Boston Celtics: A dominating 67-win season helped the notoriously anti-white city of Boston finally accept Larry Bird and Kevin McHale.
1986-87 Los Angeles Lakers: Won 65 games and dispatched the rival Celtics in the finals, fulfilling their famous promise to win a title for a young fan who was killed in preseason no-look pass disaster.
1988-89 Detroit Pistons: The combative, give-no-shits “Bad Boys” lived up to their name by striking a midseason deal to move much of the automotive industry to non-union southern and overseas plants, economically devastating the region.
1995-96 Chicago Bulls: While the Bulls cruised to a record 72-regular season wins and a championship, they remain widely criticized for never defeating Michael Jordan in a playoff series.
2005-06 Seattle SuperSonics: Despite a 35–47 record, advanced analytics suggests this is the best season in modern NBA history.
2013-14 San Antonio Spurs: Unselfish team that would sometimes pass the ball six or seven times in possession before gently placing it on the floor and walking back on defense, having proven their point.
2016-17 Golden State Warriors: Kevin Durant played his career-best basketball during the Finals after Steve Kerr told him the Cavs had a parade last year and didn’t invite him.
