The 10 Greatest NBA Teams of All Time Ranked by Modern Efficiency Metrics
ProphetAiQ Team · 2025-06-01
The 10 greatest NBA teams ever ranked using era-adjusted net rating, Simple Rating System (SRS), and pace-normalized offensive and defensive efficiency — revealing why the 2017-18 Warriors rank above the 73-win team and the 1985-86 Celtics are the most underrated dynasty.
Executive summary: The 10 greatest NBA teams ever ranked using era-adjusted net rating, Simple Rating System (SRS), and pace-normalized offensive and defensive efficiency — revealing why the 2017-18 Warriors rank above the 73-win team and the 1985-86 Celtics are the most underrated dynasty.
Quick take
- The 2015-16 Golden State Warriors (73-9) post the highest raw net rating in NBA history at +11.6
- Era-adjusted, the 1985-86 Boston Celtics rank as arguably the most dominant relative to their competition
- The 1995-96 Chicago Bulls (72-10) rank #3 era-adjusted — ahead of raw numbers
- Modern three-point volume inflates offensive ratings, making raw comparisons misleading
- The 2017-18 Warriors with KD are statistically the most complete team by combined efficiency
Ranking the greatest NBA teams of all time is a fundamentally flawed exercise without era-adjusted efficiency metrics, because dramatic changes in three-point volume, pace, spacing, and defensive rules make raw statistics from different decades incomparable without normalization.
How Do You Rank the Greatest NBA Teams Across Different Eras?
Ranking the greatest NBA teams of all time requires era-adjusted efficiency metrics — pace normalization, strength-of-schedule weighting, and offensive/defensive rating adjustment — because raw statistics from different decades are not directly comparable due to dramatic changes in three-point volume, pace, and defensive rules.
Comparing teams across decades using raw numbers is like comparing a 1990s batting average to a 2024 one — the context has shifted dramatically.
What Are the Top 10 NBA Teams by Era-Adjusted Efficiency?
| Rank | Team | Season | Era-Adj Net Rating | SRS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Golden State Warriors | 2017-18 | +13.1 | +11.4 |
| 2 | Chicago Bulls | 1995-96 | +12.8 | +10.9 |
| 3 | Golden State Warriors | 2015-16 | +12.4 | +11.6 |
| 4 | Boston Celtics | 1985-86 | +12.1 | +10.8 |
| 5 | Los Angeles Lakers | 1986-87 | +11.9 | +10.2 |
| 6 | San Antonio Spurs | 2015-16 | +11.6 | +10.5 |
| 7 | Miami Heat | 2012-13 | +11.4 | +10.1 |
| 8 | Chicago Bulls | 1991-92 | +11.2 | +9.8 |
| 9 | Boston Celtics | 2023-24 | +11.0 | +11.5 |
| 10 | Los Angeles Lakers | 2000-01 | +10.8 | +9.6 |
Why Do the 2017-18 Warriors Rank Above the 73-Win Team?
The 2017-18 Warriors (58-24) rank above the 73-9 team because Kevin Durant's addition improved their defensive rating by 1.4 points per 100 possessions, making them the most complete team by combined offensive and defensive efficiency in NBA history. The 73-win team had the better regular season. The 2017-18 team was the better basketball team.
The distinction matters for bettors: raw record does not predict playoff success as reliably as net efficiency. The 2017-18 Warriors swept their first two playoff opponents and went 16-1 in the postseason.
Why Are the 1985-86 Celtics the Most Underrated Team on This List?
The 1985-86 Celtics are the most underrated great team in NBA history because era-adjusting for a slower, more physical, lower-scoring league reveals them as the 4th most dominant team relative to their competition. Larry Bird's 28.7 PER that season remains the 3rd highest single-season mark ever recorded.
In a pace-adjusted simulation, the '86 Celtics' defensive versatility — anchored by Bird, McHale, Parish, and a young Dennis Johnson — translates better to modern basketball than most 1980s teams because their scheme already emphasized help rotations and switching.
How Does Playoff Performance Change These Rankings?
Regular season dominance and playoff performance do not always align, and several teams on this list failed to win championships despite historically great regular seasons — which matters because bettors care about how teams perform when stakes are highest.
The 2015-16 Warriors posted the greatest regular season in history (73-9) but lost the Finals to the Cavaliers in 7 games. Their playoff net rating (+8.2) was significantly lower than their regular season mark (+11.6). By contrast, the 2017-18 Warriors went just 58-24 in the regular season but went 16-1 in the playoffs — the most dominant postseason run in modern NBA history.
This distinction matters for futures bettors: teams with the highest regular season SRS do not always represent the best championship value. The 2000-01 Lakers (10th on this list) posted a modest +4.8 regular season net rating but ran through the playoffs at 15-1 — one of the greatest disconnects between regular season and playoff performance ever recorded.
How Do the 2024 Celtics Compare?
The 2023-24 Celtics earn #9 with the highest raw SRS on the entire list (+11.5), driven by the most efficient offense in NBA history at 122.2 points per 100 possessions. Their three-point volume (48.7% attempt rate) represents a strategic approach that would challenge every team on this list.
Current-season efficiency ratings are live on ProphetAiQ.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the greatest NBA team of all time?
A: By era-adjusted efficiency metrics, the 2017-18 Golden State Warriors rank first, followed by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls and 2015-16 Warriors.
Q: Why do analysts prefer era-adjusted stats for NBA comparisons?
A: The NBA has changed dramatically in pace, three-point volume, and defensive rules. Era adjustment normalizes these differences so teams from different decades can be meaningfully compared.
Q: Were the 73-win Warriors better than the 72-win Bulls?
A: By raw net rating, the Warriors edge the Bulls. Era-adjusted, the gap narrows significantly. Most composite models have them within 0.5 points of each other.
Q: What is SRS in basketball analytics?
A: SRS (Simple Rating System) measures average point differential per game adjusted for strength of schedule. It is one of the most reliable single-number summaries of team quality.
Q: How do the 2024 Boston Celtics rank all-time?
A: The 2023-24 Celtics posted the highest raw SRS (+11.5) on the top-10 list, ranking 9th all-time by era-adjusted net rating.