10-6:
10) 1970 New York Knicks: 60-22, 12-7; Coach: Red Holtzman
The Knicks mastered the “find-the-open-man” style of offense while also playing tough defense. They featured all-time under-rated greats Willis Reed and Walt Frazier, sweet-shooting forwards Dave DeBusschere and Bill Bradley along with Dick Barnett and Cazzie Russell. The injured Phil Jackson sat out all season but spent his time carefully studied Coach Holtzman.
To discount the Knicks for their seven playoff losses does them a disservice. First, they had to face the two teams that would meet in the Finals the following year: the Bullets, led by Earl Monroe and Wes Unseld, who they disposed of in a tough seven-game series, and the Bucks, with its superstar rookie, Lew Alcindor, who NY eliminated in five games.
Then the Knicks won a seven-game classic in the Finals over the star-studded Lakers with Elgin Baylor, Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain.
9) 1982 Los Angeles Lakers: 57-25, 12-2; Coach: Pat Riley
The best squad from the early days of Showtime featured starters Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Jamaal Wilkes and Norm Nixon, with Michael Cooper and Bob McAdoo providing great minutes off the bench. Newly-acquired forward Mitch Kupchak was injured early and played only 26 games.
After sweeping the first two rounds of the playoffs, the Lakers knocked off a strong 76ers squad in six games in the Finals.
8) 1983 Philadelphia 76ers: 65-17, 12-1; Coach: Billy Cunningham
After losing in the Finals in two of the past three seasons, the 76ers won the prize behind Moses Malone, Julius Erving, Andrew Toney, Mo Cheeks and Bobby Jones.
They were the first of only three modern teams to lose just one game in the playoffs. That included a sweep of the Lakers (who played without injured James Worthy and McAdoo and with a hampered Nixon) in the Finals.
7) 1991 Chicago Bulls: 61-21, 15-2; Coach: Phil Jackson
The first title team for the Bulls was led, of course, by the incomparable Michael Jordan, who was ably assisted by Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, Bill Cartwright, Jim Paxson and BJ Armstrong.
The next season the essentially same team won six additional regular-season games but lost seven times in the playoffs, so the ’91 team gets the nod here. They beat the Lakers in five games in the Finals.
6) 2001 Los Angeles Lakers: 56-26, 15-1; Coach: Jackson
In the previous year, the Lakers won 67 regular-season games but lost eight times in the postseason. This team became only the second to lose a single playoff game. The two dominant players were, of course, Shaq and Kobe, but the supporting cast of Robert Horry, Rick Fox, Fisher, Grant,Ron Harper and Brian Shaw played their roles to perfection.
After sweeping three very good teams, the Blazers, Kings and Spurs, the Lakers captured the title over the 76ers in five games.