The Boston Celtics are your reigning NBA champions after a dominating run to the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown stepped up on the biggest of stages after losing to the Golden State Warriors two years earlier.
It got us thinking. How do the NBA champions of the past decade shake up compared to one another? Where are the four Warriors title teams? Where does Boston stand among others? What about the Los Angeles Lakers’ during the COVID-shortened 2020 season?
Here, we rank the 10 best NBA champions from the past decade. We utilize a combination of factors, including all-around talent and level of competition.
Related: Winners and losers from Boston Celtics clinching Game 5 victory over the Dallas Mavericks
10. Los Angeles Lakers (2020)
Some say that the Lakers won a Mickey Mouse championship in the Orlando Bubble during COVID-19. We’re not going that far. They still won 52 of 71 regular-season games while ranking in the top five in both points allowed and defensive rating. LeBron James and Co. were also 16-5 in the playoffs.
Even then, playing without fans in attendance and on a neutral court has to drop this team down on the list. They also beat a Miami Heat team in the NBA Finals who had Bam Adebayo as the second-leading scorer at 15.3 points per game.
Related: Best Los Angeles Lakers players of all-time
9. Milwaukee Bucks (2021)
Much like the 2019-20 campaign, this season was also shortened to the COVID-19 pandemic. Milwaukee won just 46 regular-season games. It had an easier road to the NBA Finals, including a matchup against the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Bucks also finished in the bottom 10 in points allowed.
In the end, Giannis Antetokounmpo put up an MVP performance as the Bucks were crowned NBA champions. They took out a Phoenix Suns team in the Finals that had very little behind Devin Booker and Chris Paul. It wasn’t necessarily that competitive with Milwaukee winning four consecutive after Phoenix came out on top in the first two.
Also read: 50 best NBA players of 2024
8. Golden State Warriors (2022)
We have to look at level of competition when it comes to NBA champions of the past decade. The first round against the Denver Nuggets saw injuries play a role without both Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. in the mix. Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies played in just three games during the conference semifinals. Meanwhile, Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic was forced to pretty much go it alone in the Western Conference Finals.
Steve Kerr’s squad won 53 regular-season games. It finished in the bottom half in both points scored and offensive rating. It took an MVP performance from Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins playing out of this world for Golden State to take out the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals.
Related: Greatest NBA Finals performances ever
7. Denver Nuggets (2023)
After winning 53 regular-season games, Denver’s road to the NBA Finals was pretty easy. This included taking on a Minnesota Timberwolves squad that was one year from contention in the first round. Denver then defeated the Phoenix Suns in the conference semifinals. Kevin Durant had played just over a handful of games in Phoenix before that series. The Western Conference Finals included these Nuggets going up against a Los Angeles Lakers squad that overperformed after making it out of the NBA Play-In Tournament.
In reality, it was all about Nikola Jokic doing his thing in the NBA Finals against the overmatched Miami Heat. He averaged 30.2 points and 14.0 rebounds against a Heat squad that came out of the East after finishing as the eighth seeed.
6. Toronto Raptors (2019)
Would the Toronto Raptors have been the 2019 NBA champions if it weren’t for injuries to Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson? It’s a debate that’s still raging a half-decade after the fact. Durant went down with a torn Achilles in Game 1. Thompson followed by suffering a torn ACL in Game 6. It was absolutely brutal for the Golden State Warriors.
What we do know is that Kawhi Leonard played at a whole different level for Toronto. He averaged 28.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists in just under 41 minutes of action per game. That deserves recognition.
Related: Ranking the 10-best NBA Finals series ever
5. Boston Celtics (2024)
Your 2024 NBA Champions come in at roughly where you’d expect. Boston cruised to a 64-18 regular-season record. It finished second in scoring and fifth in points allowed. The Eastern Conference was no match for Boston, with this team going 12-3 before taking on an overmatched Dallas Mavericks squad in the NBA Finals.
At issue here is level of competition. Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat did not play in the first round againt Boston. Donovan Mitchell was injured in the conference semifinals. Meanwhile, Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton found himself banged up in the Eastern Conference Finals. That’s hard to ignore despite Boston’s domination against Dallas in the Finals.
Read more: Best Boston Celtics players of all-time
4. Golden State Warriors (2015)
The first of Golden State’s four title runs during its dynasty saw this team win 67 regular-season games. It finished first in scoring and first in point differential. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson emerged into stars.
The Warriors ran through the postseason in stunning fashion, boasting a combined 16-5 record. That culminated in the first of what would be three NBA championships against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
3. Cleveland Cavaliers (2016)
Draymond Green being suspended for Game 5 with the Golden State Warriors up 3-1 in the NBA Finals against Cleveland. In reality, that played a role in James leading the Cavaliers to their first ever championship.
But what we saw from James and Irving in the championship round can’t go unnoticed. The Game 7 closeout in Oakland included James and Irving combining for 53 points to go with 17 rebounds and 12 assists. Both hit clutch shot after clutch shot. A huge defensive play from James also cemented this series for the Cavs.
Related: 10 most underrated NBA free agents of 2024
2. Golden State Warriors (2018)
It’s hard to look at the two titles Golden State won with Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry teaming up without indicating that these were among the best teams in Association history. The 2018 iteration of these Warriors won just 58 regular-season games.
But it’s what the Dubs did in the playoffs that stands out the most. They came back from a 3-2 series deficit against the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference Finals. Game 7 in Houston saw Curry and KD combine for 61 points to go with 14 rebounds and 15 assists. Golden State then swept out LeBron James and an overmatched Cleveland Cavaliers team in the NBA Finals.
1. Golden State Warriors (2017)
As far as NBA championships go, this one stands above the rest. Durant’s first season in Northern California saw the Warriors post a 67-15 record. The Dubs averaged 116 points per game and outscored their opponents by an average of 11.6 per. Thompson, Durant and Curry all averaged north of 22 points.
The Warriors then went on to post a 16-1 record in the playoffs, including sweeping all three of their opponents in the Western Conference. The season concluded with a five-game NBA Finals win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, with the Warriors winning by an average nearly 14 points per outing.
Related: 10 big moves the Los Angeles Lakers could make this summer
