NBA

Are the Warriors the greatest team of all-time? Let’s rank ’em …

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (R) and forward Draymond Green (L) celebrate with just seconds left in Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Monica M. Davey/EPA

By Chad Finn

June 14, 2017

2 minutes to read

Welcome to Boston.com’s Sports Q, our daily conversation, initiated by you and moderated by Chad Finn, about a compelling topic in Boston sports. Here’s how it works: You submit questions to Chad through Twitter, Facebook, email, his

Friday chat, and any other outlet you prefer. He’ll pick one each day (except for Saturday) to answer, then we’ll take the discussion to the comments. Chad will stop by several times per day to navigate. But you drive the conversation.

So in the last three years, the Warriors have won a title, set the single-season wins record before losing a seven-game Finals to the second-best player of all-time, then added the second-best current player and won another title in just five games, avenging last year’s collapse. Pretty foolproof case right now as the best team of all-time, isn’t it? – Curry’s Old Man Sneakers

I wouldn’t say it’s a foolproof case, but it’s a damn compelling one. I need a little more time and consideration to put what the Warriors accomplished this year into clear context. But as of this moment – with images of their latest championship clashing in my head with footage from ESPN’s Celtics/Lakers 30 for 30 – I know I can’t put them first.

With apologies to a half-dozen Bill Russell teams, the ’72 Lakers, and any other legendary teams before my time, these are the best five basketball teams I’ve ever seen, in reverse order:

5. 1995-96 Bulls: They were vicious, with the best player of all-time setting that tone. But the roster quality beyond Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen wasn’t equal to the four teams ahead of them on this list. Plus, the league was a slog in the ‘90s.

4. 1982-83 Sixers: The starting five: Moses Malone (legend), Julius Erving (legend), Andrew Toney (Boston Strangler), Mo Cheeks (Springfield oversight), Marc Iavaroni (Rambis with better vision).

3. 1986-87 Lakers: Mychal Thompson, Klay’s old man, came aboard in a heist of a trade that gave them the kind of big-man depth the Celtics had the year before with Bill Walton.

2. 2016-17 Warriors: Who cares if Zaza Pachulia was the fifth starter? Bill Wennington and Luc Longley combined for 82 starts for the ’96 Bulls. Gotta have someone to set the picks.

1. 1985-86 Celtics: The Warriors could go 98-0 next season and I’d probably still find a way to put them second.

So there you go. A totally scientific and indisputable conclusion: The Warriors are second-best team of all-time. I suspect you’ll try to dispute it anyway. I’ll hear you in the comments.