Here is the third of the five lists of the fifty greatest NBA teams (according to me). Without futher ado, let's see 30-21:

30. 1993-94 Houston Rockets: I know Hoffman thought the 1995 Rockets may have been underated, but I feel the 1994 version was a little bit better. The backstory for this team began (oddly enough) in 1986. That year, Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson led the Rockets to the Finals (stunning heavily favored L.A. in the Western Finals) and the future seemed very bright. Then, Sampson got hurt (and was eventually traded) and the Rockets became a mid-level playoff team.

The turning point came early in the 1991-92 season, when Houston fired Don Chaney (who I feel isn't a great coach) and replaced him with assistant Rudy Tomjanovich. The 1992-93 Rockets won the Midwest with 55 wins, and it was a prelude to the 1994 season, as Olajuwon won the MVP trophy (the first Rocket to do so since Moses Malone in 1982) and led the team to a 22-1 start en route to 58 wins.

After beating Portland in four, the Phoenix Suns won the first two games at Houston in the second round. The Rockets lashed back with two wins in Phoenix, and eventually disposed of them in seven. After toasting Utah 4-1, the Rockets met the New York Knicks, in a matchup of two of the best centers at the time: Olajuwon and Patrick Ewing.

The series was primarily a defensive struggle; for the first time since the shot clock was used, neither team scored 100 points in any game. Houston won the first at home, dropped game two, then won at Madison Square Garden when rookie Sam Cassell had a big 4th quarter. The Knicks took the next two at home, and were poised to win their first title since 1973.

In game six, John Starks had a magnificent 4th that nearly gave New York the title, but his last shot was deflected by Olajuwon, and Houston won 86-84. In game 7, Starks had an abysmal 2-18 night (0-10 from three) as Houston won 90-84. Olajuwon won Finals MVP, and had fulfilled the promise of 1986.

29. 1953-54 Minneapolis Lakers: The Lakers of the 1950s were the NBA's greatest early team. They had won the NBL title in 1948, and then moved to the BAA/NBA and dominated, taking four titles in their first five years. In 1954, the Lakers set out to become the league's first "three-peat" team.

While George Mikan was clearly on the downside of a brilliant career, he still finished 4th in scoring and second in rebounds (18.1 PPG and 14.3 RPG). His presence still made an impact in the playoffs, which for the first (and only) time was a round robin format.

The Lakers went 3-0 against the Rochester Royals (now the Kings) and the Fort Wayne Pistons, causing the last game of the round robin to be cancelled because they had already clinched. In their division final against the Royals, they won 2-1 to face the Syracuse Nationals in the Finals.

The Nats fought bravely, forcing a seventh game, but the Lakers hung on to win game seven 87-80 to complete the first three-peat. Shortly thereafter, Mikan retired, and the dynasty was over.

28. 1979-80 Los Angeles Lakers: The Lakers of the mid-70s were only an above-average team, even after adding superstar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in a trade with Milwaukee in 1975. While Kareem won two MVPs, the Lakers had little to show for it, going to only one conference final (a sweep by Portland in 1977). Then, after acquiring a chance to select #1 after a trade with the Jazz, the Lakers won the coin flip, and selected Earvin "Magic" Johnson.

Johnson's impact emotionally on the stoic Lakers was evident in his first game (a nationally televised game against the Clippers). After Kareem hit a skyhook to win it, Magic nearly choked him in celebrating! The Lakers were in high gear, until coach Jack McKinney suffered an injury in an accident, and was replaced by Paul Wetshead. The early jitters calmed down, and the Lakers didn't skip a beat, winning the Pacific with a 60-22 record. Kareem won his record sixth MVP.

In the playoffs, the Lakers rolled past the Suns 4-1, then stomped the defending champion Sonics 4-1 to advance to the Finals. There, they faced the 76ers, who had stormed past Boston 4-1 to reach their seconf Finals in four years.

The teams exchanged victories through four games, then L.A. won game five at home, but at a tremendous price. Kareem twisted his ankle, and though he came back and finished the game, he was out for game six. Most assumed the Lakers would concede game six and simply wait for game seven to win. But not Magic Johnson. He insisted on starting at center for Kareem. And he got his wish.

Instead of a concession, the Lakers rolled past Philly 123-107 to win the title. Magic eventually played all five positions, and had perhaps his greatest game ever; a playoff-career high 42 points, 15 rebounds and 7 assists, and the performance helped him become Finals MVP, and launched him as a major star in the NBA.

27. 1997-98 Chicago Bulls: I have a feeling that this one may get me in trouble, but hear me out. The 1998 Bulls' season might have been akin to a Beatles tour, as the "Last Season" made them an almost-guaranteed sellout everywhere they went. The Bulls won 62 games and finished tied for the best record in the NBA (Utah won the tiebreaker), and Chicago was ready to finish their run with a thrill, not a whimper. Michael Jordan won his tenth scoring title (28.7 PPG) and his fifth MVP.

The playoffs started out simple enough, with the Nets (3-0) and the Hornets (4-1) falling by the wayside. Then, in perhaps their toughest challenge of their run, the Indiana Pacers extended them to seven games (only the Knicks in 1992 had done that). But with the Pacers unable to get any key rebounds in game seven, Chicago won 88-83 to reach the Finals, and their first rematch, against the Jazz.

The Bulls seemed ready to coast after taking a 3-1 lead (including an embarassing 96-54 win where the Jazz set a record for fewest points in the Finals), but Utah put the coronation on hold by winning game 5. That set up game six, and brought out the conspiracy theorist in me.

The Bulls won 87-86 as Jordan punctuated his career (we thought) with another game-winning shot. But I feel it should never had come to that. There where two bad referee calls (one negating a Howard Eisley three, and calling an after-the-shot-clock-went-off shot by Ron Harper good) that tainted that game for me. Still, it allowed the old gang to end their run in (some) style.

26. 1980-81 Boston Celtics: The Celtics had fallen into a major slump in the 1970s, as bad trades (Bob McAdoo, anyone?) and bad seeds plagued them. Red Auerbach even considered taking the Knicks' GM job. But he stayed, and in 1978, he took Larry Bird #6, even though he knew Bird was going back to college for his senoir year.

While Bird nearly didn't sign with the C's, he instantly made the Celtics legit contenders again. Leading the team to one of the biggest single-season turnarounds in NBA history (from 29 wins to 61) Bird was the ROY. But the C's were bounced by the 76ers in five games, and Auerbach sensed the team needed more reinforcements.

After inquiring about Ralph Sampson's eligibility, the Celtics completed one of the best trades in NBA history, shipping the 1st and 13th picks to the Warriors for the 3rd pick and center Robert Parish. The 3rd pick turned into Kevin McHale. Together with Bird, the league's best frontcourt of the 80s had just been formed.

The Celtics won the Atlantic on tiebreakers with the Sixers, then stomped Chicago in 4 straight to face Philly in the conference finals. The Sixers made the series look like a repeat of 1980, as they took a 3-1 series lead. The Celtics then made a miraculous comeback, and ousted Philly with a 91-90 win in game seven. That set up a Finals against the Rockets, the first team since 1959 to make the Finals with a losing record (and only the third to do so).

The Rockets put up a mild resistence, led by Moses Malone, but the Celtics prevailed in six games. Cedric Maxwell won Finals MVP honors, and the C's run of dominance in the 80s over the East began.

25. 1975 -76 Boston Celtics: The Celtics were in the midst of their dominance of the mid 70s. They had won at least 56 games each of the previous four years, and had a title in 1974. But the team (especially John Havlicek) was getting older, and there were concerns over how long they could keep up the excellence.

The Celtics managed to win 54 games, good enough for the best record in the East. They beat the Buffalo Braves (now the Clippers) 4-2, then beat the miracle Cavaliers 4-2 to reach the Finals. There, they met ultimate underdog Phoenix, who had only a 42-40 regulat season, but had caught fire late in the year and knocked off Seattle and defending champ Golden State to make their first Finals.

The Celtics won the first two at home, and most prognosticators expected a sweep. But Phoenix lashed back with two wins at home, setting up a critical game 5 that will go down as an all-time classic. The Celtics led by 20 early, but Phoenix forced OT with a slow and steady approach. The first OT settled nothing, then the second OT saw Havlicek hit an apparent game-winning shot, but there was still a second left.

Paul Westphal called timeout to take a technical, but advance the ball to midcourt (the rule has since been changed). That's where Gar Heard hit a tying shot to force a third OT. The Celtics won in the third OT behind a great showing from Glenn McDonald (who played only 9 more NBA games after that). The C's wrapped up the title with a 87-80 win in Phoenix in game six.

24. 1956-57 Boston Celtics: The Celtics of the mid 50s enjoyed the more up-tempo game created by the shot clock. Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman, and Ed Macauley were perennial All-Stars. But without a presence on defense, the Celts never got past the conference finals in Red Auerbach's first six years.

In the 1956 draft, Auerbach knew he was taking Tom Heinsohn with a territorial pick, which meant he would not have a first round pick. He had his sights set on San Francisco C Bill Russell, who he felt would instantly improve the defense. So he manuvered with the Hawks and Royals, drafting #1 & 2. He traded Macauley (a St. Louis native) and Cliff Hagan (who played at Kentucky) to the Hawks for their pick, then (according to legend) convinced Rochester to pass on Russell by having owner Walter Brown steer the Ice Capades through Rochester for a few years!

With those picks, the seed for the Boston dynasty were in place. Russell missed the first 24 games to play in the Olympics, but his impact was immediate (he finished 4th in rebounds, but his average led the league), and the Celtics won 44 games and had the best record in the league.

 In the playoffs, Boston dominated the Nationals 3-0 to face those Hawks in the Finals. The series was one of the best in early NBA history. It went the full seven games, and the seventh was a classic, 125-123 double OT win. While Cousy (the league MVP that year) and Sharman had off games, Russell (19 points, 32 rebounds) and Heinsohn (37 points, 23 rebounds) carried them to victory, launching a modern dynasty.

23. 1972-73 New York Knicks: The Knicks came up short in the 1972 Finals against the Lakers, in part because Willis Reed missed 71 games and wasn't available to defend Wilt Chamberlain. Reed returned to play 69 games in 1973, and having Jerry Lucas as a backup helped immensely. The Knicks won 57 games but finished 11 games behind the streaking Celtics.

After beating Baltimore 4-1 in the first round, the Knicks faced the Celtics in the conference finals. New York took a 3-1 lead, then allowed Boston to tie the series. However, with John Havlicek out with a shoulder injury, the Knicks easily won game 7 to face the Lakers in the Finals for the third time in four years.

The series was played tight to the vest (the largest margin of victory was nine points), but the Knicks managed to win 4 straight after losing game one to win their second (and last) title. It marked the last Finals appearences for Chamberlain, Jerry West, and the Knicks' starters, including Reed, who was Finals MVP.

22. 1957-58 St. Louis Hawks: The Hawks of St. Louis are largely forgotten because it's been 40 years since they moved to Atlanta. But these 1958 Hawks were the only team to beat Bill Russell in the NBA Finals, and for 27 years, were the only team to beat the Celtics in the Finals.

Bob Pettit was one of the best PFs of the NBA's early years. He finished third in scoring (24.6 per) and second in rebounds (17.4). The Hawks rolled to the Western Division title, securing a 41-31 record. The Hawks then beat the Detroit Pistons 4-1 to reach the Finals, and a 1957 rematch with the defending champs.

The series turned when Russell injured his ankle in game 3. Without him until the sixth game, the Hawks won the series 4-2, as Pettit exploited the injured Russell with 50 points in the clincher. The Hawks have never won a title since.

21. 1973-74 Boston Celtics: The Celtics had regained their position as a great team shortly after Bill Russell retired in 1969. Within two years, they had regained the division title, but could not get past the Knicks, who ended their season in 1972 and 1973 (which saw the Knicks win game seven on the road after John Havlicek got hurt).

In 1974, the Celtics were determined to get back the NBA title. The changing league certainly helped; Jerry West, Oscar Robertson, Willis Reed, and Dave DeBusschere were in their final seasons with their teams. The Celtics dropped from 68 wins to 56, but still had the best record in the East. The C's beat Buffalo in six, then hammered the defending champion Knicks 4-1 to make the Finals against Milwaukee, who made their first Finals in three years.

The series hinged on the matchup between Dave Cowens and league MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The Celtics game plan was to have Cowens defend him straight up. The teams exchanged wins through the first six games (including a classic finish in game six where Abdul-Jabbar hit a skyhook in double OT to win it for the Bucks). Most expected a close game seven, but coach Tom Heinsohn changed his game plan, and decided to double and triple team Kareem. Cowens was freed up to score 28 points, and Boston won easily 102-87. Once again, the Celtics were back on top.

That's the list for today. Tomorrow will be #'s 20-11. See ya then!