Here we are! This is the final list in the series of the fifty greatest NBA teams (according to me). These teams are the cream of the crop, the ones that few could have stopped (even today, Robert Horry!). Without futher delay, here are the top ten teams in NBA history:

10. 1969-70 New York Knicks: The Knicks were among the original BAA teams in 1946 (only the Celtics and Warriors remain from that group), and were early contenders. They reached the NBA Finals three straight years from 1951-53. Then they hit a rough patch throughout the late 50s into the 60s.

The team started to emerge from the depths through solid drafting (including Willis Reed, Bill Bradley and Walt Frazier), and made the playoffs in 1967 for the first time in eight years. The next season, they added Dave DeBusschere in a trade with Detroit. By 1970, with Bill Russell retired, the Knicks were ready to assume command in the East.

The Knicks roared out of the gates (including an 18 game win streak) and rolled to the Eastern Division title. Reed's all-around game won him regular season MVP honors. In the playoffs, they survived a tough seven games series with the Bullets, then beat the Bucks 4-1 (including a 36 beatdown in the clincher) to advance to the Finals against the Lakers.

The series' key matchup, of course, was Reed against Wilt Chamberlain. Reed held his ground as the teams traded victories in the first four games. Then, in game 5, Reed tore a muscle in his leg. Using undersized Nate Bowman, the Knicks scrambled to win the game 107-100, but without Reed in game six, Chamberlain scored 45 points to force a game 7 at Madison Square Garden.

Speculation ran rampant about Reed's availability. Before hitting the court, DeBusschere told Reed "We only need you for a few minutes, big fella". Reed limped out onto the court right before the end of warmups. "And the crowd is going wild" Knicks announcer Marv Albert said.

Reed went on to hit the first two shots of the game, and if a game ever was over at 4-0, this was it. Though Reed didn't score again, the rest of the Knicks (led by Frazier's 36 points and 19 assists) picked up the slack, and New York clobbered L.A. 113-99. Reed was named MVP, making him the first player to win all three MVPs (regular season, All-Star and Finals) in one season, and in victory, New York was firmly in the NBA's camp.

9. 1984-85 Los Angeles Lakers: The Laker's history in the Finals against Boston was nothing short of abysmal. They had faced the Celtics in eight Finals, but had lost them all. The prior season (1983-84) may have been the most heartbreaking, as they made critical mistakes and lost the series in seven games. The person many people blamed was Magic Johnson, who made many key errors in the series. The Lakers set out in 1985 to prove they could win under pressure.

The Lakers rode their intensity to 62 wins and the best record in the West. Once in the playoffs, they dominated, sweeping Phoenix 3-0, trouncing Portland 4-1, and romping over Denver 4-1 to reach the Finals for the fourth straight year. There, they got their rematch with Boston, who had beaten Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia.

The Lakers' determination didn't seem evident in game one, as Boston smoked them 148-114 in "the Memorial Day Masscre". Kareem Abdul-Jabbar looked every one of his 38 years, and Scott Wedman and Danny Ainge had big games. After the game, the Lakers decided to show their physical side in game two, and they played the Celts the same way Boston had in 1984, leading the Celtics to complain about the rough stuff. L.A won the game, then pasted Boston 136-111 to take a 2-1 lead. Boston managed to steal game 4 when Dennis Johnson scored the game-winner with no time on the clock, but L.A. rolled in game five.

Still, history didn't side with the Lakers. No team had beaten the Celtics for the title since 1958, and never had it been done in Boston Garden. The Lakers needed another great game from Kareem, who had been the main player after his game 1 struggles. He delivered, scoring 29 points. Magic had a triple-double, and the Lakers won game six 111-100, ended their torture against the C's. Indeed, the jubilation was out in not only the Laker locker room, but for every former Laker watching that day. Kareem won Finals MVP.

8. 1991-92 Chicago Bulls: The Bulls had shaken the monkey off their backs with their title run the previous year, but when had Michael Jordan been content before? The Bulls roared out of the gates early in the season, as Jordan trusted his teammates more than ever before. Though he won his sixth straight scoring title, his 30.1 average was his lowest since 1986. With Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant emerging as big time players, the Bulls flirted with 70 wins before finishing 67-15. Jordan won his second straight MVP (and third for career).

In the playoffs, the Bulls scorched the Miami Heat 3-0 (pun intended), before facing the Knicks in round 2. New York's physical brand of play stretched Chicago to seven games, but the Bulls prevailed in a 110-81 rout in game 7. After dispatching Cleveland 4-2, the Bulls prepared for the Portland Trail Blazers, and a matchup of elite SGs: Jordan and Clyde Drexler.

The Bulls stomped the Blazers in game one, as Jordan set Finals records with 35 1st half points and (since broken) six 3-pointers. The teams traded victories through the first five games, which set up Chicago with a chance to win in Chicago Stadium in game six. But when Portland took a 79-64 lead after three, most felt game seven would be upon us.

That's when coach Phil Jackson made a crazy lineup move; he had Pippen play with reserves B.J. Armstrong, Bobby Hansen, Scott Williams and Stacey King. This mismatched lineup somehow managed to cut the lead to 81-78 (with Hansen getting a steal, assist and a 3-pointer). Jordan returned, and he and Pippen scored the last 19 Bulls points to win the game 97-93. Jordan was Finals MVP for the second straight time.

7. 1960-61 Boston Celtics: This Celtics team is here because their team photo reads like a HOF dinner lineup. Including management, nine members of this team were inducted into the Basketball HOF (owner Walter Brown, coach Red Auerbach, and players Bill Russell, Sam Jones, Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman, K.C. Jones, Tom Heinsohn and Frank Ramsey). This Celtics team did their usual during the season, winning 57 games out of 79 and finishing with the best record in the league. Russell won the first (of five) MVP of his career.

In the Eastern Division Finals against Syracuse, the C's had little trouble, beating the Nats 4-1. That set up a Finals against the St. Louis Hawks, who had been extended to seven by the new Los Angeles Lakers. The Hawks and Celtics had met in three previous, hard-fought Finals, but this one wouldn't be as hard-fought. Boston won 4-1, with the closest game being a 4-point Hawks win in game 3. The Celtics thus secured their thrid straight title.

6. 1971-71 Los Angeles Lakers: The Lakers had to be feeling the pressure to win a title in 1972. The team had made seven NBA Finals since moving to L.A. in 1960, but had yet to win a title. Many wondered if their chances were over after Elgin Baylor retired nine games into the season.

Instead, new coach Bill Sharman (fresh off leading the Utah Stars to the ABA title) decided to incorporate the role players to aid his aging core of Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain. Harold 'Happy' Hairston became the first player to grab 1,000 alongside Chamberlain (who led the league in that catgeory at 19.2 PG), and Gail Goodrich and Wets were among the league leaders in scoring.

The Lakers' defining moment was their league-record 33 game win streak, which began November 5th (over Baltimore) and didn't end until January 9 (against the Bucks). That streak propelled the Lakers to a then-league record of 69 wins, but many still wondered if fate would rear its ugly head.

The Lakers stormed past Chicago in a four game sweep, then met perhaps their greatest threat; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the Bucks. With Chamberlain holding Kareem in check, the Lakers beat the defending champs 4-2 to make the Finals, and get a 1970 rematch, against the Knicks.

Without Willis Reed, however, to go head-to-head with Chamberlain, New York didn't stand a chance. L.A. won the series 4-1, winning the last four after losing game 1. Chamberlain was name Finals MVP, and L.A. had finally added a title to the five they had from Minneapolis.

5. 1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers: The Sixers, and in particular Wilt Chamberlain, had been frustrated by recnt failures against Boston. The Celtics had ended their seasons each of the prior two years, and whispers began to pop up that Chamberlain was too mych of a ball hog to lead a team to a championship.

Philadelphia began by hiring Alex Hannum as coach. Hannum was one of the few coaches Chamberlain trusted, and Hannum convinced Wilt to share the ball more and play an all-around game. Chamberlain responded. Although he lost the scoring title for the first time in his career, he led the league in rebounds (24.2 PG), and was third in scoring (24.1) and assists (7.8) as the Sixers went 68-13 to set a new record for wins. Chamberlain won his second straight MVP.

After rolling over Cincinnati 3-1, the Sixers faced the Celtics for the Eastern Division title. This time, there was no luck of the Irish, as Philly stomped Boston 4-1 to end the C's legendary run of eight straight titles. With the monkey off their backs, the Sixers faced Chamberlain's old team, the San Francisco Warriors, in the Finals. But even with Nate Thurmond and league leading scorer (rookie Rick Barry), the Warriors couldn't stop Philly, who won the series 4-2 to claim their first title since the Nats won in 1955.

4. 1982-83 Philadelphia 76ers: After acquring Julius Erving in 1976, Philly fans expected Erving to deliver them a title. But without elite big guys to defend the C's they faced in the Finals (Bill Walton in 1977, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1980 & 82), the Sixers had gone down in every Finals they made. It was obvious they needed a dominant big man to get them over the top.

In the 1982 offseason, they had their chance to make such a move, as reigning MVP Moses Malone had become a FA from Houston. The Sixers signed Malone (giving up Caldwell Jones and a 1st round pick to the Rockets as compensation). With Malone leading the league in rebounds (15.3 PG) and finishing fifth in scoring (24.5), the Sixers went 65-17 and had the league's best record. Malone repeated as MVP.

Before the playoffs began, when reporters asked Malone how the Sixers would fare in the postseason, Malone uttered one of the greatest quotes in sports history: "Fo,fo,fo", meaning that the Sixers would sweep right through the playoffs.

They almost did. The Sixers wiped out New York 4-0, then came within a game 4 loss to Milwaukee of doing it again. In the Finals, aided by an injry-ravaged Lakers opponent (James Worthy was out all playoffs, Norm Nixon and Bob McAdoo were hobbled at best), the Sixers swept L.A. for their first title since 1967. Malone was Finals MVP, and Erving finally had an NBA title to go with the two he won in the ABA. While the Sixers fell off a little after that, there's no denying the 1983 was one of the greatest in NBA history.

3. 1985-86 Boston Celtics: The Celtics had just lost the Finals in 1985, their first Finals loss in 27 years and the first ever at home. When team execs met after the season, they realized changes were needed to keep up with the Lakers and win another title.

The team made major moves to improve their depth, adding Bill Walton from the Clippers for Cedric Maxwell and a 1st round pick (they completed the deal after Clips owner Donald Sterling left for Europe because Sterling resisted making the deal!), and acquiring Jerry Sichting from Indiana in exchange for playing an exibition game in Indy. With those players and Scott Wedman providing relief, Boston rolled.

Larry Bird enjoyed the reinforcements, and had one of the most impressive seasons in NBA history; he finished in the top ten in five different categories (points, fourth at 25.8; rebounds, seventh at 9.8; steals, ninth; FT%, 1st and 3-point%, fourth). The C's finished 67-15 and had the league's best record. This included an unbelievable 40-1 home record (only Portland won at Boston Garden that year).

In the playoffs, they dominated, barely breaking a sweat as they beat Chicago (3-0) even though Michael Jordan scored 63 in game 2, Atlanta (4-1) and Milwaukee (4-0) to make the Finals for the fourth staright year. But instead of the Lakers, they faced the Houston Rockets, who had upset the Lakers 4-1 in the Western finals.

The Celtics managed to manuever around the Rockets' Twin Towers of Ralph Sampson and Hakeem Olajuwon, The Celtics won the series 4-2, winning all three games in Boston, and captured their 16th title.

2. 2000-01 Los Angeles Lakers: The Lakers had returned to the top in 2000, winning their first title in 12 years. There were minor offseason changes (trading Glen Rice to New York in a three way trade that brought them Horace Grant and Seattle Patrick Ewing) but nothing severe. However, the Lakers seemed to coast until April, then caught fire to finish the season 56-26 and second in the West.

Little did anyone realize how much the switch was flipped. The Lakers proceeded to make the greatest playoff run in NBA history. In the first round, they whipped Portland 3-0, as the Blazers imploded. After sweeping Sacramento 4-0, the Lakers faced the Spurs, owners of the league's best record at 58-24. But Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant each alternated great games, and Tim Duncan and David Robinson had no counter. L.A. swept another series, becoming the first team since the 1989 Lakers to enter a Finals (against Philadelphia) undefeated.

In game one, the Sixers rode an incredible performance from Allen Iverson (43 points) to stun L.A. 107-101 in OT to end their undefeated run. it was all the inspiration L.A. needed. The Lakers won the next four games to claim their second straight title. O'Neal copped his second straight Finals MVP, and the Lakers' 15-1 playoff record was the best in NBA history (surpassing the 1983 Sixers mark of 12-1).

And now, here's #1:

1. 1995-96 Chicago Bulls: There are arguments about this team's place in history, coming as it did in a league with 29 teams. I always say, you beat whoever's in front of you. And no team ever did that more than the 1996 Bulls. The Bulls had had a disappointing run in 1995, when a rusty Michael Jordan made key mistakes as the Bulls lost in the second round 4-2 to Orlando. Jordan was determined to return with a vengence, and management readied themselves for a run by trading for Dennis Rodman from San Antonio (for Will Perdue).

The Bulls proceeded to make mince meat of their regular season opponents, as they steamrolled to a league-record best 72-10 record. Jordan reclaimed the scoring title (30.4 PG, winning his record eigth such title) and was named MVP of the league for the fourth time. Rodman led the league in boards (14.9) for the fifth straight time, and Jordan, Rodman and Scottie Pippen were 1st Team All-NBA Defense.

In the playoffs, the hits kept on coming. The Bulls swept Miami 3-0, stomped the Knicks 4-1, and dominated Orlando (in a revenge series) 4-0 in what was Shaquille O'Neal last series on the team. That set up a Finals showdown with the Supersonics, and a most difficult challenge for Defensive POY Gary Payton in defending Jordan.

The Bulls rolled to a 3-0 lead, and people were having 'greatest ever' discussions. The Sonics won two straight in Seattle, but the Bulls put any mniracle thoughts to bed by winning game six 87-75 for their fourth title in six years. Jordan won Finals MVP for the fourth time, and was the first player since Willis Reed in 1970 to win all three MVPs (regular season, All-Star, and Finals) in one year. The Bulls 87-13 record (including playoffs) ws an all-time record.

That's it for the series. I hope it was as much fun looking back as it was for me. Any teams up here that you think are overrated? Or any team not here that should be? Just let me know; this isn't a "I know I'm right" list, after all.