Today’s top basketball teams include some of the most successful franchises in history, such as the Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, etc. Learn more about each NBA squad below.
Boston Celtics
They were founded in 1946 by Bill Russell and Tom Heinsohn and their first coach was Red Auerbach. From 1947 to 1960 they won ten out of twelve championships before losing to the Lakers for the title. In 1981 the Celtics had a great team but lost to the Sixers in six games. After that year they added Larry Bird who led them to eight consecutive titles from 1984 to 1991. From 1992 to 2011 they had three different head coaches Kevin McHale, Doc Rivers, and Ray Allen. On December 14th, 2011 the Celtics announced that they would be trading Paul Pierce and Antawn Jamison to the Brooklyn Nets for Joe Johnson. Now with both players on their new teams, they have a chance at another championship. Since the trade, they have made it to the Eastern Conference Finals and if they win against Milwaukee Bucks they will play again this season against Miami Heat.
Chicago Bulls
The Bulls played in two NCAA Tournaments in 1985 and 1986 and won the National Championship in 1985 under Coach Phil Jackson. Michael Jordan joined the team after he left North Carolina State University and won five championships with the franchise. His rookie season was an amazing 31 points per game. But then he broke his leg which ended his career. He came back in 1998 to help lead them to another championship. With Jordan retired the Bulls have not won a championship since the end of his career. They did make the playoffs every year until 2006 when they haven’t been since. Derrick Rose is now playing well averaging over 20 points per game. If they can keep him healthy and get Michael Carter-Williams to develop into a superstar point guard the Bulls could start winning again.
Los Angeles Lakers
This famous franchise has one of the greatest logos ever created. When they started they were called the Minneapolis Lakers but changed their name to Los Angeles Lakers because there was already another professional basketball franchise named the Lakers in California. Their original coach was Jack Nicholson and they went through many other coaches including Dick Van Arsdale, Pat Riley, Del Harris, Kurt Rambis, Byron Scott, Mike Brown, and Jim Buss. The team moved into the Staples Center in 1999 and won five championships under Shaquille O’Neal. But he left town and Kobe Bryant took over and brought home four rings himself. The Lakers also drafted Andrew Bogut who became an All-Star centre. Steve Nash is still leading the way and Dwight Howard should take over once he gets comfortable next to him.
New York Knicks
The Knicks are not very popular right now. They have only been in existence for 67 years and it is hard to believe that any team has been around that long. The Knicks have never won a championship or even gotten close to one. For most of its existence, the Knicks didn’t even have a team house. The owner was always leasing space to someone else while the entire organization lived somewhere else. During their time without a team, they even had to share Madison Square Garden with the Rangers hockey team. But times have changed and today the Knicks are in the midst of a rebuilding process.
San Antonio Spurs
Gregg Popovich is the longest-tenured active NBA coaching staff. He has guided the Spurs to seven championships during his tenure. Manu Ginobili is considered one of the best three-point shooters of all time and Tony Parker brings leadership skills and experience from the Euroleague. Kawhi Leonard will be taking over as the star player this upcoming season. He averaged 22 ppg last season and led the league in blocks. LaMarcus Aldridge should continue to improve on offence and Pau Gasol adds some size inside. This is the fourth consecutive season the Spurs have made the playoffs and they look like a surefire playoff team.
Houston Rockets
James Harden is the third straight MVP winner for the Rockets. He got injured towards the end of last season but is coming back stronger than ever. Donatas Motiejunas is also here along with Marcus Morris. Eric Gordon is a great shooter and Trevor Ariza gives them veteran leadership. Chandler Parsons can score at every position except shooting guard which makes up for his lack of height. Chris Paul is a true leader and is already in the top 10 in passing yards for career leaders.
Conclusion
The above are the most popular basketball teams. You may google them online and start following them. Moreso, you can visit online casinos to play basketball slots.