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Sports · Greatest team ever · Take No. 004

'96 Bulls or '16 Warriors?

72 wins and a title against 73 wins and a Finals collapse. The two best regular seasons in NBA history, twenty years apart, and only one of them finished the job.

The case for each side, then the verdict. Then the floor is yours.
The case for

1995–96 Chicago Bulls

72–10 · NBA champions

  • 72–10The first team to win 70. Then 15–3 through the playoffs to the title.
  • 3Hall of Famers in the starting five: Jordan, Pippen, Rodman. Plus the Coach of the Year.
  • +12.2Average margin of victory, among the highest ever recorded.
vs
The case for

2015–16 Golden State Warriors

73–9 · Finals runners-up

  • 73–9The best regular-season record ever, breaking the Bulls' mark.
  • 402Three-pointers by Stephen Curry that season, the first unanimous MVP in history.
  • 3–1Led the Finals three games to one before Cleveland came back.

Cast your take

——
The verdict

It's the '96 Bulls. Seventy-three wins and no ring is a trivia answer.

The Warriors were the more spectacular machine, and Curry's season changed how the game is played. If you froze both teams in February, Golden State might be the pick.

But seasons aren't frozen in February. The Bulls set the record and won the title; the Warriors broke the record and lost the title with a 3–1 lead. The whole point of 72 or 73 wins is what you do in June. Bulls.

Disagree? That's what the buttons are for.

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