"Worst" championship teams

highrangeslang · Post #1 » by **highrangeslang** » Tue Jun 15, 2010 12:40 am

So, as I'm sure many of you have read on these forums, some people claim that the 1995 Houston Rockets were the worst championship team in NBA history. I guess it depends on how 'worst' is defined, but record-wise it's true, as they only won 47 regular season games.

The Celtics only won 50 games this year. I'm curious about this. Does anyone have a list of championship teams with the fewest total wins? I know that San Antonio only won 37 in the lock-out season, but their winning percentage was a lot higher than Houston's in 1995.

College Boy · Post #2 » by **College Boy** » Tue Jun 15, 2010 7:11 am

I think the real question is who was the ugliest championship team...

YoungMoney23 · Post #3 » by **YoungMoney23** » Tue Jun 15, 2010 8:04 am

If it's measured by team as a whole then pretty much any of the Chicago Bulls title teams.

Meatcookie · Post #4 » by **Meatcookie** » Tue Jun 15, 2010 2:01 pm

I don't know if I would call it "worst" championship team. Maybe "fewest wins" championship team. When a team doesn't do that great of a job in the regular season and then the chemistry just comes together in the playoffs, or injuries are no longer an issue once the playoffs start, then why would the be the "worst"?

You could make a case for Olympic basketball, college hoops or the NFL because it is win or go home. One game is all you get for each round. But when you play a best of 7 series for each round, then you advance because you were the best team (or their star player gets injured).

edit:
Plus when a team never has home court advantage and still wins everything. That is a pretty nice accomplishment.

Baller 24 · Post #5 » by **Baller 24** » Tue Jun 15, 2010 4:42 pm

If we're basing this off of the regular season than yes, statistically based, the 1995 Houston Rockets are one of the worst championship teams in the past 25 years. Great Cinderella story in the playoffs though.

MaxRider · Post #6 » by **MaxRider** » Tue Jun 15, 2010 4:54 pm

how can you be the worst when you beat everyone without home court advantage?

moofs · Post #7 » by **moofs** » Tue Jun 15, 2010 6:01 pm

There are tons of different ways to look at it. Some:
- Point differential
- Season wins
- Least popular
- Expected wins produced
- Seeding

Someone pointed out that both the 95 Rockets and the 10 Celtics had significant injuries during the season, prior to being healed up for the playoffs. The Celtics were a 60 win team by some calculations. Not sure about the Rockets

rocketsballin · Post #8 » by **rocketsballin** » Tue Jun 15, 2010 7:00 pm

haters keep hatin

Meatcookie · Post #9 » by **Meatcookie** » Tue Jun 15, 2010 8:27 pm

Traded for Clyde and he had 35 games that year with the Rockets to get the chemistry all worked out. Then averaged 20 pts, 7 reb, and 5 ast in the playoffs.

"The Rockets became the first team in NBA history to win the championship as a sixth seed. In addition, they became the first team in NBA history to beat four 50-win teams in a single post-season en route to the championship. The Rockets would win a playoff-record 9 road games in the 1995 playoffs."

rocketsballin · Post #10 » by **rocketsballin** » Wed Jun 16, 2010 2:18 am

it should be common sense by now, to not rate a team on their record. 50-32 celtics are in game 6 of the finals right now. 60 wins cavs out in 2nd round vs celts.

w/e, the more haters hate, the worse their health is, the better i sleep at night

YoungMoney23 · Post #11 » by **YoungMoney23** » Wed Jun 16, 2010 2:37 am

Utah are clearly the worst championship team... oh wait that would require them to have won a championship

Post #12 » by **Optimism Prime** » Sun Jun 27, 2010 2:16 pm

By any measure except one, I'd probably agree with this. Statistically, record, whatever you want to use, the Rockets shouldn't have won.

However, the one measure that would get them the championship is the one that did, and the one that would cause any other team to start quaking in their boots: heart, desire, will to win, whatever you want to call it. They were the team that wouldn't have backed down from anyone--not the 96 Bulls, not the 84 Celtics, not the 00 Lakers. They'd get down a couple games, sure, but they wouldn't be out.

Post #13 » by **Young_Star11** » Thu Jul 1, 2010 12:53 am

We went 47-35 during the regular season, but we improved greatly over the second-half of the season and won the championship as a #6 seed (not having HCA).

2006 Heat were also up there. Shaq was on his last legs as an elite player, Wade was at his best, but the rest of the lineup included Antoine Walker, Udonis Haslem and Jason Williams.