Sorry Boston Celtics Fans, The Los Angeles Lakers Are the NBA’s Greatest Franchise
What franchise has made an appearance in the NBA Finals at least once every decade from the 1950s to the 2000s?
I’ll give you a hint: they don’t wear green.
From their days as the Minneapolis Lakers, the NBA’s first dynasty, to their rise as the 2009 NBA champions led by superstar Kobe Bryant, the Lakers have been the model of consistency in the league. Boston may have more banners, but the boys from Beantown also experienced a 21-year drought before making it back to the game’s biggest stage in 2008. Here’s a quick look at what the Lakers have accomplished decade-after-decade:
1950s:
Five conference titles 1950–1954, 1959, four NBA championships (1950–1954)
1960s:
Six conference titles (1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, no NBA championships
1970s:
Three conference titles (1970, 1972, 1973) and won the NBA championship in 1972
1980s:
Eight conference titles (1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989) and five NBA championships (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988)
1990s:
One conference title (1991), no championships
2000s:
Six conference titles, (2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2009) and four championships (2000–2002, 2009)
The Lake Show’s longest drought between Finals appearances was the nine-year spell from 1991–2000, less than half the time it took the Celtics to climb out of the conference basement. It could be argued that much of Boston’s historical greatness was in reality the greatness of legendary coach Red Auerbach — since Red lit his last cigar in 1967, the Celtics have won 8 championships and 10 conference titles to the Lakers’ 10 championships and 20 conference titles in the same amount of time.
Whether or not that proves the Lakers are superior may be debatable, but it does mean that they have been far more consistent … at least, since you’ve been watching the NBA. –todd williams
