Ranking: The easiest paths to the title in NBA history
Winning an NBA championship is always the top prize in the Association. No matter how teams get there, no one can take away your team hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy at the end of a campaign.
However, that doesn’t mean all championships are made the same, as some teams have extremely difficult paths to winning titles.
For example, the 1995 Houston Rockets, led by Hakeem Olajuwon, had to face opponents with a combined winning percentage of 72.6 percent – without homecourt advantage in a single series – on their way to winning statistically the toughest championship in NBA history.
On the other hand, some teams have it a bit easier.
We decided to take a look at the easiest paths to a title in NBA history, using opponent winning percentage, a simple metric that gives us a good idea of the strength of opponents faced on the way to championships.
By the numbers, the 2023 Denver Nuggets had one of the easiest paths to a championship ever, fifth, to be exact, according to the combined winning percentage of their four opponents: the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Phoenix Suns, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat.
Regardless, in the end, you can only play who’s in front of you. So sure, the Nuggets’ path to the 2023 championship may have statistically, according to opponent winning percentage, been easier than any other team in the last 64 years (literally), that doesn’t take into account the Los Angeles Lakers’ or Phoenix Suns’ trade deadline moves or how hot the Miami Heat got in the playoffs, seemingly out of nowhere.
1. Boston Celtics (1959)
Opponents: Nationals and Lakers
Combined regular season winning percentage: 47.22%
2. Boston Celtics (1957)
Opponents: Nationals and Hawks
Combined regular season winning percentage: 50.00%
2. Philadelphia Warriors (1956)
Opponents: Nationals and Pistons
Combined regular season winning percentage: 50.00%
4. Minneapolis Lakers (1953)
Opponents: Olympians, Pistons and Knicks
Combined regular season winning percentage: 52.86%
5. Denver Nuggets (2023)
Opponents: Timberwolves, Suns, Lakers and Heat
Combined regular season winning percentage: 53.05%
6. Milwaukee Bucks (1971)
Opponents: Warriors, Lakers and Bullets
Combined regular season winning percentage: 53.25%
7. Los Angeles Lakers (1987)
Opponents: Nuggets, Warriors, SuperSonics and Celtics
Combined regular season winning percentage: 53.96%
8. Syracuse Nationals (1955)
Opponents: Celtics and Pistons
Combined regular season winning percentage: 54.86%
9. Rochester Royals (1951)
Opponents: Pistons, Lakers and Knicks
Combined regular season winning percentage: 55.45%
10. Boston Celtics (1965)
Opponents: Sixers and Lakers
Combined regular season winning percentage: 55.63%
11. Boston Celtics (1976)
Opponents: Braves, Cavaliers and Suns
Combined regular season winning percentage: 55.69%
12. Boston Celtics (1961)
Opponents: Nationals and Hawks
Combined regular season winning percentage: 56.33%
13. Los Angeles Lakers (1988)
Opponents: Spurs, Jazz, Mavericks and Pistons
Combined regular season winning percentage: 56.40%
14. Minneapolis Lakers (1952)
Opponents: Olympians, Royals and Knicks
Combined regular season winning percentage: 56.57%
15. Boston Celtics (1984)
Opponents: Bullets, Knicks, Bucks and Lakers
Combined regular season winning percentage: 56.71%
16. Baltimore Bullets (1948)
Opponents: Stags, Knicks, Stags and Warriors
Combined regular season winning percentage: 56.77%
17. St. Louis Hawks (1958)
Opponents: Pistons and Celtics
Combined regular season winning percentage: 56.94%
18. Boston Celtics (1986)
Opponents: Bulls, Hawks, Bucks and Rockets
Combined regular season winning percentage: 57.32%
19. Los Angeles Lakers (2020)
Opponents: Blazers, Rockets, Nuggets and Heat
Combined regular season winning percentage: 57.88%
20. Miami Heat (2013)
Opponents: Bucks, Bulls, Pacers and Spurs
Combined regular season winning percentage: 58.10%
21. Chicago Bulls (1991)
Opponents: Knicks, Sixers, Pistons and Lakers
Combined regular season winning percentage: 58.23%
22. Los Angeles Lakers (1985)
Opponents: Suns, Blazers, Nuggets and Celtics
Combined regular season winning percentage: 58.84%
23. Philadelphia 76ers (1967)
Opponents: Royals, Celtics and Warriors
Combined regular season winning percentage: 58.85%
24. San Antonio Spurs (1999)
Opponents: Timberwolves, Lakers, Blazers and Knicks
Combined regular season winning percentage: 59.00%
25. Boston Celtics (1963)
Opponents: Royals and Lakers
Combined regular season winning percentage: 59.38%
Rest of teams
26. Detroit Pistons (1989) – Opponents: Celtics, Bucks, Bulls and Lakers. Combined regular season winning percentage: 59.45%
26. Washington Bullets (1978) – Opponents: Hawks, Spurs, Sixers and SuperSonics. Combined regular season winning percentage: 59.45%
28. Minneapolis Lakers (1954) – Opponents: Royals, Pistons, Royals and Nationals. Combined regular season winning percentage: 59.72%
29. Boston Celtics (1981) – Opponents: Bulls, Sixers and Rockets. Combined regular season winning percentage: 59.76%
30. Portland Trail Blazers (1977) – Opponents: Bulls, Nuggets, Lakers and Sixers. Combined regular season winning percentage: 60.06%
31. Boston Celtics (2008) – Opponents: Hawks, Cavaliers, Pistons and Lakers. Combined regular season winning percentage: 60.37%
32. Boston Celtics (1966) – Opponents: Royals, Sixers and Lakers. Combined regular season winning percentage: 60.42%
33. Philadelphia Warriors (1947) – Opponents: Bombers, Knicks and Stags. Combined regular season winning percentage: 60.44%
34. Boston Celtics (1974) – Opponents: Braves, Knicks and Bucks. Combined regular season winning percentage: 60.98%
34. Golden State Warriors (1975) – Opponents: SuperSonics, Bulls and Bullets. Combined regular season winning percentage: 60.98%
36. Detroit Pistons (1990) – Opponents: Pacers, Knicks, Bulls and Blazers. Combined regular season winning percentage: 61.28%
37. Seattle SuperSonics (1979) – Opponents: Lakers, Suns and Bullets. Combined regular season winning percentage: 61.38%
38. New York Knicks (1970) – Opponents: Bullets, Bucks and Lakers. Combined regular season winning percentage: 61.79%
38. Los Angeles Lakers (1982) – Opponents: Suns, Spurs and Sixers. Combined regular season winning percentage: 61.79%
40. Chicago Bulls (1992) – Opponents: Heat, Knicks, Cavaliers and Blazers. Combined regular season winning percentage: 61.89%
40. San Antonio Spurs (2003) – Opponents: Suns, Lakers, Mavericks and Nets. Combined regular season winning percentage: 61.89%
42. Miami Heat (2012) – Opponents: Knicks, Pacers, Celtics and Thunder. Combined regular season winning percentage: 62.12%
43. Philadelphia 76ers (1983) – Opponents: Knicks, Bucks and Lakers. Combined regular season winning percentage: 62.20%
43. Golden State Warriors (2017) – Opponents: Blazers, Jazz, Spurs and Cavaliers. Combined regular season winning percentage: 62.20%
45. Detroit Pistons (2004) – Opponents: Bucks, Nets, Pacers and Lakers. Combined regular season winning percentage: 62.50%
45. Milwaukee Bucks (2021) – Opponents: Heat, Nets, Hawks and Suns. Combined regular season winning percentage: 62.50%
47. Boston Celtics (1968) – Opponents: Pistons, Sixers and Lakers. Combined regular season winning percentage: 62.60%
48. San Antonio Spurs (2007) – Opponents: Nuggets, Suns, Jazz and Cavaliers. Combined regular season winning percentage: 63.11%
48. Los Angeles Lakers (2010) – Opponents: Thunder, Jazz, Suns and Celtics. Combined regular season winning percentage: 63.11%
49. Golden State Warriors (2022) – Opponents: Nuggets, Grizzlies, Mavericks and Celtics. Combined regular season winning percentage: 63.11%
51. Boston Celtics (1960) – Opponents: Warriors and Hawks. Combined regular season winning percentage: 63.33%
52. Golden State Warriors (2015) – Opponents: Pelicans, Grizzlies, Rockets and Cavaliers. Combined regular season winning percentage: 63.72%
53. Golden State Warriors (2018) – Opponents: Spurs, Pelicans, Rockets and Cavaliers. Combined regular season winning percentage: 64.02%
53. Toronto Raptors (2019) – Opponents: Magic, Sixers, Bucks and Warriors. Combined regular season winning percentage: 64.02%
55. Boston Celtics (1962) – Opponents: Warriors and Lakers. Combined regular season winning percentage: 64.38%
56. Boston Celtics (1964) – Opponents: Royals and Warriors. Combined regular season winning percentage: 64.38%
57. Houston Rockets (1994) – Opponents: Blazers, Suns, Jazz and Knicks. Combined regular season winning percentage: 64.94%
57. Chicago Bulls (1996) – Opponents: Heat, Knicks, Magic and SuperSonics. Combined regular season winning percentage: 64.94%
59. Chicago Bulls (1998) – Opponents: Nets, Hornets, Pacers and Jazz. Combined regular season winning percentage: 65.24%
59. Miami Heat (2006) – Opponents: Bulls, Nets, Pistons and Mavericks. Combined regular season winning percentage: 65.24%
59. Los Angeles Lakers (2009) – Opponents: Jazz, Rockets, Nuggets and Magic. Combined regular season winning percentage: 65.24%
62. San Antonio Spurs (2014) – Opponents: Mavericks, Blazers, Thunder and Heat. Combined regular season winning percentage: 65.85%
63. Minneapolis Lakers (1950) – Opponents: Royals, Stags, Pistons, Packers and Nationals. Combined regular season winning percentage: 65.96%
64. San Antonio Spurs (2005) – Opponents: Nuggets, SuperSonics, Suns and Pistons. Combined regular season winning percentage: 66.16%
65. Dallas Mavericks (2011) – Opponents: Blazers, Lakers, Thunder and Heat. Combined regular season winning percentage: 66.46%
66. Boston Celtics (1969) – Opponents: Sixers, Knicks and Lakers. Combined regular season winning percentage: 66.67%
67. Chicago Bulls (1993) – Opponents: Hawks, Cavaliers, Knicks and Suns. Combined regular season winning percentage: 66.77%
68. Los Angeles Lakers (2001) – Opponents: Blazers, Kings, Spurs and Sixers. Combined regular season winning percentage: 66.77%
69. Los Angeles Lakers (2002) – Opponents: Blazers, Spurs, Kings and Nets. Combined regular season winning percentage: 67.07%
70. Minneapolis Lakers (1949) – Opponents: Stags, Royals and Capitols. Combined regular season winning percentage: 67.22%
71. Cleveland Cavaliers (2016) – Opponents: Pistons, Hawks, Raptors and Warriors. Combined regular season winning percentage: 67.38%
72. Los Angeles Lakers (1972) – Opponents: Bulls, Bucks, and Knicks. Combined regular season winning percentage: 68.29%
73. Chicago Bulls (1997) – Opponents: Bullets, Hawks, Heat and Jazz. Combined regular season winning percentage: 68.60%
74. Los Angeles Lakers (1980) – Opponents: Suns, SuperSonics, and Sixers. Combined regular season winning percentage: 69.11%
75. Houston Rockets (1995) – Opponents: Jazz, Suns, Spurs and Magic. Combined regular season winning percentage: 72.56%
76. New York Knicks (1973) – Opponents: Bulets, Celtics, and Lakers. Combined regular season winning percentage: 73.17%
