Drew’s Top 12 American Sports Teams of All Time

HI everyone, I have had some conversations with some friends and we have decided to put one of the coolest list out there. The top 12 American Sports Teams of All Time. Only two requirements went into our list. One you had to be one of the North American Team Sports teams, and two you had to have won the Championship. So the 2001 Mariners, 2016 Warriors and 2007 Patriots are not eligible. Please comment and respond, as always the list is all for banter and conversation, so please agree or disagree at your own free will.

#12 1975 Reds 108-74 Record

The 1975 World Series is regarded as one of the best World Series of All Time between the Reds and Red Sox. The most remembered moment was Carlton Fisk jumping in the air with his arms trying to blow the baseball to stay fair in extra innings of Game 6 (if the ball went foul my guess is it wouldn’t be an highlight haha). But the Reds would go on to Win Game 7 and continue the then curse of the bambino. What many forgot was the 1975 Reds was one of the best teams in baseball history going 108-74 and a ridiculous 64-17 at home. That mark is still the best overall home record in National League history.

#11 1984 49ers 15-1 Record

The 49ers were the team of the 80’s and had many great seasons (The 1989 teams with the 55-10 Super Bowl win over the Broncos comes to mind). But no team was better than the 1984 unit that went 15-1 with a ridiculous +248 point differential for the season. Their lone loss was a late Week 7 20-17 loss to the Steelers when Gary Anderson (who was still in league 20 years later!) made a late field goal for the Pittsburgh win. The 49ers would cruise through the league with their playoff run being one of the most dominant ever outscoring opponents 82-26 in the playoffs. That included a 38-16 Super Bowl victory over Dan Marino and the Dolphins. Remember that was the season Marino threw 48 touchdowns (which was easily the most ever at that point and time).

#10 1986 Celtics 67-15 Record

The Celtics had just lost to the Lakers in the 1985 Finals. You can tell from the jump that in1986 the Celtics would not be denied going 67-15 and a ridiculous 40-1 at home (which is still the best mark of all time kind of hard to beat that!). The Celtics would be anchored by the big three of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish (widely regarded as the best frontcourt of all time). The Celtics would cruise through the playoffs going 11-1 in the Eastern Conference playoffs before beating the Rockets in 6 games in what was a competitive but a series that was never really in doubt for the mean green basketball machine.

#9 1987 Lakers 65-17 record

We vault to the very next season in which the Lakers had just been upset by the Rockets in rather convincing fashion the previous season. The 1987 Lakers just like the Celtics the year before was not going to be stopped. The Lakers would dominate the regular season finishing with a 65-17 Record and would dominate the Western conference playoffs going 11-1 just like the Celtics the previous season. The Lakers would have those Celtics waiting for them in the Finals. What vaulted the Lakers over the Celtics on this greatest teams list was the Lakers beating Boston two out of three years in the Finals. The moment of this Finals and one of the greatest moments in NBA history was Magic Johnson’s buzzer beating hook shot to win Game Four in Boston.

#8 1985 Oilers 49-20-11 Record

The 1985 Oilers is widely regarded as the best Hockey Team of All Time. I say it’s hard to choose from all of the great Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier teams of the 80’s but the 1985 team was the best of the bunch. Wayne Gretzky had a ridiculous 208 points that season (to put that in Context that is almost 3 points a game!!!). The Oilers would beat the Flyers in 5 games in the Stanley Cup Finals scoring 17 goals in the last three games including a 8-3 game 5 deciding victory. There are some great offensive hockey teams in today’s game but the 1985 Oilers was arguably the best offensive hockey team of all time.

#7 1985 Bears 15-1 Record

The 1985 Bears may have the most swagger of any football ever and thanks to SNL and many nostalgic Bears fans we always see the cheesy Mike Ditka fake mustache and sweater combinations around Bears Bars across the country. The 1985 Bears team was a fun but dominant team that steamrolled through the league. The Bears point differential was +258 and the Bears were only one of two teams ever (2000 Ravens the other) to allow under 200 points in a 16 game season. The Bears would dominate in the playoffs that season outscoring their opponents 91-10 including a 46-10 Super Bowl 20 Win over the Patriots.

A little bit of 80’s cheese as well for you all.

#6 1927 Yankees 110-44 Record

Not just mentioned by Chris Evans at the End of the Winter Soldier but by many Baseball historians as the best team in Baseball History. I think there is another Yankees team that just edges this group of legends but the 1927 Yankees is the staple for great stories in baseball folklore. A team with Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth in their prime will do that. The 1927 Yankees hit .307 as a team that season. To put that into perspective only the Boston Red Sox are even hitting above .265 so far this season. The Yankees would culminate their dominant Season sweeping the Pirates in the World Series.

#5 1962 Packers 13-1 Record

Many would argue that the 1962 Packers was the best team in history of the game. I only peg them this low because they did have one bad day losing 26-14 to the Lions on Thanksgiving Day. If you take away that Lions game the Packers outscored their opponents 401-122 that season. That is the epitome of dominance in a sport that today has so many 7 point games every week it’s hard to focus on what game to be watching at 1 PM PST on a Sunday in the fall. The Packers would culminate their dominance with a 16-7 victory over the Giants in the Championship game (this was pre Super Bowl Era).

#4 1998 Yankees 114-48 Record

The 1927 Yankees was a great team but the 1998 Yankees was a team that no one will ever forget. The American League was stacked with very good Red Sox and Blue Jays teams (Roger Clemens won the Cy Young with the Blue Jays that year, true story look it up). But no team in baseball could measure to the Yankees in 1998. The Yankees had a ridiculous +309 Run differential that season (that’s just under 2 full runs a game for those scoring at home). The Yankees would then go 11-2 in the Playoffs sweeping the Padres in the World Series that Season. Scott Brosius taking Trevor Hoffman deep in the Top of the 8th in Game 3 was the defining moment of that World Series.

#3 2017 Warriors 67-15 Record

The 2016 Warriors set the all time Wins mark in the NBA going 73-9 in the Regular Season. But that Warriors team would blow a 3-1 Finals Series lead over Lebron James and the Cavaliers to lose the Finals in epic fashion. So the Warriors decided to go and get Kevin Durant because why not! The Warriors would go 67-15 that following season without even trying most of the year. Then in the playoffs the Warriors would go 15-1 only losing Game 4 of the Finals to LeBron’s Cavs to fall just shy of accomplishing a feat we may never see in the NBA playoffs. A 16-0 playoffs record or the clean sweep.

#2 1972 Dolphins 14-0 Record

The 72 Dolphins always drink Champagne after the last NFL team loses their first game of the Season. We all remember that awesome commercial that featured Mercury Morris and Eli Manning after the Giants beat the previously unbeaten Patriots in Super Bowl 42. Many would argue that the 1972 Dolphins aren’t the best team of All Time because the metrics say they aren’t. The 1962 Packers were dominant as a whole but guess what? The 1962 Packers lost a game the 1972 Dolphins did not so I chose the Dolphins. The only points they allowed in the Super Bowl was on this play below, only perfect team ever in NFL History.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-pxMm_UdY4

Here’s the Perfectville commercial I promised.

#1 1996 Bulls 72-10 Record

This has been a fun topic across the Sports World over the past few Season who would win between the 2017 Warriors and the 1996 Bulls. I’m going to take the Bulls here and here’s why. The Bulls had more depth, played better defense and had Michael Jordan (the best and most competitive player ever). Plus if you had the Bulls play today’s style of basketball I had no doubt Scottie Pippen, Toni Kukoc, Steve Kerr and Michael Jordan himself form an elite three point shooting team with the superior defense and rebounding. It would be a great series and of course Kevin Durant would be a problem for the Bulls (who is peak Kevin Durant not a problem for!). Just watch the last dance (if you haven’t already) and then come back to me. The 96 Bulls are the best team in American Sports history in my opinion and I’m sticking to it. Please respond and let’s discuss who you think is the best team ever. I would love to hear it, have a great Wednesday everyone!!