Recently on Wednesday Wizengamot, we have examined the definitive parameters for using the term “dynasty” in sports commentary. Today, we present the list of “official” National Basketball Association dynasties as we see it here on The Daily McPlay. You don’t have to agree with us; that’s fine. We have outlined our definition(s), based on the actual meaning of language, and we use that as the basis for this list.

[Editor’s Note: Last week, we did the NHL, so you can check that out, too, if you dare.]

1950–1954 Minneapolis Lakers: We’re not counting the 1949 BAA title here, although we can mention it. The NBA itself didn’t form until the 1949-1950 season, though, and at that point, the original Lake Show won four championships in a five-year stretch, including a three-peat effort from 1952-1954. Impressive.

1957–1969 Boston Celtics: Without a doubt one of the most amazing feats in North American professional sports, if not the most amazing, the Boston Celtics established the benchmark for success. They won 11 titles in a 13-year span, including nine in a row from 1959–1966 before repeating again in 1968-1969. Damn.

1980–1988 Los Angeles Lakers: It took almost 20 years for another team to pull off repeat championships, but the Lakers put the finishing touches on a second dynasty by going back-to-back in 1987 and 1988. Overall, L.A. won five titles in nine seasons, created “Showtime” in the process, and won the hearts of many.

1989–1990 Detroit Pistons: Interestingly enough, the above dynasty kicked of a string of them that defied logic, in truth (ahem). The Bad Boys from Detroit followed the Lakers’ repeat titles with a pair of their own, and it may seem “flimsy” to call this a dynasty, but like some below, too, it meets the basic criteria. So be it.

1991–1998 Chicago Bulls: We can call this an über dynasty, though, as the Bulls strung together two three-peat streaks in an eight-year span, broken up only by the most famous retirement drama in sports history. Maybe the Chicago franchise could have matched the Celtics above if someone hadn’t wandered away, eh?

1994–1995 Houston Rockets: In the middle of the Bulls dynasty, there was this group that managed perhaps the most unlikely back-to-back titles in league history. Both were long shots in different ways, of course, but again, like the Pistons above, these Rockets did what they needed to in order to make this list.

2000–2002 Los Angeles Lakers: The NBA started realizing that big TV markets producing repeat champions was beneficial to its bottom line, and so … yeah, here we are with a fifth dynasty in a very short stretch of league history. We’ve already covered the dubious nature of this dynasty elsewhere … moving on!

2009–2010 Los Angeles Lakers: Or maybe not? In our minds, this was another fabricated dynasty for TV ratings, but in the topical historical record, it exists. There was little remarkable about these title teams, the except inexplicable fame of its alleged “star” player and the alleged “genius” of its coach. That’s all it took.

2012–2013 Miami Heat: This is a group that went to four consecutive Finals (2011–2014) but only emerged with the bare-minimum success for definition-dynasty status. This franchise could have been so much more, so maybe it’s lucky to even be here at all. Yet that’s not fair, of course, despite the big TV market.

2015–2022 Golden State Warriors: We had a front seat for this dynasty, as the Warriors won four titles in eight seasons, while losing two other NBA Finals matchups in that stretch via flukes, really. They never should have lost the 2016 Finals or the 2019 Finals, but they also should not have won the 2022 title. Karma.

There you have it; that’s our list. We realize the 1980s Celtics aren’t here, but those teams never won back-to-back titles, which is the basest requirement here, and the same goes for one of our favorites, the San Antonio Spurs (1999-2014), who won five titles in that span. It’s just the breaks when you’re unable to repeat as champs, and we know it’s hard to do. But, in the end, it is what it is: you have to string winning together.

So, this is what we leave you with in the end: ten dynasties. Hope it works for you as well as it works for us.