The Chicago Bulls won three straight titles twice, once in 1991-1993 and again in 1996-1998. The latest NBA three-peat was achieved by the Los Angeles Lakers, who won three straight championships from 2000 to 2002.
In fact, no team has ever accomplished this feat more than once. The Bulls are the only other club to win back-to-back titles when they did so in 1990-1991 and 1991-1992.
The Lakers had an opportunity to tie the Bulls' record in 2003 but came up short in six games vs. San Antonio. Led by Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, who were both in their prime years, the Lakers made it to the Finals for the eighth time in nine seasons but lost to Detroit in seven games.
After losing O'Neal to injury in Game 1, the Lakers went on to lose the next five games by an average margin of 14 points. They also lost four straight title bouts between 1984 and 1997, the longest drought in NBA history.
By winning three straight championships, the Lakers tied the Boston Celtics for most all-time. The Lakers have a better record than the Cs currently stand (944 wins vs. 904), though neither team has yet to lose 100 games during the regular season.
Only three teams in NBA history have won three straight championships: the Boston Celtics, the Los Angeles Lakers (both in Minneapolis and Los Angeles), and the Chicago Bulls. The last of these titles was won by Michael Jordan and company before his first retirement from basketball.
In MLB, no team has accomplished this feat. The Yankees, who had the best regular season record in baseball in 2001, lost in five games to an Arizona Diamondbacks team that didn't qualify for the playoffs. The Diamondbacks were then owned by the Milwaukee Brewers, who lost to the Arizona Rangers in seven games. The Rangers failed to make the playoffs themselves, and were subsequently sold to an investor group led by Ken Harrelson that included some former Yankee players (including David Wells). They have since become known as the Houston Astros.
The Yankees and Diamondbacks have met in the postseason each year since then, with the Diamondbacks winning in 2001 and 2002 and the Yankees winning in 2003 and 2004.
In the NFL, the Minnesota Vikings have won three consecutive championships, doing so by defeating the San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers, and Pittsburgh Steelers during that run. The last of these titles was won by Mike Vick and company before he was arrested for involvement in a dog fighting ring.
Eight titles in a row The Boston Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 4-0. That marked the beginning of the Celtics' eight straight championships, from 1959 through 1966. In 1967, the Celtics lost to the St. Louis Billups. Then, they didn't win another title until 1968, when they beat the Lakers again for their ninth championship.
In 1969, however, the Lakers regained their title after beating the New York Knicks 4-1. They have yet to be dethroned since then. The Lakers currently hold four of the top five spots on the all-time list of most championship rings awarded.
The Celtics are still very much alive today as one of the top teams in the NBA; however, they haven't been able to recapture their glory days. Since 1967, the Celtics have only won one more title, in 2008. They are now tied with the Lakers and Chicago Bulls for seventh place all time.
In conclusion, the Boston Celtics won their first eight championships in a row from 1959 to 1966. Since then they have not been able to repeat themselves and have only one more title today in 2008.
The Minneapolis Lakers (now the Los Angeles Lakers) were the first team to win three or more NBA titles in a row. They did so from 1949 to 1951. The Lakers defeated the New York Knicks in seven games to claim their third championship.
The Boston Celtics are the only other team to have accomplished this feat. They did so in 1956, 1957, and 1958. The Celtics defeated the St. Louis Hawks in six games to win their third title.
Of the other teams that have won two NBA titles, no one has been able to retain their title. The Chicago Bulls fell short of winning a third title in 1992 after losing to the Magic Johnson-led Dream Team in the Finals. The same thing happened to the Bulls eight years later when they again lost to the Dream Team in the 2008 Finals.
After these two teams, no other team has been able to win more than one NBA title in a row.
With the Bulls, Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson won six NBA championships together. (Getty) A new NBA champion will be crowned in a matter of weeks. The NBA Finals will begin on Thursday, June 4 with either the Golden State Warriors or the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Warriors have won three NBA championships, the most recent in 1974-75. The Cavaliers won in 2007-08.
The Chicago Bulls first won the NBA championship in 1993-94. They defeated the Toronto Raptors 4 games to 3 in the finals. It was also the first time that an Eastern Conference team had won the championship.
Before the Bulls, no team from the Midwest has ever won the title. The Los Angeles Lakers are the only other franchise to have won more than two titles. They've won five in total.
In 1992-93, the Bulls came back from 3-1 down in the Finals to defeat the Houston Rockets 4 games to 3. This is the closest any team has come to eliminating the champion. The Golden State Warriors are also one game away from being eliminated. They need one more win to clinch their third consecutive title. No other team has been able to stop them during these playoffs.
This is also the first time that an American League team has beaten the National League champion. The Boston Red Sox beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-3 in 12 innings to advance to the World Series. It was also the first time that a rookie manager won the World Series.
Copyright © 2020 - 2023 Sportsmanist Inc.
