🏀 Every NBA team-season

Every team from 1946-47 to 2025-26 as one dot, measured against its own league that year.

1,817 team-seasons · 1946-47 to 2025-26 · as of the 2025-26 season · source: the site's NBA workbook and Elo series

Every team-season

Each dot is one team in one season, measured against its own league that year.

How this is measured

Offense is points scored per game minus the league average that season. Defense is the league average for points allowed minus the team's own, so a positive number is a better defense. MOV is points scored minus points allowed per game, and MOV z divides it by the spread of MOV across the league that season, so a 1962 team and a 2016 team are read on one scale.

The league is the BAA and NBA together, or the ABA on its own. The Elo series covers the BAA and the NBA from 1946-47; it has no ABA teams, so the Margin vs Elo view shows none of them. Decades count by the year a season began, so 1995-96 is in the 1990s.

SRS (simple rating system) is not yet included because game-level data is not loaded. MOV z is the nearest stand-in until it is: it ignores strength of schedule.

Follow a franchise

1,723 team-seasons shown. ● champions

Best team-seasons by margin (era-adjusted)

The fifty highest MOV z for the league and decade chosen above.

How this is measured

MOV z is a team's average margin of victory in standard deviations of that season's league, so it compares across eras. It ignores strength of schedule; SRS will replace it here once game-level data is loaded.

Sort by

1975-76 Golden State Warriors

59-23, MOV +6.7

+2.89

MOV z

2016-17 Golden State Warriors

67-15, MOV +11.6, champion

+2.74

MOV z

1969-70 New York Knicks

60-22, MOV +9.1, champion

+2.47

MOV z

1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks

66-16, MOV +12.3, champion

+2.43

MOV z

1995-96 Chicago Bulls

72-10, MOV +12.2, champion

+2.35

MOV z

1956-57 Boston Celtics

44-28, MOV +5.4, champion

+2.28

MOV z

1985-86 Boston Celtics

67-15, MOV +9.4, champion

+2.23

MOV z

2006-07 San Antonio Spurs

58-24, MOV +8.4, champion

+2.21

MOV z

1946-47 Washington Capitols

49-11, MOV +9.9

+2.20

MOV z

1955-56 Philadelphia Warriors

45-27, MOV +4.3, champion

+2.19

MOV z

2024-25 Oklahoma City Thunder

68-14, MOV +12.9, champion

+2.18

MOV z

1985-86 Milwaukee Bucks

57-25, MOV +9.0

+2.15

MOV z

#
1	1975-76 Golden State Warriors	+2.89	+6.7	+5.4	+1.2	59-23	1594
2	2016-17 Golden State WarriorsChampion	+2.74	+11.6	+10.3	+1.3	67-15	1798
3	1969-70 New York KnicksChampion	+2.47	+9.1	−1.7	+10.8	60-22	1599
4	1970-71 Milwaukee BucksChampion	+2.43	+12.3	+6.0	+6.3	66-16	1713
5	1995-96 Chicago BullsChampion	+2.35	+12.2	+5.7	+6.6	72-10	1763
6	1956-57 Boston CelticsChampion	+2.28	+5.4	+5.9	−0.6	44-28	1609
7	1985-86 Boston CelticsChampion	+2.23	+9.4	+3.9	+5.5	67-15	1748
8	2006-07 San Antonio SpursChampion	+2.21	+8.4	−0.2	+8.6	58-24	1679
9	1946-47 Washington Capitols	+2.20	+9.9	+6.0	+3.8	49-11	1449
10	1955-56 Philadelphia WarriorsChampion	+2.19	+4.3	+4.1	+0.2	45-27	1616
11	2024-25 Oklahoma City ThunderChampion	+2.18	+12.9	+6.7	+6.2	68-14	1749
12	1985-86 Milwaukee Bucks	+2.15	+9.0	+4.3	+4.7	57-25	1652
13	1973-74 Milwaukee Bucks	+2.13	+8.0	+1.3	+6.7	59-23	1651
14	2015-16 Golden State Warriors	+2.13	+10.8	+12.2	−1.5	73-9	1742
15	1977-78 Portland Trail Blazers	+2.12	+6.2	−0.8	+6.9	58-24	1574
16	1991-92 Chicago BullsChampion	+2.12	+10.4	+4.6	+5.9	67-15	1717
17	2014-15 Golden State WarriorsChampion	+2.12	+10.1	+9.9	+0.2	67-15	1773
18	2019-20 Milwaukee Bucks	+2.11	+10.1	+7.0	+3.3	56-17	1652
19	2015-16 San Antonio Spurs	+2.10	+10.6	+0.9	+9.8	67-15	1729
20	1974-75 Washington Bullets	+2.10	+7.2	+2.1	+5.1	60-22	1621
21	2023-24 Boston CelticsChampion	+2.08	+11.3	+6.4	+5.0	64-18	1726
22	1983-84 Boston CelticsChampion	+2.05	+6.6	+2.0	+4.5	62-20	1669
23	2012-13 Oklahoma City Thunder	+2.04	+9.2	+7.6	+1.6	60-22	1670
24	1996-97 Chicago BullsChampion	+2.01	+10.8	+6.3	+4.6	69-13	1750
25	1964-65 Boston CelticsChampion	+2.01	+8.4	+2.2	+6.2	62-18	1658
26	1986-87 Los Angeles LakersChampion	+1.95	+9.3	+7.8	+1.5	65-17	1699
27	2017-18 Houston Rockets	+1.94	+8.5	+6.0	+2.5	65-17	1699
28	1979-80 Boston Celtics	+1.93	+7.8	+4.1	+3.7	61-21	1642
29	2006-07 Phoenix Suns	+1.92	+7.3	+11.5	−4.2	61-21	1669
30	2004-05 San Antonio SpursChampion	+1.92	+7.8	−1.0	+8.8	59-23	1659
31	2020-21 Utah Jazz	+1.90	+9.3	+4.3	+4.9	52-20	1642
32	2006-07 Dallas Mavericks	+1.90	+7.2	+1.3	+6.0	67-15	1650
33	2007-08 Boston CelticsChampion	+1.89	+10.3	+0.6	+9.6	66-16	1706
34	2008-09 Cleveland Cavaliers	+1.89	+8.9	+0.3	+8.6	66-16	1704
35	1959-60 Boston CelticsChampion	+1.88	+8.3	+9.2	−0.8	59-16	1658
36	1961-62 Boston CelticsChampion	+1.88	+9.2	+2.3	+6.9	60-20	1644
37	1971-72 Los Angeles LakersChampion	+1.88	+12.3	+10.8	+1.5	69-13	1703
38	2003-04 San Antonio Spurs	+1.86	+7.2	−1.9	+9.1	57-25	1686
39	2002-03 Dallas Mavericks	+1.85	+7.8	+7.9	−0.1	60-22	1677
40	1966-67 Philadelphia 76ersChampion	+1.85	+9.4	+7.8	+1.7	68-13	1715
41	2001-02 Sacramento Kings	+1.84	+7.6	+9.1	−1.5	61-21	1690
42	2018-19 Milwaukee Bucks	+1.84	+8.9	+6.9	+1.9	60-22	1675
43	1985-86 Los Angeles Lakers	+1.84	+7.7	+7.1	+0.7	62-20	1633
44	1999-00 Los Angeles LakersChampion	+1.82	+8.6	+3.4	+5.2	67-15	1682
45	2025-26 Oklahoma City Thunder	+1.82	+11.1	+3.4	+7.7	64-18	1716
46	1998-99 San Antonio SpursChampion	+1.82	+8.1	+1.2	+6.8	37-13	1700
47	1967-68 Philadelphia 76ers	+1.81	+8.6	+6.0	+2.6	62-20	1630
48	1980-81 Philadelphia 76ers	+1.81	+7.9	+3.6	+4.3	62-20	1655
49	1976-77 Portland Trail BlazersChampion	+1.81	+5.6	+5.3	+0.3	49-33	1623
50	1984-85 Los Angeles LakersChampion	+1.81	+7.3	+7.4	−0.1	62-20	1707

About this data

What the numbers mean

Offense is points scored per game minus the league average that season; defense is the league average for points allowed minus the team's own, so positive is better. MOV is points scored minus points allowed per game, and MOV z divides it by the spread of MOV across that season's league. Elo is the team's rating at the end of the season.

Sources

The site's NBA workbook: season rows for active and defunct franchises
The site's NBA end-of-season Elo series

How often it refreshes

Rebuilt when the NBA workbook is updated. The current season is left out until it is complete.

Known limits

ABA seasons have no Elo, because the Elo series does not cover that league, so they do not appear in the Margin vs Elo view.
SRS is not included yet because game-level data is not loaded; MOV z is the stand-in and ignores strength of schedule.
Decades count by the year a season began, so 1995-96 is in the 1990s.