The Seattle SuperSonics franchise has been around for quite some time now. The SuperSonics joined the NBA back in the 1967-68 season. The team stayed in Seattle for over four decades until the 2008-09 season, when they relocated to Oklahoma City and became the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Across their five-plus-decade existence, the Sonics have won only one title, and that was back in 1979 when they were led by point guard Dennis Johnson. But the Sonics also have four conference titles in the history of the franchise, and their most recent conference title was in 2012, when Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden led the Thunder to the NBA Finals.

Compared to iconic NBA franchises like the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, it might seem like the Sonics haven't accomplished a whole lot, but they have had their fair share of success over the last five-plus decades, particularly during the 1970s.

With all of that being said, let's rank the top 10 greatest teams in the lengthy history of the Seattle SuperSonics franchise:

10. 1997-98

The 1997-98 SuperSonics, coached by George Karl, finished the regular season with a fantastic 61-21 record, the second-best in the Western Conference, behind only the 62-20 Utah Jazz. Guard Gary Payton stood out as the best player on this iteration of the Sonics, as he averaged 19.2 points, 8.3 assists, 4.6 rebounds, 2.3 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game across 82 appearances during the regular season. After eliminating Kevin Garnett and the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games in the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs, the Sonics lost to Shaquille O'Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers in five games in round two.

9. 1996-97

The 1996-97 Sonics won 57 games during the regular season and finished with the second-best regular-season record in the Western Conference. Big man Shawn Kemp was a double-double machine for this iteration of the Sonics, as he averaged 18.7 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game during the regular season. The Sonics eliminated Kevin Johnson's Phoenix Suns in five games in the first round of the playoffs, which set up a second-round matchup against Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets. But the Rockets defeated the Sonics in seven games in the Western Conference Semifinals.

8. 1986-87

The 1986-87 Sonics put together arguably the most improbable postseason run in franchise history. The team, coached by Bernie Bickerstaff, finished the regular season with a sub-par 39-43 record and as the seventh seed in the Western Conference. Wing Dale Ellis was arguably the best player on Seattle's roster, as he averaged a team-high 24.9 points per game during the regular season while shooting 51.6 percent from the field and 35.8 percent from behind the three-point arc. The Sonics made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals, as they eliminated the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets in the first two rounds of the playoffs. But the Sonics proved to be no match for Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers, as the Lakers swept Seattle in the Western Conference Finals.

7. 1979-80

The 1979-80 Seattle SuperSonics finished with a 56-26 regular-season record, the second-best record in the Western Conference, behind only the Los Angeles Lakers. Guard Gus Williams functioned as a two-way star for this iteration of the Sonics, as he averaged 22.1 points, 4.8 assists, and 2.4 steals per game during the regular season and played in all 82 regular-season games. After making quick work of the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the postseason and beating the Milwaukee Bucks in seven games in round two, the Sonics were eliminated by the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.

6. 1992-93

The 1992-93 SuperSonics won 55 games during the regular season, tied for the second-most of any team in the Western Conference. Ricky Pierce was a bit long in the tooth at this stage of his career at 33 years old, but he was still a very productive player. Pierce averaged a team-high 18.2 points per game during the regular season while shooting 48.9 percent from the field and 37.2 percent from behind the three-point line. This Sonics team got very close to making an NBA Finals appearance, as they were eliminated by Charles Barkley's Phoenix Suns in seven games in the 1993 Western Conference Finals.

5. 2013-14

The 2013-14 Oklahoma City Thunder, coached by Scott Brooks, finished with a 59-23 regular-season record, the second-best in the entire NBA. Kevin Durant was only 25 years old at the time, but he had already established himself as not only the best player on the Thunder but one of the best players in the league. Durant averaged 32.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game across 81 appearances during the regular season. The Thunder eliminated the Memphis Grizzlies in seven games in the first round of the playoffs and the Los Angeles Clippers in six games in the Western Conference Semifinals to secure a Western Conference Finals matchup against the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs proved to be the better team, though, as they eliminated the Thunder in six games in the Western Conference Finals.

4. 2015-16

The 2015-16 iteration of the Oklahoma City Thunder went 55-27 during the regular season. Point guard Russell Westbrook was the team's second-best player behind Durant, as Westbrook averaged 23.5 points, 10.4 assists, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game during the regular season and played in 80 out of 82 regular-season games. After beating the Dallas Mavericks in five games in the first round of the playoffs and the San Antonio Spurs in six games in the Western Conference Semifinals, the Thunder played the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. The Thunder got off to a great start to the Western Conference, as they held a 3-1 series lead at one point. But the Warriors won three games in a row after going down 3-1 and won the series in seven games.

3. 1977-78

The 1977-78 Seattle SuperSonics won 47 games during the regular season. Gus Williams was the team's best offensive player, as he averaged a team-high 18.1 points per game to go along with 3.7 assists and 3.2 rebounds during the regular season. The Sonics eliminated the Los Angeles Lakers in round one, the Portland Trail Blazers in round two, and the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals to secure an NBA Finals berth. The Sonics faced off against the Washington Bullets in the NBA Finals. The Sonics gave the Bullets a run for their money in the NBA Finals but came up just short of a title, as the Bullets won the championship series in seven games.

2. 2011-12

The 2011-12 Oklahoma City Thunder finished the lockout-shortened regular season with a 47-19 record, the second-best in the Western Conference behind the San Antonio Spurs. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were the team's two best players, but James Harden was an invaluable piece of this Thunder team, as he averaged 16.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.0 steals per game across 62 appearances during the regular season. The Thunder made quick work of their first two playoff opponents — the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers — as they lost just one game across the first two rounds of the playoffs. The Thunder then played the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals and eliminated them in six games to advance to the NBA Finals. But the Thunder were eliminated by LeBron James and the Miami Heat in five games in the NBA Finals.

1. 1978-79

The best team in SuperSonics franchise history, the 1978-79 Sonics won 52 games during the regular season. They were led by star point guard Dennis Johnson, as he averaged 15.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game during the regular season and played in 80 regular-season games. The Sonics beat the Los Angeles Lakers in five games in round two and the Phoenix Suns in seven games in the Western Conference before facing off against the Washington Bullets in the NBA Finals. And the Sonics won the championship series against the Bullets in five games.