To say that the Washington Wizards have struggled throughout their existence would be a bit of an understatement. While they have won a title and made a handful of NBA Finals, those highs came over 40 years ago, before the team was even known as the Wizards. In terms of recent history, Washington hasn't had a 50-win season since 1978-79, by far the longest drought in the league. With Washington trading star guard Bradley Beal this offseason, the team is in for at least a few more rough years to come.
OK, that's enough ragging on the Wizards, that's not what this article is about. Instead, this article is about recognizing some of the greatest teams in franchise history. Despite the Wizards' less-than-stellar history, they do have some legitimately very good teams throughout their time in the NBA.
So without further ado, here are the 10 greatest teams in Wizards franchise history.
10. 2013-14
Washington had some good teams throughout the 2010s under the duo of Beal and John Wall. These teams weren't necessarily great, but could consistently get into the playoffs and even do some damage there. The first of these teams came in 2013-14, which marked the Wizards' first playoff appearance in six years.
This season, Washington finished fifth in the Eastern Conference at 44-38. In the playoffs, the Wizards made quick work of the Chicago Bulls in five games and put up a good fight against the top-seeded Indiana Pacers, ultimately falling in six.
Wall earned his first all-star appearance this season, averaging 19.3 points and 8.8 assists per game. A then-20-year-old Beal began to make his mark on the league with 17.1 points per game, while Trevor Ariza, Marcin Gortat and Nenê highlighted the supporting cast. Washington finished No. 17 in offensive rating and No. 8 in defensive rating.
9. 2004-05
Like the previous entry, this Wizards squad ended a similarly-long playoff drought dating back eight years earlier. Washington finished the season at 45-37, earning the fifth seed in the East. In the playoffs, the Wizards beat the Bulls in six for their first series win since 1982 before getting swept by the top-seeded Miami Heat.
Gilbert Arenas was the star on offense for this team, averaging 25.5 points per game in his first all-star season. Larry Hughes had a strong season with 22 points per game and had the most steals in the league at 2.9 per game. The Wizards finished No. 10 in offensive rating and No. 19 in defensive rating.
8. 2014-15
Returning to the Wall-Beal era, the 2014-15 team improved slightly from the year before. Washington finished this season with a 46-36 record, placing fifth in the East once again. The Wizards then swept the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the playoffs but lost in six to the top-seeded Atlanta Hawks soon after.
Wall and Beal actually had lower point totals than the year before, averaging 17.6 and 15.3 points per game respectively. However, this team was better defensively, finishing No. 5 in defensive rating but No. 22 in offensive rating.
7. 1975-76
There's no doubt that the 70s were the Wizards' golden era, as most of the remaining teams on this list come from that decade. Actually, calling them the Wizards would be incorrect, as the team didn't adopt that nickname until 1997. Before then, this franchise was known as the Washington Bullets, with some slight variations before that.
The 1975-76 Bullets had a 48-34 record, good for third in the East. Washington had a first-round bye in the playoffs but fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a tight seven-game series. Phil Chenier and the legendary Elvin Hayes led this squad in scoring with 19.9 and 19.8 points per game respectively. The Bullets finished No. 13 in offensive rating and No. 2 in defensive rating.
6. 1976-77
Washington had a very similar season one year later, but just a little bit better. The Bullets once again finished third in the East at 48-34, but with the league adding more playoff spots due to the NBA-ABA merger, they had to play in the first round this time. There, they got revenge on the Cavs with a 2-1 series win, but fell to the Houston Rockets 4-2 in the following round.
Hayes and Chenier led the team in scoring once again with 23.7 and 20.2 points per game respectively. Mitch Kupchak also earned a spot on the All-Rookie team after scoring 10.4 points per game. Washington finished No. 14 in offensive rating and No. 8 in defensive rating.
5. 2016-17
The 2016-17 squad not only ranks as the best team in the Wall-Beal era, but the best since the Wizards adopted their current nickname. The Wizards finished fourth in the East at 49-33, but more importantly, won their division for the first time in nearly 40 years. They took out the division-rival Hawks in six but fell to the top-seeded Boston Celtics in seven in the next round.
Wall and Beal both averaged 23.1 points per game this season, with the former also averaging 10.7 assists. Gortat, Bojan Bogdanović, Otto Porter Jr., and Markieff Morris all averaged over 10 points a game as supporting options. The Wizards finished No. 7 in offensive rating, but No. 20 in defensive rating.
4. 1970-71
Interestingly enough, the Wizards have never lost in the conference finals throughout their franchise's entire history. That means that the final four teams on this list have all played in the NBA Finals, although only one of them managed to win it all. The first of this elite quartet is also the first chronologically: the 1970-71 Baltimore Bullets (yes, before they moved to D.C.).
Baltimore finished this season at a pedestrian 42-40 but was able to win their division and thus claim the No. 2 seed in the East (only the top two teams in each division made the playoffs back then). The Bullets didn't waste their opportunity, though, defeating the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks in seven games each to make their first NBA Finals appearance. However, they were quickly swept by MVP Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and the Milwaukee Bucks, who were in just their third season of existence.
Baltimore's leading scorer this season was future Hall of Fame inductee Earl Malone, who averaged 21.9 points per game. Gus Johnson, another future Hall of Famer, averaged 18.2 points and 17.1 rebounds to earn a spot on the NBA All-Defensive First Team. The Bullets finished No. 12 (out of 17) in offensive rating and No. 7 in defensive rating.
3. 1978-79
The 1978-79 Bullets are the most recent team in franchise history to make the NBA Finals, and it's easy to argue that they're also the most recent great team for the franchise. This squad finished with a 54-28 record, the best in the NBA that year. The Bullets then won hard-fought, seven-game series against the Hawks and San Antonio Spurs to make their second straight finals appearance and fourth of the decade. They faced the Seattle Supersonics in a rematch of the previous year's finals, but Seattle avenged its prior loss with a five-game series win.
Hayes, 33 at the time, was still thriving with an average of 21.8 points per game this season. Fellow Hall of Famer Bob Dandridge had a great season of his own, averaging 20.4 points a game. Washington finished No. 2 in offensive rating and No. 8 in defensive rating.
2. 1974-75
This season marked the franchise's first year as the Washington Bullets, changing from the Capital Bullets the year before and the Baltimore Bullets before that. The newly-named team didn't mess around, posting a 60-22 record that still stands as the best in franchise history. Due to tiebreakers, though, the Bullets finished as the second seed in the East behind the Celtics.
Washington began its playoff run with a seven-game win over the Buffalo Braves (now the Los Angeles Clippers) in the conference semifinals. The Bullets then beat the Celtics in six to make the franchise's second NBA Finals appearance. However, they were swept in the finals by the Golden State Warriors.
Hayes and Chenier had very strong seasons, leading the team with 23 and 21.8 points per game respectively. Washington had the best defensive rating in the league but finished just eighth out of 18 in offensive rating.
1. 1977-78
A few Wizards teams have come close to climbing the tallest mountain, but this is the only one to make it to the top. The funny thing is that at 44-38, this team's regular season record wasn't all that special. However, Washington accomplished it needed to by making the playoffs, and that opportunity was enough.
The Bullets began their playoff run with a 2-0 series win over the Hawks in the first round. After that, they took out the higher-seeded Spurs and 76ers to make it back to the NBA Finals. Finally, they outlasted the SuperSonics in a tough seven-game series to win their first, and so far only, championship.
Hayes and Dandridge led the team in scoring with each averaging over 19 points per game, while Kupchak and Kevin Grevey averaged over 15. However, the honor of Finals MVP went to Hall of Fame center Wes Unseld, who was dominant on the boards in the series. The Bullets finished No. 10 in offensive rating and No. 9 in defensive rating in what remains their best season in franchise history.
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