Whether you love the fact that they give all the other teams in the league a giant to shoot down or hate the fact that they make the result of the season a foregone conclusion, you can't disagree with the assertion that dynasties are a huge part of sports.
With that in mind, this list looks back on the top 10 professional sports dynasties of all time. Teams were required to have won at least three championships in a short amount of time to be considered.
Number 10 </B>
Dallas Cowboys
Football
Years: 1992-1995 (4 seasons)
Finals appearances/championships won: 3/3
The Cowboys only narrowly get the nod over the 2002-2005 Patriots due to their loss in the NFC championship in 1994, the one year of the dynasty they didn't make the Super Bowl. But when the 'Boys were on, they couldn't be beat -- especially by
the Buffalo Bills, who lost to them in both Super Bowls XXVII and XXVIII.
Led by quarterback Troy Aikman, running back Emmitt Smith and wide receiver Michael Irvin, Dallas managed to beat its hated rival,
the San Francisco 49ers, twice in the NFC title game during its run.
Number 9 </B>
Oakland Athletics
Baseball
Years: 1972-1974 (3 seasons)
Finals appearances/championships won: 3/3
The A's of the early '70s are the only team other than the Yankees to have won three straight championships, so although three in a row may not seem like much, it's quite impressive in the scheme of baseball history.
Led by "Mr. October" Reggie Jackson on offense, and with a pitching staff anchored by 20-game winners Ken Holtzman, Vida Blue and Hall of Famer Catfish Hunter, the A's were a force to be reckoned with.
Number 8 </B>
New York Islanders
Hockey
Years: 1979-1982 (4 seasons)
Finals appearances/championships won: 4/4
The last professional team in any sport to win four straight titles, the Islanders of the early '80s were led by greats like Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier up front, Denis Potvin on defense and Billy Smith in goal.
Coached by the legendary Al Arbour, the Islanders only lost two games (against 16 victories) in their four Stanley Cup finals appearances, which included a series of victories over another budding dynasty, the Edmonton Oilers.
Number 7 </B>
Los Angeles Lakers
Basketball
Years: 1979-1989 (10 seasons)
Finals appearances/championships won: 8/5
The "Showtime" Lakers got their dynasty started in the 1979-80 season by beating the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA finals, but their main rivals were Larry Bird's Boston Celtics. They faced the Celts three times, coming out on top twice.
Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy led the way as the Lakers, coached by Pat Riley, went up against the "Bad Boys" of the Detroit Pistons twice in the finals in the last years of their incredible run, winning in 1988 but losing in 1989.
Number 6 </B>
Edmonton Oilers
Hockey
Years: 1983-1990 (7 seasons)
Finals appearances/championships: 5/5
Led by the Great One, Wayne Gretzky, the Oilers produced the five highest goal totals in NHL history during the 1980s, as Mark Messier, Jari Kurri and Glenn Anderson all got in on the act. Head coach Glen Sather was at the helm for two titles and worked with co-head coach John Muckler for two more before Muckler won the final championship on his own. The Oilers particularly delighted their fans in 1984 and 1988 when they defeated their Albertan rivals, the Calgary Flames, in the playoffs on their way to the Cup.
Number 5 </B>
Pittsburgh Steelers
Football
Years: 1974-1979 (6 seasons)
Finals appearances/championships: 4/4
The Steelers -- with Terry Bradshaw under center, Franco Harris in the backfield and Lynn Swann and John Stallworth at wide receiver -- became the first NFL team to have won four Super Bowls when they defeated the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl XIV in 1980.
But as well-known as the offense was, the Steel Curtain defense, featuring "Mean" Joe Greene, was instrumental in the Steelers beating the Cowboys twice in the
Super Bowl during their run.
Number 4 </B>
Montreal Canadiens
Hockey
Years: 1956-1960 (5 seasons)
Finals appearances/championships: 5/5
The longest consecutive run of championships in NHL history, the Canadiens' team during this streak featured 10 Hall of Famers, including Maurice and Henri Richard,
Jean Beliveau, Bernie Geoffrion, and, in goal, Jacques Plante. Coached by Hector "Toe" Blake, the Habs were equal-opportunity champions, defeating Detroit once and Boston and Toronto twice each during their dynasty. This included a 4-0 sweep of the Maple Leafs in the 1959-60 Stanley Cup finals.
Number 3 </B>
New York Yankees
Baseball
Years: 1947-1962 (16 seasons)
Finals appearances/championships: 13/10
Any number of Yankees runs could make our list, including their most recent dynasty between 1996 and 2000, but for sheer length and number of championship wins, this one is the tops. Yogi Berra was around for the entire length of the run, picking up a
World Series ring for each finger along the way, while
Joe DiMaggio carried the offensive load at the start of the dynasty and Mickey Mantle picked up the slack at the end.
Three Yankees managers were at the helm for their World Series wins, with Casey Stengel leading the team to seven titles, including an amazing five straight from 1949 to 1953.
Number 2 </B>
Chicago Bulls
Basketball
Years: 1991-1998 (8 seasons)
Finals appearances/championships: 6/6
It's entirely possible
the Bulls would have won the title in all eight seasons (or even more) if
Michael Jordan hadn't retired, but they had to settle for two separate three-peats. With Scottie Pippen by his side, Jordan led the Bulls to NBA finals victories over Magic and the Lakers, Charles Barkley and the Suns and Karl Malone and the Jazz (twice).
Coached by the "Zen Master" Phil Jackson, the Bulls were unbeatable when Jordan was on, partly because of his unselfishness -- he passed up the series-winning shot in 1997, letting Steve Kerr take (and make) it.
Number 1 </B>
Boston Celtics
Basketball
Years: 1957-1969 (13 seasons)
Finals appearances/championships: 12/11
Legendary head coach Red Auerbach lit up a lot of victory cigars while leading this team, which put together the most impressive streak in the history of sports by winning eight straight championships from 1959 to 1966 as part of the larger run.
But apart from its coach, this team was stacked with Hall of Famers: Bill Russell anchored the middle of the court, while Bob Cousy provided the scoring. But it was John Havlicek who provided one of the dynasty's most enduring moments, stealing the ball in the 1965 Eastern Conference finals to put the Celtics on their way to another NBA title.
legendary teams
Dynasties are a bit of a dying breed in sports these days, as salary caps and free agency prevent teams from keeping the same nucleus together for an extended period of time. However, two teams are knocking at the door of dynasty status: the New England Patriots, who have won three titles in four years, and the San Antonio Spurs, who just wrapped up their second title in three years and their third in seven seasons. Will they make it to the top of the dynasty pantheon? Only time will tell.
