NBA Championship Power Rankings: 2012 Miami Heat vs. Last 25 NBA Champs

Using our NBA simulation engine, we placed the Miami Heat in a round-robin tournament featuring every NBA champion from the past 25 years. Every team in the tournament played every other team 51 times. The simulation generated each team's winning percentage (Win%) and average points per game (PPG).

To simulate these games or any other theoretical matchups of your choosing, try the WhatIfSports.com NBA SimMatchup tool.

2011-12 Miami Heat vs. Last 25 NBA Champions
Rank	Team	Win%	PPG	Simulate vs. Miami Heat
1	1995-96 Chicago Bulls	62.8	102.1	SimMatchup >
2	2006-07 San Antonio Spurs	60.7	101.0	SimMatchup >
3	2008-09 Los Angeles Lakers	60.0	105.0	SimMatchup >
4	1996-97 Chicago Bulls	59.5	100.1	SimMatchup >
5	2007-08 Boston Celtics	59.1	101.4	SimMatchup >
6	1994-95 Houston Rockets	57.1	108.1	SimMatchup >
7	2004-05 San Antonio Spurs	56.7	99.0	SimMatchup >
8	1991-92 Chicago Bulls	56.1	104.4	SimMatchup >
9	1986-87 Los Angeles Lakers	54.5	109.6	SimMatchup >
10	1990-91 Chicago Bulls	53.2	105.5	SimMatchup >
11	2011-12 Miami Heat	52.1	101.7	SimMatchup >
12	1992-93 Chicago Bulls	50.9	102.2	SimMatchup >
13	2001-02 Los Angeles Lakers	50.2	103.6	SimMatchup >
14	2005-06 Miami Heat	50.0	104.1	SimMatchup >
15	2010-11 Dallas Mavericks	49.5	104.8	SimMatchup >
16	2000-01 Los Angeles Lakers	47.5	104.1	SimMatchup >
17	1999-00 Los Angeles Lakers	47.3	101.2	SimMatchup >
18	2002-03 San Antonio Spurs	47.0	98.0	SimMatchup >
19	2009-10 Los Angeles Lakers	44.2	100.6	SimMatchup >
20	1998-99 San Antonio Spurs	42.4	97.4	SimMatchup >
21	1989-90 Detroit Pistons	41.5	101.7	SimMatchup >
22	1997-98 Chicago Bulls	41.5	97.7	SimMatchup >
23	1987-88 Los Angeles Lakers	41.2	107.9	SimMatchup >
24	1988-89 Detroit Pistons	40.6	104.7	SimMatchup >
25	1993-94 Houston Rockets	38.5	102.3	SimMatchup >
26	2003-04 Detroit Pistons	36.1	97.8	SimMatchup >

After dispatching the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games, LeBron James and his Heat teammates earned the coveted title of NBA champions. But where does the team rank among past Larry O'Brien Trophy winners? Using our NBA simulation engine, we played the Heat against the last 25 NBA champions.

The Heat ranked 11th in our simulation, winning 52.1 percent of their games while averaging 101.7 points per contest. The 2011-12 squad edged out their counterparts from the 2005-06 season, when the Heat bested the Dallas Mavericks in six games to claim Dwyane Wade's first championship and Shaquille O'Neal's fourth. The 2005-06 Heat won 50.0 percent of their games in the simulation.

Michael Jordan's 1995-96 Chicago Bulls claimed the best winning percentage, earning victories in 62.8 percent of their games. The Bulls won an NBA-record 72 regular season games that season. Three other Bulls teams joined the 1995-96 squad in the top 10.