Last week, I covered numbers 15-6 on my most dominant sports teams of all time list (Part I and II). This week I finish off my list by revealing the top 5.

Below are numbers 25-6:

25. Minnesota Vikings (NFL 2K)
24. Philadelphia 76ers (NBA 2K2)
23. New York Mets (MLB 2K7)
22. Detroit Lions (Tecmo Super Bowl)
21. Los Angeles (Blades of Steel)
20. Cleveland Indians (Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey Jr.)
19. Buffy’s Gym (Sammy Sosa’s Softball Slam)
18. LA Lakers (Bulls vs. Lakers)
17. Pittsburgh Penguins (NHLPA Hockey)
16. Chicago Bulls (Tecmo NBA Basketball)
15. Utah (Bases Loaded)
14. Denver Broncos (NFL Gameday 99)
13. Detroit Red Wings (NHL 2002)
12. Seattle Mariners (Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball)
11. TIE San Francisco/Boston (RBI Baseball)
10. Philadelphia Eagles (Madden 94)
9. LA Lakers (NBA Street)
8. Sacramento Kings (NBA 2K1)
7. Florida State (Bill Walsh College Football)
6. Orlando Magic (NBA Live 95)

Determining the top 5 was no easy task. Each one of these teams brought a whole new level of cheapness and frustration to sports gaming. In the end though, there could only be one team left standing.

Time for another Italia Goal!

#5 Italy (FIFA 95)

Italy was one of those teams that flat out could not be beat by any other team in FIFA 95 for the Sega Genesis. It did not matter which team you chose to throw against Italy, the result would still be the same -- total Italian dominance.

Perhaps it was the FIFA representation of Roberto Baggio that made Italy so good, but I tend to believe that Italy’s players were programmed to be two times faster than any other team in the game. I used to spend hours trying to beat Italy with my Brazilian squad, only to be out hustled to every loose ball, and eventually outscored by 3-4 goals per game.

I can still recall my hapless goalie doing a full superman dive while attempting to stop a shot attempt, only to see the isometric-angled net expand as the ball hit the netting.

Italy was the type of team that could instantly make any novice FIFA player impossible to beat in a two-player matchup. It did not help that Italy was a popular choice for any 14-year-old boy in my neighborhood back in 1995.

Italy was one of the first teams to be officially "banned" in the McLeod household, and this is precisely why the FIFA 95 version of Italy deserves the number five spot on this list.

Scottie Pippen says, "Who needs Jordan?"

#4 Portland Trail Blazers (NBA 2K)

With a roster that included Rasheed Wallace, Arvydas Sabonis, Scottie Pippen, Steve Smith, Damon Stoudamire, Jermaine O’Neal, Brian Grant, Detlef Schrempf, Bonzi Wells and Stacey Augmon, it is not a surprise that the NBA 2K Portland Trail Blazers were a force to be reckoned with.

This team was so dangerous because they were absolutely dominant, not only in the paint, but also shooting from anywhere on the court. This was by far the greatest non-arcade style video game basketball team I have ever witnessed, and their reign of terror could not be stopped. If you tried to shut down their perimeter game, Sheed, Jermaine, Brian Grant’s dreadlocks and Arvydas would kill you down low. If you tried to stop their inside game, Steve Smith, Detlef, and Stacey "Plastic Man" Augmon would start dropping 3s on you. Then, if you somehow managed to slow down both the inside and outside game, you got stuck with Scottie Pippen, Bonzi, and Detlef driving the lane and either dunking all over you or hitting MJ-like layups.

I will never forget playing this game every weekend with my buddies during our senior year of High School, and every weekend it was the same routine: One of us would take the Jail Blazers, and everyone else would spend the entire night taking turns trying to beat the Blazers with one of the other teams in the game. The person controlling the Blazers never lost in the year-plus we played the game.

The Blazers were not considered "cheap" in my circle of friends; they were considered "solid." I personally loved playing as the Blazers because they were an absolute blast to play with, plus they had cool jerseys.

The 2K Blazers had so much video game talent on the roster that it was hard to really hate on them, or think the game was programmed to favor them in any way. If this Blazers squad was pitted against any other non-arcade style video game basketball team (Tecmo NBA Basketball Bulls included), my money would be on the Blazers.

The real question is, how were the 2K Blazers so dominant, yet the real life 2000-2001 Blazers could not win a Championship? Oops, I forgot, it was probably because the video game 2K Blazers were not smoking pot and getting arrested every week.

The Ken Dorsey led Miami Hurricanes were unstoppable in their time.

#3 Miami Hurricanes (NCAA Football 2002/2003)

Remember how I said that I did not really consider the Blazers cheap? Well the Miami Hurricanes in NCAA Football 2002/2003 were definitely cheap.

Most people remember certain parties from college, or maybe a specific class or group of friends they always hung out with -- except me. I remember playing against Miami in NCAA Football 2002 and 2003, and getting so frustrated that I literally broke a Playstation 2 controller. Miami was the bane of my college sports-gaming career.

On paper the Hurricanes were loaded on both offense and defense. Ken Dorsey, Willis McGahee, Frank Gore, Clinton Portis (2002 only), Andre Johnson and Kellen Winslow headed up the offense, while the late Sean Taylor anchored the defense. Countless other future NFL stars played a supporting role, making the Hurricanes the greatest team in the history of NCAA Football, two years in a row.

A true test of anyone’s NCAA Football skills was attempting to beat the Hurricanes on Heisman difficulty in both the '02 and '03 iterations of the game. Those who have engaged in this monumental feat know exactly what I am talking about.

Beating the 2003 version of Miami took even longer for some reason. As if it was not bad enough trying to beat the Hurricanes, I had to look at failed Lions QB Joey Harrington every time I booted up the game.

Miami was beyond dominant in NCAA Football 2002/2003. It took me more than 100 games and months of gameplay, but I will never forget my only two Heisman victories against those teams. I consider those two wins the greatest achievements in my 20-plus years of sports gaming.

Bo Jackson and Touchdown, two words meant for each other.

#2 Los Angeles Raiders (Tecmo Bowl)

I have seen many solid teams mentioned on the Operation Sports forums when it comes to the Tecmo Bowl series, but the Los Angeles Raiders from the original Tecmo Bowl remain the undisputed champions of the series.

Everyone knows by now that the Raiders had Bo Jackson and Marcus Allen, and everyone knows just how dominant those two were in the game. Anyone who doubts how dominant of the Raiders, simply go to Youtube and check out this video.

During my bachelor party last May, I dusted off my old NES, set it up in my living room, and proceeded to have a Tecmo Bowl tournament amongst my guests. Just like clockwork, one of my buddies -- the guy who has not played the game in 15 years, and does not even own a console other than the Wii today -- chose the Raiders and proceeded to beat all challengers. What was even worse was that he was talking trash the entire time as Bo and Marcus would find the end zone time and time again -- and do that awesome jumping celebration, complete with the amazing music.

The bachelor party example above is the number one reason why the Tecmo Bowl Raiders are one of the most illegal/cheap sports teams in all of gaming history. In fact, the Tecmo Bowl Raiders are the first team in the modern era of "cheesing."

My buddy the "Raider-whore" clearly did not understand that he had violated one of the most sacred rules amongst hardcore sports gamers: "When it comes to Tecmo Bowl, thou shalt not choose the Raiders of the city Los Angeles, on the basis of their pure and total world domination."

A one point win? They must have been taking the night off.

#1 Seattle Supersonics (NBA Jam)

In a game where most teams consisted of a guard and a big man, the NBA Jam Supersonics dared to go against the grain. Their pure versatility and explosiveness has made them the most dominant sports team in history.

To understand the NBA Jam Sonics, it is important to understand the two superstars who made up their squad.

First you had Shawn Kemp. Kemp was one of the most explosive and powerful dunkers in the history of the NBA. In NBA Jam, he had access to the superstar dunk package that only the highest rated dunkers were given. On top of his extraordinary dunking abilities, Kemp was a sniper when it came to hitting 3s in the game. For the most part, big dunkers in NBA Jam were relegated to a high dunk rating, and were downright awful from the outside. Kemp bucked this trend, and was lethal shooting anywhere on the offensive end of the court.

Kemp was also a great defender; he had a power shove that would knock opponents halfway across the court. This, coupled with his high speed rating, made him a monster on the defensive side of the ball. Kemp’s block ratings were also off the charts, allowing him to terrorize anyone attempting to score on him.

Kemp’s partner in crime on the console versions of the game (sorry arcade-only Benoit Benjamin), was none other than Detlef Schrempf.

Detlef was the perfect compliment to the high-flying Kemp. Detlef had high 3-point ratings and high passing ratings. Detlef also had a moderately high dunk rating compared to other second players in the game. This led to many Schrempf throwdowns that would take opponents by surprise.

On the defensive side of the ball, Detlef was extremely skilled. His shoving ability was just as strong as Kemp’s, and his block rating was also relatively high. Detlef’s defensive abilities, coupled with Kemp’s, allowed a skilled NBA Jam veteran to effectively lock opponents down -- in other words, not allow 50 points.

The Sonics offensive prowess and their defensive intensity meant you could get Kemp "on fire" in the blink of an eye. What followed would be a flurry of points that would allow the Supersonics to get out to an insurmountable lead by halftime.

No matter how skilled any team was in NBA Jam, it always had one weakness. Charlotte was great with Alonzo Mourning and Larry Johnson, except they could not hit 3s. The Bulls were solid with Pippen and Grant, but they could not block shots. The Pistons were skilled with Isiah and Laimbeer, but Isiah was prone to getting blocked and was easily pushed around.

The Supersonics had no weaknesses, and could do everything well in the game -- a simple fact that made them unstoppable. There is no beating the Sonics in a game of NBA Jam, especially if the user of the Sonics was a skilled vet of the series -- and who was not skilled at NBA Jam back in 1994?

The NBA Jam Supersonics are my choice for the best video game team ever, and not just because I used to have a Supersonics Starter Jacket.


So there it is, the top 25 best teams in in video game sports history. It has been a wild three weeks, and ranking the top five was a tough task. In the end, I had to go with my gut, and there is no other team that I remember being more dominant throughout the years than the NBA Jam Supersonics. Shawn Kemp and Detlef Schrempf still hold a special place in my heart.