The American Heritage Dictionary -- as stated by Dictionary.com -- defines dynasty as
1. A succession of rulers from the same family or line.
2. A family or group that maintains power for several generations: a political dynasty controlling the state.
Earlier today I heard someone on the radio say the Spurs would be a dynasty if they won the NBA championship this season. How many in a row would that be for the Spurs? One. People use the term dynasty WAY too loosely and it bothers me.
A dynasty is the Boston Celtics winning 8 titles in a row.
To a lesser extent it's Jordan's Bulls winning three straight titles twice. Any other three-peat is arguable, because repeated titles shows that team maintaining power for several generations (seasons).
If the Spurs win the title this season -- and they probably will -- it will be their fourth title in nine seasons. The Lakers three-peated between the Spurs' championships in 99 and 03.
That's a great feat, it's not a dynasty.
Hi Dan,
Been a fan since back when you were reporting on college boys field hockey for the Albany Daily Express Times-Gazette.
How do you feel about the 2000's Patriots? 90's Cowboys? 80's Niners? Even the 70's Steelers? Many people call those teams dynasties but none of them ever won more than 2 in a row. Do you propose different dynasty rules for sports?
The only dynasty that I think counts is the Ming Dynasty.