The early years of the PBA saw the rise of two powerhouse teams whose rivalry sparked the popularity of the league.
Crispa and Toyota were the original super teams, winning a combined 22 championships from 1975 to 1984, the last year of the Redmanizers in the pro league. Both teams had some of the best players in the league who also collared the top individual accolades handed out at the end of every season.
After the disbandment of Toyota and Crispa, there have been a number of franchises which reigned for certain stretches of the PBA due to lineups that can be deemed as super teams in their own rights. Let us take a look at some of them.
Great Taste (1984-85)
Great Taste practically ended Crispa’s dominance after the Redmanizers won four straight titles beginning with its Grand Slam in 1983 until the 1st conference of 1984. After that, the PBA became the playground of the Coffee Makers.
Great Taste started to emerge as a legitimate contender in 1983 when it finished second in the Reinforced Conference with import Norman Black against the Billy Ray Bates-powered Crispa Redmanizers in a close finals battle, 2-3. Bates and Crispa repeated over Black and the Coffee Makers in the third conference finals, 3-0.
Things started to finally to fall into place for Great Taste in 1984. The Coffee Makers were powered by a pair of gunners who are regarded as two of the best scorers in league history, Ricardo Brown and Bogs Adornado. The Coffee Makers, however, were not only reliant on their two MVPs as they also had outstanding players like Arnie Tuadles, Manny Victorino, Joy Carpio, Chito Loyzaga, Jimmy Manansala, and Joel Banal. The team was mentored by The Maestro Baby Dalupan who took over the coaching mantle from Jimmy Mariano in the latter part of the 1983 season. In the 1984 All Filipino, Great Taste swept a Beer Hausen squad led by Ramon Fernandez who was having arguably the best season of any local in league history (27 points, 11 rebounds, 9.9 assists per game). In the third conference, Great Taste, led by Best Import Jeff Collins, came out on top of the finals, 3-2, against Crispa. Brown ended up averaging over 30 points in the championship series.
Adornado moved to Shell in 1985 while Tuadles joined Ginebra, but this did not derail Great Taste as it acquired Abe King and Willie Pearson. The Coffee Masters won the Open Conference with import Joe Binion against Norman Black and Magnolia. In the All Filipino Conference, the Coffee Makers defeated Adornado and the Shell Azodrin in the finals, 3-1. Brown was named MVP of the 1985 season. He was joined by Victorino and Pearson in the Mythical First Team, while King made the Mythical Second Team and the All Defensive Team.
The next time Great Taste would win another title would be in 1987, but for that four-conference stretch from 1984 to 1985, the Coffee Makers were the masters of the PBA.
San Miguel (1987-89)
In seven conferences beginning the third conference of 1987 until the end of the 198
