It’s the end of the year.  Its the end of a decade.  Nothing great ever ends without a list and a debate over that list.  Today, we focus on the 10 greatest sports teams of the 2000 decade and the accomplishments that defined their greatness.

10.  Penn State Women’s Volleyball  (2006-Current)

Penn State’s girl volleyball team is a trendy selection given their recent headlines at the top of the sport section.  On December 20th,  the Nittany Lions won their 102 consecutive game at the Division I level and won their third national championship in a row.   Feeling the pressure, the Nittany Lions went down two sets to #2 ranked Texas and stormed back for a five-set victory.  What’s make the accomplishment so special is that women’s volleyball has now become a national sport, thanks in part to Title IX and the Nittany Lions.   Dominated by the West Coast, 16 of the first 19 NCAA Champions crowned came from the West Coast, primarily beach locations.   The latest decade saw the emergence of the Big Ten and Big 12, led by Penn State.  In short, Penn State girls volleyball proves you don’t need the beach for greatness.

9.  Boston Celtics (2007-2008)

Danny Ainge was on the hot seat.  It was put up or shut up time. He butted heads and pushed head coach Jim O’Brien to resign. He sent popular players such as Antoine Walker, Tony Battie and Eric Williams packing.  He brought in recently fired coach Doc Rivers whom tumbled in flames during his first head coaching stint.  It all hit rock bottom with coaching Red Auerbach’s death in 2006 and the second-worst record in team history at 24-58, including a franchise record 18-game losing streak.  Ainge masterminded the trades which brought in Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo prior to the 2007 season. Alongside Paul Pierce, they would generate one of the greatest turnarounds in sports, improving their won-loss record by 42 games and posting the 6th best single-season record in NBA history at 66-16.   The season ended with the Celtics getting their 22nd championship in a 39-point blowout of the rival Los Angeles Lakers in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.

8.  Florida Gators Basketball (2006-2007)

In a rare display of sportsmanship at the college level, the Florida Gators welcomed back its underclassmen that recently won an NCAA championship the previous season.  They would leave the NBA’s riches on the table to attempt becoming back-to-back champions.  Led by wunderkin coach Billy Donovan, the Gators would finish their regular season stumbling in early February, ending the regular season with a 26-5 record. They would then march through the SEC tournament, earn the top seed for the NCAA tournament and cement their status as one of the decade’s best with a dominating run to the championship.

7.  Chinese Olympic Team (2008)

The cold war dominance of the Summer Olympics by the Russians and Americans was put to rest by an upstart Chinese team hosting their first Olympics.  Traditionally stereotyped as a power in gymnastics and table tennis, the Chinese arrived in 2008 as the future of Olympic sports.   The Chinese won medals in 25 different disciplines, including its first ever gold medals in sailing, beach volleyball and field hockey.  With its strong financing and development of Olympic athletes, the showing in Beijing appears to be the beginning of the next era in the Summer Olympics.

6.  New York Yankees (2009)

The Yankees shelled out $423 million in contracts prior to the season for Mark Teixiera, C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett to win their 27th World Series championship.  Based on payroll, they were supposed to win…although the Yankees expenditures had delivered nothing since 2000.  After missing the playoffs in 2008 for the first time since 1996, the Yankees re-tooled for a big run.  The season got started off with a steroids controversy swirling over Alex Rodriguez.  The team stayed focused through a rough April, persevered by posting 103 wins and became the only MLB team in the decade to win over 100 games and capture the World Series title.  In a sport that rarely crowns the best team for 162 games as it did in its pastime, the Yankees helped make baseball relevant and exciting again.

5.  Miami Hurricanes NCAA Football (2001)

Perhaps the best single season team in NCAA football history, posting a 13-0 record and simply dominating everyone in their path.  The Canes’ average margin of victory was 39 points, as they steamrolled over five Top 25 ranked opponentsm including a 37-14 blowout victory over Nebraska in the National Championship game.  The roster read like the NFL’s All-Pro starting lineup with standouts that included Clinton Portis, Ed Reed, Andre Johnson, Jeremy Shockey, Jonathon Vilma, Bryant McKinnie and D.J. Williams.  An amazing collection of talent that superceded expectations and succeeded in spite of a lack of coaching prowess in Larry Coker after Butch Davis’ departure.

4.  Misty May / Kerri Walsh Volleyball

If you told me at the beginning of the decade that this list would contain two volleyball teams, I would have chuckled at the thought that even one would make the list.  But how can you look past the accomplishments and dominance of Misty May and Kerri Walsh, the two-time Olympics champions in beach volleyball.  Even President Bush specifically sought them out in Beijing for a picture op.  Leading up to the 2008 Olympics, they had a 101 match winning streak, rarely losing a set in the process.  The streak finally came to an end at 112 shortly after their Olympic repeat.

3.  Duke Men’s Basketball (2000-2001)

College basketball’s version of the Miami Hurricanes football team.  Led by Shane Battier, this squad developed 6 NBA players and left their collegiate competition in the dust.  This team posted a 35-4 record for the season while winning is game’s by an average margin of 20.2 points.  While the team stumbled in the rough and tumble ACC during the season, they blossomed at tournament time.  They won the ACC Tournament while blowing out #6 ranked rival North Carolina by 26.  They then ran the table in the NCAA tournament, defeating opponents by an average of 16.7 points and winning every game in the tournament by double-digits.

2.  New England Patriots (2007)

Okay, so they lost the Super Bowl. It doesn’t matter.  Even the most hardcore New York Giants fan will tell you that the 18-1 Patriots they defeated were the better team.  Head and shoulders better.  It was just one game…you can’t win them all.  The Pats posted the first undefeated regular season in the NFL since the 1972 Miami Dolphins.  Not only did they win, they dominated most everyone they played.  This team shattered offensive records across the league with its explosive superstars that included Tom Brady and Randy Moss.  Their invincibility was shattered by one circus acrobatic catch by David Tyree from Eli Manning.  The rest is history.

1.  Connecticut Women’s Basketball (2008-2009)

The last decade ended with the USA Women’s Soccer team displaying “girl power” in the World Cup that would serve to define the next decade.  No other team defined excellence in the manner that the UConn women’s basketball team in the 2008-2009 season.  A perfect 39-0 season, an average winning margin of 31.5 points and an invincibility that would even make Michael Jordan genuflect.  They won the Big East tournament over Louisville by a score of 75-36.  Just how much better they were they than every other team?  Their NCAA Finals matchup was against that same Louisville team they had pounded into submission just weeks prior.  They captured the crown with a 76-54 victory.  But what stands out most in their undefeated season, which makes them the team of the decade, is that they won every game they played by double-digits.