Ok, so we already looked at the guys who snuck a ring in on us. Now let’s explore the other side of that coin. Today, let’s look at the best squads to never hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy. For the most part, these teams just happen to be a victim of bad timing. Only three teams on the list didn’t reach the Finals and I feel they would have won if they got there. Just goes to show that winning a championship is no easy feat. Alright, enough preamble. Let’s get right into it. (SN: To be eligible for the list the franchise must not have won a championship with the same core as the listed team hence why some Lakers and Celtics teams were not added and so on and so forth).
10: 2000 Indiana Pacers
Starting Lineup:
PG: Mark Jackson
SG: Reggie Miller
SF: Jalen Rose
PF: Dale Davis
C: Rik Smits
Head Coach: Larry Bird
Tough veteran team, very solid defensively, great coaching and featured maybe the greatest shooter of all time. Took the Lakers to 6 games in the Finals. Reggie Miller and Jalen Rose combined for nearly 45 ppg throughout their playoff run. Beat a really good Knicks team in the Conf. Finals. Just didn’t have enough to beat the powerhouse Lakers squad.
9: 2000 Portland TrailBlazers
Starting Lineup:
PG: Damon Stoudamire
SG: Steve Smith
SF: Scottie Pippen
PF: Rasheed Wallace
C: Arvydas Sabonis
Head Coach: Mike Dunleavy
Balanced squad, all five starters averaged double figures in scoring throughout the season, would have won the chip if not for the 3 peat Lakers (there’s a theme here), An aged (but still very good) Pippen who was the primary facilitator for the team, leading them in assists. Was essentially one quarter away from playing in the Finals against the aforementioned Indiana Pacers (which I believe they would have won, hence their ranking on the list).
8: 1994 New York Knicks
Starting Lineup:
PG: Derek Harper
SG: John Starks
SF: Charles Smith
PF: Charles Oakley
C: Patrick Ewing
Head Coach: Pat Riley
Hard nosed, defensive minded team. Superstar play from Ewing and steady play from Starks. Finally broke through to the Finals in the first post MJ season. Not the most overly talented team but they were in contention every year. Would have had more opportunities in the Finals had it not been for the Bulls.
7: 1992 Portland Trailblazers
Starting Lineup:
PG: Terry Porter
SG: Clyde Drexler
SF: Jerome Kersey
PF: Buck Williams
C: Kevin Duckworth
Head Coach: Rick Adelman
Another victim of the 90’s Bulls regime. Had the second best SG of his era. Great offensive team (4th in scoring during the ’91-’92 season). Beat the Phoenix Suns (who will make an appearance later on) and Utah Jazz en route to their second finals appearance in three years. They should probably blame the media (The Clyde vs. MJ hype machine) and Clifford Robinson (said Jordan couldn’t shoot resulting in the Shrug game) for their demise.
6: 2007 Phoenix Suns
Starting Lineup:
PG: Steve Nash
SG: Raja Bell
SF: Shawn Marion
PF: Boris Diaw
C: Amar’e Stoudemire
Head Coach: Mike D’Antoni
Perhaps one of the best offensive teams ever. Led by MVP Steve Nash. Amar’e Stoudemire was wreaking havoc throughout the league. Were most likely a Robert Horry hip check and a Stoudemire suspension away from a championship (I have a sneaking suspicion they would have ran the Cavs smooth out the gym).
5: 1995 Orlando Magic
Starting Lineup:
PG: Penny Hardaway
SG: Nick Anderson
SF: Donald Royal
PF: Horace Grant
C: Shaquille O’ Neal
Head Coach: Brian Hill
One of the best tandems in NBA history. The only team to beat a MJ led playoff squad in the 90’s. The least high profile coach on the list, which speaks to the talent of this team. A relatively young team, if they had more time together would have been very special. Got swept in the Finals by the Rockets on their way to back to back titles.
4: 1996 Seattle Supersonics
Starting Lineup:
PG: Gary Payton
SG: Hersey Hawkins
SF: Detlef Schrempf
PF: Shawn Kemp
C: Ervin Johnson
Head Coach: George Karl
This is one of my favorite teams of all time. Super talented, tough and fun to watch. Were one of the best offensive and defensive teams in the league during the ’95-’96 season. Another team that I’m sure wished MJ would have stayed retired. Random thought, they might have had the best defensive trio of PG’s ever on one team (Payton, McMillan, Snow).
3: 1993 Phoenix Suns
Starting Lineup:
PG: Kevin Johnson
SG: Dan Majerle
SF: Cedric Ceballos
PF: Charles Barkley
C: Mark West
Head Coach: Paul Westphal
We’re getting to the best of the best now. This Suns team was a PROBLEM. Chuck and KJ couldn’t be stopped on their way to a 62 win season. Barkley averaged 25 pts/12 rebs during his lone MVP season. MJ must have taken it personal because he really destroyed them in the Finals. SN: How many times are we going to have the “MJ killed this team” convo on this list??????
2: 1998 Utah Jazz
Starting Lineup:
PG: John Stockton
SG: Jeff Hornacek
SF: Bryon Russell
PF: Karl Malone
C: Adam Keefe
Head Coach: Jerry Sloan
Not gonna waste my time here. They will always only be known for “The Last Shot”.
1: 2002 Sacramento Kings
Starting Lineup:
PG: Mike Bibby
SG: Doug Christie
SF: Peja Stojakovic
PF: Chris Webber
C: Vlade Divac
Head Coach: Rick Adelman
If there is one team I legitimately feel bad for, it would be these guys. Other teams complain about bad officiating, well a ref served jail time for fixing one of their games. Probably one of the most fun teams to watch. Mike Bibby and C Webb ran the high powered offense and Doug Christie gave them their identity and toughness on the other end. Extremely talented, well coached, they just came around at the wrong time.
There you have it. The 10 greatest teams who never got over the hump. Do you agree with this list? Who’s missing? Who needs to be removed?