Best team to never win a title

[Marchesk]

It can be a single season or over a span of a few years. Just curious who people think that team was and if they would have won a title or several in a different time without having to go through, say the Bulls or Boston/Philly, for example.

[JohnFreeman]

02 Kings

[Marchesk]

02 Kings

That's a good candidate. You think they were better than the 90s Jazz?

[J Shuttlesworth]

02 Kings
.

This thread has been done recently too

[dubeta]

2012 Thunder, 4 HOF's entering their prime at the same time

[Marchesk]

.

This thread has been done recently too

What? A redundant thread on ISH? Say it ain't so. Maybe I should slip Kobe or Lebron's name in there.

I don't remember seeing that thread, but it sort of rings a bell now that you mention it.

[JohnFreeman]

That's a good candidate. You think they were better than the 90s Jazz?
Jazz are probably a bit better

[L.A.Hawks]

1997-98 utah jazz

[J Shuttlesworth]

What? A redundant thread on ISH? Say it ain't so. Maybe I should slip Kobe or Lebron's name in there.

I don't remember seeing that thread, but it sort of rings a bell now that you mention it.
I think this is the one I was thinking of, but it's only since 1990

http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showthread.php?t=350723

[Marchesk]

I think this is the one I was thinking of, but it's only since 1990

http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showthread.php?t=350723

The 97/98 Jazz got no votes :wtf:

[Smook A.]

-2001-02 Sacramento Kings
The Kings won 61 games that year. We all know the refs did a horrendous job in that Lakers vs Kings WCF series. Kings probably would have won that championship in 2002 if the refs didn't screw it all up. The Kings were just really good all-around and they deserved to win it all. They had guys like Chris Webber, Peja, Bibby, Vlade, Bobby Jackson, and Doug Christie. Definitely a really good team.

-The Utah Jazz in the late 90s
John Stockton & Karl Malone were one best players in the NBA at the time. Their surrounding cast was great, and they had an amazing coach. I'm glad Jordan & Bulls won 6 championships, but I feel like that Jazz team really deserved at least 1.

-Mid 2000s Phoenix Suns
Same thing with the late 90s Jazz. The Suns had 2 great players in Steve Nash & Amare Stoudemire and the supporting cast was Shawn Marion, Boris Diaw, Raja Bell, and Leandro Barbosa. That team was just super stacked. Like the 2002 Kings, the Suns also won 61 games that season.

I also think the 2013 Spurs, late 90s Pacers, early 90s Knicks, and mid 90s Magic were some of the best teams to never win a championship, also.

[LAZERUSS]

The '68 Sixers WOULD certainly have won a repeat title if not for this...

http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showpost.php?p=9328011&postcount=14

and this...

http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showpost.php?p=9328006&postcount=13

As it was, with SEVEN of their EIGHT key players (including Wilt, himself), either playing with various injuries, or missing games (or a complete series, ala HOFer Cunningham)...they lost a game seven to the Celtics, by a 100-96 margin.

[HOoopCityJones]

OKC
Clippers

[Marchesk]

Clippers

:coleman:

[kennethgriffin]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NBA_teams_by_single_season_win_percentage


72-73 celtics = 68-14 ... best record to not win the title

/thread

[Marchesk]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NBA_teams_by_single_season_win_percentage


72-73 celtics = 68-14 ... best record to not win the title

/thread

Holy Shit! That must have been a special Knicks team to take down the mighty Celtics.

[Reggie43]

1997-98 Pacers

One of only two teams (92 Knicks) to extend the Champion Chicago Bulls to seven games in a playoff series. They were actually a couple of loose balls and a few made baskets away from beating the champs and actually held a double digit lead in the first half of the game.

[Leroy Jetson]

Stockton/Malone Jazz.

[ImKobe]

Let's say from recent Memory

93 Suns
94 Bulls
96 Sonics
97-98 Jazz
99 Lakers
00 Blazers
02 Queens
06 Spurs
07 Suns
12 OKC
13 Spurs

I'd say out of that pack, the Queens were the best overall team, but they choked in close games (Game 4, Game 7 WCF). They don't leave Horry wide open for a 3 in the last second or Peja makes the wide open corner 3, they win the series.

[JohnnySic]

Holy Shit! That must have been a special Knicks team to take down the mighty Celtics.
Havlicek got seriously injured in game 3.

[Combat Wombat]

Have to go with either the late 90's Jazz or the 2000's Suns.

Sacramento 2001-02 get an honourable mention.

[r15mohd]

no mention of the 2011 Heat...they were, arguably, the best team entering into the Finals. especially coming off their previous series wins

[Bandito]

no mention of the 2011 Heat...they were, arguably, the best team entering into the Finals. especially coming off their previous series wins
You can thanks Lebron for that.

[Xiao Yao You]

Stockton/Malone Jazz.

yep

[Encre92]

You can thanks Lebron for that.
Let's not turn this thread ugly ok?

[riseagainst]

You can thanks Lebron for that.

thank you lebron. all your fault.

[Mure]

93 Suns, 2011 Heat?

[JohnnySic]

The Stockton/Malone Jazz weren't that good. They just snuck into a couple of finals because the west (and really the whole NBA) was in a down period. Hakeen, Barkley, Robinson etc were past their prime and the new stars couldn't quite fill their void.

Once Duncan showed up their window closed like a ton of bricks.

[Kargo]

no mention of the 2011 Heat...they were, arguably, the best team entering into the Finals. especially coming off their previous series wins

Yeah cause the Mavs didn't beat the defending champs Lakers and the same Thunder that went to the finals the next year with a combined record of 8-1.

[Fork]

2011 Heat, easily. This team had Prime Lebron and Prime Wade at the top of their games. They just got finished cruising through the playoffs, and beating Rose's Bulls emphatically. Unfortunately, Lebron ran into a brick wall.

[jayfan]

81-84 Milwaukee Bucks

[finchyyy]

Early 90's Blazers, Mid 90's Sonics come to mind.

[magnax1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NBA_teams_by_single_season_win_percentage


72-73 celtics = 68-14 ... best record to not win the title

/thread
This. They just lost because Havlicek got injured. If there is a single title deserving of an asterisk, it's that Knicks title.
Other teams are probably
02/03 Kings
98 Jazz
11 Heat are arguably the best Bran heat team if not for the choke job.
Some of the 80's Laker teams
77 Sixers, althought they were carried by Erving in the playoffs, and were incredibly unbalanced (lacking in real bigs)

[La Frescobaldi]

This. They just lost because Havlicek got injured. If there is a single title deserving of an asterisk, it's that Knicks title.
Other teams are probably
02/03 Kings
98 Jazz
11 Heat are arguably the best Bran heat team if not for the choke job.
Some of the 80's Laker teams
77 Sixers, althought they were carried by Erving in the playoffs, and were incredibly unbalanced (lacking in real bigs)

It was horrible when Hondo fell....... but No.

By far since I've been watching, which is a long@ss time, the '68 Celtics are the biggest

*

in history.
Philly was handing them their heads when the Sixers just exploded with injuries.

[Real14]

98 jazz

[Round Mound]

In The 90s The Only Team I Thought Could Beat The Bulls, Was The 1996 Sonics.

[Real14]

In The 90s The Only Team I Though Could Beat The Bulls, Was The 1996 Sonics.
98 jazz and 93 knicks too.

[miles berg]

The 92 Blazers, 93 Suns, & 02 Kings.

[icewill36]

2005 supersonics.... the most underrated team of all time. if they were healthy they could have got it done.

[KNOW1EDGE]

2000-2001 Blazers. Stacked roster. Terrible TEAM.

Damon Stoudamire/Greg Anthony/Rod Strickland
Steve Smith/Stacey Augmon/Bonzie Wells
Scott Pippen/Detlef Schrempf
Rasheed/Shawn Kemp
Arvydas Sabonis/Dale Davis/Will Purdue

Edit: early 90s Blazers would have a few chips if it weren't for Michael Jordan. Phx and Utah can say the same thing.

[fsvr54]

98 jazz and 93 knicks too.

98 Pacers were better than the Jazz

[Real14]

98 Pacers were better than the Jazz
I don't know about all of that. Reggie miller got lucky in game 6.

[funnystuff]

2013 Lakers

[KNOW1EDGE]

98 Pacers were better than the Jazz

No.

[LAZERUSS]

It was horrible when Hondo fell....... but No.

By far since I've been watching, which is a long@ss time, the '68 Celtics are the biggest

*

in history.
Philly was handing them their heads when the Sixers just exploded with injuries.

The '68 Sixers were probably more talented than the champion '67 Sixers were. Mid-season they added Johnny Green in a trade, and while his minutes were limited with such a stacked front court during the regular season, with their enormous amount of injuries in the post-season, he was a valuable contributor.

Still, for whatever reason, Philly just coasted thru the first two-thirds of the season, and were in a dog-fight Boston up until that point. However, in their last 30 games, they steam-rolled the league, going 25-5, including a 3-0 mark against the Celtics in that span.

And, Chamberlain cemented his MVP in those 30 games, as well. In fact, in his last 12 games, he had 11 "triple-doubles", and in the one game he didn't record a trip, he put up a 38-28-9 game. Overall, it was one of those "Wilt-esque" runs, and in which he averaged 27.6 ppg, 23.4 rpg, 12.3 apg, and shot .683 from the floor over the course of those final 12 games.

And in one of those 12 games, he brutalized 6-11 HOFer Walt Bellamy with a monster 35 point game, on 16-18 shooting from the floor.

And, going into the first round of the playoffs against Bellamy's Knicks, the Sixers were universally picked to repeat their overwhelming title run of '67. In game one, a prime Wilt just crushed Bellamy, outscoring him, 37-14, outrebounding him, 29-15, outassisting him, 7-3, and outshooting him from the floor, 17-29 to 4-14.

Unfortunately, after that Wilt, and his teammates starting fighting injuries. In game three HOFer Billy Cunningham, who was finally have a post-season that everyone expected him to have (21 ppg on a .585 FG% to that point), broke his right hand, and would miss the rest of the playoffs. On-by-one the injuries mounted.

And this was not a deep Sixer team, either. They only played nine players in the post-season, and SEVEN of them were either playing with injuries, or missing games (or, as in the case of Cunningham, chunks of games.) Still, a hobbled Chamberlain led both teams in scoring, rebounding, and assists. And he badly outplayed Bellamy (as he ALWAYS did), outscoring, outrebounding, outassisting, and outshooting him (by a .584 to .421 margin...in a season that Bellamy had shot .541 against the league.)

And even without Cunningham, they still forged a 3-1 series lead against the Celtics. In fact, even Auerbach had all but given up. Following the game four loss in Boston, (and going back to Philly for game five), Auerbach made the comment that, "it's too bad, too, because people will forget just how great he [Russell] was."

However, disaster hit Philly in game five. With the score tied late in the third period, BOTH Luke Jackson, and then Wali Jones, went down with leg injuries, and Boston pulled away in the 4th quarter to gain the upset. BTW, Chamberlain just pounded Russell in that fifth (and potential clinching game), by outscoring him, 28-8, outrebounding him, 30-24, and outshooting him, 11-21 to 4-10.

How bad were the Sixer injuries?

http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showpost.php?p=9328011&postcount=14

and

http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showpost.php?p=9328006&postcount=13


Going into the fourth game Sunday of their National Basketball Association playoff series with the Boston Celtics, the 76ers are hurting from head to toe.

So what's new? Injuries have plagued the defending NBA champions since the opening of the season.

"Alex Hannum says this is the most courageous team he's ever coached," says Harvey Pollack, the 76ers' statistician. "The locker room looks like a hospital ward every time I walk in."

Pollack ticked off some of the cases, which read like a medical diary:

-Wilt Chamberlain (partial tear of the calf muscle in his right leg, a strain in his right thigh and an injured right toe):

-Wally Jones (injured knee cartilage):

-Luke Jackson (pulled hamstring muscle):

-Hal Greer (bursitus in his right knee):

-And, Billy Cunningham (broken right wrist).

"That's not mentioning (rookie) Jim Reid who had a knee operation after injuring it the first game of the season," said Pollack, "and Larry Costello," the veteran guard who tore an ankle tendon after one-third of the season was gone.

The most recent injury was to Chamberlain in Friday night's Eastern Division playoff contest with the Celtics. The dipper was given whirlpool treatments for the calf muscle tear, but Pollack wasn't sure how he'd respond.

The 76ers have nine men in uniform for the best-of-seven playoffs, which they lead, two games to one. But whether they'll have anybody left for the finals against the Western Division winner is anybody's guess.

The team's troubles multiplied in the Eastern Division semifinals against the New York Knickerbockers. Cunningham broke his wrist, knocking him out for the season, Jones and Jackson suffered their injuries and Chamberlain aggravated his perennial toe injury.

With all of that, Wilt STILL played every minute of that seven game series. But even he didn't have much left in the tank in the last two games of the series. Up until game six, Wilt had dominated Russell, averaging 24.2 ppg, 23.0 rpg, 6.8 apg, and on a .539 FG%.

However, in the last two games, Wilt's shooting fell thru the basement (10-30 from the field, and 14-38 from the line), albeit, he courageously grabbed 61 rebounds. And with his teammates collectively shooting .343 in that game seven, the Sixers lost by four points, (100-96.)

As for Wilt PLAYING with those injuries, even Russell commented that "a lessor man would not have played", or essentially, that NO ON ELSE would have played under those circumstances.

CLEARLY, a healthy Sixer squad would have obliterated Boston in that series. And it would have been interesting had that occurred, too, since it would have meant that Chamberlain would finally have had an opportunity to face the Lakers in the post-season. In his seven seasonal H2H's with LA in 67-68, all Wilt could do was average 28.1 ppg on a .638 FG%, which included a monster 53-32-14 game on 24-29 shooting from the field. Of course, that year was just one of MANY in which he crushed the Lakers in his career.

In any case, the '67-68 Sixers certainly have a strong case as the greatest team to never win a title.