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The Malone/Stockton Jazz
Axl Rose
and I knew the silence of the world
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My favorite teams
In some loose order, using the OP criteria.
96 Sonics
60 Hawks
97 Jazz
93 Suns
02 Kings
92 Knicks
75 Bulls
15 Cavaliers
95 Magic
92 Blazers
81 Rockets
96 Sonics
60 Hawks
97 Jazz
93 Suns
02 Kings
92 Knicks
75 Bulls
15 Cavaliers
95 Magic
92 Blazers
81 Rockets
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A 40-42 team is on your list?
houheffna
Ignoring Idiots
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Lol at the 81 Rockets....that was Moses and a little bit of Calvin Murphy...and that's it.
93 Suns might be the team I agree with as the greatest team that I witnessed to not win a title. I thought for sure the Bulls would lose that year. The 1993 Knicks might have been the best of those Knicks teams too. Bulls beat them both, without home court advantage. Unbelievable.
Of the Clyde Blazers teams...it was the 91 Blazers, that lost to Magic and the Lakers in the WCF that was the best. They beat the Bulls both times that season if I am not mistaken. That was a scary team.
93 Suns might be the team I agree with as the greatest team that I witnessed to not win a title. I thought for sure the Bulls would lose that year. The 1993 Knicks might have been the best of those Knicks teams too. Bulls beat them both, without home court advantage. Unbelievable.
Of the Clyde Blazers teams...it was the 91 Blazers, that lost to Magic and the Lakers in the WCF that was the best. They beat the Bulls both times that season if I am not mistaken. That was a scary team.
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My favorite teams
That made the NBA finals, yes, which would be the greater feat, meaning they beat teams with better records. That is a full list of teams that meet the full criteria the op posted, excluding teams much older, that I really don't enough about from the 50s. So yes, it is an objective listing, subjective ranking, also, notice, last on the list. I'll admit,the years on each team have wiggle room, but essentially, same teams.
One last thing. Let me guess, I put out a list, and the non-list makers are going to critique subjectivity like asshats without putting themselves on the line(before getting called out for it). predictable.
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And RIP to them both.
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I don't know, I just can't put a team that went 40-42 during the regular season, even if they did make the Finals.
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My favorite teams
If you made a comprehensive list, you would exclude a team that went to the finals but never won, in your list?
Here, better question, who would be #11 on your list, without duplication.
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I'd exclude many bad teams to make the Finals from the list.. the 1999 Knicks also went to the Finals. The 07 Cavs, The 01 Sixers...
Really, in no particular order
96 Sonics
95 Magic
97 Jazz
92 Blazers
93 Suns
02 Kings
04 Lakers
12 Thunder
76 Suns
75 Bulls
04 Pacers
05 Suns
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My favorite teams
I probably shouldn't have had the 60 Hawks, as they won in 58. Damn, that was a good team that got forgotten easily because, you know, 50s everything is ignored in basketball.
nbafan23
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You mean the 61 Hawks with Pettit's 28 20 season a rookie PG in Lenny Wilkens running the team?
I am wondering would the 72-73 Celtics count? 68-14 but won the title the next season but weren't as good in the regular season.
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My favorite teams
My understanding of the criteria means teams that did not win a title. Not seasons. So some teams retained the same core for many years, and may have only won a single title. Those wouldn't count because the core won a title at some point.
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Yeah, I'm fairly ignorant about all those 50's teams. The Celtics dominated the late 50's and just about all of the 60's though... The Sixers snuck in a title in 67.
I suppose we could use any of those Lakers teams from the 60's with Elgin Baylor, as he retired before the Lakers won in 72.
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Ewing Knicks. Miller Pacers. Jazz.
The teams Jordan circumvented should definitely be in the mix, as it was a golden era of basketball as evidenced by the dream team.
The Portland team that had a Lakers dynasty on brink of elimination down 17 heading into 4th, with Scotty Pippen and Drexler was a team.
The Kings that got cheated by the Donovan scandal and actually beat that dynasty also.
The teams Jordan circumvented should definitely be in the mix, as it was a golden era of basketball as evidenced by the dream team.
The Portland team that had a Lakers dynasty on brink of elimination down 17 heading into 4th, with Scotty Pippen and Drexler was a team.
The Kings that got cheated by the Donovan scandal and actually beat that dynasty also.
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Early to mid 90's Sonics
Early to mid 90's Suns
Mid to late 90's Jazz
94-95 Magic
Late 80's early 90's Blazers
Countless Lakers teams that ran into the early Celtics dynasty
Early to mid 90's Suns
Mid to late 90's Jazz
94-95 Magic
Late 80's early 90's Blazers
Countless Lakers teams that ran into the early Celtics dynasty
Icculus
The Great and Knowledgeable
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My favorite teams
Drexler was retired by that time. Scottie was teammates with Rasheed Wallace and Detlef Schrempf on that Blazers team.
Bear Pride
Bears Gonna Shock the World!
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Based on teams that never won a title, I'm going with the Cavs. They had a great defensive team the year MJ hit the shot, and imo, defense wins championships.
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Hmm interesting choice.. Team completely underplayed their potential and I think many other teams surpass them by wide margins.
The team MJ beat with The Shot was 57-25, but of course lost to a 6th seed Bulls team in the 1st round... The Cavs the year before went 42-40, and the year after that went 42-40, then missed the playoffs, before reloading, going 57-25 in 1992, then losing to the Bulls again in the ECF. Lost the next year to the Bulls too in the semi's... Then suffered several more first round losses before the team became completely garbage until LeBron came along.
Just didn't have the playoff success... Not to mention the year they did go to the ECF, they're D rating was not Top 10.
If anything I compare those Cavs teams to our current Bulls, which I don't think of as best teams to never win a championship.
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For the record....
What interesting about that team is that they were not very top heavy but had tons of depth
Rasheed Wallace led that team, and not many people have ever considered him a great #1 option.
Pippen was at the end of his career at this time (though still played in 82 games that year)
Also had:
Steve Smith
Detlef Schrempf
Greg Anthony
Brian Grant
Bonzi Wells
Jermaine O'Neal
Stacey Augmon
Nothing particular great there, but had HOF experience, a few former All-Stars (Smith and Schrempf), and some up and coming young talent (Brian Grant would go on to shine with Miami, and Jermaine O'Neal would shine with Indiana). So I'd say a well rounded team, that nearly made it to the Finals were it not for a collapse. In the end though the talent of Shaq and Kobe triumphed though.