OT: Best NBA team in history to never win a title

[Bear Pride]

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.

I'm pretty much thinking the Cavs team that had a top defense in the early 90's. They were tough for a couple years, but MJ kept taking it to them. Didn't put too much thought into it, but you're right, the shot was the Bulls early on, and not the team I was talking about. Maybe it was '93, don't know. I think it was when Nance played.

 

[Alpha Male]

Since it's the lull time of the NBA off-season, who do you think is the best NBA team in history to never win an championship?

I'm going to go with the early 00's Sacramento Kings. I really thought they deserved the title in 2002. Maybe the best passing I've ever seen as a complete team. And Bibby was absolutely clutch (arguably one of the best players ever to never be an all-star).

The kings were robbed. Interesting you brought that up right after Dick Bavetta was inducted into the hall of fame. That criminal should be in jail along with donahue.

 

[FirstTimer]

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.

Steve Smith gave a bunch of interviews and said that team's biggest downfall was they didn't have a star, or a guy who was going to take over a game, maybe step on some toes and demand the ball late in the game. They needed a guy with a rip your heart out instinct and just didn't have it. Smith would have been but was towards the end of his career by this point. Not the same player as early to mid 90's Smitty.

Those Kings teams had a similar issue.

 

[FirstTimer]

I'm pretty much thinking the Cavs team that had a top defense in the early 90's. They were tough for a couple years, but MJ kept taking it to them. Didn't put too much thought into it, but you're right, the shot was the Bulls early on, and not the team I was talking about. Maybe it was '93, don't know. I think it was when Nance played.

You're thinking of 88-89.

Very good team but one of the best teams to never win a Finals? No. That team lost in the 1st round and as a franchise they were pretty up and down during that era.

 

[Crystallas]

Anyone rooting for Pippen's Blazers also likely hates Rick Fox. Phil had no issues giving Fox the assignment to follow Pip around and bait him into a fight for 4 straight games, and the refs barely intervened. Even Delladova tried to hide his cheap shots, Rick Fox in that WCF is one of my top examples of the obvious non-stop antagonizing and getting away with it.

 

[FirstTimer]

Anyone rooting for Pippen's Blazers also likely hates Rick Fox. Phil had no issues giving Fox the assignment to follow Pip around and bait him into a fight for 4 straight games, and the refs barely intervened. Even Delladova tried to hide his cheap shots, Rick Fox in that WCF is one of my top examples of the obvious non-stop antagonizing and getting away with it.

Rodman on Worthy in the 80's>>>>>>>>>>>>Fox on Pippen.

 

[Scoot26]

Steve Smith gave a bunch of interviews and said that team's biggest downfall was they didn't have a star, or a guy who was going to take over a game, maybe step on some toes and demand the ball late in the game. They needed a guy with a rip your heart out instinct and just didn't have it. Smith would have been but was towards the end of his career by this point. Not the same player as early to mid 90's Smitty.

Those Kings teams had a similar issue.

I think the 02 Kings were better in terms of talent than the Blazers.

CWebb and Bibby were better than anything the Blazers had. They weren't as deep, but still had some good players to round out the team. Bobby Jackson was often a microwave off the bench and they had a young Turkoglu. Peja could consistently hit the three. Their weakest spot was the front court after CWebb. Divac was on his last legs and was never a star by any means, and after that they had Scot Pollard and Lawrence Funderburke to throw at Shaq.. which was also part of their downfall when foul trouble occurred in Game 6 in the WCF.

In the end though, Shaq and Kobe were better than anything the Kings had.

 

[FirstTimer]

I think the 02 Kings were better in terms of talent than the Blazers.

CWebb and Bibby were better than anything the Blazers had. They weren't as deep, but still had some good players to round out the team. Bobby Jackson was often a microwave off the bench and they had a young Turkoglu. Peja could consistently hit the three. Their weakest spot was the front court after CWebb. Divac was on his last legs and was never a star by any means, and after that they had Scot Pollard and Lawrence Funderburke to throw at Shaq.. which was also part of their downfall when foul trouble occurred in Game 6 in the WCF.

In the end though, Shaq and Kobe were better than anything the Kings had.

It also didn't help that Peja always seemed to have his nuts shrink up in close games down the stretch.

 

[Scoot26]

It also didn't help that Peja always seemed to have his nuts shrink up in close games down the stretch.

Well you can see it in that years playoff stats

Peja I think got hurt in those playoffs. His ppg went down from 21 ppg in the regular season to 14 in the playoffs, he also only played 10 of the 16 games and came off the bench in 3 fo them and his mpg was 33 compared to the main cast all playing over 40 mpg.

Also looking at the game logs, which I didn't realize at the time, he only played in 3 games in the WCF.

 

[FirstTimer]

Well you can see it in that years playoff stats

Peja I think got hurt in those playoffs. His ppg went down from 21 ppg in the regular season to 14 in the playoffs, he also only played 10 of the 16 games and came off the bench in 3 fo them and his mpg was 33 compared to the main cast all playing over 40 mpg.

Also looking at the game logs, which I didn't realize at the time, he only played in 3 games in the WCF.

Well not only that but my main memory of him is airballing a wide open 3 from the corner/wing that would have given the Kings the lead/win.

 

[Scoot26]

Well not only that but my main memory of him is airballing a wide open 3 from the corner/wing that would have given the Kings the lead/win.

Is that this shot in Game 7?

0:11.7

99-98

P. Stojakovic misses 3-pt shot from 24 ft

 

[FirstTimer]

Is that this shot in Game 7?

0:11.7

99-98

P. Stojakovic misses 3-pt shot from 24 ft

Yeah...that'd be the one I think.

 

[Scoot26]

Yeah...that'd be the one I think.

Yeah I think I remember that moment now that I think of it.. It was a corner three if I recall. Airballed it.. My friend and I were watching together and both couldn't believe it.

 

[FirstTimer]

Is that this shot in Game 7?

0:11.7

99-98

P. Stojakovic misses 3-pt shot from 24 ft

[video=youtube_share;3_XuOFuCdDo]https://youtu.be/3_XuOFuCdDo?t=1290
[/video]

....Just awful.

Go to 21:30

 

[Scoot26]

[video=youtube_share;3_XuOFuCdDo]https://youtu.be/3_XuOFuCdDo?t=1290
[/video]

....Just awful.

Go to 21:30

Couldn't ask to be more wide open... And can't even hit rim lol.

 

[ob1force]

Couldn't ask to be more wide open... And can't even hit rim lol.

He thought about it way too much. Another reminder of what separates champions from the rest. Peja probably hit that shot with his eyes closed a million times, but the pressure got to him.

 

[ob1force]

I'm a little biased, but I'd like to throw this team in the mix: 2006 Dallas Mavericks.

 

[Bear Pride]

You're thinking of 88-89.

Very good team but one of the best teams to never win a Finals? No. That team lost in the 1st round and as a franchise they were pretty up and down during that era.

No, I was thinking of the '91-'92 Cavs that won 57 games. They had a strong team with Daugherty, Nance, and Price leading the way. They also had Kerr and Ehlo, who both shot +40% from the 3. They had some good role players like Hot Rod Williams, Battle, Ferry, and Brandon.

They beat the Nets and Celtics before losing to his Airness in the ECF's. Daugherty, Nance, and Price all had great years. They were definitely one of the better teams, imo.

 

[Axl Rose]

was also part of their downfall when foul trouble occurred in Game 6 in the WCF.

when the fuckery occurred you mean

Kobe floors Bibby with a elbow to the face = foul on Bibby

 

[FirstTimer]

No, I was thinking of the '91-'92 Cavs that won 57 games. They had a strong team with Daugherty, Nance, and Price leading the way. They also had Kerr and Ehlo, who both shot +40% from the 3. They had some good role players like Hot Rod Williams, Battle, Ferry, and Brandon.

They beat the Nets and Celtics before losing to his Airness in the ECF's. Daugherty, Nance, and Price all had great years. They were definitely one of the better teams, imo.

Well then you're confusing the 88-89 Cavs team with them b/c that 91-92 team was not even a top 10 NBA defense that year. That Cavs team was good but wasn't one of the best teams to never win a Finals. I'd take pretty much any of the early to mid Sonics teams over them pretty easily.