1) Phoenix Suns, 2004-2010

Setting off the current NBA offensive pace-and-space, efficient long distance shooting revolution is certainly an honor for Steve Nash, Mike D’Antoni, and the other members of the “Seven Seconds or Less” Suns. But they’d probably trade it all for just one crack at the NBA Finals. Instead, middling defense and back luck always held Phoenix back in the biggest moments. A loss to the Spurs in the 2005 Conference Finals seemed like just the beginning of the Suns’ ascendancy but it was instead an omen of their ceiling. The ’05-’06 season started with Amar’e Stoudemire tearing his knee and ended with another Conference Finals loss, this time run off the floor by the Mavericks. It was actually a second round series loss that hurts the most, in 2007 against the Spurs. A winnable game one was shifted by a Nash nose injury and game five was lost after a dubious suspension for Stoudemire. After a first round loss in 2008 and missing the playoffs altogether in 2009, Phoenix made one last run in 2010 under new coach Alvin Gentry, reaching the Conference Finals but losing in six games to the Lakers.

2) New York Knicks, 1982-1984

This Knicks era was kicked off by two saviors arriving for the ’82-’83 season: new coach Hubie Brown, and All-Star small forward Bernard King, acquired via trade. With a patchwork roster that featured creaky veterans Paul Westphal, Marvin Webster, and Truck Robinson alongside struggling youngsters Bill Cartwright and Rory Sparrow, the Knicks snuck up on everybody in ’82-’83. They were defeated in the second round by the dominant Sixers but performed well enough that expectations were sky high in Gotham for ’83-’84. King finished second in MVP voting that season and was a one-man wrecking crew in the playoffs, upending the Pistons in round one and pushing the eventual champion Celtics to seven games. This brief window of Knicks contention was then fully waylaid by injuries occurring during the ’84-’85 season. Cartwright and Robinson both suffered a foot fracture, Webster was sidelined indefinitely with hepatitis, and then King tore his ACL. The silver lining was that a 24-58 finish led to them winning the draft lottery and getting a chance to rebuild around Patrick Ewing.

3) St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks, 1965-1973
4) Atlanta Hawks, 1985-1989
5) Atlanta Hawks, 2007-2016

Even after Bob Pettit retired in 1965, the future still seemed bright for the Hawks. Their roster built around young star Lenny Wilkens proved entertaining to watch but unable to overcome the Warriors or Lakers in the playoffs. The Hawks lost in the Western Conference Finals in 1966, 1967, 1969, and 1970, but a 1968 Conference Semifinals loss to the Warriors despite being the #1 seed hurt the most. A relocation from St. Louis to Atlanta and move from the West to the East didn’t help matters. Now built around Pete Maravich and Lou Hudson, the same old Hawks lost Conference Semifinals series in 1971, 1972, and 1973. Their elimination in those last two seasons came at the hands of the Celtics, who would remain their tormentor after a lengthy rebuilding period birthed another contending squad. A 1982 trade for Dominique Wilkins re-sparked the Hawks. They won 50+ games for four straight seasons in the late ’80s only to continually run up against superior playoff opponents in the Celtics and Pistons. A 1988 Conference Semifinals against Boston was the biggest heartbreaker, with Wilkins out-dueling Bird but Boston still surviving in seven games. A new ownership group in the ’00s follow a familiar pattern, building a solid, young, exciting group that never frightened opponents in the postseason. They finally made it back to the Conference Finals in 2015, for the first time in 45 years, only to be swept by LeBron James and the Cavaliers.

6) Charlotte Hornets, 1992-1995

The cool logo, the purple-and-teal color scheme, the Starter jackets, the pinstripe uniforms, Larry Johnson, Muggsy Bogues, Alonzo Mourning. The early ’90s Hornets were iconic. They were not, however, legitimate title contenders. A 1993 first round upset over the Celtics was the potential start of something big but turned out to be this Hornets team’s peak. They put up a respectable fight in the second round against the veteran Knicks but missed the playoffs altogether in 1994 due mostly to Mourning and Johnson missing significant time with injuries. A 50-win season followed in ’94-’95 and the #4 seed in the East. But in one of the all-time worst luck draws, the Hornets were forced to face the Bulls and recently un-retired Michael Jordan in the first round. They were eliminated in four games and that was that. Mourning was traded that offseason to the Heat and Johnson a year later to the Knicks, in the same summer the Hornets short-sightedly dealt away Kobe Bryant’s draft rights. The franchise has still yet to reach even the Conference Finals.

7) Philadelphia 76ers, 1988-1991

In ’84-’85, the 76ers had three of the 25 greatest players in NBA history. One was aging, one was in his prime, and one was a rookie. It was the beginning of the end for Julius Erving, who retired in 1987 at age 37. But the Sixers completely botched things with Moses Malone and Charles Barkley, and suffered for years as a result. Sixers management their 1986 trade of Malone was selling high but instead the steady big man continued at an All-Star level for several more seasons. The larger problem was the return, getting just Cliff Robinson and Jeff Ruland, both of whom would be out of the league within two years, and giving up two first round picks in the process. This left Barkley to essentially carry the team for several years, which he did admirably. But despite monster performances from their star power forward, the Sixers were easily eliminated from the playoffs in 1989, 1990, and 1991. Barkley subsequently demanded and trade and got it, to the Suns in 1993, again for meager returns. The worst stretch in franchise history followed, as they failed to reach the playoffs for seven straight seasons.

8) Detroit Pistons, 1973-1976

Bob Lanier and Dave Bing have long been staples of any list of greatest players without an NBA Finals appearance. Their overlapping Pistons careers are marked by bad injuries, bad managerial decisions, and bad luck. Those elements especially merged from 1973 to 1976, when the pair led the Pistons to four straight playoff appearances and four straight disappointments. It started in 1974 with a heartbreaking Conference Semifinals loss to the Bulls that came down to the final seconds of game seven. In 1975, it was the SuperSonics eliminating Detroit in a winner-take-all first round game three. That was it for Bing, who demanded a trade and received it, going to the Bullets. Even with their star point guard departed, his replacement (Kevin Porter) injured, and a mid-season coaching change, the Pistons won a playoff series in 1976 for the first time in 14 years. They then put up a fight in the Conference Semifinals but lost to the defending champion Warriors and it would take nine years for Detroit to win another series, having rebuilt completely around Isiah Thomas.

9) Minnesota Timberwolves, 1996-2004

It’s no coincidence that several ’00s Western Conference teams make this list, when the Spurs and Lakers hoarded NBA Finals appearances. An unfortunate time for the greatest player in Timberwolves franchise history to hit his prime. Garnett led the T-Wolves to their first ever playoff appearance in 1997 at age 20. They lost to the Rockets in the first round, a pattern that would repeat itself for seven consecutive seasons as the front office scrambled to configure the right supporting cast around their superstar. When they finally hit a winning formula in ’03-’04, it was unfortunately not just the beginning but also the end of this era. Flanked by Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell, Garnett was league MVP in ’03-’04 and Minnesota won a franchise record 58 games to land the West’s top seed. They were finally victorious in playoff series against the Nuggets and Kings but a Cassell injury hampered them in a Conference Finals loss to the Lakers. The wheels fell off almost immediately, as new coach Kevin McHale clashed with Cassell and Sprewell, and Minnesota missed the playoffs altogether in 2005.

10) Seattle Supersonics, 1986-1989

Even more so than the late ’70s title team and the ’90s yearly contenders, many Sonics fans still consider this era to be their favorite. It was such an unconventional winning formula, built around the underrated Tom Chambers. There was Dale Ellis, pulled off the scrap heap to become an elite long distance shooter, Nate McMillan, an un-drafted floor general, and the intimidating Xavier “X-Man” McDaniel. The Sonics announced themselves with consecutive series upsets of the Mavericks and Rockets in 1987, but were no match for the “Showtime” Lakers in a Conference Finals sweep. They failed to recapture the magic in 1988, losing a first round series to the favored Nuggets, and Chambers left that offseason as a free agent. Even without their top scorer, the Sonics improved in ’88-’89 and entered the playoffs as a #4 seed. But they ran into the Lakers buzzsaw once more in the Conference Semifinals and were swept again. Sensing this was the ceiling for this roster, the Sonics front office tradied away Ellis and McDaniel, then rebuilt around draftees Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp.

11) Portland Trail Blazers, 1997-2001

It was one of the great high wire acts of the modern NBA, as Blazers president “Trader” Bob Whitsitt built his island of misfit veteran toys. A 1995 trade of franchise legend Clyde Drexler to the Rockets kicked off a heady four year stretch in which Whitsitt acquired Arvydas Sabonis, Rasheed Wallace, Isaiah Rider, Stacey Augmon, Brian Grant, Damon Stoudamire, Greg Anthony, Bonzi Wells, Detlef Schrempf, Steve Smith, and Scottie Pippen. The results were fascinating, thrilling, and ultimately disillusioning for Trail Blazers fans. Enemy #1 was Shaquille O’Neal and the Lakers, who eliminated Portland from the playoffs five times in a six year stretch. That includes the 2000 Conference Finals, when the Blazers blew a 16-point fourth quarter lead in a game seven loss. It was a second straight Conference Finals loss for Portland and Whitsitt only doubled down, bringing in Shawn Kemp and Dale Davis. But the constant roster churn and chemistry issues finally caught up to the Trail Blazers and provided a seamless segue into the ensuing “Jail Blazers” era.

12) Golden State Warriors, 1988-1994

Fans mostly remember this as the “Run-TMC” Warriors era of but the more appropriate label is the age of “Nellie Ball.” Coach Don Nelson’s run-and-gun offensive framework both pre-dated and outlasted Run-TMC. It started in ’88-’89 with Chris Mullin and Mitch Richmond, when the Warriors made a 22-win turnaround in Nelson’s debut season and pulled off a major upset of the Jazz in the postseason first round. The Run-TMC trio of Mullin, Richmond, and Tim Hardaway were together for only two full seasons: ’89-’90, when they missed the postseason altogether, and ’90-’91, when they were easily defeated in the second round. The Warriors actually improved in ’91-’92 after trading Richmond for Billy Owens and entered the playoffs as the #3 seed only to be upset in the first round by the Sonics. Despite Hardaway missing all of ’93-’94 with a torn ACL, the Warriors made one last playoff run with a new triumvirate of Mullin, rookie Chris Webber, and rising star Latrell Sprewell. They won 50 games that season only to be swept by the Suns in the first round of the playoffs.

13) Denver Nuggets, 1981-1988

For those who subscribe to the old (statistically disproven) adage that defense wins championships, this team is NBA exhibit A. Under coach Doug Moe, these Nuggets ran an up-tempo, motion-based offense and it won over even casual fans as a breath of fresh air from the staid NBA of the late ’70s. Their three best players were all deadly scorers: Kiki VandeWeghe, Dan Issel, and Alex English. They were also all notoriously terrible defensively and this did come back to bite them in pressure situations. Take, for example, the ’84-’85 Nuggets, who averaged 120.2 points per game in the Conference Finals. Unfortunately, their Lakers opponents averaged 132.4 points per game and easily finished off Denver in five games, winning the deciding game five 153-109. This was a familiar pattern for the Nuggets, who made nine straight playoff appearances but won just five total series. After a 1990 first round sweep at the hands of the Spurs, the Nuggets fired Moe, let English walk as a free agent, and undertook a rebuilding process that eventually gelled around defensive superstar Dikembe Mutombo.

“Befitting of almost any notable Cleveland pro sports franchise in the last half century, these Cavaliers were a talented but star-crossed bunch.”

14) Los Angeles Clippers, 2011-2017

In their first 33 seasons in Southern California, the Clippers had just four playoff appearances and one series win. Drafting Blake Griffin in 2009 and trading for Chris Paul in 2011 changed everything. The Clippers made six consecutive playoff appearances starting in ’11-’12, winning three series. But they could never string together a Conference Finals appearance, let alone the NBA Finals. Most heartbreaking was in 2015, when the Clippers blew a 3-1 series lead against the Rockets in the Conference Semifinals. They held a 12-point lead with less than eight minutes left in game six of that series, only to be stunned by a 24-2 Rockets run to take the lead and pull away. The shell-shocked Clippers never recovered from that series and Griffin found some displacement for his frustration in ’15-’16, breaking his hand by punching a team employee in a remarkably symbolic event. New-ish owner Steve Ballmer cleaned house starting in 2017, trading Paul to the Rockets and then Griffin to the Pistons one year later.

15) Sacramento Kings, 1999-2004

Nicknamed the “Greatest Show on Court” by Sports Illustrated, this Kings team was balanced, smart, and played a revolutionary brand of “European” basketball. They were built by general manager Geoff Petrie and coached by Rick Adelman, who found a perfect instrument for his altered Princeton offense. They were also renouncing the franchise’s long legacy of losing. Following their 1984 relocation to Sacramento, the Kings made just three playoff appearances over the next 15 years, all of them first round losses. Behind dynamic point guard Jason Williams, sharpshooter Peja Stojakovic, play making center Chris Webber, and one of the best benches in league history, the Kings made their presence felt with a near first round upset of the Jazz in 1999. They subsequently lost to the Lakers in 2000 and 2001, all of which was a prelude to the 2002 Conference Finals. The Kings lost controversially due to biased officiating but also largely due to several of their stars withering in the clutch. They reached the brink of the Conference Finals again in 2003 and 2004 ending the era with a prolonged sell off.

16) Dallas Mavericks, 1983-1988

Just four years into their franchise history, the Mavericks made a surprising appearance in the 1984 playoffs. How surprising? Enough so that the deciding game five of their first round series win over the Sonics was played on the SMU home court because Reunion Arena was already booked for a tennis tournament. It was the first of five consecutive playoff trips for Mark Aguirre and crew that unfortunately coincided with a Lakers dynasty. Magic Johnson’s Lakers eliminated Dallas in the 1984 Conference Semifinals, 1986 Conference Semifinals, and 1988 Conference Finals. That latter series was a battle, with breakout star Roy Tarpley helping the Mavs push the Lakers to seven games. As the ’80s turned to the ’90s, the Mavericks began a lengthy rebuild, starting by trading Aguirre to the Pistons in exchange for an aging Adrian Dantley, who soon after retired. They lost James Donaldson to a knee injury, Sam Perkins to free agency, Rolando Blackman to trade, coach John MacLeod to firing, and Tarpley to substance abuse.

17) Memphis Grizzlies, 2010-2017

Drifting along at the bottom of the NBA standings for years after moving from Vancouver, the Grizzlies needed a fresh start and new identity and they got both in the “grit and grind” ethos. It started with the widely derided trade of face-of-the-franchise Pau Gasol with a return that included his unknown brother Marc. Turns out the younger Gasol was a perfect anchor for a team built on post play, passing, and defensive pressure. With Blazers castoff Zach Randolph and emerging young star Mike Conley in tow, the Grizzlies put it all together in 2011, winning a playoff series for the first time in franchise history. And they did so in dramatic fashion, upsetting the Spurs in round one as a #8 seed. In 2013 followed the first Conference Finals appearance in franchise history, thanks to upsets of the Clippers and Thunder. San Antonio was waiting and got some revenge with a Conference Finals sweep, which is where this Grizzlies team hit its ceiling. Injuries and supporting cast turnover began to wear on the team and by 2017, they were once again in complete rebuilding mode.

18) Chicago Bulls, 1966-1975

An answer to the trivia question of what is the only NBA expansion franchise to reach the playoffs in its first year of existence, the Bulls lost in the first round in 1967. Granted, they had a 33-49 record that season and only made it because eight out of 10 teams qualified back then. They basically repeated the feat in ’67-’68 but then built a serious contender in the ’70s. With a solid core of Norm Van Lier, Jerry Sloan, Chet Walker, and Bob Love, the Bulls won 50+ games for four straight seasons starting in ’70-’71. They lost in three consecutive postseasons to the Lakers but then broke through after Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain’s retirements. The Bulls were swept by the Bucks in the 1974 Conference Finals, then took advantage of a wide open Western Conference in ’74-’75. Though they didn’t hold home court advantage, the Chicago was actually slight favorites in the Conference Finals that year against the Warriors. They took a 3-2 series lead but dropped game six at home and then blew a huge lead in a game seven meltdown loss.

19) Cleveland Cavaliers, 1987-1994

Befitting of almost any notable Cleveland pro sports franchise in the last half century, these Cavaliers were a talented but star-crossed bunch. Their inability to reach the NBA Finals during this span can be easily summarized as: Michael Jordan and injuries. Jordan’s Bulls eliminated Cleveland in the first round in 1988, 1989, and 1994, the second round in 1993, and the Conference Finals in 1992. When Jordan hit “The Shot” in 1989, the Cavaliers were actually the higher seed and favorites, coming off a franchise record 57 wins. That was also the final season in which stars Brad Daugherty and Mark Price managed to both avoid major injuries. A 1990 trade of Ron Harper to the Clippers for Danny Ferry certainly didn’t help matters either. Everything finally came together in 1992, with a magical playoff run that included sending Larry Bird into retirement. But Jordan was once again unstoppable in those Conference Finals, eliminating Cleveland on their home court in game six. A transition from Lenny Wilkens to Mike Fratello at coach made no difference and by the mid ’90s, the Cavs were rebuilding again.

20) Denver Nuggets, 2003-2010

Carmelo Anthony seemed like a savior for Nuggets fans. When the Syracuse star was drafted in 2003, Denver was eight years removed from its last playoff appearance and nine from its last winning season. They achieved both in Anthony’s rookie season, creating a mold of success for the next seven years. But another pattern emerged that season, as the Nuggets were eliminated in the first round by the Timberwolves. For five straight seasons, the Nuggets reached the playoffs and in five straight seasons they were not only defeated in the first round, but defeated soundly. From 2004 to 2008, Anthony’s playoff game record was 4-20. A trade for Chauncey Billups turned things around, with the Nuggets winning a franchise record 54 games in ’08-’09 and finally overcoming their first round demons with a series win over the Hornets. They made it all the way to the Conference Finals, putting up a fight against the Lakers but losing in six games. Denver reverted back to its old ways in 2010, losing in the first round to the Jazz, and soon after traded Anthony to the Knicks.

21) San Antonio Spurs, 1976-1983

Of the four ABA teams joining the NBA via merger in 1976, the Spurs were easily the least successful, never playing in an ABA Finals and reaching the Division Finals just once. But they hit the ground running in the NBA, reaching the playoffs in their first seven seasons, including the Conference Finals three times. That was largely thanks to George Gervin, who won four NBA scoring titles in his first six seasons as the Spurs pushed the pace under coach Doug Moe. The “Iceman” wasn’t much of a defender though, nor was star teammate Larry Kenon, and playoffs results reflected that. In their Conference Finals debut in 1979, the Spurs held a 3-1 series lead over the Bullets but couldn’t hang on as Elvin Hayes proved unguardable. Buoyed by new coach Stan Albeck and acquisitions like Mike Mitchell, the Spurs were a more balanced team in the early ’80s but ran up against the unstoppable Lakers in the 1982 and 1983 Conference Finals. Though this team wasn’t up to the task, the Spurs were the first former ABA franchise to reach the NBA Finals, in 1999.

22) Indiana Pacers, 2010-2014

When Chicago’s Derrick Rose went down with a torn ACL in the 2012 playoffs, this Pacers team was suddenly the best hope to stop the ’10s Heat juggernaut. In the same summer that LeBron James had made “The Decision,” Indiana had drafted Paul George and Lance Stephenson, the building blocks for this contender. A series of injuries to star Danny Granger turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as the Pacers reconfigured their offense around the emerging George in ’12-’13. With a balanced scoring attack and high pressure defense, the Pacers gave the Heat an unexpected fight in the 2012 Conference Semifinals, setting the stage for back-to-back epic matchups. Indiana went toe-to-toe with one of the greatest squads of all time in the 2013 and 2014 Conference Finals, and almost upended the Heat in each. Then, talk about bad luck, George suffered a broken leg in the summer of 2014, just a couple weeks after James had announced his return to Cleveland. The small market franchise couldn’t afford to keep the core group together and quickly dropped out of contention.

23) Milwaukee Bucks, 1979-1986

Just a lucky break in their favor here and there and we’d be talking about this time in the same breath as the Larry Bird Celtics and Julius Erving 76ers. Instead, the Bucks were highly successful fodder for dynasties. Sort of the NBA equivalent of the “Money Ball” A’s, these Bucks were specifically built around an ahead-of-its-time innovation called the “point forward,” which brought them regular season prosperity but postseason doom. As conceived by coach Don Nelson, the Bucks offense hinged on the play making skills of big men Marques Johnson and Paul Pressey. Along with do-it-all point guard Sidney Moncrief, this gave the Bucks a sort of herky-jerky versatility that caught opponents off guard. But in the playoffs, they kept running into some of the greatest teams of all time, including Conference Finals losses to the ’82-’83 76ers and the ’85-’86 Celtics. Milwaukee was also defeated by the Sixers in the 1981, 1982, and 1985 playoffs, and by the Celtics in 1984 and 1987. It was just an unfortunate time to be so talented and the Bucks would have arguably reached multiple NBA Finals in most other eras.

24) Miami Heat, 1995-2001

Even aside from animosity towards their recent success, this Heat team was otherwise easy for anyone outside the Miami metro area to despise. Assembled by coach/president Pat Riley, they were almost the mirror opposite of his ’80s “Showtime” Lakers. Miami was tough and they flirted with dirty, taking full advantage of the loose restrictions on hand-checking. Playoff battles were often won by the first team to reach 75 points, especially when the Heat took on the equally stout rival Knicks in four straight postseasons. The Heat defeated New York in the 1997 Conference Semifinals but were no match in the next round for the Bulls. The Knicks then shocked the Heat in back-to-back first round series in 1998 and 1999, the latter as a #8 seed. They met one more time in the 2000 Conference Semifinals, with the Knicks prevailing when Miami’s Clarence Weatherspoon missed a game seven buzzer beater. Star center Alonzo Mourning was then diagnosed with a rare kidney disorder and Riley took that opportunity to rebuild, eventually getting his title for South Beach in 2006.

25) Cincinnati Royals, 1961-1967

We’ve all heard the stories of the ’60s Lakers losing continual NBA Finals to Bill Russell’s Celtics but at least they got to play in the Finals. The Royals had the misfortunate of being stuck in the Eastern Conference, perpetual runners-up to the Celtics. After drafting Oscar Robertson, the Royals reached six consecutive playoffs starting in 1962, with only two total series wins. Both of those victories were followed by crushing Conference Finals losses to the Celtics. In 1963, Robertson averaged 33.4 points and 12.4 rebounds per game for Cincinnati as they pulled off stunning upsets in the Boston Garden in games one and three. But they also lost two games at home in the series and were eliminated in seven games. The 1964 edition was less exciting, with the Celtics winning in five games, ending Robertson’s triple-double averaging MVP season. The star point guard started outwardly venting his frustration at that point over lack of support from teammates, coaches, and the front office. The Royals made three more playoff appearances with Robertson, including another near upset of Boston in 1966 but then slipped into mediocrity. They finally granted Robertson a trade in 1970 and he won a title with the Bucks.