The NBA 2023–24 season will begin next month on October 5, and all the teams will be focusing on winning the title. The ultimate goal of every franchise is to win a championship with a perfectly balanced roster, coaching unit, and tactics. Many teams have a great history with the championship, and the Celtics lead the charts with 17 titles. They are followed by the LA Lakers, who have won the championship 16 times. However, there are several teams that have failed to achieve this distinction and still crave their first title. In this article, we will look at the teams that have never won the NBA title.
Charlotte Hornets
Charlotte Hornets had high expectations in the previous season when they acquired Dwight Howard as their center at the beginning of the season. However, they ended with a 34-42 record. Hornets have never qualified for the NBA Finals, being limited to only the Eastern Conference semifinals on four occasions in franchise history, the last of which was in 2002. They will be seeking to perform better in the upcoming season and end the drought for the title.
Orlando Magic
Orlando Magic are still waiting for their first NBA title since their founding in 1989. The team has many amazing players like Elfrid Payton, Aaron Gordon, Nikola Vucevic, and Jonathan Simmons, but still, the team’s performance has been consistently poor. Magic has made two runs in the NBA finals so far, which were in the 1994–95 season and in the 2008–09 season. They were defeated by the Houston Rockets in their first NBA finals appearance and lost to the LA Lakers in the 2009 season. The team has been enduring its longest playoff drought in franchise history and will be looking to end it this season.
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns have never won an NBA championship, and they had a poor season last year as well. Although they are regular playoff contenders, last season they endured the worst playoff drought in franchise history. The Suns came very close to winning the championship two times when they reached the finals in 1976 and 1993. Both times they lost by 4-2 to the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls, respectively. The team has good young players in the form of Devin Booker and Josh Jackson, so they will hopefully become a strong force in the NBA and rebuild over the next two to three seasons.
Brooklyn Nets
In the 42 years of the franchise’s history, the Brooklyn Nets have never become NBA champions. The team reached the NBA Finals in the 2001–02 and 2002–03 seasons but missed the final hurdle each time. The Nets were defeated by the LA Lakers in their first final appearance and the San Antonio Spurs in their second. In the rebuilding process of the team, their most prominent players are D’Angelo Russell, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Jeremy Lin.
Memphis Grizzlies
Memphis Grizzlies had one of the worst seasons of the previous year, suffering a 19-game losing streak. Grizzlies have made it to the postseason 10 times, but their best was reaching the Western Conference Finals. In the 2012–13 season, their player Marc Gasol also won the Defensive Player of the Year award. However, they were defeated by the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals. Currently, this team is in the rebuilding process and won’t be ready for any title challenge in the near future.
Utah Jazz
Since their establishment in 1974, the Utah Jazz have reached the NBA finals two times, in 1997 and 1998, consecutively. However, they lost to the Michael Jordan-starring Chicago Bulls on both occasions. Jazz had an amazing season the previous year with a good record. The team has all the makings to become an NBA title contender in the upcoming season.
New Orleans Pelicans
New Orleans has reached the playoffs of the NBA six times in their relatively short tenure in the league. Their best performance was in the 2008 postseason, when they reached the Western Conference Semifinals. Many thought that this would be their year, but the San Antonio Spurs defeated them in the semifinals.
Los Angeles Clippers
One Los Angeles team (Lakers) has won the NBA title 16 times and is currently one of the best teams in the league, while the Clippers are yet to win their first championship. They have made it to the Western Conference Semifinals seven times, but never beyond that. The last time this happened was in the 2013–2014 season, when they were defeated by the Oklahoma City Thunder. Despite having a superstar trio consisting of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan, the team has failed time and again, and now with the exit of the first two from the team, the Clippers are too weak to run for the title.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Timberwolves best ever performance was in the season when Kevin Garnett led them to the Western Conference Finals, but they were eliminated by the Lakers. The previous season for the team was also good, so given their explosive growth, the team could prove challenging for the title in the next season.
Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers have reached the NBA Finals once before, in the 1999-2000 season. They were defeated by the LA Lakers 4-2 in six games. With good youngsters like Myles Turner, Oladipo, and Sabonis who could soon develop into world-class players, the Pacers have a definite chance to challenge for titles in the next few years.
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