A championship is the ultimate goal for every NBA team, but of course only two teams can make it to the NBA Finals. This list is not for the teams that ended up winning the title, but for the runner-ups. There have been many teams where you could easily say if it wasn't for (insert player or team) they would have won an NBA championship. For example, if it wasn't for Bill Russell and the Celtics the Lakers would have a couple championships in the 60s and more total championships than the Boston Celtics. If it wasn't for Michael Jordan and the Bulls in the 90s, Charles Barkley and the 1993 Phoenix Sunx would have won a NBA championship. One of the best duos in NBA history, John Stockton and Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz would have won an NBA championship if it wasn't for Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. The 2002 Sacramento Kings which featured Vlade Divac, Mike Bibby, and Chris Webber would have an NBA championship if it wasn't for the Los Angeles Lakers and a controversial game 6 in the 2002 Western Conference Finals. So here is my list of the best teams that didn't win the title. Let me know what you think.
- 1969 Lakers
- 1998 Jazz
- 1993 Suns
- 2002 Kings
- 1995 Magic