Top 5 NBA Teams From The 2010s That Never Won The Championship
Throughout NBA history, many teams have looked like they could go the distance and bring a championship home to their franchise, but at the end of the day, they could never get over the hump.
These teams have only added to the long list of NBA “what-ifs” that continue to permeate conversations around the league today.
Maybe a star player got injured, or a team came up just short of making the NBA Finals. Perhaps the talent surrounding the team in its respective conference was so superior that a championship run was never in the cards.
During the 2010s, many teams could have won the NBA Finals but never did, which makes sense given LeBron James and Stephen Curry's essentially dominating the decade. But here are the top five squads of the 2010s that had the personnel to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy.
Honorable Mentions
2013-14 Indiana Pacers
Besides his Los Angeles Clippers bubble run, this was Paul George’s best chance to win his first ring. This team certainly got the short end of the stick during LeBron James and the Miami Heat’s four-straight trips to the NBA Finals. It was hard for any team to get in Miami’s way when the Eastern Conference ran through the Heat from 2010 to 2014.
In addition to Paul George, this Indiana Pacers team was headlined by Roy Hibbert, Danny Granger, George Hill, Lance Stephenson, David West, Evan Turner, and Luis Scola. There was so much depth for a team that ultimately came up two games short of the NBA Finals.
2017-18 Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets were one of the biggest teams to fall victim to the Golden State Warriors dynasty. As a team with the Splash Brothers, Draymond Green and Kevin Durant proved unstoppable in the West.
This Houston squad, which included Chris Paul, James Harden, P.J. Tucker, Trevor Ariza, Clint Capela, and Eric Gordon, ended the regular season on top of the Western Conference but lost to the Warriors in seven games.
2013-14 Memphis Grizzlies
It's probably the Memphis Grizzlies’ best shot at a title in their franchise’s history. Another team with a loaded roster, headlined by Mike Conley, Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol, Tony Allen, Courtney Lee, and Tayshaun Prince. Even Mike Miller and Seth Curry were on this team.
This Grizzlies squad fell to San Antonio in four games in the Western Conference Finals, who were on their way to winning their fifth title since 1999.
5. 2012-13 New York Knicks
This was Carmelo Anthony’s best opportunity to win the big one in Madison Square Garden and, frankly, his best shot at winning the title throughout his career.
Like all of these almost champions, this New York Knicks team had an insane amount of depth. Aside from Melo, this roster had Tyson Chandler, J.R. Smith, Iam Shumpert, Amar’e Stoudemire, Kenyon Martin, and even seasoned veterans like Jason Kidd, Marcus Camby, and Rasheed Wallace.
This Knicks team finished the regular season 54-28 under Mike Woodson and ultimately lost to an up-and-coming Pacers team in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
A championship for this team would’ve changed the course of sports history in the city of New York. It would’ve given the Knicks their first NBA title since the 1970s and put Melo in higher regard among the greatest players of all time.
Maybe if this Knicks team had won, or if any Knicks teams during Anthony’s tenure had won, he wouldn’t have had to fight for a roster spot later on in his career like he did with the Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Lakers.
4. 2014-15 Atlanta Hawks
One of the most dominant teams in the NBA during the 2014-15 season, this Atlanta Hawks squad was another team that fell short at the hands of LeBron James – this time when he was with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
This was another veteran-heavy team that, had the stars aligned in their favor, would’ve secured the Hawks’ first championship since 1958. This roster had four 2015 all-stars – Al Horford, Paul Millsap, Jeff Teague, and Kyle Korver – and was perfectly balanced with a supporting cast made up of DeMarre Carroll, Elton Brand, Thabo Sefolosha and a young Dennis Schröder.
A 60-win team, this iteration of the Atlanta Hawks plowed their way through the Eastern Conference until going face-to-face with LeBron and ultimately getting swept in the conference finals.
3. 2011-12 Oklahoma City Thunder
In the early 2010s, the Oklahoma City Thunder were another team whose chances of reaching the mountaintop were squandered by a prime LeBron James.
This Thunder squad had three future MVP winners and Hall-of-Fame players,: Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden. They were complemented by Serge Ibaka, Kendrick Perkins, Derek Fisher, Nick Collison, and a young Reggie Jackson.
Had this Oklahoma City squad put it together against the Miami Heat in the 2012 NBA Finals and ultimately won the championship, it could have changed the course of the league forever.
Maybe Durant and Westbrook would’ve stayed together for their entire careers. Maybe Harden wouldn't have fled to the Rockets. Maybe the Warriors wouldn’t have won any more championships after their first in 2015 had Durant not signed with them in 2016. A lot of potential league history could’ve been written differently had this team won it all.
2. 2013-14 Chicago Bulls
Looking back, this Chicago Bulls team heavily underperformed when it came to the postseason, but this was one team that should’ve won the title, given the talent they had.
This team had enough depth from top to bottom to make the NBA Finals, but unfortunately, it lost in just the first round of the playoffs to a John Wall and Bradley Beal-led Washington Wizards team.
If 2011 MVP Derrick Rose wasn’t already enough in his own right, this roster also had solid bigs in Carlos Boozer and Taj Gibson and that season’s Defensive Player of the Year in Joachim Noah. Not to mention role players like Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich, Jimmer Fredette, now Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr., and a young Jimmy Butler before he was “Playoff Jimmy.”
A championship from this Bulls team would’ve changed Derrick Rose’s career trajectory, likely making him an undisputed Hall-of-Famer. Additionally, it would’ve finally gotten Chicago over the hump for the first time since the Michael Jordan era.
Even if they had beaten the Wizards, though, like all of these 2010 NBA champion “what-ifs,” the Bulls would have had to knock off LeBron James in his last year on the Heat and take down the Spurs in the Finals, which certainly wouldn’t have been easy tasks.
1. 2014-15 Los Angeles Clippers
Once again, this team ultimately underperformed in the playoffs, only making it to the Western Conference semifinals. Still, this Los Angeles Clippers squad was stacked in every sense of the word. If a team ever was known for its depth, this team was in its own category. That’s how many options they had on their roster.
Not only were there the Lob City big three of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan, but this Clippers team had strong shooters in JJ Redick and Jamal Crawford, important role players in Matt Barnes and Austin Rivers, and veterans like “Big Baby” Glen Davis, Jordan Farmar, and Hedo Türkoğlu. Even three-time Slam Dunk champion Nate Robinson was on this team.
Unfortunately for Doc Rivers and his dominant squad, the Clippers were never the same after the 2014-2015 season. Just as this team tried to give the city of Los Angeles its first non-purple and gold NBA title, the Warriors entered the conversation and were en route to a dynasty.
With a championship, Paul would have finally secured his first NBA ring, Griffin and Jordan could’ve cemented potential Hall-of-Fame status, and the Clippers would have changed the trajectory of their franchise forever.
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