As the NBA playoffs continue its quarter-final matchups, I thought it would be interesting to note that of the eight teams who advanced, there has been very little recent champions in that field. In fact, of those eight teams, the most recent team to win the NBA Finals was the Philadelphia 76ers all the way back in 1983!
As sights are set for this year’s NBA Champion, I thought it would be worthwhile to examine all eight teams who advanced to the second round and examine their past championship experience. What’s a common theme in these playoffs more so than in years past, most likely due to LeBron’s early exit this year, is that many of these franchises are desperately lacking in championship DNA, and most have never won it all before. This makes this year’s playoffs potentially more exciting, seeing which teams could bring their city a championship for the first time in a long time, or perhaps the first time ever.
Of the eight second round teams, only three have won the NBA Finals in the past, and the other five have never won in the NBA Finals. In fact, the entire Western Conference bracket is made of teams who’ve never won a championship, which guarantees a team who’s never won a championship will at least get the opportunity to compete for one from the West. We’ll take a look at the previous champions and their history since their last ring, and then explore the teams who’ve never won before and what it could potentially mean for their city and their franchise.
Philadelphia 76ers- Last NBA Championship: 1983
Surprisingly, the Philadelphia 76ers are the team that has won the most recent championship out of the quarter-final field of the NBA Playoffs, dating back 38 years ago. The 83’ Sixers team was led by Julius Erving and Moses Malone, who were able to sweep the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in that NBA Finals. Philadelphia struggled to return to the Finals after this championship, as their only appearance in the Finals since 1983 was in 2001 when Allen Iverson brought his Sixers team to the Finals against Kobe and Shaq. Despite this team having the most recent ring out of every team, this franchise isn’t that far removed from their infamously bad teams from 2013-2016, which some would consider the “Trust the Process” era. Fortunately for Philly fans, thanks to Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, Ben Simmons, and a well-balanced cast around them, the process has been trusted and now with a #1 seed, the Sixers have a real chance at restoring their former glory in these 2021 Playoffs.
Milwaukee Bucks – Last NBA Championship: 1971
The Bucks last won it all in 1971, which means it was exactly 50 years ago since their last title. Quite a few changes have occurred since the Bucks’ Championship season in 1971. For instance, the Milwaukee Bucks actually played in the Western Conference as opposed to the Eastern Conference where they play now, and their opponent, the Baltimore Bullets, don’t exist under that name any longer. Additionally, the series was the last time in which the teams alternated home games for the series, rather than the 2-2-1-1-1 format we see today. The reason the Bucks were able to prevail were thanks to their MVP Lew Alcindor (who goes by Kareem-Abdul-Jabaar nowadays) and Oscar Robertson. There’s no doubt in my mind that a duo like that couldn’t get the job done, and that is probably why they were able to sweep the Bullets in that series. The Bucks of today with Giannis, Middleton, and Holiday leading the team have a great chance at a title run in 2021 and beyond. They’ve already bested the Miami Heat team that beat them in the second round of the bubble in 2020, and now face perhaps their toughest test yet in the stacked Brooklyn Nets. In what has been a very exciting and dramatic series so far, perhaps the Bucks can pull together and attempt to break the 50-year drought plaguing Milwaukee.
Atlanta Hawks: – Last NBA Championship: 1958
The Atlanta Hawks are the final team left to have won a championship in the past, dating all the way back to 1958! 63 years ago, the 41-31 St. Louis Hawks were able to bring home the NBA Championship by beating the Boston Celtics in 6 games. This Hawks squad was led by none other than Bob Pettit, who won All-NBA First Team honors, and Slater Martin and Cliff Hagan winning All-NBA Second Team as well. There’s no question that the city of Atlanta has encountered tragic playoff performances from many of their sports teams outside of basketball. Despite this however, this Hawks team has found new life in the young talents of Trae Young, John Collins, and Bogdan Bogdanović. Hopefully they are on the right track to bring a long-awaited basketball championship to the ATL.
Phoenix Suns- Last NBA Championship: N/A
Here is where things get interesting due to the fact that the majority of the teams in this playoff field have nothing to show for in their trophy cases. The Phoenix Suns are one of these teams plagued with no championships in their history. They haven’t been in the playoffs since 2010 after losing in the Western Conference Finals, and their NBA Finals appearances have been rare. Their most recent and probably most notable appearance in the Finals was in 1993 where the Suns reached the Finals with their MVP Charles Barkeley, yet ultimately fell to Jordan’s Bulls in 6 games. What is evident however for this 2021 Suns team is that this really can be their year. Beating the Lakers in 6 games and advancing to the Western Conference Finals by sweeping the Nuggets 4-0 shows that this team isn’t a fluke and are now considered serious title contenders at this point. They certainly have all the pieces to reach the Finals with a HOF point guard in Chris Paul, a superstar in Devin Booker, and an emerging center Deandre Ayton who’s been one of their best players in the playoffs thus far by providing a scoring boost as well as stellar defensive help against elite bigs. Additionally, the Suns have surrounded themselves with a great combination of youth scoring with Mikal Bridges and Cameron Payne and veteran shooting from Jae Crowder. This team will be a very tough out in these playoffs, and the dream of the Larry O’Brien trophy in Phoenix is no longer a pipe dream for the Suns.
Brooklyn Nets – Last NBA Championship: N/A
The Brooklyn Nets have never won a championship in their history, although the way many speak about this team they might as well have one in these playoffs. There’s no question that Brooklyn has the most stars and perhaps the most depth left in these playoffs, and that may still hold without the 2018 MVP James Harden playing. This team is quite literally stacked, and has a really good chance of winning it all for the first time this year. This would be a welcome sight for Nets fans, who’ve seen their team in the Finals when playing against the Lakers in the early 2000s. However since moving to Brooklyn the Nets haven’t assembled a team good enough to reach the Conference Finals. Much has happened to this team since the summer of 2019, including the KG and Paul Pierce trade which didn’t end well, and the unexpected success of the Nets leading up to acquiring Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in the same offseason. The Nets face a great challenge in a talented Bucks team, but there’s no denying that ‘Scary Hours’ are upon the league for the near future in the face of the Brooklyn Nets. It seems like it’s not a matter of if the Nets will win a title but when? The only question mark for this team that can stop them is that of their health for their superstars.
Utah Jazz – Last NBA Championship: N/A
The Utah Jazz have made it to the NBA Finals twice in their history, in both 1997 and 1998. Unfortunately for Karl Malone and John Stockton’s great Jazz teams, they ran into Michael Jordan looking to three-peat from 1996 to 1998. While this may be the case, MJ no longer plays in the east, and the Jazz have one of their best chances in recent memory to get back to the NBA Finals. They finished with a league best record of 52-20, securing home court advantage throughout the rest of their playoff run if they are able to maintain it. This Jazz team is a complete team in every sense. They have tremendous three point shooting, defense, and are a fantastic home team, only losing 5 games in the regular season at Vivint Arena. They have a true superstar in Donovan Mitchell, an all-time defensive anchor in Rudy Gobert, and stellar perimeter shooting which makes them a dangerous matchup for any team. Similar to the Bucks-Nets series in the East, their matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers looks to develop into one of the more interesting series in the second round.
Los Angeles Clippers – Last NBA Championship: N/A
Being a Los Angeles native and knowing fans of the Clippers personally, I can confidently say that Clippers fans have been starving for an NBA championship for many years now. With many opportunities to make it out of the West with Clipper teams like Lob City or even the PG Kawhi duo last year in the bubble, the Clippers have been quite unlucky in their entire history during playoff time. For this team, it’s not even about making the Finals but simply making it to the Western Conference Finals, which they’ve never done in their history to this point. Despite their grim and unfavorable past, the Clippers do have some hope this season. After winning a grueling 7 game series against Dallas, they’ve made it to second round against the #1 seed Jazz. With Kawhi Leonard playing at an elite level like he usually does during the playoffs, there’s no limit to where this team can go. They’ve gotten huge help from the likes of Reggie Jackson, Marcus Morris Sr. and even Luke Kennard in the series against Utah. And even though Paul George has struggled, he made sure to silence his haters quickly with his back to back 31 points in games 3 and 4 at home. It seems likely that the Jazz and Clippers could battle it out for 6 or 7 games this series, and the Clippers will have their sights on their first Western Conference Finals and beyond if they end up moving on. The Clippers have arguably the most depth second to the Brooklyn Nets left in these playoffs, and the play from their others will dictate their 2021 postseason success.
Denver Nuggets: – Last NBA Championship: N/A
Lastly is the Denver Nuggets who haven’t reached the NBA Finals in their history. It’s been tough for Nuggets fans this season having lost in the Conference Finals a year ago and then losing their star Jamal Murray this season to an ACL injury. Additionally and unfortunately for them, they weren’t able to win a game against the Suns and were ultimately swept by one of the hottest teams in the playoffs right now. The silver lining for this season for the Denver Nuggets has been in the MVP season of Nikola Jokić. Nuggets fans will have to look forward to the 2021-22 NBA season in hopes for another run at a title. I believe however that getting Murray back for them and seeing MPJ progress as a scorer will make Denver once again a championship threat in the near future.
These playoffs have been exciting due to the new faces and teams giving it their all for a championship. There are young emerging stars showing that they can lead their teams, and the future of the NBA is on display during these playoffs. The one thing for sure that will come out of this postseason is whoever becomes the champions this season will bring a long awaited championship back to their respective city for the first time in many years, or perhaps the first time ever.
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