NBA Finals: The 12 Best Teams to Narrowly Miss a Championship

It's true that only the winners get to write history, but it doesn't mean that we should forget about the other side of the spectrum.

The NBA has been awarding championship trophies for over 60 years to the deserving teams that had the endurance, ambition and tenacity to advance to make it to that pinnacle of the league. After 82 regular season games and sometimes up to 20 postseason games, it will be the winner that will be most recognized in the history books and the loser that will be forgotten. Despite two teams making it to that point, there will be only one team that will come out and looked at in a positive light by history.

The losing team will be forgotten for the sheer fact that they lost. What we don't recognize is that the teams that lose are some of the best that the NBA had to offer. Losing teams have won upwards of 64 games in a regular season and dominated in the postseason before running into whatever brick wall they faced in the Finals. Even then, most of the time, they put up a quality fight that deserves some sort of recognition.

I will be the one responsible to award those teams with recognition. Losing teams don't always get the credit they deserve. For example, there were six other elite teams between the Western and Eastern Conference, but they had to suffer through the Michael Jordan era when no one won in the 1990's until Jordan was either in his first or second retirement. Only the Detroit Pistons in 1990 broke that streak.

There have been over 60 well-deserved champions that came a close second or third, and we'll honor them here as we cut that list down to the 12 best that losing has to offer.

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12. 1975 Washington Bullets

Regular season record: 60-22

Road to failure:

First round: Defeated Buffalo Braves 4-3

Semi-finals: Defeated Boston Celtics 4-2

NBA Finals: Lost to Golden State Warriors 4-0

What had happened was...

Led by the front court of Wes Unseld and Elvin Hayes, the Washington Bullets of the 1970's were due for a title, and it seemed that the 1974-'75 season would be their time after winning 60 games.

Hayes led the way for the Bullets with 23 points and 13 rebounds per game, but he certainly wasn't alone when it came to the Bullets volatile offense. Phil Chenier added 21 points per contest, Mike Riordan contributed 15 and Kevin Porter chipped in 12. Unseld only averaged nine points per, but averaged a team leading 15 rebounds per game.

They were heavily favored against a Golden State Warriors team that had only won 48 games during the regular season. The Warriors expelled any thoughts of the Bullets possibly taking the series by winning game one in Washington, then the next two in San Francisco and then completing the sweep back in Washington. Golden State won the four games by a combined 16 points with no win coming by more than eight points.

The Bullets ranked second in points allowed per game and fifth in scoring.

11. 1990 Portland Trail Blazers

Regular season record: 59-23

Road to failure:

First round: Defeated Dallas Mavericks 3-0

Semi-finals: Defeated San Antonio Spurs 4-3

Conference Finals: Defeated Phoenix Suns 4-2

NBA Finals: Lost to Detroit Pistons 4-1

What had happened was...

One of the toughest teams ever assembled, the 1990 Portland Trail Blazers had the pieces to win a championship, but they didn't plan on facing an equally tough Detroit Pistons squad that was attempting to defend its championship from the year before.

Portland would only win one game of that series, and it would in Detroit by one point. With the series tied and three games in Portland looming, the ball was in the Trail Blazers court, as they now controlled the series. It didn't matter where Detroit was playing, as they took game three by 15 points and then won the final two games of the series by a combined five points.

Clyde Drexler led the Blazers with 23 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals per game. The Blazers would have four other players averaging at least 14 points per game with Terry Porter leading the way at 18 points per contest. Kevin Duckworth, Jerome Kersey and Buck Williams added the toughness down low to help propel the Blazers to their first Finals appearance in over a decade.

They also averaged 114 points per game, good for only fourth in the league.

10. 1973 Los Angeles Lakers

Regular season record: 60-22

Road to failure:  

First round: Defeated Chicago Bulls 4-3

Semi-finals: Defeated Golden State Warriors 4-1

NBA Finals: Lost to New York Knicks 4-1

What had happened was...

The last year of Wilt Chamberlain's Hall of Fame career came to an end following the conclusion of the 1972-'73 season. It also came to a disappointing end for "the big dipper" as he averaged a career low of 13 points and 19 rebounds per game while also losing in the NBA Finals in five games to the same New York Knicks squad that they had beaten the previous year after also setting the record for most wins in a season with 69.

The Lakers took the first game of the series, but would then drop the next four with the final loss coming in Los Angeles by nine points. The team had five players averaging at least 13 points per game, with Gail Goodrich leading the way at 24 points per contest, Jerry West contributing 23 points and nine assists, and Jim McMillian averaging 19 points and six rebounds. Happy Hairston contributed 16 points and 13 rebounds per.

Los Angeles was fourth in offensive production and fifth in points allowed.

9. 2006 Dallas Mavericks

Regular season record: 60-22

Road to failure:

First round: Defeated Memphis Grizzlies 4-0

Semi-finals: Defeated San Antonio Spurs 4-3

Conference Finals: Defeated Phoenix Suns 4-2

NBA Finals: Lost to Miami Heat 4-2

What had happened was...

The 2005-'06 Dallas Mavericks came six minutes away from securing their first title. They had taken the first two games of the NBA Finals in Dallas and now held a 13 point lead with a little over six minutes remaining against a Miami Heat that seemingly had no answers. All Dallas had to do was preserve that lead and they would hold a 3-0 series lead. Take note that no team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit.

Dwyane Wade made sure that the Heat wouldn't go out that easy. He led the charge for Miami, and they managed to overcome the deficit with Gary Payton hitting the game winning shots with three seconds remaining to steal game three 98-96. The Heat would win game four by 24 points and would then steal Game 5 in overtime by one point thanks to a pair of Wade free throws.

The abuse would continue as the series shifted back to Dallas. Miami controlled the game from the start before the Mavericks made it a game in the fourth quarter. Thanks to more heroics from Wade and staunch defense by Alonzo Mourning, the Heat managed to pull out a 95-93 victory to pull out an improbable 4-2 series.

It wasn't until 2011 that the Mavs would get their revenge, but 2006 will be remembered as one of the largest chokes in NBA history.

8. 1974 Milwaukee Bucks

Regular season record: 59-23

Road to failure:

First round: Defeated Los Angeles Lakers 4-1

Semi-finals: Defeated Chicago Bulls 4-0

NBA Finals: Lost to Boston Celtics 4-3

What had happened was... 

The last year of Oscar Robertson's hall of fame career, the youthful Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did all he could to help "the Big O" get his second championship, but came up short once they met John Havlicek and the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. Boston stole home court advantage from Milwaukee in Game 1, and the two teams swapped wins the rest of the way, with the Celtics winning Game 7 in Milwaukee by 15 points.

Abdul-Jabbar would play one more season with the Bucks after leading the team to their second Finals appearance. He averaged 27 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and four blocks per game to lead the way for Milwaukee, who also got healthy contributions from Bob Dandridge and Lucius Allen. Robertson only averaged 13 points, six assists and four rebounds in his final NBA season to end an illustrious career.

Milwaukee ranked third in points allowed per contest.

7. 2011 Miami Heat

Regular season record: 58-24

Road to failure:

First round: Defeated Philadelphia 76ers 4-1

Semi-finals: Defeated Boston Celtics 4-1

Conference Finals: Defeated Chicago Bulls 4-1

NBA Finals: Lost to Dallas Mavericks 4-2

What had happened was...

Following a rough 9-8 start, the 2010-'11 Miami Heat finished off the regular season on a 49-16 run where they won 21 out of 22 games at one point between December and January. The newly formed trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh weren't living up to expectations in the regular season, but they began making their presence felt once the playoffs began.

Following a five game series win over the Philadelphia 76ers, they would go on to beat the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls in a combined 10 games after finishing a combined 1-6 against both teams in the regular season. They started off the NBA Finals with a win, but then went on to blow a big lead in game two and would then lose three of the next four games to the Dallas Mavericks to end their promising run.

James, Wade and Bosh formed one of the best trios in NBA history in only their first season with three players combining for nearly 71 points per game, which was about 70 percent of the team's usual total for a game.

6. 1998 Utah Jazz

Regular season record: 62-20

Road to failure:

First round: Defeated Houston Rockets 3-2

Semifinals: San Antonio Spurs 4-1

Conference Finals: Defeated Los Angeles Lakers 4-0

NBA Finals: Lost to Chicago Bulls 4-2

What had happened was...

The last Finals appearance the Utah Jazz would have. The 1997-'98 Jazz was the last legitimate hope of the team bringing home a title back to Utah for the first time in franchise history. The only problem was that they had to meet Michael Jordan for the second consecutive year in the NBA Finals. With the Utah Jazz up by one in game six and in possession, Jordan stole the ball from Karl Malone and then made the game winning shot a few seconds later to close out the series.

Malone had another impressive year averaging 27 points, 10 rebounds and four rebounds per game. He was supported by another strong year from John Stockton who was averaging 14 points, 53 percent shooting and nine assists per game. Jeff Hornacek provided 14 points and four rebounds per game.

The Jazz went a combined 8-1 in the semifinals and Conference Finals.

5. 1993 Phoenix Suns

Regular season record: 62-20

Road to failure:

First round: Defeated Los Angeles Lakers 3-2

Semifinals: Defeated San Antonio Spurs 4-2

Conference Finals: Defeated Seattle Sonics 4-3

NBA Finals: Lost to Chicago Bulls 4-2

What had happened was...

The closest any NBA team came to knocking out the Chicago Bulls in the Finals, the 1992-'93 Phoenix Suns came a few unlucky breaks away from pushing the Bulls to a Game 7. In Game 6, the Suns were down by one point and in possession. It was given to Kevin Johnson, who had a wide-open 10 footer in front of him before Horace Grant came from behind to send the shot back and to end the series.

The Suns put up a great fight, losing the first two games by a combined 11 points and then winning a triple-overtime thriller in Game 3 to keep themselves in the series. Chicago would seemingly put the series out of reach with a Game 4 win in Phoenix, but were then stunned when the Suns managed to pull out a 10 point victory in game five to send the series back to Phoenix.

Phoenix was led by Charles Barkley, who had won the MVP that season and averaged 26 points, 12 rebounds and five assists per game. He was among six other players that averaged at least 10 points per game, with Dan Majerle leading the way for the supporting cast with 17 points and two three-pointers per game on 38 percent shooting.

The Suns led the league in scoring with 113 points per game.

4. 1985 Boston Celtics

Regular season record: 63-19

Road to failure:

First round: Defeated Cleveland Cavaliers 3-1

Semifinals: Defeated Detroit Pistons 4-2

Conference Finals: Defeated Philadelphia 76ers 4-1

NBA Finals: Lost to Los Angeles Lakers 4-2

What had happened was...

Talk about a bounce-back game. After beating the Los Angeles Lakers by 34 points in Game 1, the Boston Celtics managed to find a way to lose game two at home to give away home court advantage. Boston would go on to steal home court advantage back in Game 4, but would then lose the series in their own house with a Game 6 loss.

The Celtics of the 1980's can be considered one of the NBA's greatest dynasties with the combined effort of one of the NBA's greatest front courts to ever be assembled. Larry Bird, playing at small forward, averaged 29 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists per game, Kevin McHale at the four would average 20 points and nine rebounds per game and Robert Parish manning the middle would average 17 points and 11 rebounds per contest.

Boston possessed the sixth highest scoring offense in the league while also ranking fifth in points allowed per.

3. 2002 Sacramento Kings

Regular season record: 61-21

Road to failure:  

First round: Defeated Utah Jazz 3-1

Semifinals: Defeated Dallas Mavericks 4-1

Conference Finals: Lost to Los Angeles Lakers 4-3

What had happened was...

The 2001-'02 Sacramento Kings are regarded today as one of the best teams to walk away without a title, and for good reason. If not for some possible foul play, the Kings probably would have had their first title in franchise history.

The 2002 Kings had one of the most balanced rosters when it came to scoring, with seven different players averaging at least 10 points per game. Chris Webber was on an MVP pace with 24 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and two steals per game, while point guard Mike Bibby was facilitating the offense just as good as any other floor general in the league at that time. He averaged five assists per game to go along with 14 points per contest.

Peja Stojakovic was also having a career year, averaging 21 points and nailing 42 percent of his three-pointers. He and the Kings breezed their way through the regular season and the first two rounds of the postseason, going 7-2 against two dangerous teams in Utah and Dallas. It wasn't until the Conference Finals when they ran into trouble, where the Los Angeles Lakers gave them a fight that they'd never forget.

The Kings had ample chances to put the series away, but couldn't seal the deal. They split the first two games in Sacramento before the Kings dominated game three at the Staples Center. They would split Games 4 and 5, with Sacramento having a chance to put the series away in Game 6. The Los Angeles Lakers would take the game 106-102, but it wouldn't go without a number of questions being raised.

The Lakers received 18 more free throws than the Kings in the fourth quarter. The four big men for the Kings received a combined total of 20 fouls with two of them fouling out. Los Angeles would make 21 free throws in the final frame to take game six. They would then head back to Sacramento, where the Lakers would win by six to take the series.

Game 6 certainly was questionable, but the Kings still had plenty of chances to win. Sacramento had lost Game 4 despite leading by 24 points in the first half and also lost the final game of the series, which was at the Arco Arena.

2. 1997 Utah Jazz

Regular season record: 64-18

Road to failure:

First round: Defeated Los Angeles Clippers 3-0

Semifinals: Defeated Los Angeles Lakers 4-1

Conference Finals: Defeated Houston Rockets 4-2

NBA Finals: Lost to Chicago Bulls 4-2

Possibly the best Utah Jazz team to date, Karl Malone and John Stockton brought the Jazz to their first NBA Finals appearance in the 1997 postseason after finishing 11-3 during the Western Conference playoffs. However, they had to take on a 69 win Chicago Bulls team that had just won the championship the year before as well as setting the single season record for most wins in a season. Utah gave a quality effort, but they were no match for Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and their band of thieves.

The duo of Malone and Stockton was at its best, with Malone winning the MVP that season over Jordan who had won it the year before. Karl averaged 27 points, 10 rebounds and five assists per game to lead Utah to their best statistical season in franchise history. Stockton added 14 points and 11 assists to the cause, while Jeff Hornacek added 15 points and five assists per.

The Jazz were second in the league in scoring with 103 per game and were ninth in the league at points allowed with only 94 per contest.

1. 1996 Seattle Supersonics

Regular season record: 64-18

Road to failure:

First round: Defeated Sacramento Kings 3-1

Semifinals: Defeated Houston Rockets 4-0

Conference Finals: Defeated Utah Jazz 4-2

NBA Finals: Lost to Chicago Bulls 4-2

What had happened was...

The same thing that happened to about 10 other teams playing in the 1990's: They had to go through Michael Jordan. The Chicago Bulls dominated throughout the '90s, and the Seattle Supersonics couldn't have played them at a worse time. The Bulls had just won 72 games and had only lost one game on their road to the Finals.

The Sonics had one of the best years in franchise history, as Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp led the team to 64 wins. They made easy work of their opponents in the Western Conference playoffs before taking on the Bulls in the Finals. Seattle would lose the first three games of the series before taking the next two and then only scoring 75 points in the final game of the series against a Bulls team that had just gotten Jordan back from his retirement.

Kemp and Payton formed one of the most dynamic duos, with Kemp averaging 20 points and 11 rebounds and Payton averaging 19 points and eight assists per game. The Sonics boasted one of the most complete rotations with Detlef Schremph averaging 17 per game, Hersey Hawkins with 16 and Sam Perkins with 12.

They finished second in the league in scoring and eight in points allowed.