12 NBA Teams That Failed to Live Up to the Hype

The hype that surrounded the following 12 NBA teams mirrored the hype that would surround a franchise with, let's say, the first 10 picks in a loaded draft.

When superstars move around the league, a shock wave hits their new home upon arrival and often resonates throughout the conference.

When superstars land together, well, it's really quite simple: championship or bust.

A single superstar can carry a franchise to the NBA finals (just ask Allen Iverson). Two superstars can bring their team multiple championships (just ask Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, or Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen).

So when the following teams headed to training camp with several All-Stars (or in some cases, Hall of Famers) all sharing the locker room, it's almost a surprise that the NBA decided to even play the season out when everyone knew where the Larry O'Brien Trophy would end up at year's end.

However, like one of the great sports cliches says, games are not played on paper.

Some of these teams would eventually capture titles; others were not as fortunate. But for these teams, during these seasons, their seasons can simply be called "busts."

12. 2006-07 Phoenix Suns

The Stars: Amar'e Stoudemire, Steve Nash, Shawn Marion

The Supporting Staff: Leandro Barbosa, Raja Bell, Boris Diaw, James Jones

This was the team that made all fans of fast-paced, run-and-gun basketball hopeful that playing up-tempo basketball could work in the NBA.

During the regular season, the Suns rattled off winning streaks of 15 and 17 games en route to their second-best season in franchise history (61-21) and a third straight Pacific Division Championship.

The Suns disposed of the Lakers in five games in the first round of the playoffs and met the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Semifinals. The Spurs had eliminated the Suns in the past two playoff series that the teams had faced each other, most recently a five-game series win for the Spurs in the 2005 Western Conference Finals.

This series will be remembered for plenty of reasons: a bloodied Steve Nash in Game 1, the Tim Donaghy calls in Game 3, and one image from that series stands above the rest—a ragdoll Nash being hip-checked by Robert Horry into the scorers table late in the fourth quarter. Stoudemire and Diaw rushed to the aid of Nash and were subsequently suspended one game for leaving the bench. The Suns never rebounded in the series—the Spurs would close out the series in six and later win the NBA championship.

11. 2001-02 Sacramento Kings

The Stars: Chris Webber, Peja Stojakovic, Mike Bibby

The Supporting Staff: Vlade Divac, Doug Christie, Bobby Jackson, Hedo Turkoglu

With Divac and Webber patrolling the paint, the Kings had intimidating size underneath, but the squad really flourished on the offensive end where the big men displayed their passing ability while the Kings' myriad shooters frustrated defenses night after night.

Fresh off sending fan favorite "White Chocolate" Jason Williams to the Grizzlies for Bibby, the Kings finally found a point guard with more substance than flash and the team breezed through the season, winning a league-best 61 games (including an unconscious 36 of 41 games at home).

The Kings entered the Western Conference Finals matchup against the two-time defending champion Lakers with just two losses in their first two postseason series combined. Coach Rick Adelman's team grabbed a 3-2 series advantage, but were "allegedly" hamstrung in Game 6 (also, another playoff Donaghy game) as the Lakers—and their 27 fourth quarter free throws—would steal Game 6—and the series—before capturing their third consecutive title.

10. 1994-95 Phoenix Suns

The Stars: Charles Barkley, Dan Majerle, Kevin Johnson

The Supporting Staff: Danny Manning, A.C. Green, Wesley Person, Wayman Tisdale

Another up-tempo team to crack this list (can it even be a coincidence at this point?), this Suns squad managed to have seven different players average double-figures in the bruising NBA of the mid-90's.

At 31, Sir Charles was still in his prime (23 points, 11 rebounds, four assists), "Thunder" Dan hit over 36 percent of his 3-pointers (more impressive considering he launched nearly seven a night), and "KJ" made the whole machine run with nearly four assists for every turnover—the Suns netted the Pacific Division Crown with a 59-23 record.

The Suns had the veteran leadership (five rotation players were in their 30s) for a long postseason run, but the Suns risked being eliminated in consecutive playoffs by the Houston Rockets. Despite holding a 3-1 advantage against Houston in the Western Conference Semifinals, the Suns simply had no answer for Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler who sent Barkley and Co. packing after Game 7.

9. 1961-62 Philadelphia Warriors

The Stars: Wilt Chamberlain, Paul Arizin, Tom Gola

The Supporting Staff: Tom Meschery, Al Attles, Guy Rodgers

This team was about as far from balanced as it gets, but the most impressive statistical season in NBA history (some may argue for Oscar Roberston's triple-double season, which interestingly enough was also during this season) but consider the records Chamberlain set (and still holds) during this season: most minutes, most minutes per game, most points, highest scoring average, most 50-point games, most 40-point games, most field goals made, most free throws made and most free throws attempted. And on March 2 of that year, Chamberlain dropped 100 points on the Knicks.

Whew. Now consider that Chamberlain put up these numbers playing with two other Hall of Famers (Arizin, who somehow managed to score 21.9 points per game, and Gola) and you're left wondering how these team did not win a championship.

Well—as Chamberlain would later learn but never quite understand—teams, not individuals, win championships and, just like in his rookie season two years prior, Chamberlain and company were displaced by Bill Russell's Boston Celtics, this time a seven-game series in the Western Division Finals.

8. 2010-11 Miami Heat

The Stars: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh

The Supporting Staff: Mario Chalmers, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, James Jones, Mike Miller, Udonis Haslem

After the public relations debacle also known as "The Decision," fans everywhere had an emotional reaction to this past season's Heat team that only increased in intensity throughout the season.

Fans of the Heat were right there with James thinking, "not one, not two, not three..." while the naysayers were simply hoping that someone, anyone, (yes, even Kobe Bryant and the Lakers) would be able to stop this Heat team from winning the next five championships.

Then, the season started and the Heat stumbled out of the blocks to a 9-8 record. Heat supporters blamed injuries (Miller and Haslem each missed a large portion of the season) while the detractors wondered if it would ever come together. Then, the Heat rattled off 12 straight wins, and a long postseason run seemed inevitable once again.

The Heat would make that playoff push all the way to the NBA Finals, but Dirk Nowitzki's Dallas Mavericks made more plays than the Heat's stars could muster and the Heat would fall in six games.

7. 1994-95 New York Knicks

The Stars: Patrick Ewing, John Starks, Charles Oakley

The Supporting Staff: Anthony Mason, Derek Harper, Hubert Davis, Charles Smith

Patrick Ewing's Knicks had all the elements of a championship team. They had a great guard play from Starks and Anthony. They had one of the most intimidating front courts of the decade with Ewing, Mason and Oakley. Their coach, Pat Riley, nearly filled a hand with championship rings.

But the Knicks did not have Michael Jordan, and that kept Ewing and his mates at bay for the early part of the 1990s. However, when the sport's brightest star decided he would take his talents (or was that gambling debts?) to the baseball diamond, the basketball gods seemed to be guiding the Knicks to the throne.

The Knicks nearly reached the sport's pinnacle the prior year, but fell in seven games to Olajuwon's Rockets. However, before thoughts of revenge could even reach the Knicks in the '95 playoffs, the Knicks had to deal with the Indiana Pacers and Reggie Miller. Miller ripped out New York's heart with eight points in nine seconds to steal Game 1, and Indiana eliminated New York in seven games.

6. 2005-06 Detroit Pistons

The Stars: Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace

The Supporting Staff: Ben Wallace, Tayshaun Prince, Antonio McDyess

Forgive this Pistons team if it seemed as if they were on cruise control for the regular season. After all, it was somewhat of a foregone conclusion that this Pistons team, just as the previous three with basically the same makeup had, would be headed to the NBA Finals.

It's hard to recall a team in recent history where each player better understood his role. Billups, Hamilton, Prince and 'Sheed all averaged better than 14 points per game during the regular season and stayed true to those averages in the postseason. Big Ben and McDyess led a stifling defense that held regular season opponents to just 90.2 points per game.

Once in the playoffs, the Pistons disposed of the lowly Milwaukee Bucks in five games before surviving against LeBron James' Cavaliers in seven games. But the Pistons good fortunes would end their when their conference finals opponent the Miami Heat, behind a crazed Dwyane Wade and a still productive Shaquille O'Neal, would knock off the three-time defending Eastern Conference champions in six games en route to the franchise's only NBA title.

5. 1998-99 Indiana Pacers

The Stars: Reggie Miller, Rik Smits, Jalen Rose

The Supporting Staff: Chris Mullin, Antonio Davis, Dale Davis, Mark Jackson

Despite having just 50 regular season games and no All-Star Game, the 1998-99 NBA season still managed to be a memorable one (there's still hope, NBA fans!). Phil Jackson retired (for the first time), Michael Jordan retired (again) and  the Los Angeles Clippers tied the then-longest losing streak in NBA history to start a season.

But amidst the chaos of the strike-shortened season, the Indiana Pacers emerged as a favorite in the race to an NBA title. The Pacers tied for the best record in the Eastern Conference (33-17) and needed just the minimum seven games to return to the Eastern Conference Finals. And this time, the opposition did not have Jordan on their roster.

The Pacers would meet the No.8-seeded Knicks, whom they had eliminated in the Conference Semifinals just a season ago. Miller continued his hot shooting from the regular season (20.2 points in the postseason) and when the Knicks learned that Ewing was lost for the playoffs with a partially torn tendon, it looked like the Pacers were on their way to their first trip to the NBA Finals. But after Larry Johnson's incredible (or incredibly miscalled) four-point play saved the team in Game 3, Miller would have few answers for the Knicks' Allan Houston, who scored 32 points in the series clinching sixth game.

4. 2006-07 Dallas Mavericks

The Stars: Dirk Nowitzki, Josh Howard, Jason Terry

The Supporting Staff: Jerry Stackhouse, Devin Harris, Erick Dampier

After the Mavericks had courtside seats for Dwyane Wade's unbelievable NBA Finals outburst the year before, the Mavericks looked stronger and more focused on capturing that elusive NBA title.

Avery Johnson's squad appeared determined to make people forget about Josh Howard's ill advised timeout, or Dirk Nowitzki's return to planet Earth in the previous finals as they raced to a league-best 67-15 record. Nowtizki, in particular, was out to prove to the world that a seven-footer with a turnaround jumper is unstoppable as he put up 24.6 points and 8.9 rebounds en route to his Most Valuable Player award.

In the first round, Johnson's Mavericks would meet Don Nelson (who Johnson coached under in Dallas until 2005) and his run-and-gun Golden State Warriors who needed a 16-5 finish to sneak in as the Western Conference's No. 8 seed. Nelson would utilize his smaller team's quickness (and frustrate Nowitzki with the smaller, physical Stephen Jackson on the defensive end) and his club stole Game 1 in Dallas. The Mavericks rebounded with a 112-99 victory in Game 2, but lost Games 3 and 4 in front of a raucous Oakland crowd and the Warriors ousted the Mavericks in six games.

3. 1972-73 Boston Celtics

The Stars: John Havlicek, Dave Cowens, Jo Jo White

The Supporting Staff: Paul Silas, Don Cheaney, Don Nelson

With Hall of Famers Havlicek and Cowens leading the squad on the floor and Hall of Famer (and Celtics legend) Tom Heinsohn in Red Auerbach's coaching seat, the Celtics looked every bit the odds on favorite to win the NBA championship.

Cowens' 20.5 points and 16.2 rebounds earned him the MVP, while Havlicek (23.8) and White (19.7) forced defenses from collapsing on the Cowens and Silas. The club lost just 14 games during the regular season, earning them the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

In the opening round of the playoffs, the Celtics held off Pete Maravich and Lou Hudson's Atlanta Hawks in a six-game battle, and the Celtics met the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals for the second straight year. With a battered Havlicek still prominent in the rotation, the Celtics rebounded from a 3-1 deficit to force a Game 7, but the Knicks had too much firepower and closed out the Celtics before handling the Lakers in five games for the team's second championship in four seasons.

2. 1968-69 Los Angeles Lakers

The Stars: Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain

The Supporting Staff: Johnny Egan, Keith Erickson, Bill Hewitt

How many teams would Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor be the third option on? Granted this was not the 30-plus points per game Baylor of a few seasons prior, but 24.8 points and 10.6 rebounds makes for one talented third fiddle.

But that was life for Baylor, playing alongside the Logo and the most statistically dominant player in league history. The Lakers plucked Chamberlain from Philadelphia over the 1968 offseason and, just as one would expect, the trade netted them instant returns. Chamberlain was dominant (20.5 points and 21.1 rebounds), but pairing him with West (25.9 points, 6.9 assists) and Baylor was a guaranteed championship.

Chamberlain was not joining an upstart or rebuilding franchise by any means. The Lakers had played in three of the past four NBA Championships. The Lakers used their home court advantage to build a 3-2 lead on the Eastern Conference's fourth-seeded Celtics, before the Celtics forced a Game 7. West pulled a hamstring in Game 5, and the Celtics forced the tempo in Game 7 and defeated the heavily-favored Lakers 108-106.

Interesting side note, despite his injured hamstring in Games 6 and 7, West averaged 38 points per game in the finals and posted a triple-double in Game 7 en route to the league's first awarded NBA Finals MVP. West remains the only player from the losing team to ever win the award.

1. 2003-04 Los Angeles Lakers

The Stars: Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal

The Supporting Staff: Karl Malone, Gary Payton, Derek Fisher

There are disappointing teams, and then there are the 2003-04 Lakers. One season removed three consecutive NBA championships, the Lakers bolstered one of the greatest duos in NBA history (Bryant and O'Neal) with two other sure-fire future Hall of Famers (Payton and Malone).

The team's talent level was so ludicrous, Malone and Payton were even chastised in the media for chasing rings as it was such a forgone conclusion that this team would win at least one championship.

The Lakers were good, not great, in the regular season and their 56-26 record earned them the second seed in the Western Conference. They needed just five games to eliminate the Houston Rockets, but would need six to handle the San Antonio Spurs and the Minnesota Timberwolves in the next two rounds.

The Lakers faced the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Finals and were heavily favored as soon as the matchup was set. The Pistons were a physical, defensive squad but the Lakers appeared to have more firepower than any defense could handle.

The fact that the Pistons took Game 1 turned the collective head of the NBA. The fact that they held the offensive juggernauts to just 75 points in that game made people realize this might be more of a series than they first thought.

Well, it turned out it was a terrible series. Just five games actually. The Pistons dismantled the Lakers offensive attack, holding the team to under 90 points in all four of their wins (including an embarrassing 68-point Los Angeles effort in Game 3).

By the time the 2004-05 season rolled around, Malone, Payton and O'Neal were all former Lakers, as was head coach Phil Jackson.