84/85 Sixers Julius Erving Moses Malone Charles Barkley Maurice Cheeks Bobby Jones Andrew Tony 6 career all stars
I hate to acknowledge it, but the Jazz with Malone and Stockton, especially the 95 team, came too close and definitely could've won it all at some point
Not to revive the whole Donaghy thing, but for the life of me I can't understand why some people take everything he said as gospel. He was a crooked guy with an incentive to make stuff up, and his claims at the time struck me as just casting about for every familiar example of controversial officiating in the playoffs in the last decade.
90s Sonics were insanely stacked. One of the best point guards ever in Payton, Detlef Schrempf who was the original Dirk who could hit a shot from anywhere on the floor, Kemp whose one of the most athletic guys to play the game of basketball, and great role players in Sam Perkins, Hershey Hawkins, and Nate McMillan.
Trying to find teams who haven't been name or listed yet, mostly. Teams who previously won a title (or eventually won a title) [within 2-4 seasons] 2010-11 Miami Heat (Hard to believe, even after almost 3 years, that a team with LeBron, DWade, and Bosh did not win a title). 2005-07 Dallas Mavericks 1989-90 Los Angeles Lakers (Best Record in the league that season, lost to the Suns in 5 games.) 1984-85 Boston Celtics (Arguably 2nd best Celtics team of the 1980s, behind the 85-86 squad) 1984-85 Philadelphia 76ers (featured Malone, Dr.J, Cheeks, Toney, Jones with a young Barkley and Sedale Threatt). 1977-78 Portland Trailblazers, defending champion losing Walton, during the playoffs did them in. 1972-73 Boston Celtics (Lost to the Knicks, in ECF, arguably the one of the best Celtic squads ever). 1968-69 Los Angeles Lakers (The "Original" Big Three - Wilt, West, and Baylor with a team full of second stringers). Teams who did not win a title in a 2-4 year radius 2008-09 Houston Rockets (mentioned few times) and the Denver Nuggets 2000-01 Milwaukee Bucks (Another Big three team ... Cassell, Big Dog, and Jesus Shuttleworth starred in one of the best backcourts in NBA history). 1999-00 Portland Trailblazers (probably one of the most stacked teams in modern NBA history - R.Wallace, Sabonis, Pippen, Smith, Schrempf, Grant, Wells, and Stoudemire ... many say that egos pretty much did that team in.) 1996-98 Utah Jazz 1992-93 Phoenix Suns - The Best Suns team ever (Better than 05 team)... 1988-91 Phoenix Suns (Kevin Johnson, Tom Chambers, Jeff Hornacek, Dan Majerle) 1990-92 Portland Trailblazers, lost in WCF to Lakers, and Lost in the Finals to the Bulls. ?????? 2011-12 Oklahoma City Thunder - starring three of the league's most elite scorers in Durant, Westbrook, and Harden. 1988 United States Basketball team - David Robinson, Mitch Richmond, Dan Majerle, Danny Manning, Stacey Augmon, Bimbo Coles, J.R. Reid, Willie Anderson, Charles Smith, and Hersey Hawkins FINISHED 3rd in the Olympics. (behind the Soviets and Yugoslavia). 2004 United States Basketball team - Tim Duncan, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Allen Iverson, Amare Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony, Carlos Boozer, Lamar Odom, Shawn Marion, and Stephon Marbury.
Nobody has mention 2004 Timberwolves yet, KG's MVP year. We forget just how dominant KG was. Cassell averaged 20 & 7 alongside KG's 24/14/5 & Latrell still had some gas left in him to kick in an extra 16 a game.
Say Clyde doesn't retire and plays one more year 98/99 with Dream, Chuck and Pippen. Do they win the title?
I haven't read the whole thread but my immediate response was the Blazers team from the late 80s to early 90s. Clyde, Porter, Buck, Kersey, Duckworth,... they gave the Lakers and Bulls a run for their money but had to lose to them in the Finals.
That team (except without Barkley) won two years prior. So, how does that fit into the criteria of "team not to win the title?" That's like saying the '83-'84 Laker's were the best team "not to win the title."
