Also Dallas when won 67 games in reg. season just to drop in first round. That a was a huge blast, that team was favored to win it all that year and had an edge over 07 champs Spurs. Adelman's Kings were hella of a team also, C-Webb, Doug Christie, Predrag Stojaković, Mike Bibby, Brad Miller - you know what I'm talkin about? Suns also but to me it's the 97 Rockets. It just shows how injuries and bad chemistry can affect your team no matter how good they look on paper.
Maybe Golden State Warriors "Run TMC" teams in the late 80's early 90's. Also, the 80's Denver Nuggets. Another high scoring team that made the playoffs every year from 82-90. Cavaliers with Price, Nance, Daugherty were pretty good too.
The early 90s supersonics. I know they made the finals in '96 but Im talking the early 90s when they used to give the rockets fits and consistently had the best record in the league. It took them 5 trys until they made the finals but they had some great teams during that time.
I'll throw out the Reggie Miller/Mark Jackson/Rik Smits Pacers from '93 through '98, they had a legitimate window and couldn't do it. Their best was probably '97-'98 with Bird in as coach: Reggie, Rik, Davis "brothers", McKey, Mullin at the end of his career (but still starting), Jalen Rose and Travis Best off the bench, with some end-of-bench depth still in Hoiberg and a young Croshere before his "good" years.
05-06 Detroit Pistons, totally collapsed against the Heat. 97-98, Los Angeles Lakers - Shaq, Elden Campbell, Rick Fox, Eddie Jones, Nick Van Exel, Kobe Bryant (off the bench) 92-93, New York Knicks 95-96, Orlando Magic, this was actually their best squad ever. 03-04, Minnesota Timberwolves 96-97, Miami Heat
There were several very good teams in the East that couldn't make a finals appearance during the 2 championship Jordan eras. Typically, for a great team to not make the finals a dynasty has to be in its conference. The Lakers/Spurs recently basically shared a dynasty as the Spurs allowed the Lakers to establish a dynasty during their own so called dynasty.
2000-01 Bucks (Allen, Big Dog, and Sam "I Am" Cassell) - another George Karl team, I think they would've been an awkward matchup for the Lakers, no great big men, but their backcourt was flooded with guards and forwards who could score. They had decent bench. For some odd reason, I believe they would've been tougher matchup than the offensively challenged 76ers (AI and Larry Brown, shouldn't be surprise). I know this means very little, but that team actually swept the Lakers that year. Their kryptonite .... playing defense.
I was thinking the same thing, but then I remembered that same Sonics team went to the Finals in 96 (and even put up a good fight against a great Bulls team). What's amazing is how they went from back-to-back first round choke jobs to the finals a season later. Its like the 06 and 07 Mavs in reverse.
That team that lost to the Mavs during the Mavs' finals run... because that guy stepped out of bounds and wasn't called for it... that team was pretty good.
sounds vaguely familiar... maybe i'll consult my psycho-therapist and find out what your talking about.
I agree with Deckard that 1986 Laker's team was a great team with the Showtime Lakers of Magic Johnson in his prime, Kareem still a signifigant factor and James Worthy. A testament to just how good they were is that with the same nucleus they came back the following year to win a Championship, then another and were in the Finals the year after that. The 2004 Timberwolves. A team that should give hope to the Rockets. After years of futility unable to break out of the first round KG with the help of Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell storm out and capture both the number one seed in the West and to the WC Finals. They take Shaq, Kobe with Gary Payton and Karla Malone to 7 games with Cassell so injured he's got electrodes and a battery pack strapped to his hip. I have no doubt if Cassell had been healthy the T-Wolves make it easily past the Lakers. The 1995 Spurs. Well we know what happened to them.
When you consider that several of those Jazz teams had one of the better coaches ever in Sloan and 2 guys who are considered by most to be top 3-4 players all-time at their position, they'd have to be considered for this.
They did make it to the Finals twice once they got some decent role players. Hard to go deep in playoffs when David Benoit and Felton Spencer are your starting SF/C combo.
TrueHoop posted something similar to this today. Check it out. http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-39-35/A-B-C--Teams--All-But-the-Championship.html
The 97 Rockets squad with CB, Hakeem and Clyde. That would have broken ratings records. Just imagine the subplots with CB and Clyde getting beat by MJ before so they're out to even the ledger, CB going for his 1st ring, MJ raising his game, Hakeem responding...it would have been an awesome series. Even MJ said it, they had no answer for Dream. Honorable mentions - Sacto Kings that got beat by the LA in the early 2000's & the SSOL Suns.
What about the Mavs that year when they had a really good looking team on paper...I think it was Dirk, Nash, Jamison, Walker, and Finley but they couldn't seal the deal.
Definately the '02 Kings.....I'd even say the early 90's Cavs teams that probably still have nightmares about Jordan.....
