Pacers eliminate the Cavaliers and enter the Eastern Conference Finals! NBA lists the teams that have never won the championship: Bulang is on the list

The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers are competing for the most championships in NBA history. In 2024, the Celtics won their 18th NBA title, breaking a draw with the Lakers. While Boston and Los Angeles competed at the top, there were 10 teams in the league still competing for their first title.

In 2023, the Denver Nuggets became the latest team to join the NBA's all-time championship roster, beating the Miami Heat in the Finals to win the team's first championship.

Here are the 10 NBA teams still looking for their first championship and how many times they made it to the Finals.

Brooklyn Nets (2)

Nets won two ABA titles under Julius Erving, but have failed to win the NBA championship since they sold Irving to the Philadelphia 76ers when the ABA-NBA merged in 1976. The then-New Jersey Nets, led by Jason Kidd and Kenyon Martin, made the finals twice in 2002 and 2003. The Nets met Shaquille O'Neal and the Lakers in one year, and Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs in another year.

Charlotte Hornets (0)

Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls eliminated the Hornets in the 1998 Eastern Conference semifinals to win the sixth NBA title in eight seasons. While Jordan is one of the greatest winners in NBA history as a player, as Charlotte’s boss, he failed to finish it. Jordan sold his majority stake in the Hornets in 2023, but his terrible series of drafts before that — Emecca Okafor, Adam Morrison, Michael Kidd Gilchrist and Cody Zeller were all top 10 picks — keeping the Hornets from making the playoffs.

Indiana Pacers (1)

Like the Nets, the Pacers are one of the best teams in the ABA, winning three championships before the 1976 merger. Like the Nets, the Pacers met Shaq and the Lakers in the Finals. Reggie Miller looks finally ready to win that elusive NBA title in 2000. But Shaq, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers stopped Miller’s Indiana in six games, winning the first of their three-game titles. The Pacers have never returned to the Finals since then.

They have now reached 4-1 and won the Cavaliers to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, and have a chance to win this year!

Los Angeles Clippers (0)

The Clippers are not lucky because they have moved from Buffalo and San Diego to Los Angeles. The Clippers are now based in Inglewood, California, and they are still looking for their first Finals appearance. Despite having a talented team, injuries to key players such as Black Griffin, Chris Paul, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard have stopped the in-depth playoff development over the years. Coupled with suspicious ownership and a 3-1 lead in the 2015 and 2020 Western Conference Semi-Finals, the Clippers have been one of the most snakebite teams in major North American sports.

The Clippers led by Harden and Kat still have no chance at this time. There were rumors that they will exchange Powell and Zubac for Antetokounmpo in the offseason. If the tournament is complete, the championship will be not far from them!

Memphis Grizzlies (0)

Even in Vancouver (1995-2001), the Grizzlies had difficulty overcoming the obstacles to the championship. The franchise is close. Tony Allen, Mike Conley, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph created a fierce defensive basketball brand that made it to the postseason seven times in a row, including the 2013 Western Conference Finals. Memphis was swept by the Spurs in the series.

Minnesota Timberwolves (0)

Timberwolves are another team that is still waiting for their first championship and first finals. Minnesota failed to make the finals after more than a decade under Kevin Garnett. In fact, the Timberwolves, founded in 1989, made their way to the playoffs for eight consecutive years under Garnett, but only advanced once from the first round. To make matters worse, Garnett left Minnesota and eventually won the championship with the Boston Celtics in 2008. Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals in 2024, but Minnesota trailed 3-0 in the series and lost in five games.

This year, they are currently leading the Warriors 3-1 in the Western Conference Semi-Finals. The return to the Western Conference Finals is basically certain, and the championship may also belong to them!

New Orleans Pelicans (0)

Another relatively young team, the Pelicans have only been in New Orleans since 2002. They didn't have a championship, nor did they make it to the finals. In 2008, the club made its first Western Conference semi-finals as the New Orleans Hornets under Chris Paul. New Orleans won the draft draw in 2012 and picked Anthony Davis with the first pick. But the Pelicans groped through Davis’s years, just watching him leave and win the championship with the Lakers.

Orlando Magic (2)

Orlando is known for its location as Walt Disney World. Unfortunately for the Magic, it is not known for its NBA championship home court. The Magic have two of their most dominant big men, O'Neal and Dwight Howard. Both led the group to the finals – Shaq in 1995 and Howard in 2009. But both of them left and won the elusive championship. Shaq won three wins with the Lakers and another win in Miami. Howard won one, also purple and gold.

Phoenix Suns (3)

The Suns have many great teams, they have the greatest players in history, but they just can't cross the finish line. NBA MVP Charles Barkley led the Phoenix to the Finals in 1993, but lost to Jordan and the Bulls in six games. Steve Nash won consecutive MVPs with the Suns in 2005 and 2006 but failed to lead the Phoenix through the Western Conference Finals. Recently, Devin Booker and Paul’s Suns led Giannis Antetokounmpo and Milwaukee Bucks 2-0 in the 2021 Finals, and later lost the game as the two competed for FMVP!

Utah Jazz (2)

Although there are greater duos in NBA history than Karl Malone and John Stockton, they are certainly the greatest duo to never win a championship. The Hall of Famers made the Jazz a true champion contender in more than a decade, leading the team to the Finals only twice. Utah made its biggest NBA stage twice in 1997 and 1998. Unfortunately, for Malone and Stockton, both of these years have been against Jordan’s Bulls. The Jazz lost two series in six games and haven't smelled the finals since.