Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press
Charlotte Hornets
Like many modern-era expansion organizations, the Charlotte Hornets’ relatively short lifespan puts them at a disadvantage. By virtue of joining the championship in 1988-89, they lost a full decade of opportunities to win (or get close to) a title during the 1979-2019 period we are sifting through.
The Hornets could have used those extra possibilities. The highest score ever in the Eastern Conference is the fourth and they have yet to make it through the second round of the playoffs.
No iteration of the team was more fun than the early ’90s group that included Larry Johnson, Alonzo Mourning and Muggsy Bogues, but the highlight of that trio was an upset first round by the Boston Celtics in 1993. They never smelled a championship.
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets did very well in 1984-85 and 2008-09, winning at least 50 games and reaching the conference finals in both cases. But that 1985 team met the future champions of the Los Angeles Lakers, an all-time behemoth. Denver wouldn’t have won that series if he had got 10 hits.
The 2008-09 squad was alone eighth in regular season net ratings and also eliminated in the Western Conference finals against the Lakers, who won a ring behind Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol.
It’s a stretch to say that the Nuggets have had some chance of going through with it. Competition was too fierce.
Los Angeles Clippers
This will point, as the best option for the Los Angeles Clippers is arguably the 2015 team that saw a group of Rockets reserves erase a 19-point deficit and outrun Clips’ starters 34-13 in the final nine minutes of a biblical comeback in game 6 of the conference semifinals. Shell Shocked Clips retired in Game 7 of that series.
They had never made it through round two in the franchise’s history, and in 2018-19 they still hadn’t.
LA is now a powerhouse and has been a fringe contender for most of the 2010s. But never forget that this has been the saddest franchise of all sports for a long time. It extends outside the time frame we’re considering, but the Clippers didn’t win a playoff series from 1977 to 2005. That drought illustrates the depths of failure that defined this club.
It would be a shock if the 2019-20 Clippers didn’t take this spot next time we put together a list like this, but this season’s teams don’t matter.
Memphis Grizzlies
With 56 franchise wins and a post-season run, the 2012-13 Memphis Grizzlies were clearly a quality operation. Marc Gasol won best defensive player of the year, Mike Conley made arguably the second best campaign of his career and Tony Allen was in great shape. But the San Antonio Spurs unceremoniously wiped out that Memphis team in the Western Finals, and the Heat were waiting to defeat any team that advanced.
Perhaps the Spurs were still angered that eighth-seeded Grizzlies had kicked them out of the first round in 2010-11. Whatever the reason, San Antonio revealed Memphis was never a serious threat to the title, even in its best season.
Pelicans of New Orleans
Chris Paul piloted the 2007-08 New Orleans Hornets to 56 wins but failed to take them out of round two. This franchise operates at a great disadvantage, having only started in 2002-03. But the Hornets / Pelicans never made it past the second round and certainly didn’t figure in the league conversation.
Positive side: Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram don’t have a very high playoff expectation bar to clear.
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors (founded in 1995) only got out of the first round once between 1996 and 2015, and until the breakthrough in last season’s league, LeBron James was always in the way. James’s Cavs faced Toronto in three consecutive playoff series from 2016 to 2018, scoring a combined 12-2. None of those rap teams ever had a chance.
Toronto has its ring, but it hasn’t been a realistic threat to the title in any other season.
Washington Wizards
Difficult timing for the Washington Wizards, who won a title in 1977-78 and lost in the final in 1978-79. Neither season fits into our three-point timeline, and all since that team was … desolate.
The Wizards have only escaped the first round five times in 16 playoff away games since 1979-80, never advancing beyond the second.
