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Which Teams Have Never Reached the NBA Finals? – NBC10 Boston
The Denver Nuggets are almost at the mountaintop, but they have already made franchise history in the process.
The team has reached the NBA Finals for the first time after sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2023 Western Conference Finals. Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Co. earned the West’s No. 1 seed and have played like the conference’s top team throughout the playoffs, losing just three games across the first three rounds.
The Finals are uncharted territory for the franchise, which has been around since 1967. While it still needs four more wins to reach the ultimate goal of an elusive NBA title, Denver has removed itself from the lonely group of teams that have never reached the league’s championship series.
With the Nuggets finally clearing the Western Conference Finals hurdle, how many teams have still yet to reach the NBA Finals?
Five current NBA franchises have still yet to play in the Finals with one team in the midst of a half-century drought.
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The Hornets and Pelicans are the only two active franchises that have never made it past the second round of the NBA playoffs.
The Clippers, Timberwolves and Grizzlies each have one Western Conference Finals appearance.
Five teams have made it to the NBA Finals but have yet to lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy.