Greatest non-Finals teams to never win the NBA title this century

7. 2006-07 Dallas Mavericks

If 2005-06 was the year the Dallas Mavericks let an NBA championship slip through their hands after building a 2-0 lead, the following season was the one to avenge defeat and finish what they began.

That was the narrative Dallas latched onto as a way to motivate the team to the best record in the NBA at 67-15. They were one of two teams to have both a top-five offense and defense, led by another stellar campaign from Dirk Nowitzki that resulted in his only MVP trophy.

Alongside Dirk were four other double-digit scorers, most notably Josh Howard in a season that would include the only All-Star appearance of his decade-long career.

A first-round matchup with the Golden State Warriors didn’t breed much of any concern for the Mavs. The Dubs had slid into the playoffs in the regular season’s final month and, despite a top-10 offense, gave up the most points per game.

Then the series began and Golden State’s small-ball overwhelmed the Mavs, who tried to counter with a miniature lineup of their own. Only their five most-used players had sparingly shared the court all at once.

Dallas played loser in a shocking six-game upset. The first of its kind since the NBA stretched the opening round into a seven-game affair, resulting in one of the more awkward MVP presentations in league history and unfinished business that never got its storybook conclusion.