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

11. 2010-11 Chicago Bulls

Tom Thibodeau found himself in the right place at the right time when he became the head coach of the Chicago Bulls before the 2010-11 season.

Here was a defensive-minded coach gifted a roster well-equipped to thrive at that end, including interior bruisers Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson and pestering wings Ronnie Brewer, Keith Bogans and Luol Deng.

The pairing worked wonders, as the Bulls’ 11th-ranked defense in 2009-10 shot up to No. 1 in the league with Thibs calling the shots. Few clean looks could be had against a physically deterring effort also tops in opponent’s field goal and 3-point percentage.

Guiding the Bulls on the other side of the ball was Derrick Rose, who posted career-highs of 25.0 points, 7.7 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game. His change of pace and explosiveness were at levels rarely seen in a 6’2” frame, ensuring that Chicago’s offense played like one of the league’s best when he was on the court.

Rose may have been the team’s only All-Star, but roster talent was replaced with grit and intensity that flustered some of the better and star-studded offenses. Chicago won a league-best 62 games on this style, with Rose becoming the youngest-ever MVP at 22.

60-plus wins, the league’s top defense and the league’s Most Valuable Player are usually a recipe for championship success. Not even that was enough for Chicago to overcome the gap in top-tier talent with the Miami Heat and their trio of stars that eliminated the Bulls in the conference finals.