Hoops Habit
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What are the greatest NBA teams to fall just short?

By Rahul Raja

OAKLAND, CA - NOVEMBER 02: Tony Allen #9 of the Memphis Grizzlies goes up for a shot on Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors at ORACLE Arena on November 2, 2015 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - NOVEMBER 02: Tony Allen #9 of the Memphis Grizzlies goes up for a shot on Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors at ORACLE Arena on November 2, 2015 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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NBA
NBA Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

The NBA is the newest among the Big Four major leagues but it still has a storied history dating back all the way to 1946 when it was still called the Basketball Association of America (BAA). The history of the NBA is filled with incredible teams who dominated their competition and set astounding records.

However, not all of these teams achieved their goals whether it was to win a championship or simply make the playoffs. Some of the greatest NBA teams did not win anywhere close to what they were expecting.

All of the teams on this list were fantastic but saw their season come to an end earlier than expected.

Who are the greatest NBA teams to not: Win a championship, go to the Finals, go to the Conference Finals, make the playoffs, or have an MVP?

To determine what were the best teams to not win, I cross-referenced the teams with the highest win percentage with their playoff outcomes. I repeated this process for each round: Finals, Conference Finals, First Round, and Playoffs. I didn’t include the second round because the NBA has changed its format for the second round multiple times over the years and it would be confusing. I repeated the process to find the best team without an MVP that season.

It’s important to remember that not every NBA season had 82 games. Even excluding shortened seasons, the NBA didn’t start playing 82 games until 1968. Going by their regular-season record, let’s find out what’s the greatest NBA team to not:

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