When the Denver Nuggets won Game 5 of the NBA Finals in the Mile High City, it set off a celebration never before warranted in the city. After all, while it was far from the first title in Denver or Colorado history, it was the first time the Nuggets – who had never been in the NBA Finals prior to this spring – brought home the title.
With the Nuggets now out of their championship hole, there are 10 franchises left that have yet to win an NBA title, an even third of the league (not including the Oklahoma City Thunder, who won a title in their incantation as the Seattle Supersonics).
Some of these teams are just as close as the Nuggets were this season to ending their forever droughts. Other teams have droughts that will continue to feel as if they’ll continue indefinitely.
Which of the NBA’s teams without a championship are closest – and furthest – from winning that elusive first title?
Parity is the lifeblood of the NBA. While the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers are often relevant, teams from all sorts of market sizes and development capacities can compete for a championship if things swing their way. Two of the last three champions hail from Denver and Milwaukee, for example.
As soon as this offseason, some of these teams may start making final preparations to pull themselves atop the NBA mountain. And while one of these teams should be the next to break a championship drought, the possibility of expansion teams coming in and beating them to the punch can’t be discounted.
These are the teams without a title, starting with the one seemingly furthest from the sport’s zenith.