Other NBA franchises’ first NBA finals appearance

The Denver Nuggets have just finished their first NBA Finals appearance in franchise history. They were able to get the job done, defeating the Miami Heat in five games for the team’s first championship. Their fans waited 47 long years in order to secure the title, and this is a season they will never forget. We’ll take a look back at how other NBA teams fared in their first Finals appearance.

We’re going to start off with a technicality. The Kings have never made the NBA Finals while based in Sacramento or Kansas City, but their franchise used to be named the Royals. They were originally based in Rochester, New York. Not many will recall the great 1950-1951 Rochester Royals that won the title, which was the organization’s first and only appearance in the NBA Finals.

It feels like the Suns have been relevant for large periods of time in NBA history, only to fall short in the playoffs. While the current version of the team will look to get back to the Finals, the first squad in their history to make it was the 1975-1976 team. They would fall in six games to the Boston Celtics.

Thanks to the incomparable shooting of Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry, the Warriors have been one of the most fun teams to watch in NBA history. Their lineage dates back to the early days of the league, as the Philadelphia Warriors won the title in 1956 in their first chance at immortality. Paul Arizin led the team, averaging 24 points per game.

Many younger basketball fans don’t realize that the Lakers are named as such because they used to be based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The area was known for a plethora of lakes, and the Minneapolis Lakers would soon become the league’s first dynasty. They won it all in 1949-1950, capping off a sensational inaugural NBA season.

Relocated teams always have a bit of a complex history, as is the case with the Thunder. The first time Oklahoma City fans tasted the Finals was in 2012, where the team lost to the Miami Heat. The franchise’s first NBA Finals appearance took place in 1978, when they were still the Seattle SuperSonics. Seattle lost a Seven Game series with the Washington Bullets that year.

The Mavericks will be remembered for their 2011 title, but actually made the NBA Finals for the first time back in 2006. Dallas had a 2-0 series lead that year against the Heat, but ended up dropping four straight games to squander a chance at the title. Miami guard Dwyane Wade took over in Game 3, and Dallas had few answers.

The Jazz made their first NBA Finals in thrilling fashion. After many years of getting knocked out of the Western Conference playoffs, Utah guard John Stockton sent the team to their first ever Finals in 1997 with a buzzer beating jumper to finish off the Houston Rockets. Unfortunately, their luck would run out against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, falling in six games.

The 1977 Blazers are one of the most revered teams in history, as they featured a style that accentuated the importance of teamwork. They were not believed to have much of a chance against the favored Philadelphia 76ers, but center Bill Walton led a group of tough-minded players to the title in the team’s first ever Finals appearance.

The 1981 Rockets came out of nowhere to make their first Finals run. They finished the regular season 40-42, and were thought to be a strict first round exit in the playoffs. Thanks to the legendary exploits of Moses Malone, the Rockets pulled off one upset after another. Their magic ran out in the NBA Finals though, losing to the Celtics in six games.

At the time, many were a little skeptical of giving the 1999 Spurs full credit for the title. San Antonio fans didn’t care that the season was shortened to 50 games due to a labor dispute; they were able to secure glory in their first chance at a title. Twin Towers David Robinson and Tim Duncan led the way, locking down the paint against the New York Knicks.

It’s not often teams make the NBA Finals, let alone win it within their first three years of existence. That’s the type of meteoric rise the Bucks experienced in 1970-1971, and a lot of it was due to the selection of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with the first pick in the 1969 NBA Draft. His presence would allow Milwaukee to sweep the Baltimore Bullets in the 1971 NBA Finals.

Most teams would do anything to experience a fraction of the success the Celtics have in their franchise’s history. The good times got rolling in earnest in 1957, as head coach Red Auerbach led the team to the title with a Hall of Fame cast of players. Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman and rookie center Bill Russell proved to be too much for the St. Louis Hawks to handle.

Get ready for another history lesson, hoops fans. The 76ers used to be the Syracuse Nationals, who were an original NBA franchise back in 1949-1950, the league’s first year. We know that the Lakers won the NBA’s first title that year, and the Nationals are the team they beat in the Finals. Dolph Schayes was the team’s leading scorer.

It would be wise to guess that the Cavaliers’ first NBA Finals appearance came during the LeBron James era. Cleveland made the Finals in 2007, which was a surprise to many that year. There was no questioning James’ greatness, but the roster was deemed to be a little underwhelming. The Spurs swept the young Cavs in that series, but James would bounce back in later years.

Knicks fans have been clamoring for consistent competence from the franchise for the better part of two decades. It’s hard for supporters to remember that they were a strong team in the early days of the league. They made their first NBA Finals in 1951, but came up short against the Rochester Royals in seven games that year.

The Nets are one of the most storied teams in ABA history, having won two titles in the defunct league. The franchise has made it to the NBA Finals twice, but lost both times. The first of those instances occurred in 2002, where the team was dismantled by the Lakers in a sweep. The organization was still based in New Jersey at that time.

The Hawks haven’t made the NBA Finals since 1961, but were a fixture there during the first few years of the league. The first time they made it was in 1957, as the team cycled through three coaches in order to patch together a successful season. They lost a tough seven game series to the Celtics.

The first time the Heat made the NBA Finals just so happened to be the very same year that Dallas made their first Finals appearance. That 2006 series started off slowly for Miami, but picked up after the series shifted to Miami. That team had some infamous players, such as Wade, Shaquille O’Neal, Alonzo Mourning and Gary Payton.

The Raptors have only been in the NBA Finals one time, and it was a playoff run for the ages. Toronto took a chance by acquiring mercurial but immensely talented forward Kawhi Leonard, and that transaction helped them secure a championship. They were able to defeat the Warriors in six games, to many fans’ astonishment.

It’s hard to separate the Bulls from NBA Finals images, as their run in the 1990’s is intertwined with basketball greatness. Their first appearance in the Finals came in 1991, as Michael Jordan led the team against an experienced Lakers squad led by Magic Johnson. Jordan proved that he was the best player on the floor, and set the stage for what was to come in ensuing years.

The Pacers have only made one NBA Finals appearance, which came in 2000. Indiana was not able to come away with the title, but gave the powerful Lakers a competitive series. The team had many veteran players who had been through playoff wars before, such as Reggie Miller, Mark Jackson and Rik Smits.

The Wizards used to be nicknamed the Bullets, but have been a staple of the Washington D.C./Maryland area since the 1960’s. The team made their first Finals in 1971, behind rebounding savant Wes Unseld. Despite his prowess on the boards, he was not able to slow down Abdul-Jabbar and the Bucks, who swept Baltimore that year.

It seemed like the Magic were going to be a force in the Eastern Conference for several years, as they made the NBA Finals ahead of schedule in 1995. Penny Hardaway and Shaquille O’Neal had all the talent in the world, but were outmatched by the Houston Rockets, led by Hakeem Olajuwon. Orlando was dusted in four games.

The Fort Wayne Pistons got to the NBA Finals in 1955, well before more popular iterations of the team would make it back there in later years. Fort Wayne lost to the Syracuse Nationals in seven games, and had a very unheralded group of players on the team. George Yardley was their leading scorer that season.

There are currently five franchises who have not reached an NBA Finals. The Los Angeles Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Charlotte Hornets, Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans are still looking to play in the last series of the playoffs.