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When you talk about a franchise that values the positives of sticking with an NBA Championship-winning roster the following year, there are very few teams that have done so and repeated the feat.
When you consider factors such as injury, age, and team salary cap, as well as being unable to bring back multiple players, it makes back-to-back Finals appearances a tad difficult.
When teams make that second Finals run, the toll due to these factors is inevitable. If there's one thing teams need to make sure they have when attempting a second consecutive run back to the NBA Finals, it's defense.
Most importantly, it's the defense, more so than the offense, that opposing teams study when looking to take down an NBA defending champion. It's imperative for a reigning championship team to make sure there are no cracks within their defense or they run the risk of the subsequent season turning into a disaster.
In the meantime, let's sit back and take a look at 5 of the worst NBA title defenses after a championship win.
1. Dallas Mavericks
2010-11 NBA Season (NBA Champions)
2011-12 NBA Season (Did not qualify for playoffs)
After their shocking NBA Championship victory over LeBron James and Dwayne Wade's Miami Heat in 2011, the Dallas Mavericks just never looked the same.
Though it was evident that after their NBA Championship win, many knew this was not a team destined to win again the following year. The team finished 36-20 as a 7th seed and was swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round.
The Mavs lost star center Tyson Chandler in free agency, while Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry approached the tail-end of their careers. The same could be said about most of the roster as just about everybody saw their time in the NBA wind down. (Shawn Merion, Jason Kidd).
During the shortened lock-out year, Dirk would decline his player option and shoot under 46%, but still average 21.1 points as he carried the team. However, Nowitzki was aging and couldn't bear the burden of a fallen franchise.
2. Los Angeles Lakers
2009-10 (NBA Champions)
2010-11 (Swept by Mavericks in Western Conference Finals)
The back-to-back L.A. Lakers had nothing left in the tank after their 2008-09 NBA Championship run. The main players were getting old and Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson was on his way out the door; 2010-11 would be his last season coaching the L.A. Lakers.
After pulling off three consecutive NBA Championship runs, the team knew the fourth attempt would be difficult. The roster was fatigued, and the traditional style of play (Phil Jackson's triangle) was fading away in the NBA's ever-changing league.
The team placed above .500 and went 57-25 during the regular season, adding key veterans along the way like Steve Blake and Matt Barnes.
However, the Lakers struggled in their first round win against the Hornets and were exploited. Kobe Bryant wasn't fully healthy and Andrew Bynum missed a chunk of games leading up to their game against the Mavericks.
The team really needed those two key men to stand a chance in the Conference Finals, but the team had seen better days. The Mavericks took note of the LA Lakers barely beating the Hornets in the first round and swept them 4-0 in the Western Conference Finals.
3. Houston Rockets
1994-1995 (NBA Champions)
1995-1996 (Swept by Sonics in 2nd round)
Led by Hakeem Olajuwon, the Houston Rockets came up with two impressive NBA Championship runs. Unfortunately, the team ran out of gas the following year after their 1994 finals win.
At 30+ years of age, Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, and Kenny Smith had nothing left in their tanks for another NBA Championship run. The once unstoppable force was shut-out by the better and dominant Sonics team.
Leading up to their finals sweep, Drexler and Olajuwon missed some games due to injuries and it affected the team down the stretch. What looked like a promising dynasty for a Rockets team after their 1994-95 NBA championship run ultimately came to an end.
4. Chicago Bulls
1997-98 (NBA Champions)
1998-1999 (did not qualify for playoffs, earned 1st round pick)
If you've watched Michael Jordan's recent documentary, The Last Dance, it was obvious the Bulls' dynasty would be over when Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson departed from the franchise after their 1998 NBA Championship win.
5. Miami Heat
2005-06 (NBA Champions)
2006-07 (Swept by Bulls in 1st round)
After the Miami Heat's 2006 NBA Championship win against the Dallas Mavericks, outside Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem, the rest of the roster was near the end of their careers or out the door. To make things worse, big man Shaquille O'Neal was 35 and slowing down.
The following year, the team would suffer a devastating 42-point loss against the Chicago Bulls in their first game since winning the NBA Finals. Speculation was rife that the Miami Heat were not going back to the finals and the whispers appeared more truthful as the season progressed.
Dwyane Wade suffered a major shoulder injury and Shaq sustained injuries that saw him at the breaking point of his career. That Miami Heat unit, until LeBron James and Chris Bosh came later on, would never be the same after their 2006 NBA Championship win.
