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The NBA was established in 1946. In 75-odd-years of its existence, the league has seen some incredibly tough teams battle it all out for the title of NBA champions. Whenever there is a winner, there is also someone who came terribly close. In the the premier American basketball league, each season sees a seven-game series finals. The winners of this series are forever enshrined as NBA champions, and the losers as ones that came terribly close.
Listing the teams that have lost two consecutive NBA Finals
For today's list, we take a look at all the teams that lost the NBA Finals in consecutive years. Some of these teams lost three-times in a row, some lost in consecutive finals in multiple decades.
#1 New York Knicks
The New York Knicks are one of the founding teams of the NBA. Established in 1946, the Knicks have won two championships in their long career. However, they were the first ever team to lose in consecutive finals. They lost against the Rochester Royals in 1951 and to the Minneapolis Lakers in 1952 and 1953.
They reached the finals five more times of which they won twice by defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in 1970 and 1973.
#2 Fort Wayne Pistons
Now known as the Detroit Pistons, the Fort Wayne Pistons joined the NBA in 1949 as part of a merger between the National Basketball League (NBL) and Basketball Association of America (BAA). The Pistons hold a better championship record than the New York Knicks. The team now located in Detroit conquered the league thrice by defeating the Portland Trail Blazers in 1990 and the LA Lakers in 1989 and then again in 2004.
However, they too lost in consecutive finals thus cementing their position on this list. In 1955, the Pistons reached the finals against the Syracruse Nationals, a team now called the Philadelphia 76ers but lost 4-3. Fort Wayne reached the NBA Finals again in 1956 but lost to the Philadelphia Warriors, now known as the Golden State Warriors.
#3 Saint Louis Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks were known as the Saint Louis Hawks from 1955 to 1968. Before that, they were called the Milwaukee Hawks from 1951 to 1955 and the Tri-Cities Blackhawks from 1949 to 1951.
The team's most successful period was when they were based in Saint Louis. In their 13 years in the city, they appeared in four finals and even bested the Boston Celtics to win the championship in 1958. The Hawks' two consecutive finals came in 1960 and 1961 at the hands of their 1958 rivals. The Boston Celtics, led by Bill Russell, were unstoppable in the 60s.
#4 Los Angeles Lakers
The LA Lakers are undoubtedly one of the most successful teams in the NBA. Their 17 championship wins are tied with the Boston Celtics as the most number of rings won by a team. But if reaching the finals was also considered a sign of the team's success, then the Lakers' 32 NBA Finals appearances will remain unrivaled for many decades to come. The Boston Celtics tail by a distance with their 21 finals appearances.
The Lakers are also the only team to lose consecutive finals four different times. Their first consecutive losses came at the hands of their eternal rivals, the Celtics, in 1962 and 1963. Their second back-to-back NBA finals loss occurred only after a year-long gap in 1965 and 1967, when they were again defeated by the team from Boston.
Their most recent consecutive finals loss happened in 1983, they were beaten by the 76ers, and in 1984, when they were again beaten by the Boston Celtics.
#5 Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz remain one of the 11 teams to never have won an NBA championship. Their closest tries at the title came in 1997 and 1998. The Karl Malone and John Stockton-led Jazz squad clashed with the Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen-led Chicago Bulls. The team from Utah was overwhelmed by the Bulls on their way to their second three-peat.
#6 New Jersey Nets
The New Jersey Nets are now known as the Brooklyn Nets. Their current team is one of the most formidable in the NBA and might just end their championship drought. The Nets were not finals contenders until the dawn of the 21st century. In the league's 76 years, this team appeared in their first finals in 2002.
With Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal in their squads, the Lakers absolutely destroyed the Nets, winning the finals series by a 4-0 margin. The New Jersey team reached their second finals the very next year in 2003 but were again defeated, this time by the San Antonio Spurs.
#7 Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers became a household name around the world after the arrival of LeBron James. The team was one of the sides in the four year long war fought against the Warriors. Both teams met in four consecutive finals from 2015 to 2018, and the Golden State Warriors won three of these NBA Finals series.
The Cavaliers' drought for the championship ended in 2016 when LeBron and Kyrie Irving combined for one of the greatest duo performances in the league. However, after Kevin Durant joined the GSW squad, the team from Cleveland were absolutely annihilated in the 2017 and 2018 NBA Finals. In the process, they became the most recent team to lose back-to-back finals series.
Guess the Lakers players!
