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The Doncic/THJ/DFS/Brunson/Powell/Kleber Mavs will probably end up with just one playoff series win in four years, but these teams were fun and I'll always appreciate them. I think this is the right archetypes of players to put around Doncic, just not talented enough. What are some of your favorite cores from your teams that never got any shine?

Also shoutouts to Budenholzer Hawks and that one year of Nuggets with Iguodala.

Lob City Clippers didn't have the most likeable personalities but they were putting out insane highlights every night. Still can't understand how they never made it past the 2nd round.

Moncrief/Marques/Lanier Bucks were absurdly good, but they faced even better competition.

NvL/Sloan/Walker/Love Bulls were also amazing, but they couldn't get to the top due to stellar competition.

I think these two cores are the best ever among teams that never won the title.

I mean-

Nash, Stoudemire, Marion, Raja Bell, Barbosa and the rest of those 7 sec or less Suns coached by Mike D'Antoni were the most entertaining thing i had seen in a while. They were one flagrant, one Duncan desperation 3 away from winning imho.

Orlando Magic - Oneal, Hardaway, Anderson, Grant, Scott

Phoenix Suns - Barkley, KJ, Majerle, Dumas, Chambers

Dallas Mavericks - Dirk, Nash, Finley, Van Exel

Philadelphia 76ers - Dr J, Mcginnis, Collins, Dawkins, Bibby

Obvious picks have been mentioned like Nash Suns. But for teams that were never real contenders I'll give a shoutout to the Deron Boozer Okur Jazz as a core I enjoyed.

Among lesser known ones, I'd like to give a mention to 1964-65 Hawks team. Their core was incredibly talented:

Lenny Wilkes
Richie Guerin
Cliff Hagan
Bob Pettit
Zelmo Beaty

With Bill Bridges off the bench and Paul Silas/Jeff Mullins as rookies.

They did beat West/Baylor Lakers in 1964 playoffs and lost very close series against Wilt-led Warriors, but then they got upset by Bullets team in the next season and it was over. Pettit retired in 1965 and the team finished with only 36 wins next season. They had their last big moment in 1966 playoffs, sweeping Bullets team in rematch and losing very close 7 games series vs West/Baylor Lakers. They got sophomore Joe Caldwell that season, so I can imagine them being a serious threat for the title with Pettit still playing.

LesGrossman wrote:Nash, Stoudemire, Marion, Raja Bell, Barbosa and the rest of those 7 sec or less Suns coached by Mike D'Antoni were the most entertaining thing i had seen in a while. They were one flagrant, one Duncan desperation 3 away from winning imho.

No way they won the title in 2008.They were the 6 seed and the Duncan shot were only in game 1

Had to love the mediocre Wizards core that had Muggsy Bogues at PG and Manute Bol at center. Not the most talented ensemble but those two were great fun.

The late 80s early 90s Trailblazers - Porter, Drexler, Kersey, Buck Williams, Duckworth, Cliff Robinson, Wayne Cooper

The Knick and Heat thugfests with Ewing v. Zo, Oakley and Timbug, Pat Riley, etc. I should have hated them but for at the time, I didn't.

The Andre Miller trade sadly ruined it before they could start winning.

They were super talented.

early 80s Warriors - King/Free/Carroll/Short/Smith

70sFan wrote:Moncrief/Marques/Lanier Bucks were absurdly good, but they faced even better competition.

NvL/Sloan/Walker/Love Bulls were also amazing, but they couldn't get to the top due to stellar competition.

I think these two cores are the best ever among teams that never won the title.

what about westbrook/durant and some harden thunder and harden/chris paul rockets?

those two teams put up insane seasons and failed to all time tier teams in 16 and 18 or to injuries in 2013

the thunder teans post durant with paul george/roberson/adams and westbrook were really fun

and the defense of paul and roberson together could be quite insane at times

I loved Grit and Grind Grizzlies. The Gasol/ZBo combination was so fun and of course Tony Allen doing his thing

Also I love this idea for a thread. There's so many interesting teams every season and only 1 gets to win a ring. Would be a shame if we forgot about all the others

clearlynotjesse wrote:The Doncic/THJ/DFS/Brunson/Powell/Kleber Mavs will probably end up with just one playoff series win in four years, but these teams were fun and I'll always appreciate them. I think this is the right archetypes of players to put around Doncic, just not talented enough. What are some of your favorite cores from your teams that never got any shine?

Also shoutouts to Budenholzer Hawks and that one year of Nuggets with Iguodala.

That Nuggets team was absurdly fun, I almost felt bad when Warriors knocked them out lol

falcolombardi wrote:

70sFan wrote:Moncrief/Marques/Lanier Bucks were absurdly good, but they faced even better competition.

NvL/Sloan/Walker/Love Bulls were also amazing, but they couldn't get to the top due to stellar competition.

I think these two cores are the best ever among teams that never won the title.

what about westbrook/durant and some harden thunder and harden/chris paul rockets?

those two teams put up insane seasons and failed to all time tier teams in 16 and 18 or to injuries in 2013

I think it depends at the margins if talking absolute best, though these teams are up there, whether you are talking what actually happened or what could have been. Don't get me wrong young Harden was, especially in that last year in OKC, really really good but he does get better (as do the others).


One angle
In terms of best 3 consectutive year cores, by SRS, up to 2019, with no titles in that span *= title with same/similar/overlapping core.
Seattle 94-96 (Kemp, Schrempf, Payton, McMillan, Perkins, Pierce, Gill/Hawkins ...) 7.996666667
* 15-17 Spurs
Seattle 93-95 duplicate (now with Barros, Eddie Johnson, no Hawkins)
OKC 12-14: 7.416666667
Seattle 95-97 duplicate
Utah 95-97 7.326666667
Portland 90-92 7.296666667
Seattle 96-98 duplicate (now extending into the Baker era)
Clippers 13-15 6.833333333
Suns 89-91 6.806666667
Kings 01-03 6.786666667
* 16-18 Spurs duplicate
* 2000-02 Spurs
Jazz 96-98 duplicate
*89-91 Lakers
Suns 05-07 6.613333333
* 11-13 Spurs
Kings 02-04 duplicate
The two 84-87 Bucks spans just occur under my arbitrary point where I decided to stop at 6.5, after them the next new/unique arguably non-title winning team is Dallas 05-07.

Obviously this is just one angle, 3 year choice is arbitrary, this is only RS, requirement for consecutiveness punishes non-adjacent runs (e.g. injury hit year), overall spread of teams may differ in different years/eras and some might be inclined to adjust for that etc.