The world of basketball is filled with surprises, and the National Basketball Association (NBA) is no exception. An intriguing phenomenon that often leaves fans scratching their heads is when talented teams miss out on the playoffs despite having a strong season. Here’s a ranking of some of those best NBA teams that unfortunately didn’t make it to the playoffs.
Kicking off our list at number ten are the 2020-21 New Orleans Pelicans. Led by young stars like Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, this team showed great promise but ultimately fell short due to injuries and lackluster defensive performances 🏀.
At number nine we have the 2011-12 Houston Rockets. Despite finishing ninth in an extremely competitive Western Conference, they missed out on postseason action because only eight teams from each conference advance to the playoffs.
Coming in eighth place are none other than 2007-08 Golden State Warriors who had an impressive regular season record but couldn’t secure a playoff spot due to stiff competition within their conference.
Seventh place goes to another recent team – The Phoenix Suns during their 2013-14 campaign. They won an impressive 48 games yet narrowly missed making it into post-season play.
In sixth position are Denver Nuggets from ’92-’93 season who played brilliantly throughout but failed at clinching a playoff berth because they were in one of history’s toughest conferences that year.
Fifth-placed Chicago Bulls’ performance during ’69-’70 was commendable as well; however, missing key players led them astray from entering into playoffs territory even after winning more than half of their games!
The fourth slot belongs to Miami Heat for its performance in ’01-’02 where they showcased excellent teamwork under Coach Pat Riley although failing against tough opponents towards end kept them away from glory road leading up-to finals series
Third-ranked Boston Celtics’ run through ’73-’74 brought about memorable moments including Dave Cowens showcasing his stellar skills. Yet, the team couldn’t make it to playoffs due to a series of unfortunate events.
Coming in second are the ’00-’01 Houston Rockets who had an impressive run with 45 wins but fell short of making it into post-season play because they were part of a highly competitive Western Conference that year.
Finally, at number one we have none other than Cleveland Cavaliers from ’88-’89 season. Despite having some great talents like Mark Price and Brad Daugherty on board, they missed out on playoffs by just a whisker!
This list serves as proof that even the best teams can miss out on playoff action due to various reasons – be it injuries, tough competition or plain bad luck. The unpredictability is what makes NBA basketball so exciting and keeps fans coming back for more!
