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The 10 teams with the most runner-ups in the NBA are the Cavaliers only ranked seventh in 4 times, and the Lakers are the only one in 15 times.
1:56pm, 2 June 2025【Basketball】
When it comes to James, many people will joke about his winning rate in the finals, which has led to his winning second place in six career times. However, even the runner-up is not a shame. If you can reach the finals, you have surpassed many stars of the season. This is even more so from the team's perspective. There are still many NBA teams that have never reached the finals, such as the Timberwolves, the Clippers, etc. These teams are eager to win the total runner-up once. Next, we have listed the 10 teams with the most runner-ups in NBA history. Let's take a look at who they are!
10. Thunder (3 times)
Including the history of the Supersonics, the Thunder has reached 4 finals since its founding, but they have only won one championship during this period. The last time the Thunder reached the finals was in 2012, but unfortunately the team lost to the Heat in the end and then traded Harden. Later, through patient reconstruction, the Thunder rebuilt a championship team. As of now, their hopes of winning this season are undoubtedly very high.
9. Wizards (3 times)
Speaking of Wizards, this also includes their predecessors, Washington Bullets and Baltimore Bullets. In the four finals they have reached in their team history, all of them came from the time when Unseld led the team. Therefore, the Wizards have not had the glory they once had for a long time. Judging from the current situation of the Wizards, they are still far from the end of reconstruction. The team has not yet found a suitable team-building core. Since they are small-scale teams, it is difficult for them to attract stars who have already made a name for themselves, so they are likely to be in trouble for many years.
8. Hawks (3 times)
The most glorious period in the history of the Hawks was undoubtedly the time when Bob Pettit was the star. Under his leadership, the team reached the Finals many times and defeated the league's strongest team, the Celtics, in 1958, and won the only O'Brien Cup in the history of the team. However, after that, the Hawks still lost to the Celtics in succession, which can also show how strong the latter was in the league at that time. Since Petit's time, the Hawks have also performed well in the 1980s with the performance of Wilkins and other players. Unfortunately, the Celtics were still one of the overlords of the East at that time, and the strength of the Pistons, 76ers and Bulls is also far above the Hawks.
7. Cavaliers (4 times)
Before James was selected by the Cavaliers, the team had never reached the finals, and even they had few times entered the division finals. Since choosing James in 2003, the Cavaliers have quickly risen. In 2007, they also won the first division championship in team history. Unfortunately, facing the more mature Spurs, they had no chance of winning that year in the finals. James, who succeeded in 2014, returned to the Cavaliers. Under his leadership, the Cavaliers became the overlord of the Eastern Conference. They reached the finals for four consecutive years and won the first championship in team history in 2016, because even if the Cavaliers lost more of this championship, they would have no regrets. I thought the Cavaliers were expected to replicate their past achievements this season, but they won 64 wins in the regular season and were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs, which once again proved how great James's performance in leading the team was.
6. Pistons (4 times)
In the history of the Pistons, they have reached 7 finals in total, including two championships under the leadership of the Bad Boys. Later, in the 2000s, the "civilian" Pistons helped the team win the third championship. But since then, the Pistons have fallen into silence. They have not even made the division finals since 2008. However, the growth of young players such as Cunningham has given the Pistons a hope for their rise. Although they are still far from the championship, the team can at least look forward to them becoming regulars in the playoffs.
5. Warriors (5 times)
In the Warriors' history, they achieved great success in the NBA in the early days. In 1975, they won the third championship trophy in team history. However, the Warriors have not been able to return to their peak since then. Until the 21st century, the Warriors have successively selected Curry, Thompson and Green. This three-man team is the key to the Warriors' re-emergence. Under their leadership, the Warriors have reached 6 finals and won 4 championships. At the same time, the Warriors can be called the strongest team in the league.
4. Celtics (5 times)
As the team with the most luxurious record in the finals among NBA teams, the Celtics have reached 23 Finals and won 18 championships. Therefore, they are currently the team with the most championships in the NBA. However, most of the Celtics’ championships came from the Bill Russell era, when there were less than 10 teams in the league, so the value of the championship is naturally not as good as that of the current NBA. Originally, after the Celtics returned to their peak last year, they had hope of establishing a dynasty again, but this year they encountered a ruptured Achilles tendon, which undoubtedly caused the Celtics to suffer a heavy blow. Whether they can quickly return to the championship ranks in the future depends on Tatum's state after his comeback.
3. The Knicks (6 times)
The glorious years of the Knicks also came from the early NBA. They reached the Finals three times in the 1950s, but they all lost to the Lakers led by McCann. Later, Reed led the team to dominate. The team reached the Finals three times and defeated the Lakers twice. After the Knicks led by Ewing went weak, the team no longer had the strength of the year. Now the Knicks have built another lineup around Brunson, but at present, they still have a certain gap compared with the championship team, and the coach also has problems, so if they want to go further, they have to make changes..
2. Philadelphia 76ers (6 times)
When they were still called the National Team, the 76ers reached the finals four times, but they only won the first championship in 1955. Later, under the leadership of Chamberlain, the 76ers tasted the taste of winning the championship again, and then Dr. J led the team to reach the finals and win 1 championship 4 times. However, there was nothing to talk about for the 76ers' results later. Except for Iverson leading the team to the finals once in 2001, the current 76ers cannot even make the finals.
1. Lakers (15 times)
The Lakers, who have reached the finals in a total of 32 Finals in their team history, were the worst teams among the Celtics in the early days, especially when Baylor led the team, the Lakers could not win every time they encountered the Celtics. It was not until the time when Magic and Jabbar led the team that the Lakers finally regained their momentum as the league overlord. Under their leadership, the Lakers reached the Finals 9 times and won 5 championships. After entering the 21st century, the Lakers also had championships in all eras. In the 2000s, the OK group led the team to three consecutive championships, Kobe and Gasol led the team to the 2010 championship, and in the 2020s, James led the team to the top.
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