There has been a lot of parity in the NBA in recent times, and talent has been spread out across the league in excellent fashion. That hasn’t always been the case in the league’s history, with many teams dominating consistently in their eras and becoming legendary.
Some franchises have enjoyed a lot more success than others. The Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics come to mind first when thinking about legendary ball clubs. The Chicago Bulls, the San Antonio Spurs, the Golden State Warriors, and the Detroit Pistons have enjoyed their fair share of successful periods as well.
However, for every great franchise, there are also those in the league that has struggled to even be competitive for a long time. The Hornets, Timberwolves, Clippers, Pelicans, Nuggets, and Grizzlies have never even reached the Finals, while teams like the Magic, Knicks, and Kings have also gone through long stretches without making it to the playoffs.
It’s safe to say that this is a cultural issue in a lot of cases, and LeBron James seems to think so, too, he is obsessed with winning, after all. He spoke about certain franchises on The Shop where it doesn’t matter what players they have, the losing culture trumps everything else.
(starts at 8:10 minutes):
“You can have guys that come from different clubs and different teams, and they’ve played losing basketball for years. Like literally, I don’t give a f**k who’s on that club. You can have Jordan, you can have Shaq, Allen Iverson, and Jesus Christ could be their coach, they’re gonna lose. They’re gonna lose, it’s like literally, the culture.”
While James didn’t mention any names when talking about it, it’s evident that some franchises have been mediocre or worse for a long time. From the list of teams that have never made the Finals, though, a few are looking to end that streak in the coming years. The Pelicans, the Nuggets, Clippers, and the Grizzlies all have a bright future. They should be able to break past that barrier soon.
