Making the NBA Finals is every player’s dream. Some players play their entire career in the league and never make it to the big dance. Five players have played over 100 playoff games and never set foot on the court with NBA Finals hanging over their heads. For these players, their seasons were cut short in the first or second round, as well as the Conference Finals.

Legacies are built in the NBA Finals. It wasn’t until last season that Chris Paul made his first appearance in the Finals. With Al Horford making the NBA Finals, it snapped a 141 playoff game streak, which was the record for all NBA players. Now, a new player takes over at the top and has to hope that he could be next. Along with him, there are 14 NBA players that have played the most playoff games without playing in the Finals.

These are those players:

14. Carlos Boozer - 83

Boozer had two different chances to play in the NBA Finals with two different teams. His first opportunity came in 2007 when he was a star for the Utah Jazz. With Deron Williams and Boozer, the Jazz thought they had the next best duo since John Stockton and Karl Malone. The team made the Conference Finals before the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Jazz in five games.

Boozer had another shot in 2011 with the Chicago Bulls. The team was riding the hot hand of MVP Derrick Rose, who led the team to the best record in the Eastern Conference. Unfortunately, the trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh came together to play some of their best basketball of the year to defeat the Bulls in five games.

13. Alton Lister - 84

You have to feel a little bad for Lister. During the 80s, he played in the Conference Finals four times. Three of those times came when he played for the Milwaukee Bucks. In 1983, the 76ers bested the Bucks in five games on route to winning the championship. Lister’s best game in the series was in Game 5, with 16 points in a losing effort. The team returned to the Conference Finals the following year but was bested by the Celtics in five games.

In 1986, it was his third Conference Finals in three years, but the Celtics easily swept the Bucks in four games. In 1987, Lister was a member of the Seattle SuperSonics and saw his team lose in four straight games. The Celtics and Lakers in the NBA Finals were winners of eight championships in the 80s and three of those times included eliminating a team with Lister.

11T. Lou Williams - 89

Up to last year, Williams was not a frequent visitor to the Conference Finals. Many of his appearances with the Hawks or Clippers saw his team lose in the first two rounds. In 2020, Williams had a chance to make the Conference Finals, but the Clippers blew a 3-1 series lead to the Nuggets in the second round. Last year, the Hawks made the Conference Finals against the Bucks in his second stint.

The Bucks defeated the Hawks in six games. Williams scored 21 points in Game 4 to help the team tie the series 2-2. However, when Trae Young went out with an injury, the team was not able to get over the hump. Williams scored 17 points in a losing effort in Game 5 and then played just under 12 minutes in Game 6.

11T. Eddie Johnson - 89

Johnson played in the Conference Finals four times but was unable to make the NBA Finals. His first appearance came in 1989 as a member of the Phoenix Suns. The Suns took on the Los Angeles Lakers, only to be swept in four games. Johnson scored at least 13 points in three of the four games. The Suns made it back to the Conference Finals the following season to play the Trail Blazers. The series was tied 2-2, but the team lost by a combined nine points in the next two games.

Johnson made his way back in 1993 as a member of the SuperSonics, where he played his former team the Suns. This time, the Suns did get over the hump to make the NBA Finals in seven games. Johnson scored 34 points for the SuperSonics despite finishing on the losing end. His final time came in 1997 when the Jazz defeated a Rockets team that had Hakeem Olajuwon and Charles Barkley on the roster.

10. Nene - 91

Nene played in the Conference Finals two times in his career. The first time came when he played for the Denver Nuggets in 2009. The team had Carmelo Anthony playing in his first Conference Finals as the experience showed as the veteran-laden Los Angeles Lakers won the series in six games. That included a 27-point loss in Game 6.

Nene reached the Conference Finals one more time in 2018 as a member of the Rockets. With that said, he played a total of five minutes and 45 seconds. The series stretched to seven games, but Nene did not play in the final six games.

7T. Tree Rollins - 93

It took until the end of Rollins’ career before he had a chance to play in the Conference Finals. The only time that Rollins made an appearance in the Conference Finals was in 1995, when he played for the Orlando Magic. Rollins made an appearance in six of the seven games, but he was playing meaningless minutes.

The Magic made the NBA Finals in 1995, but Rollins did not make an appearance. That means that he made the list for not touching the court. Rollins was frequently in the first and second rounds with the Hawks, but the team was often eliminated.

7T. Sidney Moncrief - 93

Moncrief had a raw deal in the 80s. He was often one of the best players in the decade but was overshadowed by Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Larry Bird. In the Eastern Conference, Bird and Moses Malone got the best of him a few times. In 1983, Malone helped the 76ers oust Moncrief and the Bucks, while Bird eliminated the Bucks in 1984 and 1986.

After that, Moncrief made the second round in 1987 and 1989 but was eliminated by the Celtics and Pistons, respectively. The other two times, he saw his team lose in the first round. His playoff experience reflected in getting close, but not making the cut.

7T. Antonio Davis - 93

Davis was a longtime player for the Pacers. He was often seen as a role player for the team, but did contribute close to 15 to 20 minutes of action each night off the bench. Davis had two heartbreaking losses in his career, while he was given three opportunities to make the Finals while playing for Indy.

In 1995, the Pacers played the Magic for seven games before losing in Game 7. Davis had another chance to make it in 1998, but the Bulls sank the Pacers in another Game 7 loss. The Pacers made it back to the Conference Finals in 1999, but this time lost to the Knicks in six games. When the Pacers made the NBA Finals in 2000, Davis was a member of the Toronto Raptors.

6. Jermaine O’Neal - 97

O’Neal is remembered for his play with the Indiana Pacers, but we forget that he began with the Portland Trail Blazers. In 1999, he had a chance to play in the NBA Finals as a younger player. However, he played in three games, a total of 22 minutes, where the Spurs won the series. He saw five games of action in 2000 when the Lakers won the series in seven games, but O’Neal’s longest tenure on the court was seven minutes.

The one year where O’Neal was a primary player was in 2004 when the Pacers played the Detroit Pistons in the Conference Finals. The series went to six games and was tied 2-2 at one point. O’Neal had a double-double in three of the six games, including both wins.

5. Paul George - 108

Among active players, George owns the second-longest streak of playoff games without making the NBA Finals. There was a chance that George was going to make the Finals in the earliest stages of his career. In 2013, George was a young superstar for the Pacers and nearly led his team past LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and the Miami Heat. Instead, the series went to seven games, which included a 23-point blowout loss in Game 7.

George had another shot in 2014. The rematch between the Pacers and Heat ended in six games this time. George’s best game came in Game 5, a 37-point outburst to keep the Pacers alive before falling in the sixth game. Last year, George tried to lead the Clippers to the NBA Finals for the first time in team history but was playing without Kawhi Leonard. George scored 27 points in Game 3 and 41 points in Game 5 to lead the team to victories, but ultimately came up short once again.

4. Terry Cummings - 110

Like his Milwaukee Buck teammates on this list, Cummings racked up numerous playoff appearances and was thwarted by superstars. Cummings was a member of the 1986 playoff team that was swept by the Bucks. He dabbled in the first and second rounds for many years afterward until he made the move to the Western Conference to join the Spurs.

There, he was a part of the 1995 Spurs squad that made the Conference Finals against the Rockets. He was primarily a role player that played about 20 minutes a night. Ultimately, the Rockets won the series in five games and won the NBA championship.

2T. Steve Nash - 120

Nash is one of three players to play in at least 120 playoff games without making it to the Finals. He was eliminated in the first round in 1997 and 1998. Then, it was the second round in 2001 and 2002. In 2003, the Mavericks tested the Spurs in the Conference Finals, only to lose in six games. Nash would return to the Conference Finals in 2005 to play the Spurs again, this time as a member of the Suns, but the 2005 MVP was denied in five games.

Nash made the Conference Finals three times overall. His last appearance came in 2010. After the Suns tied the series 2-2, the Lakers won a narrow two-point game in Game 5. That led to the Lakers closing out the series in six games. Despite winning two MVPs in the regular season, he was unable to play for a title.

2T. Joe Johnson - 120

Johnson started his career with the Suns, where he played with Nash on the Suns in the Conference Finals in 2005. He played in three games due to injuries. From 2005 to 2017, Johnson would not make the Conference Finals again. He would get limited action as a member of the Rockets in 2018 when the Rockets lost to the Warriors in seven games.

For the most part, Johnson was eliminated in the first round with the Suns, Hawks, and Nets. While playing with the Nets, he played with a cast that featured Deron Williams, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Brook Lopez, but the team mightily underperformed. However, if the Celtics can win a championship this season, he will be rewarded a ring for playing during the regular season.

1. Paul Millsap - 130

From 2007 to 2012, Millsap played for the Utah Jazz, who were annual playoff contenders. While the team was successful enough to make the playoffs, the team was never deep enough to make a long run. The Jazz often bounced in the first or second round during those years. That included the 2014 playoffs when Millsap was a part of the Hawks.

Millsap had a couple of close runs to the Finals. In 2015, the Hawks owned the best record in the NBA. The team made the Conference Finals but was swept by LeBron James and the Cavaliers in four games. Millsap was a contributor for the Nuggets in 2020 when the team made the Conference Finals, but this time he was eliminated by James again, who was a member of the Lakers. This year, Millsap had a strong 76ers team he joined midway through the year, but he played for five minutes total in the two rounds of the playoffs. At 37 years old, his time is closing for a chance to play in the Finals and this could be a record he holds for a long time. 

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