The NBA is a superstar-driven league, as the best players have the power to influence the game on every level. More than any other sport, basketball games are often won by the pure star power of franchise players. That is why every single team that has won an NBA title has had one of the top-5 players in the world at one time, except for 4 teams.
Here are the only teams in NBA history to win NBA titles without having a single superstar player make the All-NBA First Team.
4. 2004 Detroit Pistons
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzrcctiS8yI
Regular-Season Record: 54-28
Finals Result: Detroit Pistons vs. Los Angeles Lakers 4-1
Key Players: Chauncey Billups, Rasheed Wallace, Ben Wallace, Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince
The ‘04 Pistons completed one of the largest upsets in NBA Finals history by defeating the mighty Los Angeles Lakers led by 3-time Finals MVP Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. The Lakers were stacked with the likes of Karl Malone and Gary Payton on the roster, but they lacked team chemistry. The Pistons did not have the superstar talent of the Lakers but they had plenty of chemistry and a ton of defensive ability. The Pistons held the Los Angeles Lakers to only 81.8 PPG during the 5 Finals games, on 44.5% shooting from the field. The most embarrassing loss was Game 3, where the Lakers were blown out by 20 points in a 88-68 loss.
Despite having arguably the most dominant NBA player ever in O’Neal against an undersized Ben Wallace, the Lakers could not find an offensive rhythm and the problem lied in that the big man was not getting along with Kobe Bryant. Chauncey Billups finished with Finals MVP after averaging 21.0 PPG and 5.2 APG while providing exceptional leadership all series long. Not a single player on the Pistons squad made an All-NBA First Team and they start the list as one of the only 4 teams to ever win an NBA title despite the fact.
3. 1989 Detroit Pistons
Regular-Season Record: 63-19
Finals Result: Detroit Pistons vs. Los Angeles Lakers 4-0
Key Players: Joe Dumars, Isiah Thomas, Vinnie Johnson, Bill Laimbeer, Dennis Rodman
The ‘89 Detroit Pistons were the other version of the Pistons to overcome the Lakers without a single All-NBA First Team performer. Led by Joe Dumars, the Pistons were finally ready to win an NBA title. They beat down the Los Angeles Lakers in 4 games even with Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and James Worthy suiting up for the Purple and Gold. The Lakers looked old, slow, and completely out of it by the time the series was over with. Kareem was 41 years old, Magic was completely outplayed, and only Worthy averaged above 20 PPG at 25.5 PPG during the series.
The Pistons were ruthless, with their trio of guards owning the show. Dumars averaged 27.3 PPG and won Finals MVP, Thomas put up 21.3 PPG, and 6th Man extraordinaire Vinnie “The Microwave” Johnson chipped in with 17.0 PPG. The Pistons were on point defensively and found their rhythm offensively with 3 guys taking over the series. While Isiah Thomas is a Hall of Famer and a superstar in his own right, none of the Pistons made the All-NBA First Team and they are the 3rd greatest team to ever do this.
2. 2011 Dallas Mavericks
Regular-Season Record: 57-25
Finals Result: Dallas Mavericks vs. Miami Heat 4-2
Key Players: Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry, Jason Kidd, Tyson Chandler, Shawn Marion
The second greatest team to ever win an NBA title without an All-NBA First Team performer was the Dallas Mavericks. Dirk Nowitzki was a Hall of Famer and a superstar player but it was not enough to earn him the First Team spot over Kevin Durant, LeBron James, or Dwight Howard. Dirk was still sensational throughout the entire playoffs, and he kept it going in the 2011 Finals by averaging 26.0 PPG. His partner Jason Terry chipped in 18.0 PPG and was a clutch shooter all series long. The Mavericks were a great team with one superstar and a host of good players including 37-year old Jason Kidd, 32-year old Shawn Marion, and defensive specialist in Tyson Chandler.
The Miami Heat had the Big Three with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh but they were not able to find any rhythm on offense when they needed it. The Heat were the clear favorites in the series and the result was arguably the greatest upset in NBA Finals history. LeBron James averaged only 17.8 PPG during the series and received a lot of criticism for his meek performance against Dirk and the Mavericks. The Heat had their All-NBA First Team star in LeBron James, but the Mavericks still got the job done.
1. 1990 Detroit Pistons
Regular-Season Record: 50-32
Finals Result: Detroit Pistons vs. Portland Trail Blazers 4-1
Key Players: Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Vinnie Johnson, Bill Laimbeer, James Edwards
The 1990 Detroit Pistons are the third Pistons team to appear on this list, and the greatest team to ever win an NBA title without an All-NBA First Team performer. Led by Finals MVP Isiah Thomas, the Pistons took down the Clyde Drexler-led Portland Trail Blazers in a 5-game beatdown. The Blazers were a very tough team, with 5 guys averaging in double-figures. Drexler averaged 26.4 PPG during the series, with Jerome Kersey and Terry Porter chipping in with 19.0 PPG apiece. The Trail Blazers averaged 102.0 PPG during the series but the problem was slowing down the rampant Pistons offense and their leader Isiah Thomas.
Isiah put on a show averaging 27.6 PPG and 7.0 APG and was the best player in the series from Game 1. Thomas was the emotional leader who was full of grit and determination, and his partnership with 1989 Finals MVP Joe Dumars was too much to handle. Dumars put up 20.6 PPG and James Edwards also had a great series by being the third-leading scorer for the Pistons with his 14.4 PPG average. In the end, Thomas did not make an All-NBA First Team but still got the job done in leading the Pistons to their second-straight NBA title.
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