Not every moment of a championship season is necessarily a great one, and these blue-ribbon teams entered the playoffs looking less than stellar.
1) '05-'06 Miami Heat
Though modern statistics have long proven it to be a falsehood in every sport, it's still a common misnomer that only teams who enter the postseason on a proverbial "roll" are the biggest threats to win the title. Many people remember the '05-'06 Heat as a prime example, with Pat Riley taking over as coach during the regular season after a sluggish start, and the team putting it all together at just the right time heading into the playoffs. This is only partially true. After losing in seven games to Detroit in the 2005 Conference Finals, Miami did start slow in '05-'06, including a four-game losing streak in early December that dropped their record to 10-10. It was reasonable to blame their struggles on an overweight Shaquille O'Neal missing 17 of the first 20 games due to an ankle injury, but coach Stan Van Gundy seemed to be taking the bullet when he stepped down as coach. He stated in his accompanying press conference that it was related to spending more time with his family, but even the most credulous of observers considered it tacit that Riley had finally pushed him out of the position. The team did improve immediately under their new coach, who was able to convince O'Neal to lose weight to stay on the floor and had their division all but wrapped up by mid-March. But they actually hit the playoffs in a slump, losing nine of their final 15 games while resting many of their veterans. This included an embarrassing 82-73 defeat at the hands of Detroit but the Heat got the best of the Pistons when it mattered most, defeating them in six games in the Conference Finals en route to the first title in franchise history.
2) '87-'88 Los Angeles Lakers
It's not a coincidence that Pat Riley shows up on this list multiple times. In his 1988 book Showtime, he coined the term "disease of more" to describe why defending NBA champions often look overstretched and underprepared in their title defenses. The concept is simple. After winning a championship "success leads to failure," as players turn increasingly selfish, demanding more playing time, more money, and more notoriety. Though the '87-'88 Lakers stemmed the disease tide when it counted most, things weren't always sunny in Los Angeles that season. The team was sitting pretty in early March, easily atop the Western Conference with a 49-10 record, heading into a marquee Thursday night game in Chicago against Michael Jordan and the Bulls. Jordan (on his way to his first MVP) scored 38 points as Chicago ran the suddenly ancient and vulnerable looking Lakers out of the building. Adding injury to insult, Magic Johnson suffered a groin pull during the game and joined Michael Cooper, who had recently sprained his ankle, on the infirmary list. When the Lakers, missing Johnson and Cooper, lost two nights later to their biggest conference rival Dallas, questions were abound whether the team had the health, stamina, and determination to repeat as champs. They lost six times during one late season stretch of nine games, including one against the lowly Sacramento Kings, but both Johnson and Cooper managed to reincorporate themselves back into the rotation late in the regular season. Soon enough, the Lakers were league champions for the fifth and final time in the Showtime era, with a playoff run that included a tough seven-game series win over the Mavericks in the Conference Finals.
3) '57-'58 St. Louis Hawks
Still reeling from losing the 1957 NBA Finals to Bill Russell and the Celtics, in a series that literally came down to a Bob Pettit put-back that rolled off the rim, the Hawks had a hard time getting into a groove early in the '57-'58 season. They started the year with five losses in their first nine games, including two against Boston. In serious danger of prematurely becoming a relic, the team instead rallied around their star forward combination of Pettit and Cliff Hagan. They won seven straight games to close out the month of November, and eventually won three straight against Boston in December and January. By the time of the All-Star break in late January (a game played on their home court, the Kiel Center, in which Pettit was MVP), St. Louis had regained firm control of the Western Conference and perhaps sensed an opportunity to coast down the stretch. They lost 10 of 14 games in one stretch immediately after the All-Star Game, and then lost seven of 11 to close out the season. Most of those defeats came away from home but once the postseason started the Hawks suddenly morphed into road warriors. They won four out of five postseason games on the road, including two in the Boston Garden, where they had been swept in all four regular season contests. Pettit had a series of monster performances in the NBA Finals, and St. Louis was able to take advantage of a Russell ankle injury to hand the Celtics their only Finals defeat of the Russell era.
4) '74-'75 Golden State Warriors
Though the Warriors were certainly a talented team in '74-'75, anchored by their star player Rick Barry, they were also the beneficiaries of some lucky breaks and fortunate timing. The recent retirements of Jerry West and Oscar Robertson had knocked the Lakers and Bucks out of title contention, while a Bill Walton injury (go figure) grounded the Blazers. This left the Western Conference wide open, allowing the Warriors to essentially back into home court advantage despite playing just .500 ball through February and March. They managed to just barely hold the West's top seed over the Bulls thanks to back-to-back wins to finish the season, but it was hardly an encouraging sign for Warriors fans suffering from PTSD after watching the team lose six of their last seven games to miss the playoffs in '73-'74. That top seed ended up paying off dividends, as Golden State finished 7-2 at home during the playoffs, including a come-from-behind game seven victory over the Bulls in the Conference Finals. Two weeks later they closed out the Bullets in an upset sweep to win the first NBA Finals since the franchise had moved to California.
5) '89-'90 Detroit Pistons
After dethroning the Lakers in the 1989 NBA Finals, denying Pat Riley's squad of a three-peat, the Pistons suffered from their own version of the "disease of more" in their '89-'90 title defense. In a bit of a twist, the main culprit appeared to be head coach Chuck Daly. While his team was seemingly cruising to the East's top seed, including winning 24 out of 25 games during one stretch in February and March, rumors began circulating that Daly, frustrated with his lack of power, was ready to move on from Detroit, either to a different franchise that was willing to name him both coach and general manager, or to the broadcast booth at NBC. Right as that rumor mill was generated the Pistons started to slump, losing all three games in a Texas road trip before getting blown out at home by their longtime rivals, Boston. They were suddenly in a dogfight for the Central Division with Michael Jordan and the Bulls, a team that many fans and members of the media were eager to see overtake Detroit as the conference's preeminent power. But that coronation would have to wait a year, as the Pistons clinched the top seed by winning five of seven to finish the season, then put that home court advantage to good use in the Conference Finals, winning all four games at the Palace of Auburn Hills in a seven-game victory over Chicago. After they subsequently defeated the Blazers to win a second straight NBA title, Daly hung around for two more seasons before taking over as coach and general manager in New Jersey.
6) '72-'73 New York Knicks
In the story of the early '70s Knicks, who reached three NBA Finals in a four-year stretch, winning two of them, the greatest obstacle was not always their opponents but often Willis Reed's knees and legs. The MVP center famously rallied New York to the 1970 title by returning to the lineup in game six despite a thigh muscle tear. He was then sidelined by knee tendinitis in 1972 as the Knicks lost a Finals rematch to the Lakers. The lingering effects of that knee inflammation still hampered Reed throughout the '72-'73 season, as he managed to log just 27 minutes per game while averaging career lows in points and rebounds. New York got off to a hot start anyway, winning 17 of their first 20 games, thanks to the efforts of their other star veterans, Walt Frazier, Dave DeBusschere, and Earl Monroe. But as the season dragged on they found themselves mired in second place in the Atlantic Division behind the upstart Celtics, who were en route to 68 wins thanks to their soon-to-be-named MVP Dave Cowens. The Knicks were still able to cruise down the stretch to second place in the Atlantic, as the other teams in the division were the terrible Braves (who lost 61 games) and the even worse 76ers (who set the still-standing NBA record with 73 losses). New York regularly sat out their starters late in the season, especially Reed, and lost seven of their last 12 games, including the final three in a row. The gambit ultimately paid off, as the healthy Knicks upset the Celtics in the Conference Finals in seven games, then enacted their revenge on the Lakers in the NBA Finals.
7) '55-'56 Philadelphia Warriors
For people who complain now about the playoffs being diluted by too many teams qualifying, allowing top teams to coast down the stretch of the regular season, consider the NBA of the mid '50s. Only eight teams were active in the '55-'56 season, and seven of them went to the postseason. This was a bit of a fluke because of tiebreaker scenarios but six teams qualifying out of eight was the norm throughout the mid-to-late '50s. Winning the conference was still crucial as it afforded both a first round bye and home court advantage, which was especially critical in the days before luxury airline travel and hotel accommodations. The Warriors had finished dead last in '54-'55, but came out red hot in '55-56, spurred by the addition of star rookie Tom Gola, who joined an already stacked lineup with veterans Paul Arizin and Neil Johnston. They won eight of their first nine games and kept the pedal to the floor from there. After defeating their top conference rivals, Boston, in a game in mid-February, the Warriors had a seven-game lead with 14 left to play. But that final stretch was a struggle, as Philadelphia lost eight of those 14 games, including two against Boston and one against the only team that missed the playoffs in '55-'56, the Rochester Royals. Luckily for them, the Celtics didn't look so hot down the stretch either and the Warriors held on for the top seed. The Nationals wound up upsetting the Celtics in the first round, clearing the way for the Warriors to cruise to the NBA title.
8) '77-'78 Washington Bullets
The '70s were easily the greatest decade in Washington's franchise history, but it all would have been for naught if they didn't win the title in '77-'78. Up to that point the Bullets had suffered a string of playoff disappointments. It started with a tough second round loss to the Knicks in 1970, followed by an NBA Finals sweep against Milwaukee in 1971, then devastating upsets at the hands of the Warriors in the 1975 NBA Finals, the Cavaliers in the first round in 1976, and the Rockets in round two in 1977. Star post players Wes Unseld and Elvin Hayes were still effective but aging quickly, and Bullets fans knew their title window was likely to slam shut by the end of the decade. The '77-'78 season got off to a rough start, with coach/general manager Dick Motta waiving the popular Dave Bing and signing Bobby Dandridge, which created a logjam at the wing positions. The Bullets lost four of their first six games and it was apparent early in the season that George Gervin and the Spurs were going to win the Central Division. Their depth chart eventually sorted itself out when Phil Chenier suffered a back injury, Kevin Grevey shifted to shooting guard, and more playing time was freed up for Dandridge. Washington still struggled to close out the season, finishing 8-9 in their final 17 games and barely holding off the Cavs and Knicks for the East's three seed. In fact, it came down to the last game of the season, when the Bullets managed to the defeat the conference's best team, Philadelphia, where a loss would have meant slipping to the fifth seed. It all came together in the playoffs, with Washington upsetting the Spurs and 76ers, then clinching the first (and still only) title in franchise history by defeating the Sonics in the NBA Finals.
9) '94-'95 Houston Rockets
The '93-'94 Rockets looked like absolute world beaters from start to finish, and their title seemed to signify the rise of the first post-Michael Jordan superpower team. They kicked off their title defense in '94-'95 with nine straight wins but things soured from there due to two of their biggest stars, Otis Thorpe and Vernon Maxwell, being disgruntled over their respective contract situations. Between their season opening win streak and the All-Star Break, Houston essentially had a .500 record over 38 games and things looked especially dire when the notoriously hot-headed Maxwell was suspended 10 games for entering the stands during a game to assault a Portland fan. The Rockets responded by first dealing Thorpe to the Trail Blazers on Valentine's Day for Clyde Drexler. They then attempted to unload Maxwell on New Jersey for Jayson Williams, but the deal fell through and the team suddenly had a dearth of rebounding beyond Hakeem Olajuwon and a messy logjam in its backcourt. They finished 12-16 in their final 28 games, falling to the #6 seed in a talented Western Conference but two silver linings emerged. One is that Robert Horry completed a laborious transition from small forward to power forward, settling in as a secondary rebounder (but still shooting specialist) right on time for the postseason. The other is that Maxwell, doubly disgruntled now over the trade for Drexler, lashed out at coach Rudy Tomjanovich following the Rockets' first playoff game, allowing the team to put him out to pasture for the remainder of the season with a leave of absence. With the guard rotation settled and Horry making strides in his rebounding and defense, the Rockets won difficult series over the Jazz, Suns, and Spurs, before sweeping the Magic in the NBA Finals. They never had home court advantage in any of the four series but finished 9-3 in road games, including game five (of a best-of-five) in Utah in round one and game seven in Phoenix in round two.
10) '68-'69 Boston Celtics
If there's one word to describe Bill Russell in his final NBA season, '68-'69, it's weary. The Celtics were coming off their 10th title in 12 years, their first with Russell in a player-coach capacity, and the 35-year-old living legend was obviously exhausted. The political events of 1968 also took their toll on the social justice-minded Russell, as the Vietnam War, assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy, and the election of Richard Nixon brought into sharp relief how frivolous the game of basketball truly was. He showed up to training camp out of shape and distracted and was hampered all season by exhaustion and a leg injury. Fellow longtime Celtics star Sam Jones was also 35 years old by then and also struggling with injuries throughout the season. After winning five straight in early December to cap a strong 19-6 start, the Celtics slumped through the remainder of the winter, winning just 14 of their final 29 games. They managed to secure the fourth and final playoff spot in the East but limped into the postseason looking like a wounded animal about to be put out of its misery. Then, like muscle memory, the Celtics pulled off three consecutive series upsets, first over the defending champion 76ers, then over the upstart Knicks, and finally over their usual tormented victims, the Lakers, famously leaving celebratory balloons hanging from the rafters at the Forum, unneeded and unused.
It's not a coincidence that Pat Riley shows up on this list multiple times. In his 1988 book Showtime, he coined the term "disease of more" to describe why defending NBA champions often look overstretched and underprepared in their title defenses. The concept is simple. After winning a championship "success leads to failure," as players turn increasingly selfish, demanding more playing time, more money, and more notoriety. Though the '87-'88 Lakers stemmed the disease tide when it counted most, things weren't always sunny in Los Angeles that season. The team was sitting pretty in early March, easily atop the Western Conference with a 49-10 record, heading into a marquee Thursday night game in Chicago against Michael Jordan and the Bulls. Jordan (on his way to his first MVP) scored 38 points as Chicago ran the suddenly ancient and vulnerable looking Lakers out of the building. Adding injury to insult, Magic Johnson suffered a groin pull during the game and joined Michael Cooper, who had recently sprained his ankle, on the infirmary list. When the Lakers, missing Johnson and Cooper, lost two nights later to their biggest conference rival Dallas, questions were abound whether the team had the health, stamina, and determination to repeat as champs. They lost six times during one late season stretch of nine games, including one against the lowly Sacramento Kings, but both Johnson and Cooper managed to reincorporate themselves back into the rotation late in the regular season. Soon enough, the Lakers were league champions for the fifth and final time in the Showtime era, with a playoff run that included a tough seven-game series win over the Mavericks in the Conference Finals.
3) '57-'58 St. Louis Hawks
Still reeling from losing the 1957 NBA Finals to Bill Russell and the Celtics, in a series that literally came down to a Bob Pettit put-back that rolled off the rim, the Hawks had a hard time getting into a groove early in the '57-'58 season. They started the year with five losses in their first nine games, including two against Boston. In serious danger of prematurely becoming a relic, the team instead rallied around their star forward combination of Pettit and Cliff Hagan. They won seven straight games to close out the month of November, and eventually won three straight against Boston in December and January. By the time of the All-Star break in late January (a game played on their home court, the Kiel Center, in which Pettit was MVP), St. Louis had regained firm control of the Western Conference and perhaps sensed an opportunity to coast down the stretch. They lost 10 of 14 games in one stretch immediately after the All-Star Game, and then lost seven of 11 to close out the season. Most of those defeats came away from home but once the postseason started the Hawks suddenly morphed into road warriors. They won four out of five postseason games on the road, including two in the Boston Garden, where they had been swept in all four regular season contests. Pettit had a series of monster performances in the NBA Finals, and St. Louis was able to take advantage of a Russell ankle injury to hand the Celtics their only Finals defeat of the Russell era.
4) '74-'75 Golden State Warriors
Though the Warriors were certainly a talented team in '74-'75, anchored by their star player Rick Barry, they were also the beneficiaries of some lucky breaks and fortunate timing. The recent retirements of Jerry West and Oscar Robertson had knocked the Lakers and Bucks out of title contention, while a Bill Walton injury (go figure) grounded the Blazers. This left the Western Conference wide open, allowing the Warriors to essentially back into home court advantage despite playing just .500 ball through February and March. They managed to just barely hold the West's top seed over the Bulls thanks to back-to-back wins to finish the season, but it was hardly an encouraging sign for Warriors fans suffering from PTSD after watching the team lose six of their last seven games to miss the playoffs in '73-'74. That top seed ended up paying off dividends, as Golden State finished 7-2 at home during the playoffs, including a come-from-behind game seven victory over the Bulls in the Conference Finals. Two weeks later they closed out the Bullets in an upset sweep to win the first NBA Finals since the franchise had moved to California.
5) '89-'90 Detroit Pistons
After dethroning the Lakers in the 1989 NBA Finals, denying Pat Riley's squad of a three-peat, the Pistons suffered from their own version of the "disease of more" in their '89-'90 title defense. In a bit of a twist, the main culprit appeared to be head coach Chuck Daly. While his team was seemingly cruising to the East's top seed, including winning 24 out of 25 games during one stretch in February and March, rumors began circulating that Daly, frustrated with his lack of power, was ready to move on from Detroit, either to a different franchise that was willing to name him both coach and general manager, or to the broadcast booth at NBC. Right as that rumor mill was generated the Pistons started to slump, losing all three games in a Texas road trip before getting blown out at home by their longtime rivals, Boston. They were suddenly in a dogfight for the Central Division with Michael Jordan and the Bulls, a team that many fans and members of the media were eager to see overtake Detroit as the conference's preeminent power. But that coronation would have to wait a year, as the Pistons clinched the top seed by winning five of seven to finish the season, then put that home court advantage to good use in the Conference Finals, winning all four games at the Palace of Auburn Hills in a seven-game victory over Chicago. After they subsequently defeated the Blazers to win a second straight NBA title, Daly hung around for two more seasons before taking over as coach and general manager in New Jersey.
6) '72-'73 New York Knicks
In the story of the early '70s Knicks, who reached three NBA Finals in a four-year stretch, winning two of them, the greatest obstacle was not always their opponents but often Willis Reed's knees and legs. The MVP center famously rallied New York to the 1970 title by returning to the lineup in game six despite a thigh muscle tear. He was then sidelined by knee tendinitis in 1972 as the Knicks lost a Finals rematch to the Lakers. The lingering effects of that knee inflammation still hampered Reed throughout the '72-'73 season, as he managed to log just 27 minutes per game while averaging career lows in points and rebounds. New York got off to a hot start anyway, winning 17 of their first 20 games, thanks to the efforts of their other star veterans, Walt Frazier, Dave DeBusschere, and Earl Monroe. But as the season dragged on they found themselves mired in second place in the Atlantic Division behind the upstart Celtics, who were en route to 68 wins thanks to their soon-to-be-named MVP Dave Cowens. The Knicks were still able to cruise down the stretch to second place in the Atlantic, as the other teams in the division were the terrible Braves (who lost 61 games) and the even worse 76ers (who set the still-standing NBA record with 73 losses). New York regularly sat out their starters late in the season, especially Reed, and lost seven of their last 12 games, including the final three in a row. The gambit ultimately paid off, as the healthy Knicks upset the Celtics in the Conference Finals in seven games, then enacted their revenge on the Lakers in the NBA Finals.
7) '55-'56 Philadelphia Warriors
For people who complain now about the playoffs being diluted by too many teams qualifying, allowing top teams to coast down the stretch of the regular season, consider the NBA of the mid '50s. Only eight teams were active in the '55-'56 season, and seven of them went to the postseason. This was a bit of a fluke because of tiebreaker scenarios but six teams qualifying out of eight was the norm throughout the mid-to-late '50s. Winning the conference was still crucial as it afforded both a first round bye and home court advantage, which was especially critical in the days before luxury airline travel and hotel accommodations. The Warriors had finished dead last in '54-'55, but came out red hot in '55-56, spurred by the addition of star rookie Tom Gola, who joined an already stacked lineup with veterans Paul Arizin and Neil Johnston. They won eight of their first nine games and kept the pedal to the floor from there. After defeating their top conference rivals, Boston, in a game in mid-February, the Warriors had a seven-game lead with 14 left to play. But that final stretch was a struggle, as Philadelphia lost eight of those 14 games, including two against Boston and one against the only team that missed the playoffs in '55-'56, the Rochester Royals. Luckily for them, the Celtics didn't look so hot down the stretch either and the Warriors held on for the top seed. The Nationals wound up upsetting the Celtics in the first round, clearing the way for the Warriors to cruise to the NBA title.
8) '77-'78 Washington Bullets
The '70s were easily the greatest decade in Washington's franchise history, but it all would have been for naught if they didn't win the title in '77-'78. Up to that point the Bullets had suffered a string of playoff disappointments. It started with a tough second round loss to the Knicks in 1970, followed by an NBA Finals sweep against Milwaukee in 1971, then devastating upsets at the hands of the Warriors in the 1975 NBA Finals, the Cavaliers in the first round in 1976, and the Rockets in round two in 1977. Star post players Wes Unseld and Elvin Hayes were still effective but aging quickly, and Bullets fans knew their title window was likely to slam shut by the end of the decade. The '77-'78 season got off to a rough start, with coach/general manager Dick Motta waiving the popular Dave Bing and signing Bobby Dandridge, which created a logjam at the wing positions. The Bullets lost four of their first six games and it was apparent early in the season that George Gervin and the Spurs were going to win the Central Division. Their depth chart eventually sorted itself out when Phil Chenier suffered a back injury, Kevin Grevey shifted to shooting guard, and more playing time was freed up for Dandridge. Washington still struggled to close out the season, finishing 8-9 in their final 17 games and barely holding off the Cavs and Knicks for the East's three seed. In fact, it came down to the last game of the season, when the Bullets managed to the defeat the conference's best team, Philadelphia, where a loss would have meant slipping to the fifth seed. It all came together in the playoffs, with Washington upsetting the Spurs and 76ers, then clinching the first (and still only) title in franchise history by defeating the Sonics in the NBA Finals.
9) '94-'95 Houston Rockets
The '93-'94 Rockets looked like absolute world beaters from start to finish, and their title seemed to signify the rise of the first post-Michael Jordan superpower team. They kicked off their title defense in '94-'95 with nine straight wins but things soured from there due to two of their biggest stars, Otis Thorpe and Vernon Maxwell, being disgruntled over their respective contract situations. Between their season opening win streak and the All-Star Break, Houston essentially had a .500 record over 38 games and things looked especially dire when the notoriously hot-headed Maxwell was suspended 10 games for entering the stands during a game to assault a Portland fan. The Rockets responded by first dealing Thorpe to the Trail Blazers on Valentine's Day for Clyde Drexler. They then attempted to unload Maxwell on New Jersey for Jayson Williams, but the deal fell through and the team suddenly had a dearth of rebounding beyond Hakeem Olajuwon and a messy logjam in its backcourt. They finished 12-16 in their final 28 games, falling to the #6 seed in a talented Western Conference but two silver linings emerged. One is that Robert Horry completed a laborious transition from small forward to power forward, settling in as a secondary rebounder (but still shooting specialist) right on time for the postseason. The other is that Maxwell, doubly disgruntled now over the trade for Drexler, lashed out at coach Rudy Tomjanovich following the Rockets' first playoff game, allowing the team to put him out to pasture for the remainder of the season with a leave of absence. With the guard rotation settled and Horry making strides in his rebounding and defense, the Rockets won difficult series over the Jazz, Suns, and Spurs, before sweeping the Magic in the NBA Finals. They never had home court advantage in any of the four series but finished 9-3 in road games, including game five (of a best-of-five) in Utah in round one and game seven in Phoenix in round two.
10) '68-'69 Boston Celtics
If there's one word to describe Bill Russell in his final NBA season, '68-'69, it's weary. The Celtics were coming off their 10th title in 12 years, their first with Russell in a player-coach capacity, and the 35-year-old living legend was obviously exhausted. The political events of 1968 also took their toll on the social justice-minded Russell, as the Vietnam War, assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy, and the election of Richard Nixon brought into sharp relief how frivolous the game of basketball truly was. He showed up to training camp out of shape and distracted and was hampered all season by exhaustion and a leg injury. Fellow longtime Celtics star Sam Jones was also 35 years old by then and also struggling with injuries throughout the season. After winning five straight in early December to cap a strong 19-6 start, the Celtics slumped through the remainder of the winter, winning just 14 of their final 29 games. They managed to secure the fourth and final playoff spot in the East but limped into the postseason looking like a wounded animal about to be put out of its misery. Then, like muscle memory, the Celtics pulled off three consecutive series upsets, first over the defending champion 76ers, then over the upstart Knicks, and finally over their usual tormented victims, the Lakers, famously leaving celebratory balloons hanging from the rafters at the Forum, unneeded and unused.