Image: AP
Last conference finals appearance: 1979
The Kings have a longer title drought, reaching back to their days as the Rochester Royals — they haven’t been to the Finals, either, since 1951, rolling through Cincinnati, Kansas City, and Omaha without sniffing an NBA title. The Hawks, likewise, haven’t won it all since they were in another city, and haven’t been to the Finals since 1961, again as the St. Louis Hawks. The Knicks (1973) and Trail Blazers (1977) also have longer title droughts than Washington, while the Clippers, Jazz, Nets, Nuggets, Pacers, and Suns all have never won an NBA title. But making the conference finals? Every NBA team has done that in the 21st century except the Hornets, Pelicans, and Wizards. Only one of those teams was around in the 20th century, and it’s the Wiz, who of course were the Washington Bullets when they beat the Spurs in the Eastern Conference Finals, before losing in their bid for a title repeat against the Seattle SuperSonics. Washington also hasn’t won a Game 7 since 1979, the longest drought in the NBA.
