NBA Finals: Longest active NBA Finals appearance droughts

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Nearly every professional league of every sport has been dominated by dynasties. 

They set the benchmark, winning a majority of the championships and the NBA is no different. The two franchises of the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers alone combine for 34 of the 74 NBA titles, which doesn't leave a lot of room for the others. 

MORE: Most consecutive NBA Finals appearances

Of the 30 teams, there are six who have never made it to the championships series. However, only four of them rank in the 10 longest active NBA Finals appearances droughts.

What are the longest active NBA Finals droughts?

The Sacramento Kings, having made their last NBA Finals as the Rochester Royals in 1951 when they clinched their lone championship, are owners of the longest active drought. 

Here's a look at the 10 longest:

Drought (Years) Team Last Finals appearance Result
70 Sacramento Kings 1951 Won 4-3 vs. New York Knicks [as Rochester Royals]
60 Atlanta Hawks 1961 Lost 4-3 vs. Boston Celtics [as St. Louis Hawks]
51 LA Clippers Never  - 
47 Milwaukee Bucks 1974 Lost 4-3 vs. Boston Celtics 
45 Denver Nuggets Never  - 
43 Washington Wizards 1979 Lost 4-1 vs. Seattle SuperSonics [as Washington Bullets]
32 Minnesota Timberwolves Never  - 
31 Charlotte Hornets Never   - 
29 Portland Trail Blazers 1992 Lost 4-2 vs. Chicago Bulls
28 Phoenix Suns 1993 Lost 4-2 vs. Chicago Bulls

Of these 10, two teams in the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns might cross themselves off the list very soon. 

Which teams have never made the NBA Finals?

As mentioned earlier, there are six teams yet to overcome their Conference to reach the Finals and here's a look at those six teams and their history. 

Team Joined NBA Closest attempt
LA Clippers 1970 Conf. Finals [1 - 2020]
Denver Nuggets 1967 Conf. Finals [4 - 1978, 1985, 2009, 2020]
Minnesota Timberwolves 1989 Conf. Finals [1 - 2004]
Charlotte Hornets 1988 Conf. Semis [3 - 1993, 1998, 2001, 2002]
Memphis Grizzlies 1995 Conf. Finals [1 - 2013]
New Orleans Pelicans 2002 Conf. Semis [2 - 2008, 2018]

Of these six, as can be seen, only the Pelicans and Hornets are yet to make the Conference Finals while among the rest, the Nuggets have made the most Conference Finals appearances without a single series victory. 

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