![]() In retrospect, perhaps the 2006-07 Cleveland Cavaliers don't belong on this list given LeBron James going to the NBA Finals was almost an annual lock for a full decade. Phoenix didn't make the playoffs the following season, eventually making it back to the Finals with Charles Barkley in 1992-93 before suffering a loss to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. That set up the legendary triple-overtime Game 5, one of the best in NBA history, but Boston survived 128-126 and finished the improbable Suns off in six. The Suns got past the Seattle SuperSonics in six games, then Rick Barry, Jamaal Wilkes and the Golden State Warriors in seven to draw the Celtics in the Finals. When they traded Charlie Scott to the Celtics for Paul Westphal and a couple of second-round picks, they surely couldn't have foreseen Westphal jumping from 9.8 points per game in Boston to 20.5 in Phoenix. They were just a 42-40 team, good for fourth in the Western Conference. The Phoenix Suns joined the NBA in 1968 and made the playoffs just once through the 1974-75 season (losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the opening round during the 1969-70 campaign), which is why their run in 1975-76 seemed to come out of nowhere. Once there, they weren't ready for the Celtics, losing in four straight. They had been nearing bankruptcy but were suddenly rejuvenated, making their first NBA Finals since the George Mikan era. Baylor averaged 24.9 points, 15.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists, winning Rookie of the Year while leading the Lakers past Pettit and the 49-23 reigning champion Hawks in the Western Division Finals. With nearly the same roster plus Baylor, they improved to 33 wins. 1 pick in 1958.īaylor was a tremendous collegiate player, but his immediate impact on the Lakers was shocking. After a terrible 1957-58 season built around Hall of Famer Vern Mikkelsen that saw the Lakers win just 19 of 72 games, the franchise drafted Baylor again (the rules were different back then), this time with the No. The Minneapolis Lakers drafted Elgin Baylor outside the top 10 rounds in 1956, but he chose to stay in school (Seattle University). Louis did get revenge the following year, handing Russell his only loss in the Finals. Despite the season's chaos and giving the Celtics arguably the greatest franchise player of all time, the Hawks swept the Lakers in the Western Division Finals before Russell ended their season in the first of his 12 NBA Finals and 11 championships. ![]() The Hawks (34-38) finished in first place in the Western Division via a three-way tie with the Minneapolis Lakers and Fort Wayne Pistons. The Hawks struggled and fired head coach Red Holzman, so Slater Martin took over for eight games as a player-coach before deferring to teammate Alex Hannum for the final 31. The Celtics finished the season with a league-best 44 wins. 2 overall pick on draft day to the Boston Celtics, which became Hall of Famer Bill Russell, for Cliff Hagan and Ed Macauley.īoth players went on to help the Hawks while Russell won 11 championships in Boston. Already a competitive team led by Bob Pettit, the Hawks chose to send their No. ![]()
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