Team with the worst record to win the NBA Finals

The NBA has been around for 75 years as it celebrates its Birthday on 6th June, established in 1946. In that time we have had 74 Championship winners with the winner of Warriors vs Celtics becoming the 75th.

Who was the team with the worst record to go to the NBA Finals? (pre-1961)

Pre-1961 NBA teams played less than 75 games so we’ve split this into pre-1961 and post-1961.

The pre-1961 winner? The Minneapolis Lakers in 1959. They finished the 1958-1959 regular season with a 33-39 record with a winner percentage of .402.

The Minneapolis Lakers made it all the way to the finals beating Detroit and the St Louis Hawkes. Unfortunately, this team lost to the Boston Celtics in the finals.

Who was the team with the worst record to go to the NBA Finals? (post-1961)

The team with the worst record to go to the NBA finals post-1961 was again… The Los Angeles Lakers. They had a 49-31 record in 80 games played, reaching the finals but lost to again… The Celtics.

The Championship winner with the worst regular season

Answer: The Washington Bullets in 1978. They had a record of 44-38 in 82 games with a winning percentage of .537

They beat the Seatle Supersonics to take home the Champtionship trophy – both teams had a winning percentage under .500. Wes Unseld, the Bullets star Power Forward/Center was the Finals MVP averaging 9 points, 11.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 7 games.

The Washington Bullets were also the team with the lowest regular season wins to win a Championship – rather impressive.

The Washington Wizards – 1978

19 franchises have won the NBA Championship

Here is a list of the NBA teams with a Championship

• Los Angeles Lakers 17
• Boston Celtics 17
• Golden State Warriors 6
• Chicago Bulls 6
• San Anotnio Spurs 5
• Philadelphia 76ers 3
• Miami Heat 3
• Detroit Pistons 3
• Houston Rockets 2
• Milwaukee Bucks 2
• New York Nicks 2
• Cleveland Cavaliers 1
• Atlanta Hawks 1
• Oklahoma City Thunder 1
• Washington Wizards 1
• Dallas Mavericks 1
• Portland Trailblazers 1
• Toronto Raptors 1
• Sacremento Kings 1

Which teams have never won a NBA Championship?

Here is a list of teams that have never won an NBA Championship

• Phoenix Suns
• Utah Jazz
• Brooklyn Nets
• Indiana Pacers
• Denver Nuggets
• Los Angeles Clippers
• Minnesota Timberwolves
• New Orleans Pelicans
• Orlando Magic
• Charlotte Hornets
• Memphis Grizzlies