With the Oklahoma City Thunder, Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks all holding 2-0 leads in the conference semifinals, here’s a look at the last time each team made it halfway through the postseason.
The second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs are well underway, and it hasn’t taken long for fans to envision what this year’s conference finals could look like.
Through two games in all four of this year’s conference semifinals series, three of the four matchups currently involve a team holding a 2-0 lead – with only the Minnesota Timberwolves and San Antonio Spurs tied after the first two games.
While the Oklahoma City Thunder are overwhelming favorites to repeat as champions, the remaining seven franchises are all hungry for greater postseason success, with the Philadelphia 76ers in particular having gone 25 years without an appearance in the Eastern Conference Final.
Fans, players and front offices alike treat conference finals appearances very differently depending on the team involved and the surrounding circumstances – with a trip to the round ranging from a mere expectation that brings nothing to celebrate to a significant breakthrough that could serve as a team’s peak for quite some time.
Though they currently trail 2-0 in the series, there’s no question that a conference finals appearance from the 76ers this year would fall into the latter category – with fans of the storied franchise starving for greater postseason success, particularly after their triumphant comeback series victory over the Boston Celtics.
Yet for a team like the Thunder, finishing off the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Semifinals would simply be a matter of fulfilling expectations – with another NBA championship being the only thing that could deem this season a success for the franchise.
While conference finals appearances have simply been something to expect over the years for fans of teams like the Celtics, Lakers and Golden State Warriors, it acts as a distinct peak for other franchises that have yet to win a title.
Fans of the Memphis Grizzlies could certainly attest to this, who have seen a plethora of strong teams over the course of the past two decades. Still, a sweep at the hands of the Spurs in the 2013 Western Conference Final remains their deepest postseason run yet.
Two franchises, the Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans, remain the lone teams that have never made it past the second round of the NBA playoffs – which would make a conference finals appearance the greatest achievement in both teams’ history – a stark difference from the history of the league’s blue bloods.
With multiple teams looking to close out the conference semifinals in the coming days, here’s a look at the last time each team across the league made it to a conference final – beginning with the most recent occurrences:
2025-26 season
- New York Knicks
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- San Antonio Spurs
- Cleveland Cavaliers
2024-25 season
- Indiana Pacers
- Minnesota Timberwolves
2023-24 season
- Boston Celtics
- Dallas Mavericks
2022-23 season
- Miami Heat
- Denver Nuggets
- Los Angeles Lakers
2021-22 season
- Golden State Warriors
2020-21 season
- Milwaukee Bucks
- Atlanta Hawks
- Phoenix Suns
- Los Angeles Clippers
2018-19 season
- Toronto Raptors
- Portland Trail Blazers
2017-18 season
- Houston Rockets
2012-13 season
- Memphis Grizzlies
2010-11 season
- Chicago Bulls
2009-10 season
- Orlando Magic
2007-08 season
- Detroit Pistons
2006-07 season
- Utah Jazz
2002-03 season
- Brooklyn Nets*
2001-02 season
- Sacramento Kings
2000-01 season
- Philadelphia 76ers
1978-79 season
- Washington Wizards**
*denotes franchise was known as the New Jersey Nets at the time.
**denotes franchise was known as the Washington Bullets at the time.
Leave a Reply