There have been only seven teams that have won a championship following a loss in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Who are they, and what lessons did they learn in the process?
Each season, winning a championship is the goal of all 30 teams in the NBA, but 29 teams will ultimately fall short of this quest. With Game 7 of the NBA Finals approaching, the reality is that either the Oklahoma City Thunder or the Indiana Pacers will face defeat and experience heartbreak. While winning an NBA championship will undoubtedly alter the trajectory of one of these two franchises, losing this game could also have a profound impact and provide valuable lessons in the process.
Some of the greatest winners in basketball history have lost in the NBA Finals. Phil Jackson won a record eleven championships as an NBA head coach and another two titles as a player. During his final press conference as team president of the New York Knicks in 2017, Jackson discussed the challenge organizations face in assessing team progress and remarked, “One of the worst things that can happen is to lose in the (NBA) Finals.” In his 2013 book Eleven Rings: The Soul for Success, Jackson also stated, „Losing is as much a part of the game as winning. It’s how you handle the losses that teaches you the most about yourself.“
Throughout NBA history, there have been 14 instances in which teams lost in the NBA Finals and returned to win the championship the following year. However, only seven teams have accomplished this feat after losing in Game 7. The disheartening experience of coming so close yet falling short may signify the end of an era or represent the final step in a championship ascent. So, which teams were able to accomplish this feat?
2016-17 Warriors: The most recent example of a team winning a championship the season after losing a seven-game NBA Finals series is the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors. They rebounded after suffering a home defeat to the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals, which was particularly disheartening given that the Warriors had set a record by winning 73 games during the regular season. Before the start of the 2016-17 season, guard Stephen Curry told Sam Amick of USA Today, “I still haven’t gotten over Game 7. Obviously, you hated the feeling, but it’s also a motivator to come back even stronger.” That offseason, the Warriors signed the highly sought-after free agent Kevin Durant and went on to win back-to-back titles.
2013-14 Spurs: In the 2013 NBA Finals, the San Antonio Spurs lost to the Miami Heat in a hard-fought seven-game series.
