5 greatest teams since 2000 to not win an NBA title

#4 New Jersey Nets

Kenyon Martin walks upcourt with Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson

It's easy to forget that there was a time when the Nets were the best team in the Eastern Conference. Led by Jason Kidd, Kenyon Martin, and an emerging Richard Jefferson, the Nets reached the Conference and NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003

They were more of a defensive oriented team and ranked in the top 5 in points allowed in both seasons. They were, however, limited offensively as they didn't really have a go-to scorer. Martin led the team with 14.9 ppg in 2002 and Kidd with 18.7 in 2003.

They've made as many Finals appearances as the rest of the teams combined on this list, but they really took advantage of an incredibly weak conference and it showed when they got to the Finals. The Nets were swept 4-0 in 2002 by a Lakers team which had just come off a grueling 7 game Conference Finals and it felt more like a 1st round match-up against the Nets.

They would put up a better fight in the 2003 Finals as Jefferson emerged as a scoring option. The Spurs defense, however, still stymied the the Nets offense, not allowing them to score 100 points even once as they won the series 4-2. The next season, the Pistons established themselves as the best team in the East and the Nets while still good, never reached those heights again.