5 Teams that were lucky to reach the NBA Finals

#4 2009 – Orlando Magic

Orlando Magic

The 2009 NBA Finals pitted the Orlando Magic against a resurgent Kobe and the Lakers. Marshaled by Phil Jackson, the Lakers were a well-strung unit of supporting cast to the brilliance of Kobe, with players like Derek Fisher, Pau Gasol, and Odom.

Magic had done well to the surprise the previous year champions, Celtics in a dramatic seven-game series and also the Eastern Conference top seed Cavs with regular season MVP LeBron on the back of some brilliant gameplay by their center Dwight Howard and forwards Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu.

However, while they exploited Dwight Howard's physical presence on various mismatches throughout their Eastern Conference run, they fell woefully short in the Finals with the tough defense of the Lakers and the lack of consistent outside shooting.

Only a record-breaking performance from them in Game 3 avoided a Finals sweep. The win was finally completed by the infamous buzzer beater by Derek Fisher and dominant offensive plays by Kobe. The Magic fell apart post this and never made it to the finals and can be easily termed as one of the weakest teams to ever reach the NBA finals.