Which team has the worst finals record in NBA history?

The Milwaukee Bucks are one win away from the 2021 NBA championship and if they close out the Phoenix Suns in Game 6, it would be their first title in 50 years. Whereas if the Suns force a Game 7 and manage to win the series, it would be their first-ever NBA title in franchise history.

When the NBA Finals have been tied at 2-2, the winner of Game 5 has gone on to win the series 72% of the time. With a 123-119 win the Milwaukee Bucks are one win away from their first NBA Championship since 1971.

— George Balekji (@GeorgeBalekji) July 18, 2021

A lot of teams have made it on to the final stage of the competition and many have glorious records in the NBA Finals. The LA Lakers have 17 championships in a whopping 32 NBA Finals appearances, whereas the Boston Celtics have 17 chips in just 21 tries. However, not every franchise has been so lucky and we are focusing on teams with horrible NBA Finals records.

Which franchise has the worst record in the NBA Finals?

LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers faced three NBA Finals losses in four years

The worst record in NBA Finals history belongs to the Phoenix Suns, New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets, Utah Jazz, and Orlando Magic with 0-2. If one is considering 0% win rate then the Indiana Pacers, with a 0-1 record, also make the list.

The Phoenix Suns made the NBA Finals in 1976 with Paul Westphal and again in 1993 with Charles Barkley losing both series in six games. Moreover, the Brooklyn Nets made two consecutive NBA Finals appearances in 2002 and 2003. They were swept by the Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal-led LA Lakers in 2002 and then lost to the Tim Duncan and David Robinson-led San Antonio Spurs in 2003. The Indiana Pacers' lone loss in the NBA Finals also came at the hands of the Kobe-Shaq LA Lakers in 2001.

Moreover, the Utah Jazz lost consecutive NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998 to the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls. The Orlando Magic finally made the NBA Finals with Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway in 1995 but got swept by the Hakeem Olajuwon-led Houston Rockets. They made one more NBA Finals appearance in 2009 with Dwight Howard but lost to the Kobe Bryant-led LA Lakers.

On this date in 2009:The Lakers win their 15th championship, beating the Magic in Game 5 of the NBA finals.Kobe Bryant won Finals MVP en route to his 4th NBA title.It was the 10th title for coach Phil Jackson, moving him past Boston's Red Auerbach for the most all-time. pic.twitter.com/CWD9gq9gx6

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 14, 2020

However, in terms of losses in the NBA Finals, the LA Lakers have 15 defeats in 32 appearances. The Philadelphia 76ers have six losses in nine appearances and the New York Knicks also have six losses in eight appearances. The Cleveland Cavaliers have made five NBA Finals games with LeBron James and lost four of them, giving them an NBA Finals record of .200.