First-Timers?

       13 NBA teams have never won the prestigious NBA Championship. For the past 30 years the winners of the Finals have always been one of these 9 teams: Mavericks, Heat, Lakers, Spurs, Bulls, Pistons, Celtics, Rockets, and 76ers. Of those 9 teams, only 2 won one title during that span and only 3 of the nine didn't win back to back titles. Every one of those teams with the exception of the '04 Pistons had a common formula: A superstar and important role players or a sidekick. The '04 Pistons though had a starting lineup filled with all-stars but none were considered a superstar. With these being said, I believe four team can finally win their first title this year.
       The Pacers are a great young team. Much like the Pistons of 2004, the Pacers don't have a  superstar yet but their roster contains all-stars such as Roy Hibbert, Danny Granger, David West, and the rising Paul George. This year, the Pacers look to build on last season's success and finally get past the Heat. Since the joining the league in 1976, the Pacers haven't had the same success they had in the ABA where they won 3 titles. Only once have they advanced to the Finals in 2000 where they lost to the Lakers. Paul George and Roy Hibbert might finally be able to bring a NBA title to Indy.
        Much like the Pacers, the Clippers are a young and electrifying team. Their superstar is Chris Paul with Blake Griffin being his Robin. Together the two make "Lob City" a true contender something LA Clippers fans aren't used to saying. Since 1984, the Clippers have always been the second wheel in there own city. They've only had a better record then the Lakers five times! This year though might be year where LA is celebrating the red, white and blue instead of the purple and gold. The pressure is on Blake Griffin and Chris Paul, an eight-year veteran.
       The Grizzlies are a lot like the Pacers in the sense that they are a small-market team. They also play "big" with their most important players being their center Marc Gasol and forward Zach Randolph. Being an expansion team that started in 1995, the Grizzlies haven't found much success. They've never won the Western Conference nor their own division. However, this Grizzlies team is different from others. Defenses win championships and the Grizzlies are anchored on a strong defense with Tony Allen dominating guards on the perimeter  and the Defensive Player of the Year banging down big men in the post.
       The Brooklyn Nets have drastically improved their team and their prospects to bring Brooklyn it's first NBA title. During the off-season, the Nets added all-stars Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to a line-up that already featured all-stars Joe Johnson, Deron Williams, and Brook Lopez. That gives the Nets a starting line-up with all-stars at every position. Also, the bench includes Jason Terry and Andrei Kirilenko, who are both proven players. The Nets with Julius Erving had success in the ABA but their only success in the NBA was during the Jason Kidd era. Today, Jason Kidd is helping the Nets as a coach and not a player. I wouldn't be surprised if Kidd brought them their third Finals appearance this season.
      13 teams still have not won a championship. This could easily change to 12 by the end of this upcoming year.