List of NBA franchise post-season droughts
All-time droughts -- Longest Conference finals droughts
Table:
Seasons

Team

NBA Conference Finals
appearance droughts

Reference

54

Los Angeles Clippers ^ [a]

001971 †0– present

[24]

44

Atlanta Hawks

1971 – 2014

[12]

45

Washington Wizards ^[b]

1980 – present

[15]

38

Golden State Warriors

1977 – 2014

[34]

34

Charlotte Hornets ^ [c]

001989 †0– present

[10]

25

New Jersey Nets [d]

001977 †0– 2001

[20]

23

Denver Nuggets

1986 – 2008

[30]

20

Toronto Raptors

01996 † – 2015

[33]

20

Sacramento Kings [e]

1982 – 2001

[5]

Looking at the provided table and the textual context listed below.

Give the answer to the question: What is the division of the NBA team that has n't appeared in a conference final since 1989 ? Provide just your answer in a JSON object {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Do not introduce information beyond the provided sources.

The Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles , California . They play in the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) and are a member of the NBA Western Conference 's Pacific Division . The Clippers were founded in 1970 as the Buffalo Braves . They were one of three franchises that joined the NBA as an expansion team in the 1970-71 season . The Braves moved to San Diego , California after the 1977-78 season , and became known as the San Diego Clippers . For the 1984-85 NBA season , the Clippers moved north to Los Angeles and became known as the Los Angeles Clippers . On October 14 , 1970 , the Braves beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 107-92 in their first game . In the 1972 NBA Draft , the Braves selected Bob McAdoo , who later won such awards as Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player . During McAdoo 's years ( 1972-76 ) with the franchise , the Braves reached the post-season three times and had a record of nine wins and 13 losses during that time . Overall , the Clippers have qualified for the post-season fourteen times ; most recently in the 2018-19 season . They passed the first round of the playoffs five times ( 1975-76 , 2005-06 , 2011-12 , 2013-14 and 2014-15 ) . The Clippers have never won league or Conference titles .
The 1970-71 NBA season was the 25th season of the National Basketball Association . The season ended with the Milwaukee Bucks winning the NBA Championship , beating the Baltimore Bullets 4 games to 0 in the NBA Finals . Three new teams made their debut : the Cleveland Cavaliers , the Portland Trail Blazers , and the Buffalo Braves .
This is a list of seasons completed by the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) . The 2014-15 season was the first time the franchise won at least 60 games in a regular season , in either St. Louis or Atlanta .
The 2013-14 NBA season was the 68th season of the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) . The regular season began on Tuesday , October 29 , 2013 , with the Indiana Pacers hosting a game against the Orlando Magic followed by the 2012-13 NBA champions Miami Heat hosting a game against the Chicago Bulls followed by the Los Angeles Lakers hosting a game against the Los Angeles Clippers . The 2014 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 16 , 2014 , at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans . Cleveland 's Kyrie Irving won the NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award . The regular season ended on April 16 , 2014 , and the playoffs began on Saturday , April 19 , 2014 , and ended on June 15 , 2014 , with the San Antonio Spurs defeating the Miami Heat in five games to win the 2014 NBA Finals .
This is a list of seasons completed by the Washington Wizards , a professional basketball team based in Washington , D.C . The Wizards are a member of the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) , and currently play their home games at the Capital One Arena , in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington , D.C .
The 1980 NBA playoffs were the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 1979-80 season . The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals . The Lakers earned their seventh NBA title , their second since moving from Minneapolis . Magic Johnson became the first and ( as of 2019 [ update ] ) , only rookie to be named NBA Finals MVP , leading L.A. to a clinching Game 6 victory with 42 points , 15 rebounds and 7 assists . With center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar out with a severely sprained ankle , Johnson started at center instead , and ultimately played all five positions on the court in the game . Philadelphia earned their third Eastern Conference championship , but were unsuccessful in capturing their second NBA title . The Milwaukee Bucks appeared in the playoffs for the last time as a member of the West ; the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs likewise appeared for the last time playing for the East . They switched conferences ( along with the Chicago Bulls ) in the 1980-81 season with the addition of the Dallas Mavericks . The Bucks made the playoffs for the first time since 1978 , starting a string of twelve consecutive appearances that included three Conference Finals appearances ( 1983 , 1984 , and 1986 ) and seven consecutive division titles ( 1980-1986 ) . They did not miss the playoffs again until 1992 .
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco , California . The franchise has also been based in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , Oakland and San Jose , California ( during a renovation of its home arena ) . The team is a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) . The Warriors joined the Basketball Association of America ( BAA ) as the Philadelphia Warriors in 1946 and won the first BAA championship title in the same year , under coach Edward Gottlieb . The Warriors joined the NBA at its foundation in 1949 . The Warriors ' record was 26-42 in their first NBA season , and they lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Syracuse Nationals . Franklin Mieuli and the Diners Club put together a group of 40 local investors to move the Warriors to San Francisco before the 1962-63 NBA season , with Mieuli eventually buying all the shares of the franchise to keep the team from collapsing and to keep it in the area . After playing several home games in Oakland from 1967 onward , the team moved to Oakland full-time for the 1971-72 NBA season and changed its name to the Golden State Warriors . Led by Rick Barry , the Warriors were a strong franchise during the middle 1970s , achieving winning records every season from 1971-72 to 1977-78 , winning two division titles , and winning the 1975 NBA championship . After Barry departed at the end of the 1977-78 season , however , the Warriors were not in the hunt for a title for the next 35 seasons . Between 1978-79 and 2011-12 , the Warriors only achieved winning records in eight seasons . The team also suffered the NBAs fourth-longest postseason appearance drought in history , with no playoff appearances between 1994-95 and 2005-06 ; this mark trails only the Braves/Clippers between 1976-77 and 1990-91 , the Timberwolves between 2004-05 and 2016-17 , and the Kings from 2006-07 to 2018-19 ( still active ) Led by NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry , the Warriors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games to win the 2015 NBA championship .
The 1977 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 1976-77 season . The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Portland Trail Blazers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals . It was Portland 's first ( and so far [ update ] , only ) NBA title . Bill Walton was named NBA Finals MVP . Portland won the NBA title in its first playoff appearance , something that had not taken place since the early days of the BAA ( and has not since , as of 2018 ) . The Trail Blazers went 10-0 at home in the playoffs . This was the first NBA playoffs after the ABA-NBA merger ; two of the former ABA teams ( the San Antonio Spurs and Denver Nuggets ) made their playoff debuts in their first NBA season . The New Jersey Nets made their playoff debut in 1979 , and the Indiana Pacers in 1981 . The NBA Playoffs added 1 more team from each conference , for a total of 12 contestants , up from 10 the previous year . Also , the two division winners in each conference were automatically given a first-round bye and started the playoffs in the conference semi-finals . This was the Detroit Pistons last playoff appearance of the decade and their last as a Western Conference team as they would move to the East in 1978 . They would not make the postseason again until 1984 .
The Charlotte Hornets are a professional basketball club based in Charlotte , North Carolina . They are members of the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) , playing in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference . The original Charlotte Hornets franchise played in Charlotte from 1988-2002 before relocating to New Orleans , Louisiana and becoming the New Orleans Hornets . A new franchise , the Charlotte Bobcats , began play in the 2004-05 season . The team played for ten seasons as the Bobcats before adopting the Hornets name again starting in the 2014-15 season . The Hornets name was left available after the New Orleans Hornets renamed themselves the New Orleans Pelicans . As part of a deal between the Bobcats , Pelicans and NBA , the renamed Hornets reclaimed the original Hornets ' history and records from 1988 to 2002 , while all of the Hornets ' history and records from after relocation to New Orleans in 2002 through 2013 remained with the Pelicans . As a result , the Hornets are now reckoned as having suspended operations after the 2001-02 season before returning as the Bobcats in 2004 .
The 1988-89 NBA season was the 43rd season of the National Basketball Association . The season ended with the Detroit Pistons winning the NBA Championship , sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers . This was the first season of the Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets .
This is a list of seasons completed by the Brooklyn Nets professional basketball team . The Nets were founded as the New Jersey Americans in 1967 , a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association ( ABA ) . A year later , the team moved to Long Island , New York , and were renamed as the New York Nets . There , behind the play of Hall of Famer Julius Erving , the team won its only two ABA championships : in 1974 and 1976 . After the 1975-76 season , the ABA merged with the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) , and the Nets were one of four franchises that joined the NBA . After a season of being the second team to represent the state of New York ( the other being the New York Knicks ) , the team moved back to New Jersey as the New Jersey Nets . In the NBA , the Nets have experienced only one period of sustained success , from the 2001-02 season to the 2006-07 season , when led by Jason Kidd they played in the postseason every year and twice reached the NBA Finals , but lost to Shaquille O'Neal-led Los Angeles Lakers in 2002 and then to Tim Duncan-led San Antonio Spurs in 2003 . After 35 seasons in New Jersey , owner Mikhail Prokhorov moved the team to the New York City borough of Brooklyn to become the Brooklyn Nets .
The 1976-77 NBA season was the 31st season of the National Basketball Association . The season ended with the Portland Trail Blazers winning their first NBA Championship in franchise history , beating the Philadelphia 76ers in six games in the NBA Finals . Prior to the season , the NBA merged with its primary rival league , the American Basketball Association ( ABA ) . Four ABA teams joined the NBA , all four of which are still in the league today : the San Antonio Spurs , Indiana Pacers , Denver Nuggets , and New York Nets . The Nets became the New Jersey Nets the following season , and now play as the Brooklyn Nets . With these additions , the NBA expanded from eighteen teams to twenty-two .
The 2000-01 NBA season was the 55th season of the National Basketball Association . The season ended with the Los Angeles Lakers winning their second straight championship , beating the Philadelphia 76ers 4 games to 1 in the 2001 NBA Finals .
This is a list of seasons completed by the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) . They have played for 49 seasons , 38 in the NBA and nine in the American Basketball Association ( ABA ) . As of the close of the 2017 season , they have never reached an NBA Finals and only been to three Western Conference Finals series .
The 1986 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 1985-86 season . The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals . Larry Bird was named NBA Finals MVP for the second time . This was the second NBA Finals meeting between the Celtics and Rockets ; they met in the 1981 NBA Finals with the same result . It was the third of four straight Eastern Conference championships for Boston , who won 67 games that year , and went 40-1 at home . The Rockets , meanwhile had won just their second conference title in franchise history . Second-year player Michael Jordan put on a record-setting performance in Game 2 of the Bulls ' first-round series against the Celtics , scoring 63 points in a 2-OT loss , which surpassed Elgin Baylor 's 61-point performance from the 1962 NBA Finals and still stands as the NBA Playoff scoring record . Jordan averaged 44.7 points per game in the series , but was unable to prevent the Bulls from being swept by a more experienced , more talented Celtics team . The Bulls set a dubious mark by posting the second worst record for a playoff-qualifying team in history , going just 30-52 during the season . Game 2 , where the record was set , was ranked by TV Guide as the 26th Most Memorable Moment in Television History , [ citation needed ] and is credited with boosting the NBA 's popularity surge and eventual rise to near the top of the United States television sports market , [ citation needed ] trailing only football by the mid-90s . [ citation needed ] The 1986 playoffs marked the third time in four years that the Milwaukee Bucks advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals , but it would be their last appearance in the series until 2001 . The Celtics avenged their 1983 sweep by sweeping the Bucks in four games .
The 2007-08 NBA season was the 62nd season of the National Basketball Association . The Boston Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 131-92 to win the 2008 NBA Finals , four games to two . The 2007 NBA draft was held on June 28 , 2007 and Greg Oden was selected first overall by the Portland Trail Blazers . However , he missed the entire season due to knee surgery . This season was notable for being one of the most competitive Western Conference playoff races in NBA history . Up until April 4 , 2008 , not a single Western Conference team had secured a playoff spot , and the 8th-seeded team was a mere 6.5 games behind the 1st seed . Additionally , the quality of the teams ensured that the Golden State Warriors finished with the highest winning percentage of any non-playoff team in NBA history since the switch to the eight-team playoff format , beating out the 2000-01 Houston Rockets . The all-time record is held by the 1971-72 Phoenix Suns ( 49-33 ) , which was during the four-team playoff era .
This is a list of seasons completed by the Toronto Raptors National Basketball Association ( NBA ) franchise .
The 1995-96 NBA season was the 50th season of the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) , though the 50th anniversary was not celebrated until the following season . The Chicago Bulls defeated the Seattle SuperSonics 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals to win their fourth championship .
The 2014-15 NBA season was the 69th season of the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) . The NBA draft took place on June 26 , 2014 , at Barclays Center in Brooklyn , where Andrew Wiggins was selected first overall . The regular season began on Tuesday , October 28 , 2014 , when the defending NBA champions San Antonio Spurs hosted the first game against the Dallas Mavericks . The 2015 NBA All-Star Game was played on Sunday , February 15 , 2015 , at Madison Square Garden in New York City , with the West defeating the East 163-158 . Oklahoma City 's Russell Westbrook won the NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award . The regular season ended on Wednesday April 15 , 2015 and the playoffs began on Saturday , April 18 , 2015 and ended with the 2015 NBA Finals on June 16 , 2015 , after the Golden State Warriors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games to win their fourth NBA title . The Charlotte Bobcats played their first official game as the Charlotte Hornets since 2002 .
This article is a list of seasons completed by the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) .
The 1982 NBA playoffs were the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association 's 1981-82 season . The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals . Magic Johnson was named NBA Finals MVP for the second time . It was the second NBA Finals meeting in three years between the Lakers and Sixers , and ended with the same result - a 4-2 Lakers victory - as the previous confrontation . They met again in 1983 , with Philadelphia getting revenge in a sweep . The Sixers beat the Celtics again in the Eastern Conference Finals , the second of their three series wins in a four-year stretch . The Bullets ' 2-0 sweep of the Nets was their last playoff series victory until 2005 . This was the third straight year the Bucks failed to advance to the third round with the # 2 seed despite a first-round bye .