The 76ers, who are missing Embiid today, lost to the Heat 103-119, trailing 0-2 on aggregate. It also raises a more realistic question for the 76ers: Even if Embiid returns at G3, what are the chances of the 76ers wanting to reverse the elimination of the Heat? For Embiid, the first trip to the divisional finals of his career may be in the back row again.
When it comes to "never touching the floor of the division finals," people always think of Paul and the Clippers. But in recent years, these two "big problems" have thrown away the hats on their heads. Paul made his 2018 West Conference Finals with the Rockets, leading the Suns to the Finals last season, and the Clippers completed their first divisional finals trip in team history last season. A few further down, the title once belonged to Maddy, but he also played in the Finals as a member of the Spurs in the final season of his career (2012-13).
But among the stars we are familiar with in the history of the NBA, there are still many people who have not made it to the divisional finals in their lifetimes. For example, "human cinema essence" Wilkins, such as "Pistol" Pete Malawich, such as Baron Davis, Marbury and Jamison. Even in today's NBA, there are still many stars who have not yet stood on the stage of the division finals. This article is a list of 11 active All-Stars who have never made it to the divisional finals (at least 3 times in the playoffs).
1. Griffin
Playoffs: 9
This year, the Nets stopped in the first round, and Griffin's sadness deepened by another point: he made the playoffs nine times, but never reached the division finals. The first 6 times were on the Clippers, and the peak of his career was also delivered here, but the "Air City" is a big hit in the playoffs every year, but he has returned home before the arrival of the Western Conference Finals, and the 3-1 lead in the second round of the West End in 2015 is unforgettable. After moving to Motor City, Griffin stopped in the first round with the team in 2019; came to the Nets, stopped in the second round of the East Side last season, and the first round of this season. When it comes to grief, Griffin is even worse than Paul.
2. Gobert
Playoffs: 6
This year, the Jazz stopped in the first round, and Gobert did not have to consider when he would have his first career division final trip, but whether he would stay with the Jazz and whether he would continue to be a teammate with Mitchell. Since 2017, Gobert has never missed the playoffs, but the Jazz have stopped in the first round three times during this period, stopped in the second round three times, and the last time they reached the division finals was in the distant 2006-07 season. Perhaps, Gobert can only appear in the divisional finals and even the finals if he changes places.
3. Bill
Playoffs: 5
Let's start with a terrible fact: since the 1979 Finals, the Wizards (Bullets) have never known what it's like to be in the East Finals, and Bill, who has dedicated his career to the Wizards so far, certainly has no way of knowing. On the first four playoff trips of his career, Beal and Wall joined hands, and the Wizards stopped in the second round of the Eastern Conference three times and fell in the first round once. After Wall was seriously injured at the end of 2018, in 2021, Beal teamed up with Westbrook, leading the Wizards to return to the playoffs, stopping in the first round. The Season Wizards made a good start but ended in disappointment. Perhaps the incessant trade rumors of recent years are reminding Beal that if you want to go far in the playoffs, leaving is king.
4. Embiid
Playoffs: 5
The 76ers are 0-2 behind the Heat, but as long as they are not in the desperate situation of 0-3 behind, Embiid still has a glimmer of hope, and many people are optimistic that this round will show a completely different look from the first 2 games after Embiid's comeback. But on the first four playoff trips of his career, Embiid's memory is not wonderful. In 2018, he lost to the Green Army in the second round; in the second round in 2019, he was killed by Leonard and burst into tears; in 2020, Ben Simmons was injured, and he was swept by the Green Army in the first round; in 2021, the 76ers lost seven games to the Eagles in the second round. Maybe Embiid can still rewrite fate, but it may not be this year.
5. Mitchell
Playoffs: 5
The first 2 generations of "Utah Double Brake" have sent jazz to the divisional finals and even the finals, but the third generation is unable to replicate the glory of their predecessors. Mitchell came to Salt Lake City in the year gobert led the Jazz to the first playoffs, and then the two of them led the Jazz to the playoffs for five consecutive years, but every year there was hope and disappointment. During this period, Mitchell's soaring score battle with Murray in the first round of 2020 can be regarded as a brilliant chapter in his playoff career. Today, Mitchell and Gobert have the same concern: Is Salt Lake City a place to stay?
6. Drummond
Playoffs: 4
Drummond has made four playoffs with 3 teams, but the first 2 and the last 2 are very different. In the first two times, as one of the main players of the Pistons, he led the team to appear in the playoffs in 2016 and 2019, and was shaved 4-0 by the Cavaliers and Bucks. In the past 2 years, Drummond has entered the playoffs as the main force of the Lakers and the Nets, but they all stopped in the first round (this season is the third time in his career that he was swept in the first round), and the team's status cannot be compared with the first two times. If you want to go further in the playoffs, Drummond, who is back in free this summer, has to plan a lot.
7. Oladipo
Playoffs: 4
Today's game the Heat took a 2-0 lead, and Oladipo was well received. He scored 19 points on the bench to match the total scores of his opponents' benches and hit the winning three-pointer. He made the playoffs with 3 teams and 4. 2017 was the first time in the playoffs for Oladipo, with the Thunder losing 4-1 to the Rockets in the first round. In 2018 and 2020, he broke into the playoffs with the Pacers, stopping in the first round twice, the previous seven games against the Cavaliers, and the last time being swept 4-0 by the Heat. This season, Oladipo is expected to travel with the Heat for the first divisional final of his career.
8. Vucevic
Playoffs: 4
In his career, he reached the playoffs with 3 teams, and Vucevic did not qualify for the division finals. In 2012, the 76ers took advantage of Rose's injury to stage the "Black Eight", losing to the Green Army in seven major games in the second round; after switching to the Magic, Vucevic became an All-Star, but lost to the Raptors and Bucks in the first round for two consecutive years. This season came to the Bulls, the team made the playoffs for the first time since 2017, but failed to take advantage of Middleton's injury to go further, losing 1-4 to the Bucks. If Vucevic wants to realize his dream of a divisional final, he will also have to see how the Bulls will operate next.
9. Wall
Playoffs: 4
As mentioned earlier, the successive arrivals of Wall and Beal failed to get the Wizards back into the playoffs for the first time since 1979. In 2014 and 2015, the Wizards lost to the Pacers and Hawks in the second round of the East End; after the dormancy in 2016, the Wizards re-entered the second round in 2017 and lost to the Green Army in 7 big battles; in 2018, the Wizards were simply flattened by the Raptors in the first round. At the end of the same year, Wall began a long recovery and said goodbye to the playoffs.
10. Little Sabonis
Playoffs: 3
This season, Sabonis Jr. left the Pacers and came to the Kings, which could indicate that he is going to say goodbye to the playoffs for a while. In 2017, Sabonis Jr. and Oladipo joined the Playoffs with the Thunder and lost to the Rockets in the first round. In 2018 and 2019, Sabonis Jr. entered the playoffs with the Pacers 2, stopping in the first round. In 2020, he missed the playoffs due to injury. In the NBA, Sabonis Jr. made three playoffs, far behind his dad (seven times).
11. Ben Simmons
Playoffs: 3
Simmons' performance after joining the Nets this year has caused controversy, he did not play a game in the end this season, but recently underwent intervertebral disc surgery, to recuperate for several months, whether he can play next season is still a mystery. So far in his career, Simmons has also reached the playoffs three times, but like Embiid, he has not been able to lead the 76ers to the division finals. During this period, he also missed the 2020 playoffs due to injury. Perhaps, for Simmons today, what matters is not whether he can break the spell of the division finals, but whether the NBA career will continue. (Supine Braces/Hairy)