From Missing the Playoffs to the NBA Finals

Introduction Prior to the start of the 2026 NBA Finals, I published NBA Finals Appearance Droughts, which was inspired by the Eastern Conference (and now NBA) champion New York Knicks making their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999, and Playoff Success of 8.5+ Regular Season SRS NBA Teams, which was inspired by the then-defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder being upset by the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals despite having posted one of the most statistically dominant regular seasons in NBA history. Having published articles inspired by the Knicks and the Thunder, I also had an idea for a topic inspired by the Western Conference champion Spurs. The Spurs had missed the playoffs in 2024-25, only to turn around and make the NBA Finals in 2025-26. I was curious how the missed playoff-to-NBA Finals turnaround teams performed in the NBA Finals, but after having drafted this article before the start of game one, I decided it would make more sense to hold off…