Worst Losing Streaks in NBA History

The 2010-11 season has been tough on Cavaliers fans -- first they watched LeBron James take his talents to South Beach... then the Cavs set a new NBA mark for futility, losing 24 consecutive games - and counting.

Cleveland's dismal stretch eclipsed the previous single-season record of 23 consecutive losses, shared by the 1997-98 Denver Nuggets and the expansion 1995-96 Vancouver Grizzlies. The overall record of 24 straight losses was held, sadly, by the Cavs as well.

Here's a look at the longest losing streaks in NBA history, and the teams that landed in the record book for the worst possible reason.

26: 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers

On December 18th, the Cavaliers beat the New York Knicks, 109-102. I'm writing this post on February 7 - and Byron Scott's squad hasn't won since. Their 111-105 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on February 5 was the record-breaking 24th straight.

The Cavs finally ended the streak by beating the Los Angeles Clippers in overtime, 126-119, on February 11th.

24: 1981-83 Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavs old record was compiled over two seasons - they dropped the last 19 games of the 1981-82 season and the first five of the 1982-83 season, before finally beating the Golden State Warriors on November 10.

That's also the longest streak in terms of real time - their previous win came on St. Patrick's Day.

23: 1995-96 Grizzlies, 1997-98 Nuggets

The then-Vancouver Grizzlies have a pretty good excuse for being this bad... they were in the first year of their existence, with a roster filled with past-their-prime stars (like current Cleveland coach Byron Scott) and their marquee rookie was the legendary Bryant "Big Country" Reeves.

Two seasons later, the Nuggets tied Vancouver's mark, losing 23 straight on their way to an 11-71 1997-98 season.

20: 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers, 1993-94 Dallas Mavericks

Any list of NBA badness would be incomplete without mention of the 1972-73 Sixers, who won just nine games all season and lost 73 - the worst 82-game record in league history.

The Dallas Mavericks tied the Sixers' mark - and very nearly matched their overall record - on their way to an 11-win season in 1993-94.

Honorable Mention: 2009-10 New Jersey Nets

Several other teams, including the 2003-04 Orlando Magic, the 1992-93 Mavs, the 1988-89 Clippers and 1981-82 Cavaliers posted 19-game losing streaks. The Nets' 18-game streak was special, because New Jersey dropped those games to start the season.

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NBA Lockout: Are NBA Teams Really Losing Money?

Jul 5 2011

According to the NBA, 22 of 30 franchises are losing money. According to the NBPA, that assertion is... well, "baloney" would be a polite way of summarizing.

Who's right?

There's an increasingly-large pile of evidence to suggest that the league is guilty of... at the very least... creative accounting.

Exhibit A: Deadspin takes on the New Jersey Nets

Deadspin.com obtained three years' worth of financial data from the New Jersey Nets. It's not hard to imagine why such a team might be losing money; it can be difficult to generate fan interest when everyone knows you're moving. Still, Tommy Craggs' breakdown does a good job of showing how tax lawyers and aggressive accounting can take a slight profit and turn it into a substantial loss.

Exhibit B: Larry Coon Balances the Books

Writing for ESPN.com, noted NBA salary cap-ologist Larry Coon explains how expenses totally unrelated to the day-to-day operations of a team figure into profits and losses. For example:

$41.5 million of the Nets' $49 million operating loss in 2005, and $40.2 million of its $57.4 million in 2006, is there simply to make the books balance. It is part of the purchase price of the team, being expensed each year. This doesn't mean they cooked their books, or that they tried to pull a fast one on the players. It is part of the generally accepted accounting practice to transfer expenses from the acquisition to the profit and loss over a certain time period. However, it's an argument that doesn't hold water in a discussion with (Billy) Hunter and the players association, who would claim that the Nets didn't really "lose" a combined $106.4 million in those two years, but rather that they lost $7.5 million and $17.2 million, respectively.

Exhibit C: Nate Silver's Skepticism

Another respected number-cruncher, Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight, also raised a skeptical eyebrow at the league's claims of financial woe. Using data from Forbes magazine and other financial publications, Silver estimates that the league as a whole is still profitable - but that high-revenue teams like the Lakers, Knicks and Bulls might be making enough to cover losses elsewhere.

Interestingly, Silver compares the NBA's current financial situation to that of Major League Baseball, just before the 1994 strike. According to Forbes, about one-third of the league was in the red in 1993, and half the league's profits came from just four teams. But instead of implementing a salary cap, baseball came out of that negotiation with an enhanced revenue-sharing structure that seems to be serving the league very well.

I suspect the players union - and quite a few of the owners - would sign up for a similar system right now.

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