Recording infamy

Records are meant to be broken and in doing so is a cause for celebration.  But some record-breaking performances are better off buried in oblivion.

Basketball is a game where teams run hot for several games, and it is fun to watch them compile win after win.  But as the saying goes, all good things must end.  Things go from good to bad to worse and the losses pile up and the struggle to be relevant begins.  The following teams recorded at least 20 consecutive losses.

Thanks to the efforts of Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren, the young Detroit Pistons finally broke out of their 28-game skid with a win over the Toronto Raptors the other day, finding ways not to falter in the end game.   It was their first win since October 28, thus avoiding an unenviable feat.

The Pistons tied the 2015 Philadelphia 76ers on top of the list of futility, which also had a 28-game losing streak.  The Sixers lost the final 10 games of the 2014-2015 season and surrendered the first 18 games of the 2015-2016 season.   The Sixers in those two seasons also recorded the worst starts, losing 17 straight at the start of the 2014-2015 season and losing 18 consecutive games when the 2015-2016 began.

The Sixers during the 2013-2014 season set a then 26 consecutive losing game record and finishing the season with just 19 wins.  This places them 2nd on the losing streak list.

Sharing second spot with the Sixers are the Cleveland Cavaliers also with 26 straight loses.  2010-2011 season was when someone they call The Chosen or sometimes The King abandoned them and took his talents to South Beach.  The Cavs ended the season with a 19-63 win-loss record.

Prior to that 26-game skid, the Cavs had a 24-game losing streak.  They lost their final 19 games for the 1981-82 season and started the following season with 5 straight losses.

The 2012 lockout shortened season was bad for the Charlotte Bobcats and team owner Michael Jordan.  They recorded 23 games without a win and finished the season with a 7-59 record.  The Denver Nuggets struggled during the 1997-98 season also with a 23-game losing streak.

The Vancouver Grizzlies entered the league in 1996 and they struggled mightily.  During that season, they recorded losing streaks of 19 and 23 games.  Fan interest was wanting and after five years, the franchise relocated to Memphis.

Here come the Pistons again with 21 games.  They lost the final 14 games of the 1979-80 season and started the next season on a bad note, losing 7 straight.

Other teams with a 20-game losing streaks are:

Philadelphia (1973)

New York Knicks (1985)

Dallas Mavericks (1993)

LA Clippers (1994)

Houston Rockets (2021)