The Philadelphia 76ers are 0-14 after a 114-104 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday. The 0-14 start is just one shy of the franchise record for most losses to begin a season, which was set by the historically-bad 1972-73 team that went 9-73 and holds the record for most losses ever in an NBA campaign.
How do the 76ers compare with the worst starts in NBA history?
The 76ers are five defeats away from breaking the record for most losses to begin an NBA season, but they’re hardly the only team that’s flirted with this infamous mark.
Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
The Sixers are still five more losses away from breaking the record for most losses ever to start a season, which is 18 by the 2009-10 New Jersey Nets. That record is certainly possible and perhaps even likely given the fact that Philadelphia currently isn't favored to win another game the rest of the year.
So just how low can the Sixers go? And how do they stack up against some of the other worst starts in NBA history? Let’s take a look.
2009-10 New Jersey Nets, 0-18
Average point differential: -11.3
While the Nets hold this not-so-prestigious record, they were somewhat competitive at times. The first game of the year was a two-point loss and six of the losses were in single digits. Three other losses were by 10 points. Lawrence Frank was fired after the 16th defeat and the Nets finished the year with a 12-70 record.
1988-89 Miami Heat, 0-17
Average point differential: -14.7
The Heat were completely bereft of talent during their inaugural season, and it showed during the team’s 0-17 start. Miami was thumped by 20 points in the franchise’s first game, and there was also a 47-point loss during the streak. However, there were some close games as well, including an overtime defeat and a stretch of three games that saw the Heat lose by a combined nine points. Miami finished the year 15-67.
1999 Los Angeles Clippers, 0-17
Average point differential: -13.4
Because of the lockout that pushed the start of the year back until early February, the Clippers didn’t win their first game of the year until March. It almost wasn’t that bad, though, as Los Angeles had two overtime losses and one that reached double overtime. The Clippers finished 9-41 in Michael Olowokandi’s rookie season.
1994-95 Clippers, 0-16
Average point differential: -14.3
Oh look, it’s the Clippers again. This team was slightly worse than the 1999 version based on average point differential, and there was an ugly 31-point loss that saw Los Angeles give up 140 points. There was also a one-point loss and an overtime defeat, and the first win of the season was a two-point overtime victory. The Clippers’ final record was 17-65.
1970-71 Cleveland Cavaliers, 0-15
Average point differential: -18.7
There were some real ugly losses during this start, including a whopping 54-point defeat to none other than Philadelphia. This dreadful Cavs squad would not only start the year 0-15, but after their first victory, they then lost their next 12 games. Cleveland finished 15-67.
1949-50 Denver Nuggets, 0-15
Average point differential: -16.7
Before the current iteration of the Nuggets, this version of the Nuggets existed for one NBA season after the National Basketball League was absorbed by the NBA. These games featured a lot of low scores, but that didn’t stop Denver from getting stomped over and over. The Nuggets finished 11-51 and disbanded after the season.
1972-73 Sixers, 0-15
Average point differential: -10.9
This Sixers bunch may have started 0-15 and finished with the most losses in NBA history, but they were often competitive during the losing streak. The first three losses for the season came by a combined 14 points and eight of the losses were single-digits defeats.
2014-15 Sixers, 0-14
Average point differential: -16.0
The Sixers are rebuilding, but much has been made about the shamelessness in their tanking strategy. The roster is littered with players who either wouldn’t play on most other teams or wouldn’t even be in the league, and the NBA tried to pass lottery reform because of what Philadelphia is doing. There have been a few close calls, but there also have been a ton of blowouts, including a 53-point defeat in Dallas.
1996-97 Phoenix Suns, 0-13
Average point differential: -10.4
The Suns team that started 0-13 was much different than the one that finished the year with a record of 40-42. Cotton Fitzsimmons was fired after the first eight losses, and he was replaced by Danny Ainge. Ainge lost his first five games as coach, but after the 0-13 start, the team finished 40-29 to make the postseason. Phoenix was bolstered by the acquisitions of Jason Kidd and Cedric Ceballos, and they led the Seattle SuperSonics 2-1 in the first-round of the postseason before losing the final two games.
2002-03 Memphis Grizzlies, 0-13
Average point differential: -9.8
Not even Pau Gasol could stop the Grizzlies' early season slide. Memphis was mostly competitive, with two overtime losses and only two losses by over 20 points. Hubie Brown took over for Sidney Lowe after eight games, although Brown didn't fare much better. The Grizzlies finished 32-50.
1997-98 Nuggets, 0-12
Average point differential: -9.4
The Nuggets couldn’t really put the ball in the basket, but they kept a lot of games close by keeping the score low. Half of the 12 losses were by four points or less. However, Denver never turned those competitive early losses into any success down the line. The Nuggets started the year 3-40 and finished with a record of 11-71.
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