Washington Wizards: John Wall and Co. and 10 Worst Road Records In NBA History
The biggest story in the NBA these days not involving Carmelo Anthony or the Miami Heat is the ineptitude of a few teams. In particular, the Cleveland Cavaliers have captured headlines by capturing and extending the NBA record for consecutive losses. Another, less publicized streak, is the Washington Wizards and their 0-25 record on the road this season.
The Wizards have managed to further evade relevance with their streak despite having the third longest such streak in NBA history.
It is understandable for most teams to feel most comfortable at home, but some teams can't translate that comfort into any sort of success on the road. Sometimes, the opposite is true and teams win on the road more than they do at home. Most would argue that championship teams can win on the road and at home, which explains the lack of champions on this list.
Here is a look at 10 of the most lopsided home-road record splits in NBA history.
2010-2011 Washington Wizards
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Before the season started, the Washington Wizards made headlines by lucking into the first overall pick in the 2010 Draft. Stories of then recently passed owner Abe Pollin offering one more helping hand from above were plentiful. That pick was used on point guard John Wall, and many rejoiced at the notion that he would do for Washington what Derrick Rose has done for Chicago.
The Wizards have yet to capture that type of resurgence, and this season is proving more difficult than others even with the influx of youth on the roster.
Looking at the Wizards 14-12 home record would give the false impression that they are merely a middle-of-the-road team on the fringe of a playoff spot. The opposite couldn't be more true as they are 0-25, and counting, on the road, hold the third worst record in the East and fifth worst record overall.
Washington will put that streak on the line when they head to Cleveland to face the 27-game losing streak of the Cavaliers. .
10) 2009-2010 New Jersey Nets
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Because it is still fresh in everyone's minds, perhaps it is too soon to log this one away in the annals of NBA incompetency. Nevertheless, the New Jersey Nets quickly established themselves as the worst team in the NBA with their 12-win season from 2009-2010. On paper, the team didn't seem so bad, with budding stars Brook Lopez and Devin Harris coming into their own. What the team did during the season was nothing short of abysmal.
In a bit of irony, the Nets ended up with the third overall pick in the 2010 draft despite having the worst record in the NBA last season.
The Nets finished the season last in the NBA in points per game and field goal percentage, while struggling to rebound and shoot the three. They were 8-33 at home and 4-37 on the road for the season and had losing streaks of 10-games (twice) and 18-games, including a 12-game road losing streak to start the season.
9) 2000-2001 Chicago Bulls
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If you talk about the Bulls from 20 years ago, you're talking about Michael Jordan. If you talk about the Bulls these days, you're talking about Derrick Rose. Somewhere in between lies the 2000-2001 Chicago Bulls who won all of 15 games on the year and failed to do justice to the previous decade's dominance.
What else would you expect from a team comprised of Elton Brand, Ron Artest and eight rookies?
Along with Ron Harper, Brand and Artest were responsible for more than 50 points per night, while the Bulls averaged just 87.6 points per game for the season. They were last in the league in rebounding, points and points per game, as well as ranking 27th in field goal percentage. It was evident that that Bulls still had not recovered from the entire Jordan-era roster leaving town after their 1997-1998 NBA Championship.
The Bulls finished the season with a home record of 10-31 and a road record of 5-36, with losing streaks of 9- and 16-games during the season, which included an 8-game road losing streak to start the season.
8) 2007-2008 Miami Heat
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Before LeBron James and Chris Bosh descended on Miami, there was only Dwyane Wade. Just two years removed from their championship season, the Miami Heat fell on hard times. Wade played just 49 games in 2007 and it showed in the 15-67 season record the Heat mustered. Even with Wade in the line-up, the team was unable to win because he was rarely at 100-percent.
Without the presence of Wade at his best night in and night out, the Heat were doomed to fall from grace and tally one of the NBA's worst records. A mid-season swap with Phoenix to bring Shawn Marion to Miami for Shaquille O'Neal did little to improve the team's fortunes.
Miami finished the season with a home record of 9-33 and a road record of 6-36 with losing streaks of 9- and 15-games during the season.
7) 1996-1997 Vancouver Grizzlies
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What can be said about a franchise that has just four winning seasons in it's still early existence? The 1996-1997 iteration of the Vancouver Grizzlies included a head coaching change and a lot of losing. This team currently has the third-longest losing streak in NBA history behind the current Cleveland Cavaliers and their stretch between the 81-82 and 82-83 seasons.
It says something about a franchise when they fail to outperform their first season showing from 1995-1996.
Even Shareef Abdur-Rahim's hot career start wasn't enough to save Vancouver from inevitable failure. The team finished the season with a home record of 8-33 at home and 6-36 on the road, including losing streaks of 9- and 15-games and a 13-game road losing streak. Proof that young franchises are rarely successful.
6) 2004-2005 Atlanta Hawks
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The 2004-2005 Atlanta Hawks are a prime example of how not to build a franchise. They had the talented youth of Josh Childress, Al Harrington and Josh Smith as the future of the franchise, but didn't surround them with any sort of veteran leadership. Antoine Walker was not leader and Kevin Willis was 42 when the Hawks limped him back onto the court.
It comes as no surprise that the 04-05 Hawks were only able to win 13 games and the worst record in the NBA that season.
Atlanta was one of the worst teams in the NBA in terms of statistics, though they were only last in the league in three-point percentage. They finished the season 4-37 on the road and 9-32 at home, including losing streaks of 9-, 13- and 14-games. At point during the season, they had lost 23-straight road games and proved to be worse off than anyone could have predicted in terms of competitiveness.
5) 1986-1987 Los Angeles Clippers
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There is a reason that the Los Angeles Clippers have long been considered the purgatory of the NBA. In the franchise's 41-year history, they have only finished with a winning record seven times. The 1986-1987 Clippers have the lowest winning percentage in franchise history, and set the bar for decades of futility dotted with sporadic success.
Blake Griffin may offer a bright future now, but the likes of Mike Woodson, Michael Cage and Larry Drew were not enough to build success 25 years ago.
The 86-87 Clippers managed losing streaks of 12-, 14- and 16-games during the season, having lost 17-straight road games to close the season. They finished 3-38 on the road and 8-33 at home, and hold the seventh longest losing streak in NBA history at 17.
4) 1997-1998 Denver Nuggets
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The Denver Nuggets haven't always been about Carmelo Anthony and will-they or won't-they trade talk. There was a time when they were simply a bad basketball team. The 1997-1998 edition of the Nuggets tied the Mavericks second-lowest win total with 11 andย
Here's a brain teaser: What do the 2009-2010 New Jersey Nets and the 1997-1998 Denver Nuggets have in common?ย Tony Battie.
Not that he played a particularly integral role in either team's lack of success, but his presence doesn't exactly inspire confidence these days (look out Philadelphia). The 97-98 Nuggets were second best in the NBA in free throw percentage, but near the bottom of the league in nearly every other relevant statistic. They started the season 0-22 on the road before claiming their first road win against the Clippers.
The Nuggets went 2-39 on the road and 9-32 at home during the season, including losing streaks of 12-, 16- and 23-games. Bill Hanzlik's 11-71 mark is the worst ever for a rookie head coach in the NBA.
3) 1992-1993 Dallas Mavericks
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The 90s were a rough time for the Dallas Mavericks, who failed to record a winning record from the 1991 season until the 2000-2001 season. The 1992-1993 season is the lowest point for the Mavs during that stretch, having managed just 11 wins on the season. Dirk Nowitzki wouldn't reach Dallas until 1998, and the road to their current success was not a pretty one.
The terrible season claimed the job of two head coaches by the time it was over, and produced the second lowest win total in NBA history.
The 92-93 Mavericks were near the bottom of the league in almost every notable category except personal fouls, where they were first by virtue being very good at fouling the most. They finished the season with home record of 8-33 and a road record of 3-38, including 29-straight road losses to start the season.
Even with Derek Harper, arguably one of the best players to never make an All-Star game, the Mavericks could not find any consistency outside of losing with regularity. This team holds the second longest road losing streak at 29.
2) 1972-1973 Philadelphia 76ers
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NBA historians generally agree that the '72-'73 Sixers were the worst team in NBA history. They are the only team in history to compile single-digit wins and predictably recorded the fewest road wins ever by an NBA franchise. They finished the season with a record of 9-73, winning just two games on the road and two neutral site games.
They didn't claim their first win until the 16th game of the season, and compiled losing streaks of 13-games, 15-games (twice) and 20-games.
They finished the season with a home record of 5-26 and a road record of 2-36. They were 2-11 in neutral-site games, though seven of the games were played in Pennsylvania.
1) 1990-1991 Sacramento Kings
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The 1990-1991 Sacramento Kings don't have the blatantly awful record that most of the teams on this list boast, but they do have sole possession of the longest road losing streak in NBA history for a single season and overall. From November 21, 1990 to November 22, 1991, the Kings did not win a single road game.
That's one year and 43 losses on the road, making the Kings the most futile franchise in terms of play away from home.
Between the 90-91 and 91-92 seasons, the Kings won just 54 games but for nearly the entire 90-91 season they couldn't get it done on the road. Their longest losing streak that season was just 9-games long, which is hardly the 13-, 15- and sometimes 20-game losing streaks others have compiled before and since then. The Kings finished the 90-91 season 24-17 at home and 1-40 on the road.ย
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