Trying to keep just a little bit of perspective to all the gleeful window jumping going on round here...Thanks to a three-point shooting barrage that reached historic levels, the Spurs dealt the Miami Heat their most lopsided postseason loss, 113-77, the 36-point loss is the largest postseason loss in Miami Heat franchise history. — NBA History (@NBAHistory) June 12, 2013
The ten worst losses in NBA history are moments that some will remember forever, even if they would like to forget. The ten worst losses in NBA history demonstrate nights where one team completely dominated an opponent and then went on to humiliate them. These are the ten worst losses in NBA history.
1. Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Miami Heat on December 17, 1991. This is the worst loss in NBA history. Cleveland beat Miami by 68 points with a score of 148-80. Miami simply did not play defense against Cleveland, and Cleveland took full advantage of that fact, making this one of the ten worst losses in NBA history.
2. Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors on March 20, 1972. This entry on the ten worst losses in NBA history is almost as lopsided as when Cleveland beat Miami. The Los Angeles Lakers dominated the Golden State Warriors with a score of 162-99. Golden State certainly hopes to never lose a game by 67 points again.
3. Philadelphia Warriors vs. New York Knicks on March 2, 1962. The final score of 169-147 is not what made this a bad loss for the New York Knicks. What made this a bad loss was also what made Wilt Chamberlain a legend, as he scored 100 points against the Knicks. Allowing a single player to dominate them so thoroughly easily made this one of the ten worst losses in NBA history.
4. Syracuse Nats vs. New York Knicks on December 25th, 1962. The 1962 New York Knicks were not very good, and Christmas proved it. They suffered the worst loss in franchise history against the Syracuse Nats, losing 162-100 and earning another spot on the ten worst losses in NBA history.
5. Denver Nuggets vs. New Orleans Hornets on April 27, 2009. What made the New Orleans Hornets 121-63 loss to the Denver Nuggets so amazingly atrocious was not just the fact that the Hornets played terribly. It was that the Hornets played that terribly during a playoff game. The 58 point loss tied the mark for the worst loss in playoff history and earns a spot as one of the ten worst losses in NBA history.
6. Minneapolis Lakers vs. St. Louis Hawks on March 19, 1956. 53 years before the Nuggets destroyed the Hornets, the St. Louis Hawks set the mark for pathetic playoff losses. They went down to the Minneapolis Lakers by a score of 133-75.
7. Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Chicago Bulls on November 8, 2001. The Chicago Bulls were still in the post-Michael Jordan blues in 2001, and their young team was not playing good basketball. That was never more apparent than during a a 127-74 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the worst loss in Bulls' history.
8. Detroit Pistons vs. Boston Celtics on January 31, 2003. The Boston Celtics are a proud franchise, which made their 118-66 loss to the Detroit Pistons sting that much more. It also didn't help that former Celtic Chauncey Billups led the Pistons in handing the Celtics one of the worst losses in franchise history.
9. Sacramento Kings vs. Dallas Mavericks on December 29, 1992. This was a sad day for Mavericks fans. They had to witness their franchise's worst defeat in history, a 139-81 drubbing to the Sacramento Kings. That kind of loss earns the Mavericks a place on the list of the ten worst losses in NBA history.
10. San Antonio Spurs vs. Sacramento Kings on April 22, 2006. The Sacramento Kings didn't make it through the ten worst losses in NBA history unscathed. They suffered their own large defeat at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs. They lost 122-88 during this playoff game. There was simply nothing they could do except hang their heads in shame!
"Shit happens." - Forrest Gump
12/8/2013 11:09 PM