The Portland Trail Blazers And Losing Streaks

by Ben Golliver on Dec 4, 2010 7:08 PM PST in News

The Portland Trail Blazers haven't had a six-game losing streak since their dismal 2005-2006 campaign, when the team finished 21-61, with an 11-game losing streak and four (!) separate six-game losing streaks along the way.

In 2006-2007, the longest losing streak was five games. In 2007-2008, the longest losing streak was five games (on three separate occasions). In 2008-2009, the longest losing streak was three games. In 2009-2010, the longest losing streak was three games.

This chart is a quick look at the Western Conference playoff teams from the last five years. The teams are listed in seed order, accompanied by their regular season win totals and their longest losing streaks of the year.

As you can see, there wasn't a single Western Conference team that suffered a six-game losing streak and still qualified for the playoffs in either of the last two seasons.

But, in 2007-2008, both the Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets made it to the playoffs with six-game losing streaks. In 2006-2007, the weakest overall year for the conference during the past five seasons, the Los Angeles Lakers qualified with a seven-game losing streak and the Golden State Warriors qualified with a six-game losing streak.

In total, that makes four times in the past four seasons that Western Conference teams have qualified for the playoffs after enduring a six-game slide.

As for Portland and the playoffs this season? On the bright side, teams have been where Portland is right now and survived to make the post-season before. So this isn't unchartered water and the playoffs aren't yet an impossible dream. But it doesn't happen very often, especially when the conference is deep with talented teams, as it presumably is again this season.

Despite their ongoing six-game slide, the Blazers are currently tied with the Warriors for 9th place in the Western Conference with a record of 8-11, two games behind the Phoenix Suns, who are the No. 8 seed. (As of this writing.)

All numbers courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.

-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter

Tweet Comment 10 comments | 1 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

More important than the length and number of losing streaks

is who each team lost to during the streaks, how well they were playing as a team, and whether injuries were a factor and if so how much.

The Blazers have rolled snake-eyes on all of those factors.

by MiledAnimal on Dec 4, 2010 7:22 PM PST reply actions

That's very informative, thanks.

As an aside, it’s “uncharted” not “unchartered” (he said pedantically).

"...the rumblings grew louder. Dribble. Dribble. Fake. Dribble. Fake. Shoot. ...a towering dark shadow too terrible to describe. In its hand it held a huge black globe and on its chest was written in cruel runes, 'Villanova.' 'Aiyee,' shouted Legolam. 'A ballhog!'"

by ShelbyC on Dec 4, 2010 7:23 PM PST via mobile reply actions

A further aside, it's a table, not a chart.

by PNW on Dec 4, 2010 9:09 PM PST up reply actions

Hollinger's computer currently has us at a 24.8% chance of making the playoffs

Down from 55% a week ago

by Norsktroll on Dec 4, 2010 7:26 PM PST reply actions

These are some really good, (slightly depressing) numbers.

Numerically Blazers Edge is #25

by Outlaw is Rejector on Dec 4, 2010 8:43 PM PST reply actions

Tank the season and hope for Kyrie Irving

Obviously don’t throw the season, but give time to youngsters and if you can make a deal for picks to give up a vet then do it.

Only thing worse than a ceiling of first round playoff team is being a low lottery pick team. Teams like the Pacers, Bucks, Raptors (until this year), Rockets and Grizzlies are constantly stuck in a position where they are just good enough to not ever have a chance to get a player who will take them to the next level. I really don’t want us to fall into that same trap.

If we don’t have a championship squad, and with no Oden and a declining Roy we don’t, I don’t see the point of fighting our way to a 42-40 record and the 13th pick in the draft.

by AndrewD on Dec 4, 2010 9:01 PM PST reply actions 1 recs

Agree. Maybe this is a good time for Brandon to look into MF surgery and long term intensive pshycho therapy.

Give the team over to the youngsters…let them learn.
Let Brandon heal.

by Natsthecat on Dec 5, 2010 9:29 AM PST up reply actions

So the sooner we get rid of Nate and get a new coach the sooner we can get back on track.....right?

What the heck. I thought I would throw that out there……

They say the Chinese character for "crisis" is the exact same as that for "opportunity". This means the Doberman of Destiny has just visited the Blazers' house and left a big, fat, stinkin' pile of opportunity on their living room rug. - Dave

by LaMarvelous on Dec 4, 2010 9:13 PM PST reply actions

The west sucks badly enough we might make the playoffs w/ 40 wins.

Which would be the kiss of death.

We need to can Nate, bring in an interim coach, trade Miller and Camby while we can still get good value out of them and they have value to potential contenders, start collecting draft picks, play the youngsters, and hope for a high lotto pick.

by mjswoosh on Dec 5, 2010 12:54 AM PST reply actions

Just making the playoffs...

only to get bounced out in the first round again isn’t good enough. Far better to get back into the lottery and see if we have better luck this time. We made the playoffs year after year in the late 70’s and most of the 80’s only to lose every year in the first round. It was a really bad time to be a Blazer fan!

by kuhnsmith on Dec 5, 2010 10:19 AM PST reply actions