NBA Team Playoff Series Records
So you are wondering, which NBA teams have been the most dominant, or have experienced the most playoff agony in the past decade.
Or how about this for a trivia question to stump your friends: which five NBA teams didn't win a single playoff series over the last TEN SEASONS?
You can order the teams into four basic groups:
- "Dominants" -- have won 10+ series (so average 1+ per year)...seven teams, five with a title
- "In contention" -- won 5 to 8 series, but with the exception of the Mavericks, never won a title, and only Orlando of the rest made the finals
- "Glass Ceilings" -- won 2 to 4 series...ten teams, none made the finals, four made a conference finals
- "Tough Decade" -- won 0 to 1 playoff series...eight teams, three only made the playoffs once in the last ten years...and Sacramento with the league's longest drought at 12 years straight missing the postseason
10 seasons: 2008-09 through 2017-18
| Team |
Series
Wins |
Series
Losses |
Last Win
(Yrs) |
Playoff% |
Last Playoffs
(Yrs) |
Titles |
| Golden State |
16 |
3 |
1 |
60% |
1 |
3 |
| Cleveland |
16 |
5 |
1 |
60% |
1 |
1 |
| Miami |
15 |
6 |
3 |
80% |
1 |
2 |
| San Antonio |
13 |
9 |
2 |
100% |
1 |
1 |
| Boston |
11 |
9 |
1 |
90% |
1 |
|
| LA Lakers |
10 |
3 |
9 |
50% |
6 |
2 |
| Oklahoma City |
10 |
8 |
3 |
80% |
1 |
|
| Atlanta |
6 |
9 |
3 |
90% |
2 |
|
| Houston |
6 |
7 |
1 |
70% |
1 |
|
| Dallas |
5 |
6 |
8 |
70% |
3 |
1 |
| Indiana |
5 |
7 |
5 |
70% |
1 |
|
| Orlando |
5 |
4 |
9 |
40% |
7 |
|
| Toronto |
4 |
5 |
1 |
50% |
1 |
|
| Chicago |
4 |
8 |
4 |
80% |
2 |
|
| Memphis |
4 |
7 |
4 |
70% |
2 |
|
| LA Clippers |
3 |
6 |
4 |
60% |
2 |
|
| Utah |
3 |
5 |
1 |
50% |
1 |
|
| Washington |
3 |
4 |
2 |
40% |
1 |
|
| Denver |
2 |
5 |
10 |
50% |
6 |
|
| Philadelphia |
2 |
4 |
1 |
40% |
1 |
|
| Phoenix |
2 |
1 |
9 |
10% |
9 |
|
| Portland |
2 |
8 |
3 |
80% |
1 |
|
| New York |
1 |
3 |
6 |
30% |
6 |
|
| New Orleans |
1 |
4 |
1 |
40% |
1 |
|
| Brooklyn (NJ) |
1 |
3 |
5 |
30% |
4 |
|
| Charlotte |
0 |
3 |
(0/14) |
30% |
3 |
|
| Detroit |
0 |
2 |
11 |
20% |
3 |
|
| Milwaukee |
0 |
5 |
18 |
50% |
1 |
|
| Minnesota |
0 |
1 |
15 |
10% |
1 |
|
| Sacramento |
0 |
0 |
13 |
0% |
13 |
|
...the good news is the last time we looked at these numbers (after '11-12, see: Playoffs Futility 2012), there were four teams on 11+ year droughts for winning a playoff series...all four got one in the ensuing six seasons! Have hope ye downtrodden!
Playoff Outcomes over 10-year Span
| Team |
Lottery |
1st
Round |
2nd
Round |
Conf.
Final |
Runner
Up |
Champion |
50+ Wins
(season) |
50+ Loss
(season) |
| Golden State |
4 |
1 |
1 |
|
1 |
3 |
5 |
3 |
| Cleveland |
4 |
|
1 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
6 |
3 |
| Miami |
2 |
3 |
1 |
|
2 |
2 |
4 |
0 |
| San Antonio |
0 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
9 |
0 |
| Boston |
1 |
3 |
2 |
3 |
1 |
|
5 |
1 |
| LA Lakers |
5 |
1 |
2 |
|
|
2 |
4 |
4 |
| Oklahoma City |
2 |
3 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
|
6 |
1 |
| Atlanta |
1 |
4 |
4 |
1 |
|
|
2 |
1 |
| Houston |
3 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
|
|
5 |
0 |
| Dallas |
3 |
5 |
1 |
|
|
1 |
4 |
1 |
| Indiana |
3 |
4 |
1 |
2 |
|
|
2 |
1 |
| Orlando |
6 |
2 |
|
1 |
1 |
|
3 |
5 |
| Chicago |
2 |
5 |
2 |
1 |
|
|
3 |
1 |
| Memphis |
3 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
|
|
4 |
2 |
| LA Clippers |
4 |
3 |
3 |
|
|
|
5 |
3 |
| Toronto |
5 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
|
|
3 |
2 |
| Utah |
5 |
2 |
3 |
|
|
|
2 |
1 |
| Washington |
6 |
1 |
3 |
|
|
|
0 |
5 |
| Denver |
5 |
4 |
|
1 |
|
|
4 |
1 |
| Philadelphia |
6 |
2 |
2 |
|
|
|
1 |
5 |
| Phoenix |
9 |
|
|
1 |
|
|
1 |
4 |
| Portland |
2 |
6 |
2 |
|
|
|
4 |
0 |
| New York |
7 |
2 |
1 |
|
|
|
1 |
6 |
| New Orleans |
6 |
3 |
1 |
|
|
|
0 |
3 |
| Brooklyn (NJ) |
7 |
2 |
1 |
|
|
|
0 |
6 |
| Charlotte |
7 |
3 |
|
|
|
|
0 |
2 |
| Detroit |
8 |
2 |
|
|
|
|
0 |
5 |
| Milwaukee |
5 |
5 |
|
|
|
|
0 |
1 |
| Minnesota |
9 |
1 |
|
|
|
|
0 |
7 |
| Sacramento |
10 |
|
|
|
|
|
0 |
9 |
|
