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It Could be Worse: The Sixers Aren’t as Bad as the Early 90s Mavs, but it’s Close
By Jim Adair
Published:
Much of the talk surrounding the Sixers is that there’s never been a team this bad. Beat writers are saying no one’s ever done the job they’re doing, because no one has ever had to cover a team this helpless. They’re wrong. As Dallas News’ Brad Townsend points out, the 92-94 Mavericks were worse. Much(ish) worse.
Perhaps it is gallows humor that’s leading Philly fans to proudly, though falsely, proclaim the Sixers’ 1-25 start to be the worst in NBA history. Citing the Sixers’ 2-23 start last season, Philly fans also are under the delusion that they are enduring the most ghastly two-season run ever.
Ha! Have fans and the media, in Philadelphia and nationally, forgotten about the 1992-94 Mavericks, who in successive seasons reached the midway mark at 3-38 and 2-39?
Those Dallas teams finished a combined 24-140, shattering the NBA record for fewest wins in back-to-back seasons (29) by the 1986-1988 Clippers
In many ways, those Dallas teams bear an uncanny resemblance to this Sixers squad. Even down to their lottery luck:
In an effort to land Shaquille O’Neal or Alonzo Mourning in the draft, the 1991-92 Mavericks lost 22 of their last 27 games but won their last two and swapped lottery odds with Orlando. The Magic got O’Neal. Dallas got the No. 4 pick, Jim Jackson.
The current Philadelphia team is 0-15 on the road — but still five losses shy of the NBA record for worst start, set by the 1992-93 Mavericks under coach Richie Adubato. That Mavericks team won three of its last six games to avoid tying the 1972-73 Philadelphia team’s NBA-record-worst 9-73 mark.
That Dallas team lost 20 straight at home, still the record, and put together three separate losing streaks of 20, 17 and 16. The Sixers’ loss streak was longer, but at least it was the only big one this season (they’re working on their second now). It’d be great if there was someone who lived through that, who could help advise these young players on how to deal with it. There is, and actually, the Sixers already employ him.
Sean Rooks, the Sixers assistant coach seen in the glasses above, started 28 games for that atrocious Mavericks team. So the next time you start to feel bad for the Sixers players hitting the court, you can feel doubly bad for Rooks. He’s been here before, and he’ll be here again.
When he's not writing about sports here or ranting about them on Twitter, Jim is probably watching X-Files on Netflix or drinking a beer somewhere. Jim has nothing against hockey, it's just not his style. He once met Duce Staley at a Sixers game.