The Worst 10 Teams To Ever Make The NBA Playoffs

The NBA Finals are now once again set to go. The Steph Curry-led Golden State Warriors are set to return to the Finals in an attempt to score their first championship since 2018. Standing in their way is the fierce Boston Celtics, led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

It's a perfect NBA Finals to cap off an incredibly fun playoff, featuring incredible squads and teams. Sadly for fans, this year isn't always the case in regard to great talent. While many assume that if a team makes the playoffs they have to be good, that is far from the case.

10 2013 Milwaukee Bucks

NBA: Denver Nuggets at Milwaukee Bucks — © Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

The 2013 Milwaukee Bucks are mostly a meme in NBA history. The team made their way into the playoffs sporting a 38-44 record and lacked any real massive playmakers on the team. They had some decent players such as an older Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings, but they weren't good.

It was actually the latter Jennings, who had this team etched in history. Prior to their first-round matchup with the defending champions Miami Heat, he predicted that the team would win in six. Instead, they were destroyed and swept in four games.

9 1960 Minneapolis Lakers

One year before the Lakers were in Los Angeles, they were one of the worst playoff teams ever in Minneapolis. The team led by Elgin Baylor had an incredible 25-50 record in the regular season but somehow made the playoffs.

The team was actually able to win their first playoff series, defeating the Detroit Pistons. However, they were eliminated by the St. Louis Hawks in six games to end their season.

8 2020 Brooklyn Nets

NBA: Playoffs-Toronto Raptors at Brooklyn Nets — © Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

When looking at the Brooklyn Nets on paper, they're not a bad team. However, it was injuries to most of their team, that led them back into the playoffs with a 35-37 record. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of their squad opted not to return for the season, and they were already missing Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant due to injury.

What resulted was a lot of replacement players playing for the team in the playoffs. Roughly half their squad in the playoffs were players signed as replacements. To the shock of nobody, this squad got absolutely smashed in the opening round by the Milwaukee Bucks.

7 2004 Boston Celtics

NBA: Indiana Pacers at Boston Celtics — © Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Just four years before the Boston Celtics were NBA champions sporting a big three comprising of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen, they were a mediocre team at best. With only Pierce on their 2004 squad, the team suffered more than a few injuries as they went 36-46 in the regular season.

The team finished out well enough to make the playoffs as the eighth seed. However, they were quickly swept by the Indiana Pacers in the opening round to end their season.

6 1968 Chicago Bulls

Before the Bulls were led by Carlos Boozer in the early 2010s, they were led by Bob Boozer in the 60s. However, unlike those Bulls team at the start of the 2010s, the Boozer-led squad of the 60s was terrible. Despite that, they made the playoffs one year, in 1968.

The team somehow made the playoffs in 1968 sporting a 29-53 regular season record. To the surprise of nobody, they were eliminated in the opening round by the Los Angeles Lakers.

5 1988 San Antonio Spurs

The 1988 San Antonio Spurs were the first year with future NBA champion David Robinson on the roster. However, he didn't actually play due to his service in the navy. With the future superstar not yet on the team, the Spurs tried to essentially coast by with Alvin Robertson and not much else.

For his part, Robertson was given All-Star honors for this season, and the team even made the playoffs. However, they made the playoffs holding a 31-51 record, and it wasn't a shock when they were swept by the Los Angeles Lakers to end their season.

4 1995 Boston Celtics

The 1995 Boston Celtics were led by the aging superstar Dominique Wilkins, and a cast of rookies and bench players. The team hoped that they would get enough out of the former All-Star to get some success, and they did in the way of making it to the postseason.

However, making it wasn't easy. The team squeaked into the playoffs holding a 35-47 record and was quickly eliminated by the Orlando Magic in the opening round.

3 2020 Orlando Magic

Yeah, 2020 wasn't a great year for the eastern conference. The conference had another terrible team make the playoffs, as the eighth seed was the Orlando Magic. Led by Nikola Vucevic and Evan Fournier, they were a young team without much of an identity.

They fell into the playoffs holding a 33-40 record. The team was able to steal a game off the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks but was still eliminated in five games.

2 1986 Chicago Bulls

It's easy to forget, but the Chicago Bulls weren't automatically good when Michael Jordan arrived. Going into the 1986 season the team had high hopes though. They acquired free agents Charles Oakley, George Gervin, and John Paxson.

However, an injury to Michael Jordan essentially blew up their hopes of a championship. The team somehow made the playoffs with an abysmal 30-52 record but were swept by the Boston Celtics to end their season.

1 1953 Baltimore Bullets

The 1953 Baltimore Bullets aren't just the worst team to make the playoffs in NBA history, they are arguably the worst team to ever make the playoffs in sports history overall. The team somehow made the playoffs holding an incredible 16-54 record.

Their .229 winning percentage is the lowest of any team in the four major North American leagues to make the playoffs. They were destroyed by the New York Knicks as they were swept to end their year. The team was folded two seasons later.