When the 62-win Jazz followed a Game 2 loss with a 96-54 setback to the Bulls in the 1998 NBA Finals, Utah coach Jerry Sloan offered a blunt assessment:
If that was the case, what should we say about these Warriors?
We’ve never seen anything like Golden State, which won a record 73 games. So, obviously, we’ve never seen a team so good lose so badly in the playoffs – by a combined 52 points in its last two games.
We’ve also never seen a 67-win team stumble so badly in consecutive postseason games. Or a 65-win team. Or even a 60-win team.
In NBA history, 85 teams have won 60 games in a season or the equivalent with a shorter schedule. None had lost consecutive playoff games by a combined 50 points until the best of the bunch – the 73-9 Warriors – did it Games 3 and 4 of the 2016 Western Conference finals.
Golden State’s 133-105 and 118-94 losses to the Thunder undercut the 1998 Jazz, who lost by a combined 47 in their two games against Chicago.
The next-best team to lose consecutive playoff games by 52 was the 2014 Thunder, who went 59-23 and dropped 122-105 and112-77 contests to the Spurs.
Here’s every team that won at least 60 games or the equivalent with a shorter schedule, sorted by record, with the point margin of its worst two-game stretch in the playoffs:
| Team | Worst consecutive playoff games | Net PTS |
| 2016 GSW (73-9) | OKC 133, GSW 105; OKC 118, GSW 94 | -52 |
| 1996 CHI (72-10) | SEA 107, CHI 86; SEA 89, CHI 78 | -32 |
| 1997 CHI (69-13) | UTA 104, CHI 93; UTA 78, CHI 73 | -16 |
| 1972 LAL (69-13) | LAL 108, MIL 105; MIL 114, LAL 88 | -23 |
| 1967 PHI (68-13) | SFW 117, PHI 109; PHI 125, SFW 122 | -5 |
| 1973 BOS (68-14) | NYK 129, BOS 96; NYK 98, BOS 91 | -40 |
| 2016 SAS (67-15) | OKC 111, SAS 97; OKC 95, SAS 911 | -18 |
| 2015 GSW (67-15) | MEM 97, GSW 90; MEM 99, GSW 89 | -17 |
| 2007 DAL (67-15) | GSW 109, DAL 91; GSW 103, DAL 99 | -22 |
| 2000 LAL (67-15) | LAL 120, IND 118; IND 120, LAL 87 | -31 |
| 1992 CHI (67-15) | CLE 107, CHI 81; CHI 105, CLE 96 | -17 |
| 1986 BOS (67-15) | BOS 106, HOU 103; HOU 111, BOS 96 | -12 |
| 1947 WSC (49-11) | CHS 81, WSC 65; CHS 69, WSC 53 | -32 |
| 2013 MIA (66-16) | SAS 113, MIA 77; MIA 109, SAS 93 | -20 |
| 2009 CLE (66-16) | ORL 99, CLE 89; ORL 116, CLE 114 | -12 |
| 2008 BOS (66-16) | CLE 108, BOS 84; CLE 88, BOS 77 | -35 |
| 1971 MIL (66-16) | MIL 91, LAL 73; LAL 118, MIL 107 | 7 |
| 1950 SYR (51-13) | MNL 91, SYR 77; MNL 77, SYR 69 | -22 |
| 2009 LAL (65-17) | LAL 103, DEN 97; DEN 120, LAL 101 | -13 |
| 1987 LAL (65-17) | LAL 107, BOS 106; BOS 123, LAL 108 | -14 |
| 1983 PHI (65-17) | PHI 104, MIL 96; MIL 100, PHI 94 | 2 |
| 1960 BOS (59-16) | PHW 128, BOS 107; BOS 119, PHW 117 | -19 |
| 2006 DET (64-18) | MIA 98, DET 83; MIA 89, DET 78 | -26 |
| 1997 UTA (64-18) | HOU 118, UTA 100; HOU 95, UTA 92 | -21 |
| 1996 SEA (64-18) | UTA 98, SEA 95; UTA 98, SEA 95 | -6 |
| 1965 BOS (62-18) | BOS 129, LAL 123; LAL 126, BOS 105 | -15 |
| 2006 SAS (63-19) | DAL 113, SAS 91; DAL 104, SAS 103 | -23 |
| 1994 SEA (63-19) | DEN 110, SEA 93; DEN 94, SEA 85 | -26 |
| 1991 POR (63-19) | LAL 106, POR 92; LAL 116, POR 95 | -35 |
| 1990 LAL (63-19) | PHO 117, LAL 103; PHO 114, LAL 101 | -27 |
| 1989 DET (63-19) | DET 96, MIL 94; MIL 94, DET 88 | -4 |
| 1985 BOS (63-19) | LAL 109, BOS 102; LAL 136, BOS 111 | -32 |
| 1982 BOS (63-19) | PHI 99, BOS 97; PHI 119, BOS 94 | -27 |
| 1972 MIL (63-19) | LAL 115, MIL 90; LAL 104, MIL 100 | -29 |
| 2012 SAS (50-16) | OKC 102, SAS 82; OKC 109, SAS 103 | -26 |
| 2012 CHI (50-16) | PHI 109, CHI 92; PHI 79, CHI 74 | -22 |
| 2014 SAS (62-20) | OKC 106, SAS 97; OKC 105, SAS 92 | -22 |
| 2011 CHI (62-20) | MIA 85, CHI 75; MIA 96, CHI 85 | -21 |
| 2009 BOS (62-20) | ORL 83, BOS 75; ORL 101, BOS 82 | -27 |
| 2005 PHO (62-20) | SAS 111, PHO 108; SAS 102, PHO 92 | -13 |
| 1998 UTA (62-20) | CHI 93, UTA 88; CHI 96, UTA 54 | -47 |
| 1998 CHI (62-20) | IND 107, CHI 105; IND 96, CHI 94 | -4 |
| 1995 SAS (62-20) | HOU 111, SAS 90; HOU 100, SAS 95 | -26 |
| 1993 PHO (62-20) | SAS 111, PHO 96; SAS 117, PHO 103 | -29 |
| 1988 LAL (62-20) | DET 111, LAL 86; DET 104, LAL 94 | -35 |
| 1986 LAL (62-20) | HOU 112, LAL 102; HOU 117, LAL 1092 | -18 |
| 1985 LAL (62-20) | BOS 148, LAL 114; LAL 109, BOS 102 | -27 |
| 1984 BOS (62-20) | BOS 124, LAL 121; LAL 137, BOS 104 | -30 |
| 1981 BOS (62-20) | PHI 110, BOS 100; PHI 107, BOS 105 | -12 |
| 1981 PHI (62-20) | BOS 109, PHI 86; PHI 99, BOS 98 | -22 |
| 1968 PHI (62-20) | BOS 122, PHI 104; BOS 114, PHI 106 | -26 |
| 1962 BOS (60-20) | LAL 129, BOS 122; LAL 117, BOS 115 | -9 |
| 1950 ROC (51-17) | MNL 78, ROC 76; MNL 90, ROC 84 | -8 |
| 1950 MNL (51-17) | MNL 68, SYR 66; SYR 91, MNL 85 | -4 |
| 1949 ROC (45-15) | MNL 80, ROC 79; MNL 67, ROC 55 | -13 |
| 2011 SAS (61-21) | MEM 91, SAS 88; MEM 104, SAS 86 | -21 |
| 2010 CLE (61-21) | BOS 97, CLE 87; BOS 120, CLE 88 | -42 |
| 2007 PHO (61-21) | SAS 88, PHO 85; SAS 114, PHO 106 | -11 |
| 2004 IND (61-21) | DET 83, IND 65; DET 69, IND 65 | -22 |
| 2002 SAC (61-21) | LAL 106, SAC 102; LAL 112, SAC 106 | -10 |
| 1998 SEA (61-21) | LAL 92, SEA 68; LAL 119, SEA 103 | -40 |
| 1998 LAL (61-21) | UTA 112, LAL 77; UTA 99, LAL 95 | -39 |
| 1997 MIA (61-21) | CHI 75, MIA 68; CHI 98, MIA 74 | -31 |
| 1991 CHI (61-21) | CHI 112, PHI 100; PHI 99, CHI 97 | 10 |
| 1980 BOS (61-21) | PHI 102, BOS 90; PHI 105, BOS 94 | -23 |
| 1967 BOS (60-21) | BOS 121, PHI 117; PHI 140, BOS 116 | -20 |
| 1999 UTA (37-13) | POR 97, UTA 87; POR 81, UTA 75 | -16 |
| 1999 SAS (37-13) | NYK 89, SAS 81; SAS 96, NYK 89 | -1 |
| 1964 BOS (59-21) | SFW 115, BOS 91; BOS 98, SFW 95 | -21 |
| 1949 MNL (44-16) | WSC 83, MNL 71; WSC 74, MNL 65 | -21 |
| 2015 ATL (60-22) | CLE 114, ATL 111; CLE 118, ATL 88 | -33 |
| 2013 OKC (60-22) | MEM 99, OKC 93; MEM 87, OKC 813 | -12 |
| 2006 DAL (60-22) | MIA 98, DAL 96; MIA 98, DAL 74 | -26 |
| 2003 DAL (60-22) | POR 103, DAL 99; POR 125, DAL 103 | -26 |
| 2003 SAS (60-22) | LAL 110, SAS 95; LAL 99, SAS 95 | -19 |
| 1996 ORL (60-22) | CHI 121, ORL 83; CHI 93, ORL 88 | -43 |
| 1995 UTA (60-22) | HOU 123, UTA 106; HOU 95, UTA 91 | -21 |
| 1993 NYK (60-22) | CHI 103, NYK 83; CHI 105, NYK 95 | -30 |
| 1981 MIL (60-22) | MIL 109, PHI 98; PHI 116, MIL 99 | -6 |
| 1980 LAL (60-22) | LAL 108, PHO 105; PHO 127, LAL 101 | -23 |
| 1975 BOS (60-22) | WSB 100, BOS 95; WSB 117, BOS 92 | -30 |
| 1975 WSB (60-22) | GSW 92, WSB 91; GSW 109, WSB 1014 | -9 |
| 1973 MIL (60-22) | GSW 100, MIL 97; GSW 100, MIL 86 | -17 |
| 1973 LAL (60-22) | CHI 96, LAL 86; CHI 98, LAL 945 | -14 |
| 1970 NYK (60-22) | BAL 127, NYK 113; BAL 102, NYK 92 | -24 |
1. Lost next game, 113-99
2. Lost next game, 103-98
3. Lost the next game, 103-97.
4. Lost the next game, 96-95
5. Also lost to the Knicks, 103-98 and 102-93