# Wow. Cavs now own NBA's all-time losing streak **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 6, 2011, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-cavs-now-own-nbas-all-time-losing-streak/570369 "2011-02-06T05:06:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-cavs-now-own-nbas-all-time-losing-streak/570369/41 "2011-02-10T02:31:06Z")
Detroit 104, Cleveland 93. The skid is at 26, and only the Clippers can prevent the Cavs and the Wizards battle of losing streaks. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-cavs-now-own-nbas-all-time-losing-streak/570369/42 "2011-02-10T03:57:02Z")
The 26th loss in a row ties them for longest streak in any major professional American sport. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost the first 26 games in their existence. Cleveland also has the longest Major League Baseball streak: 24 games by the 1899 Cleveland Spiders in the last year of their existence. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-cavs-now-own-nbas-all-time-losing-streak/570369/43 "2011-02-10T05:14:32Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > Cleveland also has the longest Major League Baseball streak: 24 games by the 1899 Cleveland Spiders in the last year of their existence. ESPN says the 1889 Louisville Colonels also lost 26 games in a row. (Wikipedia agrees.) That’s not even considered the modern era of baseball: at the time, the pitcher’s mound was 50 feet from the plate, and 1889 was the first season where a batter could be walked with only four pitches out of the strike zone. I guess that’s good news for Cleveland if they don’t have the baseball record, too, but even though the Clippers are a bad road team you have to expect them to beat the Cavs - which would give them the “record.” ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-cavs-now-own-nbas-all-time-losing-streak/570369/44 "2011-02-10T14:45:44Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I guess that’s good news for Cleveland if they don’t have the baseball record, too… I wouldn’t put it past the Indians to match that record this year. Unfortunately for Cleveland, the Tribe will also royally suck. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-cavs-now-own-nbas-all-time-losing-streak/570369/45 "2011-02-10T14:47:07Z")
If the Cavs are going to suck, there’s no point in not sucking the worst ever. If they lose out the rest of the season, they’ll beat the Sixers’ record 9-73 mark. After that, they can go after the Prairie View college football record of 80 straight losses. [Link](http://espn.go.com/page2/s/list/colfootball/teams/worst.html) ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-cavs-now-own-nbas-all-time-losing-streak/570369/46 "2011-02-10T14:52:33Z")
It’s especially impressive that they’ve managed this streak while playing in a division with only one decent team. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-cavs-now-own-nbas-all-time-losing-streak/570369/47 "2011-02-10T15:00:03Z")
The world sports record is still up for grabs. I’m not sure what the world record for every single sport in every single top national league might be, but [Melbourne University’s Aussie Rules team’s 51-game losing streak](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melbourne_University_Football_Club) has to be up there. Prairie View’s losing streak isn’t close to the longest one in college sports. Cal Tech’s baseball team lost [163 straight games](http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/16/sports/ncaabasketball/16caltech.html?_r=1) at one point. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-cavs-now-own-nbas-all-time-losing-streak/570369/48 "2011-02-10T15:05:48Z")
The thing that amazes me is that the Cavs have managed to lose their way through almost a third of an 82-game season without interruption. I know the Buccaneers didn’t win a game for almost two seasons in a row, but that seems “easier” in that you get fewer chances to win a game in the NFL and individual games are more important. And of course those Bucs were an expansion team. The Wizards are terrible on the road, but they’re a long way from being the worst road team ever. The Wizards only own the longest road losing streak to _start_ a season - ESPN has to emphasize this as if it were some kind of important record. They are not close to the longest road losing streak ever. The Sacramento Kings lost _43_ away games in a row in the early '90s. In 1990-91, they lost their first three road games, won a game against the Bullets in DC, and then lost every one of their remaining 37 road games for the rest of that season and their first six of the next season until they beat the (pre-Shaq) Magic. When you talk about records that will be hard to break, 1-40 on the road has to be up there. Their streak lasted one year and two days. The '90-91 Kings were 28-13 at home and 1-40 away. This year’s Wizards are only 14-12 at home. They’re better than their road record indicate, I guess, but the disparity won’t be nearly as great. If you stretch back to last season, the Wizards’ road streak is at 26. So they can’t break the Kings’ record this season even if they go 0-41 on the road. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-cavs-now-own-nbas-all-time-losing-streak/570369/49 "2011-02-10T15:08:38Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > I wouldn’t put it past the Indians to match that record this year. Unfortunately for Cleveland, the Tribe will also royally suck. Yes, but at least the Kansas City Royals usually suck worse. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-cavs-now-own-nbas-all-time-losing-streak/570369/50 "2011-02-10T15:49:14Z")
Not to mention the Washington Generals… ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-cavs-now-own-nbas-all-time-losing-streak/570369/51 "2011-02-10T15:50:50Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Not to mention the Washington Generals… Yeah, I looked up the Generals, and their losing streak is in the thousands. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-cavs-now-own-nbas-all-time-losing-streak/570369/52 "2011-02-10T17:13:15Z")
From the Washington Generals wiki: > [@](#): > > From 1953 until 1995, the Generals played exhibitions against the Globetrotters, winning only six games, the last in 1971, and losing more than 13,000. Did the Generals genuinely try to beat the Globetrotters? The wiki article says yes, but sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-cavs-now-own-nbas-all-time-losing-streak/570369/53 "2011-02-10T17:17:53Z")
Well, the wiki article says that both the Generals and Globetrotters “claimed” to have played competitively, which is not the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-cavs-now-own-nbas-all-time-losing-streak/570369/54 "2011-02-10T22:31:54Z")
The definitive answer to the question: Did the Cavs win last night? [Link](http://www.didthecavswinlastnight.com/) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2011, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-cavs-now-own-nbas-all-time-losing-streak/570369/55 "2011-02-11T00:12:00Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > From the Washington Generals wiki: > > Did the Generals genuinely try to beat the Globetrotters? The wiki article says yes, but sheesh. I doubt they would screw up six shows just to point to their 6-13000 record as proof that they are trying. I imagine the generals genuinely try to win, but the talent level and the fact that nobody ever wants to see them win leads to their abysmal record. ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2011, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-cavs-now-own-nbas-all-time-losing-streak/570369/56 "2011-02-12T06:32:52Z")
Cavs beat Clips in OT. ---
**Author:** ![101flyboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/5e9695/32.png) [@101flyboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/101flyboy)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2011, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-cavs-now-own-nbas-all-time-losing-streak/570369/57 "2011-02-12T06:40:13Z")
Now time for the Wizards to end their road losing streak. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2011, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-cavs-now-own-nbas-all-time-losing-streak/570369/58 "2011-02-12T17:27:57Z")
How fitting it is that they broke their losing streak against the Clippers! ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2011, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-cavs-now-own-nbas-all-time-losing-streak/570369/59 "2011-02-12T19:05:50Z")
> [@treis](#): > > The wheels didn’t fall off in Dallas when Dirk went down, for example. Actually didn’t they lose like 9 out of 11 without him? Dallas was supposed to be a championship contender and they completely collapsed without Dirk. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-cavs-now-own-nbas-all-time-losing-streak/570369/60 "2011-02-13T05:53:15Z")
Had to be against the Clippers… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-cavs-now-own-nbas-all-time-losing-streak/570369.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-cavs-now-own-nbas-all-time-losing-streak/570369.md?page=4)