Duke and Schools with the Most NCAA Tournament Championship Game Losses

Duke Lost Its Last (And Sixth) NCAA Championship Game In 1999 To The Connecticut Huskies

Duke, of course, is one of the greatest schools in NCAA Tournament history, especially through the modern era. When you’re so good, you put yourself in position for big wins – but sometimes, also, for big losses.

The Blue Devils have lost the most NCAA Championship Games, for example. They and the Kansas Jayhawks have lost the final game six times.

Duke has lost to six different schools, and if Wisconsin does to it what it did to Kentucky a couple of days ago, the Badgers will become the seventh (and give Duke sole possession of the record).

Michigan rounds out the top three with five losses of its own.

At least Duke and Kansas have won four and three titles apiece. Michigan is 1-5 all time in the Finals. You can see every school’s NCAA Championship Game W-L record here, in a previous Sports List of the Day post.

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	RUNNER-UP	L	YEARS	WINNER
1.	Duke	6	1964	UCLA
			1978	Kentucky
			1986	Louisville
			1990	UNLV
			1994	Arkansas
			1999	Connecticut
1.	Kansas	6	1940	Indiana
			1953	Indiana
			1957	North Carolina
			1991	Duke
			2003	Syracuse
			2012	Kentucky
3.	Michigan	5	1965	UCLA
			1976	Indiana
			1992	Duke
			1993	North Carolina
			2013	Louisville
4.	North Carolina	4	1946	Oklahoma State
			1968	UCLA
			1977	Marquette
			1981	Indiana
4.	Ohio State	4	1939	Oregon
			1961	Cincinnati
			1962	Cincinnati
			2007	Florida
4.	Kentucky	4	1966	UTEP
			1975	UCLA
			1997	Arizona
			2014	Connecticut
7.	Georgetown	3	1943	Wyoming
			1982	North Carolina
			1985	Villanova
8.	UCLA	2	1980	Louisville
			2006	Florida
8.	Syracuse	2	1987	Indiana
			1996	Kentucky
8.	Bradley	2	1950	CCNY
			1954	La Salle
8.	Butler	2	2010	Duke
			2011	Connecticut
8.	Dartmouth	2	1942	Stanford
			1944	Utah
8.	Houston	2	1983	NC State
			1984	Georgetown
8.	Oklahoma	2	1947	Holy Cross
			1988	Kansas
15.	Indiana	1	2002	Maryland
15.	Cincinnati	1	1963	Loyola (Ill.)
15.	Florida	1	2000	Michigan State
15.	Michigan State	1	2009	North Carolina
15.	Oklahoma A&M	1	1949	Kentucky
15.	Arizona	1	2001	Duke
15.	Arkansas	1	1995	UCLA
15.	California	1	1960	Ohio State
15.	La Salle	1	1955	San Francisco
15.	Marquette	1	1974	NC State
15.	Utah	1	1998	Kentucky
15.	Villanova	1	1971	UCLA
15.	Dayton	1	1967	UCLA
15.	Florida State	1	1972	UCLA
15.	Georgia Tech	1	2004	Connecticut
15.	Illinois	1	2005	North Carolina
15.	Indiana State	1	1979	Michigan State
15.	Iowa	1	1956	San Francisco
15.	Jacksonville	1	1970	UCLA
15.	Kansas State	1	1951	Kentucky
15.	Memphis	1	2008	Kansas
15.	Memphis State	1	1973	UCLA
15.	NYU	1	1945	Oklahoma State
15.	Purdue	1	1969	UCLA
15.	Seattle	1	1958	Kentucky
15.	Seton Hall	1	1989	Michigan
15.	St. John’s	1	1952	Kansas
15.	Washington State	1	1941	Wisconsin
15.	West Virginia	1	1959	California

Photo: thesportsfanjournal.com

Los Angeles Lakers and Teams with the Most NBA Finals Losses (and Consecutive)

The Los Angeles Lakers Lost Their 15th Finals In 2007-08, Most Of All

It’s the Los Angeles Lakers again…but this time on the wrong side of a record.

Usually, they’re on the winning side – like most wins of all time, most playoff (and Finals) appearances, and longest winning streak.

The Lakers are even the most valuable NBA team, currently.

But today, they are losers, well, sort of. The Lakers have lost the NBA Finals more than twice as many times as anybody else – 15 – trailed by the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers with six defeats.

L.A. has also lost consecutive Finals on four separate occasions, including three times in a row between 1968 and 1970 (joining the Knicks as the only other team to do so).

Don’t knock ’em too hard, though. You have to be in it to lose it.

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MOST NBA FINALS LOSSES

	LOSER	NBA FINALS LOSSES	YEAR	WINNER	FRANCHISE NOTES (AS…)
1.	Los Angeles Lakers	15	2008	Boston Celtics
			2004	Detroit Pistons
			1991	Chicago Bulls
			1989	Detroit Pistons
			1984	Boston Celtics
			1983	Philadelphia 76ers
			1973	New York Knicks
			1970	New York Knicks
			1969	Boston Celtics
			1968	Boston Celtics
			1966	Boston Celtics
			1965	Boston Celtics
			1963	Boston Celtics
			1962	Boston Celtics
			1959	Boston Celtics	Minneapolis Lakers
2.	New York Knicks	6	1999	San Antonio Spurs
			1994	Houston Rockets
			1972	Los Angeles Lakers
			1953	Minneapolis Lakers
			1952	Minneapolis Lakers
			1951	Rochester Royals
2.	Philadelphia 76ers	6	2001	Los Angeles Lakers
			1982	Los Angeles Lakers
			1980	Los Angeles Lakers
			1977	Portland Trail Blazers
			1954	Minneapolis Lakers	Syracuse Nationals
			1950	Minneapolis Lakers	Syracuse Nationals
4.	Boston Celtics	4	2010	Los Angeles Lakers
			1987	Los Angeles Lakers
			1985	Los Angeles Lakers
			1958	St. Louis Hawks
4.	Detroit Pistons	4	2005	San Antonio Spurs
			1988	Los Angeles Lakers
			1956	Philadelphia Warriors	Fort Wayne Pistons
			1955	Syracuse Nationals	Fort Wayne Pistons
6.	Atlanta Hawks	3	1961	Boston Celtics	St. Louis Hawks
			1960	Boston Celtics	St. Louis Hawks
			1957	Boston Celtics	St. Louis Hawks
6.	Golden State Warriors	3	1948	Baltimore Bullets	Philadelphia Warriors
			1967	Philadelphia 76ers	San Francisco Warriors
			1964	Boston Celtics	San Francisco Warriors
6.	Oklahoma City Thunder	3	2012	Miami Heat
			1996	Chicago Bulls	Seattle SuperSonics
			1978	Washington Bullets	Seattle SuperSonics
6.	Washington Wizards	3	1979	Seattle SuperSonics	Washington Bullets
			1975	Golden State Warriors	Washington Bullets
			1971	Milwaukee Bucks	Baltimore Bullets
10.	Houston Rockets	2	1986	Boston Celtics
			1981	Boston Celtics
10.	Miami Heat	2	2014	San Antonio Spurs
			2011	Dallas Mavericks
10.	Brooklyn Nets	2	2003	San Antonio Spurs	New Jersey Nets
			2002	Los Angeles Lakers	New Jersey Nets
10.	Orlando Magic	2	2009	Los Angeles Lakers
			1995	Houston Rockets
10.	Phoenix Suns	2	1993	Chicago Bulls
			1976	Boston Celtics
10.	Portland Trail Blazers	2	1992	Chicago Bulls
			1990	Detroit Pistons
10.	Utah Jazz	2	1998	Chicago Bulls
			1997	Chicago Bulls
17.	Chicago Stags (DEF)	1	1947	Philadelphia Warriors
17.	Cleveland Cavaliers	1	2007	San Antonio Spurs
17.	Dallas Mavericks	1	2006	Miami Heat
17.	Indiana Pacers	1	2000	Los Angeles Lakers
17.	Milwaukee Bucks	1	1974	Boston Celtics
17.	San Antonio Spurs	1	2013	Miami Heat
17.	Washington Capitols (DEF)	1	1949	Minneapolis Lakers

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BACK-TO-BACK NBA FINALS LOSSES

BACK-TO-BACK LOSER	SEASON	WINNER	FRANCHISE NOTES (AS…)
New York Knicks	1951	Rochester Royals
New York Knicks	1952	Minneapolis Lakers
New York Knicks	1953	Minneapolis Lakers
Detroit Pistons	1955	Syracuse Nationals	Fort Wayne Pistons
Detroit Pistons	1956	Philadelphia Warriors	Fort Wayne Pistons
Atlanta Hawks	1960	Boston Celtics	St. Louis Hawks
Atlanta Hawks	1961	Boston Celtics	St. Louis Hawks
Los Angeles Lakers	1962	Boston Celtics
Los Angeles Lakers	1963	Boston Celtics
Los Angeles Lakers	1965	Boston Celtics
Los Angeles Lakers	1966	Boston Celtics
Los Angeles Lakers	1968	Boston Celtics
Los Angeles Lakers	1969	Boston Celtics
Los Angeles Lakers	1970	New York Knicks
Los Angeles Lakers	1983	Philadelphia 76ers
Los Angeles Lakers	1984	Boston Celtics
Utah Jazz	1997	Chicago Bulls
Utah Jazz	1998	Chicago Bulls
Brooklyn Nets	2002	Los Angeles Lakers	New Jersey Nets
Brooklyn Nets	2003	San Antonio Spurs	New Jersey Nets

Photo: Jim Rogash via startribune.com

NBA: Team Playoff Records and Standings (Games, W-L)

The Los Angeles Lakers (And Minneapolis!) Have The Best Playoff W-L Record Of All

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ALL-TIME NBA PLAYOFF GAME STANDINGS

	TEAM	PLAYOFF GAMES	W	L	W-L PCT.	1ST PLAYOFF APPEARANCE	FRANCHISE NOTES
1.	Los Angeles Lakers	737	440	297	0.597	1948-49	includes Minneapolis Lakers
2.	Boston Celtics	597	344	253	0.576	1947-48
3.	Miami Heat	205	116	89	0.566	1993-94
4.	San Antonio Spurs	358	201	157	0.561	1977-78
5.	Chicago Bulls	326	178	148	0.546	1967-68
6.	Detroit Pistons	364	189	175	0.519	1949-50
7.	Philadelphia 76ers	422	217	205	0.514	1949-50	includes Syracuse Nationals
8.	Indiana Pacers	215	109	106	0.507	1986-87
9.	Oklahoma City Thunder	290	146	144	0.503	1974-75	includes Seattle Super Sonics
10.	New York Knicks	376	186	190	0.495	1946-47
11.	Phoenix Suns	274	133	141	0.485	1969-70
12.	Houston Rockets	249	120	129	0.482	1968-69	includes San Diego Rockets
13.	Dallas Mavericks	186	89	97	0.478	1983-84
14.	Utah Jazz	241	114	127	0.473	1983-84
14.	Cleveland Cavaliers	148	70	78	0.473	1975-76
16.	Milwaukee Bucks	222	104	118	0.468	1969-70
17.	Orlando Magic	123	57	66	0.463	1994-95
17.	Golden State Warriors	244	113	131	0.463	1946-47	includes San Francisco/Philadelphia Warriors
19.	Portland Trail Blazers	223	102	121	0.457	1976-77
20.	Brooklyn Nets	136	60	76	0.441	1983-84	includes New Jersey Nets
21.	Atlanta Hawks	332	143	189	0.431	1949-50	includes St. Louis Hawks, Tri-Cities Blackhawks
22.	Sacramento Kings	188	80	108	0.426	1948-49	includes Kansas City/Kansas City-Omaha Kings, Cincinnati/Rochester Royals
23.	New Orleans Pelicans	36	15	21	0.417	2002-03	includes New Orleans Hornets
24.	Los Angeles Clippers	77	32	45	0.416	1973-74	includes Buffalo Braves
25.	Washington Wizards	203	83	120	0.409	1964-65	includes Washington/Capitol/Baltimore Bullets
26.	Memphis Grizzlies	54	21	33	0.389	2010-11
27.	Charlotte Hornets	53	20	33	0.377	1992-93
27.	Denver Nuggets	162	61	101	0.377	1976-77
29.	Toronto Raptors	38	14	24	0.368	2000-01
30.	Minnesota Timberwolves	47	17	30	0.362	1997-98

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TEAMS WITH MOST PLAYOFF GAME WINS

	TEAM	PLAYOFF GAMES	W	L	W-L PCT.	1ST PLAYOFF APPEARANCE	FRANCHISE NOTES
1.	Los Angeles Lakers	737	440	297	0.597	1948-49	includes Minneapolis Lakers
2.	Boston Celtics	597	344	253	0.576	1947-48
3.	Philadelphia 76ers	422	217	205	0.514	1949-50	includes Syracuse Nationals
4.	San Antonio Spurs	358	201	157	0.561	1977-78
5.	Detroit Pistons	364	189	175	0.519	1949-50
6.	New York Knicks	376	186	190	0.495	1946-47
7.	Chicago Bulls	326	178	148	0.546	1967-68
8.	Oklahoma City Thunder	290	146	144	0.503	1974-75	includes Seattle Super Sonics
9.	Atlanta Hawks	332	143	189	0.431	1949-50	includes St. Louis Hawks, Tri-Cities Blackhawks
10.	Phoenix Suns	274	133	141	0.485	1969-70
11.	Houston Rockets	249	120	129	0.482	1968-69	includes San Diego Rockets
12.	Miami Heat	205	116	89	0.566	1993-94
13.	Utah Jazz	241	114	127	0.473	1983-84
14.	Golden State Warriors	244	113	131	0.463	1946-47	includes San Francisco/Philadelphia Warriors
15.	Indiana Pacers	215	109	106	0.507	1986-87
16.	Milwaukee Bucks	222	104	118	0.468	1969-70
17.	Portland Trail Blazers	223	102	121	0.457	1976-77
18.	Dallas Mavericks	186	89	97	0.478	1983-84
19.	Washington Wizards	203	83	120	0.409	1964-65	includes Washington/Capitol/Baltimore Bullets
20.	Sacramento Kings	188	80	108	0.426	1948-49	includes Kansas City/Kansas City-Omaha Kings, Cincinnati/Rochester Royals
21.	Cleveland Cavaliers	148	70	78	0.473	1975-76
22.	Denver Nuggets	162	61	101	0.377	1976-77
23.	Brooklyn Nets	136	60	76	0.441	1983-84	includes New Jersey Nets
24.	Orlando Magic	123	57	66	0.463	1994-95
25.	Los Angeles Clippers	77	32	45	0.416	1973-74	includes Buffalo Braves
26.	Memphis Grizzlies	54	21	33	0.389	2010-11
27.	Charlotte Hornets	53	20	33	0.377	1992-93
28.	Minnesota Timberwolves	47	17	30	0.362	1997-98
29.	New Orleans Pelicans	36	15	21	0.417	2002-03	includes New Orleans Hornets
30.	Toronto Raptors	38	14	24	0.368	2000-01

Photo: Full size pic by Kevin Yoshioka at lataco.com. For more from Yoshioka, check him at deviantart.com.