Playoffs, Over .500, and Under .500 Streaks (Updated: April 2010)

This is the list of the USA's longest streaks among major professional sports teams (the top 5 leagues). Over and under .500 is considered to be when there are more/fewer wins than losses (so draws are counted as half of each), and for the NHL OT losses are counted the same as regular losses. Playoff Streaks 1 Detroit Red Wings NHL 19 2 San Antonio Spurs NBA 13 2 New Jersey Devils NHL 13 4 Dallas Mavericks NBA 10 5 New England Revolution MLS 8 5 Indianapolis Colts NFL 8 7 Denver Nuggets NBA 7 8 San Jose Sharks NHL 6 9 Chicago Fire MLS 5 9 Cleveland Cavaliers NBA 5 9 Los Angeles Lakers NBA 5 12 Chivas USA MLS 4 12 Houston Dynamo MLS 4 12 Orlando Magic NBA 4 12 Utah Jazz NBA 4 12 San Diego Chargers NFL 4 12 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 4 18 Boston Red Sox MLB 3 18 Los Angeles Angels MLB 3 18 Philadelphia Phillies MLB 3 18 Atlanta Hawks NBA 3 18 Boston Celtics NBA 3 18 Boston Bruins NHL 3 18 Montreal Canadiens NHL 3 18 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 3 18 Washington Capitals NHL 3 27 Los Angeles Dodgers MLB 2 27 Columbus Crew MLS 2 27 Real Salt Lake MLS 2 27 Chicago Bulls NBA 2 27 Miami Heat NBA 2 27 Portland Trailblazers NBA 2 27 Arizona Cardinals NFL 2 27 Baltimore Ravens NFL 2 27 Minnesota Vikings NFL 2 27 Philadelphia Eagles NFL 2 27 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 2 27 Vancouver Canucks NHL 2 39 Colorado Rockies MLB 1 39 Minnesota Twins MLB 1 39 New York Yankees MLB 1 39 Saint Louis Cardinals MLB 1 39 Los Angeles Galaxy MLS 1 39 Seattle Sounders FC MLS 1 39 Charlotte Bobcats NBA 1 39 Milwaukee Bucks NBA 1 39 Oklahoma City NBA 1 39 Phoenix Suns NBA 1 39 Cincinnati Bengals NFL 1 39 Dallas Cowboys NFL 1 39 Green Bay Packers NFL 1 39 New England Patriots NFL 1 39 New Orleans Saints NFL 1 39 New York Jets NFL 1 39 Buffalo Sabres NHL 1 39 Colorado Avalanche NHL 1 39 Los Angeles Kings NHL 1 39 Nashville Predators NHL 1 39 Ottawa Senators NHL 1 39 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 1 The big news is that the Detroit Pistons' 8 year streak is now over. Revs now tied for 5th longest current playoff streak in American sports, and the Fire are tied for 9th. The Red Wings looked like they were going to blow it for a while there, but they ended up qualifying comfortably. Over .500 Streaks 1 Detroit Red Wings NHL 18 1 New Jersey Devils NHL 18 3 New York Yankees MLB 17 4 San Antonio Spurs NBA 13 5 Boston Red Sox MLB 12 6 Dallas Mavericks NBA 10 7 New England Patriots NFL 9 8 Indianapolis Colts NFL 8 9 Philadelphia Phillies MLB 7 9 Denver Nuggets NBA 7 11 Los Angeles Angels MLB 6 11 Cleveland Cavaliers NBA 6 11 Phoenix Suns NBA 6 11 San Jose Sharks NHL 6 15 New England Revolution MLS 5 15 Los Angeles Lakers NBA 5 15 Dallas Cowboys NFL 5 18 Los Angeles Dodgers MLB 4 18 Chivas USA MLS 4 18 Houston Dynamo MLS 4 18 Houston Rockets NBA 4 18 Utah Jazz NBA 4 18 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 4 24 Chicago Cubs MLB 3 24 Boston Celtics NBA 3 24 Orlando Magic NBA 3 24 Pittsburgh Steelers NFL 3 24 Washington Capitals NHL 3 29 Florida Marlins MLB 2 29 Minnesota Twins MLB 2 29 Saint Louis Cardinals MLB 2 29 Tampa Bay Rays MLB 2 29 Chicago Fire MLS 2 29 Columbus Crew MLS 2 29 Atlanta Hawks NBA 2 29 Miami Heat NBA 2 29 Portland Trailblazers NBA 2 29 Arizona Cardinals NFL 2 29 Atlanta Falcons NFL 2 29 Baltimore Ravens NFL 2 29 Minnesota Vikings NFL 2 29 New York Jets NFL 2 29 Philadelphia Eagles NFL 2 29 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 2 29 Vancouver Canucks NHL 2 46 Atlanta Braves MLB 1 46 Colorado Rockies MLB 1 46 Detroit Tigers MLB 1 46 San Francisco Giants MLB 1 46 Seattle Mariners MLB 1 46 Texas Rangers MLB 1 46 DC United MLS 1 46 Los Angeles Galaxy MLS 1 46 Seattle Sounders FC MLS 1 46 Charlotte Bobcats NBA 1 46 Milwaukee Bucks NBA 1 46 Oklahoma City Thunder NBA 1 46 Cincinnati Bengals NFL 1 46 Green Bay Packers NFL 1 46 Houston Texans NFL 1 46 New Orleans Saints NFL 1 46 San Diego Chargers NFL 1 46 Buffalo Sabres NHL 1 46 Colorado Avalanche NHL 1 46 Los Angeles Kings NHL 1 46 Nashville Predators NHL 1 46 Ottawa Senators NHL 1 46 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 1 Only one of the top 15 teams from a year ago fell off: the Calgary Flames. They had to work hard to miss out, losing their last four straight to finish 40-42. Under .500 Streaks 1 Pittsburgh Pirates MLB 17 2 Baltimore Orioles MLB 12 3 Cincinnati Reds MLB 9 3 New York Knicks NBA 9 3 Detroit Lions NFL 9 6 Oakland Raiders NFL 7 7 Kansas City Royals MLB 6 8 Minnesota Timberwolves NBA 5 8 Buffalo Bills NFL 5 8 New York Islanders NHL 5 11 Washington Nationals MLB 4 11 Indiana Pacers NBA 4 11 Los Angeles Clippers NBA 4 11 Memphis Grizzlies NBA 4 11 Sacramento Kings NBA 4 11 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 4 17 Oakland Athletics MLB 3 17 Toronto FC MLS 3 17 New Jersey Nets NBA 3 17 Kansas City Chiefs NFL 3 17 Saint Louis Rams NFL 3 17 Atlanta Thrashers NHL 3 17 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 3 24 San Diego Padres MLB 2 24 FC Dallas MLS 2 24 New York Red Bulls MLS 2 24 San Jose Earthquakes MLS 2 24 Detroit Pistons NBA 2 24 Golden State Warriors NBA 2 24 Toronto Raptors NBA 2 24 Washington Wizards NBA 2 24 Cleveland Browns NFL 2 24 Jacksonville Jaguars NFL 2 24 Seattle Seahawks NFL 2 24 Dallas Stars NHL 2 24 Edmonton Oilers NHL 2 24 Minnesota Wild NHL 2 38 Arizona Diamondbacks MLB 1 38 Chicago White Sox MLB 1 38 Cleveland Indians MLB 1 38 Houston Astros MLB 1 38 Milwaukee Brewers MLB 1 38 New York Mets MLB 1 38 Kansas City MLS 1 38 Real Salt Lake MLS 1 38 New Orleans Hornets NBA 1 38 Philadelphia 76ers NBA 1 38 Chicago Bears NFL 1 38 Miami Dolphins NFL 1 38 Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL 1 38 Washington Redskins NFL 1 38 Anaheim Ducks NHL 1 38 Boston Bruins NHL 1 38 Calgary Flames NHL 1 38 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 1 38 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 1 38 Florida Panthers NHL 1 38 Montreal Canadiens NHL 1 38 New York Rangers NHL 1 38 Saint Louis Blues NHL 1 The 49ers, Bobcats, Bucks, and Coyotes all ended streaks of 5 or 6 years.

MLS: The .500 Mark

Time to update this three year old post, with data through August 2, 2009. At which points in your team's history were they over and under .500? This stat refers to the number of games has won compared to the number they've lost (draws are considered half a win and half a loss percentage-wise in American sports, so they're disregarded). Over .500 is considered to be when the team has more wins than losses, and under .500 is the opposite. This takes into account all competitions, and all shootouts are counted as draws. Also, the 2002 playoff series between the Burn and Rapids was a special case. The teams split the first two matches, and the third ended 1:1. The series OT was played, and Colorado scored to advance. The final score is listed as DAL 1:2 COL, however, the game is considered to be a draw. I agree with MLS on that point. Series OT was played on two other occasions, but neither ended up with a messy statistical scenario like that. If you don't remember or weren't around for the whole "first to five" playoff format, consider yourself lucky. The highs and lows refer to only the first time those marks were reached. Two teams are currently at their all time highs (CHI, CLB) while one is at their all time low (guess who). CHICAGO 1998-03-24 Over 1998-04-11 0.500 1998-04-17 Under 1998-05-20 0.500 1998-05-23 Over High +71 2009-08-01 Low -2 1998-05-02 Currently: +71 The Fire have been over .500 since the first two months of their inaugural season, and haven't looked back. The total of 71 games over .500 is tops in the league; they just passed the Galaxy this year. CHIVAS USA 2005-04-02 Under High -1 2005-04-02 Low -21 2006-05-20 Currently: -14 They've got a long way to go to climb out of the whole they dug themselves in 2005. The low was the 5-4 thriller they lost in New York, where Palencia and Razov each scored a brace. COLORADO 1996-04-13 Under 1996-04-21 0.500 1996-05-05 Over 1996-05-08 0.500 1996-05-11 Under 1996-05-29 0.500 1996-06-08 Under 1996-07-04 0.500 1996-07-07 Over 1996-07-10 0.500 1996-07-17 Under 1999-07-28 0.500 1999-07-31 Over 1999-08-08 0.500 1999-08-13 Over 1999-08-18 0.500 1999-08-28 Under 1999-09-01 0.500 1999-09-04 Under High +1 1996-05-05 Low -34 2008-08-29 Currently: -32 It's been a slow, steady pace downhill. They just have a couple more losses than wins every single year, it seems. COLUMBUS 1996-04-13 Over 1996-04-20 0.500 1996-04-27 Over 1996-05-02 0.500 1996-05-11 Over 1996-05-15 0.500 1996-05-19 Under 1997-05-11 0.500 1997-05-22 Under 1998-04-18 0.500 1998-04-30 Over 1998-05-09 0.500 1998-05-17 Under 1998-05-22 0.500 1998-05-30 Over 1998-06-06 0.500 1998-06-20 Over 2007-06-03 0.500 2007-06-10 Under 2007-06-20 0.500 2007-06-23 Over 2007-09-08 0.500 2007-09-15 Under 2007-09-22 0.500 2007-09-30 Under 2007-10-20 0.500 2008-03-29 Over 2008-04-05 0.500 2008-04-12 Over High +18 2009-08-01 Low -7 1996-07-31 Currently: +18 A new high this past weekend! DALLAS 1996-04-14 0.500 1996-04-18 Over 1996-04-21 0.500 1996-04-28 Over 1996-05-01 0.500 1996-05-11 Over 1996-05-29 0.500 1996-06-02 Under 1996-06-08 0.500 1996-06-23 Over 1996-06-29 0.500 1996-07-07 Under 1996-07-20 0.500 1996-07-27 Over 1996-09-26 0.500 1996-09-29 Over 1996-10-27 0.500 1997-03-29 Under 1997-04-05 0.500 1997-04-13 Under 1997-05-23 0.500 1997-06-01 Under 1997-06-15 0.500 1997-06-28 Under 1997-07-13 0.500 1997-07-18 Over 1997-08-23 0.500 1997-08-31 Over 1998-03-04 0.500 1998-03-08 Under 1998-03-29 0.500 1998-04-11 Under 1998-05-06 0.500 1998-05-16 Over 1998-05-23 0.500 1998-05-31 Over 1998-06-04 0.500 1998-06-17 Under 1999-06-05 0.500 1999-06-12 Under 1999-06-16 0.500 1999-06-19 Under 1999-06-26 0.500 1999-07-04 Under 1999-07-10 0.500 1999-07-13 Over 1999-07-24 0.500 1999-07-31 Under 1999-08-04 0.500 1999-08-10 Under 1999-08-28 0.500 1999-09-04 Under 1999-09-11 0.500 1999-09-24 Over 2000-05-24 0.500 2000-05-27 Under 2000-06-14 0.500 2000-06-17 Over 2000-06-24 0.500 2000-06-28 Under 2000-07-01 0.500 2000-07-05 Under 2000-07-08 0.500 2000-07-15 Over 2001-04-07 0.500 2001-04-14 Over 2001-05-05 0.500 2001-05-12 Over 2001-05-23 0.500 2001-06-02 Under 2001-06-06 0.500 2001-06-09 Over 2001-06-27 0.500 2001-07-14 Under 2001-07-18 0.500 2001-07-21 Under 2002-06-15 0.500 2002-06-22 Under 2002-06-29 0.500 2002-07-04 Over 2002-09-14 0.500 2002-09-19 Over 2003-04-26 0.500 2003-05-10 Under High +4 1996-08-25 Low -16 2004-10-09 Currently: -14 Far more changes than any other team. They danced around that .500 mark week in and week out until 2003. D.C. UNITED 1996-04-06 Under 1996-07-12 0.500 1996-07-20 Under 1996-07-28 0.500 1996-07-31 Under 1996-08-21 0.500 1996-08-25 Over High +64 2007-09-29 Low -3 1996-04-20 Currently: +61 Can they set a new high this season? HOUSTON 2006-04-02 Over 2006-04-08 0.500 2006-04-15 Under 2006-04-22 0.500 2006-04-29 Over High +33 2009-07-07 Low -1 2006-04-15 Currently: +31 They haven't been over .500 the entire time. There was that first month. KANSAS CITY 1996-04-13 Over 1996-04-18 0.500 1996-05-02 Over 1996-05-05 0.500 1996-05-08 Under 1996-07-10 0.500 1996-07-18 Under 1996-07-31 0.500 1996-08-04 Over 1996-08-07 0.500 1996-08-15 Over 1996-08-24 0.500 1996-09-07 Under 1997-06-08 0.500 1997-06-15 Under 1997-06-21 0.500 1997-07-04 Over 1997-07-06 0.500 1997-07-12 Under 1997-07-19 0.500 1997-07-24 Under 1997-08-02 0.500 1997-08-09 Over 1997-10-04 0.500 1997-10-08 Under 1998-04-08 0.500 1998-04-18 Under 2005-08-13 0.500 2005-08-19 Over 2005-08-24 0.500 2005-08-26 Under High +2 1997-08-28 Low -20 1999-10-09 Currently: -13 What's more likely? Breaking the high or the low? LOS ANGELES 1996-04-13 Over High +77 2005-11-13 Low +1 1996-04-13 Currently: +69 The only original MLS team never to have a losing record. The high point was after the 2005 MLS Cup, which is also the high water mark for any team in the league. MIAMI 1998-03-15 Under High -1 1998-03-15 Low -19 2000-07-22 Finished: -6 Under for every game starting with the first. NEW ENGLAND 1996-04-13 Under 1996-04-20 0.500 1996-05-04 Under 2008-07-16 0.500 2008-07-30 Over 2008-08-09 0.500 2008-08-12 Under High +1 2008-07-30 Low -37 2002-08-18 Currently: -7 It's been a slow climb back under Steve Nicol. After 12 years of being under .500, they finally got back to zero and then for a fleeting moment (the Superliga run) were over the hump. Now they'll have to work their way back up again. At least it shouldn't be as hard as the first time. NEW YORK 1996-04-13 Under High -1 1996-04-13 Low -44 2009-07-25 Currently: -44 Dedicated to badness. Currently at their all time low mark, which is saying something. REAL SALT LAKE 2005-04-02 0.500 2005-04-09 Under 2005-04-16 0.500 2005-04-23 Under 2005-05-18 0.500 2005-05-21 Under High 0 2005-04-02 Low -34 2009-05-30 Currently: -33 A long way to go. SAN JOSE 1996-04-06 Over 1996-04-28 0.500 1996-05-04 Over 1996-05-18 0.500 1996-05-29 Over 1996-06-05 0.500 1996-06-08 Under 1996-06-16 0.500 1996-06-23 Over 1996-08-18 0.500 1996-08-25 Over 1996-10-02 0.500 1997-04-05 Under 1997-04-12 0.500 1997-05-03 Under 1997-05-09 0.500 1997-05-22 Under 2002-06-29 0.500 2002-07-04 Under 2002-07-07 0.500 2002-07-13 Under 2002-07-17 0.500 2002-07-20 Over 2002-08-07 0.500 2002-08-21 Over 2002-08-24 0.500 2002-08-31 Under 2002-09-07 0.500 2002-09-14 Under 2003-05-17 0.500 2003-05-31 Under 2003-06-21 0.500 2003-07-12 Under 2003-07-19 0.500 2003-07-26 Over 2003-08-05 0.500 2003-08-08 Over High +17 2005-10-15 Low -19 2001-04-21 Currently: +3 It was an amazing turnaround for the Quakes. It took five years of battling to make it back up to .500, and another year to get over for good. The high point was the last game before the playoffs, where Dwayne De Rosario hit that amazing free kick. Unfortunately, the expansion team has dragged them back down again. SEATTLE 2009-03-19 Over High +9 2009-07-21 Low +1 2009-03-19 Currently: +8 With such a blazing start thanks to the Open Cup success, the Sounders could be looking at years before going negative. TAMPA BAY 1996-04-13 Over 1998-05-23 0.500 1998-06-03 Over 1998-06-06 0.500 1998-06-21 Over 1998-07-04 0.500 1998-07-11 Over 1998-07-15 0.500 1998-07-18 Over 1998-07-22 0.500 1998-07-25 Under 1998-08-06 0.500 1998-08-22 Under 1998-09-03 0.500 1998-09-13 Over 1998-09-19 0.500 1998-09-24 Over 1999-04-03 0.500 1999-04-18 Under 1999-04-25 0.500 1999-05-01 Over 1999-05-29 0.500 1999-06-05 Over 1999-06-19 0.500 1999-06-27 Under 1999-07-08 0.500 1999-07-12 Over 1999-07-22 0.500 1999-07-31 Over 1999-08-13 0.500 1999-08-18 Over 1999-10-17 0.500 1999-10-22 Under 2000-03-18 0.500 2000-03-25 Over 2000-04-01 0.500 2000-04-08 Under 2000-04-15 0.500 2000-04-22 Under 2000-04-26 0.500 2000-04-28 Under 2000-05-06 0.500 2000-05-13 Over 2000-05-20 0.500 2000-05-24 Under 2000-06-03 0.500 2000-06-09 Over 2000-06-21 0.500 2000-06-24 Over 2001-05-05 0.500 2001-05-12 Under High +11 1997-04-12 Low -17 2001-09-09 Finished: -17 They started out great in 1996, hovered around the zero mark for years, and finally ended on a huge low with the worst team in MLS history in 2001. TORONTO 2007-04-07 Under High -1 2007-04-07 Low -16 2008-09-20 Currently: -14 Starting with the very first game, TFC has been under .500 for their entire existence so far.