Fansided

30 worst NBA playoff teams of all time

By Charles Rahrig V

MILWAUKEE, WI - APRIL 25: Bradley Center filled with rally towels before the game between the Miami Heat and the Milwaukee Bucks during Game Three of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Bradley Center on April 25, 2013 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike McGinnis/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI - APRIL 25: Bradley Center filled with rally towels before the game between the Miami Heat and the Milwaukee Bucks during Game Three of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Bradley Center on April 25, 2013 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike McGinnis/Getty Images) /
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23. 1970-71 Atlanta Hawks

It really should be criminal to call a team with Pete Maravich and Lou Hudson one of the worst playoff teams ever. Really, this team shouldn’t be on this list and it doesn’t even feel right putting them on here.

While it would be nice to give this team a pass for the fact they faced tough competition and only four teams from each conference made it into the playoffs, they were still 10 games under .500 during the 1970-71 season.

These Atlanta Hawks earn their spot here as they finished first in the Western Conference the year before they ended up moving to the Eastern Conference. To go from the mountaintop to the last playoff spot and 10 games below .500 is a special feat, and not in a good way.

That’s really why they make the list of worst playoff teams. This team had more talent than the record they put up and they didn’t perform up to what they were capable of. Perhaps it was a result of adjusting to life in the Eastern Conference and no longer being in the West that did it.

It’s a bit of a mystery but this team was not good and the New York Knicks dispatched of them quickly. The Hawks got a game but it doesn’t matter as this team will be remembered, if at all, for the 36-win season. There are better years to take away from than this one.

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