Rival comparison: Having your team stink and break your heart is bad enough, but having the fans of the teams you hate celebrating championships and playoff wins is salt in the wound. That, plus Kawhi Leonard leaving the Raptors, has Milwaukee among the prime contenders to win the East, and possibly more, this season. Ranking by category: championships, 27; playoff berths, 19; playoff wins, 26; heartbreaks, 6; rival comparison, 27. Not only were the Cavs LeBron-less, but Kevin Love and J.R. Smith barely played, making the past Cavs team nearly unrecognizable in comparison to the four-time Eastern Conference champions that preceded it. NFL NCAAF MLB NBA FANTASY SOCCER HOCKEY NCAAB Subscribe. Malcolm Brogdon leads the new set of Pacers, but Indiana's postseason hopes for next season -- and the near future -- hinge on how well Oladipo recuperates. 4. Also, Magic fans have seen their team go on postseason runs not too long ago, as Orlando made the NBA Finals in 2009. Two fans in attendance for Sunday's Game 4 stepped on the Vivint Arena court during a break in the action to race in giant plastic balls. 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Morant's explosiveness, along with promising second-year player Jaren Jackson, gives Memphis fans some distant hope, but it's going to be a painful building process. For the second straight season (and the fourth time in five years), Houston was eliminated by the Warriors, this time falling despite Golden State losing Kevin Durant in Game 5 of a series that was tied. Houston went for broke in the offseason by trading for Russell Westbrook and combining him with Harden. It appeared to be your typical in-game entertainment. Fan fights are nothing new, but they're something all sports teams should be trying to eliminate. Ranking by category: championships, 8; playoff berths, 15; playoff wins, 8; heartbreaks, 5; rival comparison, 3. • Cam Newton wears outlandish outfit to postgame press conference. Can Butler inspire the Heat's talented youngsters, or will they wilt under his intensity? Moving forward: Durant left for Brooklyn, Thompson could miss the season rehabbing his torn ACL and Stephen Curry has a broken hand. Ranking by category: championships, 29; playoff berths, 24; playoff wins, 25; heartbreaks, 14; rival comparison, 23. The Chicago Blackhawks team mascot was caught on camera bodyslamming a hockey fan after a post-game run-in. Total score: -22.84 Mascot Fights Back, Cam Newton wears outlandish outfit to postgame press conference. New York has only won one playoff series since 2000 and has only made the playoffs four times since 2001. Moving forward: Knicks fans dreamed about winning the draft lottery and drafting Zion Williamson, signing Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in free agency and getting back into the playoff mix immediately. It's bad enough to not hoist the big trophy at the end of the year, but not even putting yourself in the postseason is cause for a venting session or 10. That was one historical footnote that Philadelphia fans did not want to be involved with. All-sport rank: 81 Mascot Tommy Hawk was caught on video fighting with a hockey fan … The Index was originally released in September 2018 and is updated through the 2018-19 NBA season. Scott was the centerpiece, as Philadelphia fans descended on him from all angles. The Jazz haven't been to the Finals since Michael Jordan's shot eliminated them in 1998 and haven't won an NBA championship in their 40 Utah seasons, qualifying them for the misery bonus. Total score: 12.13 With Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert already in tow, the Jazz have a core that can compete with the West's best. Philadelphia police were not called to the scene, and no charges were filed. All-sport rank: 116 Moving forward: This offseason saw the most exciting moments in Clippers history since, well, ever. Why they're ranked here: Because Pop still has it. All-sport rank: 75 Fighting a mascot is a bad idea—mascot’s advantages: padding, potential athleticism, people care about it more than you—and it becomes an even worse idea when the cameras are rolling. Having that success a decade and a half ago gives Detroit fans some pride, even though they haven't actually won a playoff game since the 2008 Eastern Conference finals. That said, he left lifelong memories for Raptors fans. Total score: -18.01 Ranking by category: championships, 3; playoff berths, 4; playoff wins, 5; heartbreaks, 27; rival comparison, 4. Misery bonus: Teams that have gone 25-plus years without winning a championship are assigned a "bonus." This article was originally published September 10, 2019. Also, the Grizz have made the postseason more times than they haven't in their 18 seasons in Tennessee. Total score: 3.72 The Magic are hoping that Vucevic and Aaron Gordon will continue to improve and evolve, a decent bet in a wide-open Southeast Division. Why they're ranked here: The Trail Blazers only moved up because the Raptors plummeted in misery after winning the NBA title. Perhaps seeing Gasol win an NBA title with the Raptors was enough to keep some Memphis fans happy and brought back memories of the seven consecutive playoff appearances from 2011 to 2017. Moving forward: Getting to the playoffs gives the Pistons some momentum, and they smartly added Derrick Rose and Markieff Morris to their star combo of Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond. NBA Player Fights Eagles Fans in All-Out Tailgate Brawl, President Trump Calls Colby Covington During Post-Fight Interview, Michael B. Jordan Took Real KO Punch While Filming “Creed”, Boxer’s Mean Uppercut Delivers Cold-Blooded Knockout, Odell Beckham Jr. Ranking by category: championships, 9 (tie); playoff berths, 20; playoff wins, 16; heartbreaks, 13; rival comparison, 20. Hell, even Santa was attacked in the “City of Brotherly Love.”. Also, Houston Texans fans don't get to complain about the Houston Oilers, but we'll allow new Winnipeg Jets fans to complain about the old Winnipeg Jets. While they weren't as aggressive as the L.A. teams this offseason, the backcourt combo of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum will have their say despite a slow start. Why they're ranked here: The young Magic showed massive improvement this past season, notching 17 more wins than they had in 2017-18 while surging to a Southeast Division title and their first playoff appearance since 2012. All-sport rank: 122 OKC hasn't won a playoff series since blowing a 3-1 lead to the Warriors in the 2016 Western Conference finals and losing Kevin Durant. The second-round NBA Draft pick back in 2012 began his career with the Atlanta Hawks, and later played for the Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Clippers. Moving forward: Atlanta was actually a pretty exciting team to watch despite its 53 losses, as Trae Young was the best rookie not named Luka Doncic (and might have been better than Doncic after the All-Star break) while John Collins blossomed in Year Two. Add two more lottery picks this year and there is hope, despite the rough start this season. The Pistons didn't qualify for the misery bonus like 11 of the teams above them (only the Pelicans avoided it) due to their championship in 2004. As I watched the Houston Rockets cut through the Los Angeles Lakers like a chainsaw through a stuffed animal during the third quarter of Tuesday night's matchup, I found myself wondering: If I was a Laker fan, how would I describe this? LA brought in two of the top-10 players in the league, trading for Paul George and signing newly minted Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard as a free agent. more; Delivery truck's tire blows out scattering chill peppers across motorway. Why they're ranked here: The Pelicans followed up their second-round performance of 2018 with a dud of a season, falling out of playoff contention early. Upon entering the Eagles tailgate, Scott wasn’t met like a Philadelphia basketball star, but rather, as just another black man wearing rival colors. Give us a head's up if you find it, OK? However, some winning teams scored high in this metric because you're going to have more "bad beats" the more you play at the final table. Ranking by category: championships, 5 (tie); playoff berths, 10; playoff wins, 9; heartbreaks, 21; rival comparison, 12.