With the NBA’s Eastern Conference poised to send as many as three teams with losing records to the playoffs, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to dig deep into the basketball history books to learn about bad (or at least not very good) teams in the playoffs.

The NBA switched from a 12-team to a 16-team playoff format for the 1983-84 season. Since then, 33 teams have qualified for the postseason despite posting a sub-.500 record during the regular season. The combined playoff record of those 33 teams is 24-107, which equals a 0.224 winning percentage. Eighteen of the 33 teams were swept in the first round. In fact, the only team to win a playoff series in a year when they had a losing record was the 1986-87 Seattle Supersonics, who actually won two series before being swept in the Western Conference Finals by the Los Angeles Lakers.

Clearly that Sonics team, which featured three 20-plus points per game scorers in Dale Ellis, Tom Chambers and Xavier McDaniel, is out of the running as the worst playoff team ever. But which team truly deserves that dubious distinction?

From a pure record standpoint, five teams stand out, having made the playoffs despite winning less than 43 percent of their games. The 1994-95 Boston Celtics, 1985-86 San Antonio Spurs and 1983-84 Washington Bullets each finished with a 0.427 overall mark. The 1987-88 San Antonio Spurs finished at 0.378. And the worst winning percentage of all these playoff teams came from the 1985-86 Chicago Bulls, who won at a dismal 0.366 clip.

Believe it or not, Michael Jordan was a part of that Bulls team. It was his second year in the league. However, due to injury, he played in just 18 regular season games, which may explain the lackluster record. The Bulls were swept by Boston in the first round but not before Jordan managed a 63-point performance in the Boston Garden, foreshadowing a career of memorable playoff performances.

Still, is Jordan’s ’85-’86 Bulls team really the worst to ever play in the NBA playoffs? Below is a quick snippet of the five finalists. Use the links to go further in depth at the greatest basketball resource site around, basketball-reference.com.

• 1994-95 Boston CelticsStarting lineup: Eric Montross (center), Dino Radja (forward), Dominique Wilkins (forward), Dee Brown (guard), Sherman Douglas (guard)Team MVP: Radja (17.2 ppg, 8.7 rpg)Offense: 13th of 27Defense: 20th of 27
• 1985-86 San Antonio Spurs
  Starting lineup: Artis Gilmore (center), Mike Mitchell (forward), Steve Johnson (forward), Alvin Robertson (guard), Wes Matthews (guard)
  Team MVP: Robertson (17.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 5.5 apg, 3.7 spg)
  Offense: 13th of 23
  Defense: 16th of 23
• 1983-84 Washington Bullets
  Starting lineup: Jeff Ruland (center), Rick Mahorn (forward), Greg Ballard (forward), Ricky Sobers (guard), Frank Johnson (guard)
  Team MVP: Ruland (22.2 ppg, 12.3 rpg, 1.0 bpg)
  Offense: 20th of 23
  Defense: 8th of 23
• 1987-88 San Antonio Spurs
  Starting lineup: Cadillac Anderson (center), Frank Brickowski (forward), Walter Berry (forward), Alvin Robertson (guard), Johnny Dawkins (guard
  Team MVP: Robertson (19.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 6.8 apg, 3.0 spg)
  Offense: 11th of 23
  Defense: 22nd of 23
• 1985-86 Chicago Bulls
  Starting lineup: Sidney Green (center), Orlando Woolridge (forward), George Gervin (forward), Gene Banks (guard), Kyle Macy (guard)
  Team MVP: *Michael Jordan (22.7 ppg, 2.9 apg, 2.1 spg)
  Offense: 8th of 23
  Defense: 23rd of 23
  *Jordan started only 7 regular season games yet he was clearly the team’s best performer

Narrowing the field to two

The Celtics and Bullets each managed to win a game in the playoffs, so they’re off the hook. And the Bulls get the Jordan exception. They weren’t as bad as their record showed, especially once number 23 returned to the lineup. There’s no way I can put my stamp of approval on an article claiming Michael Jordan played for the worst team ever to make the playoffs. Strangely enough, that leaves just a pair of teams from San Antonio separated by two years.

So which was worse, the ’85-’86 Spurs or the ’87-’88 Spurs?

Both teams featured Alvin Robertson. Both teams were swept by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. But while the ’87-’88 team was slightly better offensively, they were much worse defensively. In fact, they were the second-worst defensive team in the league that season. Their porous defnese contributed to their average scoring margin of -4.6, nearly three points worse than the ’85-’86 squad’s -1.7 average scoring margin.

The final verdict

1987-88 San Antonio Spurs are hereby declared the worst playoff team in NBA history. But don’t fret, Spurs fans because 20 years later, your franchise may be on the verge of becoming a five-title dynasty.

Heading into action on Tuesday, March 6, three teams in the East currently are in playoff position despite posting losing records. While having three teams with sub-.500 winning percentages would not set an NBA record, it hasn’t happened in 20 years. A record six teams with losing records made the playoffs in 1986. Below is a list of every team to qualify for the postseason with a losing record since the NBA adopted its current playoff format, which consists of 16 teams, eight per conference.

2006-07
Orlando Magic, 40-42, swept 4-0 in first round

2005-06
Milwaukee Bucks, 40-42, lost 4-1 in first round

2003-04
New York Knicks, 39-43, swept 4-0 in first round
Boston Celtics, 36-46, swept 4-0 in first round

1996-97
Minnesota Timberwolves, 40-42, swept 3-0
Los Angeles Clippers, 36-46, swept 3-0

1995-96
Sacramento Kings, 39-43, lost 3-1 in first round

1994-95
Boston Celtics, 35-47, lost 3-1 in first round

1992-93
Los Angeles Lakers, 39-43, lost 3-2 in first round

1991-92
Indiana Pacers, 40-42, swept 3-0 in first round
Miami Heat, 38-44, swept 3-0 in first round

1990-91
New York Knicks, 39-43, swept 3-0 in first round

1988-89
Portland Trail Blazers, 39-43, swept 3-0 in first round

1987-88
Washington Bullets, 38-44, lost 3-2 in first round
NewYork Knicks, 38-44, lost 3-1 in first round
San Antonio Spurs, 31-51, swept 3-0 in first round

1986-87
Chicago Bulls, 40-42, swept 3-0 in first round
Seattle Supersonics, 39-43, swept 4-0 in Western Conference Finals
Denver Nuggets, 37-45, swept 3-0 in first round

1985-86
Portland Trail Blazers, 40-42, lost 3-1 in first round
Washington Bullets, 39-43, lost 3-2 in first round
New Jersey Nets, 39-43, swept 3-0 in first round
Sacramento Kings, 37-45, swept 3-0 in first round
San Antonio Spurs, 35-47, swept 3-0 in first round
Chicago Bulls, 30-52, swept 3-0 in first round

1984-85
Washington Bullets, 40-42, lost 3-1 in first round
Chicago Bulls, 38-44, lost 3-1 in first round
Cleveland Cavaliers, 36-46, lost 3-1 in first round
Phoenix Suns, 36-46, swept 3-0 in first round

1983-84
Atlanta Hawks, 40-42, lost 3-2 in first round
Kansas City Kings, 38-44, swept 3-0 in first round
Denver Nuggets, 38-44, lost 3-2 in first round
Washington Bullets, 35-47, lost 3-1 in first round

Following a trading season when almost every team in playoff contention made a deal, teams were left with few other options to improve their rosters. Their only hope was to sign a player who was bought out of his contract or waived by his team. Players released before March 1 were eligible to sign with a new team and play the remainder of the season, including the playoffs.

The two biggest names available are Sam Cassell and Brent Barry. Both players are strong shooters. More importantly, both Cassell and Barry have championship experience. Cassell won two titles with the Houston Rockets in ’94 and ’95. Barry was a member of the San Antonio Spurs team that won the title in 2005 and again last season.

Cassell is reported to officially join the Celtics today. He would be reunited with Celtics all-star Kevin Garnett. The two played together in Minnesota for two seasons, leading the Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals in 2004.

Barry, meanwhile, is reportedly planning to rejoin the Spurs after being courted by several teams including Phoenix, Boston and Dallas. Barry was dealt from San Antonio to Seattle for Kurt Thomas before the trading deadline, but the Sonics released him. Barry cannot officially re-sign with San Antonio until March 21 because of a rule that a player must wait 30 days after being traded before he can re-sign with the same team that dealt him.

The significance of the signings is high. Cassell gives the Celtics a playoff-tested veteran point guard to give them leadership and clutch shooting in what Boston hopes will be its first trip to the NBA Finals in 21 years. The Celtics began the season 8-0 and currently maintain the best record in the league.

San Antonio is currently percentage points ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers for the number one seed in the ultra-competitive Western Conference. Bringing back Barry gives them another spot-up shooter. Barry was shooting 43 percent from 3-point range this season, up from his solid career average of 40.7 percent from long distance.

Both teams also added a veteran frontcourt player. The Spurs acquired the aforementioned Thomas in the deal that originally sent Barry packing. And Boston signed veteran free agent P.J. Brown. Adding a pair of veterans to each team’s core of three stars—Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli and Tony Parker for San Antonio and Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen for Boston—makes a Celtics-Spurs matchup seem as likely as any NBA Finals pairing come June.

Heading into Tuesday night’s action, nine teams in the Western Conference are separated by just 6 games with approximately one third of the season’s schedule left to play.

A look at the schedule shows that these teams will be doing a lot of beating up on each other down the stretch. Each of the nine teams in playoff contention plays at least 10 games against the other eight contenders.

The schedule is bad news for Dallas as they lead the way with 13 of their remaining 25 games against fellow Western Conference playoff contenders. The Lakers and Hornets have the lightest load, facing just 10 games against Western contenders down the stretch.

Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets, winners of 12 in a row, were dealt a major setback today when they learned that Yao Ming will miss the rest of the season with a stress fracture in his left foot. Forty-two percent of their remaining schedule is against their top competition in the West.

Here’s a snapshot of the Western Conference standings as they stand heading into Tuesday night’s games, along with the teams’ total games remaining and games remaining against other teams on the list. Also, check out John Hollinger’s Playoff Odds page at ESPN.com.

Western Conference standings

1. L.A. Lakers, 39-17 (26 games remaining, 10 vs. the other 8)
2. San Antonio Spurs, 38-17 (27 games remaining, 12 vs. the other 8)
3. Phoenix Suns, 38-18 (26 games remaining, 11 vs. the other 8)
4. Utah Jazz, 36-20 (26 games remaining, 11 vs. the other 8)
5. New Orleans Hornets, 37-18 (27 games remaining, 10 vs. the other 8)
6. Dallas Mavericks, 38-19 (25 games remaining, 13 vs. the other 8)
7. Houston Rockets, 36-20 (26 games remaining, 11 vs. the other 8)
8. Golden State Warriors, 33-22 (27 games remaining, 11 vs. the other 8)
9. Denver Nuggets, 33-23 (26 games remaining, 12 vs. the other 8)

On a night when Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant are preparing to meet for the first time as division rivals, it’s hard to believe that it’s been just four years since one of Hollywood’s most tumultuous relationships (the Lakers’ Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant) ended in divorce.

After eight years, more than 400 wins and 3 NBA championships together, the Shaq and Kobe feud finally reached its breaking point during the summer of 2004 and O’Neal was traded to Miami for Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant and a first round draft choice.

In the immediate aftermath of the trade, many observers (myself included) and experts (Bill Simmons’ take) crushed the Lakers for making this move, and they appeared to be justified.

2004-05, the first season after the trade:

There’s no denying that Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard put on quite a show last night in New Orleans, winning the 2008 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. His creativity and freakish leaping ability, especially for a 7-footer made it one of the best all around performances in the history of the competition.

I don’t question that he was the best dunker, but I’m not sure that one of his dunks was actually a dunk at all. It was creative. It was exciting to watch. But Howard’s “Superman” dunk, which came complete with cape and Superman t-shirt, was really more of a throw into the basket than a traditional dunk. His hand was several inches away from making contact with the rim.

Judge for yourself. It’s easy to get caught up in the hysterics of TNT’s Kenny Smith and Magic Johnson, but it looks to me like Howard took off from about one step too far. The resulting play was still incredible to watch, and unlike anything anyone had seen in the dunk contest before, but I still don’t think that makes it a dunk.

Yes, he was above the rim, and yes he threw the ball downward, but it wasn’t like he was throwing it straight down. He was throwing it forward too. My reaction? Great play. But not a dunk. Not really a shot either. I don’t even know what you’d call it. Never seen that done to a basketball before. Howard’s athleticism is amazing and his other dunks made him championship worthy.

Plus, he got ripped off last year for the sticker dunk, so maybe Howard deserved a pass.

I still think he should have had to re-try this one, though. I’m pretty sure he would’ve made it, but this is not an all-time best dunk because if you watch the slow-motion replay, it doesn’t look like a dunk.

• The newest Hall of Fame class will be announced April 7. Hakeem Olajuwon and Patrick Ewing lead the list of candidates and appear locks to be voted in. Other finalists include Dennis Johnson, Adrian Dantley and Chris Mullin, all of whom were among my 40 finalists for inclusion among the 61 Greatest Players in NBA History.

• The trade of Jason Kidd to the Dallas Mavericks now has two different snags that may keep it from happening. First, Devean George is refusing to be included. Second, Jerry Stackhouse may have said too much about his team’s plans to circumvent league rules.

• Kobe Bryant is the latest in a long line of Los Angeles Lakers players to suffer an injury this season. Doctors said Bryant has a torn ligament in his finger. The team is already without Andrew Bynum (knee), Trevor Ariza (foot) and Chris Mihm (heel). Bryant has bowed out of this weekend’s 3-point shootout but is likely to play in the all-star game. He said he wants to put off surgery until after the season and the 2008 Summer Olympics in August. If he can get by with the pain and without causing further damage to his finger, this is a huge relief for the Lakers. Despite being third in the West, L.A. is just 3 games ahead of 9th place Denver in the loaded Western Conference. Any missed time from Bryant could see the Lakers fall out of the playoff race.

• The rookies/sophomores game is tonight at 9 p.m. In the 8-year history of the game, the rookies have won only twice. The sophomores have won the last five games by an average score of 133-109. Expect that trend to continue this year.

As a diehard Lakers fan and a dedicated Shaquille O’Neal supporter, the recent trade sending O’Neal to the Phoenix Suns has me torn. To read the other side of my internal debate, read “I’m a Lakers Fan.”

Challengers beware. The Suns just turned up the heat out west.

Suns General Manager Steve Kerr knew exactly what he was doing when he gave up a four-time all-star and key member of the Suns’ run-and-gun offense, Shawn Marion, to bring Shaquille O’Neal to Phoenix. And just like that, Pau Gasol was only the second biggest acquisition in the Western Conference.

In three previous NBA stops O’Neal has led his team to the NBA Finals. He teamed with Penny Hardaway in Orlando, Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles and Dwyane Wade in Miami. Two-time MVP Steve Nash must be excited to welcome the Diesel to Phoenix.

Forget points per game or age. The only number that matters in this equation is four – the number of championship rings O’Neal has won.

Cast aside the questions of how O’Neal will fit in with Phoenix’s seven seconds or less mentality. This isn’t about offensive schemes. This is a character acquisition. He may be in the desert, but Shaq is Hollywood. He’s a larger than life personality. And, most importantly, he’s a winner. In fact, O’Neal has never played a season in the NBA on a losing team. Only in his rookie season did he not play on a playoff team—his Orlando Magic lost a tiebreaker with Indiana for the eighth seed in the East.

O’Neal brings star power to the Suns that even Steve Nash can’t come close to. They suddenly got the bump from supporting actor to lead role in the story of how the 2008 West was won.

And if Phoenix is to get over the hump, it’ll be the man who rapped on Shaq Diesel and acted in Kazaam that will make it happen. What figures to be the final installment in a surefire Hall of Fame career will take place in Phoenix, and the rest of the league has to be worried because they’re going to encounter a motivated Shaquille O’Neal.

Motivated to show Miami he still had Diesel left in the tank. Motivated to show the Lakers that their acquisition of Pau Gasol still isn’t enough to get them back to the level they were at when O’Neal was in purple and gold. Motivated to show everyone who said the Suns were crazy to make this deal that the doubters are the crazy ones.

O’Neal doesn’t want to bookend his career with close calls in Orlando and Phoenix. The Suns were close before making this trade. So this isn’t about coming close. They have to win it all, or the trade will be viewed as a bad move. O’Neal knows that and welcomes the challenge.

As a diehard Lakers fan and a dedicated Shaquille O’Neal supporter, the recent trade sending O’Neal to the Phoenix Suns has me torn. To read the other side of my internal debate, read “I’m a Shaq Fan.”

Sorry Phoenix, but I know what it’s like to be on the wrong end of a Shaq trade. We made the mistake of giving him up then. You made the mistake of picking him up now.

You gave up Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks for a behemoth, plodding big man. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a charismatic, public relations godsend behemoth, plodding big man, but he’s closer to 40 than 30 and his best playing days came two teams ago—with the Lakers.

The Lakers are the team that gained the most steam heading into the all-star break. In two trades, the Lakers were helped in four key ways.

1. The Lakers acquired Pau Gasol.
A 2006 all-star and the best player on a Memphis Grizzlies team that went to the playoffs three years in a row from 2004-06, Gasol gives the Lakers a short-term fill-in while Andrew Bynum recovers from a knee injury. More importantly, at 7-feet tall and 27 years old, Gasol is both a size and age appropriate complement for Kobe Bryant.

2. The Lakers got rid of Kwame Brown.
The former number one overall pick in Washington had fallen so far out of favor in L.A. that he was mercilessly booed at home this season. While he may be able to offer an NBA team a quality presence on the defensive end, it’s hard to envision him starting anywhere in the league given his struggles and inconsistency finishing around the basket on offense.

3. The Suns acquired Shaquille O’Neal.
Phoenix is known for its seven-seconds-or-less offense. They have been the highest scoring team in the NBA for each of the past three seasons since acquiring point guard Steve Nash and are leading the NBA in scoring again this year. Their offense is predicated on fast break opportunities and quick shots. Neither of those categories fits into Shaquille O’Neal’s traditional repertoire. His methodical low-post game is essentially the anti-Phoenix offense.

4. The Suns got rid of Shawn Marion.
Say what you will about Marion being a discontent in Phoenix. The fact remains Lakers fans should be more excited to see him go than Suns fans should be to see Shaq’s arrival.

In four games against the Lakers this season, Marion has averaged 16 points, 13 rebounds and 3 steals per game. The common denominator for all those numbers? They’re higher than his season averages.

Marion was always the toughest matchup for the Lakers. Mike D’Antoni seemed to think so too because he played Marion more than any Suns player—nearly 200 of the 240 minutes possible—in the Suns-Lakers playoff series last year. By comparison, NBA MVP Steve Nash played just under 180 minutes in the series. Marion averaged better than 18 points and 10 rebounds per game in helping the Suns to a 4-1 series victory.

O’Neal will slow down the league’s fastest, highest-scoring offense. He’ll clog the lane on defense, sure, but he’s also had difficulty staying out of foul trouble this season. He’ll be challenged by young big men such as Tyson Chandler of the Hornets and Andrew Bynum of the Lakers as well as more experienced players like Yao Ming and Tim Duncan. You could easily rank all four of those players ahead of Shaq in terms of best big man in the West. And don’t forget about Marcus Camby, Mehmet Okur, Brad Miller or Chris Kaman either.

O’Neal’s numbers show he’s not the dominant center he once was. His 14.2 points per game put him ninth among centers. And his 7.8 rebounds per game leave him at 21st among centers. But it’s watching Shaq miss layups, failing to get enough lift to throw down a dunk that has me convinced this trade will not have a happy ending for Suns fans.

With a win in either of their final two games before the all-star break, Phoenix will enter the all-star break with the most wins in the Western Conference. But they’ll come out of the break facing a grueling schedule that features the Lakers, Celtics, Pistons and Hornets before the end of the month. Don’t be surprised if the Suns are looking up at the Lakers in the standings by the time the calendar turns to March.