Teams That Almost Never Miss the Playoffs

Though the Oakland Athletics have often made the playoffs in recent years, they have had almost no success in the postseason. The A’s lost four straight American League Division Series from 2000-2003, then were swept out of the 2006 ALCS by the Detroit Tigers. Oakland also lost in the ALDS in 2012 and 2013, then lost in the wild card game in 2014, 2018, and 2019.

After decades of disappointment throughout the 20th century, the Boston Red Sox have been the most successful team in baseball since 2000. Boston won the World Series in 2004, 2007, 2013, and 2018 — more than any other team in that span. Despite the constant turnover, both of players and the manager, Boston has found a way to keep winning.

The Atlanta Braves came into the 2000s as the model of consistency, as legendary manager Bobby Cox led the Braves to 11 straight playoff appearances from 1995-2005. Yet those playoff appearances were typically short lived. Atlanta’s last World Series victory was in 1995. Since 2000, only one of Atlanta’s 11 postseason bids went as far as the NLCS, and that was in 2001, when they lost to the eventual world champions Arizona Diamondbacks. Other than that, the Braves have lost in the league divisional series nine times — including in 2018 and 2019 — and were defeated in the 2012 wild card game.

After a handful of fruitless playoff appearances in the first decade of the 2000s, the Dodgers have become a powerhouse, winning their division each of the last seven seasons. They failed to win a World Series in their 11 postseason trips over the last 20 seasons, but that may not be their fault. Their 2017 opponents, the Houston Astros, admitted they cheated during that series, and their 2018 foes, the Boston Red Sox, are being investigated for similar allegations.

One of the greatest franchises in MLB history, the St. Louis Cardinals have remained successful into the 21st century. Manager Tony La Russa guided the team to six postseason appearances from 2000-2006, including the 2006 World Series title. St. Louis also made five straight playoffs from 2011-2015, winning their most recent championship in 2011. After missing the postseason three straight seasons before, the Cardinals made it to the 2019 NLCS, where they were swept by the Washington Nationals.

As the MLB’s most successful baseball team, it should come as no surprise that the New York Yankees are playoff mainstays. They have missed the postseason only four times since 2000. The Yankees started the new century by winning the 2000 World Series, then they lost the 2001 Fall Classic in seven games. In 2008, the Yankees missed the playoffs for the first time in 13 seasons under new manager Joe Girardi. The very next year, they won their 27th World Series. The Bronx Bombers missed the 2013, 2014, and 2016 postseasons but made the playoffs each of the last three seasons.

The Miami Heat made the 2000 and 2001 NBA playoffs, but they were quickly eliminated. They missed the playoffs the next two seasons, and their poor record allowed them to draft Dwyane Wade with the fifth pick in 2003. Wade was joined by Shaquille O’Neal, and the team won the 2006 NBA title. The Heat won two more titles amid four straight Finals appearances from 2011-2014, when LeBron James and Chris Bosh took their talents to South Beach and made Miami’s famed “Big Three.”

Despite making the playoffs 15 times in the last 20 seasons, the Indiana Pacers have yet to win an NBA title. Their most recent NBA Finals appearance came in 2000. After that, they made the playoffs six straight times, before staying home for four straight seasons. Beginning in 2011, the team advanced to the postseason eight of nine seasons, though they never made it farther than the conference finals. Indiana was bounced in the first round in nine of their 15 most recent playoff appearances.

Paul Pierce’s emergence as a star helped the Boston Celtics snap a six-year postseason drought in 2002. The Celtics advanced to the playoffs four straight years, but again missed the 2006 and 2007 playoffs. After that, Boston traded for Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, winning the title the next season, and beginning a run of six straight postseason appearances. They had to rebuild during the 2013-2014 season, and then made the playoffs each of the next five seasons.

Dirk Nowitzki powered the Dallas Mavericks to a dozen straight playoff appearances from 2001-2012. The Mavs were a consistent title contender, losing in the 2006 Finals before winning the franchise’s only championship in 2011. The team missed the 2013 playoffs, but made it to the postseason each of the next three seasons, bowing out in the first round each time. Dallas missed the playoffs each of the last three seasons, but with up-and-coming superstar Luka Dončić, the Mavs are poised to be playoff mainstays once again.

The San Antonio Spurs have been the class of the NBA for the last two decades, winning nearly 70% of their games, not missing the playoffs in over 20 years, and earning four championships (not to mention their first title in 1999). This is largely due to head coach Gregg Popovich. Since his first full season in charge, 1997-1998, the Spurs haven’t missed the postseason — a streak of 22 seasons. This unprecedented run of success may be coming to an end. As of March 10, San Antonio is in 12th place in the Western Conference, five games out of a playoff spot.

Though they have struggled in recent years, the Ottawa Senators have been one of the better NHL teams since 2000. The team made the postseason nine straight seasons from 1999-2008 (the 2005 postseason was canceled due to the NHL lockout). Their best postseason run came in 2007, when the team lost the Stanley Cup Finals to the Anaheim Ducks. Eight of their 14 most recent postseason appearances ended in the first round.

Though he missed the playoffs in his first two seasons, 2006 and 2007, Alexander Ovechkin led the Washington Capitals to 11 postseasons in the next 12 years. After consistent playoff disappointments, the Caps finally broke through and won the Stanley Cup in 2018. In the six seasons before Ovechkin began his career, the Caps made the playoffs three times, losing in the first round all three times.

From 1980-2004, the St. Louis Blues never missed the playoffs but only made it as far as the conference finals. After the lockout of 2005, the Blues missed the playoffs five of the next six seasons. Starting in 2012, St. Louis made six straight playoff appearances that again ended in disappointment and then missed the 2018 postseason. They fired coach Mike Yeo early in the 2018-2019 season and replaced him with Craig Berube. What followed was one of the most impressive turnarounds in sports history. The Blues made the playoffs and capped an improbable run by hoisting their first ever Stanley Cup in 2019.

The Boston Bruins have made the playoffs 14 times in the last 20 years, including three Finals appearances and one Stanley Cup in 2011. The Bruins have often been one of the best regular season teams, earning over 100 points eight different times. Boston, however, has run hot and cold. After missing the 2000 and 2001 playoffs, they made three straight postseasons. The Bruins missed back-to-back playoffs in 2006 and 2007 as well as 2015 and 2016.

The Philadelphia Flyers made the playoffs 16 of 17 seasons from 1995 to 2012. In the past 20 years, Philly made the conference finals three times and the Stanley Cup Finals once — losing to the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010. Success has been harder to come by as of late for the Flyers. They missed the postseason in 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2019 and lost in the first round in 2014, 2016, and 2018.

The Pittsburgh Penguins won two Stanley Cups in the early 1990s, and continued earning playoff bids until 2001. After that, the Penguins were one of the NHL’s worst teams, finishing last in their division from 2002-2006. This allowed them to draft Evgeni Malkin second overall in 2004 and Sidney Crosby first overall the following year. These two superstars have propelled Pittsburgh to 13 straight playoffs and counting. In that time, the Pens have lifted three Stanley Cups — in 2009, 2016, and 2017.

Twenty years ago, the Detroit Red Wings were in the midst of a dynasty. They had just won the 1997 and 1998 Stanley Cups, and they would go on to win it all again in 2002 and 2008. The Red Wings made the playoffs every year from 1991 to 2016. During that stretch, Detroit typically won at least one postseason series, if not several. But cracks started to show in the dynasty after three consecutive first round exits from 2014-2016. The Red Wings have not been back to the playoffs since, missing the mark three straight seasons and counting.

Though the San Jose Sharks have been Stanley Cup playoff mainstays for the last 20 years, they have surprisingly little to show for it. The team missed the postseason just twice in that time — in 2003 and 2015. They have lost in the first round six times, the second round seven times, the conference finals four times, and the Stanley Cup Finals once, when they were beaten by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016.

From 2003-2007, the Seattle Seahawks made five straight NFL playoffs under head coach Mike Holmgren, including a loss in Super Bowl XL to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2006. After missing the 2008 and 2009 postseasons, the team brought in head coach Pete Carroll. In his first season, the team won a weak NFC West with a 7-9 record, but missed the playoffs the next season with the same record. In 2012, Seattle found a franchise QB in Russell Wilson, who helped the team make seven playoffs in the last eight seasons. Seattle also made two straight Super Bowls, winning one of them in a blowout over the Denver Broncos.

Under coach Andy Reid, the Philadelphia Eagles made the playoffs nine times from 2000-2010, including a 2004 Super Bowl appearance. After the Eagles missed the 2011 and 2012 playoffs, Reid was replaced by Chip Kelly. With Kelly, Philly made the 2013 playoffs but then missed three straight postseasons. Another new coach, Doug Pederson, finally brought the Eagles their lone Super Bowl in 2017 and took the team to the playoffs in 2018 and 2019 as well.

With Peyton Manning at quarterback, the Indianapolis Colts were one of the NFL’s top teams of the 2000s. From 2000-2010, Indianapolis missed the playoffs just once, made two Super Bowls, and won one in 2006 over the Chicago Bears. The Colts had an off 2-14 season in 2011, when Manning missed a full season because of a neck surgery. The poor record gave the Colts the top overall pick, allowing them to draft Andrew Luck first overall. The QB led the Colts to three straight postseasons in his first three years, then the team missed the playoffs the next three years. After guiding the team to a 10-6 record and playoff berth in 2018, Luck retired before the 2019 season and the team missed the postseason again.

The Green Bay Packers have been fortunate to have two of the greatest quarterbacks of all time under center consecutively — Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. Favre led the Packers to playoff berths from 2001-2004 and in 2007 before the team moved onto Rodgers. With a new QB, the Packers went 6-10 in 2008 and reeled off eight straight postseason appearances, including a Super Bowl win in 2010. The Packers missed the 2017 postseason, as Rodgers missed most of the season injured, as well as 2018. After dismissing coach Mike McCarthy, Green Bay got back to winning in 2019, going 13-3 and making the NFC Championship Game.

No team in any sport has dominated the last 20 years like the New England Patriots. Coach Bill Belichick and QB Tom Brady have made the playoffs 17 times, winning six Super Bowls. They missed the playoffs in 2000, Belichick’s first season; in 2002, when the team still had a 9-7 record; and in 2007, when Brady was injured in the first game and missed the rest of the season. Even in that 2008 season, the Pats still posted an 11-5 record. Though it has taken them just 20 years, this run has tied New England for the most Super Bowls of any NFL franchise.