Making the Playoffs Is Hard. Doing It Every Year Is Harder.

When the Phoenix Mercury misplaced to the Dallas Wings on Sunday, it ended a powerful interval of sustained success. After a league-leading 10-year streak, the crew won’t be making the W.N.B.A. playoffs this season.

Being adequate to make the playoffs yr after yr is surprisingly tough in sports activities. Player turnover, teaching adjustments or accidents, or all three, can result in a dropping document and a postseason on the sideline. Even with expanded playoff fields in lots of sports activities, a decade-long run just like the Mercury’s is uncommon within the fashionable sport.

Here’s a have a look at the present groups round North America which have been persistently adequate for probably the most seasons.

N.H.L.: Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs, 7

Full credit score to the Bruins and Leafs for his or her present seven-season runs. Neither streak features a Stanley Cup although. The Bruins final lifted the Cup in 2011 and the Leafs in … trying … trying … 1967.

But probably the most spectacular current playoff streak in hockey goes to the Pittsburgh Penguins, who made it 16 straight occasions, successful Cups in 2009, 2016 and 2017. Last season, the crew missed the playoffs by a degree to finish that run.

W.N.B.A.: Connecticut Sun, 7

For the Mercury, the 10-year streak coincided with the arrival of Brittney Griner, a primary general draft decide. For the Sun, the important thing was beginning Jonquel Jones, who had been a substitute in her rookie yr. She scored 15 factors a sport and averaged a W.N.B.A.-record 12 rebounds a sport within the 2017 season to take the Sun again to the playoffs.

The crew has not missed since, together with this season, its first after buying and selling Jones to the Liberty. The crew has two finals appearances, however no titles, in the course of the streak.

N.F.L.: Kansas City Chiefs, 8

Say what you’ll about Andy Reid, however he has led Kansas City to the playoffs eight straight occasions. How laborious is that? The next-best streak is 4, by the Buffalo Bills. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have three, three groups have two, and the streaks of the opposite 26 groups are at one or zero.

While Reid has had Patrick Mahomes as his beginning quarterback for the previous 5 seasons, the streak additionally contains three seasons with Alex Smith because the starter. It additionally contains three Super Bowl appearances within the final 4 seasons and two wins.

N.B.A.: Boston Celtics, 9

The Celtics, who made 19 straight playoff appearances within the Nineteen Fifties and ’60s, and 14 extra within the ’80s and early ’90s, are again on high now as properly with a extra modest streak.

That run has included a constant core: six seasons of Jayson Tatum, seven of Al Horford and Jaylen Brown and 9 of Marcus Smart. It has additionally included an N.B.A. finals look in 2022, a loss to the Golden State Warriors.

The Celtics have an extended strategy to go to match probably the most spectacular current playoff streak in sports activities. The San Antonio Spurs made the playoffs in 22 straight seasons earlier than lacking the final thrice. A brand new streak might properly be beginning subsequent season although, with the arrival of the No. 1 general decide, Victor Wembanyama.

Colleges are a distinct matter, in fact, however that makes it no much less spectacular that Kansas’ males’s crew has made 33 consecutive N.C.A.A. tournaments. And Tennessee’s ladies’s crew has made each N.C.A.A. match that has ever been held — 41 of them.

M.L.B.: Los Angeles Dodgers, 10

This streak is quickly going to be 11, barring an epic collapse. The Dodgers lead the National League West by 12 video games, although they haven’t technically clinched a playoff spot.

The run contains back-to-back World Series losses, to the Houston Astros and the Boston Red Sox in 2017 and 2018, and a championship in 2020, albeit one which was performed out in a Covid bubble in Arlington, Texas.

Stalwart hitters for the crew have been Justin Turner (156 homers, 2014 to 2022) and Corey Seager (.504 slugging, 2015 to 2021), but with each gamers gone this season, the crew continues to be amongst baseball’s greatest.

The participant most recognized with the fashionable Dodgers, going again not simply to the beginning of the streak in 2013 however all the way in which to 2010 when he was 20 years previous, is starter Clayton Kershaw. He has 208 regular-season wins with the crew plus 13 within the playoffs and three within the World Series, two of them within the 2020 victory.

M.L.S.: New York Red Bulls, 13

Here’s an opportunity to stump your folks: What main skilled crew has the longest lively playoff streak? It is unlikely they are going to provide you with the Red Bulls.

The reply appears stunning as a result of the Red Bulls have been round because the inaugural season of M.L.S., 1996, after they have been the MetroStars, and have but to win an M.L.S. Cup, which matches to the playoffs’ winner. The greatest they’ve accomplished throughout their present 13-season streak is attain the semifinals, which they’ve accomplished thrice.

This season, with 9 groups from every convention making the playoffs, the Red Bulls are at present eleventh, three factors out with 9 video games to play. So you may need to ask that trivia query rapidly.