All-time WNBA standings: Connecticut Solar the perfect with out championship

Each fan roots for his or her workforce to win the championship this 12 months, however the final purpose is to be the best franchise of all time. At Swish Attraction we determined to rank all of the WNBA groups which have ever existed so as of greatness.

For franchises which have moved to between two or three completely different cities, I counted them as two or three completely different groups. Chances are you’ll wish to see these franchises ranked as one, however I thought of them individually as a result of their fan bases are completely different — in some circumstances very completely different (Detroit Shock/Dallas Wings and Orlando Miracle/Connecticut Solar).

That is our article on groups 23 by means of 12 (the groups with zero championships). To interrupt the tie between the groups, I got here up with a tiebreaker level system:

• Misplaced Finals — 50 factors
• Misplaced semis — 35 factors
• Misplaced remaining 6 — 25 factors
• Misplaced remaining 8 — 15 factors
• Missed playoffs — Successful proportion x 10

I utilized this technique to each season of the workforce’s existence after which divided by the variety of seasons to get a median success quantity.

You would do nice within the common season, however lose early within the playoffs and be harm by this technique. You would additionally simply barely miss the playoffs with an excellent file and be behind a workforce that made the playoffs with a worse file. This technique rewards the glory of creating the playoffs and of creating the Finals with massive level boosts at these phases. The purpose totals I awarded for every stage of the playoffs are arbitrary, however these standings ought to give us a fairly correct sense of which WNBA groups have achieved probably the most glory/greatness.

Listed below are groups 23 by means of 12:

23) Portland Fireplace

Tiebreaker level common: 3.85666667

Years: 3

The Fireplace, who existed from 2000 to 2002, are the one WNBA workforce to by no means make the playoffs. Even with the Tulsa Shock making the playoffs as soon as and getting these 15 factors, Portland practically completed twenty second. They completed with a successful proportion above .300 all three years went a stable 16-16 of their remaining season.

Photograph by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE through Getty Pictures

22) Tulsa Shock

Tiebreaker level common: 4.51

Years: 6

Tulsa owns the worst season in WNBA historical past: a successful proportion of .088 in 2011, which simply edges the New York Liberty’s .091 successful proportion not too way back within the 2020 wubble. Tulsa additionally struggled in its first season (2010) with a successful proportion of .176. Issues obtained higher within the workforce’s remaining season earlier than transferring to Dallas (2015). It went 18-16 to earn a spot within the playoffs earlier than getting blown out in each of its video games towards the Phoenix Mercury within the Western Convention Semifinals.

Photograph by Shane Bevel/NBAE through Getty Pictures

21) Orlando Miracle

Tiebreaker level common: 7.1875

Years: 4

The Miracle have been coached by nationwide championship-winning head coach and now legendary analyst/announcer Carolyn Peck three of their 4 seasons. Peck led them to the Japanese Convention Semifinals with a 16-16 regular-season file in 2000. The workforce was additionally 16-16 in 2002 beneath Dee Brown, however missed the playoffs. It was beneath .500 however above .400 in each of its different seasons.

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20) Miami Sol

Tiebreaker level common: 7.91666667

Years: 3

Just like the Fireplace, the Sol have been solely round from 2000 to 2002, however that they had one nice common season, going 20-12 and incomes the No. 3 seed within the Japanese Convention in 2001. In Recreation 1 towards the No. 2 seed Liberty, they fell on their residence courtroom. They went on to win Recreation 2 in New York, however misplaced the deciding Recreation 3, additionally in New York. Miami was beneath .500 however higher than .400 in each of its different seasons.

Photograph by Jeff Gross/Getty Pictures

19) Dallas Wings

Tiebreaker level common: 9.9742857

Years: 7

Right here we have now the poor Wings, who I, sadly, needed to place because the lowest of the present groups. However you’re most likely accustomed to the truth that they’ve made the playoffs in every of the previous two seasons and hope to have a shiny future forward. They’re additionally nonetheless technically the identical franchise because the three-time champion Detroit Shock. To this point, Dallas has missed the playoffs in its first season, then made it twice in a row, missed it twice in a row and made it twice in a row once more. In order that they’ve made the playoffs higher than half the time, however have but to make it out of the primary spherical.

Photograph by Cooper Neill/NBAE through Getty Pictures

18) Utah Starzz

Tiebreaker level common: 10.915

Years: 6

Right here we have now one of many unique eight — a workforce that has gone on to turn out to be the San Antonio Silver Stars/Stars and now the defending champion Las Vegas Aces. Whereas in Utah, the Starzz went to the playoffs twice (in its remaining two seasons earlier than transferring to San Antonio). They misplaced within the Western Convention Semifinals in 2001 after which, in 2002, beat the four-time champion Houston Comets to win their first-ever playoff sequence earlier than getting swept by the Los Angeles Sparks within the Western Convention Finals.

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17) San Antonio Silver Stars/Stars

Tiebreaker level common: 12.1566667

Years: 15

The Utah/San Antonio/Las Vegas franchise noticed barely extra success throughout its years in San Antonio than it did throughout its years in Utah, with the Silver Stars (2003 to 2013)/Stars (2014 to 2017) coming in at No. 17. Dan Hughes was the coach of the workforce for eight of the Silver Star years and three of the Star years, main the workforce to the Finals in 2008. San Antonio had the perfect regular-season file within the WNBA that 12 months, but it surely was swept 3-0 by Detroit within the Finals. San Antonio made it to the playoffs six years in a row from 2007 to 2012 and 7 occasions total, with one Western Convention Finals exit and 5 Western Convention Semifinals exits.

Photograph by Jordan Johnson/NBAE through Getty Pictures

16) Cleveland Rockers

Tiebreaker level common: 15.8114286

Years: 7

Earlier than his success in San Antonio, Hughes coached the Rockers, one of many unique eight, throughout their remaining 4 years of existence. He took them to the playoffs 3 times and the Japanese Convention Finals as soon as. Linda Hill-MacDonald was on the helm for the workforce’s one different playoff season (1998), which noticed Cleveland make it to the semis. Cleveland is one behind San Antonio in Finals appearances however is tied with two semifinal appearances and achieved that in eight-fewer seasons. The Rockers’ price of creating the playoffs was 57.1 %, whereas San Antonio’s was 46.7 %.

Photograph by Gregory Shamus/WNBAE through Getty Pictures

15) Atlanta Dream

Tiebreaker level common: 18.4026667

Years: 15

The Dream have the identical price of creating the Finals as the perfect workforce to by no means win a championship (the Connecticut Solar), making it to the championship spherical 20 % of the time (3 times in 15 years). Nevertheless, regardless of Angel McCoughtry averaging 23.7 factors over their 9 Finals video games, the Dream have by no means gained a Finals sport. They have been swept by the Seattle Storm in three shut video games in 2010 after which have been swept by the Minnesota Lynx dynasty in each 2011 and 2013. Atlanta improved by 14 video games from its first season (2008) to its second after drafting McCoughtry at No. 1 within the 2009 draft. It made the playoffs yearly from 2009 to 2014. It hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2018, however now has one other No. 1 choose in Rhyne Howard who hopes to show issues round.

Photograph by Ned Dishman/NBAE through Getty Pictures

14) Charlotte Sting

Tiebreaker level common: 19.721

Years: 10

One of many unique eight, the Sting’s greatest common season got here in 1998 after they went 18-12. In 1997 there have been solely eight groups, so a semifinal end wasn’t as spectacular, however they obtained 35 factors from that season. Give them credit score for making it to the semis out of 10 groups in 1998 and for successful a playoff sport to get there in 1999, when there have been 12 groups. In 2001, their 18-14 file wasn’t spectacular, however they upset Japanese Convention No. 1 seed Cleveland and No. 2 seed New York en path to the Finals. They made the playoffs twice extra (in 2002 and 2003) earlier than crumbling to 6-28 and 11-23 of their remaining two seasons of existence (2005 and 2006, respectively). Their price of creating the playoffs is increased than the Dream’s (60 % to 53.3 %) and their price of creating it to no less than the semifinals is larger (40 % to 26.7 %).

Photograph by: Kent Smith/WNBAE through Getty Pictures

13) New York Liberty

Tiebreaker level common: 21.0126923

Years: 26

Ah, the Liberty. Such a diehard fan base and one of many unique eight that’s nonetheless going. If you’ve performed all 26 seasons it’s more durable to have maintained a excessive stage of success, however the Liberty’s level common is impressively second-best amongst groups with out championships and fifth-best total when trying solely at non-championship successful years. It took them till 2013 and 2014 to overlook consecutive journeys to the playoffs. They’ve tied the Solar with 4 Finals appearances, falling within the championship spherical in 4 out of the primary six seasons of the league in virtually Buffalo Payments vogue. The Liberty’s one win in a Finals sport is probably probably the most well-known by a non-champion: Teresa Weatherspoon hit a half-court shot on the buzzer of 1999’s Recreation 2 to down the Comets, who gained the primary 4 WNBA titles in a row. Breanna Stewart, who’s 28 years outdated, now has probably the remainder of her profession to enhance on this rating for the Liberty.

Photograph by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE through Getty Pictures

12) Connecticut Solar

Tiebreaker level common: 24.75

Years: 20

For the reason that Miracle turned the Solar in 2003, Connecticut has had simply three head coaches. Present Washington Mystics common supervisor Mike Thibault, who went on to teach the Mystics for 10 seasons and produce a championship to D.C., coached the Solar for his or her first 10 seasons, taking them to the semis in every of the primary 4 years, together with the 2004 and 2005 Finals. The Solar have replicated the 4 straight-semifinal accomplishment during the last 4 seasons. Jonquel Jones and Alyssa Thomas led the best way to the Finals in 2019 and 2022, whereas Jones (for probably the most half with out Thomas) gained league MVP in 2021 and led the workforce to the semis, and Thomas (with out Jones) led the workforce to the semis in 2020. In 2019, the Solar pushed the Mystics, coached by Thibault, to a Recreation 5 within the Finals. Curt Miller was the coach on the helm in Connecticut from 2016 to 2022 and, like Thibault, is a superb coach. However he has moved on to the Sparks for 2023. The Solar have a 70 % success price in terms of making the playoffs.

Photograph by Leon Bennett/Getty Pictures