The club had finished 10th the year before but had melted down toward the end of the season, losing 10 of its final 14 games.
Miami finished the season 1-4 at Indiana, losing twice in the regular season and twice in the playoffs.
In 1999-2000, though, when they won their second Stanley Cup, the Devils were second in the NHL in goals scored, and they led the league in scoring the following season before losing in the Finals to the Colorado Avalanche.
Indiana used the lessons from that series as motivation to improve this season and wound up beating the Heat twice at home before losing the third game of the season series at Miami.
Three of the five most recent champions went through the season without losing a game by double digits.
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They gave up 17 runs to Boston, losing the season-opening series, and allowed almost half that many in Detroit's first home game of the year.
You qualified for the playoffs on the last day of the season with a losing record. (Laughter.) That's cutting it a little close, guys. (Laughter.) You beat your biggest rival, took down the defending champions on your way to the title game.
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The Spirits, led by the mercurial rookie, Marvin Barnes, made the ABA playoffs in the 1974-1975 season, losing in the second round.
The two South America strikers have had to endure Atletico's disappointing start to the season, losing to Sevilla, Barcelona and Real in the league.
Those second-string players often become starters and can make the difference between winning and losing several games during the season.
Cardiff just missed out on the Championship play-offs this season, losing out to Preston on goals scored on the last day of the regular season.
The Gaels went 20-13 this season, losing in the first round of the WNIT.
Brown's influence was badly missed after he went off in the final and also as the Super League season reached its climax with the Giants, who finished third, losing to both St Helens and the Catalans Dragons in the end-of-season play-offs.
But the Expos abruptly traded Mr. Carter after the team had a losing season and decided to rebuild.
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Lehigh was a slight preseason favorite over the Bison but ended the regular season with the third seed after losing McCollum for all league games.
It was a comeback game for Douglas, who was basically a non-entity for most of the season since losing his starting point guard job in February.
The Orange were reeling a bit at the end of the regular season, losing four of their final five games capped by a blowout loss at rival Georgetown.
The punchless Yankees had just one hit after the fifth inning against five relievers in losing a season opener at home for the first time since 1982, after 11 straight wins.
Rookie Ivan Nova and journeyman Dustin Mosely, two pitchers who were not even on the opening-day roster, wound up being the losing pitchers in the last two games of the season.
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In cup competitions the Red Devils have fared little better, losing in the FA Cup final last season and the League Cup semi-finals in 2005.
While Real would go on to win the nascent competition for the second year in a row, defeating Fiorentina of Italy in the final, United finished the season as English league champions before losing to Aston Villa in the FA Cup final in front of nearly 100, 000 at Wembley.
The Red Wings have won four Stanley Cups over the previous 15 years and have not finished with a losing record since the 1990-91 season, and they built their success around players such as Steve Yzerman and Pavel Datsyuk elite two-way forwards with impeccable leadership credentials.
The Dolphins are coming off their fourth consecutive losing season, but they did finish a game ahead of the Jets at 7-9, and optimism is high in the wake of several free agent moves this week.
The impending trial prompted King to threaten to quit the game after losing in last season's World Championship.
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Despite yet another losing season, the Royals have shown quite a knack for gobbling offensive production on the cheap.
Reading also reached the last eight of the Cup last season, losing 4-2 to Aston Villa in round six.
He won't allow himself to do it again, even as the inevitability of a third losing season beats him down.
But there was plenty of sympathy for the Widnes players who suffered final heartbreak for the second successive season after losing to Hull KR 12 months ago.
Coming off their fourth straight losing season, the Mets enter spring training with a projected rotation of Johan Santana, Jon Niese, Shaun Marcum, Matt Harvey and Dillon Gee, a quintet that combined to go 35-34 with a 3.26 ERA last season.
Te'o quickly became the media focal point for Notre Dame as the Fighting Irish pulled off an unexpected 12-0 regular season, finally losing in the BCS championship to Alabama, 42-14.
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