The Jets are now No. 1 … in a dubious fashion. The Sacramento Kings clinched a playoff spot Wednesday night with a 120-80 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, so the Jets (12 years) now own the longest active playoff drought among all four North American major sports.
Before this season, the last time the Kings had made the playoffs was in 2006, back in the Mike Bibby days. Now, with the likes of De’Aaron Fox and Domantis Sabonis, the Kings will return to the postseason after 16 years away.
The silver lining is that the Jets may soon share that drought with the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres. If they miss the playoffs — Buffalo is five points out of a playoff spot as of March 30 — they will extend their postseason drought to 12 seasons as well, having not made the playoffs since the 2010-2011 season.
The hope is that, with all the talent New York will have on the field in 2023, this new playoff drought distinction for the Jets will last only one year.
