The Philadelphia 76ers are cementing their place in history as one of the worst teams in NBA history after an embarrassing 53-point loss to the Dallas Mavericks Thursday night. The "tanking" rumors are already beginning to circulate - with 74 games left to play.

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Last night's game against Dallas was so bad for the Sixers that the Mavericks could have gone scoreless in the entire second-half and still would have won the game, as Sixers were outscored 73-29 in the first-half alone.

No other NBA team has ever lost by more than 50 points on more than three separate occasions. The Sixers have accomplished that feat five times now, giving ammo to those who argue that they're not just one of the worst teams ever -  but the worst team ever.

Not only have the Sixers not won a game this season with a record of 0-8, but they're also being outscored by as many as 143 points through out their eight losses. According to USA Today Sports, the only other teams outscored by more points in the first eight games were the 1997-98 Warriors (-148) and the 1988-89 Heat (-147).

Furthermore, the Sixers struggle at both ends of the court, as evident by their current team statistics of being last among the league in points per game and just shy of being last in opponents' points allowed as well.

Philadelphia's terrible performances so far this season has already sparked a number of rumors among analysts and fans that claim the team is just "tanking."

For those who aren't aware, tanking in the NBA essentially means losing on purpose in hopes to receiving a top lottery pick in the following year's NBA Draft - the worse the team, the better chances of receiving the number one pick.

However, Sixers point-guard Michael Carter-Williams insists that the team's unsuccessful start to the season has nothing to do with tanking, and instead is due to players playing for themselves in an attempt to find a way out of their current situation with Philadelphia.

"You can question my shooting. You can question my ceiling. Just don't question if I'm giving my all every single night. Don't talk to me about tanking," Carter-Williams said. 

Tagsphiladelphia 76ers, Tanking, Tankapalooza, NBA History, NBA news