There's reason for optimism heading into the third week of the season. The current expanded playoff format has been in place since 1990. In the 14 seasons that have followed, 24 teams have started a campaign with at least two losses and eventually made the playoffs. Some even made deep playoff runs.
The Han Dynasty and Roman Empire were not only similar during there prosperous times, but also during the fall of both empires. They were both affected by Internal problems like disease, and corrupt politicians; while they were also affected by external problems like Nomadic invasions.
The Western Empire ceased to exist in 476 CE when the Goths took control, but the Empire continued on in the east, with its capital in Constantinople and was commonly known as the Roman Empire. 1  Rome began as a kingdom around 800 BCE and was then a republic, before becoming an empire. The first Roman Emperor was Octavius, who took the imperial name Augustus. He became emperor in 31 BCE. The Roman Empire split into a Western Roman Empire and an Eastern Roman Empire in 395 CE. The Western Empire ended in 476 CE. The Eastern Empire, or Byzantine Empire, ended in 1453. Depending on how you define the Roman Empire: The united empire lasted 426 years; The Western Empire lasted a further 81 years, for a total of 507 years