Longest undefeated streaks in NBA history

11/20/2024 10:48 AM

The Cleveland Cavaliers were off to one of the hottest starts in league history this season. They won each of their first 15 games without suffering a loss, which has them firmly in the top 10 all-time for longest undefeated streaks in NBA history. Early success sets the precedent for how a team wants to/can play all season long, and it is often a good indicator of postseason success.

The Cavaliers’ dominant beginning to the 2024-25 season might come as a little bit of a surprise to some, though. After all, they have nearly the same roster as they did last year when they were a 48-win team and second-round postseason exit. The Cavaliers even lost three of their first four games last season.

Something clearly changed in Cleveland, though, and Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, and the rest of the Cavaliers lineup are playing impressive basketball. They aren’t the only team to come out of the gates strong, though, so now that the Cavaliers winning streak is officially over, we decided to look at the longest undefeated streaks in NBA history to start out a season. So, check out the gallery below.

1. Golden State Warriors, 2015-16 (24-0)

Not only did the Golden State Warriors set the record for the longest undefeated streak to start an NBA season (by a long shot), but they also had one of the longest winning streaks, period, when they burst out of the gates in 2015-16. This team is very well-known in NBA lore. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, also known as the Splash Brothers, were both among the best three-point shooters of all time, and they led the Warriors to having a historically elite offensive season, especially from deep.

The team also had Draymond Green, the dirty work player but one who was elite on the defensive end. The trio, along with Andrew Bogut, Harrison Barnes, Andre Iguodala, and Shaun Livingston, ended up with 73 wins this season, which is the most in a single regular season ever. The team was also coming off of their first championship in this era, and they eventually became a dynasty.

They actually lost in the NBA Finals, though. Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 3-1 comeback created arguably the best championship series in NBA history. It all started with the Warriors winning their first 24 games, though. If it hadn’t been for their late-NBA Finals collapse, this team would have gone down as the best team of all time. Their championship loss ended up paying off, though, as the team was able to add Kevin Durant in the offseason and win multiple more championships (two with Durant but three more with the Curry/Thompson/Green trio).

T2. Houston Rockets, 1993-94 (15-0)

Michael Jordan ran the NBA in the ’90s, evident by the six championships his Chicago Bulls won during that time. No one had much of a chance when the greatest basketball player of all time was on the hardwood. Luckily for the rest of the league, Jordan retired to play baseball in 1993-94.

His departure created newfound excitement across the league and opened the door up for other teams to find success. The Houston Rockets took the good news and ran with it right away, as they won their first 15 games after learning of Jordan’s desires to play baseball.

The Rockets’ dominance with Jordan out of the way didn’t end after 15 games. The team led by Hakeem Olajuwon would go on to win the NBA Finals, as they’d only have to play the New York Knicks in the championship series and not the Bulls. Olajuwon used his elite rim protection and vast arsenal of post moves to establish himself as the new best player in the NBA, and Otis Thorpe, Vernon Maxwell, Kenny Smith, and Robert Horry played their roles to perfection around him.

Jordan wouldn’t return to basketball until late into the 1994-95 season, which led to the Rockets winning the championship in that season as well. Because of that, they became one of 12 teams to go back-to-back as champions (but not three-peating or more).

T2. Washington Capitals, 1948-49 (15-0)

Before the top basketball league in the world was called the NBA, it was called the BAA (Basketball Association of America). The final season before becoming the NBA was 1948-49, and it saw an amazing start from the Washington Capitals.

There weren’t a lot of big-name players on this team, and this was certainly a different era of basketball. In fact, nobody on the Capitals roster averaged more than 13 points per game. Bob Feerick (13.0), Bones McKinney (12.7), Kleggie Hermsen (11.8), Jack Nichols (11.7), and Fred Scolari (11.2) were the leading scorers.

The team was well-rounded, and they played as a cohesive unit despite the lack of a star presence. It resulted in them winning their first 15 games, which was a feat that wasn’t accomplished for another 45 years, and it culminated in them reaching the championship series, although they lost to the Minneapolis Lakers in the BAA Finals.

T2. Cleveland Cavaliers, 2024-25 (15-0)

The Cavaliers have been the best team in the NBA this season by a decent margin. The team’s early success has included a 30-point victory in the opener against the Toronto Raptors, a 19-point victory over a Golden State Warriors team that has been the second best team so far, and an eight-point victory over a Philadelphia 76ers team that had just got Joel Embiid and Paul George back.

Coming into the season, the Cavaliers were perhaps best known for their defense. Their twin tower duo of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley have made it hard for opposing teams to score in the painted area on them in the past. It has been the offense that has really exploded this season, though.

The Cavaliers rank first in points per game (123.2), and they’ve scored more than 130 points six times. Donovan Mitchell is scoring 25.3 points per game, and Darius Garland is adding 20.6 points. The team has been unconscious from deep, connecting on 41.5% of their three balls so far. Bench players such as Caris LeVert, Ty Jerome, Sam Merrill, Georges Niang, Dean Wade, and Isaac Okoro (the latter two of which have split time as the fifth starter) have been vital to Cleveland’s run.

Of course, the Cavaliers’ unbeaten streak just came to an end. They lost their first game of the year in a nail-biter against the other best team in the NBA: the defending champion Boston Celtics. Now, only time will tell how they will end up in the postseason.

T5. Dallas Mavericks, 2002-03 (14-0)

While the 2011 Dallas Mavericks won the NBA Finals, it could be argued that the team had a more stacked roster in the years leading up to their championship run. With Dirk Nowitzki leading the way, the Mavericks started 14-0 and won 60 games in 2002-03. They again won 60 games and lost in the NBA Finals in 2005-06, and they won 67 games in 2006-07.

The 2002-03 team was unstoppable at the beginning of the season. Of their 14 straight wins, only four were by single digits. In addition to Nowitzki, the team had Steve Nash, Nick Van Exel, and Michael Finley on the roster. Their early success didn’t necessarily lead to late success, though, as the Mavericks lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals.

T5. Boston Celtics, 1957-58 (14-0)

Arguably the greatest dynasty of all time was the ’50s-’60s Boston Celtics. In 1957-58, the team was still in the early stages of this dynasty. They’d won their first championship the year prior, and they were looking to do damage for years to come. That seemed inevitable when they won each of their first 14 games.

Jack Nichols (mentioned above) and rookie bench player Sam Jones were on this roster, but they weren’t the focal points of their team. It was Bill Russell, who won the MVP, and Bob Cousy, arguably the best player in the NBA leading up to this point, who were Boston’s best players. Russell won the MVP, but Cousy and Bill Sharman both finished in the top 10 in MVP voting, too.

The Celtics’ success was brought to a halt when they faced the St. Louis Hawks in the NBA Finals. While Boston lost in the championship that year, they would go on to win the eight next championships consecutively and 10 of the next 11 titles. Their championship loss was clearly just a bump in the road, and their early season unbeaten streak proved that this version of the Celtics was just as good as any of their teams to come over the next decade-plus.

T7. Chicago Bulls, 1996-97 (12-0)

You knew Michael Jordan’s Bulls had to show up on this list somewhere. The Bulls three-peated in the early ’90s, and then they didn’t make the NBA Finals in the two seasons that Jordan was playing baseball. They re-established themselves as the team to beat with a 1996 championship, though, and they had all of the momentum heading into 1996-97.

They rode that momentum to 12 straight victories to start the season and proved that they were better than ever. Jordan was joined by Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman (who had replaced Horace Grant for Chicago’s big three), both of whom are among the best defensive players ever.

Even Ron Harper was there to provide more defense, so teams just didn’t have much of a chance to score on the Bulls. Obviously, they were elite on offense with the 10-time scoring champion on the roster, too. Toni Kukoc provided even more of a scoring spark off the bench, and he nearly won the Sixth Man of the Year award. The Bulls ended up winning the championship again this year, as they would the following year as well.

T7. Seattle SuperSonics, 1982-83 (12-0)

The Seattle SuperSonics were a sneaky good team in the ’80s and one that is too often forgotten in NBA dialogue. We’ve already written about how they had one of the most surprising runs to the Conference Finals ever during that era, and on this list, they show up again as having one of the best beginning-of-the-season winning streaks.

The SuperSonics started out 12-0 in 1982-83. Jack Sikma and Gus Williams formed an impressive one-two punch, and David Thompson joined the team that year and had a brief resurgence. Unfortunately, the team’s early success didn’t last. After their unbeaten streak ended, Seattle would only go on to be 36-34 the rest of the way, and they ended up losing in the first round of the playoffs.

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