While fans often have high hopes after a long offseason, it’s likely they could not have ever imagined some of the historic starts teams have enjoyed to open a new season.
These franchises exceeded even the loftiest expectations at the very start of a season, with streaks that left a mark on NBA history. While these win streaks are indicators of a team’s ability to dominate, only two of the teams on this list went on to win the a championship that season.
Let’s take a look at the NBA’s longest winning streaks to begin a campaign.
24-0 – 2015-16 Golden State Warriors (Lost NBA Finals)
After winning 24 straight games to open the campaign, the Warriors would go on to finish 73-9 in the midst of a dynasty with three titles in four seasons. Golden State, however, lost the 2016 NBA Finals to LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and the upstart Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games.
15-0 – 1993-94 Houston Rockets (Won NBA Finals)
Led by MVP and NBA Defensive Player of the Year Hakeem Olajuwon, the Rockets won their first 15 games before going on to defeat Patrick Ewing’s New York Knicks in seven games in the 1994 NBA Finals.
15-0 – 1948-49 Washington Capitols (Lost BAA Finals)
The 1948-49 Capitols averaged just under 79 points per game during their 15-game win streak, showing just how much the game has changed. They defeated the Knicks in the Eastern Division finals before losing to the Minneapolis Lakers and George Mikan in the BAA finals.
14-0 – 2002-03 Dallas Mavericks (Lost Conference Finals)
Future Hall of Famers Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash led the Mavs to a 60-win regular season before suffering a defeat in the conference finals to league MVP Tim Duncan’s San Antonio Spurs.
14-0 – 1957-58 Boston Celtics (Lost NBA Finals)
Led by NBA MVP Bill Russell and legendary coach Red Auerbach, the Celtics won eight straight titles following their 1958 defeat to the St. Louis Hawks and Bob Pettit.
12-0 – 2024-25 Cleveland Cavaliers (To Be Determined)
Paced by one of the league’s most exciting backcourt in Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland, the Cavs have rolled out to a surprising start in 2024-25. Six of their 12 straight wins have been by a double-digit margin and overall, they have an average margin of victory of 12.0 points.
12-0 – 1996-97 Chicago Bulls (Won NBA Finals)
One of the greatest NBA teams in league history (actually, third in our historical TRACR rankings), the 1996-97 Bulls finished the season with a 69-13 record before riding Michael Jordan’s buzzer beater in Game 1 and “The Flu Game” in Game 5 to defeat John Stockton and Karl Malone’s Utah Jazz in six games in the 1997 Finals.
12-0 – 1982-83 Seattle SuperSonics (Lost First Round)
The SuperSonics finished the season 36-34 following their 12-game run out of the gate. Gus Williams, Jack Sikma and David Thompson were all named All-Stars that season, yet the Sonics were the only team on this list to be eliminated in the first round – losing to the Portland Trail Blazers.
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