Looking Back at Some of the Best Starts in NBA History
Summary
With the current NBA season underway, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Chicago Bulls remain undefeated, prompting a look at the best starts in league history. The 2015-16 Golden State Warriors hold the record with a 24-0 opening, a run that set the stage for their historic 73-9 season, though they ultimately lost in the Finals.
Other notable starts include the 1993-94 Houston Rockets and 2024-25 Cleveland Cavaliers, who both began 15-0. The 1948-49 Washington Capitols, 1957-58 Boston Celtics, and 2002-03 Dallas Mavericks also had impressive opening streaks. While these dominant beginnings often signal an elite team, they do not guarantee a championship, as demonstrated by several of these squads who fell short of the title.
We are just a couple weeks into the NBA season and there are just two teams that remain undefeated as the defending champions, Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Chicago Bulls haven’t suffered a loss yet. While it’s still early, we thought it would be a good time to see which teams have had the best starts in NBA history.
2015-16 Golden State Warriors (24-0 start – finished 73-9)
The Warriors famously started the season 24-0, which is the best start in NBA history and ended the season making history with the best record ever, 73-9. Golden State, coming off its’ first championship the year prior, were led by Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. The mix of high-octane offense, three-point shooting, depth, and a well-executed system, a big reason for the success. What makes this run even more impressive, it came under assistant coach Luke Walton, as head coach Steve Kerr was recovering from back surgery. But the Warriors would fall to the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.
1993-94 Houston Rockets (15-0 start – finished 58-24)
The Rockets won 15 straight under head coach Rudy Tomjanovich and star Hakeem Olajuwon – who had a season to remember. The Hall of Famer finished the year with an MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, NBA championship and Finals MVP for good measure. This run showed the importance of a great start as the Rockets still lost 24 games that season but rode the momentum in the playoffs.
2024-25 Cleveland Cavaliers (15-0 start – finished 64-18)
The Cavaliers got off to a hot start under new coach Kenny Atkinson helping turn Cleveland into a contender. The Cavs finished with the second best record behind OKC, led the NBA in points with 121.9 PPG and had the second best point differential in the league at +9.5. The Cavaliers broke their record-tying franchise winning streak by winning 16 in a row later in the season. Despite being the best in the East, the Cavs would lose in the conference semi-finals to the Pacers.
1948-49 Washington Capitols (15-0 start – finished 38-22)
In the early era of pro basketball, the Capitols started 15-0 in the 1948-49 BAA season (which later merged into the NBA). Coached by the late, great Red Auerbach, the Capitols’ 15-0 record start stood uncontested for 45 years. This is a reminder that great starts aren’t something we see in the modern game, but it’s happened in different eras over time. Washington would lose in the championship series to the Minneapolis Lakers in 6 games.
1957-58 Boston Celtics (14-0 start – finished 49-23)
The Celtics reeled off 14 consecutive wins to start the season and were led by Hall of Famers Bob Cousy, Sam Jones and a young Bill Russell, who won his first league MVP. Remember, during this season, the NBA featured just eight teams. Boston’s hot start adds to the lore and affirms the idea that strong beginnings often align with elite team identity. The Celtics made their second consecutive NBA Finals appearance, but were unable to defend their title, losing in a rematch of the Finals of the previous year to the St. Louis Hawks in six games.
2002-03 Dallas Mavericks (14-0 start – finished 60-22)
The Mavericks started the season by winning 14 straight – which was one win shy of tying the NBA record at the time. Led by Don Nelson, the second-winningest coach in NBA history, the Mavs got off to an incredible start with one of the best lineups in basketball. Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash took this team to a 60-22 record, tied for first in the division (Spurs won Midwest via tiebreak). Dallas would go on to lose in the Western Conference Finals to San Antonio.
1996-97 Chicago Bulls (12-0 start – finished 69-13)
The 1996-97 Bulls may arguably have one of the most dominant starts to a season on route to an NBA championship. Chicago started 12-0 and won by an average of nearly 20 points in that stretch. Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Phil Jackson and company had the best offense (103.1 ppg) in the nBA and were top-five in rebounds and assists. The Bulls would go 15 and 4 in the playoffs en route to another title.
1990-91 Portland Trail Blazers (11-0 start – finished 63-19)
The Trail Blazers won eleven in a row to start the season on their way to a franchise best start at a record of 27–3. Portland would be 39-9 at the All-Star break and added a 16-game winning streak to close out the season, finishing with the best record in the NBA at 63-19. That win total remains a franchise-high. The Blazers were led by Clyde Drexler and were the favorites heading into the playoffs but would lose to the Lakers in six games in the conference finals.
In Closing
These blazing starts represent some of the most dominant openings to a season in NBA history. Each is less about just “wins” and more about how the team won, how convincingly, and how early they established their presence. But as this list shows, just because a team starts off red-hot, it doesn’t always lead to a championship.
