Longest win streaks to begin an NBA season: Can the Cavs make history?
By Quinn Everts
The Cleveland Cavaliers are so good that regular celebrations are no longer enough. Instead, they've started dancing with a victory frog after wins — and there are a lot of wins.
At 15-0, these Cavs have tied the second-longest winning streak to start a season in NBA history, equaling the streak by the 1993-94 Houston Rockets. That Rockets team, led by Hakeem Olajuwon, eventually won the NBA Finals.
That's pretty good company for these Cavs, who have a Net Rating of +11.5 and have won 8 of their 15 games by double-digits. Donovan Mitchell is doing his usual part by playing like an All-NBA star, Darius Garland is bouncing back after breaking his jaw last season and Evan Mobley is playing more aggressively than ever before. This team never, ever mails it in and that effort is evident for 48 minutes a night.
Next up for the Cavs is their biggest test yet; the Celtics in TD Garden, where the team has been historically good the past few years. A win against the defending champs would give the Cavs sole possession of the second-best start to a season in NBA history — but even if they do escape Boston unscathed, they'll still have a long road to the very best start ever.
What is the longest winning streak to start an NBA season?
In order to claim the title of "longest winning streak to start an NBA season," the Cavs will have to remain undefeated until December 8th against the Miami Heat.
The record is currently held by the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors, who won 24 straight games and eventually set the record for best regular season record ever at 73-9. Unfortunately for those Warriors, they couldn't finish the job in the postseason — falling to Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in one of the most memorable NBA Finals of the 2000s.
Team (Year) | Win streak to start season (final record) |
|---|---|
Golden State Warriors (2015-2016) | 24 games (73-9) |
Cleveland Cavaliers (2024-2025) | 15 games (TBD) |
Houston Rockets (1993-94) | 15 games (58-24) |
Washington Capitols (1948-49) | 14 games (38-22) |
Dallas Mavericks (2002-03) | 14 games (60-22) |
Cleveland isn't even in shouting distance of the longest overall winning streak in NBA history. That record is held by the 1971-72 Boston Celtics, who won 33 games in a row on their way to an NBA title. No record in the NBA is "unbreakable," if you ask me, but this one feels pretty close. That's almost half of the season! Even getting an entire roster to play 33 straight games is nearly impossible in today's NBA.
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