After the Cleveland Cavaliers were ousted 4-1 by the Boston Celtics in the semifinals of the Eastern Conference last season, several trade reports speculated that the franchise centerpiece, Donovan Mitchell, could be on the move. Mitchell stayed put, reaffirming his faith in the Cavs before the start of the 2024-25 season. Now we know why.
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The Ohio side is currently on a 12-game winning streak, sitting comfortably at the top of the Eastern Conference table. Their Monday night win against the Chicago Bulls improved their record to 12-0, which is a franchise all-time record.
A record that’s hard to match. Mitchell and Co. have done something in Cleveland that even trumps the golden reign of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love.
However, there are teams who have achieved similar feat in NBA history. The list is not long. And yes, it does feature the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors.
The Golden State Warriors (2015-16)
The 73-9 Warriors are, quite naturally, the top team in this list. Their 24-0 regular season win streak is still the longest in NBA history.
The Dubs were unbeaten for two months after the season 2015-16 started in October. Their streak ended after the Milwaukee Bucks defeated them 108-95 in December. The loss also ended their 28-game total streak, counting the last games of the previous season.
That year though, the Warriors fumbled their season’s exploits in the postseason, conceding a 3-1 lead against, incidentally, the Cavaliers. LeBron would bring home the first NBA Championship in Cleveland’s history that year, something that Mitchell and Co. would look to emulate this season.
The Houston Rockets (1994-95)
The second team to appear on the list are not the ’96 Bulls, like many would have expected, but the team that won the Championship the year before. The 1994-95 Houston Rockets.
Hakeem Olajuwon and Co. got off to a flying start that season, winning 15 games in a row.
The Texan side hit a rough patch after that, even encountering a four-game losing streak. The decline in the second half of the season led to a second place finish for the Rockets in the Western Conference, behind the Seattle SuperSonics.
However, the Rockets would compensate for that in the playoffs, all the way to the NBA Finals, where they beat the New York Knicks 4-3.
The Washington Capitols (1948-1949)
The next entrant in the list is from the year the NBA was founded. The Washington Capitols went on a 15-0 run to start their 1948-49 BAA season. Unfortunately, they couldn’t win the BAA Finals to complement their brilliant start.
The Dallas Mavericks (2002-03)
The fourth team on the list are the 2002-03 Dallas Mavericks, who went on a 14-0 run to start their campaign that year. The Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash-led squad finished third in the West with a 60-22 record. Their campaign would end against the San Antonio Spurs in the Conference Finals.
The Boston Celtics (1957-58)
The Boston Celtics inevitably appear on the list to show just how rich their history is in the NBA. The Celtics recorded a 14-0 run that year to start the season, which would sadly end in a Finals loss against the St. Louis Hawks.
The Chicago Bulls (1996-97)
The Chicago Bulls finally make their much-anticipated appearance on the list. They had a 12-0 start in the 1996-97 season, the year after they finished 72-10. Michael Jordan and Co. celebrated the streak with an NBA Championship win, the second one of their second three-peat in the 90s.
The Seattle SuperSonics (1982-83)
The SuperSonics had the most unceremonious playoff exit among the teams on this list after starting their season on a roll. The side were swept in the first round of the postseason by the Trail Blazers. That’s quite a disastrous ending to their 12-0 start.
| The 2015-16 Warriors | 24-0 |
| The 1994-95 Rockets | 15-0 |
| The 1948-49 Capitols | 15-0 |
| The 2002-03 Mavericks | 14-0 |
| The 1957-58 Celtics | 14-0 |
| The 1996-97 Bulls | 12-0 |
| The 1982-83 Sonics | 12-0 |
| The 2024-25 Cavaliers | 12-0* |
The Cleveland Cavaliers (2024-25)
The Cavaliers need to win just four more games to steal the second spot on this list. Their biggest obstacle on that path will be the 19th November NBA Cup group stage game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. The way the Cavs are playing, beating the Celtics wouldn’t be a hard task.
But they are yet to play the defending Champions so far this season. Beating the team that nearly swept them last year wouldn’t be a walk in the park, or a walk in the Garden should we say.
The other three games before that matchup are relatively easier. The Cavs will face the 76ers next in Philly, which will be followed by a rematch with the Bulls at home. After that game, the Cavs will host the Hornets on the 17th of November.
Even though the team is on a record-breaking spree, Donovan Mitchell and Co. are likely to not lose focus of their postseason goals. The Cavs side have outperformed despite a majority of pundits writing them off before the season started.
The team is averaging a staggering 122.4 points per game so far, which ranks them first in the league. They are collectively shooting 52% from the field and 41.3% from the deep. So there is promise that they can deliver in the playoffs as well.
The team doesn’t have many superstar in their ranks, but one thing the Bucks and the 76ers have taught us this year, that star power doesn’t guarantee wins. So the Cavs will try to use the confidence gained from their brilliant unbeaten start to fuel a successful campaign in the rest of the season and the postseason as well.
Donovan Mitchell will have to use his experience to guide his team the right way as teams slowly settle into the season. But before that, Cleveland fans will follow every game closely to find out how far their team can go unbeaten.
