Looking back at the best starts in NBA history

The 2024-25 Cleveland Cavaliers will forever be included in a group of elite teams after their win on Sunday. In the NBA’s 79 seasons, only 15 teams have started a season with 10 or more consecutive wins.
There have only been two instances in the past two decades. Two others occurred when the Association had 12 teams or less. It was most frequent during the 90s when six different squads went 10-0 or better to start their season. The 1993-94 and 1997-98 seasons stand out as the only times multiple teams did it in the same year.
Here’s a list of the best starts in NBA history:
1. 2015-16 Golden State Warriors (24-0; finished 73-9): The Warriors had the all-time best start to a season paired with the best regular season in NBA history. Coming off their first championship the year prior, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson led the Warriors to a 24-game winning streak, just three shy of the all-time record. What’s more impressive is that the entire run came under then-assistant coach Luke Walton, while coach Steve Kerr recovered from back surgery. 
2. 1993-94 Houston Rockets (15-0; finished 58-24): Under coach Rudy Tomjanovich, Hakeem Olajuwon led the team to 15 wins out of the gate. It was a sign of things to come as Olajuwon finished the year with an MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, NBA championship and Finals MVP for good measure. 
3. 1948-49 Washington Capitols (15-0; finished 38-22): Coached by the late, great Red Auerbach, the Capitols’ 15-0 record start stood uncontested for 45 years.
4. 2024-25 Cleveland Cavaliers (15-0): New coach Kenny Atkinson is helping to turn this team into a title contender. The fewest points scored so far this season for the league’s top offense is 110, not far off their average of 123.4. They’ve collected wins over multiple playoff teams from last season, but their biggest test could come Tuesday when they face the defending champion Celtics in Boston. With a win there, the Cavaliers would stand alone for the second-best start to a season in NBA history at 16-0. 
5. 2002-03 Dallas Mavericks (14-0; finished 60-22): Winning is what Mavericks coach Don Nelson did for decades. He retired as the winningest coach in league history and this was arguably his best assembled team, which included international stars Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash. 
6. 1957-58 Boston Celtics (14-0; finished 49-23): This Celtics team featured Hall of Famers Bob Cousy, Sam Jones and a young Bill Russell, who won his first league MVP. During this season, the NBA featured just eight teams. 
7. 1996-97 Chicago Bulls (12-0; finished 69-13): Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Phil Jackson and company led a warpath through the NBA en route to NBA title No. 5. They boasted the league’s top offense (103.1 ppg) and were top-five in rebounds and assists.