What Is The Longest Winning Streak In The Nba?

The longest winning streak in NBA history belongs to the Los Angeles Lakers, who won 33 consecutive games during the 1971-72 season.

The Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics have the longest winning streak in the NBA with 33 consecutive wins. The streak began on November 5th, 2017 and ended on December 11th, 2017. During this streak, the Celtics averaged 104.8 points per game and allowed 97.1 points per game.

The 1960s: The Bill Russell Era

The Boston Celtics of the 1960s are often considered the greatest team in NBA history. Under the leadership of head coach Red Auerbach and center Bill Russell, the Celtics won an astonishing eight NBA championships in a row from 1959 to 1966. In total, the Celtics won 11 championships in 13 years, including two more in 1968 and 1969. During their run of success, the Celtics compiled a regular season record of 413 wins and 155 losses, for a winning percentage of .726. In the playoffs, they were even more dominant, winning 31 out of 43 series for a winning percentage of .721.

The 1960s Celtics were led by a core group of players who would go on to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame: Bill Russell, Sam Jones, K. C. Jones, Bob Cousy, Tom Heinsohn, John Havlicek, and Frank Ramsey. This star-studded squad is often cited as one of the main reasons why the NBA adopted a rule allowing teams to keep players after they had played four seasons in the league (a rule that is still in place today).

Although they never won more than 62 games in a regular season, the 1960s Celtics were virtually unbeatable in the playoffs thanks to their stingy defense and unselfish offensive play. In fact, during their eight-year championship run, the Celtics only lost four playoff series: two to the Los Angeles Lakers (in 1962 and 1963) and two to the Philadelphia 76ers (in 1967 and 1968).

The 1980s: The Larry Bird Era

After winning the NBA championship in 1981, the Celtics entered a period of rebuilding. With the retirement of Havlicek in 1978 and Jo Jo White in 1981, Boston was without two of its key players from the 1960s and 1970s. The team finished the 1981–82 season with a 39–43 record and failed to make the playoffs for the first time in 21 years.

In 1979, the Celtics had drafted Larry Bird, who would go on to become one of the greatest players in team history. Under head coach Bill Fitch, Bird helped lead the Celtics back to respectability, finishing with a 46–36 record in his rookie season. The young Celtics improved to 54–28 in Bird’s second season and defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 4–2 in the first round of the 1984 playoffs. However, they were no match for the defending champion Philadelphia 76ers, losing 4–1 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

The 2000s: The Kevin Garnett Era

In the 2000s, the Celtics became one of the most dominant teams in the NBA with a core of star players that included Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen. The team won an incredible 66 games in the 2007-2008 season and went on to win the NBA championship that year. They followed that up with another impressive season in 2008-2009, winning 62 games.

In total, the Celtics won 3 NBA championships in the 2000s (2008, 2010, 2011). They also made it to the Finals in 2002 (losing to the Los Angeles Lakers) and 2004 (losing to the Detroit Pistons).

The Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers have the longest winning streak in the NBA with 33 wins in a row. They set the record during the 1971-1972 season. The Lakers also have the second longest winning streak with 31 wins in a row.

The 1980s: The Magic Johnson Era

In 1980, the Lakers drafted rookie Earvin “Magic” Johnson from Michigan State University with the first overall pick in the NBA draft. The team finished the season with a 54–28 record and advanced to the Western Conference Finals, where they lost to the eventual NBA champion Lakers in six games.

The following season, the Lakers hired Paul Westhead as head coach, and under his guidance won their first NBA championship since 1972 by defeating the Philadelphia 76ers in the Finals. Led by Johnson’s playmaking abilities and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring, Los Angeles won a second consecutive title in 1982 by defeating the 76ers again in the Finals. However, after losing to the crosstown-rival Boston Celtics in seven games in the 1984 Finals, Westhead was fired and replaced by Pat Riley.

Under Riley’s leadership, Los Angeles won four consecutive championships between 1987 and 1988 and again between 1989 and 1991, becoming not only one of only two teams (the other being Boston) to win four championships in a row on two separate occasions but also the first team in NBA history to win four championships in five years. After winning their fifth title of the decade in 2000, they failed to reach the Finals for three consecutive seasons.

The 2000s: The Kobe Bryant Era

The Los Angeles Lakers of the 2000s were a dynasty led by NBA superstar Kobe Bryant. The team won five championships in this decade, including three in a row from 2000 to 2002. They also made the Finals in 2004 and 2008, losing to the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics respectively. The Lakers were dominant throughout the decade, winning at least 50 games in every season except for 2002-03 when they won 49. They also had the league’s best record four times (2000, 2001, 2002, 2009) and made the playoffs every year except for 2003.

The Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors have the longest winning streak in the NBA with 17 wins in a row. They have a 73-9 record and are the defending NBA champions. The Warriors are a talented team with many All-Stars, including Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. They are coached by Steve Kerr and are one of the favorites to win the NBA Finals again this year.

The 2010s: The Stephen Curry Era

The 2010s were a decade of dominance for the Golden State Warriors, who won three NBA championships and set a league record with 73 regular-season wins in 2015-16. The Warriors’ success was fueled by the play of Stephen Curry, who became the first player in NBA history to be named MVP in unanimous fashion in 2016. Curry would go on to win two more MVP awards in the next three seasons, as he established himself as one of the greatest shooters in NBA history.