Has there ever been an NBA team so good that they didn’t lose a single game in a season?
There hasn’t been an NBA team that has gone undefeated in the regular season. The closest team to do this is the Golden State Warriors with a record of 73 wins and 9 losses in 2015-16.
But how about the playoffs? Or even the finals? Well, you’ll be surprised by the answers below.
Has an NBA Team Ever Gone Undefeated?
The NBA has 30 teams with 450 players all competing for the championship every season. The competition is getting fiercer every year with new moves being added, players improving and strategies evolving.
But the question is, has an NBA team ever gone undefeated?
In the regular season which is 82 games for each team, no NBA team has gotten 82 wins and 0 losses.
The closest a team has gotten to being undefeated in the regular season is with the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors with a 73-9 record.
Aside from them, here’s the list of the best regular season record holders:
| Team (Year) | Regular Season Record |
| 1. Golden State Warriors (2015-16) | 73-9 |
| 2. Chicago Bulls (1995-96) | 72-10 |
| 3. Los Angeles Lakers (1971-72) | 69-13 |
| – Chicago Bulls (1996-97) | 69-13 |
| 5. Boston Celtics (1972-73) | 68-14 |
| 6. Boston Celtics (1986-86) | 67-15 |
| – Chicago Bulls (1991-92) | 67-15 |
| – Los Angeles Lakers (1990-00) | 67-15 |
| – Dallas Mavericks (2006-07) | 67-15 |
| – Golden State Warriors (2014-15) | 67-15 |
Has an NBA Team Ever Gone Undefeated in the Playoffs?
As of now, no NBA team has ever gone undefeated in the playoffs.
The closest to clinching this record is the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors with a record of 16-1. GSW came close to being undefeated but at least they won their 5th title then.
If you’re curious, here’s the full list of the best NBA team records in the playoffs:
| Team (Year) | Playoffs Record |
| 1. Golden State Warriors (2016-17) | 16-1 |
| 2. Los Angeles Lakers (2000-01) | 15-1 |
| 3. Philadelphia 76ers (1982-83) | 12-1 |
| 4. Minneapolis Lakers (1949-50) | 11-2 |
| 5. San Antonio Spurs (1998-99) | 15-2 |
| – Chicago Bulls (1990-91) | 15-2 |
| – Detroit Pistons (1998-89) | 15-2 |
| 8. Los Angeles Lakers (1981-82) | 12-2 |
| – Milwaukee Bucks (1970-71) | 12-2 |
| 10. Chicago Bulls (1995-96) | 15-3 |
Has Any Team Gone 4-0 in the NBA Finals?
As of today, a total of 9 teams has gone 4-0 in the NBA Finals. The most recent one is the Golden State Warriors in 2018 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Aside from the GSW, here are the other teams who went undefeated in the NBA finals:
| Winning Team | Losing Team | Year |
| Golden State Warriors | Cleveland Cavaliers | 2018 |
| San Antonio Spurs | Cleveland Cavaliers | 2007 |
| Los Angeles Lakers | New Jersey Nets | 2002 |
| Houston Rockets | Orlando Magic | 1995 |
| Detroit Pistons | Los Angeles Lakers | 1989 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | Los Angeles Lakers | 1983 |
| Golden State Warriors | Washington Bullets | 1975 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | Baltimore Bullets | 1971 |
| Boston Celtics | Minneapolis Lakers | 1959 |
What is the Longest an NBA Team has Gone Undefeated?
The Los Angeles Lakers holds the record for the longest consecutive wins in the regular season plus playoffs with 33 wins.
Next is Golden State Warriors with 27 wins during the 2015-16 season.
If you want to know which other teams are in the list, here it is:
| Team (Year) | Regular Season + Playoffs |
| 1. Los Angeles Lakers (1972) | 33 |
| 2. Golden State Warriors (2015-16) | 27 |
| – Miami Heat (2013) | 27 |
| 4. Houston Rockets (2008) | 22 |
| 5. San Antonio Spurs (2012) | 20 |
| – Milwaukee Bucks (1971) | 20 |
| 7. Atlanta Hawks (2015) | 19 |
| – San Antonio Spurs (2014) | 19 |
| Boston Celtics (2009) | 19 |
| Los Angeles Lakers (2001) | 19 |
Has any NBA Team Lost Every Game in a Season?
No NBA team has ever gone 0-82 or lost every game in a season as of now. The closest one would be Charlotte Bobcats with 7 wins and 59 losses in 2012.
Aside from them, here are the teams with the worst season records in the NBA:
| Team (Year) | Record |
| 1. Charlotte Bobcats (2012) | 7-59 |
| 2. Philadelphia 76ers (1973) | 9-73 |
| 3. Philadelphia 76ers (2016) | 10-72 |
| 4. Denver Nuggets (1998) | 11-71 |
| – Dallas Mavericks (1993) | 11-71 |
| 6. New Jersey Nets (2010) | 12-70 |
| – Los Angeles Clippers (1987) | 12-70 |
| 8. Atlanta Hawks (2005) | 13-69 |
| – Dallas Mavericks (1994) | 13-69 |
| 10. Vancouver Grizzlies (1999) | 8-42 |
Why It’s Hard to Go Undefeated in a Season?
No matter how good or stacked an NBA team is, it’s impossibly hard for them to go undefeated. As we saw from the stats above, the best team to do it is Golden State Warriors with 73 wins and 9 losses.
But why exactly is it so tough to go undefeated in the NBA? Here are the most probable reasons:
1. There are so many games in a season
Each team plays 82 games in a season. But they may also play up to 28 games in the playoffs.
So, in short, there are just too many games to be played in a span of less than 7 months.
Exhaustion plays a big part in the reason why no NBA team has ever gone undefeated. After all, you can’t expect to play your best every single game night now, can you?
2. Injuries and availability
As a result of playing a lot of games, players will start to feel the tension in their bodies which can result in injuries.
So, when you’re playing the best teams in the world without your full force, you can’t expect to win.
That’s why today’s NBA is a game of availability. No matter how good a team is, the team with the complete force almost always wins.
3. It’s not their priority
The number one priority of every team is to win the finals. The second one is to get to the playoffs at least.
As such, no normal team would make it their priority to win 82 games in a season. They would just be exhausting their players which would be so dangerous come playoff time.
Instead, they try their best every single game and watch their regular season record. As long as they can clinch the playoffs, most teams won’t bother gunning for the 82-0 record.
4. Luck plays some part
The longer the season is, the harder it is to go undefeated. Back then, teams used to play 48-71 games a season. Even then, no NBA team has gone undefeated.
How much more today where there are 82 games in a season not including the playoffs?
So, a good team will have many lucky nights and some off nights where they just can’t get their rhythm.
5. Increasing competition
Basketball is an ever-evolving sport with new moves and rules being implemented every so often.
As such, what was required to win back then may no longer be what’s required today.
In short, teams and players are becoming more competitive which means it’s virtually impossible to go undefeated.
Just imagine, it took 20 years for an NBA team to break the Chicago Bulls best regular season record! And it took four future hall-of-famers in Curry, Thompson, Green and Iguodala to clinch that record.
Not to mention, they only beat the bulls’ record by one win. So, how much more difficult will it be for future teams to beat this new record or even more so going undefeated?
Conclusion
It’s extremely hard to go undefeated in the NBA. Not only is the competition tough, but there are just so many factors in play.
It’s fun to see a team dominate the competition on their way to the finals. But it’s also not bad to see closely matched-up teams beating each other.
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