NBA
What is the longest winning streak in NBA Playoffs history?
The Boston Celtics are in control in the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks but could have their sights set on an additional record.
The Boston Celtics have long been considered the favourite to win the 2024 NBA Championship. They had by far and away the best record of any team in the regular season and their performances in the postseason have only served to reinforce that view.
Joe Mazzulla’s team have only lost two games since the playoffs began - Game 2 against the Miami Heat in the first round and Game 2 against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the conference semifinals.
Since that loss at TD Garden on 9 May, the Celtics have racked up nine victories in a row, which includes a sweep of the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. Could they repeat that feat against the Dallas Mavericks?
Which teams have the longest unbeaten streaks in the NBA postseason?
Boston are currently joint 10th on the all-time list of consecutive postseason victories, level with the Phoenix Suns, who also recorded nine straight wins (against the Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets and LA Clippers) in 2021.
If the Celtics make it 3-0 in the series against Dallas at American Airlines Center on Wednesday night, that will move them level into joint seventh place on 10 postseason victories in a row, alongside the New Jersey Nets (2003), the San Antonio Spurs (2012) and the Cavaliers (2016).
They will take seventh on their own if they reach 11 with a sweep to beat the Mavs, although they would have to wait until next season to move any further up the list.
Longest postseason winning streaks in NBA history
15: Golden State Warriors (2017)
13: Los Angeles Lakers (1988, 1989), Clevaland Cavaliers (2016, 2017)
12: Detroit Pistons (1989, 1990), San Antonio Spurs (1999), Los Angeles Lakers (2000, 2001)
10: New Jersey Nets (2003), San Antonio Spurs (2012), Cleveland Cavailers (2016)
9: Phoenix Suns (2021), Boston Celtics (2024)
Three teams have posted 12 straight playoffs wins, with the Spurs achieving the feat in 1999 and the Detroit Pistons (1989, 1990) and the Lakers (2000, 2001) doing so across two different tournaments.
That is only the Lakers’ second best postseason run, as they also won 13 consecutive games across 1988 and 1989, a tally later matched by LeBron James’ Cavs in 2016 and 2017.
But the longest winning streak in NBA Playoffs history belongs to the Golden State Warriors, who swept the Portland Trail Blazers, the Utah Jazz and the Spurs before losing Game 4 of the 2017 NBA Finals against Cleveland, which ended their 15-game victorious run.
How can the Celtics surpass the Warriors’ unbeaten streak?
If the Celtics are to equal the Warriors’ achievement, they would have to win the next two games against Mavericks and then complete another sweep in the first round of next year’s playoffs. Anything beyond that would see them set a new record of 16 postseason victories on the bounce.