Best NBA Teams At Avoiding Back-To-Back Losses
OAKLAND (CBS SF) – There are times when a NBA team's schedule looks like it was designed by a tour guide gone mad.
Time zones blend into one, jet lag becomes chronic and the legs and shooting touch disappear. Injuries become commonplace. It's a formula for losing streaks.
So what the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs have accomplished this season is truly remarkable.
With less than two dozen regular season games remaining, neither team has suffered losses on consecutive game nights.
How rare is it?
No team in NBA history has gone an entire season without a back-to-back loss. This season, not one, but the two squads are on the brink of accomplishing the gold standard for athletic consistency.
Here's a look at the top five NBA teams of all time at playing consecutive games without back-to-back losses.
Boston Celtics 1984-1985
At the top of the list is the Celtics. Boston finished the 1984-85 regular season with a 63-16 record behind the play of Larry Bird, Robert Parish, Kevin McHale, Danny Ainge and Dennis Johnson.
The Celtics went 74 games before losing 113-105 to the Detroit Pistons followed by a 109-103 setback at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks for their only back-to-back losses of the season. Bird missed both road games and the club went on to eventually lose in the NBA finals against the Los Angeles Lakers.
San Antonio Spurs 2015-16
The Spurs of Tim Duncan, LaMarcus Aldridge, Manu Ginobili, Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker have a 56-10 record heading into Tuesday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers. They have gone 66 games without a back-to-back loss and since they defeated Oklahoma City in their last game will improve that mark to at least 67 games no matter the outcome of Tuesday night's game.
Golden State Warriors 2015-2016
Behind Steph Curry, Clay Thompson, Draymond Green, Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut, the Warriors have re-written the NBA record book nearly a dozen times this season. But with injuries to Curry, Bogut, Barnes, sixth player extraordinaire Andre Iguodala and backup center Festus Ezeli at some point during the season, it is remarkable they have gone 66 games without back to back losses.
Philadelphia 76ers 1982-83
The 76ers had a lineup that included Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Maurice Cheeks, Andrew Toney and Bobby Jones and went 65-17 in the regular season. They swept the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals. The 76ers went 58 games before suffering losses to Boston and the New Jersey Nets on consecutive games early in March. Jones didn't play in either game.
Chicago Bulls 2011-2012
The Bulls with Derrick Rose, Carlos Boozer, Jimmy Butler, Luol Deng, Taj Gibson and Kyle Korver went 54 games before suffering back-to-back losses to Oklahoma City and Houston on consecutive nights in April. The Bulls played at OKC and then flew home to take on the Rockets. Rose missed both games with an injury. The club finished the year with a 50-16 regular season record and lost in the first round of the playoffs.
