Historic Dominance: Cavaliers and Thunder Aim for 70 Wins

After a historic start to the season, the Cavaliers have maintained their position at the top of the NBA standings through the first two and a half months.

As the new year begins, Cleveland boasts the best start in franchise history, winning 31 of their first 35 games. With impressive performances on both offense and defense, the Cavs are one of only two teams on pace to achieve 70 wins in the 2024-25 season, alongside the Thunder.

For context, only two teams in the NBA's 78-year history have surpassed the 70-win mark. While there’s still a lot of basketball left to play, both Cleveland and OKC have shown remarkable dominance at this stage of the season.
How do these teams stack up as they aim for the record books? Let's compare their impressive starts to those of the teams that delivered the best seasons in league history.

Best Records in NBA History
The Warriors set the record for the best regular season in NBA history with a 73-9 record in the 2015-16 season.
Golden State's remarkable 73-9 season is one of 13 instances where a team won 67 or more games, with nine of those teams ultimately winning the NBA title.

For reference, a 67-win team has a win percentage of .817 over an 82-game season. Currently, the Cavaliers (31-4, .886) and Thunder (30-5, .857) are both on track to exceed 70 wins.
In terms of pace, the 1995-96 Bulls (32-3) and the 2015-16 Warriors (33-2) had better starts than both the Cavaliers and Thunder this season. With Cleveland and OKC in different conferences, both have a clearer path to reaching the 70-win milestone.
The highest combined wins by two teams in a single season is 140, achieved by the Warriors (73) and Spurs (67) during their historic 2015-16 campaigns, though neither won the NBA title that year.

Best Seasons in Cavaliers History
Since their establishment in 1970, the Cavaliers have had two seasons with over 60 wins. LeBron James was instrumental in three of the five best teams in franchise history, making the current achievements of Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, and Darius Garland even more notable.

The 2024-25 Cavaliers have won 31 of their first 35 games, while the 2008-09 team, which secured 66 wins, had a record of 29-6 at the same point in the season.

Best Seasons in Thunder History
The Thunder, despite their relatively short 17-year history, have also featured some all-time greats.
While the franchise retains the legacy of the Seattle SuperSonics, let's focus on their best records since relocating to Oklahoma:

The 2024-25 Thunder have won 30 of their first 35 games, while the only 60-win team in Oklahoma City’s history achieved 27 wins in their first 35 games.
For reference, Seattle's best season was in 1995-96, when they finished with a 64-18 (.780) record and lost to the 72-win Bulls in the NBA Finals.