Greatest regular-season teams in sports history

The first team in NBA history to lose less than 10 games in a season, 2016’s Golden State Warriors posted the best regular-season record in NBA history at 73-9. The combination of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson just proved too lethal for opposing teams to handle night to night, as the Dubs typically steamrolled the competition. The Warriors capped off the season with their second straight NBA championship.

Michael Jordan and his Chicago Bulls went 72-10 over the course of the 1995-96 NBA season. It was Jordan’s first full season back in the NBA after his 1993 retirement, and it was clear from the outset of the year that M.J. was intent on proving he was still the best basketball player on the planet. Chicago became the first NBA team to win over 70 games that season.

The only undefeated team in NFL history, the 1972 Miami Dolphins went 14-0 in the regular season, followed by three playoff wins to claim Super Bowl VII. Led by Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris in the backfield, the Dolphins' undefeated season was made all the more impressive by the fact that 38-year-old backup quarterback Earl Morrall was forced to start nine games with starter Bob Griese out with an injury.

After winning 72 games along with an NBA championship the prior season, Jordan and the Bulls were back at it again in the 1996-97 NBA season. Although they didn’t reach 72 wins, having 69 victories wasn’t too shabby. Phil Jackson’s squad would go on to win the fifth of six NBA championships that year.

If they had not been upset in the Super Bowl by the Giants, we would likely be talking about the 2007 New England Patriots as the greatest football team ever. Instead, a 16-0 regular season in which Tom Brady and Randy Moss absolutely torched the competition will have to do. Moss caught a record 23 touchdown passes from Brady that season.

The 1972 Los Angeles Lakers are remembered best for the record 33-game win streak they set that season. But it shouldn’t be forgotten that the purple and gold, led by Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain, won a then-record 69 regular-season games as well. Additionally, the Lakers won their first NBA title since moving to Los Angeles from Minneapolis that year.

Although Bill Russell had retired, the 1973 Boston Celtics were still one of the most dominant regular-season teams the NBA has ever seen. With John Havlicek and Dave Cowens leading the charge, the Celts won 68 games that season. Unfortunately, head coach Tom Heinsohn’s squad was eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals by the New York Knicks in seven games.

Turning back the clock more than a century, the 1906 Chicago Cubs posted the greatest regular-season record in MLB history. The Cubs went 116-36 and easily won the National League pennant. That being said, in typical Cubs fashion, the team lost in the World Series to the crosstown rival Chicago White Sox in six games.

For Minnesota Vikings fans, talk of the 1998 NFL season brings up painful memories. Despite posting an incredible regular-season record of 15-1, the Vikings lost in the NFC Championship Game to the Atlanta Falcons after kicker Gary Anderson missed his only field goal of the season. It was an excruciating way for one of the most successful regular-season teams in NFL history to have its year end.

The 1977 Montreal Canadiens set the NHL record for most points in a single season with 132. Coached by Scotty Bowman, the Habs went 60-8-12 in the regular season and went on to win the club’s 20th Stanley Cup that year.

With a roster that featured the likes of Steve Yzerman, Paul Coffey, Sergei Fedorov and Chris Osgood, the 1996 Detroit Red Wings set the record for most regular-season wins in NHL history with 62 in total. Coached by, you guessed it, Scotty Bowman, the Wings finished the regular season with 131 points. For whatever reason, however, the Red Wings struggled in the playoffs and were knocked out by the Colorado Avalanche.

With Alex Rodriguez, Edgar Martinez and a Japanese-born rookie sensation by the name of Ichiro Suzuki leading the way, the Seattle Mariners won an incredible 116 games over the course of the 2001 MLB season. Unfortunately for the boys out in the Pacific Northwest, Derek Jeter and New York Yankees proved to be a little much for them to handle in the ALCS.

With quarterback Aaron Rodgers leading an explosive offense, the Green Bay Packers posted a regular-season record of 15-1 in 2011. Sadly for Green Bay fans, a divisional playoff matchup against the Giants proved to be the Packers' undoing, as they lost to Eli Manning’s team 37-20. Still, the 2011 Packers were one of the best regular-season teams in sports history.

Simply known as “The Invincibles,” English football club Arsenal went through the entire 2003-2004 campaign without losing a single Premier League match. Led by Thierry Henry’s 39 goals, the Gunners went 26-12-0 on their way to winning their first Premier League championship.

Guided by legendary coach and Hall of Fame player Art Ross, the 1930 Boston Bruins posted an incredible regular-season record of 38-5-1. Goalkeeper Tiny Thompson was on the ice for all 38 wins, and winger Cooney Weiland led the Bruins on the score sheet with 73 points. Although it was a regular season to remember, the Bruins lost in the Stanley Cup Final to the Montreal Canadiens.

With a rookie quarterback by the name of Ben Roethlisberger leading the way, the Pittsburgh Steelers ended the 2004 NFL season with a record of 15-1. With the best defense in the NFL, the Steelers gave up more than 20 points in a game just four times that season. Unfortunately for Steelers fans, their team ran up against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in the playoffs.

Trotting out a rotation that featured the likes of Andy Pettitte, Orlando Hernandez, David Cone and David Wells, there was little the opposition could do to slow down the 1998 New York Yankees. They went 114-48 over the course of the regular season and lost just two games in the postseason on their way to winning their 24th World Series.

Along with being one of the first American League clubs to embrace players of color, the 1954 Cleveland Indians were a pretty darn good team as well. Led by Hall of Fame players Early Wynn and Larry Doby, the Indians won 111 regular-season games in 1954. Unfortunately for Cleveland, a World Series date against the New York Giants and some player named Willie Mays proved to be too much to handle.

Although it might seem unthinkable by today’s standards, there truly was a time when the Cleveland Browns were a dominant football team. In just their third year playing in the AAFC (the league that was the precursor to the AFL), the Cleveland Browns went 14-0. Led by Hall of Fame quarterback Otto Graham, the Browns' undefeated regular season was capped off by a 49-7 victory over the Buffalo Bills in the AAFC Championship Game.

However you may feel about Bob Knight, there is no denying he is one of the most successful coaches in college basketball history. Knight was at his best in 1976, when he guided his Indiana Hoosiers team to a 32-0 record and a national championship. Of course, having three All-Americans on his roster made Knight's job just a little bit easier that season.

Despite losing in the Final Four to Wisconsin, the 2015 Kentucky Wildcats basketball team had one of the most remarkable regular seasons in recent memory. Loaded with NBA talent and coached by the charismatic John Calipari, the Wildcats went undefeated in the regular season, posting a record of 31-0.

Entering the season as the defending National Champions, the 1991 UNLV Runnin’ Rebels basketball team nearly did the unthinkable: win every single game they played that season. Unfortunately for head coach Jerry Tarkanian, his team ran up against the Duke Blue Devils in the Final Four, where Christian Laettner proved to be the one opposing player the Rebels couldn’t handle.

Granted, the season was shortened due to a work stoppage, but the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks are still one of the greatest regular-season teams in sports history. Led by Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, Chicago went 36-7-5 in a condensed regular season and went on to win that year’s Stanley Cup Final.

University of Connecticut women’s basketball head coach Geno Auriemma is quickly becoming the John Wooden of women’s basketball. Auriemma has led the Lady Huskies to 11 national championships and six undefeated seasons. Their finest season came in 2014, when the team, led by Breanna Stewart, went 40-0.

Coached by legendary coach John Wooden, the UCLA Bruins had not just one, two, three but four different undefeated regular seasons under the tutelage of the Hall of Fame coach. In the 1964, 1967, 1972 and 1973 regular seasons, the Bruins went undefeated. When you have players like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then Lew Alcindor) and Bill Walton competing for you every night, not going undefeated at least a few times would be a disappointment.