In mid-December, an incredible stat was doing the rounds among sports fans on social media. It came after the Premier League team Manchester United was involved in a crazy 4-4 draw with AFC Bournemouth, with United rescuing the draw late in the game. It meant United kept up its 41-year record of never losing a home league game when leading at half-time. It’s an incredible achievement going all the way back to 1984, and it will probably never be emulated, at least not at the Premier League level.
While we are comparing apples and oranges when looking at the NBA compared to the Premier League, the viral topic did put us in mind of what basketball records will likely stand for all time. Some you’ll know, and some you may not, but they all share that quality of being very, very difficult to emulate:
Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game
We could, of course, do an article based solely on Chamberlain’s individual records, including the 50.4 ppg average achieved in the 1961-1962 season, but his 100-point game recorded in 1962 for the Philadelphia Warriors remains mind-boggling. Most NBA player props bets today only go up to 50+, sometimes 60, for a game. Yes, Kobe Bryant got close (ish) with 81 and Luka Doncic has scored in the 70s before, but we can’t see this being emulated in a competitive game.
John Stockton’s 15,806 career assists
The thing about the Utah Jazz legend’s record is that it is based on a mix of incredible career durability, a largely injury-free record (Stockton rarely missed a game), and being an elite assister. His closest rival currently is Chris Paul, who would probably need another five or six seasons at the elite level to make up the 3,000+ assists he lags by. LeBron is 3rd, but he’d probably need seven or eight seasons. Looking down the league, younger assist-machines like Trae Young (9.8 apg) would need about 16 more seasons at his current level to catch Stockton.
The Celtics’ eight straight
It’s just not possible in the current NBA. Even defending a Championship has been regarded as difficult in the 21st century. If a team wins three, you start talking about its place in the all-time lists. But eight consecutive NBA Championships? The league is no longer set up for one team to dominate, with everything from the Draft to owners with deep pockets ensuring that there’s always a rival ready to supplant you.
The Lakers’ 33-game winning streak
Is this one the easiest to see being broken? The Miami Heat hit 27 consecutive wins across the 2012-2013 season, and GSW had 28 in a row (across two seasons). People started talking about the streak again when OKC rolled off 16 straight this season, but that came skidding to a halt with a defeat against the Spurs. So, you might argue that because so many modern teams got close, it is breakable, but once again, the way the modern league functions makes it highly unlikely.
The Kings’ 43 consecutive road losses
We considered putting in the 76ers and Pistons’ 28-loss streak, but we think the 43 road losses by the Kings are a tougher unwanted record to break. When you look at the records of the bad teams in any given season, they usually pick up a handful of wins on the road. For example, the team with the worst record in the Eastern Conference last season, the Wizards, still picked up 10 road wins; the West’s worst, the Jazz, picked up 7. To go a full year without winning on your travels feels like something that will stay with the Kings of the early ‘90s in perpetuity.