The 1995-96 Bulls, led by, from left, Dennis Rodman, Scottie Pippen, coach Phil Jackson, and Michael Jordan, won 18 straight games while going 72-10 in the regular season.
Associated Press
Time for some bright-siding.
Last week we took on the dreadful task of ranking the worst losing streaks in Chicago pro sports history.
This week’s High Five looks at the longest winning streaks. Unfortunately, we had to go quite a ways back for most of the franchises.
5. Blackhawks, 12 in 2015-16
Even though the team’s Stanley Cup window had closed after winning the title the season before, the 2015-16 group was still a contender.
The core of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, etc. remained in their prime while youngsters Artemi Panarin and Teuvo Teravianen already were contributing.
The streak began Dec. 29 and continued until Jan. 19. The rest of the season wasn’t great, though, and the lack of momentum carried into the playoffs.
A Stanley Cup repeat was thwarted in a seven-game heartbreaking loss to the Blues in the first round of the playoffs.
4. Bears, 17 in 1933 and 1934
George Halas, Red Grange and Bronko Nagurski got it done.
The Bears won four straight regular-season games to end the 1933 season and won their second straight NFL championship.
Six Hall of Famers powered Chicago to a 13-0 record in 1934. The New York Giants, however, stunned the Bears in the title game to prevent the perfect season.
The regular-season winning streak ended in the 1935 opener when the Bears lost 7-0 to the Packers. With Grange retired, the team didn’t even make the playoffs.
3. Bulls, 18 in 1995-96
The greatest team in NBA history? People still talk about the 72-10 season that began the second three-peat of titles.
Michael Jordan was playing his first full season after a brief retirement. Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and the rest of the team dominated from tip to buzzer.
The streak began on Dec. 29 against the Pacers and continued through Feb. 2 during a west-coast swing. The closest games were a two-point squeaker over Atlanta and a three-pointer over Toronto.
When the streak ended, the Bulls lost back-to-back games for the only time during the entire regular season.
2. White Sox, 19 in 1906
This season was memorable for many reasons, but mostly because it gave the franchise its first World Series title after beating the Cubs in six games.
The “Hitless Wonders” sat in fourth place in July when they suddenly took off. While the lineup led the league in walks and hit batters, the pitching staff was tops in shutouts and second in ERA.
During a streak that lasted from Aug. 2 to Aug. 23, the White Sox went from 50-43 to 69-43. There was also a tie in there, meaning the unbeaten streak was 20 games.
1. Cubs, 21 in 1935
Unfortunately, the third-longest winning streak in Major League Baseball history did not end with a World Series title. The Cubs won the pennant but then lost to Detroit.
Catcher Gabby Hartnett earned the National League MVP in 1935 as one of four eventual Hall of Famers on the team. The Cubs had dynamite pitching with Lou Warneke, Bill Lee and Larry French combining for 57 wins.
The Cubs were 2.5 games behind the first-place Cardinals when the streak began on Sept. 4. The Cubs won the first three games of the season’s final series against the Cards, stretching the streak to 21 games.
The streak, and the regular season, ended with two straight losses, but the Cubs were up by six games at that point.