The Cleveland Cavaliers have surged to an 15-0 start, showcasing impressive teamwork and dominance, raising expectations for a potential breakout season under new coach Kenny Atkinson.
The young Cavs team is out to avenge their second-round loss and dethrone Jayson Tatum to reclaim the Eastern Conference title for the first time since 2018.
The Cavs have thrived by playing team basketball, contrasting their playstyle from last year. Atkinson has been willing to use his bench players to give the star players more rest. Atkinson emphasizes the importance of getting everyone involved and regularly preaches the benefits.
The Cavs have found success in many unexpected ways, contributing to their early success.
“We’ve won in so many different ways. That’s been more impressive to me than the eight wins, just how we’ve done it. We’ve had blowouts. We’ve had close games. We’ve come back. Every night it’s somebody new,” said star shooting guard Donovan Mitchell.
With the Cavs’ 113-111 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on November 6th, they were able to tie their best start to a season in franchise history. The players have kept their focus on what the future holds, taking the season day by day instead of admiring their early accomplishments.
Despite the excitement surrounding their early success, Mitchell remains focused on the bigger picture.
“We’re not doing that, I did know that. It’s great. Obviously, you want to enjoy the little things on the road and it’s great to have that, but at the end of the day it’s been eight games,” said Mitchell, in regards to breaking the franchise record.
Under the new system, the Cavs have been able to get more players involved, resulting in unexpected uprisings and emerging breakout seasons for several players. Darius Garland has been a key contributor for the Cavs this season, removing any doubt about his fit with the team that was speculated on last year. He was able to rack up 39 points on 7-of-11 shooting from deep and carry the Cavs to the victory over the Bucks, tying the record.
Garland enjoyed his success against star point guard Damian Lillard and has expressed happiness in being able to play this season, feeling like himself again.
“It was amazing, I grew up watching Dame. It was super cool playing some 1-on-1 basketball,” said Garland who was able to outduel Lillard.
