Random dribbles ahead of the Cavaliers’ road game against the Chicago Bulls on Monday (8 p.m. tipoff). …
1. Who’s having more fun than the Cavaliers? In the NBA so far, the answer is not a single basketball-loving soul.
2. After a home back-to-back, the Cavs actually got a whole day off. Well, not really a whole day, because they had to fly to Chicago. They just didn’t have a game. Now, they have yet another.
3. That’s one of the many things that’s been impressive about this 11-0 start (just the 12th since the NBA was founded in 1946, by the way). Out of 30 teams, only eight have played more than 10 games. The Cavaliers are one. A few have played just nine.
4. But that’s life in the big leagues, folks. We still have 71 more to go and we’ll be doing it until the seasons change twice more. And that’s just the regular season.
5. On Saturday, the Cavs may have played their worst game of the season. They built a 15-point lead midway through the second quarter, and on a sizzling 76 percent shooting from the field. Then everything just broke down.
6. With 4:23 left, they trailed by seven points (96-89). I started to think the streak was over. From the sounds of it, so did coach Kenny Atkinson.
7. Atkinson on that very topic: “You’re thinking about it. Normally, this is 11 games in. You’re not thinking about a streak, but tonight, you’re like, ‘Man, I don’t want it to end this way.’ … We’re competing. We’re trying to win every game, but it’s kind of weirdly in the back of your mind when you’re out there competing. Like man, we got to keep this thing going.”
8. Somehow, someway, the Cavs found some resolve and came back to win. Darius Garland has been remarkable, and again made multiple winning plays in that one. Ty Jerome hit a late floater. Donovan Mitchell sealed it with a pair of free throws. Evan Mobley went 10-of-11 shooting for 23 points and grabbed 16 rebounds.
9. Atkinson also deserves credit for running four guards out there with Mobley to close the game. It sped things up. The coach had to try something on a night where Jarrett Allen really struggled.
10. Atkinson on that strategy: “We tried the two big lineup probably too long quite honestly. We had to match their speed.”
11. It was a lineup that saved the day. I talked to one rival scout after the game and he joked that the “Cavs can’t lose even when they try.”
12. The Bulls (4-6) have not been as bad as some people expected. They’ve actually been much better when Zach LaVine plays, and that too is a bit of a surprise — given that the guy has been surrounded by trade rumors for a full year.
13. Chicago rallied to beat the Hawks on Saturday, snapping a four-game skid.
14. But the Cavs only need to keep doing what they’re doing. When they’re at their best, the ball is moving and the open shots are plentiful. Defensively, they’ve been on point.
15. Man, did I love the promotional poster for this game from the Cavaliers’ official X handle. So I posted it below. Talk to you after the game.
12/82.
🕗 8:00PM ET
📺 @FanDuelSN_CLE
📻 @wtam1100, @wmms
📰 https://t.co/y3KcmxYKvN@RocketMortgage | #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/HHcqxFVS3O— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) November 11, 2024
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