Dribbles: Cavs Finish With Flurry, Put Winning Ways On Full Display In Moving To 14-0

November 15, 2024

Random dribbles following the Cavaliers’ wild 144-126 home win over the Chicago Bulls on Friday. …

1. For most of the night, this was an intense, scary game for the Cavaliers. It looked like their streak might come to an end. The Bulls were running, gunning, knocking down 3-pointers, and doing it again. The Cavs could get no separation. They couldn’t build any sort of sustainable lead. They could never feel safe.

2. And yet they won by 18.

3. The Cavs are 14-0. Let’s start with that. Wow. Unreal. Fourteen-and-oh. We are witnessing history.

4. But wait. There’s more. They’ve also won 14 straight for the first time in franchise history AT ANY POINT in a season.

5. Along with that, Kenny Atkinson has yet to experience what it’s like to lose as Cleveland coach. This is a man who focuses on “shot quality,” and if there’s one thing these Cavs can do, it’s get good looks at the basket.

6. As Atkinson said, you can’t always control whether the ball goes in. But you can make sure you’re giving yourself an excellent chance. That describes this year’s Cavs.

7. Anyway, I’m all over the place. Sort of like this game. It was an emotional rollercoaster, a nailbiter, the very definition of basketball insanity.

8. So how did the Cavs turn a close game for most of the night into an 18-point landslide? Well, how about by scoring TWENTY points in the final 2:40?

9. It’s true, as with 2:42 to go, the lead was just 123-119. Then came a whole lot of Donovan Mitchell and Caris LeVert, with Jarrett Allen slamming home a dunk for the game’s final points.

10. Once again, though, it was a teamwide effort in every sense. That’s what it takes to match the second-highest scoring output in team history. The other came against the Toronto Raptors on Dec. 26, 2021.

11. Georges Niang got the start in place of Evan Mobley, who was out sick. Niang started ahead of Dean Wade because Atkinson wanted Wade to serve as the backup center to Allen.

12. And man oh man did Niang deliver, scoring 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting (4-of-7 on threes) with eight rebounds. “George is a connector, screener, shooter,” Atkinson told reporters. “When you have this much depth, it’s fun.”

13. Four other Cavs scored at least 22 points — led by Mitchell’s 37-point eruption. Darius Garland tacked on 29 points and nine assists, Allen recorded 24 points and 10 boards, and LeVert came off the bench to score 22 (on 7-of-10 shooting) with eight assists. And LeVert did it in 26 minutes.

14. Atkinson on 14-0: “They like each other. They enjoy playing together. The ball really moves. … I was so thrilled when (Warriors forward Draymond Green) said he’s so impressed with how we move the ball.”

15. Green said that on his podcast the other day. He and the Warriors were blasted by the Cavs last week. Atkinson coached Green as an assistant under Steve Kerr for the last three seasons. Usually, the Cavs use Mobley in the role of Green. On this night, it was Niang.

16. Meanwhile, the Bulls (5-8) didn’t back down — ever. Forget the final deficit. That was just a Cavalanche. For most of the night, Chicago kept the Cavs on their heels. Bulls coach Billy Donovan has instituted a European-style offense and things are looking much better this season, record be darned.

17. The Bulls have had a lot of close ones. They beat the Knicks in New York on Wednesday night. They really spread out the Cavs and had them running all over the place in the first half … and even well into the fourth quarter.

18. For the game, Chicago went 20-of-42 from beyond the arc. “In this league, everybody makes threes. That’s just the way the game is right now,” Atkinson said. “What I didn’t like in the first half is we only turned them over twice.”

19. It was a different story in the final 24 minutes. The Cavs adapted and forced the Bulls into committing 15 turnovers, for 17 on the night.

20. Clearly, Cleveland missed Mobley’s length. Sam Merrill also sat out again, nursing a sore ankle. Max Strus (ankle) has yet to play this season. Nonetheless, the Cavs are here, somehow, someway, at 14-0.

21. Wade, Ty Jerome and starter Isaac Okoro deserve credit for battling and again making winning plays. Tristan Thompson came in and offered five good minutes.

22. So make it 1-0 in the NBA Cup as well, with Game 2 at the reigning champion Boston Celtics on Tuesday. The Cavaliers host the Hornets in just a regular regular-season game on Sunday. But that’s the future. The here and now? Oh, it’s just been downright fun. This game alone will tell you that.