The Cavaliers are quietly chasing history, but they’re in no mood to talk about it. With a 31-4 record after Sunday’s dominant 115-105 victory over Charlotte, Cleveland is tied for the fifth-best start to a season in NBA history.
At the halfway point of the season, the Cavs’ pace is making history, but they’re taking care to avoid discussions of their potential legacy.
Their 31-4 start puts them in rare company. Cleveland joins the 2004-05 Phoenix Suns, 1996-97 Chicago Bulls, and 1980-81 Philadelphia 76ers as the fourth team to win exactly 31 of their first 35 games.
Only the 1995-96 Bulls, 1971-72 Lakers, and 1966-67 Sixers started their seasons better at 32-3, and the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors, who set the NBA regular-season wins record at 73, opened their campaign with a 33-2 record.
The Cavs are currently two games behind the Warriors’ pace, which, if maintained, would yield a 72- or 73-win season. But even as the wins pile up, coach Kenny Atkinson insists, “Absolutely not,” when asked if he thinks about coaching one of the greatest teams in NBA history.
Point guard Darius Garland echoed this sentiment, saying, “Leave that (talk) alone,” when asked about their historic pace, as relayed in an extensive piece by The Athletic’s Joe Vardon.
Despite their impressive record, the Cavaliers are taking a cautious approach. Garland stated that the team’s focus remains on the playoffs.
“We all know what it’s like to win regular games,” he said. “Our next step is to go to the Eastern Conference Finals, go to the Finals. We’re not worried about the regular season.”
Cavaliers Attitidue
In other words, this team knows the difference between dominating the regular season and achieving postseason success.
After all, the NBA has seen numerous lower-seeded teams advance deep in the playoffs in recent years — with the eighth-seeded Miami Heat reaching the Finals in 2023 and the seventh-seeded Los Angeles Lakers making the Western Conference Finals.
What makes the Cavs’ regular season even more intriguing is their offensive and defensive prowess. Entering Sunday’s game, they had the second-best offense in NBA history, trailing only last season’s Boston Celtics.
Cleveland also boasts the No. 9 defense in the league — and rarely do teams have a top-10 offense and defense, a combination often seen in title-winning teams.
The Cavs have now won 10 straight games, all by at least 10 points, setting a franchise record. They even swept a four-game Western Conference road trip while hardly breaking a sweat.
But while the Cavs’ dominance in the regular season is undeniable, the team’s potential playoff success is uncertain. Unlike some of the greatest teams in NBA history, the current Cavaliers roster includes players who haven’t yet forged their playoff legacies.
While Tristan Thompson is the only player left from the 2016 NBA Finals-winning team, stars like Donovan Mitchell and Garland have yet to make deep playoff runs.
Garland himself has spoken about his struggles in past postseason appearances, including the Cavs’ first-round loss to New York in 2023.
As Atkinson pointed out, physicality will be a key challenge for the Cavs come playoff time. They probably need to improve in areas like cutting harder, screening better, and getting open more aggressively when faced with a more intense playoff environment.
Jarrett Allen’s struggles with physicality have already been noted, and it’s clear that the Cavs need to prepare for a higher level of intensity in the postseason.
That said, the Cavs’ offensive depth has coaches like Charlotte’s Charles Lee comparing them to the 2016 Warriors.
“I think that they do a really good job of making you pay for your mistakes,” Lee said. “They make you pay if you aren’t tight with everything you do.”
It’s true, as Cleveland’s ability to exploit defensive lapses with a roster full of offensive weapons is a major strength.
Of course, despite the success, the Cavs are still being doubted by some analysts, who cite their “easy” schedule (whatever that means) and question their ability to perform in the playoffs. But there’s no doubt they’re a true blue championship contender. As of today they’re sitting with the fourth-best odds of reaching the Finals, trailing only Boston, Oklahoma City, and New York.
Thunderous Matchup
On Wednesday, the Cavs face a major test with the Oklahoma City Thunder, who enter Cleveland with a 30-5 record and a franchise-record 15-game win streak.
OKC, like Cleveland, is aiming for regular-season history. Led by MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder are much like the Cavs in that they believe they can win it all. They really do.
The Cavs know that facing such elite competition requires even more perfection, as Atkinson said: “When you play these great teams, you have to be even more perfect.”
As Cleveland chases history and aims for an NBA title, it’s clear that the regular season is merely a stepping stone.
As Garland put it, “The regular season is super cool, but our next step is to win playoff games.”
For the Cavs, this historic start is just the beginning — what happens in the playoffs will define their legacy.
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