Cavs’ Start Best Since LeBron James Was In Town, And Guess Who’s Paying A Visit?

October 29, 2024

For the Cavaliers, we can officially call it a roll to start the season. In fact, they haven’t started this well since You Know Who was on the team.

It happened in 2016-17, when the LeBron James-led Cavs were fresh off the lone championship in franchise history. The very next season, they started 6-0.

Oh, by the way, guess who’s back in town on Wednesday, when these Cavs will try to improve to 5-0?

Yep, you guessed it, the man himself. And James and the Lakers are 3-1 after Monday’s road loss to the Suns.

For the record, the best start in Cavs history came in 1976-77, when the Austin Carr and Campy Russell post-Miracle of Richfield team went 8-0.

This time, it’s Donovan Mitchell taking the reins, and the storyline practically writes itself– a young, emerging Cavs squad going head-to-head with their former franchise legend.

Granted, wins over the Raptors, Pistons, and Wizards could be seen as warmups against lesser competition. But their Monday night win over the Knicks? That’s a different story.

Beating a rugged Knicks team 110-104, and doing so with a fairly balanced attack, signals that these Cavs have more substance than flash. Mitchell has brought his scoring and leadership, but the rest of the cast has been just as impressive, with everyone from Darius Garland to Evan Mobley to Jarrett Allen and beyond buying into new coach Kenny Atkinson‘s message of movement, staunch defense, and belief.

So as usual, the matchup with LeBron and the Lakers won’t be just another game on the October calendar. It’s another chance for the Cavs to show they’re more than just early-season hype.