Dribbles: Cavs Got It Going On, Having Fun As They Overwhelm Mavs, Roll Through West

By
Sam Amico
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Random dribbles following the Cavaliers’ 134-122 road win over the Dallas Mavericks on Friday. …Caris LeVert, Cavaliers, Cavs, Mavericks, Mavs, NBA

1. Bring on the Eastern Conference. Apparently, the West can’t touch the Cavaliers. Not even when the West is on its own court.

2. The Cavs (30-4) became the first team to 30 wins as they continue to sport the NBA’s best record. They’re just the 11th team in NBA history to start 30-4. For the record, the NBA has been around since 1946.

3. They’re also 10-0 against the West. That includes this 4-0 swing through the conference — with wins at Denver, Golden State, Los Angeles (over the Lakers) and now the Mavs. Cleveland has won nine straight overall, each by double digits.

4. Yes, Dallas (20-15) was incredibly shorthanded, missing backcourt stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, a late scratch with an illness. That might mean something if the Cavs hadn’t built a 26-point lead in the second half. It just goes to show that if you’re not fully manned, forget it. These Cavs aren’t about to take pity.

5. The ball movement again was a sight to behold. Darius Garland in particular threw a few amazing passes to cutters, resulting in monster dunks (Evan Mobley) and other easy baskets (also Mobley).

6. So, yes, Mobley was everywhere, recording a game-high 34 points, along with 10 rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots. He finished 3-of-6 on 3-pointers. There was a time, not long ago, when no one really wanted Mobley taking threes — perhaps not even Mobley. Now, though, it’s a good shot for the Cavs.

7. So coach Kenny Atkinson is delivering in his efforts to get Mobley and Garland to another level. And everyone, actually.

8. Of course, not every shot was perfect. But hey, these are the Cavs. Even the crazy ones went in — such as the one from Caris LeVert, who drove to the basket, got fouled, and blindly flipped the ball up over his head while facing away from the hoop. Two points.

9. LeVert finished with 17 points. Garland went for 16 and nine assists. Donovan Mitchell and Georges Niang added 15 apiece. Jarrett Allen had 11 and nine boards. Dean Wade scored 10, Ty Jerome had nine. The Cavaliers shot 53.1 percent from the field overall.

10. Translation: Things are going really, really well. 

11. It’s more than just offense, too. Allen swatted a Dereck Lively II dunk attempt into next week. The Cavs let Dallas sharpshooter Klay Thompson score 16 points in the first half, then held him to zilch in the second. They are just doing everything right when the need arises — passing, shooting, rebounding, bending their knees and shuffling their feet. You name it.

12. Mobley to FanDuel Sports Network: “Everyone just plays for each other. It’s like a brotherhood out there. Everyone knows where everyone’s gonna be, our ball movement’s been impeccable. We just gotta keep that going.”

13. Mostly, the Cavs are just obsessed with winning. It sounds simple, maybe ridiculous. But in a league with 82 games, you can take a night off here and there and be forgiven. These Cavaliers refuse to do that.

14. It’s also a rarity in the NBA. Normally, teams that win 30 of their first 34 games have a super, duper star carrying them most nights. The Cavs have Mitchell, yes. But they have about three or four other guys delivering every night, too. And it’s often a different three or four other guys. 

15. That’s the beauty of it. Most nights, you have a pretty good hunch that the Cavs will win. But it’s pretty hard to predict how, exactly, they will do it.

16. So the Cavaliers are a cruisin’ and return home to face the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday. What a streak, what a style of play, what a team that all of Cleveland can get behind. 

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