Dribbles: Cavs Have Imperfect Night, Remain Perfect Anyway With Comeback Win Over Nets

November 9, 2024

CLEVELAND — Random dribbles from the Cavaliers’ rally of a 105-100 home win over the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday. …

1. That was close. Maybe too close. It’s still hard to believe that the Cavs actually won.

2. But 11-0 doesn’t usually come easily. Sometimes, you really gotta beat the odds. That, ladies and gentlemen, was the Cavaliers on this night.

3. No less than coach Kenny Atkinson admitted to thinking about the perfect start. “I kept thinking, ‘I don’t want it to end this way,'” he said.

4. For a while there, it looked like that was exactly what would happen. The Cavs trailed 82-70 entering the fourth quarter. They trailed 96-89 with 4:23 left. They just could get nothing going.

5. If you watched the game, you know that all felt lost. Then, suddenly, it didn’t.

6. The NBA has been around since 1946. Only 12 teams have started 11-0. The Cavs are now one of them.

7. So, how did it happen? I asked Donovan Mitchell that very question, throwing in the line, “Never a doubt, huh?” He smiled widely, then talked extensively about how, yet again, it was a total team effort. Perhaps more than ever.

8. And yet again, it’s hard to pick just one Player of the Night. Evan Mobley was amazing on his way to 23 points on 10-of-11 shooting, yanking down 16 rebounds in the process. That’s what you call a great day at the office.

9. Mitchell scored 22, including 17 in the first half and a pair of game-clinching free throws. Darius Garland was huge — 20 points, 8-of-11 shooting, six assists, More than those numbers, though, he saved the day with winning plays and a couple of clutch baskets.

10. But wait, there’s more. Caris LeVert came off the bench to score 12 underrated points and work his tail off defensively. Ty Jerome only scored four, but his running floater in the lane put the Cavs up 103-100 with 45 seconds to go.

11. Man that was … big.

12. Interestingly, when I spoke to Mitchell, the first name he mentioned was Jarrett Allen. He didn’t focus on the fact that Allen (four points, three boards) had a really tough night. Instead, Mitchell credited Allen for being aggressive in the third quarter and showing some heart. “JA kept fighting,” Mitchell said.

13. That’s just the thing about this team. As Jerome said, “I’ve been impressed with how together we’ve been. Nobody’s pointing fingers, nobody’s complaining.”

14. Midway through the second quarter, the Cavaliers looked like they would run away with it. They led 52-35 and were shooting a sizzling 76 percent from the field. Then … everything started to fall apart.

15. Atkinson credited first-year coach Jordi Fernandez and the Nets (4-6) for that, citing their ball movement, determination on defense and shot-making. And Brooklyn truly does bring all of those things. Just not as much as the Cavs.

16. Consider Garland at crunch time. His two free throws with 2:10 left put the Cavaliers back on top, 97-96. Then he fed Mobley with a remarkable pass in traffic for a dunk. Then he hit a floater at the 1:46 mark, making it Cavs 101, Nets 98.

17. But again, it was about more than just the score. Garland seemed to break Brooklyn’s spirit.

18. Cameron Johnson scored 23 points to pace the Nets, and Cavs-killers Cam Thomas and Dennis Schroder added 22 apiece. Fernandez has done a great job with this team early.

19. So there you have it. The Cavs just keep writing their own history, closing this one out with a 26-11 run and remaining perfect. It’s still hard to believe they found a way and won. That they did, though, and Atkinson doesn’t need to worry anymore. The streak is alive and well.