Cleveland is the first team to have that many wins to start the season since the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors, who went 24-0 in the NBA to start that campaign, finishing 73-9, also a record.
“It’s great to be a part of history,” said Cavs star Donovan Mitchell, who scored a season-high 36 points against Chicago. “I never want to take those things for granted along the way when we do it in various ways. We do it in ways where we are beating teams. We are winning from behind. We are winning close games. And every night there is someone different that “Leads the charge. It’s always a group effort.”
The Bulls pushed the Cavaliers into a competitive game, taking a lead in the first quarter and staying within one point at halftime, despite Mitchell’s 25 points in the first half.
Chicago took a nine-point lead into the third quarter, but Cleveland’s lineup helped lead the charge back into the game. That included Ty Jerome, who finished with 12 points and six assists as the Cavs outscored the Bulls by 21 points during his 21 minutes.
Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said he noticed his starters were feeling fatigued during the third period and turned to the bench lineup to give them a break, which ended up fueling a run.
“He trusts guys, one through 15,” Jerome said. “That’s what a team is. During the regular season, you need depth.”
Five of the previous seven teams to start at least 12-0 reached the NBA Finals.
“This group is locked in,” Atkinson said. “I think there is [been] Questions about this group, if they can get to the next level, can they take the next step? So, I think when you have that, you have that chip. [on your shoulder]you concentrate even more.
“There’s another level of focus, another level of attention, another level of detail that these guys use to get us to 12-0 so far.”
The Cavs’ fast start comes in the first season with Atkinson as head coach. He had been an assistant for the Warriors the previous three seasons and was the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets from 2016 to 2020.
Atkinson credited Cleveland’s continuity for his start. He joined a team that already had Mitchell, Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, a core in their third season together as teammates.
“Kenny did a great job instilling everyone,” Mobley said Monday night. “We knew the defensive system that was coming, and he had an offensive scheme for us that he wanted to develop. And he put it together very well, and I feel like everyone bought into it right away. Since then, we’ve been going up from there.”
Cleveland’s next three games are all favorable: on the road against a short-handed Philadelphia 76ers team on Wednesday before hosting the Bulls on Friday and the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday.
Atkinson said he wanted his players to celebrate the 12-0 start, and Mitchell agreed that it’s a record they should cherish right now. However, the Cavs star acknowledged that the real test will be how the Cavs respond to this early momentum for the rest of the season and whether they can sustain it.
“It’s great. We’re playing well, the vibe is good, but we have to continue to be this team,” Mitchell said. “And that’s been my message to the guys in the locker room. This is great. We’re going to get the teams best shots. They’re going to test us early, but are we going to continue? And I never… There’s no doubt that we will do it, but that has been my thing. Are we going to continue being this team in January, February, March and April?
“I think all the guys feel it, but it’s great to enjoy these moments too while still having a humble approach.”
