Both the ground and the ball seemed different. Not the Cleveland Cavaliers, who remained unchanged…and immaculate.
They continued their perfect start, improving to 14-0 on Friday night with a 144-126 victory over the Chicago Bulls in an NBA Cup opener that served as another showcase for a Cavaliers team that made click like never before.
After the final buzzer, Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen celebrated more history by dancing on the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse court with a giant green frog, which quickly became a makeshift mascot for an unscripted start.
“It’s Cleveland,” Allen said, trying to explain the amphibian’s sudden arrival. “It’s just a vibe in the city and I hope it doesn’t change.”
Even playing without starting forward Evan Mobley, Cleveland became the sixth team in NBA history to win its first 14 games and the first since the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors, who opened 24-0 and finished 73-9. .
There’s no telling where this season is headed in Cleveland, but there’s never been a Cavaliers team that’s started better.
The 14-game winning streak is the longest in club history (the Cavaliers had three players out of 13 games with LeBron James on the roster) as first-year coach Kenny Atkinson has pushed every right button while diving deep into his bench in every game.
A win on Sunday would leave them in thin air as only four teams have started 15-0.
Mitchell scored a season-high 37 points and Garland had 29 for the Cavaliers, whose 49 points in the first quarter were the most in a quarter in franchise history. In total, his 144 points tied for the fifth-most in a game in franchise history, according to ESPN Research.
“We just have incredible chemistry, an incredible understanding of each other… and respect for each other,” Atkinson said. “It’s beautiful, beautiful to see.”
Atkinson, who spent the last three seasons on Golden State’s coaching staff after a four-year run as Brooklyn’s coach, now has the longest winning streak of any coach with a new team. He entered the game tied with Lawrence Frank, who won 13 in a row after taking over the Nets midway through the 2003-04 season.
While Atkinson inherited a team that reached the Eastern Conference semifinals with JB Bickerstaff, the 57-year-old has made the Cavaliers even better by adopting a fast-paced offensive system designed around spacing, 3-point shooting and ball movement.
The Cavaliers are winning unselfishly.
“From the beginning, I knew it was a group that liked each other and enjoyed playing with each other,” Atkinson said. “I knew we had good passers. We have good connectors. We know where to get it. We make quick decisions.”
After Cleveland beat Golden State last week, Warriors forward Draymond Green said the Cavaliers moved the ball better than any team he’s ever seen, including the title winners he’s been on.
“I was so excited when Draymond said that the other day,” Atkinson said. “He was really impressed with the way we handle the ball. How we drive, kick and swing. We get it out of the pick-and-roll. We get it in fast break situations, and it’s Warriors style. It’s really that kind of move. of the ball is beautiful to see.
Atkinson doesn’t let his team be satisfied either. After the Cavaliers allowed 73 points in the first half, the coach angrily slammed a shower sandal in the locker room at halftime.
“That’s what we want,” Mitchell said. “We all prefer that. We hear how good we are. For us, that’s how we improve. We haven’t lost, but how can we continue to find ways to develop habits? It’s to keep training hard and not allow any mistakes.” . “That’s what you want in a coach.”
To this point, the Cavaliers have been perfect and it never hurts to have a player of Mitchell’s magnitude leading the way.
His season-high 37 included 18 in the fourth quarter to shut out the Bulls, who were still within four points in the final three minutes before Cleveland began what is known as a “Cav-a- lanche” in recent years. Substitute Caris LeVert and Mitchell hit 3-pointers as the Cavaliers closed with a 21-7 burst.
Sensing his team needed more from him, Mitchell opened the quarter by scoring Cleveland’s first nine points.
“That was him,” Atkinson said. “It wasn’t us. It wasn’t me who said it. Does he just feel what the team needs right now? And it could be him or it could be someone else. And that speaks to his IQ, just understanding who’s on the court , who is he playing with.
“We were looking to score a little bit and he just took over.”
This is what Mitchell had in mind when he signed a three-year, $150 million contract extension this summer and committed to the Cavaliers. I loved the city. He believed in the young core of the team. I knew the Cavaliers were capable of doing great things.
Mitchell didn’t see the streak coming, nor the frog, which had been seen in the streets outside the arena.
“That was fun,” he said. “I was really surprised when I saw the frog. It was pretty cool. It was like just a vibe.”
The Cavaliers want it to last.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
