The Cleveland Cavaliers are the top story in the NBA two months into the 2024-2025 season. The team from Ohio started by winning the first 15 games of the schedule, which is the best start in franchise history and is tied for the second-best in the history of the NBA.
Losing 120-117 to the defending champions Boston Celtics on November 19th prevented them from getting closer to the best-ever 24-0 start by the Golden State Warriors from the 2015-16 season. However, the Cavs fans have a reason to be optimistic for the rest of the year, as this roster looks ready to bring the glory days back to Cleveland.
The Cleveland Cavaliers’ best season was the exact same year when the Warriors had the all-time best start. Golden State went 73-9 that season, setting the all-time record for most wins in a regular season. Against all basketball predictions, LeBron James led the 57-25 Cavs to the championship despite being down 3-1 in the NBA Finals series against the Warriors.
After James left the team in 2018, the Cavs failed to make it to the playoffs in the next four seasons, but the front office found a way to build another respectable team, and the Cavs look like a real contender this year.
However, having an epic start like that does not guarantee anything, as the 1993-94 Houston Rockets team is the only one that won the championship after a 15-0 start. Still, the fans in Cleveland believe that this team led by head coach Kenny Atkinson is capable of winning it all this Cavs season.
What makes this Cavs team so good?
The Cleveland Cavaliers will go into 2025 with the best record in the league. Their offensive force and versatility are what set them apart from the rest of the contenders. The Cavs are the best shooting team in the league with 50.4% shooting from the field and 40.6% from three-point territory. To put that in perspective, last season they shot 47.9% from the field and 36.7% from deep, averaging 115.2 points per game, which is way short of the 121.8 points they average this Cavs season.
Comparing the Cavaliers rosters from this and last season, there are not many differences, but the key addition was the signing of Atkinson. The 57-year-old spent the last three seasons as Steve Kerr’s assistant in Golden State. He definitely implemented some of the Warriors’ playing style with the Cavs, and it seems to be the right recipe for success.
The Cavs’ efficiency has increased, which is best described by the fact that they are ranked 17th in field goal attempts but third in field goals made. Cleveland is also third in the league in assists-to-turnover ratio and fifth in steals. The areas that can still be improved are their free-throw shooting, as they are 17th in the league, and their defense, which is 16th in the league, allowing 43.6% shooting from the field and 23 allowing 116.1 points per game.
Donovan Mitchell is the main man on the floor, averaging 23.3 points per game, which is the lowest since his rookie season, but the 28-year-old knows how to make everyone around him better. Evan Mobley will most likely make his All-Star debut this season, as the fourth-year power forward averages 18.5 points and 9 rebounds per game. Jarrett Allen is another big who does the dirty work for the Cavs, averaging a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds per game.
Another reason for the Cavs’ success is the synergy between the starters and the bench, as Atikson has given a role that every player on the team is happy with.
That was evident from the very start of the season after the Cavs blowout 134-110 win over the Los Angeles Lakers and two wins in three nights against the Milwaukee Bucks. On their way to a 15-0 start, the Cavs showed their strength in a 136-117 win over the Warriors. During this stretch, four different players led the Cavs in scoring, including Darius Garland and Dean Wade, besides Mitchell and Mobley.
The Cavs were so close to beating the Celtics in their first loss of the season as the defending champions made an impressive 22 three-pointers on 53.7% shooting from behind the arc. Less than two weeks later, the Cavs made things even, beating the Celtics 115-111.
Many still consider the Celtics the best team in the East, but looking at what is the Cavaliers’ record against the Celtics in recent years, we realize that the Cavs actually lead the head-to-head 5-4 in the last three regular seasons.
However, the Cavs are not the favorites to win the championship this season but there is no bigger motivation for Atkinson and his players than that. Mitchell has gone through many playoff disappointments with the Utah Jazz and it seems like has reached the level to lead a team to a deep playoff run. The rest of the group has made a significant step forward and this team can be really dangerous even on Mitchell’s nights off. Scorers like Garland and Caris LeVert can step up on any given night and there is no doubt that the Cavs are the team to beat this season.
Having only four losses at Christmas looks very promising and if the Cavs continue with this pace, we may see one of the best regular season records ever. The Cavs fans doubted that they will have another shot at winning the championship after James left, but things may get interesting in Cleveland this season. If we look at the basketball matches today, betting against the Cavs is not something any of us would like to do.
