The Cavaliers’ win total is growing fast, and so is their confidence. At 8-0, they are the only unbeaten team left in the Eastern Conference, and at this point, they might just win every game. “That’s the plan,” center Jarrett Allen said, smiling widely.
The Cavs kept their perfect record intact on Monday night with a 116-114 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, who pushed Cleveland to the limit even without two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo due to injury.
Darius Garland led the way for the Cavs with 39 points, outshining Bucks star Damian Lillard in the final moments as both point guards put on an impressive display of shooting, thrilling the packed crowd at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
“It was amazing,” Garland said. “I grew up watching Dame. It was super cool playing some 1-on-1 basketball.” Cleveland’s strong team play has been the key to their great start.
With this win, the Cavs matched the best start in franchise history, tying the 1976-77 Cavs, who also went 8-0 before finishing the season 43-39 under coach Bill Fitch.
“We’re not doing that,” All-Star Donovan Mitchell said, cutting off a reporter who mentioned the franchise record for fear of jinxing the team’s early success.
“I did know that. It’s great. Obviously, you want to enjoy the little things on the road and it’s great to have that, but at the end of the day it’s been eight games.”
The Cavs may not be perfect forever, but they’ve won every game so far under first-year coach Kenny Atkinson, and they’ve done it with a different player stepping up each night.
“We’ve won in so many different ways,” said Mitchell, who signed a three-year contract extension with the Cavs this summer. “That’s been more impressive to me than the eight wins, just how we’ve done it. We’ve had blowouts. We’ve had close games. We’ve come back. Every night it’s somebody new.”
Atkinson has been willing to use his whole bench almost every game. Even though he was missing starter Dean Wade and key reserve Caris LeVert against the Bucks due to injuries, he still used 10 players, including rookie Luke Travers, who played in only his second game.
“It just shows the belief in the group, from top to bottom,” said Mitchell, who hit a jumper in the final second to beat the Bucks on Saturday. “And the belief we have in each other.”
The Cavs understand that their first loss will happen eventually, and it’s unlikely they’ll match the NBA record held by the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors, who started 24-0. But they’re enjoying the ride, and there’s nothing more fun than winning.
“We’re all just locked in,” Garland said.
