Magic Brewing in Cleveland

After Lebron James left Cleveland, the Cavaliers struggled to develop an identity that fit the future of their team. The Cavaliers were in a similar situation to many other teams that did not need help with their path. They had the choice to try and contend or push their window back and look to struggle for a few years in hopes of drafting young stars in the lottery who can help them later on in the future. What is different about Cleveland is that prior to this decision, they had just made the NBA finals for four years straight, as well as a championship win in 2016, the first in the franchise's history.

Cleveland decided to take the latter route and took their chances in the NBA draft, hoping to find and build a core through young talent in hopes they could develop into impactful players on a future contending core. This approach paid dividends early on, as after four years, they could draft future All-Stars Darius Garland and Evan Mobley and other rotational pieces such as Isaac Okoro. These players, however, were not going to be enough, and Cleveland knew this, so they shoved their chips in the middle and made a blockbuster trade for All-NBA star Donovan Mitchell, sending away all-star Lauri Markkanen, potential sixth man of the year candidate Colin Sexton and an array of other draft picks. Not only did they trade for the superstar they desperately needed, but they also acquired Defensive Ace Jarrett Allen to pair with Mobley in the front court; for the first time in a long time, Cleveland looked to be back into contention. This did not end up being the case, however, as over the following two seasons after these acquisitions, despite having solid regular seasons and making the playoffs both years, the Cavaliers were dismantled in their first-round playoff in 2023 and second-round series in 2024, losing four games to one in both series to the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics. It appeared that Cleveland's core players needed to be stronger to compete with the better teams in the East, leaving many NBA fans wondering whether Cleveland would end the experiment early and move their roster differently. This culminated in countless rumors of possibly starting Point Guard Darius Garland getting traded as he has shown evidence of not being able to fit in with his running Mate Mitchell or potentially even moving Evan Mobley as he had not taken the offensive leap many had expected him to reach. Cleveland decided to instead trust in their roster and come into the 2025 season with the same team, and they might have just found that same magic they had during their finals runs all those years ago.

The Cavaliers have started an NBA-best seventeen wins and only one loss, with their only loss coming to the reigning champion Boston Celtics in a tight-knit matchup resulting in a three-point loss. The Cavs, on this streak, have also broken historical records, becoming just the 4th team in NBA history to open up a season with fifteen wins straight and no losses, as well as being on pace for an anomaly in having the potential to reach seventy wins which would be only the third time in NBA history as well as the opportunity to break the NBA record of seventy-three wins which is currently held by the 2015-2016 Golden State Warriors. How did this team that made no significant moves in the off-season go from a team that was seen as a pretender to potentially the favorites to win the NBA finals? I have a few things that I believe helped provide the massive jump in production for them. First, I would have to credit the offensive system that coach Kenny Atkinson has implemented, looking to rely heavily on three-point shooting and efficient shots at the rim, which has resulted in the Cavaliers being ranked number one in the league in total ppg at 124.3, as well as ranking first in overall field goal and 3 point field goal percentage at 52.4 and 41.3 and being third in overall three-pointers made in the league. This high percentage style has taken out the less efficient shots of their offense and focuses on getting the ball into their most vital scorers' hands and allowing them to operate where they are most effective. While Mitchell and Garland are not having their highest scoring years in terms of points per game, they are having one of their most efficient seasons due to the pressure the Cavalier's system puts on the defense, allowing them to get to their preferred spots easier than in previous seasons. Coach Atkinson has also put a strong emphasis on making sure Evan Mobley sees a substantial amount of touches per game due to his ability to not only finish strong at the rim but also put the ball on the floor and set up his teammates well for someone of his size and also his ability to stretch the floor off the ball. Mobley's defense cannot be understated for this team as he has consistently been in the running for Defensive Player of the Year throughout his time in the league, but his massive increase in offensive production, including a career-high in points per game and assists per game, average has done wonders for the Cavaliers offense. While Mitchell, Mobley, and Garland garnish most of the credit for this massive win streak, I believe the unsung heroes of the bench unit have been just as important of a factor for this team and are essential in ensuring Cleveland continues this type of output. Backups Ty Jerome. Caris Levert and Isaac Okoro have played huge roles in this shift with their elite perimeter shooting, with all three of them currently shooting above 40 percent from three. This, coupled with Jerome's elite playmaking skills and Leverts and Okoro's borderline all-defensive team perimeter defense, makes sense as to why Cleveland is performing at the level that they are.

While it's only a fourth of the way through the season, and there is still a lot of basketball to be played, the Cavaliers are starting to legitimately turn heads, and it's becoming apparent to a lot of fans that this team has a legitimate reason to be considered the favorite to go all the way. With teams such as the Celtics, Knicks, and rising Orlando Magic in the conference, it's not going to be a cakewalk for the Cavaliers to reach their end goal of a championship. However, Cleveland has looked good enough to the point where it's time to have a real conversation about whether they can get back to the finals. So that raises the question: Is Cleveland going to fold to the pressure like it did in years past, or is there really some type of magic brewing in Cleveland?

Article Written by Joshua Soler