Still undefeated! 15 things to know about the 15-0 Cavaliers ahead of their Celtics showdown

The holidays are approaching, and with that inevitably comes a huge amount of stress. Gifts to buy, food to prepare, plane tickets to book, ways to avoid politics around the dinner table…it’s all a lot.

It’s only because of the mentally draining holidays that you’d be forgiven for not noticing how hot the Cleveland Cavaliers are, starting the season 15-0 and currently dominating their competition.

More importantly, outside of sporting the best record in the league, the Cavs play a fun brand of ball — one that comes highly recommended if you need a break from all the hustle and bustle.

Here are 15 notes to bring you up to speed on how exactly they do it, what they’ve achieved and of course random observations that may or may not matter a month from now.

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1. Kenny Atkinson has been a breath of fresh air

When the Cavs fired JB Bickerstaff in the offseason, chants of “Atkinson!” quickly filled the social media sphere from fans wanting to see the same roster under new management.

Good cry, Cavs fans. Good cry.

Atkinson has expanded the rotation to avoid overusing his starters, and so far the balance seems to be working. As many as 10 players get over 17 minutes per game. match, and the team’s best player – Donovan Mitchell – is barely 31.

Atkinson also emphasizes pace, as the Cavs now rank seventh in pace compared to 22nd last season, an inexplicably low number when you consider that Mitchell was joined in the starting unit by Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen and Max Strus.

The 57-year-old coach appears to have solved the question of how to pair two dynamic guards with two dynamic big men without sidelining anyone.

2. Evan Mobley finally took a leap

Right from the start of his career, Evan Mobley was good. He defended well, rebounded at a good pace, and despite not having a reliable perimeter shot, still found a way to produce offensively.

For a few years, Mobley remained good, but never really moved past that threshold into excellent, much to the frustration of everyone around him—and probably himself.

This year, however, he has become excellent.

Mobley’s defense level up. He defends the rim, challenges shots, rotates like a madman, covers his direct matchup, picks up smaller players with ease and does all of that without ever giving up his own positioning.

Mobley’s great understanding of angles and ability to direct players against Allen shows a defensive IQ that is sky high, and he should be a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year.

3. Darius Garland is back to normal

It’s safe to say that Garland has bounced back after a year of varying degrees of success.

The former All-Star plays three minutes less per game. game (30.2) than last year, but is averaging three more points (21.4) and looking noticeably more aggressive and focused.

The interplay between him and Mitchell, who previously raised questions about whether the Cavs could truly optimize with both, has looked tremendous. Garland’s increased scoring focus, in turn, has lifted some responsibility from Mitchell’s shoulders, thus saving them both from the risk of being overused.

4. The Cavs are in pretty nice company

Cleveland’s 15-0 start is matched by only three other teams in NBA history: the 1994 Houston Rockets, the 2016 Golden State Warriors and the 1949 Washington Capitols.

That doesn’t mean they’ll automatically make the finals, but their start allows them to keep their rotation deep, so if they stumble down the line, they can use the starters’ fresh legs to get back on track.

Just being 15-0, especially in the East where nobody wins, is a huge asset.

5. Hello Ty Jerome!

Okay, don’t even start acting like you saw this coming. Drafted 24th overall in 2019, never cemented a role and played for four teams over six seasons … those are long odds.

Yet here we are.

Jerome is now a legitimate Sixth Man candidate, averaging 10.7 points and 3.7 assists in just 17.5 minutes. His 6-foot-5, 200-pound size allows him to back up both guard spots and even play on the wing when the need arises.

At 27, Jerome probably didn’t foresee a breakout this late in his career, but he’s been a huge boost to Cleveland’s bench and will now look to spend the rest of the season solidifying himself as a name we’ll get used to for the next 8-10 years.

6. Jarrett Allen is still Jarrett Allen

You’d think that with so many players at their level, there wouldn’t be room for the ever-steady Allen, who isn’t flashy and will never have exploding box scores.

Well, you’d be wrong.

Allen remains one of the most consistent centers in the NBA, and it seems that no matter the circumstances around him, he will find a way to deliver 14 points, 10 rebounds and elite defense.

This year is no exception. Allen takes 65% of his shots within three feet of the basket and converts at a 76.5% rate. He already has 38 dunks through the first 15 games, and if you think dunk stats don’t matter, think again.

The fact that Allen is constantly ducking into the dunker spot throws off entire defensive back lines. Opposing centers can’t leave him, which means they’ll have to give up midrange shots and floaters instead of rotating out high to face the likes of Garland and Mitchell.

If they are open, they look like layups for the two. And should centers come out to meet them, it’s an instant lob for Allen.

It’s simple basketball.

7. Max Strus hasn’t even played yet!

Last year, the Cavs brought in Strus to tie the backcourt and frontcourt together via his 3-point shooting and defensive intensity.

That logic still applies, and yet the Cavs have somehow managed to go 15 games undefeated without him.

Let’s be honest here. When Strus returns, many Eastern coaches should be concerned. Imagine adding a guy who gave you 12/5/4 and 168 triples last year to this core.

8. The Cavs have beaten a lot of bad teams, but isn’t that what they’re supposed to do?

Some have decided to push back on Cleveland’s remarkable beginnings by arguing that the organization has mostly faced bad teams, such as the Bulls, Bucks, Raptors, Pistons, Pelicans and Wizards.

It’s not necessarily wrong, but does it matter?

At the end of the day, the teams have one goal when they take the floor and that is to get the dub. The Cavaliers have taken the floor 15 times this season and left it victorious 15 times.

If they are expected to beat lesser competition, which they are, then they have earned a top grade so far.

Let’s focus on what they’ve done, as opposed to punishing them for not having met a ton of real tests yet. It will come in good time.

9. Where exactly did Caris LeVert find the Super Soldier Serum?

For years, LeVert has been a high-volume bench scorer who has balanced his game with some play while offering positional size.

He’s been who he is for a while now and it’s been fine. But this year, he, along with seemingly every other Cav, has leveled up.

We’re looking at a significant efficiency boost (66.3 TS% compared to 52.4% last year), a lower turnover rate and a 45.8% 3-point efficiency, which is a career high by quite a bit.

Is it sustainable? Probably not to this extent, but there is a world where he maintains a higher level of scoring efficiency because of the players around him. Worth keeping an eye on.

10. Team-wide shooting efficiency has been literally unreal

Sometimes the Matrix decides to test our faith, like when it produced Victor Wembanyama and normalized it for us to see a 7-foot-4 center play as a point guard.

Well, the Matrix is ​​at it again.

The Cavs currently lead the league in FG% (52.4), 3FG% (41.9), 2FG% (60.1) and eFG% (61.2).

This is either a hot streak like no other and the Cavs collapse as it settles in and normalizes, or it’s a blip we’ll be talking about for years given how absurd it is.

More than likely, this level of efficiency will decrease over the coming month, but there is a real argument to be made that any reduction in numbers will not be too aggressive.

The Cavs have found something, and their collective success stems from their collective buy-in. So even if the numbers can be normalized, it’s fair to believe that this team will still find itself as one of the most potent offensive teams in the NBA at the end of the season.

11. The real test is on Tuesday

On Tuesday, the Cavs will take on the Celtics, in Boston, no less, and present them with their toughest test yet.

The Celtics remain one of the most potent two-way forces in the NBA, evidenced by the fact that they won the elusive title last season and have somehow stayed together.

If the Cavs pull that off and go 16-0 with a road win against the Celtics, it might be time to ask some pretty intriguing questions about their future.

12. This is the perfect squad for Donovan Mitchell

For years his teams have looked to him to score. Playing big minutes. To be the star. That responsibility has been accepted, but for Mitchell, it must be nice to shave off some minutes while seeing his burden lessen.

The 28-year-old still averages over 24 points per game and remains one of the toughest shooters in the league, so he doesn’t sacrifice shots or touches on a per-minute basis.

Instead, his role has been simplified. When he’s in, it’s business as usual. When he’s out, he can relax and trust his teammates to fill the void left behind.

In many ways, Mitchell enjoys the best of both worlds.

13. Let’s not forget Isaac Okoro

The 6-6 wing was retained over the summer, as his 3&D upside was too exciting to let go.

That’s not a bad conclusion from the front office, as Okoro has improved as a shooter in recent years and finds the corners particularly interesting.

This year, his minutes and shots have been cut, but not to the point where it’s problematic. Okoro seems like a good card to have up his sleeve as he will fly under the radar for most of the regular season, and if the injury bug hits in the postseason, expect him to extend his minutes and do so with reliable results.

14. Shooters galore!

The best way to build around this particular iteration of the Cavaliers has been to flank the primary talent with shooting.

This has been achieved. Sam Merrill and Georges Niang were both kept around and found themselves in the rotation, playing off the attention of the Big Four.

If Craig Porter Jr. and rookie Jaylon Tyson can add floor spacing, Cleveland will have a nearly endless supply of floor spacing role players to help keep the court wide for Mitchell and Garland in particular.

15. Patience!

The Cavs aren’t going to go undefeated through the regular season. It doesn’t happen. They will fall and they will stumble. There is no doubt that this will eventually happen.

It becomes the main story when it happens, despite the fact that it isn’t. The real story will be to see how they pick themselves up and see if they can refocus themselves for another streak and let a consistent pattern of excellence be their root for the season.

If they can, then they deserve to be thrown into the conversation with Boston and Oklahoma City.