The floor and ball both looked different at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio, on Friday, but not the Cavaliers, who remained unchanged and kept their perfect start to the NBA season unblemished.
They improved to 14-0 with a 144-126 win over the Chicago Bulls in their NBA Cup opener, which served as another showcase for a Cavs team clicking like never before.
After the final buzzer, Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen celebrated more history by dancing on the court with a giant green frog, who has quickly become an impromptu mascot to an unscripted start.
Photo: AFP
“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 league history to win their first 14 games and the first since the 2015-2016 Golden State Warriors, who opened 24-0 and finished 73-9.
There is no telling where this season is headed for Cleveland, but there has never been a Cavs team who have started any better.
Photo: AP
The 14-game winning streak is the longest in club history — the Cavs had three 13-gamers with LeBron James on the roster — as first-year coach Kenny Atkinson has pushed every correct button while dipping deep into his bench each game.
While Atkinson inherited a team who made the Eastern Conference semi-finals under J.B. Bickerstaff, the 57-year-old has made the Cavs even better by buying into an up-tempo offensive system designed around spacing, three-pointers and ball movement.
The Cavs are winning selflessly.
“From the beginning, I knew it was a group that liked each other, that 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 blew out Golden State last week, Warriors forward Draymond Green said the Cavs moved the ball better than any team he’s seen — including the title winners he has been on.
“I was so thrilled when Draymond said that the other day,” Atkinson said. “He was just really impressed how we pinged the ball around. How we drive, kick, swing. We get it out of pick and roll. We get it in fast-break situations, and it is Warriors-esque. It’s really that type of ball movement. It’s beautiful to watch.”
Atkinson is not letting him team be satisfied either. After the Cavs allowed 73 points in the first half, the coach angrily slammed a shower sandal in 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 get better. We haven’t lost, but how do you continue to find ways to build habits? It’s continuing to coach hard and not let any lapses. That’s what you want in a coach.”
In Sacramento, California, De’Aaron Fox saw that he had 48 points in the fourth quarter in their 130-126 overtime NBA Cup loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves and teammate Malik Monk told him: “You might as well go get 60.”
The Kings’ guard had 26 points in the fourth quarter and overtime to finish with a franchise-record 60 points, besting Jack Twyman’s 59 points in 1960 and DeMarcus Cousins’ 56-point performance in 2016.
“I knew I was nice already, so I wouldn’t really say so,” Fox said when asked if he learned anything about himself.
Fox shot 22 of 35 from the field, made six of 10 from distance and was 10 of 11 on free throws. He had 21 points at halftime and willed the Kings back from a 20-point second-half deficit as he spurred a 14-0 run to start the fourth quarter.
“I wanted this game to end in the fourth quarter, so I don’t even want to have the opportunity to [get 60 points], but my teammates wanted me to keep going, obviously,” Fox said.
Kings coach Mike Brown said that Fox took it upon himself with Monk and DeMar DeRozan both injured.
“He knew we needed help and he put us on his back, and he almost carried us to the finish line,” Brown said. “He did everything in his power, and it was a spectacular performance by him.”
Friday’s games were all part of the in-season tournament NBA Cup’s group stage, which count toward the full NBA season. The NBA Cup concludes on Dec. 17 with the championship game at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Additional reporting by staff writer
Elsewhere on Friday, it was:
‧ Spurs 115, Lakers 120
‧ Nets 122, Knicks 124
‧ Raptors 95, Pistons 99
‧ Pacers 111, Heat 124
‧ Warriors 123, Grizzlies 118
‧ Hawks 129, Wizards 117
‧ Magic 98, 76ers 86
‧ Rockets 125, Clippers 104
‧ Thunder 99, Suns 83
‧ Pelicans 101, Nuggets 94
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