Now almost for certain, the Cavaliers are going through what seems to be the best-regular season in the history of the franchise. A couple of months ago, they reached 15-straight wins for the first time ever, and last night they’ve collected 15-consecutive victories once again in the same competition.
“What did we do? Oh, we clinched the Central Division,” center Jarrett Allen said jokingly about his NBA-leading team. “That’s something. We had fun tonight. We still celebrate the little things.”
However, Cleveland did not have it easy on Tuesday evening, as they trailed behind Brooklyn for most of the game, but somehow were able to remain strong and earn a 109-104 victory. Now, they are tied for the fifth-best start in NBA history with a 55-10 record.
The Cavs conquered last night’s clash without All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell (left groin soreness), sixth man De’Andre Hunter (illness) and sharpshooter Ty Jerome (rest), and even rallied back from an 18-point deficit to win it.
Cleveland owes much of it to Darius Garland, who dropped in 18 of his 30 points total in the fourth quarter. Having played most of his career for the Ohio franchise, the All-Star looked for team president of basketball operations Koby Altman in the locker room.
“I asked Koby if there was going to be a banner in the practice facility,” Garland shared. “We don’t take regular-season games lightly, but the reality is we haven’t won anything yet. The main thing, our main focus is trying to stay healthy.”
Coach Kenny Atkinson praised on the players who stepped into the spotlight despite not having teammate Mitchell on court. “To win 15 straight games at this juncture, there is fatigue, so it’s really quite an accomplishment,” said the first-year coach. “After doing it our first 15 games, it’s remarkable. We want bigger things, but we’ll look back on this and say it’s a pretty big accomplishment.”
