The Cleveland Cavaliers are still somehow the best secret in the NBA, and they have been hiding in plain sight all season long.
The Cavs have the best record in the NBA at 56-10. They’ve been the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference all season. They are on the quietest 16-game win streak in NBA history, topping their 15-game win streak from earlier this season.
On Friday night, Cleveland decimated the Memphis Grizzlies, who are the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. The Cavs were without Donovan Mitchell (groin) again, but that did not stop them from unleashing Evan Mobley, who is currently in line to win the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award.
This team is everything that’s right with the NBA. They play ethical basketball, unlike the foul-baiting headaches around the league. They drafted well, with 2019 first-round pick Darius Garland making it back to the NBA All-Star Game and Mobley, their 2021 first-rounder, making his first All-Star appearance.
A smart, calculated trade for Jarrett Allen as a third team in the James Harden deal helped the Cavs acquire a bona fide All-Star center and a double-double machine. Their go-for-it trade for Mitchell has only accelerated their timeline, helping Cleveland make the NBA playoffs in Mitchell’s first two full seasons with the team.
At the deadline, the Cavs made a relatively small trade with the Atlanta Hawks for De’Andre Hunter, who is 13-0 in a Cleveland uniform. The one knock on these Cavs was their depth at the wing, and the addition of Hunter has worked seamlessly. They also added Javonte Green in the buyout market.
The Cavs are pressing all the right buttons. Last season, things looked bleak when they had to fire J.B. Bickerstaff after a disappointing playoff exit at the hands of the Boston Celtics.
Those Celtics went on to win the NBA championship, and they still stand in Cleveland’s way. With a massive cushion for first place, the East will run through Cleveland this year. The Cavs will be tested by Boston’s seemingly unstoppable trio: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis. The last time these two teams met in the playoffs, Celtics role players like Al Horford and Payton Pritchard gave Cleveland fits.
But this Cavs team is much deeper than last season. The addition of Hunter certainly seems like the missing piece, and Ty Jerome has been the perfect backup guard for Garland and Mitchell. New head coach Kenny Atkinson has pressed the right buttons all season long and, due to so many blowouts, the Cavs have been able to get their star players plenty of rest.
Nationally, the Cavs still aren’t getting much love. While Stephen A. Smith and Charles Barkley seem bought in, the national media would much rather see the Celtics come out of the East to take on the Los Angeles Lakers or Oklahoma City Thunder.
But barring a major hiccup come playoff time in a few weeks, don’t be surprised if the Cavs go all the way. They’ve already been hiding in plain sight all season long.
