I Love This Cleveland Cavaliers Team
81-1 is still on the table folks
Hello everyone, if you are subscribed to multiple Substack newsletters you probably have received multiple emails this morning about the new chat feature that has come out.
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Now, enough about that, let’s talk Cavs.
The LeBron James Cavalier teams obviously hold a special place in my heart. The post-Heat teams were what got me to really watch basketball, while the pre-Heat teams I can look back with incredible nostalgia, specifically the run to the NBA Finals before dying to the San Antonio Spurs.
LeBron is my favorite athlete of all-time and the championship he brought the Cavs will be a moment I never forget. I have not felt as closely tied to a Cavs team since that run.
Until now.
Last year’s Cavaliers team was exciting in their own right: a team with no real expectations so nearly making the playoffs led by players in their early 20s. Injuries undoubtedly cost that team a playoff series, and there was reason to think the Cavs would be back stronger this year thanks to how young that group was.
All-Stars Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen are still here. Should-have-been Rookie of the Year Evan Mobley is one of the most exciting young prospects in the NBA. Caris LeVert struggled at times in his first season in Cleveland, but is full of potential. Kevin Love, Dean Wade, Cedi Osman, and Lamar Stevens are perfect guys off the bench for either their scoring ability or defensive intensity.
Then, the Cavs made some moves. Bringing back Ricky Rubio was a no-brainer after how good he was pre-injury last year. Raul Neto and Robin Lopez are more great bench pieces. But the move to get Donovan Mitchell — a true superstar alongside Garland, Mobley and Allen — was what made Cleveland a team that was going to win now, not later.
Now is here, and my god it’s even better than I had hoped for.
The Cavs are 6-1, winning six straight after a three-point loss to the Toronto Raptors to start the season. In that game, war criminal Gary Trent Jr. lacerated Garland’s eye and forced him to miss that game plus the next five. The Cavs won all five of those games without their all-star point guard.
Mitchell was great in Utah, but if I’m being honest, I was wondering if he was a tad overrated because of his lack of efficiency and defensive ability. He isn’t.
Donovan Mitchell’s stats through seven games:
31.1 points per game
7.1 assists per game
4.4 rebounds per game
48.1 field goal percentage
43.8 three point percentage
Mitchell immediately had to step up with Garland out and immediately put up MVP-level production. He has been better defensively and has been an all-around exceptional talent.
Here are some other fun stats to this Cavs start. Cleveland ranks:
6th in offensive rating
2nd in defensive rating
3rd in net rating
2nd in strength of schedule
1st in adjusted net rating
So, when considering the strength of opponents played, the Cavs are currently the best team in basketball. Their stars are 26, 24, 22 and 21 years old. I’m having fun.
Fun is also a big part of all of this. There is something so exciting about how the Cavs play. There’s a palpable energy in everything they do, impeccable vibes all around, if you will. Garland is a joy to watch even when he’s on the bench from his excitement for his team, and Mitchell plays with a certain fire that’s hard to replicate.
This team has already played three overtime games and won all of them. I think there’s a reason for that and it is because of that hard-to-explain energy. This team plays for each other and is finding ways to scrap out victories against anybody.
I am so excited to keep watching this team play. Championship number two soon come.
Top 25
Let’s shake things up this week.
1.) Tennessee (+2)
2.) Ohio State (-1)
3.) Georgia (-1)
4.) Michigan (+1)
5.) Clemson (-1)
6.) TCU (-)
7.) Alabama (-)
8.) Oregon (-)
9.) USC (+2)
10.) UCLA (+3)
11.) Illinois (+4)
12.) Ole Miss (+6)
13.) Tulane (+4)
14.) Utah (+2)
15.) Kansas State (+5)
16.) North Carolina (+7)
17.) Penn State (-3)
18.) Oklahoma State (-9)
19.) LSU (+3)
20.) Syracuse (-8)
21.) Oregon State (+4)
22.) Wake Forest (-12)
23.) UCF (NEW)
24.) Liberty (-)
25.) Coastal Carolina (NEW)
Some thoughts:
Tennessee has earned this. Ohio State looked imperfect against Penn State and the Volunteers just sent Kentucky to hell. Obviously it all depends on if Tennessee can beat Georgia this weekend, but my god this team has to be No. 1 right now.
Michigan is better than Clemson, apologies for being late. I think Notre Dame might beat the Tigers this weekend but if I am too loud about that I might jinx it.
The middle of this ranking feels like a total mess. Is Illinois really No. 11? Maybe, that defense is disgusting. No. 13 Tulane? You better believe it folks.
Kansas State sent a message by killing Oklahoma State the way it did. That was a disgusting act, and I’m feeling good about how much faith I had in the Wildcats before the season started.
North Carolina keeps winning and Drake Maye should probably be considered a Heisman candidate. I’m not sure quite how good the team is on the whole, but Maye rocks.
Nos. 17-22 is the island of misfit teams. I don’t particularly like any of them, but they all deserve to be ranked, I guess.
UCF bounces back into the top 25 after beating Cincinnati. Gus Malzahn army, we ride at dawn.
Coastal Carolina is 7-1. That Old Dominion loss was big time bad, but having just one loss makes you a ranked team at this point in the season.
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