During the training camp, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell had a revealing conversation regarding which teams were drawing attention in the Eastern Conference as the preseason began. The Boston Celtics were fresh from an NBA championship, while the New York Knicks bolstered their roster by acquiring Karl-Anthony Towns. The Philadelphia 76ers added Paul George to their lineup, but the Cavaliers were not among the teams generating much discussion in early October. Mitchell acknowledged the situation, saying, “What have we done? They don’t talk about us. That’s fine. We’ll just hold ourselves to our standard.”
That mindset seems to be yielding positive results. For the first time in 36 seasons, which includes the periods before and during the era of LeBron James, the Cavaliers find themselves leading the NBA with a record of 21-4 after 25 games. Following an impressive 15-0 start, the team has slightly cooled off but remains the best in the league.
Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson expressed pride in the team’s commitment, stating, “We’ve kept our standards pretty high, and we keep it going.” Cleveland is not the only team surprising fans as the season approaches the one-third mark. The Orlando Magic, who boast an unblemished home record, are celebrating their best start in 16 seasons with a 17-9 record, all accomplished without star forward Paolo Banchero. The Houston Rockets are also making headlines with a record of 16-8, right behind the Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Memphis Grizzlies in pursuit of the league’s top record.
Last season, both Cleveland and Orlando made the playoffs, while the Rockets began to show signs of improvement as well. An 11-game winning streak toward the end of last season helped Houston finish at .500, marking a significant turnaround after a lengthy rebuilding phase. “We kind of set that foundation last year to compete with everybody,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka reflected. “We had some ups and downs, but finishing the way we did showed us who we’re going to be.”
The Rockets are gaining increased respect around the league. Oddsmakers at BetMGM have favored them in 17 of their 24 games this season, a sharp increase from just 30 times in the entirety of last season. “Based on what coaches, players, and GMs are saying, it seems like everyone else is taking notice as well,” said Udoka.
Meanwhile, the Magic are also garnering attention despite losing their best player. After Banchero suffered an oblique injury following just five games, the team stumbled, going 0-4. However, they rebounded to a remarkable 14-3 record since then, only to face another setback with the injury of Franz Wagner who will be sidelined for several weeks. Coach Jamahl Mosley has been praised around the league for leading the team through these challenges. Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal remarked, “I have known him a long time, and I’m a huge fan of his and what he is doing.”
Orlando is all too aware of the Cavaliers’ capabilities, having gone head-to-head in a seven-game Eastern Conference first-round series last spring, where the Cavs ultimately prevailed to advance to the next round. Atkinson was hired by Cleveland to elevate their game to the next level. Although there’s still a long way to go, he has recognized the potential within this team quite early in the season.
“We’re so caught up in the process of improving each game, improving each practice,” Atkinson explained. “But then you hit 10-0, and obviously the media starts talking, and you think, ‘Man, this could be something special brewing here.’”
