The Cleveland Cavaliers have been on fire the past week, repeatedly scoring at will on their opponents. Against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Cavs were as potent a scoring team as any, taking down one of the league’s best teams 120-112.
By dropping that many points Tuesday night, the Cavs scored at least 120 points in a franchise-record four straight games. More importantly, the four games have coincided with the team’s four-game winning streak dating back to their game the day before the trading deadline.
On February 7, the Cavs defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 140-138 in overtime on a buzzer-beating jumper by LeBron James. The four-time MVP led the charge with 37 points, 10 rebounds, and 15 assists, his ninth triple-double of the season.
Then the trade happened that shipped six players from Cleveland to other teams. However, the new players wouldn’t be available until the following Sunday.
It didn’t matter as an undermanned Cavs team routed the Atlanta Hawks 123-107. James recorded his 10th triple-double with 24 points, 12 rebounds, and a career-high 19 assists. Kyle Korver lit up his former team with a game-high 30 points.
But the new Cavs would be tested on as George Hill, Jordan Clarkson, Rodney Hood, and Larry Nance Jr. made their debut against the Boston Celtics, the NBA’s best defensive team.
No problem.
The Cavs dispatched the Celtics 121-99 with a masterful performance as if they had been playing together for an entire season. James narrowly missed a triple-double as he sat on the bench in the 4th quarter with the game already in the bag.
Finally, it was the Thunder’s turn to get a taste of the Cavs’ newfound recipe for success with the revamped lineup. Once again, James scored 37 points for the second time in the last four games. He was two assists and two rebounds away from recording another triple-double.
In these four games, the Cavs are averaging 126 points, a far cry from their season average of 110.2 points per game. The Cavs are fifth in scoring but if they keep this up, they’ll be number one in the league soon.
