Facing the injury-stricken New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night, the odds were in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ favor as they looked to remain unbeaten in the first nine games of the 2024-25 season. The Cavs have been workmanlike in the way they have handled business this season, and this game was no different, as they withstood a few comeback attempts from the Pelicans en route to a 131-122 win on the road.
There wasn’t much fanfare surrounding the Cavs following their second-round exit last season, and it may have been perhaps due to the uninspiring way in which they ended the season. Injuries prevented the Cavs from mounting much of a challenge against the eventual champion Celtics. However, now that they’re healthy and under the tutelage of new head coach Kenny Atkinson, it has been all systems go for Cleveland.
In fact, the Cavs’ 9-0 start to the 2024-25 season is the best in franchise history, which is no mean feat given how many years LeBron James spent leading the team. This shows how this current Cavs roster is clicking on all cylinders, and that they should be considered among the league’s most serious threats to win the Larry O’Brien trophy in 2025.
Of course, there is a long way to go in the season. But the Cavs have been fantastic to begin the year, and in the third season of the Donovan Mitchell era, it seems as though the team is finally striking the right balance in making the most of its core four.
The Cavs’ role players have been phenomenal as well; despite not having Max Strus, the Cavs have continued to rely on the three-ball, which has paid off for them with ease. Against the Pelicans, they made 17 threes as a team, with Sam Merrill, Georges Niang, and Caris LeVert all playing huge roles off the bench.
Now, all the Cavs will be hoping for is that they remain healthy and that this start of the season mirrors the team’s new level, more so than it being a flash in the pan.
2024-25 Cavs achieve something LeBron James never did in Cleveland
It is certainly a good omen that the 2024-25 Cavs have gotten off to the best start in franchise history — a startling revelation especially when LeBron James led the Cavs to a 66-win season back in 2009. In fact, the Cavs have two 60-win seasons with James at the controls, and this 9-0 start shows that the league should take greater notice of them as a championship contender.
It’s not as if the Cavs are doing something unsustainable; they are simply playing team basketball, with Darius Garland bouncing back from a rough 2023-24 campaign and Evan Mobley playing better than ever. Jarrett Allen, after being involved in plenty of trade rumors over the offseason, has continued to be a rock in the middle of the paint.
The Cavs’ greatest test so far this season will come on Friday night, when they take on a 7-1 Golden State Warriors team that defeated the Celtics on Wednesday night.
