The Cleveland Cavaliers have gotten off to the second-best start in the NBA this season, reeling off seven straight wins after losing their season-opener to post a 7-1 record. That eight game start is considerably better than last year's Eastern Conference championship team, who were 5-3.
Even without point guard Kyrie Irving, who won't be back until December from a fractured kneecap, this year's Cavs team has been a much more well-oiled matching - something you'd expect in the second year under head coach David Blatt.
Cleveland ranks sixth in scoring and fifth in defense so far, showing an all-around level of commitment to both sides of the ball that simply wasn't there at the start of last year. The Cavs looked disjointed on offense a year ago with Irving, LeBron James, and Kevin Love trying to figure out how to co-exist in Blatt's offense, and they were one of the worst defensive teams in the league. Depth was also a serious issue, forcing the 'Big 3' to play around 40 minutes per game.
Those signs over the first eight games were troubling, and led to a four-game losing streak.
None of those issues plague this Cavs team now, who have been playing extremely well without two starters (Irving, Iman Shumpert). Their win streak will obviously end sooner rather than later, but this year's team is built for more long-term success. Remember, Cleveland started last season 19-20 before turning it on - that won't happen this year.
Follow our Cleveland Cavaliers news page for all the latest Cavs news!
Back to the Cleveland Cavaliers Newsfeed