The Cleveland Cavaliers have won 60 games in a regular season for the first time in franchise history without LeBron James on the roster.
Cleveland defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 127-122 to accomplish the feat. The previous high without James was 57 wins, done both in 1988-89 and ’91-92. The latter season was the last time the Cavs went to the conference finals without James.
This has been a banner year for the Cavs, looking mighty impressive right from the first game. They have reeled off two separate win streaks of at least 15 games this season and another 12-game win streak as well.
Cleveland reached the 60-win mark twice with James, going 66-16 in 2008-09 and 61-21 in ’09-10. They didn’t reach the NBA Finals in either year, losing in the conference finals and semis, respectively.
The ’09-10 season was James’ final year before departing for Miami. He returned in ’14-15 to spark a streak of four straight years in the NBA Finals, memorably winning it all in 2016.
This Cavs team isn’t built in quite that superstar mold. Instead, it boasts a balanced roster led by Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, and Jarrett Allen.
De’Andre Hunter has proven a significant addition since the trade deadline. Max Strus has steadily improved since missing the first half of the season through injury.
Atkinson Hiring Has Proven A Masterstroke
Hiring Kenny Atkinson as head coach has proven a game changer.
An offense that ranked 18th last year is first in offensive rating this season and they still boast a top-eight defense. He has fundamentally changed the way Mobley functions within the offense. He has also brought out the best in Garland after a trying season last year.
Another aspect that Atkinson has changed is the rotation patterns. After Mitchell has looked fatigued in finishing out the postseason in recent times, there has been a conscious effort to manage minutes this season. He’s down from 35.3 minutes per game last season to 31.4 minutes per game this season.
Players like Isaac Okoro and Dean Wade have had important contributions throughout the season. Ty Jerome is a key bench piece that has emerged, averaging 12.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.1 steals in nearly 20 minutes per game. He has shot over 50 percent from the field including 43.1 percent from deep.
Final Examination Awaits
The true test of growth for the Cavaliers will come in the postseason, where they will also search for their first NBA Finals appearance without James on the roster.
Putting in the work to seal the top seed in the conference puts Cleveland in a great position for a deep run. It’s currently looking likely that they will be able to avoid both the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks until the conference finals.
