Another CtB Trifecta, Live Thread: Bucks @ Cavs

Good afternoon CtB!

The Cavs have had a brutal beginning to the season schedule-wise yet are currently sitting atop the entire NBA at 7-0, going for 8-0 tonight against a reeling Milwaukee Bucks who’ve never been more desperate for a win in the Giannis Era outside of the playoffs. How did we get here? Let’s check in…

Passing of the Baton…

The new King of Cleveland “Spida” Donovan Mitchell took his rightful place atop the Cavs franchise with a dominating 134-110 win over the LeBron James-led Los Angeles Lakers. It was Spida setting the tone right from the start that the Cavs were able to put up 42 first quarter points and cruise the rest of the game. The Cavs’ offense painted an absolute masterpiece with nearly 60% shooting from the field and nearly 40 assists, which should’ve effectively ended any “Anthony Davis for Defensive Player of the Year” talk, a ridiculous notion to begin with given the likes of Evan Mobley dominating the game on both ends of the court. He scored 25 points in only 19(!) minutes of action due to ridiculous, corrupt officiating. This game might’ve been the most egregious example of whatever Lakers’ mafia gambling ring works for Adam Silver, with the Cavs recording 26 fouls to the Lakers’ seven. If we had a functioning government, somebody’s ass would be rotting in jail right now for this atrocity in officiating. As always folks, remember to use the hashtag #SilverforPrison.

Rebounding Wins Championships

In what was a good game but should’ve been much bigger, the Cavs took out the ailing Orlando Magic on national TV 120-109 with Caris LeVert and Georges Niang playing pivotal roles off the bench against a Magic team that was out Paolo Banchero along with a few other rotational frontcourt players. As a result, the Cavs dominated the boards 49-39 against one of the most physical defensive teams in the NBA. It’s unfortunate NBA fans were robbed of a true playoff rematch, but yours truly expects the Magic to return to top three status once MVP-level player Paolo is back.

Spida = MVP

The Cavs and Bucks put on a magnificent basketball showcase Saturday night as Spida hit the game winning buzzer beater to lift the Cavs over the Bucks 114-113 on the road, against a championship contender, on the second game of a back to back. It really can’t get much more monumental than that for the Cavs this early in the season, and now the good guys have a real chance to bury the Bucks further in the East with a win tonight at home on the banks of the Cuyahoga River.

SPIDA CALLS GAME VS. BUCKS

THE CAVS MOVE TO 7-0 pic.twitter.com/JGlznyFE4z

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 3, 2024

The Initial Returns…

So far looking at the data, it’s pretty incredible the transformation the offense has experienced simply by picking up the pace, going from 24th in the NBA in pace last season to 11th so far this season. This has resulted in an offensive rating of 121.9, good for 2nd in the NBA just behind the defending champion Boston Celtics. Last season the Cavs offensive rating was 114.7, good for 16th at the time. Ironically, the Cavs are shooting nearly the identical amount of threes per game as last year, and even fewer relative to the increase in the NBA this season. So that means there’s another level to this offense it can unlock as soon as they can push their average three point attempts up. The Cavs are in the running for producing one of the best offensive ratings in NBA history thanks to Kenny Atkinson, and there’s a lot of room to improve!

The second thing that stands out in the numbers is how Coach Atkinson has unlocked Caris LeVert, Sam Merrill, Georges Niang, and Evan Mobley in terms of the Cavs’ net rating with these guys on the court. All four of these players led to some mediocre team play in one way or another last season for the Cavs. Atkinson has turned them into one of the deadliest rotational units in the NBA, they are the key to how the Cavs are dominating the competition:

Words about the Lakers, Magic, and Bucks…

It’ll be interesting to see what happens with the Lakers and Bucks because of their age and relative mediocrity. The numbers say the Lakers’ defense is completely cooked, which makes sense given the age and lack of overall athleticism on the squad. Will they make a move? They certainly won’t blow it up even though they absolutely should. They’re a unique case because they can usually attract free agent talent. But are today’s generation of player wired the same way? Where would LeBron go if he could go somewhere? AD? They reek of a team that will be making moves at the deadline.

For the Bucks, the situation is possibly more dire. Damian Lillard and Giannis played their A+ games against the Cavs at home with a rest advantage and still took the L. This is another team who’s an obvious blow up candidate and there are certainly several teams with the ammo to go after Giannis if he wanted out. Where would he go and how big would that deal be? Do the Bucks think Khris Middleton is going to solve all their problems? How bad is Doc Rivers? So many questions….

As for the Magic, that Paolo-less game didn’t count. Expect these guys to be really good, and get better. But, their offense is still suspect even with Paolo and unless they actually get some more shooting guards, there’s a cap to their ceiling. Franz Wagner’s jumper possibly being jacked up is a lowkey huge problem for them.

Hunting Season…

Tonight the Cavs welcome the Bucks to the banks of the Cuyahoga River for the second game of the home and home series against the good guys’ main Central Division nemesis. This is the Cavs’ opportunity to really bury the Bucks back from a top Eastern Conference seed and continue to sow doubt into the organization’s ability to dig out of the hole they’re putting themselves in. Also, the Cavs should expect an even more desperate Dame and Giannis. This is a game Donovan Mitchell needs to inspire confidence throughout the rest of the lineup either by scoring or making plays. If so, the Cavs could notch another huge victory and really start chasing some history.

Tip off is scheduled for 7:00PM Eastern time and will be broadcasted nationally NBATV and locally on Fanduel Sports Network, Go Cavs!