By james art 
The Cleveland Cavaliers improved to a perfect 8-0 on Monday night with a big win over the struggling Milwaukee Bucks. Darius Garland played an integral role in the victory and in the process made his name in Cavs history.
With his 39 points, the guard tied LeBron James for the most games with 5+ three-pointers. Via StatMuse:
He is also only the second Cav to ever put up this unique stat line:
Garland was rising. He shot 15-for-22 from the field and had eight assists along with his 39 points. The former Vanderbilt standout also missed just four of his 11 three-point attempts.
There has been plenty of trade talk surrounding him throughout the offseason, but Garland is proving his worth early on after a poor 2023-24 campaign. Cavs teammate Donovan Mitchell has already come to his defense amid Garland’s strong start.
“I just want everybody who’s been on this side to stay on this side when it comes to him. I don’t want there to be a change. I know who a lot of you are,” Mitchell said of the continued criticism Garland has received over the past year. “There are times in your career when you have years like that. Obviously, he was experiencing things personally. You have to grow up. You have to understand it. A lot of people said it can’t.
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The Cavs are on the move, and even though it’s early, they look like the real deal. Cleveland is in the top five in scoring offense and defense and ranks second in the Association in PPG at over 120 per night.
While five different players finished in double figures against Milwaukee, it was definitely Garland who stole the spotlight. He may only average 17.9 points and 6.3 dimes, but Garland is efficient, shooting 49 percent from the field and 40 percent from downtown. He also has a 61.7 true shooting percentage.
For the Cavs, it’s the first time they’ve started 8-0 since 1976-77.