By james art The Cleveland Cavaliers entered the 2024-25 season with plenty of criticism after a quiet offseason, but their 134-110 win over the Los Angeles Lakers should put those doubts to rest.
A 5-0 start to the season may not guarantee that the next 77 games go Cleveland’s way. The Cavaliers still have a lot to prove, but this hot start shows more than an easy schedule. After topping the New York Knicks, the Cavs hosted LeBron James, Brony James and the Lakers in another display of their potential. After hitting eight 3-pointers in the opening quarters, Cleveland built a sizable lead and continually stymied the Lakers’ spirited comebacks to stay on top.
In the victory, the Cavaliers not only played team basketball, but showed the dominance that the core four are capable of together. After getting into foul trouble through three quarters, Evan Mobley paced the Lakers and led the team with 25 points, followed by Donovan Mitchell’s 25 points and Jarrett Allen’s 20 points and 17 rebounds. Darius Garland had 12 points and 10 assists.
Through five games, coach Kenny Atkinson made the most of each Cavalier’s talent and potential. After offseason headlines that said Garland would be gone by the season opener, this hot start thankfully proved just how wrong that analysis was. When it appeared that Garland might be the driving force and wanted out, it was fair to say that the Cavs owed Garland another opportunity to shine. But Garland began his fifth season in All-Star fashion, looking stronger and fresher than last year. Mitchell was the first to say so as well, showing off the chemistry between the star guard duo.
Mobley and Allen have had minutes staggered for most of the night so far. Whichever big man takes the court has shown a more aggressive nature and helped facilitate the offense. Atkinson’s rotation picks and lineups give the Cavs a balanced offense and showcase the untapped value the bench team never realized under the last system.
On his return home, LeBron still got his due. James led the game with 26 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out three assists. He made all seven free throws and finished the game 9 of 13 from the field. Anthony Davis also gave the Lakers a spirited performance, but the Cavs’ team effort was too much and handed the Lakers their second straight loss.
After the Cavaliers broke through the Lakers and established their lead, they kept their poise to stop any comeback attempts.
The Cavaliers struggled with a wide disparity in foul play, getting called for 26 fouls compared to the Lakers’ seven. Despite the disadvantage, Cleveland’s offensive game plan responded every time the Lakers found an approach. Los Angeles began chipping away at the Cavs’ lead in the second quarter, cutting it to 16 before Atkinson called a timeout.
Instead of panicking, Atkinson brought his team back and started fundamental plays to get an easy bucket and prevent the team from rushing on offense. The Cavaliers were getting sloppy in an attempt to quickly regain the lead. Instead, Atkinson headed the ball in and got a slight glance. From there, Cleveland got to the three-point line with confidence. On the night, the Cavs hit 17 3-pointers on 41 attempts, good for 41.5 percent shooting.
On the flip side, Cleveland’s quick shutouts forced the Lakers into poor shooting, hitting just 21.4 of their 28 long-range attempts. With a 33-point lead from deep, the math was in the Cavaliers’ favor.
Cleveland’s two-way dominance of the arc is in stark contrast to last season in the best possible way. The Cavaliers rarely get a break on defense and their defensive scheme stifles hot shooters with everyone closing in and moving their feet. Statistically, the Cavaliers are one of the best three-point shooting teams in the Association and are still a top defense.
With the win, the Cleveland Cavaliers move to a 5-0 record with a completely new look while maintaining an identical lineup. The Cavs return to action on November 1 when they host the Orlando Magic at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse at 7:00 PM ET.
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