NBA Notebook: Can Cavaliers threaten Celtics after best start in league?

When Donovan Mitchell walked off the floor following the Cavaliers' 4-1 loss to the New York Knicks in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, his eventual exit to the other side felt inevitable. The Knicks tried to acquire Mitchell the previous summer after they pulled off one of the franchise's greatest offseason coups by swiping Jalen Brunson from the Mavericks. Mitchell later admitted that he expected to end up in his native New York City, where he grew up around Mets games, big city AAU teams and LeBron James' infamous Decision in Greenwich, in the trade that sent him away from the Jazz. 

The timing wasn't right. Mitchell wouldn't force his way out of Cleveland with another year left on his contract, the leverage that made the risk palatable for the Cavs when they snuck into negotiations with Danny Ainge's front office, offering Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen and a boatload of picks in a deal that has suited both sides since. Mitchell stayed. 

The Knicks began building more deliberately around Brunson, trading the players and assets that would've comprised a Mitchell blockbuster for OG Anunoby in February. Yet rumors of a Cavs breakup continued. Darius Garland, through a broken jaw and personal problems, saw his play falter last season. Jarrett Allen broke his ribs in a seven-game slugfest against Orlando and Mitchell succumbed to multiple ailments after working a 1-1 tie going home opposite of the eventual champs in Boston in round two. Nobody sounded happy. Rumors floated. Some move seemed inevitable.

It wouldn't come on the roster. The Cavs fired JB Bickerstaff following their five-game loss. He had orchestrated the franchise's rebuild following the second LeBron era. He built one of the NBA's best defenses and ushered in the double-big decade by playing Evan Mobley and Allen together, a dubious pairing offensively who nonetheless rated among the league's best lineups when they partnered. Bickerstaff went 170-159 in Cleveland. 

The move felt desperate, but while the coaching blame game often leaves what-ifs, that core splitting up after going through one of the league's worst injury seasons in 2024 would've left sour tastes in everyone's mouths. A second chance is never promised, never mind a third. With Bickerstaff out, Mitchell, Garland and Allen, following reports of each potentially being out the door, stood pat. Mitchell signed a three-year extension through at least 2027. The team even kept young wing Isaac Okoro in restricted free agency, Adrian Wojnarowksi's final Woj Bomb before retirement. 

The Cavs were running it back. 

Cleveland has truly run it back. With more pop in their offense, the seventh-fastest in the league, they're balancing the involvement of their four stars, getting Mitchell off the ball and accentuating Mobley's dormant offensive game. They're the best shooting team in the league by four effective field goal percentage points despite their lack of three-point personnel in the front court, wing play previously thwarting their chance to advance in an eastern conference filled with star forwards. 

One game now separates them from the biggest matchup at that position against champion wings Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum in Boston on Tuesday. The Cavs could arrive undefeated, 15-0, and have a plan to defeat Boston thanks to a brilliant hire. Former Nets head coach and Steve Kerr's No. 2 when the Warriors defeated Boston in the 2022 Finals -- Kenny Atkinson. 

"I’ve grown a lot. I’ve changed a lot as a coach, which is a good thing. I’ve progressed. I’ve developed,” Atkinson said in his return to New York earlier this month. “Definitely not the same coach I was in Brooklyn. So, yeah. And all those experiences, the range of experiences I’ve had ... [I’m] more patient, more of a manager. [In] Brooklyn, I was a real coach. I was really coaching the game hard, which is typical for a first-time coach. You’re trying to make sure every shootaround is perfect, every practice is perfect. And it’s my experience with Steve [Nash] and Ty [Lue], and my international experience being around other coaches, just having more of a big-picture feel. I do a better job of managing the locker room, managing players, don’t get so stressed out about the little things like I used to. I’m sure that comes with age, too.”

Atkinson suffered the same fate as Bickerstaff in Brooklyn. After building the Nets back up following their devastating Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett trade with the Celtics, reaching 42-40 in 2019, Brooklyn pivoted from its youth movement and signed Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and De'Andre Jordan. With Durant recovering from his achilles tear in 2020, Irving sporadically available and the veterans wanting Jordan to start over rising star Allen, who the team eventually traded for James Harden, the Nets fired Bickerstaff after a 28-34 start in March, eventually replacing him with Steve Nash. 

Atkinson committed to the Hornets head job during the 2022 Finals before backing out to return to Golden State, dodging a bullet of dysfunction, losing and an ownership change that followed there through 2024. The Cleveland job opening two years later allowed for a unique opportunity, fine-tuning an offense on a team that had already built a defensive identity for years. Atkinson and Allen reunited, the latter now one of the best centers in the NBA as Atkinson envisioned. A similarly talented 23-year-old now signed long term stood next to him while the team's back court could get threes up in droves. It comes as little surprise when considering the circumstances and adjustments, that the Cavs jumped out to one of the six best starts in NBA history in a weaker east to begin 2024-25. 

How did they do it? They've only increased their total threes attempted slightly, from 36.8 per game to 37.6, but they're converting 41.8%, compared to 36.7% one year ago. They've created three more wide open threes per game, shooting nearly 50% on them, cutting one tightly covered three-point attempt per game, replacing it with one more shot at the rim each game. Slight shifts to an offense that ranked 16th last year resulted in a major difference. Their biggest shift has been producing more corner threes, tying Boston for the sixth-most attempts in the corner after finishing tied for 12th last regular season. Garland and Mitchell have each seen the largest spike in their shots coming there, roughly doubling their attempts per game. 

Mitchell is shooting fewer shots, though the same number of threes (9.0), Garland is shooting slightly more threes with greater involvement, converting 45.8%. Allen is taking fewer shots to allow for Mobley's emergence, the latter increasing from 11.0 attempts per game to 12.5, including 1.6 tries from three each night, up from 1.2 one year ago. Despite slightly lower shooting numbers, his greater involvement has led to higher scoring (17.8 PPG) along with more steals (1.0) and blocks (1.5) early. Allen is shooting better (65%) and they're receiving three-point shooting in rotation from Caris LeVert, Ty Jerome, back from only playing two games last year, Georges Niang and Sam Merrill. Okoro and Dean Wade have shot decently, too. Their 14th-ranked three-point rate won't keep up with Boston's, but Cleveland shoots the fourth-best percentage at the rim (67%) and Jerome gives them more floaters.

Mobley's emergence began late last year. With Allen and Mitchell out, and Garland reeling from Boston's defensive pressure, he broke free for 33 points, seven rebounds, four assists, one steal and two blocks on 15-of-24 shooting in Game 5 while trying to save the Cavs' season. Mazzulla didn't mind, as the Celtics lived with Mobley's finishes while Cleveland only took 31 threes, Bickerstaff's Cavs able to keep up with Boston's shooting volume in other games in the series. The night became an important moment for Mobley, though, who struggled against Al Horford and the Celtics in the past. He left the series averaging 21.4 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 3.2 APG and 1.0 BPG while shooting 62.7%. The previously tentative scorer looked more comfortable asserting himself, and is now initiating offense into his fourth year. 

He'll key the Cavs' ability to run with Boston on Tuesday, and potentially later in the year as Cleveland tries to play big against the five-out Celtics. Atkinson has experimented playing Wade as a small ball five, as beating Boston will require more offensive ingenuity. Cleveland ranks 28th in offensive rebounding, Boston's secret weapon, while the Cavs' willingness to take more mid-rangers gives them an option against the Celtics' drop-heavy defensive scheme, but one Boston has been willing to live with over an extended series. The Celtics have played better in some of the other margins that have driven Cleveland's hot start, limiting turnovers, fouling and they've fared relatively equal at limiting opposing threes on defense. 

Two areas where Boston hasn't done well provide potential opportunities for the Cavs' biggest upset yet: Cleveland has forced the fifth-most turnovers in the league and piled up the most possessions in the league. They've shot 67% inside five feet, one of the league's best marks, while the Celtics have allowed 65.7% shooting, one of the worst. Kristaps Porziņģis is nearing a return to help with that. He won't be on the court on Tuesday, when the Celtics arrive at TD Garden looking up at a rival in the standings. Something they rarely did last year. 

"If you want to be the best, you got to beat the best," Mitchell said this week. 'But in order to be the best, which we're trying to continue to be, you got to go out there every night. And it's a mental thing. How great do you want to be? Do you want to be satisfied? We're hunting, but it's also November. I keep telling everybody, let's relax. I'm saying it is November. We're not winning a championship right now. But these are good tests. The fact that we're (14-0) is great. We could be 9-2. It doesn't really matter to me. I think the biggest thing is how do we just continue to build the habits through getting every team's best shot on a night-by-night basis."

Here's what else happened around the NBA this week...

Atlanta (6-7): Trae Young returned with 18 points and De'Andre Hunter played for the first time after missing 10 games while Dyson Daniels added to his unprecedented defensive start to the season, adding six more steals alongside two blocks in a 129-117 NBA Cup win. The Hawks are 2-0 in Boston's Group C while Daniels is averaging 15.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.9 APG and 3.8 SPG, the latter on track for an NBA record (Alvin Robertson, 3.7, 1986). Daniels, who recorded six steals in a stunning upset of Boston with Young out to begin the week, has 28 steals over his last five games. Atlanta acquired him from New Orleans in the Dejounte Murray trade. Further reinforcements are on the way, with Bogdan Bogdanovic (hamstring), Kobe Bufkin (shoulder) and Vit Krejci (adductor) all receiving G-League assignments to begin practicing toward returns from injury. 

Boston (10-3): Came back from down 17 in the first half at Milwaukee before losing to the Hawks, bouncing back one night later with a win at Brooklyn. Midseason malaise set in early, Joe Mazzulla stressing that the Celtics had done good things to begin the year, but inconsistently. Wednesday night became a get right game, Jayson Tatum shaking off an ankle sprain he suffered on a tight Giannis Antetokounmpo contest to score 36 points with nine rebounds and 10 assists over the Nets. Tatum has scored 35 points with 10 assists twice this year, NBC Sports Boston noted, while no other player has done it once. Kristaps Porziņģis, expected back in December, is getting closer, Mazzulla said on Friday. He took part in defensive drills and on-court work at practice after getting more involved on the bench in Brooklyn. The Celtics play the Raptors on Saturday before continuing the NBA Cup on Tuesday against the Cavs. 

Brooklyn (5-8): They're pushing everyone. Cam Thomas scored 43 points in 39 minutes in a 124-122 loss to the Knicks on Friday. They led the Celtics by 13 points early on Wednesday after leading the previous game against them in Boston for most of the night. As the preseason pick to be the worst team in the NBA, they're a few shots from being .500 and have only lost their minutes by 2.4 points per 100 possessions, 19th in the NBA. Dennis Schröder, who's off to an excellent start to the season, talked about inevitably being in trade rumors while Brooklyn, by all accounts, doesn't want to win this year after pulling off a trade to get their first-round picks back from Houston over the summer. Nic Claxton (back) will miss at least one week. 

Charlotte (4-7): Joe Mazzulla told a great story on Friday about how his relationship changed with Charles Lee when he left the Celtics, complaining about Lee entering Boston's locker room and forcing a hug. Mazzulla has noted that he doesn't want to be friends with coaches around the league, potentially giving them a psychological advantage. Miles Bridges (knee) was upgraded to questionable on Saturday after missing the last two games. 

Chicago (5-8): Lonzo Ball (wrist) will miss at least one more week after struggling to catch passes without pain in a workout earlier this week. The Bulls lost their NBA Cup opener, their ninth straight game without Ball, 144-126 to the undefeated Cavs. Chicago ranks 19th in offense and 23rd in defense. Their group play continues on Friday against the Hawks. The team sent Matas Buzelis, their top pick who has played sparingly, to the G-League on Saturday. 

Cleveland (14-0): Their win on Friday over the Bulls made them the sixth team in NBA history to begin a season 14-0, the best NBA start since the Warriors' 24-0 start to the 2015-16 season where they broke the league wins record. It's been a startling affirmation for new head coach Kenny Atkinson and their returning core, who faced uncertainty last summer regarding Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland's futures, along with Jarrett Allen's. Evan Mobley, the standout contributor from their start, missed Friday's win with an illness while Cleveland still produced 144 points, remaining first in the league in offense just ahead of Boston (121.8 OR). They're seventh in defense. They host the Hornets on Sunday before a long-awaited NBA Cup game and second-round playoff rematch at the Celtics on Tuesday that could feature a still-undefeated Cavs team. 

Dallas (5-7): Klay Thompson received a hero's welcome returning to San Francisco for an NBA Cup game that featured the first face-off between Thompson and his former splash brother Steph Curry. The Warriors won on a late Curry three while the Mavs have fallen into a four-game losing streak. Thompson mostly downplayed the spectacle, scoring 22 points as he settled into his new life with Dallas. The Mavs lost all four games by one possession this week while their defense has suffered to begin the year, ranking 11th. Kyrie Irving missed Friday's loss to a bad Utah team with a strained shoulder. 

"I was prepared for it," Thompson said of the Warriors' tribute. "I didn't want to cry."

Denver (7-4): Lost their NBA Cup opener at New Orleans with Nikola Jokić out for personal reasons while David Adelman coached in place of Michael Malone, who attended a family event. The Nuggets had piled up five straight wins to regain composure after a slow start, winning close games recently over Toronto, Oklahoma City and Dallas. Denver ranks eighth in offense and 18th in defense, while Jokić is the runaway MVP favorite, averaging 29.7 PPG, 13.7 RPG and 11.7 APG while shooting 56% from the field and from three. He's somehow growing more dominant. He'll need some more help soon.

Detroit (6-8): Competitiveness won't pass as a success after an all-time low season filled with close calls, but it's obvious JB Bickerstaff is establishing a consistency, identity and a general competency missing here throughout their forgettable 2024 meltdown. They blew an 18-point lead against the Bucks on Wednesday, losing in overtime, while they beat the Heat and Raptors in close games to move to 2-0 in NBA Cup play. Could they use the in-season tournament similar to how the Pacers vaulted from a finals run into a successful season one year ago? The NBA Playoffs won't be tough to reach in this dreadful conference, and Cade Cunningham has clearly taken a leap, averaging 23.2 PPG, 7.1 RPG and 8.6 APG on 44.3% shooting (34.9% 3PT). 

Golden State (10-2): Tied with the Thunder atop the west through a hot start highlighted here one week ago. The Warriors beat Oklahoma City before sweeping through the first two games of the NBA Cup over Dallas and Memphis. Draymond Green got ejected from the latter game, which featured a disgusting finish, according to Steve Kerr, that Golden State escaped from anyway. They're fourth in offense and defense, the mark of a great team, and while it's early, I'm a believer in their depth, experience and the star guiding the ship. Curry is averaging 22.7 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 6.4 APG and shooting 43.2% from three. De'Anthony Melton sprained his left ACL on Tuesday and is out indefinitely pending more tests. He had averaged 10.3 PPG to start the year. 

Houston (9-4): Not interested in trading their young players for upgrades after a strong start, according to Brian Windhorst. Tari Eason, a revelation early this year, is off limits and so is 2023 selection Amen Thompson. They've both averaged double-figure scoring and shot over 50% from the field while Ime Udoka is commanding a third-ranked defense in the league, trailing only Oklahoma City and Orlando. It'll be interesting to watch if that stance changes if a player like Giannis Antetokounmpo becomes available later this year. Houston's dream of landing a star to accelerate this process is no secret.

Indiana (5-7): Beat the Knicks behind 35 points each from Bennedict Mathurin and Tyrese Haliburton, but scored only 90 points in a close loss to the Magic that underscored Haliburton (9 pts) and the team's inconsistency to begin this year. Rick Carlisle pointed out boos from the home crowd as a bad sign, benching the starters in the third quarter. The Pacers rank 16th in offense and 22nd in defense, while Haliburton has struggled immensely playing through a back injury to start the year.

"A lot of ugly stretches," Carlisle said. "Pretty clear that I didn't have these guys ready to play. Put the responsibility on me. I've got to do a better job of getting these guys prepared. It was embarrassing. There were two stretches where our fans booed, and rightly so. I was ashamed to hear that, but they were right."

Clippers (6-7): James Harden landed on the bench in the fourth quarter of a blowout loss to the Rockets that marked the Clippers' third straight defeat. Harden tied Ray Allen for second in NBA history in made threes with 2,973, still trailing Steph Curry's record 3,779. Kris Dunn joined him in the backcourt in place of Terance Mann to start the game, but it didn't help on the way to the Clippers allowing 125 points in their NBA Cup opener. Before Monday, LA had won four straight games. Harden's efficiency continues to tail off at 35, averaging 20.7 PPG and 8.3 APG, but only shooting 37.1%. 

Lakers (8-4): Beat the Spurs behind Anthony Davis' 40 points and a fourth straight LeBron James triple-double, scoring his 117th (5th) all-time on Friday with 15 points, 16 rebounds and 12 assists. LA pulled away late despite Cam Reddish scoring 0 points in another start while juggling lineups with D'Angelo Russell, Max Christie and Gabe Vincent off the bench. Christian Koloko joined the rotation this month after clearance from blood clots that cost him last season, averaging 9.3 minutes in his first four appearances back. Rui Hachimura missed the win with a right ankle sprain. The Lakers rank fifth in offense, with fans loving JJ Redick's coaching. 

Miami (5-6): In an ominous moment to cap a slow start to the season, Erik Spoelstra called a timeout that the Heat didn't have with 1.1 seconds remaining in a tie game to finish overtime against the Pistons. The horrendous mistake, as Spoelstra called it, allowed Malik Beasley to hit a game-winning free throw. Tyler Herro and Jalen Duren had traded baskets in the final seconds, with Duren's slam leading Spoelstra to storm onto the floor. Herro scored 40 in the NBA Cup loss, Jimmy Butler remaining out for a third straight game in Friday's win over the Pacers with an ankle injury. 

Milwaukee (4-8): Giannis Antetokounmpo is doing whatever it takes to pull the Bucks out of a seemingly insurmountable hole. He scored 59 points on Wednesday to pull Milwaukee back from the brink of a sixth loss in eight games, escaping Detroit in overtime after a flagrant foul by Isaiah Stewart on Giannis. The Bucks seemingly hit rock bottom blowing a 16-2 start and eventual 17-point first-half lead over the Celtics at home on Sunday where Antetokounmpo dropped 43. Doc Rivers sounded out of solutions after the loss, sitting Andre Jackson late despite his strong start, and while he's now 21-27 as Milwaukee's coach, it's GM Jon Horst reportedly shouldering blame for this mess. The Bucks will reportedly shop their only available first-round pick in hopes of saving the season, while Khris Middleton's return date remains unclear. Milwaukee is not considering trading Antetokounmpo or Damian Lillard, according to The Athletic. 

New York (6-6): Beat the Nets in a close NBA Cup game after Karl-Anthony Towns went down with a knee contusion from Wednesday's bad loss to the Bulls where he scored 46 points. Towns has shined on offense while struggling about as badly as you possibly can on defense to begin the year back at center with his new team. Jericho Sims replaced him as a starter on Friday while Ariel Hukporti, recently upgraded from a two-way to standard contract, posted seven points and four blocks in 30 minutes off the bench. The German big man went to New York with the 58th pick in June's NBA Draft. Precious Achiuwa has increased his activity, Tom Thibodeau said, four weeks after suffering a hamstring strain. Miles McBride (illness) also missed Friday's win.

Oklahoma City (11-2): Chet Holmgren toppled from midair onto his right hip, suffering a right iliac wing fracture that leaves the Thunder out of centers early this season. Holmgren will miss at least 8-10 weeks before he's evaluated, though he reportedly avoided a more serious injury that would've required surgery. With Isaiah Hartenstein (hand) still out and Jaylin Williams (hamstring) recently suffering a setback in his rehab, the Thunder started Jalen Williams, Lu Dort and Isaiah Joe in the front court on Friday while mixing in Aaron Wiggins on Monday against the Clippers. They beat LA, the Pelicans and the Suns this week to keep their strong defensive start rolling in small ball looks that they're already used to. 

Philadelphia (2-10): Joel Embiid debuted on Tuesday against the Knicks, struggling with 13 points in 26 minutes on 2-of-11 shooting in a 111-99 loss. Embiid and Paul George sat the second half of a back-to-back on Wednesday, allowing rookie Jared McCain to score 34 points with 10 assists in 38 minutes. McCain, the No. 16 overall pick out of Duke also known for his massive TikTok following, has emerged as the most dynamic offensive rookie contributor in his class. Over the last four games for the reeling Sixers, he's averaging 28.3 PPG and 4.5 APG while shooting 43.9% from three on over 10 attempts per game. It hasn't turned the team's fortunes around though, losing 8-of-9 on Friday at Orlando despite Embiid improving to 20 points in 33 min.

Phoenix (9-4): Trouble for the Suns organization continued this week after a former employee sued the team alleging harassment, racial discrimination, retaliation and wrongful termination. Andrea Trischan, who was hired after and in response to former owner Robert Sarver's suspension, was fired less than one year into her role aimed at addressing diversity in the organization. A Suns spokesperson called her claims misleading. 

Portland (5-8): Welcome back Robert Williams III, who's stringing together strong performances and aiding the Blazers' unexpectedly strong start built around their interior defense. He's averaging 12.0 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.7 BPG and 1.7 SPG while shooting 78.9% on 19 attempts. In Wednesday's win over the Wolves, Williams III recorded 19 points, nine rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocks before resting on Thursday's back-to-back. Dalano Banton added his fifth straight double-figure scoring night in the second win over Minnesota, posting seven in the team's last eight games. 

Sacramento (7-6): De'Aaron Fox scored a franchise record 60 points on 22-of-35 shooting while the Kings lost to the Wolves in overtime. Despite an MVP-caliber start to the season from Domantas Sabonis, who dealt with back cramps in the loss, strong scoring infusion from DeMar DeRozan and Fox' growing greatness, the Kings continue to hover around .500 with a seventh-ranked offense and 13th-ranked defense. Fox' 26 points in the fourth quarter allowed him to pass Jack Twyman's 59 points for the Cincinnati Royals and Demarcus Cousins' Sacramento-best 56 points in 2016. Twyman's record, set in 1960, was the longest-standing franchise single-game points record in the NBA. 

San Antonio (6-7): Victor Wembanyama scored 50 points in 32 minutes in a career night against the Wizards to lead the Spurs to their third win over their last four games. They fought with the Lakers late into the fourth on Friday, losing on the night Chris Paul joined John Stockton and Jason Kidd in the 12,000-assist club. He'll likely pass Kidd's 12,091 career assists to move into second all-time. The Spurs announced that head coach Gregg Popovich suffered a stroke earlier this month, leading to his indefinite absence from the team. Popovich plans to return to the Spurs bench following what's expected to be a full recovery, but there's no timeline for that as associate coach Mitch Johnson has overseen a 4-4 stretch since. 

Toronto (2-11): Enter Boston on Saturday losing six straight with the league's 22nd-ranked offense and 26th-ranked defense. Scottie Barnes (orbital fracture), Bruce Brown (knee), Kelly Olynyk (back), Immanuel Quickley (UCL) and rookie Ja'Kobe Walter (shoulder) remain out, leaving RJ Barrett, Jakob Poetl, Gradey Dick, Davion Mitchell and Ochai Agbaji in the starting lineup for Friday's close loss to the Pistons in the front end of the back-to-back.