Can The Cleveland Cavaliers Make History?

Can The Cleveland Cavaliers Make History?

At 13-0, the Cleveland Cavaliers remain the last undefeated team to begin the 2024-25 season. They already sit a full three games ahead of their closest conference rivals, reigning NBA champions the Boston Celtics.

The pair will meet next Wednesday at Boston’s TD Garden. In the interim, the Cavs will play home fixtures against the Chicago Bulls and Charlotte Hornets, two teams that, whilst more challenging than last season, will enter their matches with Cleveland as significant underdogs.

How seriously should we take this undefeated start from the Cavaliers?

To that end, we could be looking at a 15-0 Cavs side as they look to take down the champions. The Cavaliers have, to be fair, had a modicum of scheduling luck, having taken wins against disappointing teams like New York and Milwaukee (twice) as well as an Orlando Magic side missing Paolo Banchero. That said, they’ve also beaten a resurgent Lakers side and gave the Golden State Warriors an almighty smackdown, a game they led by 41 points – at half time!

Now, I completely understand the folly that is penciling in a win in today’s NBA. Every team has the talent and strategy to take down any opponent on any night, should that opposition not bring their ‘A’ game. It is difficult, though, to see Cleveland losing to the Bulls or Hornets before next week’s showdown with Boston.

On the assumption that Cleveland enters that Boston game at 15-0, their winning streak to open a season will be equal to those of the 1994 Houston Rockets and the 1949 Washington Capitols. Those Rockets went on to win the NBA championship (as I discussed recently, here) whilst the Caps, as nobody was calling them in 1949, lost in the finals to George Mikan’s Minneapolis Lakers. The only side to exceed a 15-game winning streak to begin a campaign are the 2016 Warriors, who experienced a somewhat bittersweet season — at the hands of the Cavaliers, I might add — after winning a ridiculous 24 matches on the bounce to start their season.

Should the Cavaliers manage to defeat Boston on their own floor, taking their record to 16-0, just how much farther could they go? In other words: Is the Warriors’ 24-win record under threat?

The mathematically minded amongst you will have noted that Cleveland would need to win another 11 games from the time of writing to tie the Warriors’ record, 12 to surpass it. Let’s take a look at the Cavaliers’ schedule from today, onto the point where they could theoretically claim the record:

• Chicago Bulls (Home)
• Charlotte Hornets (H)
• Boston Celtics (Away)
• New Orleans Pelicans (H)
• Toronto Raptors (H)
• Atlanta Hawks (H)
• Atlanta Hawks (A)
• Boston Celtics (H)
• Washington Wizards (H)
• Denver Nuggets (H)
• Charlotte Hornets (A)
• Miami Heat (A)

Even accounting for those first two games which, as established earlier, the Cavs are definitely, certainly, bet-your-house-on-it guaranteed to win, there are some very obvious pitfalls that Cleveland would need to clear — namely, a pair of matchups with Boston.

Even if Cleveland manages to win in Boston next week, it is almost certain that the Celtics would be fired up to take some measure of revenge at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on December 2nd, where a loss would cap the Cav at a maximum of 20 straight wins. Whilst an awesome effort, and good for second place all time, they would still fall short of the record.

As much as it may not look like it, the home-and-home against Atlanta could also be dicey. It’s rare that teams get out of those little schedule quirks comfortably. Lastly, Denver looks resurgent after a poor start to their own campaign. Whilst the length of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley is almost tailor-made to counter Nikola Jokic, the Joker is still the best baller on the planet and can will his team to do damn near anything on the right night.

That said, there might not be a better opportunity for a 13-0 team to push for the record.

The Celtics are still missing Kristaps Porzingis. Al Horford is as old as dirt and whist effective in small doses can’t handle the Cavs’ size over the duration of a full game, whilst Neemias Queta is exceedingly raw. If Donovan Mitchell or Darius Garland can get off the chain – easier said than done with Jrue Holiday or Derrick White in your grill – then why can’t the Cavaliers take both games?

What else should scare the Cavs on that fixture list? Giannis Antetokounmpo can go nuclear, though the rest of his Milwaukee team is pop-gun at best. Toronto, New Orleans and Washinton are a combined 7-27. Miami looks cooked. Atlanta can’t stop you with Trae Young on the floor and can’t outscore you when he sits.

The final factor here might be some old-fashioned home cooking. Of the 12 games to be played for Cleveland to break the record, eight are at home. Those away games are against Boston, Atlanta, Charlotte and Miami which – the Celtics aside – is not exactly a murderer’s row.

Stripping all the emotion away from this, it is statistically speaking highly unlikely that the Cavs meet or break Golden State’s record. There is a reason that the 24-game winning streak is so far ahead of the next-best records. The Cavs are facing an exceedingly difficult task, here. That said, why would you pass over a chance to write yourselves into the NBA record books?

I say go for it. If you lose to the Celtics, so be it. They’re the champs – there is no shame in losing to the champs. If you lose to, let’s say, Atlanta, then you shake it off and try to establish your next streak.

Still, I don’t blame the Cavs players and staff if the streak is at the bottom of their priority list. The NBA season is long and arduous. These Cavaliers have bigger fish to fry come May and, possibly, June. Still, would it surprise anyone if they have circled Dec. 8 on their calendars? If everything goes right between now and then, that’s the day the Cleveland Cavaliers could make history.

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