The Cleveland Cavaliers have been arguably the biggest surprise of this NBA season so far. Many experts predicted improvement for this Cavs group, but them turning into arguably the best team in basketball and a title favorite is a major surprise.
On Wednesday night, the Cavs’ dominance continued with another victory, this time in a 112-107 win over the Miami Heat. This was the 12th win in a row for the Cavs, which is their third such streak this season.
That joins the 2006-07 Dallas Mavericks, led by Dirk Nowitzki, for the most 12-game winning streaks in one season.
The Cavs will be hoping to avoid the same fate as those Mavericks. Dallas lost in six games in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs to the “We Believe” Warriors in what is still arguably the biggest upset in a series in NBA history.
The Cavs don’t seem to be destined for the same fate as they continue to absolutely roll through just about every team on their schedule so far this season. Donovan Mitchell is a clear candidate to make First Team All-NBA this season and he is leading one of the best attacks in the NBA on both ends of the court.
Mitchell had another very good night in the win on Wednesday, notching 26 points to lead the team along with seven rebounds and five assists. Mitchell was one of six Cavs to score in double figures, and Evan Mobley and Darius Garland both recorded double-doubles.
That balance is part of what has made the Cavs so difficult to beat this season. This win gets them to 52-10 overall, and they now have an eight-game cushion for the top spot in the East. It feels nearly impossible that they would give that up over the final 20 games of the season, so they should be able to lean on home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.
The Cavs will feel good about their chances to keep this winning streak going as they head into a road game against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night. After that, dates with the Bucks and Nets will determine if the Cavs can keep this hot streak going.
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