3 things Cavaliers need to do to beat Warriors single-season win/loss record
Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers have a chance to best Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors' single season record for wins.
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Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry and Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell
Last season, the Cleveland Cavaliers finished their campaign with a lot of question marks despite reaching the Eastern Conference Semis. This time, Donovan Mitchell and his team are on a charge. They are now threatening to usurp the single season record held by Steph Curry and his Golden State Warriors.
That record stands at 73-9 which they set in the 2015-16 season on their way to the NBA Finals. They beat the Michael Jordan led Chicago Bulls record of 72-10 set in 1995-96 when they wont the NBA title. In fact, the last five teams to set the single season record have won 4 NBA titles.
The Warriors lost due to those incredible NBA Finals performances from LeBron James when he led the very Cleveland Cavaliers to their first ever NBA title. If the current version of his hometown team can manage to keep pace and reach those dizzying standards, they could stand a chance to win it all.
However, only a quarter of the season has passed with plenty of games left to play. For a franchise that was never considered a contender other than the times LeBron James led them, it would take a herculean effort to topple everyone. Therefore, in order to do the unexpected, they need to do these things.
Increase team scoring to support Donovan Mitchell
The Cleveland Cavaliers are the definition of team basketball as they move the ball at a high rate and all players are encouraged to score. New head coach Kenny Atkinson brought some of the Golden State Warriors mentality into the team and has them playing at a high level.
However, their four losses showed that they need to address their offense to handle days when leading superstar Donovan Mitchell is throttled. The Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks showed that solid defense can force the five-time All-Star into mistakes.
To negate that, Atkinson has devised a plan B wherein other players take over the bulk of the offense. They could use Mitchell as a decoy most of the time, ensuring the opposition’s best defender is glued to him. That will leave channels open for the rest to exploit.
Cleveland Cavaliers have to win the three West road stress tests
In their 28 games so far, the Cleveland Cavaliers haven’t faced a major challenge on the road. They have mostly played their Eastern Conference rivals and the lone West road game was against the struggling New Orleans Pelicans.
They have beaten the likes of the Los Angeles Lakers, Warriors and Denver Nuggets at home. However, anybody watching the NBA knows those teams are not what they used to be. That brings three stretches of road games where the Cavs will face the top contending Western Conference teams.
The first is the four-game stretch starting just after Christmas where along with the three above mentioned West teams, they will face the Dallas Mavericks. Last year’s NBA Finalists are playing with a slightly different vigor and will be a good test.
Then, in the middle of January, they will again go on the road to face the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets and the Minnesota Timberwolves. They will face the West’s top three teams again at home, but the road games will be harder to win.
However, their biggest stretch of tough road games will come in March. They will face the unpredictably good Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns and the Sacramento Kings. All these road games are a tough litmus test for a team looking to win it all.
Plan squad rotation to avoid fatigue
Those road games will stress the team to the limit, as not only will they battle jet lag, but they will also go up against physical teams looking to cement their own playoff hopes. That brings squad rotations into the discussion as the team will need to plan it out according to their schedule.
Resting the likes of Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Darius Garland and the rest of their starters in easier home games will be crucial. They could take turns sitting out games so as to not hinder the team. It would also help the team lean on each other more whenever a player is out. Once they reach April, the closing stretch is easier.
The team has everything going for them to eclipse the Golden State Warriors to cement themselves as one of the best teams in NBA history. But the grind will not be easy, and they need to do everything they can to come out victorious. Then, to put the cherry on the cake, maybe they could add that second NBA title to the rafters
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Joseph Varghese
(2393 Articles Published)