Exclusive; Cavaliers push through adversity, pile up wins to jump in standings and into NBA title contention

Leaning against the locker room wall after the Cavaliers dropped their sixth straight loss to the Sacramento Kings on Monday night, the All-Star guard couldn’t help but notice the growing media presence. He and his teammates recently.

“This is madness.” Mitchell said. “Most of you shouldn’t be rude, but most of you weren’t when we were.”

The Cavs flipped the script in a down season.

Cleveland is now an NBA-best 19-4 since December. The flurry of surprises began on Oct. 16, a day after the team announced that two of its starters — starter Darius Garland (broken jaw) and forward Evan Mobley (knee surgery) — would be sidelined with injuries. 6 weeks.

Since then, things have changed both inside and outside the Cavs. There were rumors that Coach JB was fired. Bickerstaff died and was replaced in the Coach of the Year debate. The conversation about Mitchell’s long-term future in Cleveland has shifted to the here and now and whether this version of the Cavs, playing at a level not seen since LeBron James, is a legitimate title contender in 2024. Everything happened quickly and unexpectedly. However, this is not the case for everyone. The Cavs have always believed that their talent can compete with the best teams in the league, but it will take them some time to capitalize on it.

As a result, Cleveland became a stronger and deeper team than expected. “I’m really excited for everybody to get their number,” said Mitchell, who is coming off his best season and making the group MVP. “I saw him in the training camp. I saw him during summer training. The most important thing is that we tried to find him as a group.”

Going 14-1 since January. Cleveland, which opens at Washington on Wednesday the 3rd and plays three games on the road, is tied for second in the Eastern Conference behind Milwaukee.

It’s been a quick and surprising rise for a team still paying the price for last year’s playoff failure (a first-round loss to the New York Knicks). But it is progress.

“First of all, we thought about each other because we had a lot of turnovers,” Bickerstaff said before his team made 23 3-pointers to overcome a fast-paced Sacramento team. “There’s a clear picture of what we’re good at and what we look like. When we play Cavs basketball, we know what they look like now and guys can do their job.”

Ironically, Garland and Mobley needed injuries for the Cavs to establish their offensive identity. Without them and without 36 points per game, Garland’s style of play or Mobley’s ball movement as a dual threat have been improved. Plus, like most of the league this season, with the additions of shooting guards Max Struss and George Niang, the Cavs are attempting more 3-pointers (37 per game) and making more (13.4). With the squad short of players, Bickerstaff, who has been criticized for his rotation in the past, had no choice but to deal with players such as junior Craig Porter. And Sam Merrill managed to find more confidence and time.

His rotation will get stronger in the postseason, but Bickerstaff will stretch it out for now. “I don’t like 10,” he said. “I like nine, but there are 10 people who have that qualification.”

The losing streak is Cleveland’s only loss since January 2018. In Milwaukee, it’s 1 in 10. The Cavs have entered the championship conversation, and Bickerstaff deserves the credit.

Kings coach Mike Brown said, “J.B. “There is a lack of trust,” he said. “They faced adversity early, which I always think is good, because if you can overcome it or overcome it with your group, it means you have a good chance. And they’re going to show everybody that they’re legit and that they can handle the job that’s put in front of them.”

Of course, it helps if Mitchell is in charge.

The 27-year-old was everything the Cavs had hoped for when they traded him in September 2022. He’s averaging 28.2 points and career highs in rebounds (6.4), rebounds (5.4) and steals (1.9), and Mitchell seems to make big plays when needed.

On Monday, he threw the ball back for a dunk. Although Cleveland’s promotion has given him a boost, Mitchell still isn’t doing much.

“Okay, but it’s February.” He said. “We want to keep playing like before, the most important thing is to play as a group. Just hang in here and stay organized as a group.

“surprising. Great basketball game, but the biggest thing is how are we going to continue? How can we improve?”