At the start of the season, no one would have mentioned the Cavaliers as a potential breakout team or playoff contender. They came from three dismal seasons since LeBron James left in the summer of 2018 and seemed like a dark fate for Ricky Rubio, who was transferred there in the middle of the Tokyo Olympics. However, the green shoots have gotten ahead in Cleveland, where they enjoy a group full of youth and talent that is third in the East.

The Cavaliers have six straight wins, the longest active streak in the NBA. They have won eight of the last 10 meetings and with a 19-12 record they trail only the Nets and Bulls in their conference. Below, the champion Bucks, the Sixers, the Heat, the Celtics... Hardly imaginable. Their victories already equal those they achieved in the 18-19 (19-63) and 19-20 (19-46) seasons and are three short of those achieved the previous season (22-50). An extraordinary improvement.

In Cleveland they are building their great season on what seemed like one of their weaknesses: defense. The Cavs concede just 101.1 points per game, the fewest in the NBA tied with the Warriors. His defensive rating, the points scored by opponents per 100 possessions, is 103.3, the second best in the league behind Golden State and the best in the franchise since the 2008-09 season. And that in between there were a few with LeBron on the roster. The defensive structure designed by JB Bickerstaff leaves his rivals at 32.5% in triples, the third best record in the competition, and at 44.2% in field goals, the seventh.

The attack is the most choral in the NBA. They have eight players above 10 points, including Ricky. To find the Cavaliers' best scorer you have to go down to thirteenth place. It is Darius Garland, who scores 19.0 on average and at 21 is the offensive beacon. He also adds 7.4 assists per game. In his third season, and without the injured Collin Sexton, whose future in the franchise is uncertain, he is confirming himself as one of the NBA's future stars.

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— Jan Bennett Fri May 01 07:28:46 +0000 2015

youth and talent

Youth is one of the great values ​​of the Cavaliers, who have wicks to build something important if they manage to retain all the talent for a while. The six players who play the most minutes do not reach the age of 25: the aforementioned Garland and Sexton (22), Jarrett Allen (23), Lauri Markkanen (24), Evan Mobley (20) and Isaac Okoro (20).

Especially notable is the performance of the Allen and Mobley interiors. The first came within the operation that sent James Harden to the Nets. He is forceful around the rim and a great intimidator. He is averaging 16.9 points and 11.0 rebounds. The second was the number 3 of the last draft and, if the injuries respect him, he will fight for the rookie of the year award. He is 2.13 meters tall and has a wingspan of 2.24. Versatility is his strong point: he is very agile and mobile, he has a good hand, he is a good blocker... his averages are 13.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.8 caps. He is called to do great things in the NBA.

The experience of Love and Ricky

The veteran is put by Kevin Love (33) and Ricky (31) who, coming off the bench, show the good chemistry they already built when they coincided years ago with the Wolves. The point guard lives one of his best moments in the NBA. He is showing the offensive vision of the last championships with the national team, in which he was the MVP of the 2019 World Cup and the best scorer of the Games last summer. At 12.6 points on average, he has 3.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.3 recoveries in 23.4 minutes of play. He has sky-high confidence and he has the confidence of the entire team.

"What Ricky does means a lot. I can get easy baskets because I know he's always going to try to get me. He does it with everybody. Ricky makes life a little easier," Garland praised him recently. "His job is and is being to show us the way. He is assuming that responsibility," said coach Bickerstaff at the beginning of the season about the Spanish point guard, who this week reached 5,000 assists in his NBA career. . After a few moves and some unwanted transfer, basketball smiles at Ricky in Cleveland. Who would have thought?