True, though I'm not sure that Caruso would have gone a better job than Dort on Mitchell. And iHart doesn't have the range that Chet has so that made things a little easier. But having said that, IHart himself had a very good game and seemingly didn't miss any floater.
All in all, just a very good game between two elite teams.
It's the same story as the last couple seasons - the missing 2-way wing with size. That could be the Cavs undoing in the playoffs vs the Celtics and/or the Knicks (part of the reason I'm so salty about the KAT trade is it elevated the Knicks to legit title contenders). I'm also still traumatized from the 2023 playoffs when the Knicks obliterated the Cavs, who just looked so...soft. And will the size of, say, the Magic or Bucks or Hawks bother the short backcourt?
But 30-4 is 30-4 and history says that about half the teams that start this well win the title. Atkinson has been money all season and should win CoY unless there's a complete collapse.
We may have a better sense of how the Cavs can handle playoff atmosphere after Jan 8 (vs OKC on ESPN) and Jan 16 (at OKC on TNT). Can't wait.
Couple things -
1) If only Minnesota had a 1b option that they didn't trade away for peanuts a few months ago.
2) Love his talent, but Ant is immature as hell and is just telling his opponents how to frustrate and stop him.
Jordan Poole in the top 10 voting for guards demonstrates the idiocy of the average NBA fan. Allen not in top ten and Mobley behind Banchero and Embiid because of course.