Today, the league's first Cavaliers play at home against the Pacers.
Haliburton retired with a left leg strain, and the Cavaliers led by 15 points before losing by 19 points in the third quarter at 18-37.
In the final quarter, the Cavaliers were once pulled away and trailed by 18 points, and the Cavaliers lost 93-108 to the Pacers to end a 12-game winning streak.
The Cavaliers suffered their second home defeat of the season, and the Pacers won six in a row.
Although they lost, the Cavaliers' 33-5 record is still the first in the league!
And in the East, they are 5.5 wins ahead of defending champions Celtic.
So the question is: why are the Cavaliers so strong this season?
Let's talk about a few reasons.
First, the big contributor is head coach Atkinson.
With the arrival of the coach, the Cavaliers became the league's most efficient offensive team, averaging 122.1 points per game, second in the league.
Change the past situation of "attacking strong and defending weak" and relying too much on Mitchell. Today's knights are an offensive and defensive team.
Second, the backcourt double guns.
Mitchell, as a multi-time All-Star point guard, is still playing steadily.
And his backcourt partner, Garland, became the Cavaliers' No. 2 scorer after recovering his health. It's important that he can step up and handle the ball when it's being defended.
3. Twin Towers.
The interior partnership of Mobley Jr. + Allen, whether it is offensive or defensive, makes the rest of the league fear.
In particular, I was impressed by Mobley's progress.
Today, he can shoot from mid-to-long range on the offensive end and has excellent mobility on the defensive end.
At some point, the play does have the shadow of Kevin Garnett.
This season, he averaged 18.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3 assists and 1.4 blocks per game. His progress is an important reason for the knight's progress.
So the question is: how far do you think this team can go in the playoffs?