The Cleveland Cavaliers looked every bit like the NBA’s only undefeated team in the opening minutes Friday. The Golden State Warriors did not look like a team that was 7-1.
Two nights after Golden State gave the Boston Celtics their first home loss of the season, Cleveland came out and blasted them from the opening tip. After an Andrew Wiggins jumper tied the game at 2-2, the Cavs ripped off an 18-0 run to take a 20-2 lead just 4:27 into the game.
Cleveland showed the explosiveness that has made them the NBA’s top offense through the season’s first three weeks. All five starters scored in the run. The Cavs shot 6-for-8 and went 4-for-5 from three-point range — no surprise as they’re tops in field goal percentage, and second in three-point percentage.
Meanwhile, the Warriors couldn’t make a three, or a layup, thanks to Cleveland’s interior defense. Jarrett Allen deterred drives and forced the Warriors to settle for outside shots. Evan Mobley blocked a Wiggins layup and turned it into a dunk on the other end.
The Warriors eventually stopped the bleeding thanks to nine points from Jonathan Kuminga, the only Warrior who could get to the hoop and draw fouls. But once the second quarter began, it was more of the same.
Thanks to more hot shooting and tough defense from Cleveland, and a series of misses and illegal screens from Golden State, the Cavs opened the second on a 13-2 run. By the halfway point of the quarter, eight different Cavaliers had sunk threes, including Dean Wade.
The scorching start might have been even more satisfying for former Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson, now the head man in Cleveland. Or for former Warriors guard Ty Jerome, who hit all five of his shots in the second half, and stared down his former team’s bench after making his third three-pointer.
Golden State made a statement Wednesday night. Cleveland made an even stronger statement, effectively ending their battle with a 7-1 team after 18 minutes. Good teams win, but great teams get blowouts.
