Cavaliers perfect start not a 'fluke', says Garland

It was the first time the Cavaliers had failed to score 110 points this season, but they rallied for a 105-100 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday, becoming the 12th team in NBA history to start a season 11-0.

Garland scored eight of his 20 points in the fourth quarter, which Cleveland started by trailing, but they dug deep to ensure their perfect record stayed intact.

The Cavaliers are now just two victories away from matching the longest streak in franchise history, having won 13 in a row three times, most recently in 2017.

And Garland believes they have proven that they are among the contenders in the NBA this season.

"I don't think this is just any old fluke," he said after the game. "We played some really good teams out of these 11 games, and we had some great challenges.

"I think we have a really good chance at being one of those contenders for sure."

The 11-0 Cleveland Cavaliers. #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/rUaI2pFWJd

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) November 10, 2024

With the team trailing 82-68 late in the third quarter, coach Kenny Atkinson made the bold decision, choosing to bench Jarrett Allen for the final quarter and moving Evan Mobley to centre.

In the end, it worked. Mobley finished with 23 points and 16 rebounds, with Atkinson praising his performance.

"He [Mobley] was phenomenal," Atkinson said. "Those three or four stops we needed at the end of the game, he got caught on a switch and Cam [Thomas] tried to shoot it over him.

"He's just too long. He had the big block on the last play, and he rebounded the heck out of the ball."

The Golden State Warriors hold the league record for winning their first 24 games in 2015-16, and Atkinson admitted that the prospect of losing their winning streak did play on his mind.

"You're thinking about it," he added.

"Normally, this is 11 games in. You're not thinking about a streak, but then you're like, man, I don't want it to end this way.

"We're competing. We're trying to win every game, but it's kind of weirdly in the back of your mind when you're out there competing. Like man, we got to keep this thing going."