Cavaliers match 1976 squad for best start in franchise history, improve to 8-0 in defeating Bucks

CLEVELAND (AP) — The win total is growing quickly, and so is the Cavaliers’ confidence.

At 8-0 so far, they are the only undefeated team in the Eastern Conference and at this point they might as well win it all.

“That’s the plan,” center Jarrett Allen said with a big smile.

The Cavs kept their impeccable record intact Monday night with a 116-114 win over the Milwaukee Buckswho pushed Cleveland to its limits despite playing without injured two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Darius Garland scored 39 points to pace the Cavs, beating Bucks star Damian Lillard in the final minutes as the point guards put on a dazzling display of shooting to the delight of another rocking crowd at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

“It was awesome,” said Garland, who made seven of 11 3-pointers, including a lead with 45 seconds left that gave the Cavs a 113-111 lead. “I grew up watching Dame. It was super cool to play 1-on-1 basketball.”

It’s been team ball that’s gotten Cleveland off to an impeccable start.

With the win, the Cavs tied the best start in franchise history, matching the 1976-77 Cavs, who went 8-0 before finishing 43-39 under coach Bill Fitch.

“We don’t do that,” said All-Star Donovan Mitchell, interrupting a reporter who mentioned the franchise record for fear of spoiling the team’s early run. “I didn’t know that. It’s great. Obviously you want to enjoy the little things along the way and it’s great to have that, but at the end of the day it’s been eight games.”

Maybe so, but the Cavs have won them all under first-year coach Kenny Atkinson, and they’ve done it with a new catalyst almost every night.

“We won in so many different ways,” said Mitchell, who signed a three-year contract extension with the Cavs this summer. “That was more impressive to me than the eight wins, just how we did it. We’ve had outbursts. We’ve had close games. We came back. There’s someone new every night.”

Atkinson is willing to sit deep on his bench almost every game. Although he missed starter Dean Wade and top reserve Caris LeVert against the Bucks due to injuries, he used 10 players, including rookie Luke Travers, who played in only his second game.

“It just shows the belief in the group, from top to bottom,” said Mitchell, who beat the Bucks on Saturday with a last-second jumper. “And the faith we have in each other.”

The Cavs know the first ever loss will come, and they are unlikely to threaten the NBA record set by the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors, who opened 24-0. But they have fun and nothing is more fun than winning.

“We’re all cooped up,” Garland said.

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