Can we leave Mike Brown alone now?
We have seen 1/5th of the NBA season come and go (I know, it’s hard to tell with the sinking of the SS Browns consuming the headlines) but if you missed it, here’s a little update about the Cavs.
The Cavs have raced to the best start in team history at 14-3 (all 3 losses to tough opponents on the road). Only the Lakers, Warriors and Knicks have scored more than the Cavaliers’ 103.6 PPG and only Houston and Boston have allowed fewer points than the Cavs’ 92.6 PPG. They have a 3 1/2 game lead over Detroit and the third best winning percentage in the NBA (only Boston and the Lakers are more proficient).
But, numbers can only say so much. Just watch these guys. The offense doesn’t stall without LeBron on the floor anymore. They have added a patient urgency on offense while displaying their now trademark hustling defense (when you see Delonte West diving for a ball when the team is up more than 20 in the 4th quarter, that’s a good sign.) which is really fun to watch. It’s not just LeBron and those others…it’s a real basketball team.
This success isn’t accidental. This shows that Mike Brown really does know what he is doing by getting the players to buy into defensive minded team ball and building the offense around that (and LeBron’s prodigious talents).
After 146 wins over the last 3 years, several playoff series victories, an Eastern Conference title (remember that people?) can we say that Mike Brown is the best Cavs coach since this guy?
(Lenny Wilkens, for you younger/newer Cavs fans.)
It’s worth discussing..