Magic knows the Cleveland Cavs well and is impressed with the Cavaliers' hot start

CLEVELAND – The Orlando Magic should know the Cavaliers better than any other NBA opponent.

Well, except maybe the Detroit Pistons, since they are led by former Cavs coach JB Bickerstaff.

Last season, the Magic faced the Cavs 11 times, four times in the regular season and seven times in the first round of the playoffs. If you count the pre-season it would be a dozen matches, but we don't want to go there with a meaningless friendly.

The point is that the Magic should be experts on what the Cavs did and didn't do well last season, what they're doing well and what they're not doing this season, and what differences exist between the 2023-24 Cavs under Bickerstaff and the 2024 Cavs -25 Cavs under coach Kenny Atkinson. No other team played the Cavs as often as the Magic last season.

As far as the roster goes, the Cavs are virtually the same as they were last season. The franchise has bet that his coaching change will help a nearly identical group of players achieve greater playoff success after they fell 4-1 in the Eastern Conference semifinals to the eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics.

The sample size is currently far too small to make a judgment, and the 2025 postseason will ultimately determine whether the Cavs made the right decision in trading Bickerstaff for Atkinson. Given these caveats, the early signs of what the Cavs can be this season are promising.

With a 120-109 win over the Magic on Friday night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, the Cavs improved to 6-0 and secured the second-best start to the season in team history. In the 2016/17 season they also had a 6-0 lead, and in the 1976/77 season they started 8-0.

“They’re a really good team,” Magic center Moritz Wagner told the Beacon Journal. “They are very balanced and really deep. They can shoot all four positions all the time, so it’s really difficult to guard them.”

The Cavs set a franchise record for the highest point differential in six games, outscoring those opponents by a total of 102 points. Before Saturday night's game in Milwaukee, the Cavs had scored 120 points or more in four games.

Cavs brass hired Atkinson primarily to bolster the offense. He has emphasized the importance of more speed, space, movement and 3-point shooting. Entering Saturday, the team ranked second in the NBA in offensive rating (122.4 points per 100 possessions) and points per game (124.7), trailing the Celtics in both categories (123.4 offensive rating and 125.5). points per game).

“Playing a lot faster, shooting more 3s, I think that's very obvious … so their ability to get out there and play fast is highlighted,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. “(Atkinson's) rotations are a little different in the way he gets those guys off the field and then back on the field together to compete against a second line.”

Bickerstaff created the Cavs' defensive identity, and Atkinson is determined to maintain it despite stylistic changes on offense. To reiterate, the Atkinson era is still in its infancy, but the Cavs ranked third in the NBA in defensive rating (106.1) and fifth in fewest points allowed per game before the weekend ( 107.7).

In other words, they outscored their first six opponents by an average of 124.7-107.7. The numbers reflect an impressive level of overall dominance. Until Friday, the Cavs and Oklahoma City Thunder (5-0) were the NBA's only undefeated teams.

“The (defensive) foundation was laid (by Bickerstaff),” Mosley said. “I think that’s a big part of it. You have the exact same group coming back. Her fundamentals were incredible. The way they have improved every year under JB is fantastic to me and I think they already have that identity. That's the identity that he's laid out and I think with the arrival of Kenny you're just leaning into that a little bit more – what JB has already established.”

With forward Evan Mobley and center Jarrett Allen protecting the rim, Atkinson doesn't have to be a genius on defense. However, he needs approval, and so far he has received it. He became the eighth coach in NBA history to win his first six games with a new team.

“I think if you have Mobley and Allen, you're going to be a good defensive team regardless of who the coach is,” Magic forward Jonathan Isaac said.

The Magic (3-3) have respect for the Cavs and excellent insight into them after the two teams fought heart and soul last season. They tied the regular season at 2-2 before the Cavs won the playoff series in a wild Game 7 in which they recovered from an 18-point hole in the second quarter.

Some of the tension in Friday's showdown was diminished because the Magic's best player, All-Star forward Paolo Banchero, is out with a torn right oblique. Banchero is to Orlando what All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell is to Cleveland.

Still, Cavs vs. Magic feels like a rivalry in the making.

“I think it’s inevitable,” Isaac said.

Moe Wagner isn't quite ready to use that label yet.

“I don’t think either team has won enough to call it a rivalry,” he said. “So, no. But they are competitive games. It's a hostile environment. It's fun. That’s what you train for.”

However, there may be a rivalry brewing between a particular player and fan base. Wagner angered Cavs fans so much last season that they continued to boo him Friday night. He explained that he doesn't get this much grief from any other crowd in the league.

“No, they make me angry,” Wagner said. “I won't lie. It takes a lot of energy to stay focused, but I'm willing to invest it. I do think it's fun to a certain extent. At a certain point it becomes a little more personal, but I'm getting better at concentrating on the game and not getting distracted.”

Give Wagner points for honesty, and his view is understandable.

Again, the Cavs and Magic were at each other's throats repeatedly last season, there's a lot of familiarity, and they'll meet again on February 25th in Orlando and March 16th in Cleveland, so…stay tuned.

Meanwhile, the Cavs have been the hottest team in the Eastern Conference from the start this season.

Nate Ulrich can be reached at [email protected]. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.

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