Cavaliers' Kenny Atkinson Era Is Off To A Historically Dominant Start

Cleveland has a +61 point differential and 3-0 record in its first three games with Kenny Atkinson as head coach.

Oct 23, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson watches the play against the Toronto Raptors during the fourth quarter at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images / Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers have fared very well in their first three games of the 2024-25 campaign.

The Wine and Gold are 3-0, with a powerful offense that is averaging an NBA-best 128 points per contest.

And the team's start under new head coach Kenny Atkinson is at a historically dominant level.

According to Stathead, the Cavaliers' +61 point differential through their first three games is the second-highest in franchise history, trailing only the 1988-89 squad's +63 mark. This team eventually went 57-25, falling to the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.

Additionally, Cleveland's +61 point differential ranks second in the NBA to the Golden State Warriors' +69 total. These two marks are the highest by an NBA team through its first three games since the 2016-17 Portland Trail Blazers (+63) and Los Angeles Clippers (+76), respectively.

While the Wine and Gold have only played three games, their remarkable start offers an encouraging sign of what this campaign may have in store.

Of the previous 22 all-time NBA teams with at least a +61 point differential through their first three contests, 19 of them made the playoffs. And of those 19 playoff teams, six of them (1961-62, 1962-63, and 1964-65 Boston Celtics, 1971-72 and 2008-09 Los Angeles Lakers, and 1996-97 Chicago Bulls) won the NBA Finals.

Oct 23, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson watches the play against the Toronto Raptors during the fourth quarter at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images / Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

After defeating three of the four teams at the bottom of last season's Eastern Conference standings in the Toronto Raptors (fourth-worst record), Detroit Pistons (worst record), and Washington Wizards (second-worst record), the Wine and Gold have a tough schedule ahead.

Each of their next six opponents, the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando Magic, Milwaukee Bucks (home-and-home), and New Orleans Pelicans, made last season's NBA Playoffs.

But if Cleveland's first three games are an indicator of the future, Cavaliers fans should be in for some very exciting basketball this season.