Game Night Observations: The Cleveland Cavaliers Are Inevitable

The Cavs racked up another blowout win, moving to 28-4 on the season.

The Cleveland Cavaliers won their seventh consecutive game on Monday night, defeating the Golden State Warriors 113-95.

Remember those old Warriors teams? The most terrifying part of the night was all the time? It didn’t matter how cold they were offensively throughout the game. Games in their former home Oracle Arena would feature the crowd chanting “WAAAARRRIORS” in a haunting way that signaled the worst was near for opponents.

That sound made it feel like there was a cloud of impending doom hanging over the opponents’ head against the Warriors when they were at their peak. That cloud got darker and grew bigger each time Steph Curry or Klay Thompson put up a somewhat decent look from beyond the arc. The only thing that was ever separating them from going on a 9-0 run were the three required possessions. Teams went from leading the Warriors to trailing by 10 points before they could catch their breath. Games would end in the blink of an eye. That used to happen routinely in The Bay.

It happened on Monday night. Not because Curry was able to muster up magic against an old foe in the Cavs, but because that’s what the Cavs have become.

With 11:43 on the third quarter clock, Golden State’s Trayce Jackson-Davis made a free throw, bringing the Warriors within five points at 46-41. Neither team had played particularly well to this point. The game was an offensive slog that had no flow.

Then, seconds later, Donovan Mitchell hit a 3-pointer.

Thirty-five seconds after that, he hit another one.

Thirty-six seconds after that one, he hit a third 3-pointer, with consecutive defensive stops mounting for the Cavs on the other end.