The Cavs' historic start was a byproduct of selflessness, sacrifice and camaraderie

The Cavs held off a second-half push and beat Milwaukee for the second time in three nights. Cleveland improved to 8-0, tying the best start in franchise history set in 1976.

As in the first few weeks, Monday's significant triumph also had numerous implications. But no one made a bigger impression than point guard Darius Garland – the one-time All-Star whose miserable 2023-24 season led countless fans to turn against him and some even pressure the front office to consider making offseason trades deal with.

“My head is clear,” Garland said after the 116-114 win. “I play freely. Confidence is super high. Teammates turned their backs on me. This will only make me work harder. I definitely appreciate my teammates and my coaching staff for just keeping my confidence high, keeping my head on straight and just telling me to be myself. That’s what I’m trying to do for the rest of the season.”

Garland finished the game with 39 points on 15 of 22 from the field and 7 of 11 from 3-point range with eight assists against two turnovers in 35 mesmerizing minutes. It is his highest score since December 26, 2022 – a look back at his pre-injury form and a reminder of why he was once so respected The Franchise pillar, with an extensive contract commensurate with this status.

“That’s the DG we all know,” teammate Jarrett Allen said. “I mean, we know he went through something crazy last year that none of us experienced and you can see his game took a hit. It's hard for anyone to go through this. But now he's back to his old self and showing why he's one of the best point guards in the league. He took over in the fourth quarter. We place it in his hands to lead us to victory.”

Garland, who suffered a broken jaw more than a year ago that ended his season and caused him to temporarily lose his enjoyment of basketball, scored 12 of his game-high 39 points in the fourth quarter. He accounted for 11 of the team's last 12 games. It was shot-for-shot with eight-time All-Star Damian Lillard — the guy whose clutch shooting at the end of the game was dubbed “Dame Time.” The only non-Garland-related goal of the period came from Mitchell – a free throw late in the game that extended the Cavs' lead to five with 3.2 seconds left.

For the past two years, since arriving from Utah, Mitchell has been the team's fourth-quarter alpha. That was the case Saturday when Mitchell broke Milwaukee's hearts for the first time with a game-winning jump shot.

But it wasn't Mitchell's night on Monday. At least not after an explosive 13-point first quarter. He knew it. So he willingly submitted to his backcourt mate – and strengthened him.

With less than a minute left and Cleveland trailing, Mitchell called on Garland to take the ball. Then Mitchell motioned for Allen to put a screen on top of the key. Using a live dribble, Garland worked his way around the Allen screen toward the right wing. Garland stopped, crossed, created a small space and calmly returned a 3-pointer that slammed through the net, sending Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse into a frenzy and putting the Cavs back in the lead.

On the ensuing offensive possession, after a missed shot by Lillard, Garland passed from a double-team over the Milwaukee defense to a rolling Allen for a layup.

“Everyone will be talking about the 39 points. But I want to talk to Jarrett Allen about this pass,” Atkinson said. “He took everyone and he threw it. I don't know how he got there. He went left and it wasn't a close call. JA was like on a wide roll. It was an incredible game.”

One of many for Garland during a fourth-quarter masterstroke in which he got the better of Lillard – an opponent Garland has admired and tried to emulate for years – picking up the score for an ineffective Mitchell and keeping the Cavs from a heartbreaking collapse in the second half preserved and brought them to the doorstep of early season history.

“That's him. This is who he will be. He will play like that all the time when his number is called upon,” Mitchell said. “We have the utmost confidence in him. He is a goalscorer. He passes by. He does everything. But to see that self-confidence, it’s huge.”

Garland's volcanic finish was joined by Georges Niang's trio of threes from Sam Merrill's all-round impact off the bench on a night that saw usual sixth man Caris LeVert sidelined by a sore right knee and Dean Wade in bed at home with an illness -Pointer, Isaac Okoro's rushing defense (in two meetings this season, Lillard was just 3 of 10 from the field and 1 of 6 from outside the arc as he was defended by Okoro), a timely blitz in the final minute that led Lillard into an over-and-back turnover, Evan Mobley's preternatural hanging and-1 and Allen's block on Lillard in the final seconds capped one Masterful performance (14 points, 15 rebounds, six assists, two steals and the game-winning swat).

This is not a heliocentric system. It's an absolute team effort. All on the same page. Move together. Strength in numbers – a phrase adopted by Golden State, fittingly Atkinson's previous stop before he got the Cavs gig.

“No one on this team is stubborn. We all want to learn. We all want to get better. We all want to reach the final, a championship,” Okoro said. “When Kenny came in, we were open-minded and willing to learn because we knew he was a great offensive coach.”

“That’s the good thing about our team,” Allen added. “I feel like everyone accepts the system, even if it's different. Greetings to Kenny. He's done a great job of finding a way to bring this team together and just try to get the best out of everyone. It's not just one person who is responsible. Everyone contributes in different ways at different times.”

That was the story on Monday night – even if Garland played the lead role this time. That's how it was through the first eight games, when four different players either led – or shared the team's lead – in scoring. That's why the Cavs are still undefeated.

“It can’t be Donovan every night,” Atkinson said. “Donovan was incredible. And to Donovan's credit tonight, he knew he wasn't going to make it, and he just said, 'Go ahead, DG, you got it.' That's how it works sometimes. I saw it differently where the guy always wants the ball and doesn't share it with his teammates, so that's part of the strength of this group. They are selfless. They share it. Whoever gets it going gets the ball.

“This team exudes a calm confidence. There is a humility. But they know they're good, and it's no frills either. It's almost like they know they have to take the next step and do all these things and make all these sacrifices. So far, so good.”

The squad is basically the same. And yet so much has changed. Garland is the poster child for this.

“We’ve been together for a few years now, so we know what to expect from everyone,” Garland said. “If someone is on the ground, we have to pick them up. If someone does something wrong, we have to tell them so we can fix it for the next possession. We hold everyone accountable. It doesn't matter who you are. If you're a rookie or you've been here six or seven years, we hold everyone accountable, from coach to coach. We just have to keep going and stay together.”