CLEVELAND — True to the team's marketing slogan, the Cleveland Cavaliers have spent the first two weeks of the 2022-23 NBA season "Letting 'Em Know."
And it appears people around the league are taking notice.
In its latest NBA power rankings released on Wednesday, ESPN.com ranked the Cavs third, trailing only the Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns. Wrote ESPN's Dave McMenamin of Cleveland's start to the season: "Kevin Love was hotter than fish grease in Sunday's win against the Knicks, scoring 29 points in 22 minutes. He did his damage with eight 3s and eight rebounds to extend the Cavs' winning streak to five. Just wait until Darius Garland gets back from his eye injury. Cleveland looks like the real deal."
Hours later, the Cavs vindicated the praise from "The Worldwide Leader in Sports," beating the Boston Celtics -- who ranked fourth -- by a score of 114-113 in overtime. The win marked Cleveland's sixth straight as the Cavs moved to 6-1 on the season, with Garland scoring 29 points and adding 12 assists in what marked his first game back since suffering an eye laceration in Cleveland's season-opening loss vs. the Toronto Raptors.
With Garland out of the lineup, the Cavs relied on three-time All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, who they acquired from the Utah Jazz in a blockbuster trade in September. Through his first seven games in Cleveland, Mitchell has averaged 31.1 points on .481 shooting (.438 from 3-point range), 7.1 assists and 4.4 rebounds -- all career highs.
While the 2022-23 season is still just two weeks old, the Cavs appear poised to make the playoffs for the first time since LeBron James' departure in 2018. Following Wednesday night's win over Boston, Cleveland will kick off a five-game road trip when they face the Detroit Pistons on Friday night.