Can Cleveland Cavaliers replicate last year's regular season success in 2025?

Can the Cleveland Cavaliers replicate their success from just a season ago?

The short answer is probably not, but one year later, the expectations are the highest they have ever been in the post-LeBron era. However, it would be unfair not to throw around the idea at least.

Let’s start with the 2024 win streak that kicked off what snowballed into a record breaking regular season for the Cavs.

In 2024 the Cavaliers, under rookie head coach Kenny Atkinson, jumped out to an unexpected 15-0 start. The Cavs would not lose a game until November 19th, when the Cavs dropped their first loss of the season to the Boston Celtics.

That loss cemented the 2024 Cavs’ start as the second best start of any team in NBA history. They followed this record breaking start by breaking even more records throughout the season; one of which, was breaking the franchise record for three pointers made in a single season. They also recorded the franchise’s second best regular season record across 82 games.

The Cavaliers spoiled fans by going on a second, completely separate 16 game win streak. This made the 2024/25 Cavaliers just the second team in NBA history to have two win streaks of 15 or more games in the same season.

Many may remember the 2025 playoffs ending in a very familiar fashion for the Cavaliers, as the team lost to the Indiana Pacers in the second round in just five games. This was an especially crushing ending to an otherwise stellar regular season that found the Cavs breaking both league and franchise records.

Now at the turn of the offseason, it is left to the fans to surmise. Can they do it again? On paper, the East is far weaker this season than last.

However, getting off to such a start is typically unheard of. It is extremely unlikely that the Cavaliers will be able to replicate that undefeated success that everyone enjoyed to kick off last season. It is also extremely important to note that win streaks of ten or more games are fairly unlikely in their own right within the NBA.

After all, by displaying such competitive play just a season ago the Cavaliers have landed themselves a bit more competitive schedule. Within the first five games, the league has pitted the Cavs against three eastern conference contenders in the Knicks, Bucks, and Celtics.

Cavs fans should not panic if the team happens to drop one or two of these games as Kenny Atkinson navigates a tough early schedule. Kenny Atkinson was a rookie head coach last season and was utilizing a completely new playbook that other coaches and teams were unfamiliar with.

Cavs fans have to understand that this helped the team pick up a few wins that could have otherwise been dropped as well.

With teams now having a full year's worth of film on Atkinson’s system, it is to be seen whether or not his system has the same permanence as the impervious Golden State Warriors system he learned from.

Regardless, he will have multiple tests within the first five games to prove he can replicate some of the magic he found to start 2024, this time with a roster that will be short Darius Garland and Max Strus to start the 2025 campaign.