Hoops Habit
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Cleveland Cavaliers Keep Rolling With Win Over Mavericks

By Jamyson Frierson

Nov 25, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) and center Tristan Thompson (13) and guard Iman Shumpert (4) cheer from the bench during the fourth quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavs won 128-90. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 25, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) and center Tristan Thompson (13) and guard Iman Shumpert (4) cheer from the bench during the fourth quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavs won 128-90. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Cleveland Cavaliers demolished the Dallas Mavericks, 128-90 on Friday night.  Can they be stopped right now?

I think it’s safe to say that the Cleveland Cavaliers are on fire.

After losing to the Indiana Pacers by 10 without LeBron James,  they have won three in a row. They are now 12-2, which is the best start to a season ever by the Cavaliers.

The 2-13 Dallas Mavericks never stood a chance in the game. It’s tough to see Dirk Nowitzki potentially go out with a losing team around him, but Kobe Bryant suffered the same fate last year with the Los Angeles Lakers, so anything is possible.

The Cavaliers set a team record on Wednesday by going 21-of-36 from three-point range against the Portland Trail Blazers. They came within one of tying it towards the end of the fourth quarter against Dallas, going 20-for-43 from long range.

According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com, They’re also the first team in NBA history to have back-to-back games with 20 made three-pointers.

I didn’t want to believe that the Cavs were a three-point shooting team, but the last two contest have made it obvious.

Kyrie Irving took over the game early going 10-for-10, and going 4-of-5 from three-point range. He’s still the second leading scorer on the team averaging 23.7 points per game, which is 0.1 points fewer than James at 23.8 points per game.

Speaking of James, he seems to break a record during every single game. Friday marked his 1,000th career game. Unfortunately, he only got the double-double to celebrate at 19 points and 11 rebounds.  Maybe next time.

Channing Frye missed the game due to the passing of his father. My condolences to Frye and his family. With the absence, It allowed Chris Andersen and Mike Dunleavy to get more playing time.

Dunleavy had been inactive since the Cavs played the Detroit Pistons on Nov. 18. He came into the game with renewed confidence. He didn’t seem to hesitate or make indecisive decisions with the ball.

In 14 minutes, he finished with five points, but it’s a start in a good direction. In order for the team to maintain their dominance, Dunleavy must become a factor off the bench, and be a threat when James or Kevin Love are on a rest day.

Love almost had a repeat of Wednesday night with his scoring. As ESPN analyst Mark Jackson would say, “Mama, there goes that man!”

Love went 7-of-9 from three-point range after being unstoppable from there against Portland, going 8-of-12.

I originally said Iman Shumpert was my early Most Improved Player, but I might have to change that to Love.

He’s comfortable within the offense, and is taking over games at will. He’s still working on his defense, but that’s a part of his game that can be hidden for now.

Next: 2016-17 NBA Power Rankings: Week 5

Cleveland will face the last non-factor on Sunday against the Philadelphia 76ers as they get ready for a challenge next week starting with the Milwaukee Bucks, and the return of Matthew Dellavedova on Tuesday.

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