Cavs come back to beat Brooklyn, extend perfect start to the season

CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers refused to say die. Given up for dead in the second half, they fought back and avoided an ugly loss to the upset-minded Brooklyn Nets on Saturday in their 105-100 victory at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The Cavs extended their winning streak to 11 games to start the season. Brooklyn's deliberate style caused problems for Cleveland, which built an early 15-point lead before things unraveled. Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson likened it to a "FIBA" game, similar to the Olympics. "They slowed the game down," he said. "They pressure the heck out of the ball. It slows the pace down. They make it a rock fight. I told the guys at halftime, 'This is going to be a grind.'" The Cavs trailed 82-70 entering the fourth quarter. They recovered and outscored the Nets in the final period, 35-18. They took the lead for good on guard Darius Garland's floater in the lane with 1:24 remaining for a 101-98 advantage. Garland was once again outstanding with 20 points and six assists. "He was masterful," Atkinson said. "He kind of controlled the game at the end. "He doesn't surprise me. He has everything. He's a complete point guard. From my point of view — coaching him for the first time — I'm blown away by his end-of-game situations. He has a really great IQ." Atkinson used a small lineup for part of the fourth quarter with Dean Wade at center and Caris LeVert at power forward. "Nothing was working," Atkinson said. "We had to change something. We had to give Evan (Mobley) a blow. We tried to match their speed. It worked out. It was a heck of a comeback." Mobley was dominant in the paint with a team-high 23 points, 16 rebounds, four steals and a block on Cam Johnson with 0.3 seconds remaining. Guard Donovan Mitchell added 22 points and LeVert had 12 points and six assists off the bench. "We just didn't want to lose, especially at home," LeVert said. "Last night was a very emotional win (over Golden State)." The Nets (5-5) embarked on a 47-18 run over the second and third quarters to seemingly take command of the game. "It was a fight," Mitchell said. "Nothing good comes easy. We locked in and got stops. It was special." Johnson paced Brooklyn with 23 points, while Cam Thomas and Dennis Schroder each added 22. Maturing as coach Atkinson spent four seasons in Brooklyn as the Nets coach from 2016-2020. He compiled a 118-190 record (.383), which included one playoff appearance. He admits he's a different coach now. "I've grown a lot," Atkinson said. "I've changed a lot. I'm definitely not the same coach I was at Brooklyn. I'm more patient. I'm more of a manager. I was coaching the game hard. Every shootaround had to be perfect. Every practice had to be perfect. "I don't get so stressed out with the little things now. I still fight trying to control everything." He said at the Cavs' most recent shootaround, he spoke for about one minute and let his coaching staff handle the rest of the session. Atkinson said he learned from Golden State coach Steve Kerr how to empower his staff. He's very direct as a person. "'Coach them hard and love them to death,'" Atkinson said. "That works in the NBA." Bob Finnan can be reached at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X.