THE Art OF THE START

Does getting out of the blocks fast guarantee success? Does stumbling early doom a team? It’s complicated.

MARK BECHTEL

15-0 Start Finish Cleveland Cavaliers 2024-25 COMING OFF a disappointing 2023–24, the Cavs tore up the league for the first month of this season. They tied the record for the second-best start in NBA history, winning 15 straight before a narrow loss to the defending champs, the Celtics. Then after a couple more wins, Cleveland was trounced twice in three days by the Hawks, a team with a losing record—which goes to show you never can really tell anything in the NBA. The Cavs hope their streak will propel them to their first title without LeBron James, whose best start in Cleveland was just 6–0. 15-1 Start Winnipeg Jets 2024-25 SOMETIMES A BAD start can lead to good things. In 2017–18, Winnipeg got torched in its first two games, getting outscored 13–5 in a…

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Sports Illustrated Kids (Digital) - 1 Issue, January/February 2025

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