Kenny Smith is one of the rare players who have been on a championship team that won 15 games out of the gate. His Houston Rockets did in the 1993-94 season, showing signs of things to come for the franchise. That year, the Rockets won their first title, and Smith believes the Cavs can do the same. On the last episode of Inside the NBA, The Jet discussed how the 1993-94 Rockets and this season’s Cavs are similar. Let’s take a look at Kenny Smith’s Cavs comments about their chances at a ring.
Kenny Smith Believes Cavs Can Win the Championship
The Cavs didn’t win their 16th game in a row, as they fell to the Boston Celtics. But Smith gave them praise and said the loss might be a good thing for the Cavaliers. Speaking after the game, Smith said,
“Sometimes, it’s actually a relief. At least it was when I was blessed to be on a team that went 15 in a row. It was a relief with the Rockets because the pressure started to mount, and then you started to play games with a little bit too much intensity for an 82-game season. In an 82-game season, you have to play the course like golf, you cannot always play your opponent. And we started to, you know, play your opponent and you try to do things extra and make.”
He then continued talking about the Cavs’ chances to win a title.
“Now you know we’re a great team. You all know we’re going to be around and we’re coming for the championship. We’re going to be around when the championship is done because we have proven that we are versatile enough because we win 15 games.”
Kenny is right about one thing, this year’s Cavaliers have won games in different ways. They have won games with stops in the final minutes of the game. They have won blowouts. And they have come from behind and made a comeback. The Cavaliers have different players who run the show on a given night. Some nights, it is Darius Garland. Others, it is Donovan Mitchell. And sometimes, their young big man Evan Mobley guides them to the win.
The bench is always there to help. New coach Kenny Atkinson has increased the rotation and has many players playing between 20 and 30 minutes. Atkinson lowered Mitchell’s minutes and actively encouraged other players to contribute and make plays.
How Similar are the Cavs and the 1994 Rockets?
The 2024-25 Cavaliers and the 1993-94 Rockets are similar in more than one way. For starters, both teams returned most of their core players after the previous season.
The Rockets in 1994 had continuity on their side, as four of their main players had been on the team for several years, including Smith, Hakeem Olajuwon, Otis Thorpe, and Vernon Maxwell.
Another similarity is both teams lost in the Conference Semifinals the year before. The 1992-93 Rockets lost in seven games to the Seattle Supersonics. The 2023-24 Cavaliers lost in five games against the eventual champion, the Celtics.
Will Cavaliers Break History?
The Cavaliers became only the fourth team to start the season 15-0. The previous three teams all made at least the Finals. Only the Rockets team previously mentioned won the whole thing. The other two teams are the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors who started the season 24-0. They lost in the Finals. We have to go way back for the fourth team, the 1948-49 Washington Capitols who also started the season 15-0, and lost in the Finals.
So, if history tells us one thing, the 2024-25 Cavaliers will make at least the NBA Finals.
