evan

Today at 09:34 PM

At the outset of the season, it would’ve been almost impossible to believe that the Cleveland Cavaliers would clinch their playoff berth before teams like the Celtics or Thunder.

But with their 112-107 win over the Miami Heat on Wednesday and just over a month to go until the end of the regular season, the Cavs surpassed all expectations and became the first team to book a ticket to the dance.

Cleveland has been on a tear this season and sits pretty atop the Eastern Conference with a 52-10 record. By knocking off the Heat, the Cavaliers extended their win streak to 12 games.

The team is no stranger to streaks, as they opened the year on a 15-game win streak. The mark is tied for second all-time, behind only the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors, who rode a 24-0 start to an eventual 73-9 season, the best record in NBA history.

They’ve succeeded on the back of their All-Star trio — Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley — who are averaging a combined 64 points per game. The trio finished with a combined 57 on Wednesday, led by 26 from Mitchell.

Their 123.0 offensive rating is the highest in the league, three points higher than the second-place Denver Nuggets, and they have the highest true-shooting percentage at 61.6 — the highest mark of all-time. Their +11.6 net rating is only second to the West-leading Thunder.

More to come.