The Cleveland Cavaliers have been perfect to start the season.
That's not to say they have played perfectly, but the best you can do across 13 games is to go 13-0, and that's what the Cavaliers have accomplished. They have beat contenders, bottom-feeders and everyone in between thus far.
Have they managed to prove their worth to everyone covering the league? Are they unanimously the best team in the league through three weeks? Let's take a trip around press row at all of the major outlets publishing Power Rankings of the NBA and ask the question: are the Cavaliers No. 1 everywhere?
We begin with the GOAT of NBA Power Rankings, John Schuhmann of NBA.com.
No. 1: John Schuhmann, NBA.com
John Schuhmann is the master of finding interesting statistics that buttress the eye test or uncover hidden gems. This week's edition of NBA Power Rankings were no different, and he digs into the Cavaliers' hot start (11-0 at the time of publishing on Monday). He wondered whether the Cavs' league-leading 3-point percentage would go down, but even after another two games they still rank No. 1.
Schuhmann also highlights Caris LeVert, who has the highest net rating of any player in the league averaging at least 20 minutes per game. When he is on the court the Cavaliers outscore opponents by 23.9 points per 100 possessions; second-placed Chet Holmgren and Stephen Curry are tied at +16.6.
No. 1: Law Murray, The Athletic
Law Murray has taken over the NBA Power Rankings at The Athletic from Zach Harper, and he dug into all 30 teams and said "something nice" about them all in this week's edition. The Cleveland Cavaliers lead the way at No. 1 in the tier of "Top Contenders", moving up from No. 2 after an undefeated week that included the blowout win over the Golden State Warriors.
Murray also provides an exciting statistic: of the seven teams to begin a season 12-0, only two failed to reach the NBA Finals.
No. 1: Mateo Mayorga, King James Gospel
Our own Mateo Mayorga ranked the Top 5 teams in the NBA this week and placed Cleveland at the top. He praised the team's depth, which is allowing the starting lineup to keep their minutes down, and highlighted the Cavs' 3rd-highest assist-to-turnover ratio in the NBA, which is allowing them to be efficient on offense - they get a lot of shots and they maximize them.
No. 1: Kurt Helin, NBC Sports
As the NBA Cup kicks off this week, it's natural to look at the Cleveland Cavaliers' strong start and think they have a great shot to bring home the banner. Kurt Helin does so at NBC Sports in his weekly power rankings, and points to the showdown next week between the Cavaliers and Boston Celtics - winner being in the driver's seat to make the knockout rounds.
No. 1: Colin Ward-Henninger, CBS Sports
Last week many outlets had the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers somewhere in the 2-4 range, choosing to react slowly to the early-season success and weight their preseason priors a fair bit. Colin Ward-Henninger was brave last week and placed Cleveland first, where they again stand in this week's edition of the column. Ward-Henninger points out that the Cavs will be heavily favored in their next two games against the Bulls and Hornets, hopefully setting up a 15-0 Cleveland team to face the defending champions next week.
No. 1: Ben Rohrbach, Yahoo Sports
Yahoo Sports went right to the source for their NBA Power Rankings, as author Ben Rorhbach quoted Donovan Mitchell on the Cavaliers' strong start. Said Mitchell, "We're playing well. Vibes are good. But are we going to continue to be this team in January, February, March, April?" A fair question from Mitchell, but many Cleveland fans are asking "and in May? June?"
No. 1: ESPN Insiders, ESPN.com
ESPN had a team of NBA Insiders tag-team the NBA Power Rankings, including onetime Cavaliers beat reporter Dave McMenamin handling the Cavs' ranking - at No. 1 after leaping over Boston and Oklahoma City this week. McMenamin points to Caris LeVert as well, praising his accurate shooting and how his past relationship with head coach Kenny Atkinson may be giving him an added boost.