Ok, so the NBA’s first REALLY BIG GAME of the 2024-25 regular season is in the books, and the Cleveland Cavaliers are no longer strutting around with a perfect record. The defending champion Celtics saw to that, winning by one 3-point shot (120-117) on the ugly NBA Cup-demanded TD Garden court. What does this mean, going forward?

On a night when the Celtics rained 3 after 3 on their heads, the Cavaliers somehow kept it together enough to actually have a chance to win late. Constant penetration and aggressive defense in the second half righted the ship after a disastrous two-plus quarters when it looked like they were going to be chased halfway back to Cleveland.  Donovan Mitchell, injured and unavailable when Boston ended Cleveland’s season in the Eastern Conference playoff semifinals last spring, was dominant on Tuesday night. His 35 points couldn’t quite compensate for an historic stinkeroo night from Darius Garland, was a horrific 3 for 21 (0 for 6 from deep). Had Garland been merely bad, Cleveland might have won easily.

They don’t always fall for the Celtics. When they don’t, teams like the Hawks can come in and steal one. The awful Raptors can take Boston to overtime. But when they drop, like they did against Cleveland (22 of 41, 54 percent), what can be done? Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown attack the rim as well as anyone this side of an in-his-prime LeBron, getting teams in rotation and creating open looks from deep. Derrick White, Jrue Holiday and Al Horford all are more than competent from distance. And this is being done without Kritaps Porzingis, who is expected back before Christmas (could be even earlier) and draws defenses out even further. Brings to mind the responses from former Celtics Antoine Walker when asked why he took so many 3. Said Toine: “Because they don’t have 4s.”

Cleveland ripped off 15 in a row to start the season, replacing (at least for now) the Knicks as the team that might be able to challenge Boston in a weakened Eastern Conference where expected challengers Philadelphia and Milwaukee are a combined 13 games under .500. Lost in parade confetti is the fact that Cleveland has done this without yet having two days in a row off since the start of the season. The schedule will even out, affording coach Kenny Atkinson some valuable practice time. Meanwhile, prior to outlasting the Cavaliers, the Celtics appeared disinterested. Golden State had come in to the Garden and spanked the Celts, they somehow managed to lose at home to Atlanta (without Trae Young), and got it together just in time to fend off lottery-bound Toronto. How do they find motivation when they don’t face teams like Cleveland? Not easy.

While the Celtics search for reasons not to fall asleep, a healthy Cavaliers squad should have no problem continuing as one of the league’s elite. Mitchell is in attack mode 24/7/365, Garland will be doing everything he can to show that his terrible game in Boston was a one-off, and the league still hasn’t figured out a way to handle Cleveland’s double-big front-court of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. The Cavs will be fine.

Bsoton’s recent slip-ups have done nothing to dislodge the Celtics as the heavy favorite to raise the trophy next June. The Celtics opened at +300 and sit right now at +275. Steep number for a team trying to repeat in a league which has had a different champion in each of the last six years. Cleveland’s strong start, however, has moved its own number considerably. The Cavs opened at +3500, and that has been cut almost in half, to +1300. That's still some pretty good value!