The Cleveland Cavaliers are dominating the NBA this season, jumping out to a 33-4 start to the year and already leading the Eastern Conference by six games. They’ve solidified their status as title contenders, playing a style of basketball that Cavs center Jarrett Allen deemed ‘ethical.’
Allen was asked to expand on what ‘ethical basketball’ really is after the team’s 132-126 win over the Toronto Raptors last night.
“(Darius Garland) He picked us up and told us the truth. We were not playing defense how we’re supposed to, we weren’t moving the ball on offense, and he came up to us and told us we aren’t doing what Cavs basketball should be, and we turned it around… Defense, moving the ball, and a lot of energy. It should also be ethical.”
“Farm-raised, Non-GMO, organic, free-range, ethical basketball.”
Allen used the term ethical basketball after the Cavs outclassed the Los Angeles Lakers with a 122-110 win in their final game of 2024. Allen dominated that clash with 27 points (12-14 FG), 14 rebounds, and three blocks, and said this in the post-game interview.
“We’re just playing Cavs basketball, it’s ethical basketball.”
The concept of the Cavs playing ethical basketball has even reached their new head coach Kenny Atkinson, who reacted to Allen coining the term.
“I asked him what that meant, and he said farm-raised. I said what does that mean? You have to ask him what that means.”
Fans of the game on social media have been debating what ‘ethical basketball’ really is, distinguishing it as a unique team-oriented style that only a few elite teams can replicate. Many people say that the OKC Thunder play ‘ethical’ basketball, which is why the recent Cavs-OKC clash was so highly anticipated.
Cleveland’s brand of ethical basketball won their first clash of the season and we’ll see them meet again in less than a week.
The concept of ‘ethical’ basketball has existed amongst social-media-savvy NBA fans for the last few years. JJ Redick even publicly referred to Devin Booker’s scoring style as ‘ethical’ on a nationally-televised game last season.
“He might be the most ethical scorer in the NBA. It’s either him or it’s Stephen Curry.”
This is a well-established concept that the Cavs are exemplifying this season. They have a team-oriented offense that highlights four-star players – Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Allen.
All four players play unselfishly to help make the team better, with the Cavs’ success this season being proof of their style being effective at the highest level. It could even refer to the team’s overall culture of prioritizing success on the court as a group over anything else. This is especially true after a summer when people tried to get them to break their core up by either trading Darius Garland or Donovan Mitchell away.
They stuck with their morals and now their ‘ethical basketball’ is taking over the NBA. Experts are still holding off on calling them title favorites, but they might not have a choice if they continue at their current pace and wind up winning 70 regular season games.
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