Isaac Okoro says opposing teams are ‘starting to respect’ the Cavs

By Jason Simpson
Updated: December 11, 2021

The Cleveland Cavaliers have won two straight games and are 15-12 on the season.

The team has already faced its fair share of adversity this year, but bouncing back and being resilient hasn’t been an issue for the 2021-22 Cavs.

Isaac Okoro thinks opposing teams are “starting to respect” Cleveland, which certainly has to be a good feeling for a team that wasn’t given much love in the preseason.

“We come into every game with that dog mentality, the underdog,” Okoro said. “I feel teams are starting to respect us now and we got to keep on fighting.”

The Cavs pride themselves in being the underdogs. It’s something the team has seemingly taken identity in all season long. But if the Cavs keep winning, some fans might be tempted to stop calling them underdogs and start calling them playoff contenders.

Aside from overcoming injuries, perhaps the most impressive part of Cleveland’s hot start to the season is the fact that the team has played a very difficult schedule so far. The Cavs haven’t had much trouble hanging around with elite competition, and they’ve shown their ability to win tough games as well.

If that trend continues for the remainder of the season, Cleveland could easily be a team that title contenders don’t want to see in the playoffs. That’s something many Cavs fans didn’t think was going to be a possibility before the season started.

Cleveland’s next game will come on Saturday against the Sacramento Kings. The Cavs are looking to push their winning streak to three games.