It was only days ago that Darius Garland declared the Cavaliers were back.
At the time, the Cavs had just snapped a five-game losing streak with a win against the Magic to climb back to .500 on the season.
Fast forward to Saturday, and the team is now riding a four-game winning streak following their 116-101 rout of the Wizards. Cleveland has beaten Orlando by 13, Dallas by 18 and Miami by 26 during this four-game streak.
The Cavs swept a road trip of three or more games with the opponents all having a winning record for just the second time in franchise history. The last time it had been done? 1975.
Most impressive, however, was Garland's performance.
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The third-year player had arguably his best game ever for the Cavs, finishing with 32 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. In the process, he joined a rarified club, becoming the first Cavalier with 32-10-8 in a game since LeBron James in 2018, and just the third Cavalier in franchise history with that stat line before turning 22.
The other two were James and Kyrie Irving.
☑️ First Cavalier with 32-10-8 in a game since LeBron James in 2018
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) December 4, 2021
☑️ Third Cavalier in franchise history with 32-10-8 before turning 22#LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/85XC6bMWqM
"I think the growth that we're seeing is that now Darius is playing the game within the game," head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said postgame. "I think what you're seeing is the maturation of a point guard with elite skills and talent."
Garland 🤝 Allen@dariusgarland22 (15 PTS, 8 AST) and @_bigjayy_ (18 PTS, 8 REB) were feeling it in the first half!@cavs lead at the break on NBA League Pass... Second half upcoming: https://t.co/V0kkYEEIkG pic.twitter.com/9lBs4mU8Wq
— NBA (@NBA) December 4, 2021
Garland is averaging career-highs of 19.1 points and 7.3 assists so far this season.