CLEVELAND — The obscurity that blankets the two best teams in the NBA was shattered Wednesday night with one resounding roar. As Tristan Thompson was departing the Cleveland Cavaliers’ locker room following their most impressive win of the season, he paused long enough to gas up Darius Garland’s upcoming All-Star campaign. 

“The last 10 games,” Thompson barked to the crowd of reporters surrounding Garland. “Jamal Murray, body bag. Golden State, body bag. (The Lakers) traded D’Lo (D’Angelo Russell), so you couldn’t give him the smoke. They had (LaMelo) Ball, body bag. Listen, I’ll be the bad guy. I’ll be Charles Oakley. Everyone you guys put in front of him, he’s rang the bell and did what he had to do.”

The Cavs now enjoy the league’s best record at 32-4 and the longest active winning streak at 11 games after beating Oklahoma City and ending the Thunder’s 15-game streak.

The Cavaliers are tired of waiting for their flowers. They walked into the garden and started picking them all on their own.

Meanwhile, the Cavs and Thunder are perhaps providing the path forward for future teams to model in this new NBA: Deep rosters, versatile lineups and a relentless style of play. As an old era of superstars begins to fade, the league is retiring the player empowerment era with them. No longer can max contract stars team up in desirable markets. 

You want to win today? Do it the hard way through the draft and player development. There is still room for a key trade or free agent signing, but owners can no longer spend their way to contention regardless of how wealthy they are. 

Imagine Cleveland and Oklahoma City, the league’s 18th- and 26th-ranked television markets, meeting in June to determine the championship. It’s a real possibility, just as NFL teams in Kansas City, Buffalo, Detroit and Green Bay all have excellent odds of reaching the Super Bowl next month. 

There’s still room for teams like Boston and Golden State in the NBA, but only if they drive the speed limit like everyone else. The carpool lanes are closed. 

If the NFL is the parity king, the NBA is the parity prince. The Cavs’ victory Wednesday was a great example of why. 

“To see all that talent out there, these were the heavy hitters of the league and the quality of basketball was super high,” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said. “A great win for the Cavs, but a win for the league tonight.”

While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander could win his first Most Valuable Player award in Oklahoma City this year, the Cavs have launched an organic campaign to send four All-Stars to San Francisco. Donovan Mitchell probably isn’t winning an MVP this year, but he’s a lock for the All-Star game and would love to bring Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen with him. Their record certainly warrants four roster spots in the East. The Cavs have developed so much depth that Atkinson struggles to fit it all on the floor on a given night.

💫 All-Star players make All-Star plays.

VOTE DG: https://t.co/pvlUTnEuNc @Kia | #BestToTheBay pic.twitter.com/e0fy2ceKor

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) January 9, 2025

Postseason teams typically don’t play more than eight in a playoff rotation, but the Cavs could be the team that begins the debate of whether a team could — or should — play more. The playoffs are a war of attrition. Teams are exhausted, bruised and sometimes compromised by the end of a Finals run. Extending the rotation and lessening the burden makes sense. 

However, days off between playoff games (and sometimes multiple days off) allow coaches to trim the bench and keep the best players on the floor. That was particularly important in the previous era of top-heavy rosters and thin benches. 

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The Cavs are so deep that Atkinson might struggle to identify his top eight players on a given night. Who would be his three bench players? Max Strus, Ty Jerome, and Georges Niang for some size? Then what about Caris LeVert and Isaac Okoro? LeVert is having the most efficient season of his career and Okoro remains the Cavs’ best perimeter defender. 

Atkinson insisted again Wednesday he’d like to play 10 guys in the playoffs. We’ll learn soon enough if it’s feasible. 

Whether basketball viewers want to tune in and find out will be determined in May and June. It remains to be seen how many eyes a Cavs-Thunder NBA Finals would attract, but from a pure basketball standpoint, the Cavs’ 129-122 victory Wednesday was everything a hoops fan could want: eight ties, 30(!) lead changes, explosive offenses, star players making star plays and high-quality actions at both ends. 

As television ratings continue to be a talking point across the NBA, it’s reasonable to point out that it really isn’t a concern for league officials — but it certainly is for their TV partners. 

The check is in the mail. The league will collect about $76 billion from its partners over the next 11 years, beginning next season, regardless of how many are watching. It’s on TV executives to figure out how to sell and market the product. What the league produced Wednesday night should sell regardless of the cities represented. 

🍿 THE REMATCH. NEXT THURSDAY. 🍿

Tonight’s historic battle between the East No. 1 Cavaliers and West No. 1 Thunder was special. If you enjoyed it, you’re in luck… because they’ll run it back next week!

Cavs/Thunder Part 2: Thursday, 1/16 at 7:30pm/et on TNT pic.twitter.com/uzWX5vhA6M

— NBA (@NBA) January 9, 2025

Stars like Mitchell and Gilgeous-Alexander have already signed monster contracts with their small-market clubs. Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 31 points, went so far as to say after the loss he can’t imagine leaving Oklahoma City. He’s 26 and on a max contract with the Thunder for two more seasons after this year. 

“I can only speak for myself. I love Oklahoma City and I can’t see a world where I’m not in Oklahoma City,” he said. “I’m comfortable where I am. I like where I am. I love the people in the organization, love the people around me, and those are the things that matter. 

“I go to work every day with a smile on my face. Me personally, the market doesn’t matter. The money doesn’t matter to a certain extent. But as long as I enjoy what I’m doing at a very high level, I love the people that I’m around doing it.”

Mitchell has similarly praised Cleveland and the Cavaliers franchise. He backed it up by signing an extension last summer. There was a time when he thought he was heading home to New York, but the Cavs built a contender around him and he realized last January he has everything he needs right here. 

“It’s very clear that we belong here,” Mitchell said. 

The superteams era is over. The old NBA is dead. And the Cavs already picked the flowers. 

(Photo of Darius Garland, left, Jarrett Allen and Donovan Mitchell celebrating in the fourth quarter: Jason Miller / Getty Images)