CLEVELAND (AP) — The floor and the ball both looked different. Not Cleveland Cavalierswhich remained unchanged — and spotless.

They continued their perfect start and improved to 14-0 on Friday night with one 144-126 win over the Chicago Bulls in an NBA Cup opener that served as another showcase for a Cavs team clicking like never before.

After the final buzzer, Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen celebrated more history with dancing at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse court with a giant green frog, which has quickly become an impromptu mascot for an unscripted startup.

“It’s Cleveland,” Allen said, trying to explain the amphibian’s sudden arrival. “It’s just a mood in the city and I hope it doesn’t change.”

Although playing without starting forward Evan Mobley, Cleveland became the sixth team in league history to win its first 14 games and the first since the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors, who opened 24-0 and finished 73-9.

There’s no telling where this season is headed in Cleveland, but there’s never been a Cavs team off to a better start.

The 14-game winning streak is the longest in club history — the Cavs had three 13-man streaks with LeBron James on the roster — as first-year coach Kenny Atkinson has pushed all the right buttons while dipping deep into the bench each game.

Atkinson, who spent the last three seasons on Golden State’s staff after four years as Brooklyn’s coach, now has the longest winning streak of any coach with a new team. He entered the game tied with Lawrence Frank, who had won 13 straight after taking over the Nets midway through the 2004 season.

While Atkinson inherited a team that reached the Eastern Conference semifinals under JB Bickerstaff, the 57-year-old has made the Cavs even better by buying into an up-tempo offensive system designed around spacing, 3-pointers and ball movement.

Cavs win unselfishly.

“From the beginning, I knew it was a group that liked each other, that liked to play with each other,” Atkinson said. “I knew we had good passers. We have good contact. We know where to get it. We make quick decisions.”

After Cleveland blew out Golden State last week, Warriors forward Draymond Green said the Cavs moved the ball better than any team he’s seen — including the title winners he’s been around.

“I was so happy when Draymond said that the other day,” Atkinson said. “He was just really impressed with how we pinged the ball around. How we drive, kick, swing. We get it out of the pick and roll. We get it in fast break situations, and it’s Warriors-esque. It’s really that kind of ball movement. It is beautiful to see.”

Atkinson isn’t letting his team be complacent either. After the Cavs allowed 73 points in the first half, the coach angrily slammed a shower sandal into the locker room at halftime.

“That’s what we want,” Mitchell said. “We all prefer that. We hear how good we are. For us, that’s how we get better. We haven’t lost, but how do you continue to find ways to build habits? It’s continuing to train hard and not letting any lapse. That is what you want in a coach.”

So far, the Cavs have been perfect, and it never hurts to have a player of Mitchell’s stature leading the way.

He scored a season-high 37 — 18 in the fourth quarter — to put away the Bulls, who were still within four points in the final three minutes as Cleveland went on what has become known as a “Cav-a-lanche” of late. year.

Substitute Caris LeVert and Mitchell both hit 3-pointers as the Cavs closed with a 21-7 surge. A win on Sunday would put them in contention as only four teams have started 15-0.

Sensing his team needed more from him, Mitchell opened the fourth by scoring Cleveland’s first nine points.

“He was,” Atkinson said. “It wasn’t us. It wasn’t me who said that. He just knows what the team needs right now? And it could be him or it could be somebody else. And that speaks to his IQ, just the understanding of who’s on the court , who he plays with.”

“We’re looking for some points and he just took over.”

This is what Mitchell had in mind when he signed a three-year, $150 million contract extension this summer and committed to the Cavs.

He loved the city. He believed in the team’s young core. He knew the Cavs were capable of great things.

Mitchell didn’t see the streak — or the frog, which had been seen on the streets outside the arena — coming.

“It was fun,” he said. “Shocked the hell out of me when I saw the frog. It was pretty tricky. It was like just a vibe.”

The Cavs want to make it last.

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