Don't Look Now But Here Come the Cavs

(Keep in mind I wrote this last Friday and the Cavs have played two more games since then going 1-1)

About a month ago, the Cavs were 19-20 after a loss to the Suns. No one was actually “writing them off” because you never do that when referring to a team that has the best basketball player in the world. People were definitely worried though and they had every right to be. LeBron was nursing a wrist injury and missed some games so it makes sense that they didn’t play well in those games. Even when LeBron played, they still looked bad. In the last 12 games though, they’ve cranked it up a notch and things aren’t looking good for the rest of the Eastern Conference.

I’m not a Cavs fan but I love watching basketball, especially when played well. No one is playing better basketball than the Cavs right now. They’ve won 12 straight games since January 15^th and have looked dominant during that stretch. Obviously, wins against lottery teams like the Lakers, Timberwolves and Sixers are nothing to write home about. The wins that matter are the ones over the Bulls, Blazers and Clippers (twice). Those are elite teams and it appears that they’re starting to click on all cylinders.

The key to the Cavs is and will always be LeBron. Everyone knows that. He’s been more aggressive as of late compared to how he looked/played in the beginning of the year. He’s putting up MVP like numbers again this season and it really wouldn’t surprise me if he won the award again this year. This season, he’s averaging 26.1 PPG, 7.4 APG and 5.4 RPG – all while posting a 26.34 PER, 7^th best in the NBA.

ESPN – and the entire world really – talks about LeBron too much so I won’t bore you with him. I do, however, have to talk about the other Cavs that have helped turn the ship around. The two players that are second/third most important to the Cavs’ success are Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving. They’re finally playing like All-Stars and it’s night and day for the Cavs when those two play well versus when they don’t.

Kevin Love’s numbers are way down this year but that was always going to be the case coming in to this season. After being the go-to guy on the Timberwolves, he’s had to take a secondary/tertiary role on offense. It appears as though he is finally getting comfortable with this role and his play on the court has reflected that.

Statistically speaking, things haven’t been off the charts for Love during the 12 game win streak. He’s just being more assertive and letting the ball fly whenever he has an open shot. Wait, those are relatively fundamental aspects of basketball right? Yeah, they are but Love wasn’t doing either of those things about a month or two ago – at least not well. He looked tentative and confused at times on offense. Simply put, he’s just playing basketball now. It’s done wonders for him and that bodes well for the Cavs moving forward.

He’s still a liability on defense but the addition of Timofey Mozgov (whom I’ll talk about later) has helped him on that end. His offense is more important anyways. Last night, he shot 12 free throws and is clearly being more aggressive. Rather than roaming the perimeter all game, he got physical down low and mixed things up in that department. Not only does playing down low benefit him, but it drastically improves the offense as a whole because of the spacing it provides. Shooters get more open looks when he sucks in a defense. It’s nice to see Love finding his groove and becoming a threat from everywhere on the court.  

Kyrie Irving has been equally as important as Love. He has finally found that balance that scoring guards often times have trouble finding. He’s deferring more to teammates and taking over only when necessary. He’ll never be a true point guard that averages 10+ assists but he doesn’t have to be. LeBron is the alpha male and I think Kyrie has come to terms with that.

He’s a world class talent that can get his own shot anytime he wants but the offense runs so much more smoothly when the ball is in LeBron’s hands. He’s shot the ball really well this season and is equally as effective when he plays off the ball instead of dribbling it to death. He’s a wizard with the ball though and what’s a Cavs game without some Kyrie dribbling wizardry? It’s taken about 50 games but LeBron, Love, and Kyrie have finally meshed and this team is going to be tough to beat come playoff time.

The other additions that the Cavs have made have drastically improved this team as well. If you told me Timofey Mozgov would be the best trade deadline acquisition, I would have laughed in your face. It’s unbelievable what kind of presence this guy brings. I figured he would just be a big body but the guy can actually play. I always thought of him as the “the guy Blake Griffin murdered.” He’s actually capable of knock down shots, finishing at the rim, and defending pretty well. Who knew?

JR Smith has also provided some perimeter shooting and gives them a heat check guy when the offense breaks down. He can also help carry the second unit if LeBron or Kyrie aren’t on the floor. Iman Shumpert has added nice depth to the team as well. He’s one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. His offense comes and goes but you can stick him on the league’s best perimeter players which takes pressure off of Kyrie and the other guards to defend. He’s getting healthy at the right time and is a really good player who will be an x-factor for this team when they make it to the Eastern Conference Finals.

What’s that, I’m already including them in the Eastern Conference Finals? Of course I am. No one is beating this team in the first or second round of the playoffs but I can’t disrespect the Hawks like that and just crown them Eastern Conference champs. The Hawks have been a Cinderella story and they’re no pushover. I don’t know that they have the talent or depth to beat the Cavs but they’re the only real competition. Assuming no one gets injured, the Cavs all of a sudden look like the team to beat – you know, besides the Warriors. See here.