Winning the Finals will not be an easy task for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and they must prove they are up to the task.
Cleveland's 2024-25 regular season has been phenomenal. Despite frustrating, unnecessary losses and some rough stretches, the Cavaliers have enjoyed an unforgettable season. Holding onto the first spot in the Eastern Conference, the Cavs need just one more win to clinch the top spot over the reigning champions Boston Celtics. Donovan Mitchell's leadership, Darius Garland's resurgence and Evan Mobley's breakout have propelled the Cavs to be contenders. Anchoring it all has been Jarrett Allen, playing every game this season.
Still, fans and analysts alike know the Cavaliers are not unbeatable. Since the All-Star break, the Cavs have fallen short of their standards, including their worst losing streak of the year. Cleveland had a middling defensive rating (114.7) and their worst net rating (3.8) of any single month of the season.
After leading the NBA in three-point percentage all season long, Cleveland's March slump has dropped them to second place behind the Milwaukee Bucks. Throughout March, the Cavs shot 34.5 percent from deep - good for the fifth-worst in the NBA that month. In three games thus far in April, the Cavaliers are shooting just 34.9 percent from three.
The Cavaliers' execution will make or break their postseason
The Cavaliers' unfortunate slump has not ruined their season. Cleveland is still a fearsome competitor in the East with a talented core and terrific depth chart.
During the Cavs' underwhelming post-All-Star run, the offense has still generated open shots inside and outside of the paint. Cleveland is scoring well from inside, posting the best two-point field goal percentage in April (65.0), but has failed to convert from the arc.
Darius Garland, the Cavs' lead point guard, has seen a dramatic drop-off in three-point production, shooting just 30 percent in the first three games in April. Despite hot starts to the season, Isaac Okoro and Ty Jerome are shooting no better than 25 percent. Similar to the Golden State Warriors and Celtics, the Cavs' chances to win every game heavily rely on their ability to convert from deep.
The Cavaliers have been sluggish since All-Star weekend, often trailing early in the game just to rally late for a victory. This uninterested demeanor has put them in unnecessarily tight situations and given them numerous underwhelming losses. Most recently, the Cavaliers failed to clinch the first seed after losing to the Sacramento Kings at home, shooting 26.3 percent from three-point range in the 120-113 loss.
No Cavalier scored 20 or more points in the defeat. Allen was the only member of Cleveland's core four to shoot more than fifty percent from the field, going 7-of-9 for the game. Mobley missed all four of his three-pointers, and Mitchell and Garland combined for 2-of-13 from deep. Bad shooting nights happen, but the Cavaliers have put forth poor effort that has led to the poor shooting.
While the referees made many questionable calls in the loss to Sacramento (including a shot clock violation by Zach Lavine with less than a minute left), head coach Kenny Atkinson recognized that one or two bad whistles were not the cause of the upset. Atkinson called the Cavs' defensive effort "not good" and pointed to the bad three-point and free-throw shooting as vital mistakes.
Which version of the Cavaliers will be in the postseason?
The game against the Kings exemplifies the problem with the Cavaliers as they enter the playoffs. There seems to be multiple versions of this Cavaliers squad, and whether or not Cleveland is in their best form throughout the postseason is critical.
One version of the Cavs put together three separate double-digit winning streaks and swept regular season series against numerous fellow contenders. On the other hand, there is a squad that mimics the sluggish offense and imbalanced defense that caused two consecutive postseason downfalls.
The best Finals teams have bad games and bad stretches. If the Cavaliers hope to meet the standards they have set this season, reaching the second round will not be enough. Battling to make a late-game comeback every night will not be a recipe for sucess, as the Cavaliers have learned lately. While Cleveland is likely slowing down as they do not feel the same urgency to win this late into the year, there must be a significant shift in effort and execution before game 82 or the first round could be extended, leaving the Cavs battered and worn out by the second round.
On the other hand, Cleveland had just won the last three games, overtaking the LA Clippers, New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs. Against the Knicks, the Cavs showed resilience and star power in the 124-205 win. The Clippers, a battle-tested team with star veterans, pushed the Cavaliers to the final buzzer in the ultimate 127-122 victory.
Currently, the Cavaliers are more volatile than before. Game-to-game, Cleveland's focus is unpredictable. The pressure is not there. What Atkinson must do is push his team to refine their approach and return to the challenger they have been, bringing the Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA Finals.