Over the course of the past four seasons, the Cleveland Cavaliers have cared less about the regular season, and it’s shown. This season is different though.
There are two reasons as two why the Cleveland Cavaliers need to get their act together and start taking care of business, even in February.
The first reason revolves around the team’s personnel.
Every season there is the same midseason slump. Fans have gotten used to that. However, after about 60% of the season has passed, this Cavaliers team still looks lost, especially on the defensive end.
While many other facets of the game can just be reversed with the right amount of hustle, the Cavs defensive miscues might not be able to. They now rank 28th in defensive rating, only beating out the Suns and Kings. Once the postseason comes around, it’ll be difficult to just “flip the switch” and become a solid defensive team.
However, will there even be a switch to flip?
The problem isn’t that this team just doesn’t try on that end of the floor. It might be that we are looking at possibly the worst LeBron James-led defense of his 15-year career. He’s never had to work with a 5-foot-9 point guard, and for most of his career, he’s been able to have an adequate shot blocker, even if it was Chris Bosh. To add to that, JR Smith and Jae Crowder haven’t been the reliable defensive masterminds that they’ve proven to be in the past.
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Many Cavalier faithful want to believe this ship can turn around, but sadly, this team continues to prove they need to make a trade.
The second reason the Cavs need to worry about their regular season is that it will impact their postseason matchups.
As I was helping record our podcast last night, I took a peek at the standings. According to teamranking.com, the Cavaliers are projected to finish third in the East. According to their predictions, they might have to play Philadelphia in the first round.
Then, they would get, according to the predictions, Boston in the second round. If they survive that, they can look forward to facing a much-improved Toronto Raptors team. Those are three quality rosters with terrific coaching.
Predictions are just that, predictions. However, if these projections are even remotely close to how the season will actually pan out, then the Cavs could be in a rough situation. However, if they were to be the No. 1 seed, they would get to face a projected trio of Indiana, Miami, and then Toronto or Boston, assuming the higher seed wins. That’s a much more appealing trio of teams before either Golden State or Houston
The Cavs, who are 1-6 against the NBA top five teams, have struggled to even compete with the league’s top tier. So, getting Kevin Love back and then having just three weeks until you face your first of possibly four terrific teams is a recipe for disaster.
Must Read: Raw Talent or Locker Room Leaders? The Cleveland Cavaliers Need Both.
Their defensive personnel and their postseason matchups are the two reasons the Cavs need to figure it out, make a trade, and start to take the regular season seriously.
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