The NBA playoffs are officially only two weeks away and the Cleveland Cavaliers have been busy preparing.
The Cleveland Cavaliers appear to be hitting their stride at the perfect time.
It’s been a shaky process, but the puzzle pieces are finally coming together for this team. Since March 13th, the Cavs have won nine of the last 11 games. Furthermore, the team has won each of these games by an average of 10.8 points per game.
The team has been seeing such great success because of the contributions from numerous players. A number of bench players have stepped up and performed during this stretch. Jeff Green and Jordan Clarkson have both been averaging double-digit points per game and have had multiple 20+ point nights.
Perhaps the biggest and the most notable reason for the Cavaliers dominance has been LeBron James.
James has been incredible in the past month. In the last 30 days, James has had six different games with 35+ points. Also during this time, James has notched five triple-doubles.
This has been one of the greatest stretches of James’ career and has thrust his name back into the MVP conversation.
However, the fact that the Cleveland Cavaliers are finally getting rid of the injury bug that has plagued them all season has to be the most important factor heading into the playoffs.
The Cavaliers have been struggling to find consistency within the lineup this year. Players have been constantly moving in and out of the lineup due to injury. So, it’s no wonder the Cavs haven’t found much long-term success this year.
It’s nearly impossible to build up team chemistry when the players can’t even remain on the court together. Not to mention the fact that the majority of the members of the team right now have only been here for less than a full season.
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Now, Kevin Love, Kyle Korver, and Cedi Osman are all back in the lineup and ready to play. This is important because the team is now able to play at full strength, which is something we have barely seen this season.
The Cavaliers have proven that they are ready to compete in the playoffs by beating their biggest Eastern Conference rivals (The Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors) in both of their last two meetups.
When the Cavaliers are healthy and James is playing at his peak, it is very hard to beat them.
Heading into the playoffs, it would be wise to bet your money on the Cleveland Cavaliers making it through the East.