King James Gospel
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Cavs: 5 reasons fans should be pumped for next season

By Quenton S. Albertie

TARRYTOWN, NY - AUGUST 12: Collin Sexton #2 of the Cleveland Cavaliers poses for a portrait during the 2018 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot on August 12, 2018 at the Madison Square Garden Training Facility in Tarrytown, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
TARRYTOWN, NY - AUGUST 12: Collin Sexton #2 of the Cleveland Cavaliers poses for a portrait during the 2018 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot on August 12, 2018 at the Madison Square Garden Training Facility in Tarrytown, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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CHARLOTTE, NC – MARCH 28: George Hill #3 of the Cleveland Cavaliers handles the ball against Kemba Walker #15 of the Charlotte Hornets on March 28, 2018 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Brock Williams-Smith/NBAE via Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC – MARCH 28: George Hill #3 of the Cleveland Cavaliers handles the ball against Kemba Walker #15 of the Charlotte Hornets on March 28, 2018 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Brock Williams-Smith/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Reason #4

The regular season matters again

With LeBron James gone, the Cleveland Cavaliers don’t have the luxury of assuming they’ll make the playoffs anymore, let alone reach the NBA Finals.

That doesn’t mean it’s an impossible task, even though the Cavs are overpowered by the top-tier squads on paper.

It does, however, mean that the regular season matters for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Since the 2016 NBA Finals, when the Cavs won their first championship in franchise history, that hasn’t been the case.

The Cleveland Cavaliers will have to scrap for every victory, even against lower runged teams like the Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks because teams that feel like underdogs often come out of the gates punching hard. Fortunately, the Cavs can’t look at a roster and choose to play down to their competition anymore; they’re not good enough right now to have that mindset.

However, it just goes to show that the 2018-2019 season will be a dogfight for the Cavs. The regular season will matter for players on an individual level too.

With both James and Irving gone, will new team leader Kevin Love show that he’s the same player that became the best power forward in the league while in Minnesota?

Will J.R. Smith and Jordan Clarkson redeem themselves from their performances in the 2018 NBA Finals?

Can each of Cedi Osman, Rodney Hood and Larry Nance Jr. have breakout years?

Does Collin Sexton have a bonafide Rookie of the Year campaign?

All of these questions will be answered next season and they’re all questions that Cavs fans want answers to.