Ravaged by COVID-19 cases and despite missing three starters, the Cleveland Cavaliers put up an honorable fight in their most recent game against the Boston Celtics where they fell 111-101. The Celtics were only missing one starter. The Cavs had come into the contest winners of six games in a row. Despite missing big Evan Mobley and guard/wing Isaac Okoro since earlier last week (in Mobley’s case), the team was still winning up until their loss on Wednesday to Boston.
The team sits at 19-13 on the year which is the best a Cavs team has started in four years. The last time was the 2017-18 season when the Cavs were 19-8 at this point of the year with the likes of LeBron James and a cast of veteran players like Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade, and Kyle Korver. It was a patchwork of players trying to get Cleveland one more championship before players like James hit the road to go to places like Hollywood and the Los Angeles Lakers.
This current Cavalier team is very different from those old teams made up of old players beyond their prime. This team is so young in comparison, with players like Darius Garland, Mobley, and Okoro; Garland is the only one able to legally to drink alcohol yet.
There is so much hope and promise now, especially that we can see how well this team is coming together as a squad. Even the elders in the group like Kevin Love, who was also part of that 2017-18 team, seem rejuvenated. Love is playing more like he’s 23 years old rather than a 33-year-old and seems fully bought-in as a bench contributor.
The COVID-19 cases however have hit this young team hard over the last two week. It’s interrupted a run of success that has the Cleveland fans excited about its team’s future. The cases will pass and the team will get back to playing together as a team.
The new year of 2022 seems very promising for the Wine and Gold. Let’s take a few dribbles now and see what big questions there are about this team moving into next year.