It’s been difficult for the Cleveland Cavaliers for a considerable stretch, and post-All-Star break, they’ve had trouble stringing together wins. The teams’ defense has not been the same, and injuries have taken their toll.
Cleveland lost its three games during this past week, and all three featured extended stretches where they couldn’t seem to put two-way play together nearly enough.
On Saturday night, the Cavaliers again started slow and ultimately lost to the Chicago Bulls, and Cleveland was handled by the Toronto Raptors on Thursday night in Toronto.
The Cavs did have a nice 3-1 week the week prior, but post-All-Star, they’re just 6-10, and it’s not certain if we’ll see Jarrett Allen again in the regular season (finger injury).
Currently, Cleveland is seventh in the Eastern Conference, and no longer is a top-6 seed. The Cavs would be set to play in the play-in tournament at this juncture.
The Cavaliers themselves do still believe they can get back on track, though, and recently, Caris LeVert emphasized that the team still has their best basketball ahead of them. Diddo for Darius Garland/the squad, via Evan Dammarell of Fear The Sword and Right Down Euclid.
#Cavs swingman Caris LeVert said that it's not just Darius Garland that feels that Cleveland can be the sixth seed again, it's the entire locker room.
— Evan Dammarell (@AmNotEvan) March 27, 2022
LeVert still thinks their best basketball is yet to come.
LeVert and the Cavs seem optimistic, despite the club’s recent slide, but they’ll need to turn things around ASAP.
I get where LeVert is coming from, along with Garland. The Cavs have shown they can overcome obstacles this season, as we’ve seen time and time again.
Nonetheless, it’s apparent that the team badly misses Jarrett Allen, who has been invaluable on the interior on both ends, as a screener and as the teams’ back line defender. When he’s in there, it makes Evan Mobley all the more impactful as a rotator and also switchout player in tandem with Allen.
It also doesn’t help still being without Collin Sexton, and LeVert himself is still seemingly finding his rhythm with the Cavs, especially given his absence for plenty of post-All-Star play (foot sprain). And Rajon Rondo is set to miss his eighth game on Monday against the Orlando Magic because of an ankle sprain.
All of that said, the Cavaliers can still potentially re-capture that sixth seed, but it won’t be easy. If they have to make the postseason via the play-in, it is what is, anyhow.
Either way, even with the recent slide, to a large extent that is, in March, particularly, it’s clear that the Cavs still believe they can right the ship, as LeVert hit on.
This is a very young team, of course, however, they can still get moving back in the right direction if they can find ways to have more effective second quarter and start knocking down more open shots. That goes for the likes of Kevin Love and Cedi Osman, for instance, and if Darius Garland can get his perimeter shooting back more consistently paired with his dazzling playmaking, this Cavs team can get going again.
Granted, it’s simpler as for that being said than executed, but those things could go a long way.
I do acknowledge what LeVert is saying here, though, and him expressing how the Cavaliers playing more free (via Dammarell) can help, too. This team, even despite how things have transpired recently, has proven plenty of doubters wrong this season.
I’m not writing them off yet.