I’m not going to suggest that the Cleveland Cavaliers have been crushing it as a team in recent weeks, as the team is 7-10 in post-All-Star break play. The Cavs last week went 0-3, and had two very disappointing performances in losses against the Los Angeles Lakers and Toronto Raptors, and Cleveland’s anemic offense in the first half ultimately did them in versus the Chicago Bulls.
That was tough to see, after the Cavaliers had a 3-1 week the week prior, and even with injuries, showed the resilience they’ve exhibited much of the reason. That was on display, even more so, in an overtime victory over the Denver Nuggets where the squad chipped away in the second half, and clawed their way to a win.
Nonetheless, in the majority of Cleveland’s contests this month, they have looked for stretches off on the defensive end, and while the team misses Jarrett Allen (finger) badly, they have to be better from a communication standpoint. Diddo for the squad’s closeouts to catch-and-shoot threats and on the defensive glass.
All of that being said, what the Cavaliers have done for much of this season has been more than satisfactory, as the team still can make the postseason, and is currently seventh in the Eastern Conference.
It’s not going to be a simple task to do so, as I know, and Evan Mobley’s recent ankle sprain during Cleveland’s win against the Orlando Magic on Monday, is something that really stings, too. He didn’t return after that happened in the second quarter, and we’ll see if he misses time; his x-rays reportedly came back negative, on the plus side.
The Cavs will have an uphill battle to get back to a top-6 seed and re-claim that from Toronto, but they still have seven games left, and may not have to be in the play-in tournament, provided they can gain some momentum. I recognize that’s easier said than done.
In any case, even with the club’s ups and downs, the Cavs have still had some solid performers, with Darius Garland coming to mind and Evan Mobley often making an impact (again, we’ll see on his health from here).
Here, though, we’ll hit on two performers that are seemingly finding their rhythm of late for the Cavs, by and large.
The first is the likes of Lamar Stevens.