Let’s roll back the video and look at last season for the Cleveland Cavaliers. As late as mid-February of the 2021-22 season they were in the No. 3 spot and close to the top of the NBA Eastern Conference standings, but then the collapse started happening and nothing the Cavs tried worked as they slipped out of serious contention. They were able to stay just above the water line and played a couple Play-In Tournament games to get to the playoffs but lost both chances to the Brooklyn Nets and then the Atlanta Hawks.
As fans it was excruciating because there was no stopping the free fall. There were injuries and many coaching decisions by J. B Bickerstaff that included playing his starters way too much which wore out his team by the end. The Cavaliers had nothing left in the tank.
Cleveland is in a similar spot right now in the standings, sitting in the No. 5 hole. The Boston Celtics are starting to pull away from the pack with a 32-12 mark and will be a tough out in the postseason with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum leading their team. However, the rest of the Eastern Conference is packed together. Cleveland could reach the No. 2 spot or fall to the No. 6 spot pretty easily right now.
So why will this Wine and Gold squad maintain this year’s good play and not falter like last season? We’ll discuss that in a moment. I do still have a concern overall with the Cavs head coach Bickerstaff’s decision-making especially with wearing out his star players. But I believe they have enough other strengths to come out winning more than losing like a year ago. Here are some big reasons.
Reason No. 1: They have Donovan Mitchell
The biggest reason is Donovan Mitchell. The trade to get Mitchell from the Utah Jazz this past offseason was a huge get by the Cavs. He’s averaging close to 30 points a game and is a true superstar. He can carry his team like a former Cavalier by the name of LeBron James. He had the game of his life when he went for 71 points in an epic comeback win against the Chicago Bulls a few weeks ago.
Mitchell is like that security blanket you had when you were a kid. Knowing that you can wrap that blanket around you is similar to the Cavs knowing they can count on Mitchell to deliver when needed most. Time and time again this season he has come through in the clutch.
He’s also added that additional veteran presence that can only help players like Evan Mobley and Darius Garland. You get the sense more and more that the team is taking his leadership to heart and that they now truly believe they will continue to win games down the stretch.
No longer will Cavaliers fans be crossing their fingers and praying that Garland doesn’t run out of energy or that they are relying on Garland to win games with long range three-pointers. Garland can now concentrate on his ball-handling skills more and not make careless mistakes and give the reins to the team to Mitchell.