3 areas where the Cleveland Cavaliers must improve in rest of season

Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers. Photo by Elsa/Getty Images
Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers. Photo by Elsa/Getty Images /
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder. (Photo by Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports) /

No. 2: Winning on the road

If by March, the Cavs are still hovering around five games below .500 (currently six) on the road, then sell some stock for the year because it will indicate its unreadiness for the playoffs. It’s unrealistic to expect advancement in the standings from fifth place if winnable games keep getting dropped. The four teams in front of Cleveland: Boston, Philadelphia, Milwaukee and Brooklyn, have positive records on tour while defending home court.

The fifth seed means whichever team holds it will start on the road in the postseason. The Nets hold a half-game lead for fourth place, but Kevin Durant will eventually suit up again. The Cavaliers might have to go through either one of the 76ers, Bucks or Nets. That’s not a great reward for a thrilling regular season.

Securing home court is not enough because even the best teams lose one to a few in their building. To win a series, a team must win on the road.

In the regular season, traveling is a large factor that fatigues the players because they don’t get enough sleep. But 30 teams are in that boat, and seven are above .500 on the road. Playing away is the closest thing to adversity before the playoffs, and the Cavaliers are successful at it only 38% of the time (10-16). The squad has to get better away from Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.