Last season, the Cleveland Cavaliers absolutely turned a corner in their rebuild. It was the teams’ fourth season of their full-rebuild, and thanks to a strong start to their campaign, the Cavaliers closed pre-All-Star break play with a 35-23 record, which slotted them fourth in the Eastern Conference.
At that time, Cleveland was fourth in the NBA in defensive rating, and last season, Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen both repped the then-hometown squad in the 2022 All-Star Game. That Cavs team was well-positioned to make the postseason for the first time without LeBron James on the roster since 1998, or so many thought.
Unfortunately, that’s not what transpired in the closing stretch of the season. The Cavaliers were 9-15 in post-All-Star break play last season, and were 24th in defensive rating in that span.
Eventually, the Cavaliers would finish as the eighth seed in the East with a 44-38 record, and they went on to lose both of their games in the Play-In Tournament at the Brooklyn Nets and then versus the Atlanta Hawks. It was far from the finish plenty of fans had to have anticipated, but a meaningful learning experience for what was still a very young group.
This season, the Cavs have again closed out pre-All-Star play at fourth in the East, this time with a 38-23 record, because of the top of the East being just as hot to close things out as we enter post-All-Star play. Cleveland had the leagues’ best defensive rating then, too, for what it’s worth.
This go-round, though, these Cavaliers should be plenty fine in this regular seasons’ closing stretch ahead here, and they should be set for a return to the postseason for the first time since 2018.
These Cavs are well-equipped for a strong close to the 2022-23 regular season.
Cleveland lost to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night in their first game back after the break 115-109, and some issues offensively down the stretch didn’t help their cause. Nikola Jokic did what he does as well for Denver, with his 22nd triple-double of the season, and Michael Porter Jr. was seemingly lost off-ball too often, and finished with 25 points, while converting on six-of-10 attempts from three.
The Cavs do have some stuff to clean up in late-game situations, and that’s fair to say. They know that, too. But down the stretch here, it’s a great opportunity for the team in general to keep building momentum in these final 20 games, and for a team that’s still not a finished product, they should be able to close strong.
The Denver loss stung, however, as opposed to last season, this Cavaliers team can benefit from that experience post-All-Star last year, and having Donovan Mitchell, and Ricky Rubio, as a calming presence, back this go-round should make a difference. Mitchell and Garland didn’t have great games on Thursday night, sure, but they’ll be fine, and if Evan Mobley and Allen stay healthy, that should pay dividends for Cleveland’s defense.
Post-All-Star last season, Allen missed most of that stretch because of a fractured finger, and he missed Cleveland’s first game in the Play-In at Brooklyn. Cleveland’s defense, as we alluded to, fell off drastically, and Mobley missed some time as well, and Dean Wade’s season being cut short then didn’t help on that end, either.
Provided those players can stay healthy for the most part, though, the Cavs should be able to finetune some things on that end of the floor, and if Rubio steadily keeps getting himself back, he, Isaac Okoro and Wade should continually make Cleveland more formidable on that end. That could go a long way in this closing stretch of games leading into the playoffs as well.
Granted, while the Cavs have to iron some things out still, as they know, with the young talent this team has, them closing out pre-All-Star play well and with players such as Mobley and Garland having last years’ experience under their belt, it should help this time around in closing strong. And as we touched on, experienced veterans such as Rubio (provided he keeps working his way back in-rhythm) and Green can aid the team as stabilizers ahead of Cleveland’s playoff push.
Lastly, the Cavaliers having entered post-All-Star play with the fourth-easiest schedule shouldn’t hurt. But overall, this Cavs team should be well-equipped with what transpired last season, and with Mitchell’s abilities, Mobley’s ever-evolving two-way play, and meaningful vets to help, a good finish to the regular season seems to be in-store for Cleveland.
Hopefully that plays out, and the Cavaliers can sure things up for a playoff run.