The Cleveland Cavaliers didn't seem too concerned about where they played basketball last season. Home, away, hostile crowd, friendly crowd. They were winning just about everywhere.
Cleveland finished the regular season 52-30, including a 27-14 record at Rocket Arena and an impressive 25-16 mark on the road. That's only a two-game difference, suggesting the Cavaliers could handle their business regardless of the building.
Then the playoffs arrived, and suddenly the address mattered quite a bit.
The Cavaliers went 6-3 at home but managed just two victories in nine road games. For a team with championship aspirations, that's a troubling difference. And it nearly sent Cleveland packing before the second round even began.
Cleveland's home-court advantage became essential in the playoffs
The Toronto Raptors gave Cleveland a lesson in why playoff seeding matters. The Cavaliers won all four games at Rocket Arena but couldn't steal a single victory north of the border. Seven games, seven wins by the home team. Apparently, neither squad was interested in being a gracious guest.
That made Cleveland's regular-season work considerably more valuable. Because the Cavaliers held home-court advantage, Game 7 took place at Rocket Arena, where they secured a 114-102 victory. Without that higher seed, Cleveland would've faced a deciding game in the same building where it had already lost three times.
And the numbers reveal just how different the Cavaliers looked depending on their surroundings. They averaged 111.4 points at home during the postseason, compared with 104.4 on the road. Their field-goal percentage dropped from 48.6% to 42.8%, while their three-point shooting fell from 35.4% to 30.3%.
That's a serious offensive drop-off. When jumpers stop falling in a seven-game series, even a talented roster can find itself in trouble. Mitchell and Harden can create difficult shots, but Cleveland can't spend another postseason hoping its offense remembers how to function whenever the team leaves Ohio.
The Cavaliers can't depend on Rocket Arena to solve every problem
The Detroit Pistons offered another reminder of how quickly a series can get uncomfortable. Facing off in the second round of last year's playoffs, Cleveland dropped the first two games on the Pistons' floor before returning home and winning Games 3 and 4. Just like that, a series that appeared headed in the wrong direction was tied.
Cleveland deserves credit for what happened next. The Cavaliers won Game 5 in Detroit, then returned to finish the job with a 125-94 Game 7 victory on the road. Those two wins proved they were capable of handling a hostile playoff environment. They also happened to be Cleveland's only road victories of the postseason.
Unfortunately, the Eastern Conference Finals exposed the limits of relying on Rocket Arena. New York held home-court advantage, won its first two games at Madison Square Garden and then came to Cleveland and finished the sweep. The Knicks didn't need a Game 7, or even a Game 5, to settle matters.
That's why Kenny Atkinson and the Cavaliers need to make securing a top playoff seed a priority this season. Cleveland's first-round series against Toronto showed just how valuable those extra home games can be. Had the Raptors held home-court advantage, Game 7 would've taken place in a building where the Cavaliers hadn't won all series.
But a favorable seed is only half the battle. Mitchell, Harden and company still need to figure out how to bring their regular-season road success into the playoffs.
Cleveland needs its regular-season road confidence back
There's reason to believe the Cavaliers can improve. They won 25 road games during the regular season and showed against Detroit that they could deliver when everything was on the line.
But championship contenders can't count on winning every home game, especially when the competition gets tougher with each round. As the Cavaliers prepare for another championship pursuit, securing a high seed could give Cleveland an edge in another tightly contested series. That advantage won't mean much, though, if the Cavaliers can't win when the series moves away from Rocket Arena.
Last season proved that being home can be a significant advantage. It also demonstrated that home-court advantage alone won't carry Cleveland to an NBA championship. The Cavaliers need to keep winning in front of their fans. They just can't forget how to win everywhere else.
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