They're back.
Or, if anything, they're at least on a fast track to getting there.
The Cleveland Cavaliers capped off a regular season for the ages with 64 wins, their most in over a decade and a half, as they seemed to officially flip the switch under a new head coach in Kenny Atkinson. Three All-Stars and an incredible supporting cast paved the path to sweeping 17 teams in their 2024-25 regular season campaign, including two of their Midwestern rivals in the Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks.
It took just three minutes for guard Donovan Mitchell, now in his third season with the squad, to prove they could keep the engine running at full throttle in the postseason as he tore through the Miami Heat's defense with speedy drives and crafty finishes. Cleveland's free-flowing and efficient offense finished the job as the Cavs took a 121-100 victory over Miami in Game 1.
The Cavs' feared and high-powered offense may give them the potential to be the crown jewel in what has been a memorable few years for Cleveland sports. From the Guardians claiming a spot in the ALCS for the first time since 2016 following a hard-fought series win over the Detroit Tigers to the announcement of a WNBA expansion franchise in 2028, Cleveland's professional sports scene continues to climb the ladder of excellence as its teams defy the odds and battle their way to the top. All Cleveland needs is for the (hopefully) Rockers to get back to the heights they saw in the early 2000s, where they saw three playoff appearances under the guidance a long-time coach and now-Team USA assistant in Dan Hughes.
Like their MLB counterparts, the Cavs saw a few newer faces who helped guide them to greatness in their memorable regular season.
Guard Ty Jerome, a former champion with the Virginia Cavaliers in 2019, showed he was made for the moment in a resurgent season for the 27-year-old. Forward De'Andre Hunter proved to be a reliable scoring and shooting option off the bench after reuniting with his former Virginia teammate in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks. Cleveland as a whole logged the fourth-most bench minutes in the NBA this year, a stark contrast from any one of their years in the J.B. Bickerstaff era, proving their depth could be one of their biggest strengths heading into what can be a defining playoff run for the crescendoing Cavs.
With their shooting, scoring and offensive game plan down for the time being, what else can the Cavs shore up to keep the ball rolling for the foreseeable future?
Size still matters
Continuing to surround the guard duo of Mitchell and Darius Garland with sizeable and physical players who can win the battle on the boards could be the ultimate key to adding to the latest fantastic chapter in Cavaliers history.
The Cavs have already checked a few boxes as they added talented and sizeable options over the past few seasons. Aside from their trade for Hunter, the Cavs used their limited picks in the NBA Draft to invest in size after a short trend of selecting smaller guards. Cleveland used their most recent pick to add Cal wing Jaylon Tyson, who highlighted his rookie campaign with an impressive 31-point outing in a double-overtime battle with the Indiana Pacers. Their budding big in Evan Mobley, a 6-foot-11 forward who was added in the 2021 NBA Draft, was again named a finalist for the league's Defensive Player of the Year following another stellar year from the 23-year-old.
Led by the duo of Mobley and center Jarrett Allen, the Cavs are leaps and bounds ahead of where they once were as a rebounding team.
Their mark of just above 45 boards per game put them on par with the Utah Jazz and Golden State Warriors at about fifth place in the NBA during the regular season. As every possession starts to mean more heading into the postseason, it helps to have seven players who averaged four rebounds or more in the regular season, including three of the Cavs' big four. Cleveland had never placed higher than 12th in the NBA in nearly a decade before this season, with its better rebounding years coming at the height of its last LeBron era.
Still, the Cavs may need more.
Cleveland has still had its issues on the boards this year after ranking 13th in offensive rebounds per contest and was in the bottom half of the league in opponent o-boards per game. The Cavs let up 10 offensive rebounds or more in 17 of their last 20 regular season games, including 16 against Bickerstaff and the Detroit Pistons. The rising squad may need to become more physical on the boards to make a lengthy postseason run as they have the potential to face one of the league's better rebounding squads in the Boston Celtics on their path to the NBA Finals.
With two second-rounders and not a lot of financial room to work with, it may be difficult for the Cavs to add the extra size and rebounding options they need next season. The Cavs have managed to stay a little less than $5.5 million below the first tax apron this season, but could be short in financial room the year after. Cleveland may still find a few hidden gems or diamonds in the rough with their two draft picks, but will likely need to see a boost in physicality from their current core to keep their once-in-a-decade run going.
"Sometimes, it comes down to hitting first," Atkinson said in a late-March conference, via Sports Illustrated. "It's just physicality and aggressiveness. With rebounding, there's not a ton of tactics involved. At the end of the day, I think I've come to the conclusion: It's whoever gets hit first, drives the other guy out, and you go get the rebound.
"It's obvious we're lacking in that area right now. I told the guys, 'Listen. What you don't want is to be down in a series 2-0 because you're getting pounded on the boards.' There's other things you know that can happen. But having that happen is kind of inexcusable. So, it's definitely something we got to turn to. We've got to fix."