The Cleveland Cavaliers have clinched a spot in the NBA Playoffs once again with homecourt advantage in the first round.
That advantage has only paid off enough to lead Cleveland to the second round, though, and sometimes not even that. In three postseason runs together, the Cavs have had homecourt advantage in the first round each time, advancing to the second round twice. In their most recent Playoffs run, the Cavs fell short in five games to the Indiana Pacers after sweeping the Miami Heat.
With constant downfalls in the postseason, the Playoffs are a daunting proposition for Cavs fans. Despite tremendous success in the regular season every year, the Cavaliers somehow manage to lose all momentum and intensiy in the Playoffs every time. Stars like Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley have often risen to the ocassion, increasing their offensive output and embracing the higher stakes.
Unfortunately, one nagging problem has held Cleveland back to the point of becoming an overused, tiresome excuse. The Cavs have constantly faced significant injuries early in the Playoffs or at the end of the regular season, hampering their success down the stretch. This year, the Cavaliers are seemingly falling into a similar pattern as they attempt to do the exact opposite.
The Cavaliers cannot blame injuries for a bad Playoffs run
Nothing is set in stone. The Cavaliers reach the pinnacle of their talent and win the NBA Finals, but the injuries excuse has to leave, regardless. Like every other team, Cleveland's injury report has grown exponentially in the final weeks of the season in order to avoid major injuries. Mitchell and his co-stars are rarely taking the court together.
Some of the Cavs' other key contributors are not just resting to avoid injuries, though. Jaylon Tyson has been out of action for weeks, and Max Strus is still ramping up to return to form on defense. Jarrett Allen has also battled some nagging injuries recently, keeping him out of the lineup for a few weeks.
Tyson and Strus facing injury woes is not enough reason for the Cavaliers to recycle their injuries excuse. Fans are tired of it, and this year the team is obviously healthy enough to make a deep run if they play for it.
Since trading for James Harden, the new Cleveland core four has only appeared in six games together, logging a total of 76 minutes. Otherwise, half of the quartet has rested while the other half plays. Early results are promising as the group has notched a 22.3 net rating, the best of any four-person lineup with more than one game played together.
If the postseason is cut short again, the Cavs have no injuries excuses left. This exact excuse was an obvious factor in the Darius Garland trade, adding a veteran leader in Harden who has played the vast majority of available games in his NBA career. Despite a decade difference in age, Cleveland clearly valued health and availability over the promising potential of Garland.
The Cavaliers made a wholesale shift in their roster construction and shortened the championship timeline for a shot with Harden now. Garland is rediscovering his stardom with the LA Clippers, and the Cavs are trying to define the Mitchell era with a Finals appearance before the trade looks foolish in retrospect.
Some small injures aside, the Cavaliers are healthy for the Playoffs. A short postseason run cannot be washed away with the argument that only a half dozen games were played with the stars together. Recent injury reports are filled with injury management, not real injuries. The Cavs have made a deliberate choice to keep the stars apart, so it cannot be used to reason away any failure.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have too much talent to continue winning a single game beyond the first round. Injuries are not allowed to be an excuse anymore, but if the Cavs lose, they have already set up the perfect avenue to do it.