It became evident that the Cleveland Cavaliers were far ahead of schedule last season. While most people thought they would struggle like most young teams going through a rebuild, they shocked the world and nearly reached the playoffs.
The team didn’t sleep on its laurels in the offseason and pulled off one of the most impactful trades thus far, acquiring Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz. Needless to say, they’ve only gotten better since “Spida” teamed up with Darius Garland.
Through the first third of the season, J.B. Bickerstaff’s team sits on a 21-11 record and the third spot in the Eastern Conference. The Cavs are one of the most important pro teams in Ohio. Thus, their success is important for people in Buckeye state. You can check here all the major pro sports teams in the state: https://www.pickboss.com/ohio-pro-sports-teams
Barring a disaster and a major string of injuries, the young Cavs are a lock to make the playoffs. But can they keep this great form in the postseason?
Cavaliers Are Up and Coming
Perhaps, the most impressive part of the Cavs’ recent success is the fact that they’re mostly a young team. Evan Mobley (21), Isaac Okoro (22), Darius Garland (23), Jarrett Allen (24), and Donovan Mitchell (26) are young enough to handle a big workload and as many minutes as the coach needs, and that’s always key in the postseason.
This young team also features some experience, with Kevin Love and Robin Lopez bringing in their veteran leadership, and it’s only a matter of time before they get Ricky Rubio back on the court. Add Caris LeVert to that mix, and you have quite a solid rotation.
More than that, the Cavs still have plenty of draft assets to pull off a big trade if needed, so don’t sleep on them as we approach the deadline. They’re a scary team as it is, so adding more firepower would make them a legit championship contender.
Potential Matchups
Should the season end today, the Cavs would have homecourt advantage through the first couple of rounds, and they’re 15-2 at home thus far. Also, they’re likely to face the New York Knicks or Miami Heat in the first round, and both matchups bode well for Bickerstaff’s team.
The Knicks have a long history of underperforming in the playoffs. Also, the defensive tandem of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen could dominate Julius Randle in the restricted area, while Isaac Okoro plays lockdown defense on RJ Barrett.
The Heat would represent a bigger challenge. Erik Spoelstra is an elite coach with outstanding defensive expertise. Nonetheless, Jimmy Butler has struggled with injuries for most of the season, and they’ve struggled to find any sort of offensive consistency throughout the year.
The Donovan Mitchell Factor
The Darius Garland-Collin Sexton pairing was promising last season, but Sexton missed most of the campaign with an injury. Also, they now have a much better player in Donovan Mitchell, who’s also known for stepping up in the postseason.
Mitchell has averaged 28.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.7 assists in 39 playoff games thus far, including two series in which he averaged 34+ points. That’s the kind of scorer you need when things get hard, especially with defenses focusing on Darius Garland.
The Cavaliers have proven that last year’s success wasn’t a fluke. They have the best net rating in the league at +6.6, also leading the NBA with a Defensive Rating of 107.3, and they look like a lock to go over their projected win total of 46.5 games for the season.
So, even though we’re still months away from the playoffs, and plenty of things could still go wrong, there’s no reason to think this exciting Cleveland Cavaliers team can’t keep this pace up in the postseason.
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