Cavaliers in top form for playoffs after midseason leap
Expectations soared the minute LeBron James decided to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Then expectations plummeted amid an uninspiring 19-20 start.
And now?
"They're the team to beat in the East," ESPN analyst Jon Barry said.
He's not alone in that thinking.
Vegas sports books made the Cavaliers 11/5 and 2/1 favorites to win the NBA championship, same odds as the Golden State Warriors, who had 14 more victories.
NBA executives increasingly are impressed and worried about the Cavaliers, and one Eastern Conference executive told Paste BN Sports the Cavs head into the playoffs as the best team in the league.
That guarantees nothing, but the hype and praise is justified. And it helps when No. 23 named LeBron James – four MVPs, two NBA championships and two NBA Finals MVPs – is on your roster.
"I think Cleveland would beat Golden State in the Finals but I'm not sure they would beat the Spurs, even Portland, Memphis or even the Clippers to be honest with you," said TNT analyst Charles Barkley, who hinted the Cavs or Chicago Bulls are favorites to come out of the East.
Nothing in the second week of January suggested the Cavaliers were headed toward the second-best record in the East with a potential to win the conference championship and reach the NBA Finals.
That's a reality today, as the Cavs get ready to play the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. Game 1 is Sunday in Cleveland (3 p.m. ET, ABC).
The Cavaliers' season did a 180 in mid-January, shortly after general manager David Griffin engineered trades for J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert and Timofey Mozgov, giving the Cavs more scoring, defense and depth.
James' two-week break in early January to heal lingering back and knee issues also factored into Cleveland's much-improved play. James individual statistics weren't any better in his final 40 games than they were in his first 29. But's clear the break was needed.
His explosiveness that was questioned early in the season returned, and Cleveland was a more efficient offensive and defensive team – especially offensively.
Since Jan. 13, the Cavaliers have the highest winning percentage (.791), the best offense (110.4 points per 100 possessions) and an improved defense at No. 13 in the NBA.
Of course the postseason is much different than the regular season, and the Cavs head into the playoffs with zero playoff experience from Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, Matthew Dellavedova and Coach David Blatt.
How are they going to respond in late-game situations in a Game 6 or Game 7? There will be tense moments they've not experienced.
Blatt has worked through learning curves all season, from length of NBA games to rotations to dealing the microscopic inspection of everything related to the Cavs. But for the most part, he's handled it quite well. He's coached in big games in Europe but the NBA playoffs present another learning curve. He should do just fine.
Irving told Paste BN Sports he loves the big stage, and he demonstrated he can handle it at last year's FIBA World Cup when he helped Team USA to the championship and was named tournament MVP. Barkley said playoff experience is overrated and isn't worried about Love.
It will be an intense classroom and missteps are unavoidable. But the Cavaliers have the players to minimize crucial errors.
In addition to James, it helps to have Smith, James Jones, Mike Miller, Shawn Marion and Brendan Haywood, all of whom have playoff experience, some of it extensive. Jones, Miller and Marion have won titles. There will be steady guidance on the court, on the bench and in the locker room.
But it all comes back to James, who returned home to play for the Cavaliers and in a city that has not experienced a major pro sports championship since 1964 when the Browns won the NFL championship.
James knows the magnitude of bringing home a title. At the start of the season, he told Paste BN Sports helping the Cavs win a championship and giving the city a parade would be the greatest achievement of his NBA career.
"I'm so proud of him going back to Cleveland trying to win a championship," Barkley said. "It's must-see television to see if he's able to get Cleveland over the hump. Everybody who's a legitimate fan, who's been a long-time fan of small-market team, that will be great. … Cleveland is such a wonderful city, and if he's able to bring a championship there, it'd be amazing. It'd be one of the coolest things I've seen in my 30 years in the NBA."
Cleveland is a ways away from that, so expect James to downplay that storyline as he concentrates on each game, each series.
James tried to temper expectations in preseason and early in the season. That was a fine party line, and of course, there's a big-picture plan that goes beyond this season, but the Cavaliers won 50 games with an impressive second half. They're here now with a reasonably strong chance to play in the Eastern Conference finals at least.
The Cavaliers will rely James' leadership, experience and play as they should. And the way James plays the game, he has trust in his teammates to come through. He can score and be a willing facilitator and sometimes he will do both in a way that makes him dominant.
"For the Cavaliers, LeBron has to play great for them to win. That's just the way it is," Barkley said.
James probably sees it another way. He understands he will have to play great in some games and at certain points of games. But he doesn't need to great all game, every game. Irving, Love, Smith, Mozgov, Thompson, Dellavedova need to contribute – Irving and Love in big ways at times, too.
It's the trust and team effort James believes in.
James came back to try and deliver a championship. He never made promises, well aware how "not two, not three" played before he played one game for the Miami Heat.
This is the moment James, the organization, fans, the city and northeast Ohio have awaited. Championships have always felt so close in Cleveland. How close is one this year?