Cleveland Cavaliers: Primed For Playoffs

Things just keep on looking up for the Cleveland Cavaliers. With every win they seem more confident, more focused and more prepared for what is to come in the spring. The change since LeBron James’ return from injury has been staggering.

Now they’re on the fast track to the playoffs, and while some other notable teams like Atlanta, Toronto and Washington have stumbled out of the second-half gates, Cleveland has done exactly the opposite of what they did to start the season.

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Since James’ return back on Jan. 13, the Cavs have gone 17-3. Even better are the teams they’ve beaten during this period.

Here’s just a few:

Clippers (2X)
Bulls
Thunder
Pistons (2X)
Trail Blazers
Heat
Wizards

Notice anything? How about the fact that all of these teams are either serious contenders or notable Eastern Conference opponents. On top of that, Cleveland is also beating the teams that they’re supposed to be beating. They crushed Charlotte by a season-high 39-point margin during a 12-game win streak that occurred during the last 20 games.

This is a different team now.

Over this 20-game stretch, the Cavs are beating their opponents by an average of 14.8 points. They’re shooting 47.5 percent from the field, 37.3 percent from downtown and averaging 21.7 assists a night.

They’re just destroying teams; turning them into mincemeat whether it be in Cleveland or on the road. They’re finally putting things together after an assortment of issues. LeBron’s now healthy, they’ve got a rim protector in Timofey Mozgov, Kyrie Irving and James are sharing the ball better, James and David Blatt seemed to have worked out their differences for the most part, etc.

Perhaps the most important thing to have happened so far was during the last win against the Pistons.

The Cavs fell down by 14 points to Detroit early in the third quarter. Earlier in the season, they would’ve buckled at this point and been unable to mount any sort of comeback due to their atrocious defense and spastic offense.

But not this time. Not now.

Cleveland rallied itself back in the same quarter, getting stop after stop by running around frantically, cutting off passing lanes and having the big guys (Mozgov, Tristan Thompson, etc.) hold their own on the inside. They used these stops to get out on the break at once, where they’re at their best, and either get great looks from three or take the ball straight to the tin.

Their comeback seemed nonchalant and a casual fan watching them might not notice this seemingly small moment or see it as emblematic of all their hard work, but it sure was. The simple act of just getting a stop and then scoring was such a labour for these Cavs only a couple months ago. Now they’re doing it consistently and with a growing swagger.

This moment came across as exceptionally pleasing because this is exactly what the Cavs are going to have to do in the playoffs. Now we know they can do it, whereas before who could be certain? Just blowing out teams without having to fight for a game doesn’t show you everything, no matter how it looks statistically.

The grit and grind is going to come out in full force during the postseason and the Cavs won’t be scoring as easily as they are now. If, for example, a matchup with Chicago is inevitable, then these are the sorts of games that Cleveland will have to learn how to win.

Because when they come up against a very good defensive team who will make them work for every basket and force them to miss often, they will at some point fall behind and need to rally to win.

They know that. We know they can do it. And now, so do they. That should scare every other team in the league.

The Cavs currently sit fourth in the East. The three teams in front of them? In order, Atlanta, Toronto and Chicago, respectively. In terms of season series records, they are 1-2 against the Hawks, 2-1 against the Raptors and 2-1 against the Bulls.

They have a chance to move up in the standings, but even if they don’t they have little to fear from the teams above them, save perhaps Atlanta. Even so, they know that they can beat any of these clubs.

The Cavaliers haven’t accomplished anything yet. But they’re sure primed to start.

Next: 50 Greatest NBA Players Without a Championship

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