Cleveland Cavaliers: Don’t Let It Go To 7

By Joshua Howe | May 14, 2015

May 12, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) celebrates with guard Kyrie Irving (2) after a 106-101 win over the Chicago Bulls in game five of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /

The Cleveland Cavaliers have put forth a mighty and somewhat surprising effort in the playoffs so far. When injuries began to decimate them (and to a lesser extent, Chicago) to the point where, in Game 5, Jeff Van Gundy (who was calling the game), said “What is going ON?!” in an exasperated voice, all I could do was shrug.

More from Cleveland Cavaliers

Back during Game 4, in the very moment that LeBron James went down after viciously rolling his ankle, I thought the Cavs were finished. Injuries had killed their season.

Kyrie Irving was moving like a mannequin in that game, Iman Shumpert often looked uncomfortable and guys like J.R. Smith as well as LeBron were slipping, tripping and sending shockwaves through the hearts of Cleveland fans everywhere.

The wine and gold never gave up, though. They fought tooth and nail until the eventual end result: a LeBron buzzer beater to win the game.

They had survived to live another day. Then, Game 5 happened and the miraculous took place. Kyrie Irving played at about 60 percent capacity of his normal ankle-breaking ability, the role players hit the shots they needed to and LeBron destroyed Jimmy Butler and anyone else who tried to guard him.

So here we are. Cleveland’s up 3-2 in the series with a chance to close things out in Chicago tonight. Optimistically, the Cavs will only get healthier from here, though that process is going to be a slow one.

Shumpert’s left groin strain will be a nagging factor for the rest of the playoffs. Kyrie has the worst of it with a strained right foot and tendonitis in his knee. And then there’s LeBron, who seemed to shake off his rolled ankle just fine, although he wasn’t even able to partake in the shootaround before Game 5.

Willpower. That’s what the Cavs have shown in their last two wins. A desperation and crazed mentality that they simply cannot lose here. Not this early. They have it in their heads that they are still the best in the East. They might be right, because LeBron will not let them lose this series. Not if it’s within his power.

The mental toughness Cleveland has presented in the second round is impressive. We already knew that James had it, but Kyrie, Shump, Timofey Mozgov, even Smith, etc. are all putting on an eye-opening display. Somehow, it’s suddenly difficult to see this team going down.

That is, if they continue what they’ve been doing. The Clippers showed us in Game 5 what happens when you relax too much during a closeout game. The Rockets, suddenly desperate, came roaring back to take that win relatively easily.

They were gunning for a victory; Los Angeles was only half-heartedly trying to win.

Cleveland isn’t up 3-1 like the Clippers were before Game 5, but they are in a similar situation. Only theirs is far more dangerous.

The Cavaliers cannot, I repeat, cannot lose Game 6.

They need to come out firing on all cylinders. They need to take it right at the Bulls and set the tone. They can’t let them get comfortable on their home floor. They need to shut the fans up from the get go. They need LeBron to be closeout LeBron.

This game is an incredibly easy one to lose. So far the series has been pretty evenly matched, and the Bulls will be revitalized back in Chicago. Pau Gasol is also planning on returning tonight, adding another layer to the Bulls’ rather plain offensive cake.

Here are the big problems with Cleveland giving a lackluster effort and losing Game 6:

Less Potential Rest

As mentioned earlier, the Cavs are more beat up than Stallone’s face at the end of Rocky. Any possibility of gaining extra rest should be a priority. The Hawks lead the Wizards 3-2 in their series right now, so there’s a chance that they could also rumble into a Game 7.

If the Cavs win tonight, they could get a bit more rest while waiting for those two teams to go all out for one more game.

The most salient injuries are still those to Kyrie, who needs every break he can catch at this point. He’s almost as important as James to getting anywhere relevant after round two.

If he can replicate what he did in Game 5 one more time, it will be a tremendous deciding factor in whether or not the Cavs leave the United Center with a victory.

One thing’s for certain though: they’re going to need great performances out of him after this series, so taking it upon himself to say, “If I go hard tonight, I might get a bit more time to recuperate afterwards” is perhaps the biggest storyline entering tonight’s matchup.

No Guarantees in Game 7

The team that wins Game 5 goes on to win the series about 83 percent of the time. All of that goes out of the window if the Cavs lose Game 6. Suddenly the odds are back to 50/50.

Anything can happen in a Game 7. Absolutely anything. It’s a coin flip, especially in a series where neither team has set themselves apart from the other.

The closest thing the Cavs have to a guarantee is the fact that LeBron James is on their roster.

Bulls Get on a Roll

Don’t underestimate the hate and pride of Chicago. They want to beat LeBron and his team so badly. Especially Joakim Noah, who (despite playing like crud) is the team’s heart and soul.

Remember when they finally decided enough was enough in round one? Game 6 was a massacre during which Bucks fans everywhere were groaning for a solid 2.5 hours straight.

Letting them do that sort of thing again at home could get them into a dangerous groove. Right now, the Bulls have only played parts of games at the pace they want to go. Cleveland’s done an excellent job disrupting that, but if Chicago can into the swing of things for a full 48 minutes, Game 7 suddenly becomes a much scarier thought.

Just because the Cavs are going to be at home doesn’t mean they’ll win. It doesn’t even mean they have a very heightened chance of winning. Both of these squads have proven that they can do what they do on the road.

If you’re listening, Cavs, please heed my warning. You’re being handed a golden opportunity. Seize it.

Next: 50 Greatest NBA Players Of The 1980s

More from Hoops Habit

Home/Cleveland Cavaliers