Playing ‘Contender or Pretender’ With Eastern Conference Playoff Teams
By Jon Shames
Cleveland Cavaliers – 1st seed
As the overwhelming favorites to win the conference, the Cleveland Cavaliers are, of course, contenders.
But their play as of late indicates that a consecutive Finals appearance may not be the cakewalk many expected it to be, especially given the strong play of Boston and Toronto.
The Cavaliers are coming off of an ugly loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, who were without Mike Conley, Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol, Matt Barnes and Chris Andersen. The Cavaliers, who fired head coach David Blatt when the team was 30-11, are now 14-7 since.
Questions about Cleveland’s locker room are nothing new, but there is clearly a near-universal sentiment of frustration amidst the team’s struggles. LeBron James has teased media and fans alike with his cryptic tweeting in recent days, and now, Kyrie Irving is doing the same.
While it may seem like a small issue, the lack of trust among Cleveland’s personnel has been damaging to the team’s on-court performance in recent weeks. There is an obvious disconnect among the Cavaliers’ top guns (Kevin Love, Irving, and James).
In a potential Finals rematch against what could be the most unified team of all time in the Golden State Warriors, there’s no room for miscommunication or hero ball.
The Cavaliers still remain a dangerous two-way force, especially now that they’ve increased their depth. However, while making it to the Finals — even with the locker room drama — is conceivable, the ultimate goal of bringing home a championship trophy cannot be realized until the Cavaliers get on the same page.