3 reasons for the Cleveland Cavaliers’ sudden resurgence
By Tony Pesta
With a history of frequent disappointments, it is understandable why so many were hesitant to jump on the bandwagon when the Cleveland Cavaliers began the 2020-21 NBA season with a 7-4 record.
This pessimism was proven correct almost immediately, as Collin Sexton suffered a season-ending MCL injury just a week before Evan Mobley sprained his right elbow.
It did not help that Lauri Markkanen and Kevin Love were already sidelined due to health and safety protocols. Then, the Cavaliers had a gauntlet of games against the best teams in the league ahead of them.
To no surprise, Cleveland dropped five straight games and fell down the same hole that had held them in the lottery after a similarly hot start last season.
Miraculously, though, the Cavaliers did not hang their heads. Despite facing the toughest schedule in the NBA and missing more players due to injury (11) than any other team, Cleveland weathered the storm and now holds the fifth-best record in the East.
Fans no longer have to be cautious, the Cavaliers are officially back.
Cleveland now has the easiest remaining schedule in the NBA by a mile, and aside from losing Sexton for the year, this team is at full strength.
The Cavaliers have led by 25 or more points in each of their last five wins and have won 11-of-16 games by double-digits this season. What’s more, they are a perfect 9-0 against teams below .500, a sign that the Cavs are taking care of business each and every night.
How did they get here? A few things had to go just right for Cleveland to breakout as a competitive team. Here are the three keys to the Cavaliers’ resurgence.