Are the Cavaliers Contenders?

With All-Star weekend past and the postseason now approaching, the bracket is starting to take shape. Although this season, unlike most, is extremely tight in both conferences. With a lot of talk about the most qualified contenders, the Cleveland Cavaliers seem to be consistently and questionably left out of the conversation. Are the Cavaliers contenders? Here’s a look at their last two games against Boston and New York, and if their play is that of a true contender. 

Containment

Although a few Celts were having a good night, the Cavaliers did a great job of containing the firepower of this Boston squad. Averaging 121 points per game and coming off an 11 game stretch in which they posted the largest point differential in NBA history (across an 11 game stretch), the Celtics aren’t just beating teams but outright obliterating them. 

Jaylen Brown finished the night with 21 points, three boards and four assists. Kristaps Porzingis scored 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds with three assists. Both of these players played a role in keeping the game close for Boston. 

Jason Tatum, the team leading scorer, had less of an impact. Despite putting up an impressive 26 points, 13 rebounds and a pair of assists, his production was mostly limited to the first half. 22 of his 26 points came in the first half, while he only scored two points in both the third and fourth quarter. He was instrumental in missing the go ahead shot in the fourth, though, so he wasn’t entirely inconsequential. 

Cavalier positives 

Jarrett Allen, a double-double machine, posted 21 points, 12 rebounds and two assists. This marks his 29th double-double of the season (of 56 games) meaning that over half of his games have been double-doubles. He continues to play at an All-Star level. 

Darius Garland also had a double-double night, finishing with 16 points, 11 assists and a board. Although his scoring isn’t where he’s shown it can be, his ability to find open teammates is still creating a lot of points for Cleveland. 

Caris LeVert and Isaac Okoro also continue to be consistent producers for this team, scoring a combined 26 points, eight rebounds and six assists. 

Craig Porter Jr, although only getting six minutes of court time, posted two rebounds and two assists. Despite his low playing time he proves he can always be effective. 

The highlight of this game, however, was Dean Wade. Leading the team in points, Wade finished with 23 points, eight rebounds and an assist. Going a blistering five for five from deep in the fourth, he also hit a crucial putback dunk off a missed shot in the fourth to help seal the win for Cleveland. In fact, Wade outscored the Celtics as a team in the fourth quarter 17-20. Wade’s shooting isn’t always this consistent, his primary contribution coming in the way of his smart defense, but he proved tonight that his shooting ability is absolutely something that can benefit this Cavaliers team. 

Also an impressive stat, the first Cavalier bucket to not come off an assist against the Knicks was two minutes before halftime. There’s a reason this team consistently has a handful of players each game scoring in double digits. They play an extremely unselfish brand of basketball.

Cavalier negatives 

The biggest negative takeaway for Cleveland is the loss of their starting power forward in Evan Mobley. Mobley went down after a low-effort, uncontested dunk with about five and a half minutes remaining in the third. It was later revealed that he suffered an ankle sprain. Although not an injury that will keep him sidelined for too long of an extended period, it’s still not good to lose a player of his caliber when the eastern standings race is this hotly contested. 

The Cavaliers also didn’t have the best showing against the budding rival New York Knicks on Sunday night. Losing 107-98, the Cavaliers failed to stop Donte DiVincenzo and Bojan Bogdanovic from getting their team the dub. 

Continuing to play more physically than the Cavaliers, this Knicks team has been a constant thorn in their side. Always seeming to have exactly the right tools to dismantle the Cavs, they are possibly the most challenging matchup for this Cleveland team in the entire league. 

Are the Cavaliers contenders?

Entering the game down Donovan Mitchell and Max Strus, and losing another player along the way, the Cavs were still able to curb Boston’s historically large 11 game winning streak. This included a 32-6 run in the fourth quarter to put them over. That’s the kind of play that will help them succeed in the postseason. Similar to their win against Dallas, they had to scratch and claw for this hard-fought victory. 

Although it would be nice if Cleveland could successfully use this mentality to take down the Knicks, it is very promising that it worked against arguably the best team in the league. 

They do have a short term problem with the loss of Mobley, in that their big-man depth isn’t that extensive. With Tristan Thompson still suspended, and Damian Jones putting out overall underwhelming performances, there should be some unique starting lineups coming from this team.

Are the Cavaliers contenders? There are absolutely better teams than the Cavs, but there aren’t many in the East. And if the Oklahoma City Thunder are considered contenders, then the Cleveland Cavaliers certainly should be too. The Cavs have more playoff experience and an overall more properly constructed roster for the postseason. By those standards, the Cleveland Cavaliers are one of the top contenders in the East. They do have short-term problems to handle in the meantime, including injuries and slumps. But they’ve given fans no reason to believe that they can’t reach that level. 

The Cavs look to continue to build their case this Wednesday (March 3) against Atlanta, finishing this back-to-back. They tip off at 7:30 PM in Atlanta. 

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Featured photo courtesy of NBA.com

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