More than a few folks were so high on the Cleveland Cavaliers earlier in the season. Some even went as far as saying that the Cavs were headed for a Top 4 finish in the Eastern Conference. That obviously did not come to fruition, and ultimately, this team wasn’t even able to do enough to get into the playoffs.
Cavs star Darius Garland admits that his team’s fall from grace was something that he took hard. As a matter of fact, he’s still struggling to accept his team’s fate to this very day (h/t Chris Fedor of cleveland.com):
Garland said he hasn’t yet processed the Cavs’ second-half collapse, which led to an earlier-than-expected ending. He didn’t even watch the first round of the playoffs.
“Just started watching in the second round,” Garland said. “It was tough. I had to regroup and get away from the game for a little bit.”
Needless to say, it was a difficult time for Garland, and right now, he still holds a lot of regret for what was supposed to be a very promising season.
The silver lining for the Cavs here is that their 2021-22 season was not a waste. We all saw how much potential this group possesses and while they may have failed this past season, this experience should only make them stronger for the years ahead.