There is simply no stopping the Cleveland Cavaliers; despite being without Donovan Mitchell on Tuesday night in their clash against the Brooklyn Nets, the Cavs pulled off a fourth quarter comeback, coming from a deficit that grew as big as 18 points to take a 109-104 win at home. This latest victory moved the Cavs to 55-10 on the year — a record that screams of their worthiness to be considered a legitimate title contender this year.
The Cavs have already accomplished a ton this season, although of course, they have their sights set on winning the Larry O’Brien trophy. Nonetheless, their latest achievement is a good omen of what’s to come for them; with their most recent win, they have secured the Central Division crown, their first time doing so since LeBron James’ last season with the team in 2018.
When James’ name is mentioned, nothing but good memories pop up for Cavs fans; after all, the team was at its most successful when the King was in town. Regardless, the Cavs have shown that they are as good as they can get in the post-LeBron era, and perhaps a trip to the NBA Finals — at minimum — is at store for them amid a brilliant season.
It’s imperative for contending teams to find a way to get the job done even when the circumstances aren’t at their most ideal. This was certainly the case for the Cavs on Tuesday night against the Nets. Darius Garland was not having his best shooting night, and then he popped off for 18 of his 30 points on the night in the final period to will the league’s best team (record-wise) to victory lane.
The goal now for the Cavs, of course, is to stay the course and maintain their focus in the coming months and, perhaps most importantly, stay healthy.
Cavs’ post-LeBron James rebuild is bearing fruit
© David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
It’s safe to say that the Cavs’ rebuilding efforts in the aftermath of LeBron James’ second departure are bearing fruit. They drafted Darius Garland in 2019, acquired Jarrett Allen in the James Harden trade back in 2021, selected Evan Mobley in the 2021 NBA Draft, and finally, traded away Lauri Markkanen, a free agent signing, and Collin Sexton, a lottery pick in 2018, for Donovan Mitchell in 2022 — assembling their core four in the process.
Since then, they have hit on their moves on the margins. They acquired De’Andre Hunter in a brilliant trade, signed Max Strus to diversify their offense, and then signed Ty Jerome off the scrap heap. Their team is as deep as ever, and under head coach Kenny Atkinson, they definitely have all the makings of a championship-winning team.
“Cavs are going to the finals I promise you,” X user @HandsomeKev29 wrote.
“IMAGINE CAVS WINNING FINALS WITHOUT LEBRON 👀🔥,” @JxmmyOnX added.
“Everyone keeps calling the Cavs a classic regular season team like the 15 Hawks, who wins 60 games and has no shot at the title. That’s all well and good, except they’re on pace for 69 wins. Since the merger, 5 teams have won more than 67 games. All 5 made the Finals,” @StephenRStone furthered.
