Kendrick Perkins reveals what Cavs need to do to earn NBA respect

The Cleveland Cavaliers are a dominant 45-10 and own a five and a half game lead over the defending Boston Celtics for first place in the Eastern Conference. Donovan Mitchell remains the top guy in town, but Darius Garland and Evan Mobley are also carrying a large share of the offensive responsibilities. Jarrett Allen continues to be one of the most underrated players in the NBA, and trade acquisition De’Andre Hunter is the Cavs’ potential missing link.

Coach of the Year favorite Kenny Atkinson has expertly accentuated the strengths of an already talented squad and perfectly melded the components together. President of basketball operations Koby Altman wisely addressed the Cavaliers’ weakness versus the Celtics and acquired Hunter to slow down Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in the playoffs. This franchise is firing on all cylinders, mapping out a championship-worthy blueprint.

But until Cleveland puts it into effect in the postseason, many fans will remain skeptical. NBA champion and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins does not have sympathy for the Cavs. He will not crown them before seeing concrete postseason proof that they are indeed the next king of the NBA.

“They haven’t earned respect,” Perkins said on NBA Countdown. “And name me a time when a Donovan Mitchell-led team has reached the NBA Finals or the Conference Finals. The month of Neveruary. It’s never happened. Respect is earned, not given. I get that they have the best record, they have to go out and prove it. Do they have the personnel to get it done? Absolutely, but again it’s just like the Oklahoma City Thunder, they got to show it.”

Can the Cavs prove the pundits wrong on the big stage?

The Stephen Curry-Klay Thompson-Draymond Green Golden State Warriors dealt with a similar narrative before winning their first championship. They grabbed the No. 1 seed and lived up to it in the 2015 playoffs. The rest is history. Boston pushed past an avalanche of public cynicism and essentially cruised to the title last season. Cleveland and OKC are each trying to do the same thing this year.

There is more pressure on the Cavaliers, however. They were unceremoniously bounced by the New York Knicks two years ago and needed seven games to dispatch of the young Orlando Magic in 2024. It is time to take a significant jump forward.

Donovan Mitchell must successfully withstand the enormous burden of leading a franchise to the Finals. Yes, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen and a formidable supporting cast are all vitally important, but the six-time All-Star is the No. 1 option. He has to act like it all the way until the end.

Mitchell is averaging 24.0 points, 4.8 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals per contest while also shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 39.0 percent from 3-point range. If he can maintain that production in the postseason, and receive sufficient support, then the drop-off that so many are waiting for will probably not come.

The Cavs are focused on fine-tuning their process for the playoffs. They cannot concern themselves with external respect, or lack thereof.