It’s a new dawn for the Cleveland Cavaliers as soon as the new players entered the team’s locker room. The wins over the Boston Celtics, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Memphis Grizzlies were the best that the revamped Cavs could offer so far.
The loss to the Washington Wizards and, on Sunday, to the San Antonio Spurs showed the worst of what the team could become.
But it’s still far from what the Cavs were prior to the trade deadline. The defense has improved and the offense, though sputtering at times, has greatly improved as well.
And LeBron James loves what he’s seeing from this team that he’s leading to the playoffs.
Tom Withers of the Associated Press posted James’ thoughts on his team despite the loss.
“We’re going to have game[s] where we look great and we’re going to have games where we don’t. … But I don’t fault our effort. “
According to advanced stats from NBA.com, over the past five games, since the newbies played, the Cavs are seventh in defensive rating at 102.9. That’s a huge leap from being 29th in the league for the season.
George Hill, Jordan Clarkson, Rodney Hood, and Larry Nance Jr. have certainly contributed mightily to the team’s quick turnaround.
James had 33 points, 13 rebounds, and 9 assists but needed help from the rest of the starters who only had a combined 14 points. The Cavs are now 3-2 since the roster was overhauled to make way for a younger, more athletic team.
There are going to be ups and downs for this team but there’s more optimism for the Cavs now than before the recent trades.
