The Believe-land Cavaliers are the surprise of the season
CLEVELAND, Ohio (BVM) – If you said that the Cleveland Cavaliers would be in the conversation for a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference right before the NBA All-star break, most fans would have laughed in your face. Nevertheless, the Cavaliers are sitting pretty with a 35-23 record.
Behind the play of all-stars Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen, the Cavaliers are defying the odds. Garland is averaging a career-high in points (20.3) and assists (8.0), while running an offense anchored by Allen. Allen is averaging career highs in points (16.2) and rebounds (11.0).
The Eastern Conference has performed much better this season as opposed to previous years. Even with the uptick in wins, they were not expected to keep up with the juggernauts in the conference given their injury troubles this year. Starter Colin Sexton is out for the season with a knee injury he suffered in mid-November. Ricky Rubio was having a career year as a key contributor for the Cavaliers, averaging a career-high in points (13.1). However, he suffered a knee injury at the end of 2021 and was subsequently traded to the Pacers. Currently, Lauri Markkanen is out for a week with an ankle injury.
To make up for these losses, a number of other players have stepped up. Rookie standout Evan Mobley has arguably been the best first-year player in the NBA this year, averaging 14.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks while being an absolute anchor on the defensive end for the Cavaliers.
A number of players have taken on reduced roles for the prosperity of the team. Former superstar Kevin Love has agreed to come off of the bench, while still putting up noticeable numbers with 14.2 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.
Cleveland has made trades to bolster their roster. They traded for veteran point guard Rajon Rondo in early January. At the trade deadline, they also acquired scoring wing Caris Levert from the Indiana Pacers. Levert agreed to take on a reduced role off the bench to anchor the second unit in scoring.
Cleveland has not been a quality team in the NBA without superstar LeBron James since the mid-1990s. However, this season they are outperforming all expectations. If they continue to play at this level, they will have home-court advantage in the playoffs. Cleveland is 18-9 at home, which ranks them amongst the best teams in the NBA on their own court. Nevertheless, they will be a force to be reckoned with come April in the playoffs.
