The Cleveland Cavaliers are in Miami tonight looking for a sweep of a three game road trip that has so far netted wins over Memphis and San Antonio. The wine and gold are currently sitting in the five spot in the Eastern Conference, a ½ game behind Wednesday’s opponent, the Washington Wizards, and 2-1/2 behind Orlando for the third seed. Despite a 21-18 record currently, the Cavs might be the team no one wants to face in the playoffs. Why? Look no further than #23.
LeBron James isn’t averaging a triple double as Oscar Robertson did in 1962-63, but he’s as close as anyone has come since The Big O. He leads the NBA in scoring at 29.7 points, and is dishing out 7.4 assists and grabbing 7.8 rebounds per night. He also leads the league in fourth quarter scoring at almost 10 a contest. He’s developed the closer mentality that fans have looked for since the comparisons to Michael Jordan started in his rookie year.
When the playoffs start, the Cavaliers have a fighting chance no matter whom they play because they have the best player on the floor. What Mike Brown will do is try to keep the game close, and then win it in the fourth quarter because teams cannot match up with LeBron. He is really “The Diff”, not the number on the scoreboard at Quicken Loans Arena.
It’s not like The King doesn’t have any help, either. I complained as much as anyone about Anderson Varajao’s holdout, and even suggested Danny Ferry deal him. However, it looks like the Brazilian mop top is indispensable to this team. He rebounds, defends, plays with energy, and has improved his offense enough to be a threat on that end of the floor. He obviously wasn’t just lying on the beach while his teammates were going through camp.
Also, Daniel Gibson has emerged as James’ sniper from outside. If an opponent closes on #23 as he goes to the basket, they face the prospect of an open three point shot from Gibson. And as often as not, the ball goes into the basket. His maturity and work ethic have allowed him to be a very important player in just his second year in the association. When he gets better at handling the ball, and can penetrate to the basket more, he could be a big time scorer in the NBA.
When people asked me about the Boston Celtics in December, I told them to keep one thing in mind. It is better to be the best team in April and May, than in December and January. The Cleveland Cavaliers are getting better by the month. And with three of their best four players being under 25 years of age, they will continue to improve. When the playoffs arrive, no one will want to face this team, especially with the best player in the game.
JK
Cleveland Sports Perspective 