Cleveland fans are funny. They want their teams to win, because they have suffered through a ton of losing over the years. However, once they start winning, they still aren’t satisfied, they want quality wins, they want wins playing the correct way. That’s the lot of the Cleveland Cavaliers. They are tied with the Lakers for the best record in the NBA at 53-13, but still, many fans aren’t satisfied.
It is no secret that the wine and gold have a record of 1-5 against Los Angeles, Boston, and Orlando, the other teams that make up the top four records in the league. Whether or not this means anything once the playoffs arrive is another topic all together. I can tell you that of the six games played against these three teams, only two (a win vs. Boston, and a loss vs. LA) have been played at the Q, where the Cavaliers are currently 29-1.
Mike Brown wasn’t happy with his team’s defense on the West Coast road trip that saw the wine and gold give up over 100 points twice, and have to come from behind in all three games. He has a right to be unhappy because he knows that defense is his team’s ticket to an NBA title. Secretly, however, he is smiling because his team did what it had to do to get a win. That’s the mark of a championship team.
The most important thing is to get the win, would anyone really like the Cavs to play poor defense and lose? Of course not. It shows something about the resolve of LeBron James and Mo Williams that this team has a “refuse to lose” mentality. That mental toughness is needed come playoff time.
Boston beat Cleveland without Kevin Garnett at home, but overall, they have struggled with all their aches and pains. Orlando had problems initially when Jameer Nelson was injured. The Cavs? They keep on rolling along, no matter what gets thrown at them.
The Cavs now have seven of their next eight games at home, and virtually the only tough road game remaining on the slate is at Orlando. Brown made an immediate adjustment for the defensive problems that plagued the team on the left coast. He benched Daniel Gibson, who became a turnstile in recent weeks, allowing his man a free pass to the basket. He also gave Darnell Jackson minutes as the fourth big man in the rotation replacing J.J. Hickson.
The moves appeared to have some impact because the Cavs held the run and gun Knicks under 100 points for the first time in 26 games. It was definitely a big improvement over the last two games against Phoenix and Sacramento, two squads that play a similar style to New York. With Orlando visiting the Q tomorrow night, the defensive improvement was needed.
The Cavs now enjoy a 3-1/2 game bulge over Boston for the best record in the Eastern Conference, and a 4 game lead over Orlando. If the Cavs go just 10-6 the rest of the season, the Celtics would have to go 13-2 to have a better record than Cleveland. They are capable of that, but it is unlikely, probably as unlikely as the wine and gold going just 10-6 in those games, considering eleven of those games will be at home.
The Cavaliers have put themselves in an outstanding position heading into the last sixteen games on the schedule. The only things to keep an eye on now are the interior defensive improvement, if Ben Wallace returns, that will help, and getting rest for their prime players (James, Williams, Delonte West, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas).
Those are the most important goals for the wine and gold with home court advantage in the East pretty much sewed up.
MW
Cleveland Sports Perspective 