There is tremendous excitement in Cleveland about the revamped Cavaliers. They went from a team that appeared would be lucky to win one series in the Eastern Conference playoffs to the favorite again for many experts.
The Cavs still have the best player in the league in LeBron James, and eventually Kevin Love will return to the lineup, giving Tyronn Lue another scorer and three point shooting threat.
The wine and gold have now surrounded James with a cadre of three point marksmen, players like Rodney Hood, JR Smith, George Hill, Kyle Korver, along with Love. All of them are shooting over 35% from behind the arc this season.
Those shooters provide driving lanes for Jordan Clarkson, Cedi Osman, and James to draw defenders so those shooters can get wide open looks.
Talk about success in the playoffs though is premature because outside of Hill, the newest Cavaliers have limited experience in the post-season.
In fact, Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. have never been in the playoffs, nor has Osman, who is a rookie.
Hood played 11 games last season, averaging 8.9 points and shooting 35.2%, (26% from three) from the floor, compared to his regular season numbers of 12.7 points per game, and shooting percentages of 40.8% and 37.1% from distance.
It’s a different game in the post-season because opponents prepare for what you do well, and trying to take it away.
This isn’t to say Hood won’t make adjustments or won’t learn from his experience a year ago and be better. Nor does it mean Clarkson and Nance’s performance will drop from the regular season because it is their first shot in the playoffs.
One thing in the Cavs’ favor is their major competition in the East isn’t exactly overflowing with post-season experience. Boston has Jaylen Brown, who wasn’t a featured performer a year ago (12 minutes per night), and Jayson Tatum, who is a rookie.
Toronto has more experience, but their bench, which has received glowing reviews for their success this year, doesn’t.
Plus, the Raptors and Celtics still have the same issue they have had over the past three seasons: They have no one to match up with LeBron James.
We understand finding players to can slow down James isn’t easy, but you need guys with size and experience. Young players who haven’t done it before have issues matching up to the speed and strength of playoff LeBron.
Don’t forget, the Cavs still have players who have been through the playoff wars with three straight trips to The Finals in Love, Smith, and Tristan Thompson, and Hill, who has played in 83 playoff games, making two appearances in the conference finals.
Hopefully, they can show the new guys the ropes, like James did in his first year back in Cleveland, when really only he and Smith had playoff experience among the guys getting the most playing time.
By the time they get to the conference finals, we will know how the newest Cavs have responded to the post-season. More importantly, Lue and James will know who they can trust during these important games.
Getting to the playoffs is a first step, and securing a good seed helps too, although home court isn’t as critical to the Cavs with James leading the way.
The newest Cavs will help with both of those things, but until we see Hood, Nance, Clarkson, and Osman play effectively in the playoffs, there will be some hesitation in believing the wine and gold can get back to The Finals.
JK
Cleveland Sports Perspective 