The 2015-16 Cleveland Cavaliers have been called many different things throughout the year. “Disjointed,” “inconsistent” and “frustrating” have all been popular terms to throw around about a team which is sitting atop the Eastern Conference despite an unnecessary flair for the dramatic. The Cavs’ seeding really hasn’t been one of the key talking points in a season full of fired coaches, cryptic tweets and random losses to lesser teams.
Last night, though, a new phrase was used to describe this Cleveland club, one which hasn’t been uttered since before the year started.
“Team to beat.”
This is how guard Kyrie Irving described the Cavs after they blew out the Brooklyn Nets last night, avenging last week’s embarrassing loss to the same squad. For anyone who’s been following Cleveland all year, Irving’s comments definitely raised some eyebrows.
“We’re still to the team to beat honestly, regardless of what anybody else says,” Irving said. “I’ve got a lot more confidence than I think that anyone realizes in our team and what’s going on in our locker room.”
First of all, kudos to Irving for have such unshakable coolness despite a rocky season and, for him at least, a very traumatic week. Still, these comments seem a bit lofty. The Cavs may end up being the team to beat if they put together a deep playoff run. Right now, though, they still have a lot to prove if they want that label.
The problems with Cleveland have been present all season long, and until those are addressed, nobody will see this team as the one to look out for come the postseason.
The Cavs still have issues focusing on the task at hand, as you can tell whether or not they respect their opponent as early as tip-off. The defensive efforts have also seen a decline, and the players still seem mentally and emotionally soft.
These problems are obvious to both to fans and opposing teams. On paper, sure, the Cavs certainly look like titans. However, Irving might be one of the few people who think the Cleveland team which has taken the court this year is the one the rest of the NBA is gunning for.
To be fair, I get why he’d see it that way. As noted, the Cavs have dealt with so much insanity and off-court drama throughout the season, it really is quite a surprise they’re still a top seed. If you take half the chaos Cleveland has dealt with and apply it to the rest of the league, it’s tough to see many other clubs still being this close to grabbing home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.
Despite this, it’s difficult to believe this has other teams ignoring the on-pace-to-break-league-records Golden State Warriors. All due respect to the Cavs overcoming so many distractions throughout the year, but I’d like to think every team that makes the postseason is going to be keeping an eye on Golden State instead.
Again, Cleveland could end up being the team to beat as we get deeper into the playoffs. However, a blowout win against a very bad Nets team which was resting Brook Lopez isn’t going to change the current perspective.
As great as it is to hear how confident the Cavs are with their abilities, it’s going to take some more work before the rest of the league feels the same way.
