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| (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) |
One week ago, I contended that the Cleveland Cavaliers
should still be considered the favorites in the Eastern Conference Semifinals
despite the loss of Kevin Love to season-ending shoulder surgery and J.R.
Smith’s looming two-game suspension.
I maintain that point of view today. In fact, I’ve never
felt more confident.
Yesterday, the Cavaliers defeated the Chicago Bulls 86-84
after LeBron James hit a buzzer-beating jumper from the left corner. It was a
nice reversal of fortunate for James who struggled throughout the contest,
going 10-of-30 from the field — yes, he took 30 shots — while also committing eight turnovers.
More importantly, it was sweet revenge for the Cavaliers,
which lost in similar fashion on Friday after Derrick Rose make a circus-style
three-pointer as time expired to lift the Bulls to a 99-96 victory.
The important thing is that with their victory on Sunday,
the Cavaliers once again own home-court advantage. For all intents and
purposes, the series now becomes a new three-game series, and two of those
three games will be played in Cleveland. The importance of that cannot be
overstated.
This series has not been pretty. Game one saw the Bulls
outrebound, outdefend and outclass the Cavaliers in every facet of the game.
Sure, the score says the Cavaliers lost 99-92, but that’s not an accurate
enough reflection of just how lopsided the game was.
The Cavaliers returned the favor in game two, winning 106-91
and embarrassing the Bulls along the way. With four Cavaliers scoring at least
15 points, it might have been the team’s most impressive postseason performance
thus far.
But then things got interesting. Games three and four were
gritty, defensive, even ugly at times, but that’s what made them so fun. Say
what will about the series against Boston, but that was meant to just whet our
appetites. We can all now collectively agree that playoff basketball is
officially back in Cleveland, and what a beautiful thing it is. It’s here to
stay, too.
Say what you will about the team’s effort in games three and
four but one thing that cannot be argued is this: Kyrie Irving and James had
abysmal shooting performances in both contests. Can you believe that Irving has
gone a combined 5-of-23 in the two games? What about James, who has combined to
go 18-of-55 over that span. Aren’t these two of the greatest basketball players
in the world?
That’s a rhetorical question, so I’ll offer another one for
you. Can this type of poor shooting possibly last?
Even with Irving nursing a foot injury, one has to expect
that he and James will eventually begin to perform better from the field. The
fact that the Cavaliers nearly went 2-0 in Chicago with these performances from
Irving and James is a great sign for this team’s future. It’s also reflective
of how it’s been a total team effort for the Cavaliers up to this point.
Consider Tristan Thompson. With the addition of Love this
season, Thompson’s role was significantly reduced, but you wouldn’t know it
now. He’s been an absolute beast on the glass this series, going toe-to-toe
with Joakim Noah despite giving up a couple inches.
What about Matthew Dellavedova? Remember when there was so
much chatter about how this team still needed a backup point guard? Hell, I’m
guilty of writing a column on that very topic just a few short months ago. Yet
how efficient has the scrappy Australian been this series? He’s giving the
Cavaliers quality minutes every time he enters a contest, and it’s clear that
his teammates are quickly gaining more faith in his abilities.
Timofey Mozgov has been impressive as well. With six points
and five rebounds in the fourth quarter yesterday, he was one of the central
cogs that made the Cavaliers machine work. With James and Irving struggling to
score, it was crucial that someone pick up the slack, and Mozgov’s 15 points
did just that.
Of course, we can’t forget about J.R. Smith. Now thrust into
a new role as the sixth man, Smith has excelled in his first two games in the
series, shooting 7-of-14 from beyond the arch. On both Friday and yesterday,
there were multiple occasions where he made a big shot to keep the Cavaliers
alive.
Here’s some food for thought. Smith has made plenty of big
shots already with the crowd against him, but what happens when the crowd is on
his side? Just think of Smith draining a three-pointer as a deafening crowd at
Quicken Loans Arena cheers him on. Nothing gets into a team’s psyche more than
these type of moments, and the Cavaliers are likely hoping for that type of performance
from Smith on Tuesday.
Above all else, this team will always stand a chance as long
as they have No. 23 on their team. It’s funny, very few players can be
considered a game’s hero after shooting 10-of-30, but that’s exactly what James
was on Sunday. Remember how you felt on Friday as you stared at your television
screen when Rose drained that three-point shot? That’s exactly how Chicago fans
felt yesterday, but worse — James did it in their house.
Admit it. After Rose’s shot on Friday, you thought, “Well,
this series is over. This is typical Cleveland.” Except that’s where you’re
wrong. Nothing about this past year has been typical for Cleveland. Remember,
LeBron James came home.
This isn’t your father’s Cleveland. It’s not your
grandfather’s either. Few teams can come back from a loss like Friday’s and
then put together a gutsy performance like we saw yesterday.
In fact, only one type of team is capable of that: a
championship-caliber team. You do the math.
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