The Cavaliers (+3.5) weren’t supposed to be this good this season. They weren’t even supposed to be the best or second-best team in the Central Division. Those labels belonged to the defending champion Bucks and the new-look chic-pick Bulls, led by DeMar DeRozan. Fun basketball stories where young, well-balanced teams come out of nowhere are rare.
Let’s face the facts: Most often in the NBA, you either have a superstar, face-of-the-league, bonafide top-five player, or you don’t matter in the big picture. That player can shift games on a dime, by himself, and everyone else is left weeping.
Unfortunately, no one told the Cavaliers, who got their arguable (early) signature win of the year over those same defending champ, Bucks.
A 115-99 home victory where Milwaukee was never really within striking distance over a balanced and deep Cleveland squad. A clinch of at least a split of the season series between the two teams (currently 2-1 in the Cavs’ favor). Their ninth victory in their last 11 games. And, only a couple of games (30-19) behind for that vaunted Central Division’s first place where, as mentioned, Cleveland was supposed to be dead and buried.
At this point in the year, in late January, that’s significant. That’s something that furls your eyebrow and piques the ol’ interest.
What might have been even more impressive was that the Cavs managed to beat the Bucks with each of their best players, Giannis, Khris Middleton, and Jrue Holiday playing together.
Something that hasn’t happened often this year.
18-4* 😏 https://t.co/aXAoGLnTqb
— WaitingForNextYear (@WFNYCLE) January 27, 2022
How do the Cavs do it?
It’s simple. Lean on their point guard, their bigs, and a strong bench.
A top-five pick only two seasons ago, Darius Garland has been a revelation in his third year in the NBA. The Vanderbilt product is not only averaging almost 20 points a game (19.7), but he’s facilitating a well-balanced offense (eight assists per). He’s the perfect floor general and plus-shooter any good team would center their entire operation around.
Meanwhile, center Jarrett Allen is a young and quiet All-Star-level player as a direct complement. He averages a nightly double-double (16 points, 11 rebounds) and anchors the NBA’s third-best defense by efficiency (behind only the Warriors and Suns). Next to him, Evan Mobley, a rookie top-five pick, looks like a monster early in his career. Most young big men aren’t averaging 15 points and eight boards and making it look easy like Mobley does. He’s a consensus bet (-250) to win Rookie of the Year, and no one is remotely surprised.
Throw in a bench led by former championship team centerpiece Kevin Love (who had 25 against Milwaukee), among others, and you’ve got the makings of a squad that can throw any variety of lineups at the opposition.
If they’re smart, no one in the NBA will overlook these young-buck (pun not intended) Cavs anymore. If they do, they risk another slick pass from Garland zipping by their head, an Allen or Mobley block on their shot, or a smooth Love trey drained in their face.
These Cavaliers might not have a true superstar, but they’re deep, they’re young they’re hungry, and it might only be a matter of time on the former prospect.
Cleveland’s got themselves an actual NBA team. And the world is still spinning.
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