NBA PLAYOFFS
All eyes on James, Cavaliers
He knows magnitude of bringing home a title
Golden State in the Finals, but I’m not sure they would beat the Spurs, even Portland, Memphis or even the Clippers, to be honest with you,” said TNT analyst Charles Barkley, who hinted the Cavs or Chicago Bulls are favorites to come out of the East.
Nothing in the second week of January suggested the Cavaliers were headed toward the secondbest record in the East with a potential to win the conference championship and reach the NBA Finals.
That’s a reality today, as the Cavs get ready to play the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. Game 1 is Sunday in Cleveland (3 p.m. ET, ABC).
The Cavaliers’ season did a 180 in mid-January, shortly after general manager David Griffin engineered trades for J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert and Timofey Mozgov, giving the Cavs more scoring, defense and depth.
James’ two-week break in early January to heal lingering back and knee issues also factored into Cleveland’s much-improved play. James’ individual statistics weren’t any better in his final 40 games than they were in his first 29, but it’s clear the break was needed.
His explosiveness that was questioned early in the season returned, and Cleveland was a more efficient offensive and defensive team — especially offensively.
Since Jan. 15, the Cavaliers have the highest winning percentage (.791), the best offense (110.4 points per 100 possessions) and an improved defense at No. 13 in the NBA.
Of course, the postseason is much different from the regular season, and the Cavs head into the playoffs with zero playoff experience from Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, Matthew Dellavedova and first-year coach David Blatt.
How are they going to respond in late-game situations in a Game 6 or Game 7? There will be moments they’ve not experienced.
Blatt has worked through learning curves all season, from length of NBA games to rotations to dealing with the microscopic inspection of everything related to the Cavs. But for the most part, he has handled it quite well. He has coached in big games in Europe, but the NBA playoffs present another learning curve. He should do just fine.
Irving told USA TODAY Sports he loves the big stage, and he demonstrated he can handle it in last year’s FIBA World Cup when he helped Team USA to the championship and was named tournament MVP.
Barkley said playoff experience was overrated and he was not worried about Love.
It will be an intense classroom, and missteps are unavoidable. But the Cavaliers have the players to minimize crucial errors.
Besides James, it helps to have Smith, James Jones, Mike Miller, Shawn Marion and Brendan Haywood, all of whom have playoff experience, some of it extensive. Jones, Miller and Marion have won titles. There will be steady guidance on the court, on the bench and in the locker room.
But it all comes back to James, who returned home to play for the Cavaliers in a city that has not experienced a major pro sports title since 1964, when the Browns won the NFL championship.
James knows the magnitude of bringing home a title. At the start of the season, he told USA TODAY Sports helping the Cavs win a championship and giving the city a parade would be the greatest achievement of his NBA career.
“I’m so proud of him going back to Cleveland trying to win a championship,” Barkley said. “It’s must-see television to see if he’s able to get Cleveland over the hump. Everybody who’s a legitimate fan, who’s been a longtime fan of a small-market team, that will be great. ... Cleveland is such a wonderful city. And if he’s able to bring a championship there, it’d be amazing. It’d be one of the coolest things I’ve seen in my 30 years in the NBA.”
Cleveland is a ways away from that, so expect James to downplay that story line as he concentrates on each game and series.
James tried to temper expectations in the preseason and early in the season. That was a fine party line and, of course, there’s a big-picture plan that goes beyond this season, but the Cavaliers won 50 games with an impressive second half. They’re here with a reasonably strong chance to play in the Eastern finals.
The Cavaliers will rely James’ leadership, experience and play, as they should. And the way James plays the game, he has trust in his teammates to come through. He can score and be a willing facilitator, and sometimes he will do both in a way that makes him dominant.
“For the Cavaliers, LeBron has to play great for them to win. That’s just the way it is,” Barkley said.
James probably sees it another way. He understands he will have to play great in some games and at certain points of games. But he doesn’t need to be great all game, every game. Irving, Love, Smith, Mozgov, Thompson and Dellavedova need to contribute — Irving and Love in big ways at times, too.
It’s the trust and team effort James believes in.
James came back to try to deliver a championship. He never made promises, well aware how “not two, not three” was perceived before he played one game for the Miami Heat.
This is the moment James, the organization, fans, city and northeast Ohio have awaited. Championships have always felt so close in Cleveland. How close is one this year?