The Cleveland Cavaliers looked like a shadow of what experts and fans expected them to be when they opened the season with a 5-7 record. Then they rolled out eight straight wins over the last two weeks to improve to 13-7 and silence their critics. The Cavaliers have a lot of work to do to get to the level of a legitimate NBA title contender but they have closed the gap behind the top teams in the Eastern Conference.
They’ve also shown signs they could end up being a very real threat. The consistency in their effort, development of their team chemistry, and the leadership of LeBron are the three biggest reasons for Cleveland turning things around and are proving they have what it takes to be the real contender everyone thought they’d be this season.
Nothing Major…Just Adjusting To The New System
While there are a number of keys that experts can point to the biggest reason for the Cavaliers turnaround has been the consistency in their effort as they have brought it every night for the last two weeks. Part of the problem early on was the fact that the players were learning a new system under head coach Dave Blatt, which resulted in an obvious transition period they had to go through and the other part could have been the fact that players were waiting on other players to step up rather than taking control on their own.
You can see that in their offense as they’ve averaged 106.1 points per game in their last eight. In that same span, their defense has tightened up too as their opponents have only gone past 101 points once in that span.
That has changed as they have become more comfortable in their system and the consistency in Cleveland’s team effort on a nightly basis has been a big reason for their turnaround over the past couple of weeks.
Team Chemistry
Another aspect of the Cavaliers recent success is the team chemistry that has developed. With so many new pieces being brought together this past offseason in Cleveland there was bound to be a transition period as they came together. Kyrie Irving has had to accept his new role in the offense and the fact that he has and has really turned up his defensive play is an example of the change that has taken place. Kevin Love has done a better job of picking his spots at the offense end of the floor while key role players like Tristan Thompson and Anderson Varejao have been excellent.
Dion Waiters and James Jones have both been very good off the bench and Mike Miller’s eventual return from a concussion will make the bench that much more dangerous. The Cavaliers still have a lot of work to do as they continue to develop as a team but chemistry has been a big reason for their marked improvement over the past couple of weeks.
Leadership From LeBron
The final key to Cleveland’s turnaround the past couple of weeks has been the leadership of LeBron and his assertiveness as he has become more comfortable. Even the casual fan knew from the outset that there was a level of pressure on LeBron to deliver from the outset but it’s obvious there had to be a transition period as he adjusted to new teammates and a different life back home in Ohio. LeBron has looked much more like the superstar we have become accustomed to seeing over these past couple of weeks and that has sent a message to critics not to overlook how dominant he can be just yet.
With him leading the way and the team chemistry has started to improve, the Cavs have played the way we expected. We all know they have the talent to be a true contender this season and now that they’ve figured things out, they should only get better as they continue to develop and forge an identity as a team with LeBron leading the way as expected.
