Cleveland Cavaliers Don't Need a Higher Gear, They Need Stronger Control
While the Cleveland Cavaliers (41-15) were heavy favorites to capture the Eastern Conference crown this season, it hasn't been the smooth path most envisioned.
The Cavs have held the top spot in the East since early November but are far from clinching a regular-season title. More concerns may arrive come playoff time, as the long-perceived weakest conference has become surprisingly talented and deep.
Teams like the Boston Celtics (34-25), Indiana Pacers (31-26) and Charlotte Hornets (29-27) are all exceeding expectations, keeping pace with the traditional powers in Toronto, Atlanta, Chicago and Miami.
Over the final month-and-a-half, Cleveland needs to establish itself as the dominant power of the East while carrying momentum into a potentially dangerous postseason.
Forming an Identity
The Cavaliers are 11-4 since Tyronn Lue took over as head coach but have failed to demonstrate any sort of consistent dominance.
Cleveland recently enjoyed its two best wins of the season, beating the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder, but also fell flat against the middling Detroit Pistons and Hornets.
Over those same 15 games, seven other teams have an identical record or better, including two (Boston, 11-4 and Toronto, 12-3) in the East.
The Cavs have been good, sure, but far from Finals worthy. As with most things, LeBron James has preached patience.
"With the coaching change we need a little more time to put in the new system," James said recently.
"It’s not a huge system. It’s not like we scrapped everything. There’s certain things that coach Lue wants to run that we haven’t run in the past. There’s certain things that coach Longa (Mike Longabardi) wants to do on the defensive end that we haven’t, so we have to be patient with that."
Lue pledged to increase the Cavs' 26th-ranked pace when he took over on Jan. 22, but to this point, not much has changed.
Cleveland is actually averaging fewer possessions per 48 minutes (95.05 to 95.76) with Lue as coach, dropping to 28th in the NBA.
"It’s still a process, ongoing," James said. "He wants us to play with tempo. But when we don’t have it he wants us to execute to our secondary and thirdary. Get the ball moving side to side. It’s something we need to break the habit of, not playing on the strong side so much. If we don’t have anything, just get it moving. We haven’t had much time to practice. Every film session and every game will be able to help us."
For the Cavaliers to truly gain momentum heading into the playoffs, they don't necessarily need to play at a league-leading pace but rather prove they can control the flow of the game.
Remember that it was in Games 2 and 3 of last year's NBA Finals that Cleveland took down Golden State by grinding out possession by possession. If the Warriors missed a shot, they had to wait quite a while for a second chance thanks to the Cavaliers' slow-it-down approach.
Likely playoff teams in the East play at a variety of speeds, and Cleveland needs to be able to match up and conquer each unique style.
Who to Watch Out For
The East may not be as top-heavy as the Western Conference this season, but it's far deeper.
Last year, six of the 15 teams in the East finished with a .500 record or better. Currently, nine teams can make that claim. If the playoffs started today, the Cavs would face the Hornets, who they've already lost to once this season.
Here's Cleveland's record against some other potential postseason opponents to date:
| Atlanta Hawks | 1-0 | 109.0 | 97.0 | +12.0 |
| Boston Celtics | 1-1 | 96.0 | 90.5 | +5.5 |
| Chicago Bulls | 1-2 | 94.7 | 96.0 | -1.3 |
| Indiana Pacers | 2-0 | 106.0 | 101.5 | +4.5 |
| Miami Heat | 1-1 | 93.0 | 95.5 | -2.5 |
| Toronto Raptors | 1-1 | 110.5 | 101.5 | +9.0 |
Chicago would be a tough first-round opponent if healthy, as the Bulls were the only team to beat the Cavs at all in the first three playoff rounds last year.
Cleveland has already lost to them twice, although in unique fashion. The first meeting was the season's opening game, and the second was Lue's first game after David Blatt was fired just a day before. The Bulls have ranked near the top of the league in defensive field-goal percentage for years and are first in the NBA this season at 43.3 percent.
Miami, Atlanta and Indiana are all good defensive teams as well. Cleveland's surprisingly low scoring average against the Heat can be contributed to James' rest against his former squad on Dec. 5, a game where the Cavs mustered just 84 points.
The Hawks and Pacers are formidable opponents but nothing the Cavaliers couldn't take care of in five or six games.
The one team Cleveland should truly fear hails from up north. Way up north.
Toronto has not only knocked off the Cavs once this year (103-99 on Nov. 25) but is within striking distance of winning the East altogether. At 38-18 heading into a Feb. 26 meeting with Cleveland, the Raptors are just three games back in the conference standings.
Since losing to the Cavaliers on Jan. 4, Toronto has reeled off a sparkling 17-3 over its past 20 games. It has a net rating of plus-8.0 over this time, compared to the Cavs' plus-6.6.
Led by DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, the Raptors are deep, well-rounded and rank in the top 10 in both offensive and defensive rating.
While many teams may pose a threat in a seven-game series, only the Raptors can spoil Cleveland's conference title.
Health, Chemistry and a Nasty Schedule
Whether it be injuries, guys needing rest or bedbugs at the Hilton, Cleveland needs to persevere over the last six weeks.
"Continue to push. Continue to push. Knock down this wall and get ready for what's ahead and what's to come," Irving said recently of his remaining plans. "The last 30 games are really important for us finding our chemistry going into the playoffs."
The chemistry Irving speaks of needs to pulsate throughout the locker room and coaching staff, especially for Lue, who's being forced to learn his new job on the fly.
"I'm learning. I'm picking it up and, like I said, we need to continue to find stuff that works for us," Lue said. "We can't worry about what's going on on the outside, we just have to worry about what works for us and what this team needs to be successful. We've got to keep getting better. That includes me also."
The schedule will do Cleveland no favors, as it plays 14 of its remaining 26 games away from Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavs have benefited from the NBA's sixth-easiest schedule to date but face some tough challenges in the East moving forward.
Cleveland will travel to Toronto, Miami, Chicago, Atlanta, Washington and Indiana before the season wraps up. A final trip out West with stops in Los Angeles (Clippers and Lakers), Utah and Sacramento looms as well.
Establishing chemistry, gaining momentum and capturing the Eastern crown should be the Cavaliers' main goals over the next six weeks heading into a potentially franchise-changing postseason.
Greg Swartz is the Cleveland Cavaliers lead writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @CavsGregBR.
All quotes obtained originally. Stats via Basketball-Reference.com and are accurate as of Feb. 25 unless otherwise noted.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
