Cleveland Cavaliers' Quest for Redemption Has Zero Margin for Error
Less than 10 months ago, the Cleveland Cavaliers solemnly walked to their locker room after suffering a devastating Game 6 loss to the Golden State Warriors.
This pain was only amplified by the sounds of their nemesis celebrating with unbridled joy on the Cavaliers' floor. A championship was finally won in Cleveland, but not by the hometown team.
This knife-in-the-back feeling was only twisted further when realizing who wasn't out there. While Golden State rolled out wave after wave of talented depth at every position, the Cavs' failure to field adequate replacements for the injured Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love ultimately contributed to their demise.
Nearly a year later, Cleveland gets a second chance. Irving is healthy. Love is ready to go. LeBron James has been locked in for weeks. The pain of last summer can potentially be forgotten.
Yet, even if all their in-house potential is unlocked, the Cavaliers will need to be darn near perfect to have any hope of redemption.
The Other Two
Cleveland's unofficial theme coming into the season was "Unfinished Business." It was the title of Love's article on The Players' Tribune when he announced his decision to re-sign and a mantra others on the team would adopt as well.
"After Game 1 of the NBA Finals, that's when it really struck me. Sitting on the sidelines, I never wanted to play in a game more than that one," Love wrote. "I had dreamed of playing in the NBA Finals, and I just wanted to help my guys win. I couldn't have been prouder of them as they poured their blood, sweat and tears onto the court."
| Love | 18.3 | 9.3 | 2.5 | 43.6 | 47.6 | +9.5 |
| Irving | 21.4 | 3.8 | 6.4 | 42.1 | 42.3 | +3.1 |
After all the drama surrounding Love and the Cavs last season, it was then, helplessly watching the Finals, where the three-time All-Star decided he needed to come back.
For Irving, who's already suffered through a plethora of injuries in his short career, the one on the NBA's biggest stage was most devastating. His return wouldn't come until sixth months later, nearly nine weeks into the 2015-16 regular season.
Statistically, Love had a typical year. He averaged 16.0 points, 9.9 rebounds and chipped in 2.4 assists. His shooting numbers left much to be desired with a 41.9 percent success rate from the field and 36.0 percent from three.
Irving, while trying to recover from surgery and work his way back into game shape, finished with a mediocre (by his standards) 19.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists. His three-point shooting took the biggest hit, from a team-best 41.5 percent a season ago to just 32.1 percent now.
It's their averages in April, however, that should inspire hope for a championship run.
"Getting a taste was a lot different," Love said of his first postseason, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
"I had to calm myself down, slow myself down a little bit because you get into a game even at home for us playing in front of the fans at The Q, you want to speed up, you want to do so well, so fast. You got to remind yourself that it's a 48-minute game. I think for us here, we have guys that have been through it, know what to expect and are ready for this battle."
The Cavs not only need extensive offensive production from their duo, but they also need to play at least respectable defense on the deadly pick-and-roll combo of Steph Curry and Draymond Green should both teams reach the Finals.
Love struggled mightily earlier this year when trying to cover the smaller, quicker Green, to the point where Cleveland may be forced to bench its starting power forward.
While Love and Irving weren't around to help James in the Finals last season, the Cavs will need consistent two-way production from both to have a chance.
One Time
James and this core should still have four to five years remaining in their title window, yet this could be their best chance at a championship.
James, 31, is in fantastic physical condition. With a player of his mileage, this can't be taken for granted.
The team around him is also fairly healthy, save for non-serious injuries to Mo Williams' and Iman Shumpert's knees. Love and Irving have upped their games, while Tristan Thompson, Matthew Dellavedova, J.R. Smith and Channing Frye are coming off strong regular seasons.
Dellavedova is confident Cleveland recognizes this opportunity thanks in part to its veterans and admits he's already learned about seizing opportunity while it's there.
"Yeah, especially Champ [James Jones], it's something he's talked about. Mo [Williams] talked about you don't always get the chance to be on a team like this so you have to make the most of it," Dellavedova told Bleacher Report.
"It's like, for example, my first year in college [at St. Mary's] we went to the Sweet 16. After that I'm thinking, oh man, we've got to just keep improving and go for the national championship. I didn't understand after that first year how hard it actually was to first get in the tournament and then win games. You have to definitely make the most of each opportunity because you never know when the next one will come around."
Even with the Warriors enjoying a historic regular season, expectations for the Cavaliers are high. Cleveland is the overwhelming favorite to win the Eastern Conference again and will have a much easier path than its West counterpart.
With so many eyes on the Cavs to begin the playoffs, Dellavedova was quick to recall no one cares more than those who are actually putting on the jerseys.
"It's not so much the external expectation, it's more the internal expectations of the team and coaches and people on the inside," Dellavedova told B/R.
"You want to have those aspirations and goals because that obviously means you've got a good team and a good chance of doing it [winning a title]. I think you have to welcome that and make the most of it because, you know, it's not always going to be like that. Whether you're on this team or another team, who knows what happens in two, three, four, five, six years? So you have to make the most of right now and do what you can."
Cleveland may never have an easier road through the conference, a healthier roster or a better core.
Golden State will still be the heavy favorite should they meet again—and for good reason. The Warriors won 16 more games, swept the season series in dominant fashion and boast the No. 1 scoring offense in the association.
The Cavaliers must lock in and find the ultra-consistent focus that wavered through the regular season. Returning to the Finals will require taking advantage of opportunities, heroic efforts from the Big Three and lots of luck along the way.
That will buy a chance to once again walk off their home floor at the conclusion of the NBA Finals...this time with a different result.
Greg Swartz is the Cleveland Cavaliers' Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @CavsGregBR.
All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Stats via Basketball-Reference.com unless otherwise sourced.
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