5 Reasons to Believe Cleveland Cavaliers Are Turning It Around
Never underestimate the power of the Arthur fist.
Since LeBron James expressed his "mood" online via PBS cartoon, the Cleveland Cavaliers have actually shown some signs of life. Because, of course.
The Cavs have won six of their last seven games, including five in a row. The offense, even without Isaiah Thomas, is a top-five unit in the NBA. The defense, well, hasn't been as terrible as of late, either.
As mentioned, Thomas is still rehabbing from a hip injury. Starting point guard Derrick Rose has missed the past six games with a sprained ankle and Tristan Thompson the previous nine with a strained calf.
Still, Cleveland keeps winning.
Yes, LeBron James has played a huge part, but it's been the Cavaliers' ability to tread water when he sits, and some other areas of strong play, that has them right back near the top of the Eastern Conference.
New Guys Getting Comfy
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Figuring out the best way to implement all the new bodies was always going to be one of head coach Tyronn Lue's toughest challenges this season.
Be it Isaiah Thomas, Dwyane Wade, Derrick Rose or Jae Crowder, these are veterans with a defined set of skills that all have enjoyed success elsewhere. Blending them with LeBron James, Kevin Love and company was always going to take time.
Wade was a disaster initially in the starting lineup. He and Rose combined to make up a backcourt that couldn't shoot and couldn't keep defenders in front of them. Not a great combo in today's NBA.
After putting up just 5.7 points on 28.0 percent shooting in three games as a starter, Wade has transitioned nicely to one of the staples of the second unit. Over his last eight games, Wade is averaging 12.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists on 40.5 percent shooting. He's become Cleveland's best playmaker next to James, showing a willingness to get others involved and be more selective with his own shots.
Jae Crowder will be one of the Cavaliers' most important players this postseason no matter if he's starting or coming off the bench. With Tristan Thompson out, Crowder has started the past nine games at power forward. He's up to 12.0 points and 4.2 rebounds during the Cavs' five-game winning streak, increasing his plus-minus from minus-3.9 before the streak to plus-3.8 during it.
Of course, there will be another adjustment for Crowder when Thompson returns, as a move back to the bench would seem likely. No matter when his number's called, Lue has to do his best to simplify Crowder's expansive role (playing and guarding two-to-three positions a night) and get him comfortable on both ends.
We know players like James and Love will produce. Getting improved contributions from guys like Wade and Crowder have certainly helped as well.
Improved Defensive Effort
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Cleveland's light schedule during its winning streak (Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, Charlotte Hornets, Los Angeles Clippers and Detroit Pistons) has helped improve its defensive numbers, but there's been a noticeable uptick in effort as well.
We've seen LeBron James answer the call in some late-game defensive situations, guarding bigger forwards like Kristaps Porzingis and Blake Griffin one-on-one.
"When he guards Porzingis like that late in games, or Blake, he gets up on 'em," Dwyane Wade said, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. "We don't have to help on the perimeter at all. We know he got 'em. So from there we've just got to rebound the ball, and from there we can get out and go."
As James goes, so do the Cavs. They turned the NBA's worst defensive rating through 12 games (113.0) into one ranked eighth overall (100.8 defensive rating) over their past five contests, per NBA.com.
Communication is slowly getting better, and players are taking individual challenges more seriously. Also, Derrick Rose hasn't played a minute.
One other major turnaround? The three-point line.
Cleveland was dead last in defending the three-ball during those first 12 games (13.6 opponent makes at a 41.1 percent clip). Over their last five, teams are making just 9.4 a night (sixth-best) and shooting a lowly 31.3 percent, the stingiest defensive mark in the league.
Don't expect this unit to ever reach a Boston Celtics-like level, but clearly the Cavaliers are proving they're far better than their early results showed.
Motivation Is Growing
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Only once in the past three years has Cleveland finished the regular season with the best record in the Eastern Conference, despite advancing to the Finals every time.
This isn't to say that the Cavs don't care about the regular season. They do—just when it's convenient for them.
They don't seem to care about teams like the 2014-15 Atlanta Hawks or the 2016-17 Boston Celtics, teams that have fantastic regular seasons but a lack of star power to carry them in the playoffs. In the postseason stars matter. A lot.
This regular season could be different, however. For once, another team could spark a little motivation. As former Cavalier Kyrie Irving has decided to start playing both sides of the ball, his Celtics are the best team in basketball at 16-2.
Despite this strong start, no one on the Cavs will publicly admit they're watching the standings. At least not yet.
"We don't start paying attention until after All-Star break when you see teams spacing out (in the standings), J.R. Smith told B/R's Vincent Goodwill. "You start getting your best shot after the All-Star break."
While this may be true, teams typically don't go on 16-game winning streaks before Thanksgiving, either. This Boston team has to at least have Cleveland's attention, whether or not the Cavs view them as a true threat.
Return to the Arc
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What Derrick Rose and Dwyane Wade nearly killed, Kyle Korver is resurrecting by himself.
The Cavs' three-point attack, a staple of their dynamic offense a year ago, flopped out of the gate. With Rose and fellow non three-point shooter Tristan Thompson out with injuries, we've seen an increase in outside shooting once again.
Cleveland is second only to the Houston Rockets in made threes over the past five games, connecting on 13.6 a night. The Cavs are shooting 37.8 percent from deep during this time, an average that would rank eighth overall on the year.
Korver, 36, is leading the charge. After finishing first in the NBA in three-point shooting last season, he's up to 44.3 percent this year. Over their past eight games, the Cavaliers have eight players shooting 37.9 percent or better.
The return of Isaiah Thomas will only improve Cleveland's spacing, as he finished tied with James Harden for fourth in three-pointers made per game last season (3.2). Thomas has also showed an improve stroke throughout his career, boasting a personal-best 37.9 percent in 2016-17.
The Cavs need to inject a healthy amount of outside shooting into their arsenal, especially with James on the floor ready to make any pass.
Surviving While LeBron Sits
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The Cavaliers are 4-23 without LeBron James since he returned to Cleveland, an embarrassing mark given the amount of talent that's surrounded him.
Finally, maybe, for the first time, this is no longer the case.
Even though James is playing an NBA-high 37.9 minutes a night, the Cavaliers have actually fared pretty well without him on the court.
Cleveland is 3.5 points per 100 possessions better when James sits this season, per Basketball-Reference.com. This is both a credit to the strong bench unit of Dwyane Wade, Kyle Korver, Jeff Green and company and the poor play of the starting unit for much of the season.
Knowing that the team can at least somewhat function with James resting bodes well as we move into winter. Once again pushing James to near 38 minutes a night is not ideal, especially not in season 15 and coming off seven straight Finals trips.
If anything, Tyronn Lue needs to use this time now to steal a few extra minutes of rest for James every game. Wade can run an offense for spurts, with Love, Korver and Green pulling down rebounds and hitting threes. These four together are plus-22 in 44 minutes together this season, per NBA.com.
If James isn't healthy come playoff time, this entire season will be for nothing. Using a strong supporting cast now to buy him time has to be a priority.
Greg Swartz is the Cleveland Cavaliers lead writer for Bleacher Report. Stats provided by NBA.com and Basketball Reference unless otherwise noted.
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