Behind Milwaukee and Boston, co-favorites in the race for Eastern supremacy, the Cavaliers have the weapons to settle on the conference podium after the nice jump achieved in the regular season last year. But with ambitions also come expectations, and point guard Darius Garland is expecting more adversity this year.
With 51 victories in 2022-23, the Cavaliers finished in fourth place in the East to clinch their first qualification for the Playoffs since the departure of LeBron James in 2018. A great achievement for a team on the rise in recent years. So certainly, the first round against the Knicks turned into a brutal return to earth for Darius Garland’s gang, but Cleveland made several adjustments to bounce back as quickly as possible.
We are thinking in particular of the acquisitions of Max Strus and George Niang, who will bring 3-point shooting and experience to a team that really needs it. They could allow Cleveland to become the best team in the East outside of Milwaukee and Boston (especially with the Philadelphia / James Harden uncertainty), and therefore to change status.
“We are hunted now, we are no longer the hunters. Especially after adding new pieces this year. We have a target on our back now. We have to have this mentality all the time. Be aggressive, play with tenacity.”
– Darius Garland, via The Athletic
For a young team on the rise, the hardest part is always establishing themselves among the NBA’s elite. It’s one thing to go from a promising team to a Playoff team, it’s another to go from a Playoff team to a team that really plays a leading role.
This is the challenge that faces JB Bickerstaff’s men today.
On paper, the Cavaliers have reasons to aim high: the Darius Garland – Donovan Mitchell backcourt can hurt at any time, the Evan Mobley – Jarrett Allen racket provides very good defensive guarantees (at least on a regular basis), and solutions at post 3 were made as said above. Certainly, we know some who have doubts about Bickerstaff’s ability to maximize the talent on his roster, but there is reason to have ambitions in Ohio. And the Cavs don’t hide it.
“Last year was our first time in the Playoffs. We didn’t know what to expect,” Garland said. “Now we have an idea of what it is, in terms of intensity and atmosphere. I think we will be much better this year. […] We want to play big matches. We are ready.”
It’s up to the Cavaliers to prove it on the field, despite “the target they will have on their backs”.
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Source texte : The Athletic
Wrote about the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are already thinking about the playoffs, and believe they can put their deflating first postseason appearance together to good use as a learning experience for the next one.https://t.co/SbqulSKPEThttps://t.co/SbqulSKPET
— Mike Vorkunov (@MikeVorkunov) October 27, 2023
2023-10-27 15:44:00
#target
