Jaemooms
Active Member
BOSTON -- When the Cleveland Cavaliers traded for Donovan Mitchell, the focus was anything but instant success.
Suddenly, Cleveland had a roster sporting three young All-Stars -- Mitchell, Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen. That trio, plus NBA Rookie of the Year runner-up and burgeoning star Evan Mobley, all were under contract for at least three more seasons.
It's the kind of nucleus NBA franchises dream of, without the immediate pressure to win that often follows.
But then the season started. And four months after racing out to an 8-1 start, the Cavaliers have found themselves in fourth place ahead of the regular season's stretch run -- and with an entirely new outlook.
"[Outsiders] looked at us as a young team, and you don't expect a lot from a young team," Allen told ESPN before Cleveland's 117-113 loss to the Boston Celtics Wednesday night. "You expect them to come in and try to figure themselves out.
"But I feel like we came in and made an impact on the league."
There's little argument that Cleveland has proven that. The Cavaliers are one of three teams -- along with Boston and the Philadelphia 76ers -- to sit in the top 10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency. Mitchell and Garland have formed one of the league's most dynamic backcourts. Mobley and Allen make up one of the league's most imposing pairs of rim protectors.
But none of that changes this group's collective lack of experience. The eight players who played in the first half Wednesday have played in a combined 11 playoff series in their careers.
Mitchell, who has reached the second round twice in his five NBA seasons, is the only current Cavs player to advance past the first round. (former NBA champion Kevin Love and Cleveland agreed to a buyout on Feb. 18.)
"If you look at all the teams that are above us, they've all gone through [postseasons] multiple times and had multiple sets of failures, and then somewhere they've been able to figure it out," Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff said.
The three teams Bickerstaff referred to -- the Milwaukee Bucks, Celtics and 76ers -- are veteran-rich teams loaded with playoff experience. Naturally, expecting Cleveland to immediately be on their level, regardless of talent, is a stretch.
What's changed, though, is the landscape around the Cavaliers in the East, leaving the door ajar to join the conference's elite.
The Brooklyn Nets -- once expected to be among the top four teams -- are no longer championship-caliber after trading Kevin Durantand Kyrie Irving. The Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks and Toronto Raptors, all nestled with Cleveland between 46.5 and 48.5 wins entering the season, according to Caesars Sportsbook -- are fighting for play-in positioning.
"I think we're capable of being a championship team," Mitchell said after Wednesday's loss. "I think the biggest thing for us, obviously it's not a secret, is that we lack experience. When people talk about we're 'Not in their top three,' or whatever it is, that's fine. "I think the biggest thing for us is we believe we cannot just make the playoffs, but make a deep run, and this is all, like I said, a learning experience. "It's about continuing to get better, so, when we get to the playoffs, whatever seed we are, we're ready."
#TheEastGonBeOursIn2Years..
#IfNotSooner
