Cleveland Cavaliers: LeBron Says Team Ready For Playoff Run

The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the lowly New York Knicks 107-93 Saturday night without Kyrie Irving. Before the game, James said the team was poised to make a run in the NBA Playoffs.

The Cleveland Cavaliers dismantled the New York Knicks 107-93 at Madison Square Garden Saturday. Despite the double digit thrashing, a troubling trend continued for the Wine and Gold.

The Cavaliers once again struggled to maintain a 20-point lead over a struggling basketball team. The team was up on the Knicks 56-32 at halftime and at one point stretched the lead to 25. The Knicks then cut the lead to 10 in the fourth quarter and forced head coach Tyronn Lue to put his starters back in to seal the deal.

After Thursday night’s loss, a win, regardless of style points, is exactly what the doctor ordered for LeBron and Company. With Kyrie Irving taking a night off for rest, LeBron James and Kevin Love had no problem filling in for their point guard.

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James had yet another stat stuffing night, finishing the game with a triple-double. He accumulated 27 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists and a +20 plus/minus rating while he was on the floor. Love benefited from the increased ball movement without Irving on the floor and scored 28 points to go along with 12 rebounds.

As recently as Thursday, after the Cleveland Cavaliers loss to the Brooklyn Nets, James said the team was taking a step backwards. However, early Saturday his tune changed. He now believes the team is ready for a championship run.

Per Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com, James had the following to say after Saturday’s shoot around.

“I feel like we’re ready to make a championship run,” James said. “I’m confident in this team and I know we can make a championship run, and that’s all you can ask for.”

James would go onto say last year’s postseason results are not important to the current Cleveland Cavaliers squad.

“I haven’t really thought about last year. I think it’s not factual to think about what happened last year,” said James. “My concern, I don’t like to use the word concern because then everybody think it’s like a problem. My only thought now and my preparation is getting these guys prepared to make a long run in the postseason.

James then drove the point home on Twitter. Yes, he has not reached “Zero Dark 23” mode quite yet.

At least the Cavaliers fearless leader is using social media in a direct and positive manner these days. His comments regarding a “Super Team” with Chris Paul, Dwayne Wade and Carmelo Anthony did not sit well the Cavaliers front office, and his halftime behavior in a blowout loss to the Miami Heat frustrated Lue.

James’ outstanding performance Friday, along with Love, was a promising one. Sure, no great team wants to blow a 20-point lead to a team like the New York Knicks, but a win is a win.

Next: Cavaliers: Loss To Nets Come At The Wrong Time

The odd man out here seems to be point guard Kyrie Irving. If Irving can’t figure out how to fit in and not disrupt the offensive flow of a talented team, he could be in a new city come next season.