5 things Cleveland Cavaliers must do to make NBA Finals
The Cleveland Cavaliers can earn a berth in their fourth straight NBA Finals by doing these five things.
1. Keep LeBron energized
young guys seemed to do trick. before trade after trade. cedi in the lineup.
As LeBron James goes, so go the Cavaliers.
In the four games since James found out about the trades, he’s averaged 30 points, 9.5 rebounds and 13 assists per game.
For the month of January, James averaged 23.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 7.4 assists. Hardly numbers to scoff at, but something was off. Who could forget the 11-point performance during the Cavs’ debacle of a 32-point defeat to the Rockets on national television.
Cleveland GM Koby Altman reportedly met with James to run the trades by him and James bought in.
When LeBron is going well, he’s got guys around him who hustle and shoot.
Pure joy could be seen in James’ eyes when rookie Cedi Osman made a play. Osman still looks pretty raw, but at the very least, he tries. You can’t undervalue how much that trait can mean.
And now, James has young guys around him who are hungry. Isaiah Thomas is known for having a chip on his shoulder, and sure, he wanted to play well, but this was a big a season for IT. Some thought he’d command a huge contract. How could that not have been on his mind?
The same goes for Derrick Rose, who wasn’t playing much anyways. After a decent year with the Knicks last season, Rose took the vet minimum to come to Cleveland for a chance to win. He never seemed to embrace his decision though, evidenced by his absence in earlier in the year when he contemplated retirement.
Dwyane Wade wanted to return to Miami. He played well for a nice stretch during the Cavs 12-game win streak, but there were even
The airwaves of ESPN Cleveland’s Really Big Show brought to light something small, but may have served as microcosm of where Wade’s at in his career.
When exiting the locker room recent, James reportedly asked Wade if he’d see him well before practice was scheduled to start so they could get their work in.
Wade said no, and told LeBron he’d be there at a later time.
It’s something small, and Wade did nothing wrong, but James is in a race against father time to prove he’s the greatest basketball player of all time. Wade was once an elite player, but he’s not anymore, and the superstars are on different paths at this point of their careers.
Larry Nance Jr., Rodney Hood and Jordan Clarkson may not be superstars, but they’re very good, young athletic players who can better help James reach his goal.