As of February 24, 2017, the Cleveland Cavaliers have 40 wins and 16 losses, and are in first place in the Eastern Conference. But there are some problems. Before the season almost everyone expected the Cavs to be in first place in the East by about seven or eight games. In reality, the Cavs only have a three-and-a-half game lead on the Boston Celtics, and this does raise some questions.
The Cavs are averaging more points, rebounds, and assists than last year, but they're losing to some bad teams. So far this season, they've lost to the Sacramento Kings, Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Pelicans and Dallas Mavericks. All four of those teams have losing records, and frankly, the Cavs just shouldn't be losing to those kind of teams. If the Cavs don't get their defense back up to normal, they're just not going to do well if they make it back to the NBA Finals against the high-scoring Golden State Warriors.
However, I am confident in the Cavaliers. I think they can bring their defense back up to par and keep scoring and winning. There's already evidence of that too. The Cavs have eight wins and only one loss in the month of February, and have been playing like they played last year.
I think a big part of the losses and the wins is Kyle Korver. The Atlanta Hawks, Korver's old team, are a much different team than the Cavaliers and I think that it just took some time for Korver to adjust to a new system. Now, the Kyle Korver trade is looking like a great trade for the Cavs because he's averaging 11 and a half points per game and is shooting over 50% from three-point range. Not to mention that he's a great defender who really helps the Cavs defense. His three-point shooting helps to spread the floor for LeBron James or Kyrie Irving so they can drive to the basket, then pass the ball out to Korver for a three-pointer.
Another thing is injuries. Near the beginning of the season, starting shooting guard J.R Smith got injured and he still hasn't come back. He's a great team leader and an amazing shooter. When the Cavs get him back, I think they can dominate like before. And that's just one of the two injuries. The other is Kevin Love. Before Love got injured, he was averaging 20 points per game and 11 rebounds per game. Love is a very good scorer and rebounder, and is one of the most important pieces to the Cavs system. Once Love and Smith both come back, and they will in time for the playoffs, the Cavs will be very, very good and very, very hard to beat.
All in all, I think that the Cavs have had some problems this season, but those problems can easily be fixed and are already on their way to being fixed. The Korver trade certainly is helping the Cavs, and once Love and Smith come back, the Cavs might just become the team to beat in the NBA once again.
The Cavs are averaging more points, rebounds, and assists than last year, but they're losing to some bad teams. So far this season, they've lost to the Sacramento Kings, Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Pelicans and Dallas Mavericks. All four of those teams have losing records, and frankly, the Cavs just shouldn't be losing to those kind of teams. If the Cavs don't get their defense back up to normal, they're just not going to do well if they make it back to the NBA Finals against the high-scoring Golden State Warriors.
However, I am confident in the Cavaliers. I think they can bring their defense back up to par and keep scoring and winning. There's already evidence of that too. The Cavs have eight wins and only one loss in the month of February, and have been playing like they played last year.
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| Kyle Korver, the Cavs new shooting guard, is certainly a good addition. |
Another thing is injuries. Near the beginning of the season, starting shooting guard J.R Smith got injured and he still hasn't come back. He's a great team leader and an amazing shooter. When the Cavs get him back, I think they can dominate like before. And that's just one of the two injuries. The other is Kevin Love. Before Love got injured, he was averaging 20 points per game and 11 rebounds per game. Love is a very good scorer and rebounder, and is one of the most important pieces to the Cavs system. Once Love and Smith both come back, and they will in time for the playoffs, the Cavs will be very, very good and very, very hard to beat.
All in all, I think that the Cavs have had some problems this season, but those problems can easily be fixed and are already on their way to being fixed. The Korver trade certainly is helping the Cavs, and once Love and Smith come back, the Cavs might just become the team to beat in the NBA once again.
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