When LeBron James announced his return to Cleveland, he set the narrative tone for his first season in the letter explaining his decision. "I'm not promising a championship," he wrote. "We're not ready right now. No way." LeBron went on to mention patience, mentoring and bringing the best out of Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters.
LeBron James’ new Cavaliers meet expectations, for now
By reaching the conference finals, LeBron James and the Cavs have answered their first challenge.
That held for about a month. Notably absent from that list were Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins, who were soon traded to Minnesota for Kevin Love. Acquiring Love set in motion a different set of parameters for a team with three All-Stars, a pair of recent lottery picks and the addition of several notable veterans with championship rings. Still, there were obvious holes on the roster, especially up front.
By the start of the season, neutral observers fell into two camps. Those who saw the thin frontcourt depth and the lack of playoff experience among LeBron’s young supporting cast called for a run to the conference finals. Others suggested a Finals appearance as the benchmark. Either way, expectations had officially been raised.
At midseason, with the Cavs floundering around the .500 mark, no one knew quite what to make of this team. Anderson Varejao’s injury exposed the roster’s biggest weakness, Irving and Love were coming to grips with what it meant to be part of a Big Three, and the veterans were wearing down. James also did not appear to be himself.
It was then that general manager David Griffin landed Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith and Timofey Mozgov in a series of moves that sent Waiters to Oklahoma City and draft picks to Denver. It was an all-in move in certain respects, but it was also necessary. The Cavs began to jell around the new additions, LeBron played like his old self and they were once again the favorites in the Eastern Conference. That lasted until Love separated his shoulder in Game 4 of their first round series with the Celtics.
No other team has gone through that many reconsiderations this season. Few teams go through that many in a three-year run. That’s part of the price of having LeBron: expectations will always be raised, regardless of circumstances.
They met the first criteria by advancing to the conference finals with a galvanizing second-round win over the Bulls in six games. Down 2-1, they won a crucial Game 4 on Chicago's home floor thanks to a LeBron buzzer beater. They took care of business at home in Game 5 and then crushed the Bulls in a bizarre Game 6 that may have ended Chicago's Tom Thibodeau era permanently.
They did so without much help from Irving, who left the game early in the second quarter when his knee buckled. They did it on a night when LeBron shot 7-for-23 and their leading scorer was unheralded backup point guard Matthew Dellavedova.
The game swung after Chicago's Nikola Mirotic took a shot at Shumpert. It was an odd play by Mirotic, who had struggled throughout the series and was finally starting to produce. The Cavaliers' response was perfect. Shump scored six straight points to set up a 17-4 run to close the first half and that was essentially the ballgame.
This was the kind of outcome that teams look back on and point to as a transformational experience. Everyone expected the Bulls to throw everything they had at them. Certainly once Irving left with yet another leg ailment, few would have blamed the Cavs if this series went back to Cleveland for a Game 7. Claiming victory on the road in a dominating performance was a huge step forward for this team.
When the conference finals pick up on Tuesday, the Cavs will have ample preparation time for either Atlanta or Washington and Irving will get a much-needed break. Regardless of whether they open the series at home against the Wizards or on the road against Atlanta, they will be considered the favorites again.
Here’s a fun game while we wait. Compare the roster of the 2006-07 Cavs’ team that unexpectedly reached the Finals and what’s left of the current edition.
Larry Hughes, Age 28: 15 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.7 apg, .480 TS%, 12.1 PERJ.R. Smith, Age 29: 12.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.8 apg, .538 TS%, 13.6 PER
Sasha Pavlovic, Age 23: 9 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.6 apg, .554 TS%, 12.1 PERIman Shumpert, Age 24: 8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.2 apg, .497 TS%, 11.4 PER
Drew Gooden, Age 24: 11.1 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 1.1 apg, .508 TS%, 16.5 PERTristan Thompson, Age 23: 8.5 ppg, 8 rpg, 0.5 apg, .580 TS%, 15.6 PER
Z. Ilgauskas, Age 31: 11.9 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 1.3 bpg, .527 TS%, 18.0 PERTimofey Mozgov, Age 28: 9.7 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.2 bpg, .594 TS%, 16.6 PER
The 2007 reserves boasted a younger, healthier Varejao along with Daniel Gibson and old heads like Eric Snow and Donyell Marshall. This year's bench consists mainly of Smith, Dellavedova and James Jones. The obvious difference between the two squads is Irving, who has alternated between great (Game 5) and obviously injured (Games 4 and 6). With Kyrie at less than 100 percent, this is hardly a juggernaut.
Then there’s LeBron, eight years along into his career with four MVPs, two titles and a world more experience. The 30-year-old James is a better shooter and a more mature playmaker, but he still carries the same burden.
If James can get back to the Finals with this group, it would at least be comparable to what he was able to do eight years earlier. The Cavs may not be ready, but they’re here and LeBron James has lived up to his initial promise. That’s worth appreciating for the moment, no matter how the rest of the story unfolds.
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