Hardwood Paroxysm Presents: We’re not mad, we’re just disappointed and sad
Why Couldn’t Cleveland Stay Healthy?
By Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) — Upside & Motor
The moment Cleveland sealed the deal to bring Kevin Love to town, the stakes for their season jumped a few notches. This was no longer LeBron James shepherding a young flock, ushering them into the future with time and patience. With another All-NBA talent on board — and Kyrie Irving ready to break through — the Cavs were built to Win Now™.
LeBron is no longer tasked with being the face of an evil empire, as he was in the early stages of the Heat era, but his Cavs are destined to be a story simply due to his involvement. By virtue of his accomplishments, future results individually and within his team are judged against the shadows of former greats, rather than present-day peers.
That assumes that James has the supporting cast to earnestly challenge for titles. He’s past the days where he can single-handedly will a team to the Finals, and each passing day brings him closer to that becoming a necessity once again.
Love’s season in Cleveland was anything but storybook, but losing him to injury in the first round put a glass ceiling on this iteration of the Cavs. Just as it seemed the James-Irving-Love triumvirate was confident in their responsibilities, Kelly Olynyk came along and ruined everything. Whether you’ve been convinced by his play or not, Love’s ability to step out and hit threes opens up acres of real estate for Irving and James, to say nothing of the other ways he contributes to their success.
Irving is dealing with maladies of his own, having suffered injuries to his right foot and left knee. He may be green around the gills, but he’s proved to be capable of shouldering the scoring load and a formidable compliment to James. On nights when they both get it going, even the league’s best can do little more than throw up their hands.
Once they got it together, Cleveland was a joy to watch. There isn’t the same level of athletic, two-way devastation that became the Heat’s calling card, but the offensive brilliance was something to behold. Just before we had the chance to see them in a real playoff matchup — apologies to the Celtics — they had the rug pulled out from under them.
This year’s title favorite was always coming out of the West, but the Cavs at full capacity would have been a tough test for the other Finals representative. The field that’s left in the East is uninspiring, and we’re unlikely to get a championship round befitting this awesome season.
With all their guys healthy, Cleveland was on the shortlist of teams who could “get there”, reaching the rarified air reserved for contenders. That went up in smoke with the recent dings to key cogs, and it’s a real shame.
Beyond the joy of watching a competitive series, having historical implications surrounding the Finals gives them a little extra juice. A title in Year One of LeBron’s return was always a longshot, but you could dare to dream with three stars and a gelling supporting cast. Instead, Cleveland will (probably) literally and figuratively limp into the Finals, and we’ll all wait for their execution at the hands of the West champion.
Until next year, Cleveland. I guess you’ve heard that line before.
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