Why the struggling Cavs are different this year despite LeBron's continued excellence
Time and time again, LeBron-led teams have looked like a shell of their playoff selves till around the All-Star Break. As all NBA fans know, the Cavaliers in the past have been one of those teams that with the proverbial switch.
Unlike what any coach, player, or trainer in the basketball industry will tell you to do, which is to go hard 100% of the time, the Cavs may be the exact opposite of this. The Cleveland Cavaliers always seem to get better come playoff time, but is it different this year? Is this a different team from the years past?
We all know LeBron went from the Cavs to the Heat in the nationally televised "TDecision" 8 years ago. From that point on, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, and the Miami Heat went on to win 2 championships.
Fast forward 7 years and LeBron has 3 rings, is on the Cleveland Cavaliers, and has recently lost his starting point guard. Many fans compared their relationship to a big brother-little brother or even father-son, which was not a good look for Kyrie Irving.
Each year that LeBron's gotten a ring, he had a Hall of Fame power forward, a Hall of Fame guard, deadly three-point shooters, and some average, even slightly below-average role players. But by April 2018, LeBron's Cavaliers have struggled since the trade deadline where they built up an entirely new roster, but are down 1-0 in the first round of the NBA playoffs - a stage where LeBron has not lost in almost 6 years.
Fans' feelings are quite different this year. LeBron possibly looks as if this is the best year of his career...but his team...not so much. The Cavaliers are struggling but LeBron is not - how is this a thing? Why is this happening?
This team is built differently than how it has been in the past. In Miami and in Cleveland alike, LeBron has had a nice supporting cast, but this year is much different. The Cleveland Cavaliers have LeBron James and one other all-star, much different than other years.
The team is full of good role players such as Rodney Hood, Larry Nance Jr., George Hill, and Jordan Clarkson, to name a few. There is no star player on the team other than Kevin Love and LeBron James which seems to be having an impact on the team.
LeBron has taken full-fledged lead of this team, posting career highs in assists, rebounds and usage rate - however, the Cavs have still struggled. This may be because LeBron does not have a star guard to rely on when he needs a break and needs someone else to take responsibility for scoring, iso plays, passing, and bringing the team together.
Will LeBron James be able to lead his Cavaliers to the NBA finals and take down whatever Western Conference team dominates their way there, or will the LeBron James's team be get bounced early for the first time in 8 years?
Only time will tell, but the 4th-seeded Cavaliers, down 0-1 to the 5th-seeded Indiana Pacers in the first round, do not look like a team worthy of the tag 'Title Contenders'.