One of the most surprising developments unfolding over the first month of the National Basketball Association鈥檚 2021-22 campaign has been the Cavaliers鈥 competitiveness. They weren鈥檛 supposed to be good, regardless of the relative strength 鈥 or lack thereof 鈥 of their schedule to date. Yet, they鈥檝e more than held their own despite their seemingly talent-challenged roster; notwithstanding losses in their last three games, they鈥檙e a heady nine and eight, good for eighth in the tough Eastern Conference, where others have likewise enjoyed hot starts.
To be sure, it鈥檚 hard to draw any lasting conclusions from a small sample size. After all, the Cavaliers were similarly positioned last year, only to go on a swoon the rest of the way; they were eight and seven through their first 15 matches, but managed to win in just 15 of their final 57 outings. That said, there can be no doubting the strides they have made; even casual observers would concede that they looked, well, cohesive on the court 鈥 perhaps at no time since one LeBron James left the scene in 2018, and after which they predictably looked lost.
The question, of course, is whether the Cavaliers can sustain their outstanding play for the duration of the season. It isn鈥檛 simply that the odds favor a regression to the mean. It鈥檚 that they鈥檝e been hit by significant injuries to vital cogs. Starting point guard Collin Sexton is lost for the foreseeable future, having just gone under the knife to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. Meanwhile, overachieving rookie Evan Mobley figures to be sidelined for up to four weeks due to a ligament strain in his left elbow. The developments will definitely cramp head coach J.B. Bickerstaff鈥檚 substitution preferences.
All told, the Cavaliers have made progress, but the league鈥檚 usual grind figures to throw a monkey wrench to their hopes of exceeding preconceived notions. Perhaps the turn of events will prove beneficial to them in the final analysis; there鈥檚 nothing worse than middle-of-the-pack slates that sacrifice draft positioning for one-and-one stints in the postseason. Which is not to say they won鈥檛 survive 鈥 or thrive in 鈥 the challenge before them. How they respond to it should either underscore their resiliency or put them in their place.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since 大象传媒 introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
