The Cleveland Cavaliers didn't blow up anything after getting swept by the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals, and I think that was the right call, because this team was already pretty close. Cleveland finished 52-30, ranked sixth in offensive rating at 119.2, and reached its first Conference Finals since 2018, so the answer wasn't starting over, it was finding better pieces around a core that still has the talent to win the East.
The front office basically doubled down on that idea during the summer. Donovan Mitchell signed a four-year, $273.0 million extension, James Harden came back on a three-year, $97.0 million deal after arriving for Darius Garland at the deadline, and the Cavaliers made their biggest outside move by landing Peyton Watson in a five-team sign-and-trade. Max Strus, Dennis Schroder, Dean Wade, and Keon Ellis are among the players gone, while Mario Hezonja also returned to the NBA after several seasons in Europe.
That leaves Cleveland with a very clear bet for 2026-27: The Big Four have to be good enough to carry most of this. There isn't another superstar coming, and they have the pieces to win, because Mitchell averaged almost 28 points last season, Harden can still run an elite offense, Mobley is entering his prime, and Allen remains one of the better centers in the East.
The problem is that we already saw this group hit a wall in the playoffs. Cleveland scored only 107.9 points per game during the postseason, Harden dropped to 19.2 points and 5.5 **** ists while shooting 29.9% from three, and the Knicks beat them by 37 points in Game 4 to finish the sweep.
This season isn't really about proving the Cavaliers are good. We already know about their talent, now they have to prove this Big Four can actually finish the job in a stacked Eastern Conference.
#cavaliers #points #eastern #finals
The front office basically doubled down on that idea during the summer. Donovan Mitchell signed a four-year, $273.0 million extension, James Harden came back on a three-year, $97.0 million deal after arriving for Darius Garland at the deadline, and the Cavaliers made their biggest outside move by landing Peyton Watson in a five-team sign-and-trade. Max Strus, Dennis Schroder, Dean Wade, and Keon Ellis are among the players gone, while Mario Hezonja also returned to the NBA after several seasons in Europe.
That leaves Cleveland with a very clear bet for 2026-27: The Big Four have to be good enough to carry most of this. There isn't another superstar coming, and they have the pieces to win, because Mitchell averaged almost 28 points last season, Harden can still run an elite offense, Mobley is entering his prime, and Allen remains one of the better centers in the East.
The problem is that we already saw this group hit a wall in the playoffs. Cleveland scored only 107.9 points per game during the postseason, Harden dropped to 19.2 points and 5.5 **** ists while shooting 29.9% from three, and the Knicks beat them by 37 points in Game 4 to finish the sweep.
This season isn't really about proving the Cavaliers are good. We already know about their talent, now they have to prove this Big Four can actually finish the job in a stacked Eastern Conference.
#cavaliers #points #eastern #finals
2 months ago
