In this century, the Cavaliers have not made the Playoffs even once without LeBron James wearing red and gold. However, this past season, the Cavs were millimeters away from achieving that goal. There may be an answer to why they dropped two straight games to be eliminated from Playoff contention.
At the end of the 2021-2022 regular season, Cleveland owned the 8th seed. They had a surprising breakout season, led by the young trio of Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarett Allen. The additions of Lauri Markkanen and Ricky Rubio (who was traded midseason) really sped up Cleveland’s rebuild. Then, with the arrival of Caris LeVert before the trade deadline, the Cavs were poised to make the jump to the Playoffs. Unfortunately, injuries to Ricky Rubio, Caris LeVert, and Jarett Allen were all factors leading to Cleveland’s fall in the standings.
Yet the Cavs managed to stay afloat, attaining a winning record, to earn the 8th seed. They qualified for the Play-In Tournament, but they were overwhelmed by Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and the Nets. Cleveland gave a good fight, but fell behind in the later stages of the game. The Cavs then battled the Hawks a couple days later, but the Hawks, led by offensive menace Trae Young, surged ahead in the second half to capture the win.
There was something that both teams had that Cleveland lacked. Both teams had a lot of experience, with Durant and Irving having previously won the Finals, let alone making them. The Hawks were a year removed from making the Eastern Conference Finals. On the other hand, the Cavaliers were mostly inexperienced.
Garland, Mobley, and Markkanen have never experienced Playoff intensity in their careers. LeVert and Allen only made them twice. Kevin Love and Rajon Rondo were the only players on the team that really understood what the Playoff atmosphere was like.
The Cavaliers need more experience on the team. They are trending in the right direction, bringing back Rubio and also adding Raul Neto and Robin Lopez. The good thing about having players that know what the postseason atmosphere is like – they can give you good advice. They might teach you how to control your emotions and be calm when things aren’t looking good. They might tell you how to ignore the fans while shooting free throws. I know that sounds weird, but it’s the little things that have the biggest impact.
The Cavs don’t have much of that, and you could see they were losing their composure when they fell behind against the Hawks. Adding more experienced players to the roster might just get The Land over the hump into the Playoffs.
The possibility of the Cavs making the Playoffs may also depend on how much their 7 foot defensive stopper, Evan Mobley, improves after his successful rookie season. Many players make a leap in their second season, and who knows what statline Mobley will have next season if he does.
During most of the 2021-2022 campaign, Cleveland’s starting point guard, Collin Sexton, was injured. To have him back next season may actually be a drawback, because the Cavs will have to alter their plans that worked so well last season. If I were them, I wouldn’t want that to happen because Garland thrived at point guard following Sexton’s injury. The rebuilding process now centers around Garland instead of Sexton. Cleveland should probably trade Sexton for a player more useful, like a veteran player, because the Cavs have more than enough guards in Garland, Rubio, Rondo, Levert, and Neto.
The biggest issue for the Cavaliers right now is experience. It could be the key to the lock that keeps them out of the Playoffs. Maybe, just maybe, they can unlock it next season for the first time this century without LeBron doing it for them.