Cavs basketball is nothing, if not exciting. The “Jekyll And Hyde” approach of the Cleveland Cavaliers continued on Tuesday night (Feb. 27), with LeBron James showing why some NBA analysts still consider him the best player in the league.
Playing against the Brooklyn Nets, LeBron James finished with 31 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists. It was a great statistical night for James, as he went 13-of-25 from the field and added a steal for good measure. The problem, though, was that this impressive stat line came against one of the worst teams in the league.
Are the Cavs for real?
On a night when the Cleveland Cavaliers scored 129 points and shot 51.5 percent from the field, the team couldn’t stop the Brooklyn Nets on defense. That’s a bad thing. The Nets are one of the worst teams in the NBA, boasting a 20-42 record as of February 28. The kicker is that the team isn’t even trying to tank this season, as Cleveland owns their first-round selection in the 2018 NBA Draft.
The new additions to the roster were supposed to make the Cavs better on defense. Instead, a “Jekyll and Hyde” mentality has surfaced. One night, the Cavs look like they could be the best defensive team in the league. The next night, the Cavs resemble bullfighters getting out of the way of charging opponents.
This could certainly serve as another red flag for how the team might do in the postseason. No pun intended.
Will Cleveland Cavaliers even win the Central?
At 36-24 on the season, the Cleveland Cavaliers are now just two games ahead of the Indiana Pacers (34-26) in the Central Division. It means that if a cold streak took place, the Cavs might not even win their own division.
The Cavs are also only half a game ahead of the Washington Wizards (36-25) for the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. Could the Cavs stumble in the overall standings? The team has got to find consistency soon and excuses about new players aren’t going to cut it during what will be a very difficult postseason.
The Cavs dumped Isaiah Thomas in order to go in a new direction.
The 26 points by George Hill on Tuesday night may have proven they are heading that way. But, there is also a reason the team was linked to DeAndre Jordan before the NBA trading deadline. He is a rim protector. Sometimes it looks like the Cavs don’t have anyone who wants to do that. LeBron James can’t do everything. So his supporting cast needs to cast aside the “Jekyll and Hyde” routine and find consistency before it’s too late for the Cleveland Cavaliers.