by The 2021-2022 NBA season was full of surprises. Whether it was the Los Angeles Lakers not making the playoffs, or James Harden being traded from the Brooklyn Nets to the Philadelphia 76ers for Ben Simmons.
But, one surprise no one saw coming was the rise of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Darius Garland. During the off-season the Cavs and head coach J.B. Bickerstaff were planning on doing something no other team in the NBA was doing.
That was running a starting lineup with three 7 footers! Everyone around the league was confused and laughed at the idea. But, at the NBA All-Star break the Cleveland Cavaliers were the ones laughing. At the All-Star break the Cavs were tied for 3rd place in the Eastern Conference and only 2 games back of 1st place.
All this while losing their leading scorer Collin Sexton from the past couple seasons to a tore meniscus in the first month of the season, and then also losing their back up point guard Ricky Rubio to a torn ACL only a month after that.
So, you ask how did the Cavs succeed over this adversity? That would be from their young first time All-Star Point Guard Darius Garland, their first time All-Star Center Jarrett Allen, and their rookie sensation Power Forward Evan Mobley.
These three along with Bickerstaff’s defensive genius and great role players like Kevin Love, Isaac Okoro, Lauri Markkanen, Lamar Stevens, Cedi Osman, and Caris Levert had this team rolling.
The teams defensive rating went from bottom of the league in the 2020-2021 season to ranked 2nd in the 2021-2022 season! This young team seemed to be poised for a playoff run as they hit a hot streak in the months of December and January. But, after the All-Star break, things began to down spiral.
Darius Garland missed multiple games with a lower back injury. Rookie Evan Mobley was sidelined with a sprained elbow for a week and a half, and then Jarrett Allen missed almost the whole last month of the season with a fractured finger. But even with all that the Cavs managed to get the 8th seed and secure a spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament.
In the first game they went neck and neck with the star studded Brooklyn Nets, it was close but former Cavs Point Guard Kyrie Irving played one of the best games of his career, shooting 100% from the field in the first half.
Kevin Durant also had himself a great game and it proved to be too much for the Cavs. In the final Play-In game the Cavs were matched up with the Hawks and got great news before the game. First time All-Star Jarrett Allen was returning from his injury.
The Cavs had great confidence as they were playing at home and got this key piece back for this final push to the playoffs. In the end, the Hawks and their Superstar Point Guard Trae Young were too much.
Young had 38 points and the Cavs couldn’t buy a bucket in the 4th quarter. The season ended on a very sour note for the Cavs but also a positive one. Nobody expected them to even be near that point and they exceeded expectations tremendously.
Cavs basketball is now back on the map and already have made moves this offseason and added pieces. Starting with drafting wing Ochai Agbaji from Kansas and Evan Mobleys brother Isaiah to add even more size to this team.
These two rookies will be great fits for the Cavs scheme and add much needed scoring in the rotation. The Cavs also extended Point Guard Darius Garland to a 5 year 193 million dollar deal that could reach up to 231 million with incentives.
Cleveland has secured their young superstar and couldn’t be more excited about it. Cleveland also brought back Ricky Rubio to a 3 year deal after he tore his ACL with the team, but they love what he brought while he was here. Cavs fans now wait to see what the front office does with fan favorite Collin Sexton as his contract is up. Will the Cavs resign him?
Or will they let another team scoop him up? Regardless, Cleveland in the 4 years Lebron has left for the second time has rebuilt quickly and have proven they need to be a team to look out for. With the amount of young talent they have, the sky is the limit.
