As the Cavaliers have been quite successfully fighting off opponents this season, they remain aware of a perhaps greater obstacle to their ultimate goal.
Though they are too busy riding a 14-game winning streak to the best record in the league to pay it much attention, the Clevelanders have been reminded that the general order of NBA ascension states that a club cannot win a championship until it first has its heart broken in previous playoffs.
Its basketballs busted.
Its chestnuts roasted on an open fire.
The Cavs of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and friends are reveling now in new coach Kenny Atkinson’s player-empowerment policy. That concept didn’t work so well when entrusted to Kyrie Irving and company in his first lead position with Brooklyn, but after a few years as a Golden State assistant, Atkinson has found the right players at the right time.
And he knows the adage about “jumping the line,” and that five-game gentlemen’s sweeps in the first and second rounds the last two years might not be considered enough of a heartbreak apprenticeship.
‘Hungry’ Cavs Have Their Eyes on a Deep Playoff Run
Conversing with Heavy Sports in the hallway at TD Garden in Boston, Atkinson raised his eyebrows and shrugged.
“It can’t be done ’til it’s done,” he said.
“But,” he added with a laugh, “until then you’ve gotta kinda shut up.”
Kenny Atkinson is certainly an engaging figure. So are his troops willing to discuss their run and what it means. But when it comes to loftier issues, the Cavaliers are more willing to let their game do the talking.
“I don’t think we have the Celtic’ logo up in our facility,” Atkinson said before knocking off the defending champs and closest conference pursuer to close out February. “We’re really just solely focused on playing good basketball and getting better.
“And, really, we have no right to think about anything else. I mean, we haven’t done anything yet. Donovan says it all the time. We haven’t done anything in terms of playoffs and getting to the promised land or even the conference finals. So there’s a humility to that.
“There’s a hunger, too. We’re kind of humble and hungry. It sounds a little corny, but it’s true. There’s nobody saying, ‘Oh, we’ve got the best record in the league.’ No, we get it. So that’s kind of where we are.”
The only break in the stay-in-the-moment concept came just as Atkinson was finishing up the backstage chat and heading to the put the finishing touches on the evening’s plan a little more than an hour before tipoff.
“Coach of the Year,” said Tristan Thompson as he pedaled a stationary bike. “Right here. Coach of the Year.”
Atkinson laughed at that, too.
Cleveland Is Trying to Defy History in its Pursuit of a Title
It’s probably a little funny, too, that people who question the Cavs’ title fitness point to experience. The playoffs are without question a different animal, but talent and togetherness can tame that tiger.
Still there is history and the seeming need to deal with disappointment before wearing champagne.
Prior to breaking through to a title last season, the Celtics had lost in the Eastern Conference finals in 2023 and the NBA Finals the year prior. Denver, the 2023 champion, had been once to the Western finals and twice to the conference semis before Jamal Murray’s season-long absence got them dismissed by Golden State in the 2022 first round. The Warriors went on to win it all that year, part of a 10-year run that saw them win four rings but lose twice in the title series.
There are certainly outliers, but most NBA champions taste some form of bitter defeat before they sip the nectar.
Mitchell disputes the Cavs’ lack of scar tissue, at least to a degree.
“I feel like we had our heart broken the first year I got here,” he told Heavy Sports. “I feel like we went through that. And I feel like… I wonât say we got our heart broken last year, but, like, it’s still a letdown in our years. Like, yeah, we weren’t healthy, but we felt like we could compete and win. We went through something.
“I’m not saying we’re there. We’ve got to go out and prove that. But we’ve had some struggles, had some turmoil… I wonât say turmoil; we’ve had some struggles, you know what I mean? I think, for us, now we’re at that point.”
Their presence at said point comes with a vow to keep things real. Mitchell was certainly pleased with that night’s victory in Boston as he chatted with Heavy, but he was quick to find an ice cube to cool the jets.
“We haven’t done anything,” he said. “This game doesnât mean anything. I think this is more of a talking point than anything. Kristaps (Porzingis) and Jrue (Holiday) didnât play, you know what I mean? I’m always going to be the Negative Nancy of the group. You know what I’m saying? I’m always going to be that.”
Mitchell was then asked if he’s, you know, trying to elbow in on the media’s turf with this negativity thing.
“No,” he said through a laugh, “I think, for us, it keeps that chip on our shoulder to not feel like we’ve arrived. We’re still climbing.”
Paying attention only to the journey may just be the formula that gets the Cavaliers to the desired destination â their chestnuts intact.
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