Uncle Strangelove: Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Cavs

It was somewhere in the dwindling minutes of the sixth game of this young season against the then winless Sixers that something profound occurred to me. It was a realization of the new nature of my own personal psychological relationship with the Cleveland Cavaliers. There they were… reigning NBA Champions… in the midst of an early season streak of dominance… as the final undefeated team standing… down five with just over three minutes to go… after blowing an 18 point lead… against arguably the worst team in the League who were searching for their first victory… and I felt nothing but peace and tranquility.

Three nights later, in their very next game, the Cavs would finally have their pristine record besmirched by the new-look Atlanta Hawks… featuring old nemesis Dwight Howard… who looked like he had found a time machine back to May of 2009. Yet, my DEFCON level remained stolidly unchanged.

Loss number two happened on the second night of the dreaded back-to-back scenario… with the King getting his obligatory night off of rest. The result was just as predictable as it might have been in years past, with the Cavs running their LeBron-less record to a paltry 4-16 over the past three seasons since he returned. The cause for alarm or even mild concern was non-existent.

You see… that’s life for me in this brave new post-Championship world. Where once I picked at flaws and obsessed over losses… I now find myself simply and thoroughly enjoying the ride. The rough edges have become smooth. The tension has dissipated. My vision is colored through wine & gold tinted glasses.

I always assumed a title — the first title in 52 years for a city, region and fanbase starved for one — would alter the perception of how a subsequent regular season should unfold… however, I wasn’t expecting this level of zen-like calm from myself. It’s a paradigm shift and a sea change from the volatility that was the hallmark of the season that finally ended in a championship. A season filled with uncertainty, subtweets and perceived strife… punctuated by a mid-stream coaching change, and played out in the long shadow of a history-making team across the country. Those things are all distant memories now. Washed away in the precious fluids of champagne and joyful tears that drenched the visitors’ locker room at Oracle Arena.

With that title at hand, part of me wouldn’t have cared if the Cavs went 0-82 this season. Another part of me knows that’s a lie… or at the very least extreme exaggeration. But, the truth is that the only thing that truly concerns me at all between now and the middle of April, is that the Cavaliers maintain enough of a modicum of good health during the regular season for them to arrive at the post-season with an opportunity to defend that title. If that happens… I like their odds… and, so should you. Sure, there’s a whole new incarnation of that super team out West (now with their own “doomsday device” who goes by the name of Durant), and the East got moderately tougher, but I find it hard to worry about those things when not much seems to phase this Cavs team.

However, if you find yourself still occasionally fighting the urge to reach for the panic button… here are a few other reasons not to…

A General Absence of Discord

Last year, even though LeBron and Kevin had seemingly ironed out their differences (or at least misunderstandings about the metaphysics of fitting), there were still the odd tension flares that came up, including the perceived unwillingness of LBJ to lend Kev a hand to get up off the court in one game. There was also the whole subtweeting subplot that grabbed headlines in the spring. Not to mention the tension that seemed to emanate from Iman Shumpert’s greater interest in his own interests outside of the team’s interests. And, that all paled in comparison to the unrest between the team and their initial head coach, David Blatt, that ended in upheaval mid-season following a blowout loss to the Warriors in what will forever be known as the Martin Luther King Day Massacre. Nothing like any of these issues exists this season. In fact, outside of Mo Williams’ odd retirement flip-flop and subsequent veiled shots at the team’s handling of his cranky knee, it’s hard to find any sort of discord amongst the Cavs thus far. Even the J.R. Smith “holdout” turned out to be possibly the least contentious free agent situation in history. Let’s face it, when the biggest issue surrounding this team is the identity of the back-up point guard, that’s the very definition of a low stress work environment.

A Resistance to Bad Habits

It would be extremely easy for the Cavs collectively to backslide into complacency and bad habits in the wake of enduring the regular season that exists between title and title defense, but there are already signs that they are safeguarding against this. They were clearly bored at times last season when things weren’t as hunky dory as this season, and there will be stretches when the same thing happens this time around. We’ll still have periods of “flypaper Kyrie” defense when he gets stuck to screens when his willingness to fight through them just isn’t there, yet we’ve already seen some flashes of intensity from him. Beyond that, Uncle Drew is also getting buckets at an incredibly high rate, and has even taken over the lead scoring burden from LeBron on a nightly basis. Additionally, if the last game against Detroit is any indication, Kyrie is making a concerted effort to being an improved distributor of the rock to his teammates. Speaking of concerted effort… Kevin Love is resisting his propensity to float on both ends of the floor, and is decisively attacking the block on offense, while flashing some improved defensive skill and footwork. Even Iman Shumpert is finding ways to help the team instead of hurting it with his formerly erratic ball-handling. He still regresses to the mean at various points, but he’s shown a tendency to be more under control and correct his mistakes.

An Answer to the Critics

In his prolific current Sprite commercial for the Coca-Cola Company, LeBron James makes a point of saying that he won’t tell you to drink the refreshing beverage. He’d rather ask you to say the obvious. The King is taking a similar approach to his early season MVP campaign, where he’s not telling voters that they underestimated him last year… but simply asking them to embrace the obvious. LeBron James is still the best player in the NBA… as his near triple double average should demonstrate. And, he’s doing it while still primarily in “chill mode” for large stretches of games. Sure, there are the occasional games where starts off like he’s been shot out of a cannon, but more often than not, he’s looking to set up his teammates and let the game come to him without unnecessary energy expense. He’s arguably never had such a complement of three point gunners at his disposal around the arc to drive and kick the ball out to, and it’s showing on a nightly basis. His leadership has also never been stronger, both on the court and off of it, where he’s been an exemplary frontman for the team, the organization and the region. Whether he wins his fifth MVP this season or not… he remains the most valuable player and person for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

A Well Prepared Squad

At the top of the list of the things you need to be a sustainable and successful organization in the NBA are: an owner who is willing to spend; a GM who is willing to take risks; and a Coach who is willing to impose his will. The Cavs have struck pay dirt in all three of these areas. Dan Gilbert once again topped the payrolls in the League by a large margin, and though he didn’t overpay to bring back guys like Timofey Mozgov and Matthew Dellavedova, he did shell out the bucks to keep JR Smith in the fold. David Griffin, with few moves at his disposal, still managed to turn the loss of Delly into an opportunity to bring in another potentially helpful veteran piece in Mike Dunleavy (although the jury is still out on Mike and his back). There’s also the confidence from his litany of shrewd and potentially risky moves that have paid off to believe that Griff likely still has some tricks up his sleeve come the trade deadline. But, the really fantastic thing thus far about this season is watching Tyronn Lue continue to grow into his job at the helm of this team. Coach Lue is steady and cool on the sidelines, but still has the ultimate respect of his guys. He’s not afraid to lay into them when he needs to, and has already shown a Popovichian ability to utilize early timeouts for course corrections. Not to mention, he’s become the master of drawing up in-bounds plays. He may still tinker with odd rotations more than you’d like… or play his starters more than you’d like… or not let promising rookies dress as much as you’d like… but he gets the most out of this team night in and night out.

A Purity of Essence

More than anything… a title has delivered a newfound confidence to these Cavaliers. LeBron (and James Jones to be fair), already had the confidence of champions… but now LBJ also has the belief in his other stars now that they’ve been to the mountaintop. The change in demeanor is probably most marked in Kevin Love, as he looks exponentially more comfortable minus the 900 lb. gorilla that formerly resided between his shoulder blades. Kev looks so much more confident in his movement and decision-making on the floor now. There’s also a purity of essence to Kyrie’s game, as he’s become an almost effortless scorer from just about anywhere on the court. He’s just deadly from the perimeter, almost automatic from the mid-range, and fairly magical when finishing at the rim. As historic as The Shot was that he hit in Game 7… there’s a real sense that it was only the beginning in the legend of Uncle Drew. There’s also no question how much the effect of being a champion has rubbed off on Tristan, JR, Shump, Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye. But, you can tell there’s still a hunger for more here… a fire that was probably fueled even more by the off-season splash made by Golden State. It’s a funny thing when you’re still considered underdogs even though you’re champions… it provides motivation you never expected.

A Hell of a Ride

So, no matter what happens this season, I’m thrilled to be able to be rid of my angst and just go along for the journey. Don’t misconstrue that I won’t reserve the right to be critical here and there if patterns emerge that seem problematic… but I don’t think they will be as vehement as they might have been a season ago given the circumstances. There will still invariably be games against inferior opponents they’ll lose that they maybe should have won… or “statement” games against the elite of the East or West in which they may come up short… but as long as they stay healthy, none of that will truly matter. After all… one would be foolish to bet against a LeBron James led team in a seven game series…

Whether the Cavs wind up defending their title, or coming up short, instead of worrying so much about the outcome, I’ll just be rooting for them and yelling like a madman all the way… enjoying one hell of a ride.