Live Thread: Wizards @ Cavs

The Cavs are 7-4 right now after playing eight of their games on the road. This is the best start the Cavs have had since LeBron left. In fact, it’s actually a better start than the Cavs had during LeBron’s last season with them. The team started off 5-6 that year. Now, do I think the Cavs are going to win 52 games like they did during that season? No.

Are we going to win just 22 (25 if the season had been 82 games) games this year like last year? Probably not. The team will be in the middle. I don’t want to say this in fear that I will jinx the team, but there is some semblance of a culture that will keep them from falling to the bottom of the East.

This team gives a damn. It doesn’t matter that Issac Okoro, Kevin Love, Lauri Markkanen, Darius Garland, and now Collin Sexton will have missed time. Each guy is cheering for the next and ready to do whatever is needed. It also helps that a different man seems to go off every other evening.

Jarrett Allen got 21 points and 16 boards in the win against Denver. Sexton had 26 against the Clippers. Ricky Rubio had 37 points, ten assists, and hit eight 3-balls against the Knicks. Evan Mobley chipped in 26 points, nine boards, and five assists that game too. Also have to mention that the rookie is  providing stellar defense while averaging nearly 15 points and eight rebounds every game.

This “just win” attitude has made the team fun. They can grab a W any night, even though they aren’t expected to, and they actually can’t lose every night. That’s some wordy malarkey but it leads me to this next point.

The team is officially in the stat scroll era. Here’s what that means: whenever you look up stats about the Cavs, especially if you’re using your phone or a tablet, you actually have to scroll to find them on a page .

When the team was good, they typically were at the top of lists whether looking at offensive rating, rebounding, field goal percentage, etc…The past few years you could rank nearly every stat from bad to good and find the Cavs listed near the top too.

Today, the Cavs are in the middle with a few exceptions. They have finally made some movement from the bottom, And, I have to say this is the best time to watch the team. I don’t sit there and bemoan how often Sexton will pause a drive to toss up a mid ranger because I desire a win so badly.

It’s not like when the team was good either, and I’d complain that LeBron took a month off and was still on the court and Kevin Love was perfecting his poo poo lips every time he didn’t get the ball while he was fitting out.

Appreciate the few extra seconds it takes when looking up the stats for the team today. Think about how great it is to have a sports team that actually can bring joy without disappointment. It isn’t going to last forever; you’re going to be back to judging a crappy team or great team in a few seasons.

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The Wizards are in the house tonight with a 7-3 record. If the Cavs grab the win, it will be their fifth straight and solidify them as just a solid team. The team will be without Sexton who has a torn meniscus in his left knee though. They will have to figure out how to replace his 16 points, 3.3 boards, and 2.1 assists per game. It hasn’t been announced who will start in his place, but Isaac Okoro is supposed to return. Maybe the Cavs give Garland the go-ahead to gun up shots with Okoro playing defensive stopper.

The Cavs are also without Kevin Love, and Lauri Markkanen. The Wizards are missing Rui Hachimura, Davis Bertans, Thomas Bryant, and Cassius Winston.