Can the Cleveland Cavaliers even get to the playoffs’ conference finals?

Just a game into the 2018 NBA playoffs and the Cavaliers already look to be on shaky ground. The loss to the Pacers in the first of their seven-game series was the first in Lebron James’ playoffs career and had Cleveland surrendering homecourt advantage to Indiana. 

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A lot of people didn’t expect this turn of events, for sure; almost every NBA expert saw a sweep, especially given how the team had run roughshod over opponents in the previous year. But is it now evident that Indiana is no push-over. Victor Oladipo and Lance Stephenson led the Pacers to a dominant wire-to-wire win. The Cavs didn’t take the lead at any point in the game. 

What’s troubling for the Cavs’ campaign is that the anemic performance is not an aspect of youth and fresh legs, but of playoffs inexperience. Lebron got his now-regular triple-double, and Kevin Love’s game was fine, but the rest of the Cleveland cast seemed lost on the court. More importantly, the entire team couldn’t sink threes. For a team that has James consistently spreading the floor, it’s crucial that the other players make those shots. The team finished with a dismal total of 80 points, far below its usual average. 

If the Cleveland Cavaliers are to fully recover from that embarrassing loss, the rest of the starters need to rise to the occasion and not just watch James do his thing. More importantly, the team must commit itself to defense, something Indiana is doing very convincingly. Otherwise, we might just see an unprecedented first-round loss: and Lebron taking his talent to some other beach or city sooner than expected. 

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Before establishing Terra Group, Pedro Martin practiced real estate law as a partner at Greenberg Traurig for 25 years. He is an influential figure in South Florida’s real estate industry and a huge NBA fan. More on Mr. Martin here.