The Cleveland Cavaliers lost 126-113 to the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday, and LeBron James wasn’t the only player who seemed upset afterward. Asked about where the Cavaliers stand in comparison to this time last season, Kyrie Irving said this season was “very, very weird” and it “wouldn’t be fair” to look back, via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin:
“There’s no comparison, man,” Irving said. “Last year compared to this year, you can’t even [compare]. It wouldn’t be fair. It wouldn’t be fair because you see how we go on [comparing] the record, what’s our record at this particular date, and honestly, none of that s--- matters. We’re trying to go into the playoffs as healthy as possible. Everybody is getting back. It’s been a very, very weird season for all of us. Injuries here and there. Things to figure out. New player trades and stuff like that.
“We’ll figure it out. I’m not concerned, though. These guys, our culture that is built here now over the last three years has been very great and something that we can all lean on to. We just got to stay more connected and just be there for one another, and we’ll be all right.”
Though he’s reluctant to directly contrast the two, it sounds like Irving is implying that Cleveland had more things figured out last season. It’s not clear that really was the case. Back then, the dominant NBA storylines were James unfollowing the Cavs on Twitter and Cleveland general manager David Griffin and coach Tyronn Lue meeting with James. The topic of discussion: James’ comments about playing with Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade one day, plus the superstar sending the wrong message to his teammates by spending most of halftime warmups against the Miami Heat talking to Wade.
All of that was a week after a report that the Cavs were frustrated with Irving’s lack of passing in a close win without James, which followed:
- Kobe Bryant saying they needed a “lightning rod,”
- James saying they were not ready for the playoffs,
- a report that James and Irving had a real disconnect,
- James and Irving both saying the team needed an “enforcer” and
- a collective panic about their chemistry.
I’d say all of that is pretty weird. the Cavs blazed through the end of the regular season and first 10 games of the playoffs last season, but that was stunning partially because of drama surrounded them leading up to that. Through 70 games, they were 50-20; this season, they’re 46-24. That’s not a massive difference, and last season should have taught us not to overreact to every loss.
The Cavaliers are 22nd in defensive rating, and that’s cause for concern. So is the fact that James is upset with what he sees as a lack of toughness. In the big picture, though, Irving is correct that the most important thing for Cleveland is to be fully healthy once the playoffs start. If the Cavs’ NBA Finals comeback proved anything, it’s that winning a championship is about peaking at the right time, not sailing through the whole season smoothly.
