Vibes matter in the NBA. They always have.
The Cleveland Cavaliers built a historic 64-win team last year largely on vibes. Sure, immense talent across the roster is a barrier for entry. But we’ve seen
talented squads struggle to play with the joy and harmony the Cavaliers played with last season.
Even the Cavs themselves had trouble replicating it.
This team fell flat on its face in the first two months of the season. Constant injuries threw multiple curveballs at them, while disappointing efforts and dysfunctional chemistry led to a 17-16 record by late December. Nothing was working, and the team was running out of time to figure it out.
During that brutal stretch to open the season, Kenny Atkinson referenced his championship with the Golden State Warriors — and how adversity can be par for the course.
“Everyone thinks it’s a smooth ride, but it definitely isn’t smooth,” Atkinson said. “That year we won the championship, I think we had a stretch where we went 7-16, we lost 9-out-of-11 at one point, 7-of-8 [in a different stretch] — nothing was screaming championship that season, as a matter of fact, it was like ‘oh my gosh, this is falling apart.”
That quote feels more relevant now, on February 10th, as the Cavaliers have won 16 of their last 21 games and have the best record in basketball since December 29th. They’ve turned things around in the midst of more injuries and franchise-altering trades.
All the while, they feel more legit than ever before as a result of overcoming their slow start.
“We’re continuing to show that [toughness],” said Sam Merrill after Cleveland’s latest win over the Denver Nuggets. “I say this all the time, it hasn’t been perfect this year. Wasn’t perfect last year, but I think this group is continuing to grow.”
The Cavs began their recent road trip with a few devastating blows. Darius Garland had re-injured his toe just a few games before the trip, while Evan Mobley would go down with another calf injury shortly after. So, Cleveland hit the West Coast undermanned and was promptly dismantled by the Phoenix Suns. It felt like this could be another two steps backwards for a team that had just started to gain momentum in January.
Instead, the team rattled off four consecutive wins and picked up some new talent along the way.
Jarrett Allen put up a historic 40 points and 17 rebounds to beat the Blazers. After that, the Cavs dealt Garland for 11-time All-Star James Harden in a gutsy, all-in move that shocked the NBA. Cleveland proceeded to thrash the LA Clippers one night after the trade — before welcoming Harden to their lineup for a thrilling win over the Sacramento Kings later that week.
The Cavs then traveled to Denver for their final game of the trip. Playing in high altitude after a grueling two-weeks away from home took a visible toll on them. They looked exhausted, at times, and trailed for 43 minutes of the game. Yet they never folded, and it was a combination of Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, and Jarrett Allen who pulled this team across the finish line for their fourth straight win.
“We found a way to get it done,” said Harden. “It’s our second game [together]. No practices, a couple of film sessions, not the way it’s supposed to happen.”
Getting this team back into a groove is one thing. Inserting another ball-dominant guard into the mix without throwing off the chemistry is another challenge altogether. Pulling off both of those feats in consecutive comeback victories is special. This Cavs team is harkening back to the good vibes that made them successful a year ago.
“There are so many things that we’ve found, and we still haven’t practiced yet,” said Mitchell. “We’re just hoopin off vibes.”
Talent can only get you so far. The Cavs saw this for themselves in November and December. But as the front office pushes the right buttons to add more talent to the roster, the Cavaliers have responded by getting themselves organized and on the same page. Winning only makes the process that much easier. Just as quickly as things fell apart, they can come back together again.
“It’s go time,” said Harden, before heading back to Cleveland for his home debut. You won’t want to miss it.
