Good morning, it’s Wednesday, December 24. The Cleveland Cavaliers are 17-14 and play the New York Knicks tomorrow.
The First Sip
There are no NBA games on today, so instead, enjoy some scattered thoughts on the Cavs’ season up to this point.
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It hasn’t been all fun and games this year. That’s for sure. The team is already on the verge of losing more games before New Year’s than they did all of last season. I couldn’t blame you if you felt disappointed.
But let’s look at it this way.
The team that won 64 games last season has not played any meaningful minutes together this season. The core four have shared the court for only 127 possessions this season. That’s hardly more than a game’s worth. And, it doesn’t include any of the recent games in which Darius Garland has finally started to look like himself.
I want to be clear about something. Injuries do not excuse the poor effort we’ve seen at various points this season. But, if someone told you before the season that Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley, Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell would hardly share the floor together — on top of Max Strus and Sam Merrill missing significant time — then you’d have gone into this season with drastically different expectations.
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The Cavs are better than their current record. At least, they should be. And if they can get healthy entering 2026, then they have a chance of turning things around.
That’s my Christmas wish.
