Cleveland Cavaliers may not end up as League’s worst team
At the start of the 2010-2011 season, Dan Gilbert, the Cleveland Cavaliers owner, had vowed to the Clevelanders that his team will win a championship before their ex-heartthrob LeBron James does at the South Beach. The Cavs started
the season brightly but as time passed, the NBA fraternity witnessed something totally opposite to what Gilbert had said.
By the start of the January, it was becoming quite evident, what James meant to the organization, even though the Cavs refute it still. The franchise, which had bagged the best record in the league for the last two regular seasons,
touched new depths of frailties. Their struggles became all the more pronounced during a radical tail-spin, which saw them sink to the worst NBA-record of twenty six consecutive defeats, tying them with Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the longest losing streak in
the history of American major sports.
The injuries didn’t help either as the Cavs plummeted to the last spot in the league. The NBA world and the Clevelanders in particular seemed to have accepted that fact. The motivation of getting their hands on the best draft pick
in the upcoming season also provided a rationale, to keep it that way.
However, it all changed on Tuesday night against the Charlotte Bobcats.
Playing infront of their home crowd at the Quicken Loans arena, the Cavs not only quashed the last hopes of the Bobcats to secure a playoff berth, they also put their own scenario in a limbo.
Cleveland Cavaliers are standing at the last spot in the Eastern Conference with 16 victories and 61 defeats. The weakest team in the Western Conference, Minnesota Timberwolves holds the 15th spot as well with 17 wins
and 61 losses. The Cavaliers are left with five games while Timberwolves have four games remaining in the regular season.
Although this doesn’t necessarily mean that the Cavs will ultimately prevail over the Timberwolves, the fact that they have won three of their last games and Timberwolves are on a 11-game losing skid makes the matters a little
complicated. Even though, there are positive indications that the Cavs may just want to settle for the last place in the league, their guard Daniel Gibson re-iterated their desire to win.
"As competitors and as guys representing the city and playing the game we love, no way, no shape, no how do you want to be the worst team in the league. You want to win.”
So, as far as Gibson is concerned, last place is a disgrace. The other players and the coach echo his feelings as well. The question here is whether this late surge is in Cleveland’s favour in the longer run or not. This only time
will tell.
Against the Bobcats though, one factor that might have motivated the Cavs to bring out their best is that the Bobcats had crushed Cleveland three times this season and they wanted to have a pay back by knocking the Bobcats out
of the playoff race. Seven players from the Cavaliers scored in double figures to thrash Charlotte for a 99-89 victory.
Byron Scott, the Cleveland coach was very pleased with his team performance and said. "These guys could've packed it in a long time ago, but they haven't done that. Even one of the referees commended me on how well and how hard
these guys play. A lot of it has to do with them coming every day to work believing we're going to get better and I think that's terrific."
Disclaimer: The ideas expressed in the article are the writer’s own personal views and has nothing to do with bettor.com’s editorial policy.
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