The Cleveland Cavaliers are heading into a new season with the same burden and the same belief: the pressure is real, and so is the expectation.
That’s what comes with coming so close. Cleveland spent last season on the doorstep of an NBA Finals trip before the New York Knicks caught fire in the Eastern Conference Finals, swept the Cavs, and rolled all the way to the Larry O"Brien Trophy over the San Antonio Spurs. It left the kind of sting that doesn’t fade quickly, especially for a team that entered the year carrying lofty goals.
But the Cavs aren’t trying to duck the weight of it. If anything, they sound eager to carry it.
"The city is hungry, we all know that," Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen said at media day this week. "They want to win.
They want to see a championship here again. I feel like they beleive in us, but part of them has doubt.
Everybody wants to break the doubt, I wanna break the doubt, the team wants to break the doubt. And we wanna do it for the city."
That’s a fitting message from Allen, whose own playoff history includes the infamous remark about the "lights being too bright" in a first-round exit against those same Knicks. Now, several years later, he and the rest of Cleveland’s core are talking like a group that wants the spotlight, not one trying to escape it.
The challenge is obvious. The Eastern Conference has changed fast, and not in Cleveland’s favor.
LeBron James left to join forces with Jaylen Brown in Philadelphia. Giannis Antetokounmpo headed to South Beach to team up with the Miami Heat.
The Knicks are still sitting at the top after winning it all. In that kind of environment, the Cavaliers have been pushed into the background by outside observers.
Inside the building, though, the message hasn’t changed.
"There's still a fire," star guard Donovan Mitchell said. "I think, losing the way we did, I joked about it at the end of the year, but having to be around that noise all summer ... we kind of all, without even saying it, understand what's what's in front of us, the opportunity that we have in front of us."
Cleveland also made a move late in the summer, with President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman trading for young wing Peyton Watson from the Denver Nuggets. It was another sign that the organization sees this as a window worth chasing, not one that’s already shut.
That’s the reality for a team that has built enough success to be judged by the highest standard. The Cavaliers know the bar is high.
They know the disappointment is still there. And with another championship chase set to begin in three weeks, they’re not pretending otherwise.
In Other News...
Dean Wades First 76ers Comments Will Sting Cavaliers Fans
Dean Wades move from Cleveland to Philadelphia already made for an awkward summer subplot, and his first comments as a 76er only sharpened it. After leaving the Cavaliers in free agency, Wade signed a four-year deal with the Sixers and spoke about wanting a chance to compete for a championship, a familiar pitch for any veteran changing uniforms but one that still lands differently when it comes after years in Cleveland.
For Cavaliers fans, the sting is less about the contract and more about the timing and the role he is expected to play in Philadelphia. Wade was part of Clevelands recent playoff run and gave the Cavs valuable minutes along the way, so seeing him head elsewhere with an eye on a title chase leaves another reminder of how thin the margin can be for a team trying to stay in the contender conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Donovan Mitchell Distances Himself From Cavaliers Summer Addition
Donovan Mitchell made it clear this week that he was not involved in bringing Peyton Watson to Cleveland, a small but notable footnote to the Cavaliers busy summer. Watson arrived on a four-year, $88 million deal as the kind of three-and-D wing the roster has been built to value, giving the Cavs another versatile piece as they try to firm up the edges of a contender.
Mitchells clarification doesnt change the bigger picture for Cleveland, which added Watson with the expectation that he can help on both ends right away. But it does add a little intrigue to how the move came together, and to how the Cavaliers are distributing credit as they keep shaping a team they believe can chase a championship next season. [Read more 🡒]
Why The Cavaliers Made This Preseason Feel Different
The Cavaliers preseason has been part of a bigger Cleveland sports conversation lately, even with the Guardians celebrating an AL Central title and the Browns dealing with another round of questions about Deshaun Watson and their defense. On a recent podcast episode that ranged across the citys teams, the Cavs came up as part of the fall sports picture, with their preseason work drawing attention alongside talk of the Guardians Division Series plans and broader trends around the game.
For Cleveland fans, that kind of crossover matters because it gives the Cavaliers a place in the citys current sports mood, not just as a separate basketball team but as part of an all-around stretch of local intrigue. The preseason always brings some anticipation, but this one has felt a little different because the conversation around the team is happening in a season where everything else in town seems to be moving too, from baseball to football to the wider sports issues being debated on air. [Read more 🡒]