With the best record in the NBA, being the first team to clinch a playoff spot, the Cavs have to be expected to win it all this year.
The team is putting up good numbers, as one would expect. At the time of print, James leads the NBA in scoring with an average of 29.9 points per game. The Cavs are second in 3-point shooting at 39.1 percent and third in team field goal percentage, making 48.7 percent of their shots.
Cleveland also ranks third in fewest points allowed with 95.1 per game.
A healthy Cavaliers team is potent and as good as any team in the East, with James complemented by trade deadline acquisition power forward Antawn Jamison, guards Mo Williams and Anthony Parker, and the aging but still useful Shaquille O’Neal.
While “The Big Aristotle” is a shadow of his Magic, Laker, or even Heat self, he was still contributing more than adequately, averaging 12 points per game, 6.7 rebounds per game and 1.2 blocks per game.
Unfortunately, O’Neal suffered a thumb injury in late February in a game against the Boston Celtics, and had surgery in early March. He will miss an estimated eight weeks.
It’s a shame because Shaq was playing arguably his best basketball of the season at the time of his injury.
Eight weeks puts O’Neal on track for a playoff return but Shaq is hoping to return before the end of the season. Shaq returned to Cleveland on Monday to begin the early stages of his rehabilitation.
Jamison missed a game against the Philadelphia 76ers last Friday due to a cyst behind his left knee and although he did return for Cleveland’s 104–93 home win against the Boston Celtics this past Sunday, there is a chance his knee could cause him problems later on.
While the knee wouldn’t require surgery, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that the cyst occasionally fills with fluid and he has experienced similar stiffness in his knee earlier in the season. The stiffness could return.
The Cavaliers are in a precarious situation with the injury to O’Neal and the chance that Jamison’s knee could act up again.
Not All on the King’s Shoulders
LeBron James is a good player but can he shoulder the burden should Jamison and O’Neal perform below expectations in the postseason? If that were to be the case, this year’s Cavs team would be similar to last year’s team, which didn’t even reach the NBA final.
But the fact of the matter is, this year’s edition does have O’Neal and Jamison. The two, when healthy, justify Cleveland’s place atop the conference and make them championship contenders.
With Shaq and LeBron both healthy and in the lineup, the Cavaliers went 44–14 and James averaged 29.8 points per game.
After O’Neal suffered the thumb injury, Cleveland has gone 7–1 and James has averaged 29.5 points a game without Shaq.
The Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics are again the immediate threats and a healthy Cleveland team can match the two while a less-than-healthy team could have troubles. However, so far the Cavs seem to be coping well without Shaq.
Injuries could derail the Cleveland Cavaliers season and that could just be the Swan Song for LeBron James as a Cavalier.
