The Cleveland Cavaliers are preparing for what they hope will be a deep playoff run. Kenny Atkinson’s team ended the season as the top-seeded team in the Eastern Conference. As such, they will have home-court advantage moving forward.
However, Cleveland’s regular-season dominance has done little to quiet the concern surrounding their readiness for postseason basketball. After all, there have been countless ‘regular season teams’ that can’t replicate their success in the playoffs. Darius Garland is at the forefront of those concerns.
Garland is a borderline elite offensive talent. However, he has been a weak link in the Cavaliers’ defense for years. Opposing teams will consistently hunt him in the half-court, looking to take advantage of him on mismatches. There’s also a concern that Garland fades when games become physical.
Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor discussed this during a recent episode of the ‘Wine and Gold Talk‘ podcast.
“I think there remains to be questions about Darius Garland and his readiness for everything that playoff basketball is,” Fedor said. “…If we’re being honest, Darius has struggled throughout the course of his career. And at times this year, even this year was an All-Star caliber season for him, but there were times that he struggled with physicality…The Cavs are ready for it. Kenny Atkinson is ready for it. Darius says he’s ready for it. But this is a switch-heavy defense, and teams are going to go pick and roll, and they’re going to put Darius in the action over and over and over again.”
Garland is a core part of the Cavaliers’ rotation. If he struggles, Cleveland’s chances of success will take a significant blow.
Kenny Atkinson Calls for Belief From His Squad
When speaking to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com on April 11, Atkinson admitted that the Cavaliers must show some self-belief. He noted that until his team believes they can win a championship, they will be facing a significant mental hurdle.
“As far as talent, chemistry, deep bench, we have it all. It’s really going to be the mental battle,” Atkinson told Fedor. “The question that needs to be answered with this team is if they have a belief level that’s at a championship level…Do you really believe you can be a conference finalist? That’s the first step. Only going to answer that when we are faced with it. That’s probably the lingering question.”
Winning in the postseason is far more difficult than during the regular season. Teams make adjustments, they hunt mismatches, and they have seven games to figure out each puzzle. Cleveland must remain confident in its ability to overcome those challenges.
Cavaliers Should Have Donovan Mitchell Healthy
Donovan Mitchell missed the final four games of the Cavaliers season. The All-Star guard has been nursing an ankle injury. When speaking to the media on April 13, Atkinson confirmed Mitchell should be ready to go by the start of the postseason.
“I think he’ll be full on with practice. We’re going to have to scrimmage at some point, probably intersquad with refs, so he’ll participate in that,” Atkinson said. “The most important thing is how we build him up with the ankle rehab and then conditioning.”
Mitchell is key to the Cavaliers’ hopes of winning a championship. The franchise needs him at his best in order to make a push for the conference finals. As such, Atkinson’s comments will be music to the fanbase’s ears. However, now all eyes will turn toward Garland to see if he’s ready to embrace the physicality of the postseason.
Concerns Remain Over Cavaliers’ Darius Garland’s Playoff Readiness