Winning an NBA Championship is much like building a modern hotel.
From the street level, what the Cleveland Cavaliers have built is impressive.
They have a star attraction at Donovan Mitchell. Strong frontcoat tandem from Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. Darius Garland’s second microwave type scorer. And a certain depth.
It’s impressive to see the building take shape. There’s also a catchy name: a remake by the lake.
It started in 2022 with Garland as a major goalscorer, Allen as his first All-Star and Mobley missed the playoffs as an impressive rookie. Lauri Markkanen and Collin Sexton were also important players on the team, but not for reasons they knew at the time.
It became clear to see the star-led warriors and the Celtics in the NBA Finals: the Cavaliers didn’t go anywhere with Garland as the headliner.
So Mitchell was taken from the jazz at the expense of Markanen, Sexton and others, allowing striped garlands to be the second powerful option, while Allen and Mobley focused more on defense and rebound. A solid foundation has been created.
The Cavaliers lost in the first round of the 2023 playoffs. False, they advanced their philosophy. When you offer valet parking, people start filling the hotel.
It doesn’t work that way. Yes, the Cavaliers won the Playoff Series in 2024, essentially all the same productions, but that was hardly counted. It opposed the unprepared magical team before the Cavs were shot at the hands of the Celtics in the East semi-finals to a serious reality.
And that’s when the Cavaliers realized: If you want to attract people to your hotel recently, you need to have a penthouse – a place where people have so much fun, they decided to spend the night. Or a week.
So the Cavaliers built a restaurant with a retractable roof. Leading by a new chef (Kenny Atkinson). He also threw a heliport (De’andre Hunter) and a world-class bartender (Ty Jerome). Ah, what a disaster. The windy scenery is very clear and you can see the new Ohio hardware glowing in the distance. The party that started with Halloween has not stopped.
But now it looks like it’s Mother’s Day. There is a problem with 2025. How good is our food? After all, this is a restaurant and not a delight to the date of fraternity. If you want to attract moms, you’ll need more than a cake by the lake.
And in reality, the Cavalier menu is not yet a 5 star.
Certainly, Cleveland may have enough assortment to deal with a second-rate pacer team. But to advance from the east, you will have to defeat Boston. The Cavaliers aren’t there yet.
They need to refocus in 2026 and get clues from the Knicks who were there/did with the Celtics.
To defeat Boston,
Matches Jason Tatum and Jalen Brown. As is currently being built, the Cavaliers match Alford’s Mobley and Christaps Porzingis’ Allen. In other words, they have great dips, but they have old chips.
A second scoring option that envelops bright light. As we saw in last year’s final, the Celtics can suffocate security guards with their best equipment. Yes, Mitchell has poured 35, 35, 31 and 41 points against Boston this season. But Brown or Derrick White never had two victories for Cleveland.
The fact that the Cavaliers lost a game where Mitchell scored 35 and 31 points is the most troublesome. Plyton Pritchard accused Garland of shooting 76-25 (33%) and 27-9 (33%) with three-pointers in the series where Plyton Pritchard was on the floor for a total of 116 minutes.
Restaurant terminology: Steak is good. The potatoes are rotten.
You will need to take advantage of Tatum’s Matador-level defense. He will do an amazing job standing next to the big man who challenged Dallas offensively in last year’s final and will win the same mission with equally skilled Allen in this series.
What the Cavaliers need… is it dare to say LeBron III? Hey, I promise to bring Bronnie with me and agree to Bryce’s draft in June next year.
That makes Tatum protect someone and gives Cleveland a much more reliable second option.
Call him Maitre D – people’s magnetism for your lovely rooftop experience. At that point, the building is finished and soon becomes a nightmare landmark for all New Englanders moving overhead.
Next season you will have a hot take by the lake. Even in Cleveland.
For now, the Cavaliers only have prayers.
And even so, it could lead to heartbreak caused by the lake.
