The Cleveland Cavaliers‘ win over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night was huge step in the right direction. LeBron James had one of the best games of his career, Kevin Love reached a career milestone, and the team proved that they still have what it takes to be the best team in the Eastern Conference.
According to Cavs interim head coach Larry Drew, the game was also big because it might have changed the entire team’s mindset going forward.
Following the victory, Drew spoke to reporters about how one game can help flip the switch.
HUGE WIN.
"There's always one game that changes a team's mindset, I really believe tonight's game might've done that for us" pic.twitter.com/f6co4HUds6
— Bally Sports Cincinnati (@BallySportsCIN) March 22, 2018
“I always say there is one game during the season that changes your team. That game can be early, it can be midway, it can be late, but there’s always one game that kind changes your team’s mindset,” Drew said following the 132-129 victory. “I really believe tonight’s game might’ve done that for us. Particularly because, number one we’re shorthanded, number two we played a really good basketball team. Then the fact that we came down from a deficit, which very few teams do against this team.”
The game was ultimately won thanks to both an incredible individual performance by James, and a commitment to team basketball. Drew credited both factors for getting the win in his postgame presser.
“Start of the third quarter with LeBron, I could see that he was going to take it to another gear, or he was going to take it another level. I could kind of see that in his eyes,” he said, before turning the spotlight back on the team as a whole. “It wasn’t the offense, we got defensive stops. We built off that.”
The Cavs have now won three straight games and four of their last five. With 11 games left to go in the regular season, Drew and the rest of the team will have a chance to see if this game really was the turning point this squad needed before heading into the playoffs.
