With their loss to the Chicago Bulls on Saturday, the Cleveland Cavaliers fell to 41-33, giving them the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference.
The team is hoping it can win enough games in the coming weeks to earn one of the top six seeds in the East and avoid the play-in tournament. Cavs newcomer Caris LeVert recently stated what the team has to do in order to achieve that goal.
“Just embracing the moment and staying in the moment,” LeVert said when asked what the key is for the Cavs to finish strong and return to the top six. “Not really worrying about the standings or the playoffs. Just focusing on right now, the possession right in front of us. I think when we do that, we’re at our best, and we just got to keep that mindset going forward. We can still control what we can control. I’m very confident in our group. I know the rest of the guys are as well. We’re looking forward to the challenge.”
Cleveland has been ravaged by the injury bug all season long. It lost key guards Collin Sexton and Ricky Rubio early in the 2021-22 campaign to injuries. Even so, the team thrived for a while after those losses.
However, the Cavs have not been the same since Jarrett Allen suffered an injury. The All-Star has been out since early March after sustaining a fractured finger. In his absence, the Cavs have lost six of 10 games.
LeVert himself has missed a significant number of contests this season. He was traded to the Cavs in early February. After playing in four matches after the deal went down, he missed Cleveland’s next nine games. On the bright side, he has suited up in the team’s last seven games.
LeVert got the starting nod against the Bulls on Saturday, posting 17 points, five rebounds and three assists. Unfortunately, the Cavs dug themselves a big hole in the first half of the game and weren’t able to overcome it.
The Cavs will look to snap a three-game losing skid on Monday against the Orlando Magic.
