Cleveland Cavaliers have been one of the surprising stories in the NBA as they are close to get in the postseason with 11 games remaining for the end of the regular season.
The Cavaliers have been playing through serious injury setbacks in several key players including All-Star center Jarrett Allen. They have a 6-9 record since February 13 as Darius Garland and Allen faced or still facing injury setbacks.
However, Cleveland showed fight in the last four games to retain the sixth place in the Eastern Conference. The sixth seed is the last spot leading directly to the postseason.
Kevin Love is an important part of Cleveland’s 3-1 record in the last four. At the same time, he’s aiding to the development of young players like rookie Evan Mobley.
After the 113-109 win over Detroit, Love noted that Cavs have a similar team chemistry with top teams in the NBA like the Suns and the Heat.
“I look at a team like a Phoenix, that’s incredibly well respected, they all play for each other, really share the ball, share the wealth,” Love told reporters via USA Today Sports.
“And genuinely want that next guy to do extremely well and when it happens, celebrate them. We’ve been able to do that here. I think Miami does the same thing.”
At 41-30, the Cavaliers showed their ability to stay together through adversity. Missing essential rotational and star players throughout the season, they kept their composure to remain in the playoff picture.
Love played an important role in the win vs Detroit registering a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds. Love had a great stint during the third quarter, hitting consecutive threes to help his team regain momentum for the rest of the game.
“There’s teams in this league that really have each other’s back through thick and thin, through ups and downs, through wins and losses they really stick together and I believe that we are one of them and we’re going to continue to be one of them,” Love stated.
The Cavaliers will face the Lakers, Raptors and Bulls next week in a crucial group of games. The Raptors are 1.5 games behind the sixth-seeded Cleveland. In the 11 remaining games, Cleveland has only three contests against teams under .500.
They will need every part of their chemistry as a team to confront opponents like the red-hot Raptors, Nets, Sixers, Bucks and Bulls in the coming games.
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