CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Cavaliers had two months to build chemistry before the start of the 2018 NBA Playoffs after reshaping the roster by acquiring four new players in three deals at the trade deadline in early February, but injuries hampered those pursuits as the regular season wound to a close.
However, since the start of the postseason, the Cavaliers have built a chemistry through adversity, and now, stand on the brink of sweeping the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference, the Toronto Raptors, in the conference semifinals.
“I mean we’re getting better each game,” power forward Jeff Green said. “Our defense is getting better. We’re playing together. Things are turning a corner for us at the right time.
“The confidence that we’re building within each other is helping us along the way. Like Kev said, ‘we’ve been in every kind of situation that you could possibly be in throughout these playoffs: winning games late, winning on the defensive end, winning on the offensive end like we did the other day, and we’re growing. We’re growing together, so that’s the best part about it.”
PHOTOS: Cleveland Cavaliers C Kevin Love raises level of play against Toronto Raptors
Unlike past seasons, the first round of the 2018 NBA Playoffs was not a quick four-game series for the Cavaliers, who disposed of the Boston Celtics (2015), Detroit Pistons (2016) and Indiana Pacers (2017) in only four games in previous years, they had to fight through seven games against the Pacers to advance to the second round.
“Hopefully, I think it helped us grow and helped us be better in this series,” Cavaliers shooting guard Kyle Korver said. “I think we’re playing better basketball than we did in the first round, but yeah, there’s definitely a different feel on the team than there was a couple days ago.”
Center Kevin Love added, “It almost reminds me of maybe it was my second year here where we played Detroit in the first round, and that was a very, very tough series. That was a very tough series for us, and we had to fight back every, single game. I know we swept, but they fought hard. They were very physical, and Indiana was the same way.”
Just two days after an intense Game 7 win over the Pacers, the Cavaliers needed to be only one point better than the Raptors in Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals, and that is exactly what they were at Air Canada Centre last Tuesday night.
Despite not holding a lead until the overtime period, the Cavaliers pulled out a 113-112 road win in Game 1 and stole away home-court advantage in the best-of-seven series.
Then, the Cavaliers dominated the Raptors, 128-110, in Game 2 before getting a buzzer-beating shot from small forward LeBron James to win Game 3, 105-103, and put Toronto on the ropes for the third consecutive season.
“I think the comfort comes from us all being on the same page and being familiar with one another,” Love said. “We have a lot of trust in our guys.
“We know we made a lot of changes throughout the year, different lineups and got a bunch of new players and a roster overhaul, but we feel like just being tested, like we had in the last probably fourth of the season, and now, in the first round and coming into this series as well, it’s been really good for us.”