Is this season a success if we make the play offs?

[stooley]

By my count, only 6 teams tried to tank. Philly has done the best job and has remained committed. Orlando and Boston are close. Utah went into offseason tank mode, but didn't commit further. Toronto and Phoenix saw their tank plans derailed.

All the other crappy teams thought they were going to be competitive, and not one of them went into true tank mode even when reality smashed them in the face.

Well said. I'm not sure the league is historically bad this year, just the EC.

I'm judging this team by post-trade numbers - 25-13, influenced by strength of schedule, where I think we land in a league average(ish) level.

So, I'm quite happy about this year so far. A big thing I'll be looking for this summer is improvement in JV and Ross's games. JV's been disappointing of late, which I guess was to be expected at some point.

Also, the Pacers and the Heat are two of the biggest favorites to win the whole league this year, and I'm not sure that their models are THAT sustainable. So if we can keep up our level of play for the next few years and actually improve, I'm not sure that an eventual finals appearance is such a long shot.

[Jclaw]

This year has been odd in terms of injuries (ie D Rose) But so have other years (ie D Rose). But, we can't plan on freak injuries. We are currently in third. If the bulls had rose, they would likely have at least the 3rd spot. Solid argument. If the hawks had horford and the nets had Lopez, they would probably be 4 & 5. Not as solid an argument but a strong possibly. So, based on our play alone, we should probably be the sixth seed with a first round series against the bulls. Would that have been a successful season? Maybe. It doesn't really matter that teams are tanking. There will always be bad teams, intentionally or not, and even the raps were not one of the ten worst teams last year. Use the cynical eye you need to but give them the credit that is due. Then, get ready for the sobering thought that D Stern's farewell gift is to see wiggins wind up as a Celtic or Laker.

[Jclaw]

One other tea leaf for how to gauge the strength of our team. In an article about the prospects of Cleveland keeping Kyrie Irving, this paragraph caught my attention.

"Just how strongly Irving feels about it could rise to the forefront soon. Though the Cavs recently went on a six-game win streak, their schedule the rest of the season is brutal. In March, Cleveland, now 22-35 and five games out of a spot in the postseason, plays the Grizzlies, Spurs, Clippers, Suns, Warriors, Heat, Thunder, Rockets, Raptors and Pacers."

Yeah, the Suns are in there too but still....since when were we feared? Culture change?

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/10...e-kyrie-irving

[ceez]

this season has been a palette cleanser for the future. that in itself is a success.

[MACK11]

One other tea leaf for how to gauge the strength of our team. In an article about the prospects of Cleveland keeping Kyrie Irving, this paragraph caught my attention.

"Just how strongly Irving feels about it could rise to the forefront soon. Though the Cavs recently went on a six-game win streak, their schedule the rest of the season is brutal. In March, Cleveland, now 22-35 and five games out of a spot in the postseason, plays the Grizzlies, Spurs, Clippers, Suns, Warriors, Heat, Thunder, Rockets, Raptors and Pacers."

Yeah, the Suns are in there too but still....since when were we feared? Culture change?

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/10...e-kyrie-irving

I think there saying that playing the Raptors isnt a cake walk anymore like in the past

[Jclaw]

I think there saying that playing the Raptors isnt a cake walk anymore like in the past

which is a good thing. There's no asterisk. There's no "they're only good because other teams are tanking". They seem to get some respect. Just to put it in context, the other march teams not to make the feared list are the Knicks, Bobcats, Pistons and Nets. Happy to be included in group A when we would so often have been part of group B.

[MACK11]

which is a good thing. There's no asterisk. There's no "they're only good because other teams are tanking". They seem to get some respect. Just to put it in context, the other march teams not to make the feared list are the Knicks, Bobcats, Pistons and Nets. Happy to be included in group A when we would so often have been part of group B.

Well we should get respect from the media since the Rudy trade we have had the 3rd best record in the nba so all those people saying were only good because everyone is tanking are a bunch of trolls loooool

[TSF]

One other tea leaf for how to gauge the strength of our team. In an article about the prospects of Cleveland keeping Kyrie Irving, this paragraph caught my attention.

"Just how strongly Irving feels about it could rise to the forefront soon. Though the Cavs recently went on a six-game win streak, their schedule the rest of the season is brutal. In March, Cleveland, now 22-35 and five games out of a spot in the postseason, plays the Grizzlies, Spurs, Clippers, Suns, Warriors, Heat, Thunder, Rockets, Raptors and Pacers."

Yeah, the Suns are in there too but still....since when were we feared? Culture change?

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/10...e-kyrie-irving

Hey, no but still for the suns... They're only 4 games back of the Clips and hanging onto a playoff spot in the West with a better record than us... they're a tough team.

Agree that the Raptors tend to be getting more respect around the league though

[isaacthompson]

this season has been a palette cleanser for the future. that in itself is a success.

For sure. The culture change is becoming very evident.