Can the Cavs and James Harden Silence Postseason Skeptics?

Just see this group play more minutes together.

We definitely got to look at our situation,

look at everybody's situation and see what that looks like for these next two games.

We just have to see some guys, you know,

they want to play that last game to keep the rhythm.

Some guys don't.

That was Kenny Atkinson time out the approach for the final two games

after last night's win over Atlanta.

We also had Evan Mobley talking about the Cavs sending a message

with the Hawks win there.

Would you make it even funnier if the Cavs won on Friday and somehow ended up as the three seed?

Yeah, don't want that.

It's weird, you know, between Mobley's comments last night and then Donovan's comments last night.

It really kind of felt like last night was their dress rehearsal for the post season.

They just wanted to do it once and they did.

They pulled it off. That was great.

But it also then was one of those moments where it's like,

I think you guys really are just thinking you can do this all the time now.

And I don't know that they can.

I'm not saying they can't.

I just, I thought they really, they read a lot into what last night was.

Oh, see, it's interesting.

I like where they are right now.

I do. I like the fact that like Donovan's message,

the fact that some people have bought and sold on them a couple of times,

which is fair.

I like that, you know, he talked about the win strengthening, you know,

this team and their own resolve and their belief in this.

That's why I want them to win out if they can.

Like, I just, I want a team that is, I don't want them to be cocky.

I don't want them to be falsely confident,

which they've been in previous years.

But if they're feeling it and they really do believe in what they're doing,

let's go do it.

Like, this is, this is, I want this to be rubber meets the road for this team

because this has been four years in the making,

even though this, you know, you've got three guys here who've only been here for 28 games.

And that's, it's so funny.

Like, I think some people who are the most excited about the calves after the trades

are now most anxious when it comes to thinking about the playoffs.

I'm the opposite.

I didn't want at least the heart and trade.

And now the closer we get, I'm like, LFG, like this is, this is awesome.

Like, this is where you find out who's really who, who's really tough

and who really can back it up and who isn't worth it.

And I think the calves have a chance to show who they really are

on the good sense of that.

And so that, that's maybe where my positivity is coming from as well.

No, it's not even a bad thing.

I'm just, I'm just pointing out the idea that I think they put a lot into

beating a Hawks team last night.

It's a good Hawks team, but it did feel like after the game.

They spoke in a way that we hadn't seen them speak in a couple of weeks.

Now, I do wonder if the psychological part of this is what was at play.

We've seen Atkinson try to pull the psychological levers a couple times

in the past couple of weeks.

It seems like every time he does it, he pulled it at the wrong time.

That was the right time last night to talk about how great you were

and to talk about all these different things.

But it seemed pretty obvious watching that game that there was multiple moments

where it's like, can we turn it on?

And if we can, let's see how it goes.

And every time they turn it on, it worked.

So as we're having the conversation about Friday and in, you know,

whether if the calves went out, whether that's going to get criticism,

if that ends up taking to the three seed, Ryan Rusillo on the Rusillo show

had Adam left go on.

And they were talking about the belief or lack thereof in the calves

in the postseason.

I think I might trust New York more than Cleveland though,

because Cleveland seems like kind of a trendy, trendy pick,

although, you know, whatever, it's one game.

I'm not trusting James Harden ever.

I'm done.

Like, I'm not getting sold this anymore.

It is going to be the worst clip ever.

I don't care.

Like, hey, Jay, I'm picking the James Harden team to go to the finals.

I'm not.

Like, I'm out.

There's always that, that time, the three quarters of the year

where James Harden's got like 15 assists and he's dropping 15 points

and you're like, man, we might need to give this guy a long term contract.

And then that is so like, I'm just, I can't ride that ride anything.

I'm done.

So the actual biggest bone I have to pick with this entire piece of audio

is Rusillo calling them a trendy pick.

Yeah, I don't think they're a trendy pick at all.

One, they're the four seed.

And two, I haven't heard anyone jump on the bandwagon.

At any point, the only thing I've actually heard over the last 28 games

is when they were injured and when guys weren't playing,

when you heard more people jump off the bandwagon.

I've heard more people sound like left go than not.

And it's kind of frustrating in a way,

because it's like the idea that, and listen,

it's almost like when we talk Brown's quarterbacks or Brown's head coaches,

it's like, all right, just keep saying you think it's not going to work out.

And for 25 years, you've been right.

If you keep saying that.

If that's your one trick on it, you've been right.

If you're one thing with Harden throughout these years is,

I just don't think in winning NBA finals, you're going to be right.

You've been right for 17 years.

You've been right.

But like, it just feels very close-minded to not look and see what Harden's doing

and his role on this team and to turn that around and make it to be like,

well, I just don't mess with Harden, so I can't mess with the calves.

And I feel like that's been the tune that I've gotten

with a lot of the national guys.

I think the interesting thing to me about it, though,

is I think, if you just want to put this on Harden,

that's fine because of history.

I think it's okay to put this on the calves as well because of their lack of history

of deep into postseason success.

I do.

And like, I don't think there's anything wrong with pointing out

that it wasn't just Darius Garland that couldn't get past the second round.

Right?

I have no problem with pointing out that James Harden hasn't really...

He's gotten into the finals.

He has gotten to conference finals, but has had as many clunkers

late in the series as he has great games.

Like, I think it's fine if you don't have a...

Or if you lack belief in this calves team,

because that's what this postseason should be about.

Okay, but that clip would have hit way harder for me if that whole thing

was about Donovan instead of James Harden.

Oh, yeah, that whole clip is him going...

Leftgo going on about it.

I just don't trust Donovan.

He's never made it out of the second round.

I can't mess with the Donovan lead basketball team.

I think that clip goes a million times harder for someone like myself.

I'm like, oh, okay, you got some real beef with what the calves are doing.

When you go to the Harden level of it,

it just comes across like you're not paying attention to what this calves team is.

I mean, I...

I get it, but I think it's all fair.

I think it's all fair because it's all based on what they've done.

And like, I...

This is the ultimate, you know what, or get off the pot.

And I know people don't want it to be that, right?

Because while you...

What happens this offseason and all that?

I'm focused on the now and today.

And this is as good of an opportunity.

The rest of the Eastern Conference feels...

I don't want to say it's weekend because that's, I think,

a little overplayed.

There's a lot of good teams.

There's maybe one great team.

And then there's a lot of teams, I think, are in similar conversations.

None of them are definitively better than the calves than I mean, the postseason.

So this is your next best chance since last year to really make that deep run.

Yeah, no, it's all right there.

And so like, that's where mine's at.

Like, I don't...

Like, I said in a Celtic series, I'd give you a 46% chance out of a hundred

to win a seven game series against the Celtics.

But like, okay, let's go see.

I like...

I hope they're playing every bit of a silo sound.

Any of the things that I said six weeks ago or two weeks ago,

I hope they're playing this stuff.

Just pumping it through that locker room, non-stop.

Because I think I want them to understand like, not only do you have as much pressure

in these playoffs as anyone else in the entire NBA,

but also a lot of people don't believe in you yet.

And I'm trying to think of pressure because like the teams that we talk about,

when we talk about it with the same length of odds,

okay, C's not changing their team at all.

The spurs aren't changing their team at all.

Boston's not changing their team at all.

If we look at the top four teams with the best odds,

the one team that could have a massive shake up

if they don't deliver would be the calves.

Now, I could see Denver shaking some things up,

but I say that about them every off season,

and they never do any of that.

And so like...

You know, they could use a little lightly used jam.

Sorry.

Lakers will probably shake things up just because of a Bron.

Probably won't be there next year,

but like though, the Reeves' Dunchitch side of things isn't going to go anywhere.

Like, yeah, you're not wrong.

Like from a pressure standpoint,

and who could actually see shakeups

if you don't perform in the postseason,

the calves are at the top of that West.

But I think that...

But I do think like there is a lack of belief.

Am I say lack of belief I'm talking about compared to other years?

Like in anybody that I talked to,

is there excitement about the calves?

Yes, of course.

Is there hope for the calves? Yes.

But nobody trusts the calves in the postseason yet.

And that's the way this is supposed to be.

We've gone into...

And I'll say it for myself as well.

We've gone into the playoffs

of the three previous years going,

this is different.

Right?

At first year with Donovan.

We didn't have Donovan last year in the play-in, right?

And you win, and you got waxed by the next.

And then you went the next year,

and you...

Hey, you got through that first round.

You go right in the second round.

And there were injuries and other things.

But then you got waxed by the Celtics.

And then last year, it's like you just had the, you know,

one of the best regular season

from the calves of that Lebron ever.

Right?

Right?

This is...

It's got to be different.

And then it went the way against the Pacers

that it had each of the previous times

it had been eliminated.

Well, I think the heat series gave people confidence too,

because the heat series was just so one-sided.

And then you got injuries.

Entries piled up,

and then before you could blink,

all of a sudden the series was over.

And so like that's like...

And listen, I think it's okay if the calves

are a little salty about the lack of belief.

I get it if they feel like they've been a victim

of circumstance from injuries

or from the substance.

And then one of those is that it doesn't feel like

it's a lack of belief in the calves.

Even though we are doing that here,

and I think you're fair to point that out,

I think a lot more people are just left go on it,

where it's just it's a lack of belief in hearted.

And there isn't that fair.

For sure it is.

Heartened hasn't defeated those accusations.

Of course it's fair.

But I don't think people look at it

as this big lack of belief in the calves

and their postseason woes.

They're just attaching everything they know about hearted

and saying this is all I need to do.

216-474-0092.

Do fans?

Do you as a fan?

Still lack belief in this calves team?

And the funny thing is like,

I know I've seen some debate about four, five match-up

in the regular or in the first round.

And how close that's going to be.

Guys, if that's a close series,

you're going to see some panic from other calves fans.

If they if they do end up getting destroyed in the second round.

And it's a fiercely contested six or seven, game six, seven.

Match-up.

Yes, I think you're going to see people panic from this.

Because again, I think that speaks to the truth,

which is whether it's Donovan and the calves,

whether it's from the hardened side of stuff,

even Kiana, unless she doesn't have a lot of postseason experience.

This postseason experience is about proving you are different

than the three previous times.

And I want to point it out.

That's not just about the end result.

It's just about being hyper competitive against Boston

in the Eastern Conference Finals.

It's also about beating teams you should beat.

Well, yeah, that includes Detroit, by the way.

I don't care that they're the one seed.

So that was the part of the case that I was making the other day

about the idea that we haven't seen them get past two rounds

in the postseason.

And part of that is is taking not even what our layups

but taking easier match-ups and doing what you're supposed to do.

Like, good teams don't falter against the pistons.

Good teams don't falter against the hawks if it's round one.

They get in there and they take care of business.

Like, doing that and accomplishing that

would show some growth for the calves for me.

So I have said I lack some belief in the calves

because of what this postseason is.

And that's, again, that's what gets me excited about this.

Do you lack any belief?

It depends what we're talking about.

What is the belief about going to the NBA Finals?

Because then yes, I would lack some belief.

Is the belief about them going to the Eastern Conference Finals?

I don't really lack much belief there.

This is a different calves team.

Yes.

Yes, I do.

Do I think they're going to do better than I've ever seen

a calves team in the Donovan Mitchell era do?

Yes.

I believe in that 100%.

I think each round,

prospectively,

offers you a chance to take down a narrative on you.

The hawks is just,

are you going to play down to your competition,

which happened with a magic?

And I feel like in some ways happened in that Indiana series as well,

even though they went to the NBA Finals.

That wasn't an NBA Finals worthy team.

They had an incredible ride of luck and incredible three-point shooting.

That's why they broke it up not even half a year later.

So I think that's one.

Two, if you play Detroit in the second round,

it offers you the ability to push back on the idea you're soft.

And then three,

it offers you to push back on the idea that you might be a really great regular season team,

but you're not one of the four best teams in the NBA at any point.

Like you couldn't in terms of narrative busting.

The road is there.

For sure.

Now you just got to ride that road and you got to get as far as you can.

Oh, it's all right in front of them.

That's like, that's the cool thing that they have offered up.

Is it's all right in front of them to knock down these little roadblocks,

one by one by one,

and really change people's perceptions.

And you're right as a Cavs fan to sit there and say,

like, I'm questioning what this team is.

We watched it too many times in the postseason in recent years to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Like, the burden of proof is on them to showcase that they're different.

I think they are different,

but maybe I'm just that idiot in the corner that is believing.

This is brilliant.