This has been a lost season, almost from the day it began.But, just before the All-Star break, the Cavaliers showed some signs of life. A win in Washington two and a half weeks ago started it, and then five more consecutive victories made the playoffs seem possible again.
Then a deadline deal for a shooting big man who could help space the floor kept the hope alive.
But after back-to-back losses to two likely playoff teams, Toronto and the Wizards, reality has reared its head once more. The Cavaliers are five games out of the eighth spot in the East with just 25 games left.
Anything is still possible. I'm not going to discount the six-game winning streak just because they lost two games to teams that are better. They even have a pretty reasonable excuse, as they're still missing Varejao, Waiters, and Miles.
The reality, however, is that making the playoffs at this point is going to take something just short of divine intervention. They put themselves in too much of a hole earlier this season.
Looking ahead, the Cavaliers will alternate between home and road games for the next two weeks. Of those next seven games, four are against playoff teams, and two are against almost-playoff teams (Memphis and New York). It's going to be a tough stretch.
If they are to have any hope of getting back into the playoff race, I'd say they need to find a way to go at least 4-3 during this stretch.
Looming immediately afterward is a three-game swing out west, followed by home games against Miami, Oklahoma City, and Houston. Yikes.
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