On believing in the Cavs after six wins in a row

"So let's settle down a bit on the Cavs. They’ve made some nice changes, but they’re ultimately playing the same way on offense -- tons of pick-and-roll, mostly so-so spacing, and predictable play calling. Time of possession and dribbles-per-game numbers for Irving and Waiters have hardly budged, and the team is throwing almost exactly the same number of passes per game as it did before this streak, according to SportVU tracking data provided to Grantland. Thompson is still a slow, over-cautious passer out of the pick-and-roll, and the Cavs aren’t going to hit 46 percent of their above-the-break triples much longer. The competition is about to get much stiffer." -Zach Lowe, Grantland.

Your heart wants to believe, but your head knows better. We've seen flashes from this team before, only to have them come out flat against the Pelicans for a random Tuesday night home game. Why should this be any different?

Maybe it isn't. But I can't deny that it certainly feels different. This is a team that hadn't won four games in a row since 2010, and they've now won six in a row. They look like they're having fun on the court for the first time in, well, ever.

It's true that their two most recent wins were over teams at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. But regardless of who they were playing, winning a game on the second night of a back-to-back without Anderson Varejao or Dion Waiters is an accomplishment.

It would obviously be foolish to believe that this team has resolved all of its issues. That said, it would be pretty cynical to completely dismiss them. I don't know how long they will keep this up, but I'm certainly going to enjoy every moment of it.

They're three games out of a playoff spot with just 27 games to go, and the schedule is indeed about to get much tougher. Even if they do continue to play well, getting into the postseason will take at least a bit of good luck.

After all we've been through, though, I'm willing to be satisfied with seeing some growth, even if it doesn't result in a playoff appearance. I want to believe that Waiters and Kyrie Irving can play together. I want to believe that Anthony Bennett is going to have a real NBA career. I want to believe that Tristan Thompson can be a double-double machine.

I want to believe in anything. It's been so long since we've been able to root for a team that is fun and exciting and full of potential. I want to be able to look forward to games, rather than fear them. I'm not asking for a championship, just for some reasons to again feel like the near future is bright.

I'm not there yet, but each victory brings me a little bit closer.