NBA Power Rankings week 10: OKC Thunder vault up ladder

Cleveland Cavaliers:

Offense: (104.9) 25th
Defense: (113.4) 28th
Net: ( minus -8.5) 29th

Games Week 10 (2-1): Won vs Hawks 121-118, Wolves: 94-88, Lost to Celtics 117-129
Games Week 11 (4 games): Tues at Raptors | Thurs vs. Hornets | Sat vs. Thunder | Sun at Wolves

Although the Cavaliers aren’t a squad that teams in the East need to fear, they have turned a corner in terms of their overall production. Winners of four out of the last five games the fundamental structure of their systems is paying dividends.

A few trends explain the uprise:

• In the eight games occurring between December 11th and 27th Cleveland topped 100 points each time and won winning half.
• In the four wins (out of their last five games) they’ve held opponents to an average of 102.75 points.
• Through the last eight games, the Cavs rank top 10 offensively (as per NBA stats)
• Through the last 10 games, the Cavs also rank top 10 defensively (as per NBA stats)

Granted it’s a small sample size but this ascendence speaks to the team’s commitment to John Beilein’s system. More obviously it points to the roster being able to contend against teams positioned in the same wheelhouse. The wins are against the Hornets, Grizzlies, Hawks, and Wolves.

It won’t get the Cavaliers into the postseason but it is helping to establish the team’s identity until they can add additional assets or draft picks to take the next step up.