It's been a strange season to say the least for the Cleveland Cavaliers, but it appears they might have finally turned the metaphorical switch. Following their victory over the East-leading Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night, the Cavs are now 9-1 in their last 10 games, and are up to 48-30 on the season.
Acting head coach Larry Drew believes they can get even better. Drew said after the game that the Cavs are "only scratching the surface." Via ESPN:
"I still say we're only scratching the surface, I really do," Drew declared. "I still think we can get our young guys, our new guys, they're still kind of feeling their way through this. They, I can look at their face and tell that they're just thinking, they're just trying to think of what to do. They're not letting their natural basketball instincts take over.
"And when they get past that point, I think it takes us to another level. But certainly we recognize the fact that we have to be on the same page defensively, particularly in the playoffs. But I still say I think we're scratching the surface. There's certainly room for improvement in a lot of areas."
It's no coincidence that the Cavs' recent hot streak has coincided with Kevin Love's return to the lineup from a broken hand he suffered in late January. While they're still dealing with a few injuries here and there to some role players, they now have their two stars -- Love and LeBron James -- back in the lineup, and have started to find a rhythm with the players acquired at the deadline.
The problem for the Cavs in regards to "scratching the surface," is that there's only a few more games remaining in the regular season. There's just simply not a ton of time left to make that improvement. Of course, they have LeBron, and with the way both he and the team have been playing lately, they will be a problem in the postseason regardless of how much growth there is between now and the later stages of the playoffs.
