The Roller Coaster Season to End All Roller Coaster Seasons
The 2017–18 Cavs have had more inflection points during a single season than any team in recent memory
Why am I so invested in this team?
That’s a question I ask myself on almost a nightly basis when I watch the 2017–2018 Cleveland Cavaliers play basketball. Why do I allow myself to get caught up in the soap opera of a LeBron James-led team in the age of social media?
Oh yeah — that’s why. I just can’t quit this guy.
Calling this year’s Cavs team a soap opera doesn’t even do it justice — soap operas, I’m told, have a couple of twists and turns (along with a coma or two). In that case, Cavs team surpassed soap opera status before January. In fact, they’ve had so many inflection points in their season that I decided to chart them with emojis (I have trouble expressing emotions without emojis) so my readers could comprehend how insane of a season it has been for Cavs fans.
Inflection Point 1: August 23th — Cavs trade Kyrie Irving to Celtics
You know the story by now — Kyrie demands a trade; Cavs trade Kyrie for Brooklyn pick, Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and a 2nd-rounder. It is later revealed that IT’s hip injury suffered the previous season is actually much worse than originally thought.
Hot Take Reaction: This isn’t all that bad — the Nets are the worst team, IT was incredible last year and Jae Crowder is still good, right?
Subconscious Thoughts: Wait, what if Kyrie kept getting better? Why didn’t LeBron try to work this out with Kyrie? Would LeBron seriously leave again?
Inflection Point 2: October 7th — Cavs defeat Celtics on NBA’s opening night, 102–99
You know this one too — Gordon Hayward suffers a horrible compound fracture of his leg less than 10 minutes into the NBA season. Everyone assumes that the Celtics’ championship aspirations will be put on hold for a year.
Hot Take Reaction: Thoughts and prayers to Hayward. Also, the Cavs’ path to the NBA Finals just got a hell of a lot easier. Kyrie is going to win the scoring title.
Subconscious Thought: This is actually going to be really good for Kyrie, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum’s careers. D-Wade doesn’t really make sense on this team. Why do I feel so weird about rooting for Derrick Rose?
Inflection Point 3: October 25th — Cavs lose to Nets, 112–107
Cavs mail-in a game against literally the only team in the NBA that they can’t do that against and fall to the Nets.
Hot Take Reaction: The Cavs suck! How the hell can you lose a game to the Nets when you own the rights to their draft pick and every win they have makes your draft pick worse.
Subconscious Thought: Why the hell am I getting mad about Game 5 of an 82-game season?
Inflection Point 4: November 3rd — Cavs defeat Wizards, 130–122
Bradley Beal and John Wall hype the nationally televised showdown against the Cavs as being some sort of playoff reprieve for the Wizards. LeBron responds accordingly by playing one of the best regular season games you’ll ever see — with a 57p/11r/7a/3s/2b stat line.
Hot Take Reaction: See below.
Subconscious Thought: What’s up with JR Smith and Tristan Thompson so far this season? Are they really going to have to rely on LeBron like this all year?
Inflection Point 5: January 3rd — Cavs defeat Blazers, 127–110
Isaiah Thomas returns and scores 17 points in 19 minutes in a Cavs rout. Thomas looks a little out of sorts at times, but his play is much better than expected.
Hot Take Reaction: The Cavs are contenders again!
Subconscious Thought: Man, IT is so damn short. Did IT really look that good? Or was he just scoring against subpar defenders like Damian Lillard and Shabazz Napier?
Inflection Point 6: January 20th — Cavs lose to Thunder, 148–124
For a reference point, the score of the All-Star Game this season 148–145. This was a home game too! The infamous team meeting where Dwyane Wade and IT called out Kevin Love for leaving the stadium during the game occurred the next day. (Love recently opened up about this incident, explaining that he had a panic attack.)
Hot Take Reaction: Fire Ty Lue! Trade Kevin Love! Trade IT! LeBron’s already got his bags packed for LA. Burn it all to hell!
Subconscious Thought: There’s no way a team that game up 148 points in a single game has ever won a title.
Inflection Point 7: February 6th — Cavs lose to Magic, 116–98
Cavs come out hot, but get absolutely embarrassed by Jonathon Simmons in the 2nd half. The Cavs only score 9 points in one of the worst 4th quarters of basketball you’ll ever see.
Hot Take Reaction: Alright, what the F$%& is going on? This season is over. Cavs might even miss the playoffs. Only thing that could save them is if they trade like half their roster.
Subconscious Thought: Has LeBron fallen off? He’s looked more and more mortal lately.
Inflection Point 8: February 11th — Cavs defeat Celtics, 121–99
Playing for the first time without the traded malcontents — IT, Wade, Rose and Crowder — the newest members of the team — Larry Nance, Jordan Clarkson, Rodney Hood and George Hill — come out and dominate the Celtics. Most importantly, LeBron looked happy playing basketball again.
Hot Take Reaction: The Cavs are back! They’re as good as the Warriors and Rockets now!
Subconscious Thought: What happens when Kevin Love comes back? Does he fit in or fit out?
Inflection Point 9: March 3rd — Cavs lose to Nuggets, 126–117
Cavs lose three out of four games, culminating in a stinker of a defensive performance against the Nuggets. Nuggets go 19/35 from three-point land — most of the attempts being wide open due to the return of the Cavs ugly defensive rotations and miscommunications.
Hot Take Reaction: Fire Ty Lue! Can we get someone to kidnap Tristan Thompson so Lue will stop playing him over Larry Nance? Also, get these gray “The Land” uniforms out of here — the Cavs are like 0–40 when they wear those monstrosities.
Subconscious Thought: Was Rodney Hood just a product of Utah’s system? Are the Cavs really going to not finish with a top-4 record in the East?
Inflection Point 10: March 7th — Cavs defeat Nuggets, 113–108
Cavs win a thriller in Denver; LeBron goes bananas down the stretch; Ty Lue pushes the right buttons all night long with his rotations after Tristan Thompson misses his second straight game with an ankle injury.
Hot Take Reaction: Eff it — I’m All-In again.
Subconscious Thought: How many more of these damn inflection points are there going to be in this season?
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