Wine and Gold, Headed Home

Hey everyone! This is A.C., heading back to C-Town after the West Coast swing.

I really think that when we left town, nobody thought the team would gel like they have, especially with the question marks hanging over the team when we left town. There were people who were thinking that this trip could be disastrous. But it seems like the team has learned a lot from what they went through last season. Actually, over the last two years.

They’ve started to develop some toughness. And it seems like – taking as an example, Sunday night in L.A. – right when they needed it, they were able to turn it up a notch defensively and get the job done. They’re almost starting to play like they expect to win and when you get that feeling, man, that’s the kind of feeling you want. Because you always feel like you have control of the court.

And granted, you’re not going to win all the games. Monday night in Denver was a rough one, but that’s going to happen, especially on the tail end of a long trip. But if you have that toughness, you’ll be in all the games. And you’re starting to get the sense that the team is getting that feeling.

I think the surprise of the trip was that the Cavaliers are starting to get contributions from players that they maybe didn’t think they were going to get contributions from when we left home. And when you get performances from – like what Ira has done over the past two games – that’s just outstanding. He came in and didn’t miss a beat – got some key rebounds, scored some good baskets and played some good defense. When you start getting that, it tells me that the team is focused.

And again, a lot of this comes from their experiences over the last two years. They know, now, when to get it going because of what they’ve experienced going through the Playoffs. It’s a good sign that the coaches don’t always have to crack the whip for the team to get after it.

What a successful West Coast trip has done for them – (and you have to consider a 3-3 trip successful) – is give them a sense for what they have to do as they are currently constructed, and what they have to do to win. And the key to any season is for the players to understand what each player has to contribute to win ballgames. And I think they’re starting to find that formula here on the road – which is a really good sign.

Some of the veterans like Eric and Donyell are starting to get healthy and they should be coming back after the Cavaliers return home. It’ll be interesting to see what this does to the mix. Right now, it’s hard to say.

Those guys are going to have to practice their way back into the system. Right now, the system is starting to work without them. So in order for them to be incorporated back into the system, they have to get into practice and get into the flow – you can’t just throw them out there. When they get back, then the coaching staff is going to have to make some decisions.

One player who is already part of the system – (at times, he is the system) – is LeBron.

He is playing so confidently and relaxed right now. He knows his teammates and he knows what he has to do to make them successful. And he seems to have an uncanny ability to know when he needs to be aggressive offensively and when he needs to be aggressive defensively.

But more than anything, right now he always wants to guard the hot man at the end of the game. That’s starting to really be a pleasure to watch. And when you’re leader is playing that way – everybody follows.