CLEVELAND — J.B. Bickerstaff insists this team remains a work in progress. Kevin Love is trying not to focus so much on where this might go and is instead enjoying the grind of how far the Cavs have already come.
All of that sounds good. It’s the right thing to say. There is still plenty of time for injuries or illness to derail what they’re building. But make no mistake: The Cavaliers are absolutely real and should be feared. They’re officially putting the rest of the NBA on notice.
The defending champion Milwaukee Bucks were the latest to figure that out following the Cavs’ 115-99 home win Wednesday that really wasn’t close. The defense smothered the Bucks, holding them to 38 percent shooting over the last three quarters.
The Cavs wake up Thursday third in the East. Their 30 wins are one behind Miami for most in the conference.
“I almost don’t even want to acknowledge it because I just want to bottle what we have right now and keep us super hungry,” Love said. “People didn’t expect us to be here. I like that we’re hungry. I like that we feel like we’re underdogs and people have sacrificed, people have stepped up; guys come in every day and work their asses off. I know that we will continue to do that, but it’s almost like I would rather us fly under the radar and not talk about ceilings.”
Too late. It’s time to talk about it.
Cleveland is fourth in the league with a net rating of 5.1.
