Cavs sensing new opportunity after roster reset: ‘This is the time’

The Cavaliers didn’t look like themselves for the first half of the season.

Not after going 64-18 a year ago. Not while stumbling to a 24-20 start that raised real questions around the league and within the organization.

That tone has flipped fast.

The Cavs have now won nine of their last 10 games, and the belief inside the locker room feels different following a deadline shakeup that brought in James Harden, Dennis Schroder, and Keon Ellis.

“There’s definitely a different energy,” Jarrett Allen said Monday after Cleveland’s 119-117 win in Denver, via Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “Everybody feels a new energy and another belief that we can go even farther than we did last year. The belief is around the team. The last few games, we have proven that we can be an amazing team down the stretch and during the game.

“There’s just a whole new belief and confidence. When you see change, you believe things are going to be different and things are going to go in a new direction.”

That change showed up immediately. Schroder and Ellis were both plus-20 or better in limited minutes Saturday in Sacramento.

Harden followed with a statement performance against the Nuggets, finishing with 22 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, and three blocks.

Meanwhile, Donovan Mitchell has looked fully unleashed, scoring 35 against the Kings and 32 in Denver. Coach Kenny Atkinson called it “a different energy” from his star guard since Harden arrived.

Mitchell didn’t shy away from why.

“I think you understand what’s at stake,” Mitchell said. “You see what’s here. There’s a window. This is the window. This is the time. In a sense, the team is going all in. It’s time to go.

“When you make that move, understanding James’ age and where he’s at in his career, the time is now. There is no ‘runway’ in a sense with a group like that. You sacrifice even more. You believe even more. You go out there and feel it even more.”

The Cavs (33-21) went 4-1 on the swing through the West, and now return home to face the Washington Wizards on Wednesday. After that, it’s eight days off for the All-Star break.

“I love the pressure of it. I love the expectation of it,” Mitchell said. “I love the questions that have come from it. I love it. We need that. Embrace it. When you make that move, what are you making it for? To win a championship. That’s what it is.”

The Cavs aren’t easing into this version of themselves. They’re leaning into it.