(CNN Philippines) — It’s hard to win a championship, but it’s harder to defend it.
This holds true for the reigning National Basketball Association (NBA) champs Cleveland Cavaliers, who occupied the top spot in Eastern Conference for majority of the 2016-17 regular season, struggled at the homestretch.
They lost their last four assignments and fell to second place behind the Boston Celtics.
A LeBron James postseason mode, meanwhile, is a totally different story.
In the first round of the playoffs, “King James” carried Cleveland to a dominating sweep of the Indiana Pacers to become the first squad to advance to the semifinals.
He registered an average of 32.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 9 assists in the four contests.
It’s interesting to note that James has also won 21 consecutive first round games, the longest streak since the playoffs was expanded to 16 squads in 1984.
But is that enough for the Cavaliers when they reach the deeper phase of their championship quest?
Not really, because basketball history has taught us that the four-time MVP James needs all the contributions he can get from his teammates in order for them to reach their optimum level.
And Cleveland’s other two All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love have yet to make their presence felt.
Irving and Love have tallied a combined average of 40.8 points and 11.6 rebounds in the series against the Pacers.
Their productions must improve to keep up with the high-octane offense from their Western Conference foes should they reach the championship round.
Then comes the supporting cast.
The Cavaliers hope that the acquistion of sharpshooter Kyle Korver and court general Deron Williams will eventually pay dividends.
Those two together with Richard Jefferson, Channing Frye, and Iman Shumpert have contributed an average of 38.4 points in the first round.
Many pundits have touted Cleveland to book another finals ticket and face powerhouse Golden State Warriors for the third straight year.
But the way they handled Indiana says otherwise.
In the four games they have played, the Cavaliers managed to win only by an average of four points.
So if the Cavs have serious plans on raising that Larry O’Brien trophy once again this coming June, then they must flip the switch when they go up against the Toronto Raptors in the second round next week.
