The Cavaliers are coming off two of their most impressive wins of the season, having beaten the current No. 1 teams in both conferences in a four-day span — all of it with a shorthanded starting lineup.
Despite the recent successes without several key starters, the Cavs ' bigger picture storyline is about one thing: getting healthy before the playoffs.
The Cavs are without Donovan Mitchell , Evan Mobley and Max Strus , three vital components to their lineup and any hope they might have in the playoffs.
Mitchell has missed the last five games with a bone bruise in his left knee. He received a platelet-rich plasma injection Monday to treat it. He'll be re-evaluated on Saturday.
Mobley, who had knee surgery earlier this season , sprained his ankle during Tuesday's win over the Boston Celtics , and is expected to miss at least the next four games before being re-evaluated.
Strus has missed four games with a knee injury. He has undergone an MRI, but details have remained murky about the seriousness of the injury.
"It's more of a wear and tear thing, and it's just a matter of when it calms down," said Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff . "I can't tell you a grade of seriousness. Obviously for Max not to play, he's in pain and discomfort, but it's just a matter of giving it some time to rest, and hopefully it calms down."
In all three cases, the Cavs have yet to release any sort of a concrete timetable for their return. It's a waiting game. But they know, in all three cases, they have to be extremely patient.
Even Darius Garland , who is now healthy, said Friday night he isn't fully recovered from the rehab after his jaw surgery, when he had to eat everything through a straw and lost 12 pounds . He hasn't yet been able to put all of the weight back on.
It'll be a battle between a desire to win the No. 2 seed in the East and the necessity, above all else, to be fully healthy when the playoffs arrive. Friday's win pulled the Cavs into a tie with the Milwaukee Bucks for the No. 2 seed in the East, with both teams 41-22 this season.
Of course, home court is a major advantage, especially for a team without much playoff experience as a group. And they'd certainly like to maintain a higher seed than the New York Knicks if they were to meet again in the later rounds.
But the Celtics are almost assuredly cruising to the No. 1 seed, as they have a 7.5 game lead over Cleveland and Milwaukee. So while the Cavs can ill afford to slide too much — only the top six seeds avoid the play-in tournament, and right now the Miami Heat are six games behind the Cavs — they know they cannot rush back Mitchell, Mobley or Strus too early.
The age old question of rust vs. rest when it comes to playoff readiness will come into play, though ( they're already dealing with the question of whether a team can peak too soon ).
"The most important thing is that guys get healthy," Bickerstaff said. "We want to go into the playoffs, obviously being as healthy as we possibly can, so we won't rush those guys coming back, but you do want to see what you got. And, unfortunately for us, we've been whole very little this year.
"But, again, we know what the guys are capable of. I think because they are so selfless and talented that they'll give themselves a chance and they'll blend more quickly than some guys who aren't team oriented."
Yes, these shorthanded Cavs have pulled off wins over the No. 1 teams in both conferences in less than a week. It's an impressive feat. And, yes, they want to maintain their standing in the East and have home-court advantage over as many rivals as possible.
But they also know in a seven-game series they'll need all the firepower they can muster. And with three crucial players in their rotation, all the Cavs can do is wait. The bench, though, stepping up to lead them to two signature wins certainly helps with any sense of urgency.
"I mean, I think we're in a good position right now, and we don't even have 60 percent of our starters out there," Garland said after Friday's win. "So, I mean, we have a lot more ways to go, and I think when we get all those guys out there we'll be really tough to beat."
The Cavs are eager to return to a fully healthy lineup. They also hope they've sent a message to the league during this stretch.
"Absolutely. And not only that we're a team to be worried about, but that we have guys who are ready to play at any single moment," said center Jarrett Allen . "It just boosts us for when everybody else comes back. Contrary to belief, I do believe we're at our best when everybody is back in the lineup, so it's just going to boost us going forward."
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com. Follow him on Threads at @ByRyanLewis .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavaliers rattling off wins without Donovan Mitchell, Mobley, Strus
